[Headline] ADAPT descends on Washington, D.C.:
Meets with IHHS Secretary Shalala

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The nation's capital, Washington, TD.C., was the target of three days of action by the activists of ADAPT. It started with a solemn, moving memorial service for Wade Blank, co-founder of ADAPT on the steps of the Capitol. This was followed by a march to the White House where 300 crosses were planted in memory of the 9 1/2 million that have died in nursing homes.

In a dramatic reversal from the previous Bush administration, it was announced by the Clinton administration that HHS Secretary Donna Shalala would meet with ADAPT in an historic, first-of-its-kind meeting on a national attendant services policy.

For the previous 2 1/2 years, Bush's HHS Secretary, Louis Sullivan, steadfastly refused to even consider meeting with ADAPT. He would often resort to scooting out rear doors in the middle of a phalanx of Secret Service agents to avoid ADAPT activists.

Shalala came to the Quality Inn Hotel for a series of two meetings with ADAPT on Monday, May 10. The first meeting occurred at 9 am when she met with a group of 10 ADAPT activists. They presented Shalala with the position ADAPT has prepared on developing a national attendant services policy together with five concrete steps for the Clinton administration to show their good faith in setting up a national attendant services program.

Shalala heard personal accounts of how persons with severe disabilities have had to move thousands of miles away from family and friends in order to keep from being put into nursing homes.

After this meeting, and agreeing to work on the five demands from ADAPT, Shalala then had a second meeting with 400 activists from ADAPT from over ZS states around the country. With Paul Miller, of the Clinton White House, and Justin Dart, Chair of the President's Commission on Employment of Persons with Disabilities, looking on, Shalala pledged the administration's support of ADAPT's goals by stating that including attendant services in health care reform is a "key" component of the health care reform package being developed.

For 45 minutes Shalala listened to concerns and comments from the assembled activists on the necessity of attendant services so persons with disabilities would not be at risk of entering nursing homes instead of living independently in their own homes.

Shalala agreed that attendant services was preferable to nursing homes not only from a civil rights standpoint, but it also makes sound fiscal policy. She continued by saying that while she and the administration would do everything they could to push for attendant services, it was necessary for Congress and the special interests to understand the disability community was firm in demanding services.

Inserted Text box:
HHS Secretary Donna Shalala would meet with ADAPT in an historic, first-of-its-kind meeting on a national attendant services policy.

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However in a June statement Shalala has seemed to possibly back down from her earlier strong public commitments to ADAPT. In that statement Shalala stated in regards to the current situation with persona] attendant services that, "it is inappropriate for the federal government to mandate how states design and spend their dollars to provide these optional services."

Later in the statement Shalala does still continue to consider as part of the adrnir1istration's health care reform, "creating a new long term care/ personal assistance services program; and promoting consumer involvement in decision making for long-term care/ personal assistance services", but also steadfastly refuses to consider the re-direction of existing nursing home funding as a method to fund attendant services.

After the meeting, the ADAPT activists carried their concerns to the halls of Congress. ADAPT had over the past months made numerous requests for meetings with Congressional leaders that were ignored. ADAPT decided it was time to take the case straight to the leaders of Congress.

Targeting House Majority Whip David Bonior, the ADAPT activists blockaded the doors to his office with their wheelchairs and prepared to camp out until Representative Bonior would agree to meet with them. Several of the activists unrolled sleeping bagskas they crawled out of their wheelchairs, preparing to settle in for the long haul.

The meeting was not to be. Instead of Bonior agreeing to meet with ADAPT, Capitol police closed off that part of the U.S. Capitol building and moved in to arrest 115 of the activists.

Not having facilities to handle this many wheelchair users, authorities set up holding facilities in the basement of the Capitol Building. The protesters were released just before midnight. “

ADAPT has vowed not to let Congress and the administration forget about the issue of setting up a national attendant service program.

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Access USA News

Created on

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Posted on

Thursday 12 September 2019

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