"It was obvious that HUD was making a decision not to send a letter as they promised," said Randy Alexander of Memphis. ”Jackson said they would inform Housing Authorities about setting a priority [for people leaving institutions], and the only reason for a delay seems to be that they now do not want to simply write the letter.”

Ten minutes after leaving the "ADAPT Hotel," activists marched three blocks to the front of the menacing HUD building entrance. A delegation led by Jose Lara, Barbara Toomer and Bruce Darling of ADAPT was quickly led inside to negotiate, while hundreds of activists chanted and sang non-stop in the rain.

The ADAPT team soon walked out of the meeting when the bureaucrats were not receptive. But the Assistant Secretary Kim Kendrick apparently did not want to see how the mass of ADAPT would react to the news; a second round of discussions was arranged with HUD.

"We told them that we have been waiting for so long for the letter, and they were not going to do anything,” said Jose Lara of El Paso. "So we decided to leave. That was when they said ‘No, no, wait. We can deliver the letter.'”

”The Deputy Secretary came out to talk to us and said the letter would be there November first,” said Barb Toomer of Utah, who negotiated with HUD. "So, you know, if you trust them, the letter will be here. If things go the way have in the past, the letter won't be here and next time the letter doesn't come, it ain't gonna’ be much fun.”

Shortly after HUD submitted, ADAPT was back in line and in the streets, headed east to the RNC headquarters. Soaked but invigorated by the success, Cassie [unreadable] of Philadelphia summed up the experience with HUD:

"Well, I think we got the slow wheels of HUD turning again - I think it is ADAPT that keeps everything moving. They said HUD would put out the letter, but they couldn't get it out very quickly. But we upped the ante, and now the letter will be out in November."

[Subheading] Day Five: Friday, A Diary of ADAPT’s visit to legislative offices. I wake up startled just after 8:00 am. I am still groggy from staying up so late and from the general exhaustion from the ADAPT Action yesterday. The alarm did not go off, and my girlfriend did not call; I guess I just got up because I did not want to miss any of the action.

To get to all of the congresspersons offices, ADAPT had split up into groups of about 50 and spread out to the various security checkpoints at all of the House and Senate Office buildings. Once inside, the

[image]
[image caption] Teams gather in the Hart Building. Photo by Tim Wheat

[text resumes] to the hotel conference room where the Full ADAPT contingent was gathered to announce that CPD would write a letter supporting the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act (HR. 910, S 401.),

ADAPT’s primary federal legislation proposal known as MiCASSA, and send it to all the bill’s co-sponsors.

Day two was more of the same, with a long, slow march in a steady drizzle, the battle cry of ‘Go, go, go." and the stampede into the ornate lobby of the Capitol Hilton hotel. To my left was a potted fern and to my right was a mahogany colonnade supporting the mezzanine terrace from which worried men and women in business suits looked down on the packed lobby. Some of us wore cow costumes to add theater to the chant “WERE NOT YOUR CASH COW!"

This time, ADAPT demanded a meeting with America’s Health insurance Plans CEO Karen lgnagni. AHIP, the trade association tor many of the nation’s managed care organizations, was targeted because as states start handing over long-term-care programs to private managed -care providers, quality and eligibility standards might suffer. ADAPT wants private insurers to guarantee that, among other things, people with disabilities wilI be offered self-directed community-based services as the first long-term-care option.

After about two hours, ADAPT leader Mike Oxford read over a bull horn a letter signed by lgnagni agreeing to meet within 30 days.

The day-three march was much shorter and wetter, culminating at HUD headquarters. Below the we come sign above the front door, a line of stern-looking guards stood behind yellow police barricade tape. Two ADAPT leaders were allowed to enter and meet with Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Kim Kendrick. hen AD PT leaders met with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in May, he agreed to write the nation’s Public Housing Authorities, asking them to designate a number of Section 8 housing vouchers for Medicaid-eligible persons leaving she ters, nursing homes and other institutions. But the letter was never sent. Kendrick promised to get the letter out by November 1st.

The marchers then continued to the headquarters ot the Republican National Committee, where people in wheelchairs occupied nearly every square foot of the lobby and spilled out onto the porch and sidewalk outside the entrance. After about an hour, ADAPT received a commitment in writing for a meeting before the end of the year with Ken Mehlman, the RNC chairman. ADAPT wants the RNC to endorse MiCASSA and Access Across America.

The next night, at the final large group meeting, it was announced that the youth leaders had received a return call from Jim Ailing, president of U.S. operations tor Starbucks. According to youth summit organizer Sarah Watkins, the group received an apology and an offer to work with Starbucks‘ access specialists to address problems at the local store and others in the franchise.

After meeting with ADAPT, NCPD sent a letter supporting passage of MiCASSA to the co-sponsors in both the House and Senate.

ADAPT got a commitment from Kim Kendrick, HUD’s assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, to make sure her boss, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, keeps his promise to contact the PHAs about designating Section 8 vouchers for Medicaid-eligible people With disabilities who are coming out of shelters, nursing homes and other institutions.

ADAPT conducted their first youth summit, prior to the ADAPT action and put emphasis on this area throughout the Week. Furthermore, there were many notable young advocates that attended the action.

A fax was sent by ADAPT, thanking Republican National Committee Chair Ken Mehlman for passing MFP, While also occupying the GOP offices to get a meeting with him. ADAPT Wants Republican support for two additional measures that will assist states in successfully implementing MFP, namely Access Across America, the housing initiative that Will assure that people with disabilities have adequate housing as they leave nursing homes, shelters and other institutions and MiCASSA, which would remove the institutional bias from Medicaid.

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