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Inicio / Álbums / Washington DC, fall 1997 22
The action began with a Rally for MiCASA and remembrance of our dear friend and member Evan Kemp who had helped ADAPT with ADA, Greyhound and so much more. An action at the Russell House Office building ended with 64 arrests and a commitment for a hearing for MiCASA (HR 2020). Negotiations with DOT (Dept of Transportation) regarding Over the Road Bus (Greyhound type) compliance with ADA, and with HUD (Housing and Urban Development) regarding housing in the community not nursing homes filled out this week of actions.
- ADAPT (1076)
PHOTO: A solid mass of protesters in coats and wool hats and other cold weather garb face a fence. There is a couple of women and a man standing but most people are seated in their wheelchairs. Everyone is looking intently in the same direction. - ADAPT (1077)
PHOTO: Cassie James looking sideways with pursed lips, she is in a leather jacket leaning over the side and back of her power chair. She is in the midst of other wheelchairs of which you can see parts. She is holding near the ground a bed pan that has written in the pan part "Our homes not nursing homes. Get rid of 232 and enforce Sect. 504" - ADAPT (1078)
November 11, 1997 THE WASHINGTON POST The District and the Region [Headline] Disabled Hold Protest on Capitol Hill [Subheading] Hearing Sought on Bill To Aid Home Care By Cheryl W. Thompson Washington Post Staff Writer More than 350 disabled people from across the country staged a sit-in yesterday at the Rayburn House Office Building, demanding that a hearing date be set for a bill that could mean the difference between the ability to live at home or being forced into an institution or nursing home. The.demonstrators, members of Americans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today, lined the corridors and crammed into the office of Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.). The protesters vowed to stay until the representative agreed to schedule a hearing on the legislation that was introduced in June by House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). Bilirakis is the chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee on health and environment. "We've been waiting too long to get a hearing," said protester Bob Kafka, of Austin. We've written letters and called. The people here are angry, and we want a date set before we leave here." Bilirseakis was out of town yesterday, but his chief of staff agreed, after the protesters waited 3 1/2 hours, to set up a hearing to take testimony on the matter no later than the end of March. [Image] [Image caption] BY RAY LUSTIG-THE WASHINGTON POST. Some of the 350 protesters with the group Americans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today conduct a sit-in in the halls of the Raybum House Office Building in support of a bill to help them hire attendants to enable them to stay in their homes. [text continues] "I think they believed we listened to them," said Pattie DeLoatche, Bilirakis's chief of staff. "I'm just glad it was done in a way that wasn't disruptive." The bill, the Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act, HR 2020, would allow disabled people who qualify to hire attendants to provide care for them at home or in a community-based setting such as a school, workplace or church. "We definitely need more money for home- and community-based services," said Lori Barnard, of Topeka, Kan, who works as an independent-living counselor. "It's such a minor thing they're asking for—to be in their home." Tiffany Nash, who traveled from Atlanta, said the legislation is important to disabled people who want to live as normal a life as possible. "I prefer living in my own home and being able to take care for myself with a little assistance rather than someone doing it totally for me," said Nash. Brenda Eldridge agreed. "I have a certain level of independence, and it doesn't come cheaply in this society," said Eldridge, of Warnego, Kan "A lot of people are single and are going to stay single, and they need to be able to live on their own." The protesters said the legislation is also crucial to their long-term survival. "We feel people live longer if they have their freedom rather than living in nursing homes," said Rick Jackson, of Columbus, Ohio, who uses a wheelchair and whose wife has muscular dystrophy. We just want a choice. I don't want to be forced into a nursing home, but people are being forced into nursing homes because they can't get adequate care at home." - ADAPT (1079)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The Secretary Washington, D. C. 20410-0001 November 12, 1997 Note to: Ms. Cassie James, ADAPT From: Jackie Dycke, Director of Scheduling [initialed JD] RE: Meeting Request Thank you for submitting your request to meet with Secretary Cuomo. I will call you by the end of the week to discuss setting up a meeting with your organization. If you have any questions, I can be reached at (202) 708-1238. - ADAPT (1080)
[Headline] Victories from Fall 1997 ADAPT Action in Washington DC ADAPT's DC trip was very successful. Among other things we were able to get: * Congressman Bilirakis, Chair of the Health and Environment subcommittee, to commit to hold hearings on HR 2020, MiCASA before March 31st 1998, * the Congressional Budget Office to re-look at the numbers and assumptions on which they made their initial cost estimates for MiCASA, *major aging, disability and long term care groups to meet regarding plans to work together for passage of HR 2020. We also learned the bill is being discussed all over the hill among the House and Senate as well as government officials and advocacy groups (both for and against us). The Voice of the Retarded (the pro institution parent group) is hard at work against the bill, as is the American Health Care Association, AHCA, the nursing home lobby. [Image] Clipart of protesters holding signs that read "HR 2020" and "Free Our People!" - ADAPT (1081)
Washington Post Nov 12, 1997 [Headline] 64 Arrested in White House Protest for Disabled Sixty-four people, most of them in wheelchairs, were arrested yesterday afternoon after chaining themselves to the White House fence during a demonstration to promote legislation for the disabled, U.S. Park Police said. The protesters--members of Americans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today—were arrested about 3:20 p.m. and were charged with demonstrating without a permit, Sgt. Michael Russo said. They were booked on the scene and released. The charge carries a maximum penalty of $500 and six months in jail. The nationwide group is pushing for a bill, Medicaid Community Attendant Service Act, which would allow eligible disabled people to hire attendants to provide care at home or in a setting such as a school, workplace or church. The legislation was introduced in June by House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). About 350 disabled people staged a sit-in Monday at the Rayburn Office Building, demanding that a hearing date be set for the bill. After 3 1/2 hours, the-chief of staff for Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) agreed to arrange a hearing to take testimony by the end of March. Bilirakis is the chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee on health and environment. - ADAPT (1082)
PHOTO: A mass of protesters in coats, hats, ear muffs, jackets, wait in a park area. - ADAPT (1083)
PHOTO: About 10 protesters fill the picture, sitting in front of the White House fence. You can see a couple have their arms handcuffed to the fence. One protester has a sign reading "MiCASA AHORA". - ADAPT (1084)
PHOTO: A rally on the west side of the Capitol. A large ADAPT banner with 2 large ADAPT logos reads "Free Our People". A woman stands speaking into a microphone, several people in wheelchairs face her listening. People are wearing coats. - ADAPT (1085)
PHOTO: A mass of protesters, many in wheelchairs, face the steps and fill the top of the driveway at the Rayburn House Office Building. Many are looking away from the camera. At the top of the steps Mike Oxford, in a manual wheelchair, faces the crowd. - ADAPT (1086)
THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 November 12, 1997 ADAPT P.O. Box 9598 Denver, Colorado 80209 Dear Members of ADAPT: I am writing to confirm the commitments made by Secretary Slater after he met recently with you and with other representatives of persons with disabilities. Secretary Slater's commitments focus on the Department of Transportation's activities to develop regulations to bring over-the-road bus service into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These meetings provided Secretary Slater and other Department of Transportation officials with vital information about the problems with over-the-road bus services currently available to persons with disabilities. On the basis of that information, Secretary Slater committed that the Department will issue a proposed rule on over-the-road bus accessibility by March 15, 1998, and a final rule by September 15, 1998. We are working expeditiously on the rulemaking documents, and we fully expect to meet Secretary Slater's commitments. The Department will send a letter to Greyhound notifying them of our commitment to issue the final over-the-road bus accessibility rule by next September 15. We will also reiterate our concern about the problems being encountered on their system by persons with disabilities and urge them to take additional measures to meet these persons' needs. We will also urge Greyhound to consider purchasing new over-the-road buses equipped with lifts. I hope you will find this information helpful. Sincerely, [signed] Michael P. Huerta [typed] Michael P. Huerta Chief of Staff - ADAPT (1087)
PHOTO: A long hallway inside a Capitol office building. On the left side the hall is lined by protesters in wheelchairs, the other side lined by police in blue uniforms. Both lines face one another with about 5 feet between them. - ADAPT (1088)
PHOTO: In the background the White House, behind its black metal fence. In the foreground protesters are lined against the fence and across the sidewalk. - ADAPT (1089)
Newt Gingrich [illegible] District, Georgia The Speaker Washington Office: [illegible address] Raleigh House Office BLDG. Washington, DC, [illegible zip code] [illegible phone number] [illegible Marietta Georgia address] Congress of the Unites States House of Representatives November 9, 1997 To the Members of ADAPT: It is my pleasure to welcome the members of American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today to Washington for this important day. As you know, I have worked closely with ADAPT members over the last several months in an effort to further empower people with disabilities. Everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a full and independent life, and people with disabilities are no exception. As part of my commitment to empowering all Americans and to the principles of community based care, I introduced the Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act, H. R. 2020. This legislation would allow choices for persons with disabilities, so that individuals can receive the care that is most appropriate for them. I believe that personal empowerment is essential to the "pursuit of happiness" and believe that H. R. 2020 is the beginning of a very important debate about long term care in our nation. Now, I look forward to continuing to work on this important dialogue about the best way to empower persons with disabilities. Sincerely, [signed] Newt [typed] Newt Gingrich - ADAPT (1090)
Attorney Holly Caudill, a quadriplegic, can work but can't support herself and a full-time attendant. George S. Mitrovich tells how Caudill went about winning help for herself and others in similar straits. [Headline] Take on Capitol Hill, then head for the White House By George S. Mitrovich Special to Roundtable Former Spokane attorney Holly Caudill, a quadriplegic since she was 14, the result of a broken neck suffered in an auto accident, flew recently to Washington, D.C.. She was searching for answers to a question that, for her, has life-and-death consequences. The question is this: Could a Washington seemingly consumed by power politics, partisan divisions and global agendas, find time to consider the plight of one person? The answer Caudill found constitutes a remarkable story. The trip to Washington for this Gozaga Law School graduate became the kind of journey many Americans only dream about. The six days she spent in our nation's capital were literally six unbelievable days. While there, Caudill saw the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the United States. She also met and talked with some of the Senate's most important members: Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Dianne Feinstein of California, Charles GrassIey and Torn Harkin of Iowa, Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and Washington's own Slade Gouda. Here's what happened. Caudill, who now works in the U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego, had been invited to a dinner in Washington honoring former White House press secretary Jim Brady and actor Christopher Reeves. She and two new San Diego friends, Peter and Sherri Knobloch, decided that since Caudill was going anyway, she should use the time, if the opportunity arose, to tell her story to members of Congress. [Pulled quote] When he finished his taping, the president asked Caudill about her trip. She explained her goals, told the president about her hopes. Get me legislation, Clinton said, and I'll sign it. As readers of The Spokesman-Review know from Caudill's experiences in the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Washington, her entire income goes for the staples of life ---- food, clothing, housing, gas, lights, water, etc. What Caudill needs, what others in similar circumstances need, is a change in a federal eligibility guidelines to assure reasonable attendant care funding, while mandating that all states accommodate and fund such services. This is a critical issue. Individuals like Caudill, who has a job and reports to work every day, despite injuries that would keep most of us confined to a nursing home at great public cost, require changes in federal and stale laws if they are to remain productive members of society. Prior to Caudill leaving for Washington, Peter Knobloch called and asked if I would be to meet a friend of his. I told Peter my time was limited, but if it were important, I would provide some time. It was during our visit that l met Caudill for the first time. I listened to her remarkable story--the story of one human's triumph over great personal adversity. At our meeting, Peter asked if I would help Caudill with some Washington contacts. I said I would do what I could. Although I am a Democrat; I decided the first person I should call would be Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a conservative Republican from San Diego. I told Cunningham Caudill's story. I asked if he would help, and he said be would. I then asked if he would arrange a meeting for Caudill with Speaker Newt Gingrich. He said he would do that as well. The Knoblochs, deeply committed to Caudill's cause, flew with her to Washington, none of them aware of what was in store. The first day in Washington, somewhat confused about their schedule, Caudill and the Knoblochs missed their appointment with the speaker. Cunningham had gone out of way to arrange a meeting with one of the busiest men in America, and Caudill and her friends didn't show up. When I finally reached Peter and told him about the missed meeting, he and Caudill were disappointed. But he then told me this amazing story. Not knowing of the meeting with Gingrich, Caudill, Peter and Sherri had gone to the Capitol to see Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Getting around Washington puzzles many people, but try to imagine what it must be like if you're a quadriplegic and dependent upon public transportation. Caudill arrived late. She and the Knoblochs were instructed to meet Hatch in the judiciary hearing room. During a break, the senator invited them into a small sitting room. As senators wandered in and out, Caudill told Hatch her story. He asked her and her friends to meet him in his office at the end of the committee's meeting. For over an hour, Hatch, Caudill and the Knoblochs talked. As they were getting ready to leave, Hatch decided to call a key Clinton aide, to tell about this amazing person he had just met. The aide said Caudill should come and visit the president. Caudill and the Knoblochs set off on their cross-town trip to the White House. On arriving at the White House, they were ushered into the Roosevelt Room. The president was about to tape his weekly radio broadcast (It was the day that he and Mrs. Clinton took their daughter, Chelsea, to Stanford University). When he finished his taping. the president asked Caudill about her trip. She explained her goals, told the president about her hopes. Get me legislation, Clinton said, and I'll sign it. As they said goodbye, Caudill handed a bouquet of flowers to the president, telling him, 'These are for Chelsea." He was obviously moved. A few days later, accompanied by Cunningham, Caudill finally saw Gingrich. Like Hatch, like all the senators she had seen and like the president, the speaker was deeply - impressed by Caudill. Will she get her legislation? Yes, she will. Ultimately, you cannot say no to Caudill. She's an extraordinary person who proves daily that while you may bind the body, the human spirit cannot be chained. George Mitrovich is a civic leader and president of The City Club of San Diego. He has written articles for The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe (New York) Newsday and The Denver Post