Friday, September 26, 2008
EXCELLENT!!!
Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act! I hadn't been watching this lately because of all the stuff going on in my mundane life, but thanks to The 19th Floor's link to Cristobal Joshua Alex's blog, I am a bit more up to date. Thanks, guys!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wow! Really?
According to The Telegraph, Stephen Hawking is considering leaving Cambridge for Ontario. It's merely a consideration, but maybe it will reopen the eyes of British funding agencies if they might lose one of their most amazing scientific resources.
I for one hope he does it. It would make it easier for me to hero-stalk him if he's on THIS side of the pond.
Reading another article from last year about Dr. Hawking's 65th birthday, and a photo caption reads, "He was struck down by motor neurone disease when he was 21 and given a year or two to live." He was not struck down. He brought physics to the non-physicist. He won a Putlitzer Prize. He's taught people with severe disabilities a thing or two about keepin' on. He was not struck down.
I for one hope he does it. It would make it easier for me to hero-stalk him if he's on THIS side of the pond.
Reading another article from last year about Dr. Hawking's 65th birthday, and a photo caption reads, "He was struck down by motor neurone disease when he was 21 and given a year or two to live." He was not struck down. He brought physics to the non-physicist. He won a Putlitzer Prize. He's taught people with severe disabilities a thing or two about keepin' on. He was not struck down.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
ADAPT Blogswarm, Day 4 -- Press Release
For Immediate Release
September 17, 2008
For information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
www.adapt.org
www.duhcity.org
50 Arrested as ADAPT Takes Affordable, Accessible Housing Crisis to Congress
Washington, D.C.---From their base at "DUH City", groups of ADAPT activists fanned out on the Hill to hit congressional leaders who have responsibility to help solve the housing crisis for low income people with disabilities. Visits to the offices of Rep. Barney Frank (D, MA), a longtime leader on housing issues, and Senators Chris Dodd (D, CT) and Richard Shelby (R, AL), the Chair and ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs resulted in a total of 50 arrests.
"Our first stop was to see Rep. Barney Frank," said Diane Coleman of ADAPT in Rochester, New York. "ADAPT has been in talks with him over the past year, and early on he told us in no uncertain terms that he could get 500 housing vouchers from HUD that would be targeted to free people with disabilities who live in nursing homes and other institutions. He repeated that promise for months, and we kept trusting his word, and then one day he suddenly says he can't help us. We were also working with him to get funding that pays for segregated housing redirected to support integrated housing and more vouchers. Sen. Frank arranged a hearing on this funding, and not only did he not invite any people with disabilities to testify, he didn't even notify us about the hearing. So, today, we decided to confront him on his broken promises and bad faith."
Shortly after 13 ADAPT members entered Franks' office, he ordered staff to have them arrested, refusing to even discuss the ADAPT concerns, or strategies to address the housing crisis for low income people with disabilities trapped in institutions for lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing.
ADAPT went to the offices of Dodd and Shelby because HUD and housing fall under the purview of their committee. Sen. Shelby declined to work with ADAPT saying, "I don't help people who can't help themselves." There were 19 arrests made in Shelby's office. An aide to Sen. Dodd spoke with ADAPT, but declined to put her remarks on paper after indicating she might be willing to do so. ADAPT conti
nued to wait for the written statement, and eventually nearly 25 people were arrested.
"The TV is full of news about the bank crisis, and the mortgage crisis, and the need for candidates to appeal to middle income people," said Cassie James, Philadelphia ADAPT organizer. "Meanwhile, people who live on disability benefits, and people who are trapped in nursing homes because of no housing are being held hostage while the government bails everyone else out. Rent has gone up so much, it's higher than many monthly disability benefits. Not only do us younger people with disabilities need affordable, accessible housing, older people need it, too. This is a crisis, and we need help to solve it."
ADAPT has been in D.C. since September 13, erecting DUH City, a tent city, on the plaza outside HUD headquarters to bring attention to the situation of the people who have been ignored in this election year- low income people with disabilities. The crises with the economy and housing extend well beyond the middle class, but the Presidential candidates and their parties have seemingly forgotten that fact. Not so, ADAPT.
September 17, 2008
For information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
www.adapt.org
www.duhcity.org
50 Arrested as ADAPT Takes Affordable, Accessible Housing Crisis to Congress
Washington, D.C.---From their base at "DUH City", groups of ADAPT activists fanned out on the Hill to hit congressional leaders who have responsibility to help solve the housing crisis for low income people with disabilities. Visits to the offices of Rep. Barney Frank (D, MA), a longtime leader on housing issues, and Senators Chris Dodd (D, CT) and Richard Shelby (R, AL), the Chair and ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs resulted in a total of 50 arrests.
"Our first stop was to see Rep. Barney Frank," said Diane Coleman of ADAPT in Rochester, New York. "ADAPT has been in talks with him over the past year, and early on he told us in no uncertain terms that he could get 500 housing vouchers from HUD that would be targeted to free people with disabilities who live in nursing homes and other institutions. He repeated that promise for months, and we kept trusting his word, and then one day he suddenly says he can't help us. We were also working with him to get funding that pays for segregated housing redirected to support integrated housing and more vouchers. Sen. Frank arranged a hearing on this funding, and not only did he not invite any people with disabilities to testify, he didn't even notify us about the hearing. So, today, we decided to confront him on his broken promises and bad faith."
Shortly after 13 ADAPT members entered Franks' office, he ordered staff to have them arrested, refusing to even discuss the ADAPT concerns, or strategies to address the housing crisis for low income people with disabilities trapped in institutions for lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing.
ADAPT went to the offices of Dodd and Shelby because HUD and housing fall under the purview of their committee. Sen. Shelby declined to work with ADAPT saying, "I don't help people who can't help themselves." There were 19 arrests made in Shelby's office. An aide to Sen. Dodd spoke with ADAPT, but declined to put her remarks on paper after indicating she might be willing to do so. ADAPT conti
nued to wait for the written statement, and eventually nearly 25 people were arrested.
"The TV is full of news about the bank crisis, and the mortgage crisis, and the need for candidates to appeal to middle income people," said Cassie James, Philadelphia ADAPT organizer. "Meanwhile, people who live on disability benefits, and people who are trapped in nursing homes because of no housing are being held hostage while the government bails everyone else out. Rent has gone up so much, it's higher than many monthly disability benefits. Not only do us younger people with disabilities need affordable, accessible housing, older people need it, too. This is a crisis, and we need help to solve it."
ADAPT has been in D.C. since September 13, erecting DUH City, a tent city, on the plaza outside HUD headquarters to bring attention to the situation of the people who have been ignored in this election year- low income people with disabilities. The crises with the economy and housing extend well beyond the middle class, but the Presidential candidates and their parties have seemingly forgotten that fact. Not so, ADAPT.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
ADAPT Blogswarm, Day 3 -- Press Release, DUH City Times Issue 2, and News Video from Virginia
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2008
For information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
www.adapt.org
www.duhcity.org
ADAPT Challenges HUD, Dems, McCain on Disability/Housing Economic Crisis
Washington, D.C.---ADAPT wasted no time challenging multiple policymakers on the housing crisis for persons with disabilities who have low and extremely low incomes. After setting up a tent city at HUD headquarters just after 4 a.m., ADAPT sent 100 activists to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) offices in Washington, D.C., and another hundred to a Sen. John McCain campaign office in Arlington, VA. All three entities were presented with the ADAPT platform for affordable, accessible housing.
"The DNC was cordial, and they accepted our housing platform, as well as our invitation to visit 'DUH City,' which is HUD spelled backwards," said octonagerian Barb Toomer, ADAPT organizer from Utah."The career HUD staff that met with ADAPT told our people they had no authority to make decisions and had to wait for the administration or administrative appointees to make any decisions, so the meeting felt like a waste of time. Sen. John McCain's campaign staff not only refused to even look at our housing platform, they had eleven of us arrested by police who caused injuries to at least one arrestee."
ADAPT's housing platform points to America's20longstanding and still growing crisis in the availability of affordable, accessible integrated housing. Many people with disabilities live on benefits that are only 18% of the median income, a full 25% below the poverty level, and an amount that is less than the national average rent for a studio/efficiency apartment.
"The federal government is sending stimulus payments to middle class workers, and is providing economic relief for the mortgage crisis, and maybe even the bank crisis," said Dawn Russell, Denver ADAPT. "What about all of us who live on fixed incomes? If we can't afford the cost of housing, we'll end up on the street or being forced into nursing homes and institutions. What are the federal government, Congress, and the presidential candidates going to do to help us with our housing crisis?"
In its platform, ADAPT is asking for:
-- 5000 new housing vouchers per year for 10 years, targeted to people transitioning out of nursing homes and other institutions
-- Twice as much funding for the construction of new housing stock that is affordable, accessible and integrated
-- Policies and procedures to track the new vouchers to assure they remain targeted to people with disabilities when the original user becomes ineligible or no longer needs the voucher
-- People with disabilities who reside in institutional settings to be recognized as "homeless."
ADAPT's DUH City will remain in operation twenty four hours a day until Thursday, September 18. The DUH City Times will be delivered daily to every member of Congress, and there will be daily DUH TV coverage on You Tube. Background information, real stories of real people and photos can all be accessed at www.duhcity.org.
DUH City Times -- Second Edition -- September 16, 2008
On site at DUH City - A Monday Night Recap
Three AM
Last night at the big meeting, ADAPTers were shocked to find out
that they had to be in line at FOUR AM today ! We buckled down however, knowing that there had to be a pretty damn good reason for getting up that early. So we finished our day’s business, went to bed, and started getting up as early as one and two am…
My roommate tapped me awake at 3 am and we leaped to action. I took a peek outside and ADAPTers were already swarming the patio below. We were downstairs by 3:45 am, and as usual with ADAPT, it was “hurry up and wait” as the line formed up. Finally, around 4:30 or so, we began silently heading out.
Luckily, our target destination was only two blocks away! That’s right, HUD. As folks streamed in to ring the plaza and our logistics team swarmed in with vans and equipment, Operation DUH took effect. We have set up several dome tents to house our equipment and teams such as media and food. We are calling this all DUH City and we even have a website - www.duhcity.org!
It took us maybe 20 minutes to get our basic stuff set up and we were complete within an hour. We have five big blue dome tents set up, which is amazing. Folks chanted their guts out till 5:30 am, when we had a roster of speakers discuss why affordable, accessible, integrated housing is important. Mike Oxford said, “If Congress set up housing as fast as ADAPT, our problem would be solved!” We heard from many who have been forced into nursing homes or being homeless because of the lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing. Our goal in being at HUD is to get politicians and federal agencies to support our housing platform. The police said they wouldn’t arrest anyone if we let visitors and employees have free access. Sometimes we are accommodating and we immediately drew a sidewalk onto our tent city—hence no arrests at Duh City.
10:30 AM
We just finished a big rally where folks talked once again about how important housing is. We also passed out the first copy of this newspaper and a team of folks are now in the process of delivering copies to every office on the Hill. Bloggers are now actively following our news and Twitter is alive with text alerts about the action. Three color groups have departed for missions unknown. The other color groups are holding down the fort at DUH City. Some are taking brief naps. The atmosphere is very relaxed as we save our energy for whatever we have to do next.
2:30 PM
The green color group came back and reported that, under heavy police watch, they visited the Democratic National Committee headquarters. They spoke with staff and a representative of Obama’s campaign, who accepted copies of the platform and promised to pass them along.
They also said they supported the concept of affordable, accessible and integrated housing and would try to drop by to visit DUH City.
It also turned out that the red and yellow color groups went to McCain’s headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia. At the time of this writing, it is reported that several ADAPTers are inside, and a few folks have been sending cell phone pictures of conflict inside the volunteer area.
Meanwhile, back at DUH, the atmosphere picked up once we heard the exciting stories brought back by the action teams. Johnny Crescendo has entertained the crowd a few times, we have done some street theater and we have done many, many rounds of chanting. We expect to be here for quite a while longer and are excited to hear back from our red and yellow McCain teams!
3:20 PM
We hear from our people that ADAPTers are now being arrested at McCain’s office and that the police are being really, really rough. We know our people are strong and we await word of the final arrest count. It is a crying shame that a presidential candidate’s campaign would rather arrest poor people than work to find solutions to the lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing.
Stay in Touch by Amber Smock
This week, ADAPT is getting the word out about housing in several new ways. In addition to our press releases and contacts, we are keeping up withpeople via the digital world. We have a website devoted to this action at www.duhcity.org, and no less than 37 bloggers at press time are involved with the National ADAPT blogswarm. Folks who love text messages can stay abreast of our doings via NationalADAPT on Twitter, a service that allows users to send brief messages and pictures to one another in real time. A posse of ADAPTers are also delivering the DUH City Times to every Congressional office on each of our action days. That’s right, we are dropping off the news at all 535 politicians’ offices on the Hill! We’re all fired up to bring you the news so we can work together to FREE OUR PEOPLE!
Moreover in putting our money where our mouth is about accessibility we also have large print and audio versions of the newspaper. Call us at (801) 347-0370 or email us at jcostley@sprynet.com to request one of these alternative versions. In addition, keep an eye on www.duhcity.org for postings of DUHtv, which will have frontline reporting from real live ADAPTers and will also be captioned.
Finally, we have Spanish language outreach efforts, because el pueblo unido nunca sera vencido! For more information, check out www.duhcity.org
Three Strikes: No Housing for You By: Amber Smock with Lopeti Penima’ani
“Without affordable, accessible, integrated housing, I would be homeless,” said Lopeti Penima’ani of Salt Lake City ADAPT. “I actually was homeless until I could find an affordable place.” “In Utah, to get an apartment we have to have first and last month’s rent, plus a credit check. I didn’t have the first and last month’s rent, and my credit was all over the place. With all three strikes, what choice do you have?”
Affordable housing can be a life or death decision for too many of our people with disabilities. Having to face this decision is a violation of our human rights. We need significant action by lawmakers and HUD to make affordable housing for all a reality, but this change needs to happen in partnership with groups like ADAPT. Lopeti also pointed out that the work of disability rights activists has paved the way for real change. “Because of the Disabled Rights Action Committee (DRAC), about seven years ago an apartment complex became accessible. With subsidies it also became affordable and now more people with disabilities live there.”
Housing for All: An Advocate’s Vision By Amber Smock with Beto Barrera
Beto Barrera, a Chicago ADAPTer and the Housing Team Leader for Access Living, has been at the forefront of the housing struggle for people with disabilities for many years. He and his team work for housing policy change at the local, state, and national levels. He is committed to the vision of affordable, accessible, integrated housing. We sat down for a brief talk about the separate parts of that vision.
Affordability
It’s no secret that our people, for the most part, are broke. “Seventy percent of our people are unemployed,” said Beto. “That’s why HUD and the Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) need to work together to create availability of affordable housing. The cheapest studio is $500 a month.” In addition, the amount of rent you pay per month does not reflect the real cost of what it takes to live in your own place.
When you move into a new place, you have to have a security deposit, plus buy any furniture or equipment for your new home.
Accessibility
The lack of accessible housing is rooted in historic cultural attitudes towards peoples’ place in the world. “Housing designed with steps is based on a European and Middle Eastern cultural heritage,” notes Beto. There is a classist element to a world built on stairs. “Poor people used to live in shacks, so rich people wanted to be on stairs to raise themselves above the poor people.” These days, architects and builders justify the use of stairs by citing the possibility of floods. However, as we saw with Hurricane Katrina, floods hit all homes, stairs or no stairs. The problem is compounded by architects being afraid to offer accessible building designs to developers, because developers are reluctant to accept designs they think will not sell. “It’s very hard for them to get out of the box,” said Beto. “It’s a matter of changing attitudes.”
The progressive architects and developers are able to use the disability community as a marketing tool. They realize that a lot of people with disabilities havemoney to spend and design for our market. However, access can still be thwarted by the actions of landlords. Beto cited the example of a Chicagoan with a physical disability who uses a manual wheelchair. This man visited an apartment building with about 30 to 40 units, but was told by the landlord that there were no units he could rent but that he could refer him to accessible housing. He wrote out the name and contact info, and it turned out to be a group home. The Chicagoan filed a complaint and, working with advocates, eventually won a $15,000 settlement against the landlord.
Integration
Why is it so hard to create real communities where all kinds of people live together without segregation? “People see people with disabilities as a commodity, a money maker,” said Beto.
Beto made an excellent point when he said, “People with disabilities don’t live in housing, they live in programs. Why? Because it’s profitable. We are living in government sponsored segregation because it’s profitable.” Clearly, the government and our people need to work together to create a change in perception. There are serious problems, however, because our government does not protect the interests of all people. “Our government works for rich people,” said Beto. “This is why we have segregated housing. We know that it’s cheaper for a person with a disability to live in the community.” Instead, the rich get richer off institutions and nursing homes. “Rich people want to continue making money, so our government is protecting those people,” he said. In a true democracy, the voice of each person would matter, but what we are dealing with is a system where a few make choices for the many, where the rich collect money and the poor get poorer. This is why ADAPT is using our people power this week to get the message to lawmakers that we must work TOGETHER to achieve afford-able, accessible, integrated housing.
A BAD MYSTERY BY: JERRY COSTLEY
Everybody loves a mystery, right? Not necessarily, not when it involves flouting congress’ intent and leaving more persons with a disability needlessly without housing. This particular mystery began when Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and HUD assisted housing providers began implementing “elderly only” restrictions that eliminated housing options for many individuals with disabilities—in fact, HUD’s own records indicate that over 500,000 living units have these restrictions and more are being added every day. Concerned about this tremendous loss of housing, Congress created 50,000 “disability only” vouchers from 1997-2000. This was a tremendous relief to our housing shortage. However, the relief was short lived. Every time an individual with a disability would move out of their newly acquired housing, the PHA would “roll over” the voucher to someone without a disability and our community would suffer a further erosion of our housing.
Again, Congress intervened, and from 2001-2004, Congress directed HUD to in-sure these housing vouchers remained with persons with disabilities when they rolled over. Instead, HUD’s instructions to the PHA’s are that these vouchers are to go to whoever is next on their waiting list.
In 2006 ADAPT began a series of protests against HUD that resulted in then Secretary Alfonso Jackson researching to find out how many of our vouchers had been lost to their flouting of Congressional intent and our critical needs. Secretary Jackson also agreed to finally issue the long sought letter to the PHAs instructing them to cease giving away our vouchers. After much pressure, we got the letter. Unfortunately, Secretary Jackson was not prompt at keeping his word and was sacked before we could hold him to locating and restoring our lost vouchers.
How many vouchers have been lost? No one knows. Can they be reclaimed? No one seems to know. How could HUD flout Congressional intent for so many years? Therein lies the mystery. Certainly Congress is not going to replace them any time soon with no guarantee that they will remain in circulation for people with disabilities.
Part of ADAPT’s demand in our housing platform is that HUD make good on its promises to locate and restore these lost vouchers. Part of our housing crisis is the result of economics. Part is inherent with the difficulty of finding accessible housing. We simply don’t need to add an additional part that is the result of HUD’s willful disregard of Congress’ intent and of our critical needs.
Please join with us in putting whatever pressure you can on HUD to make good on their obligations to people with disabilities!
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=76105&catid=158
ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) - It's an issue millions of American families struggle with: Can you afford to take care of an aged or disabled loved one in their own home? Or do you have to put them in a nursing home to qualify for government help? It may be the next big battle on the Presidential campaign trail.Both the Obama and McCain Campaigns support the right of the disabled to choose whether to live at home or in a nursing home. But Sen. McCain opposes a Senate bill designed to change a system that disabled advocates say pushes them to spend the rest of their lives in an institution.
Arlington Police did their best to protect Senator McCain's national headquarters. Dozens of disabled advocates from across the country rushed the building in Crystal City -- and police ended up arresting nearly a dozen for trespassing.
"We don't want no houses like he has. Seven houses. We don't need anything fancy. We're asking for an apartment," said protestor Cassie James.
The activists say Medicaid WILL pay for their care in a nursing home. But WON'T pay for them to have a health aide at home. "All we want to do is level the playing field so people will have a choice," said activist Rick Knight.
Sen. McCain says government living assistance for the disabled should NOT mean "perpetual confinement to an institution." But he also says the bill supported by the activists is too expensive. "The Community Choice Act is not a piece of legislation that I support," Sen. McCain told a Denver forum.
Bobby Coward says that's not good enough. He's a Persian Gulf war vet left a quadriplegic by a car accident. "If I don't get an attendant, I can't get out of the house, so I'm laying in bed."
He could check himself into a nursing home, and the government would pay for it. But he says that's the last thing he wants.
"Is it going to cost the government more to keep you in your own home?" I asked him. "No! No, matter of fact, it's cheaper.' A study this year from Prudential Financial says a home health aide in DC runs an average of $19 an hour. The cost of a private room in a nursing home: about $232 a day.
September 16, 2008
For information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
www.adapt.org
www.duhcity.org
ADAPT Challenges HUD, Dems, McCain on Disability/Housing Economic Crisis
Washington, D.C.---ADAPT wasted no time challenging multiple policymakers on the housing crisis for persons with disabilities who have low and extremely low incomes. After setting up a tent city at HUD headquarters just after 4 a.m., ADAPT sent 100 activists to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) offices in Washington, D.C., and another hundred to a Sen. John McCain campaign office in Arlington, VA. All three entities were presented with the ADAPT platform for affordable, accessible housing.
"The DNC was cordial, and they accepted our housing platform, as well as our invitation to visit 'DUH City,' which is HUD spelled backwards," said octonagerian Barb Toomer, ADAPT organizer from Utah."The career HUD staff that met with ADAPT told our people they had no authority to make decisions and had to wait for the administration or administrative appointees to make any decisions, so the meeting felt like a waste of time. Sen. John McCain's campaign staff not only refused to even look at our housing platform, they had eleven of us arrested by police who caused injuries to at least one arrestee."
ADAPT's housing platform points to America's20longstanding and still growing crisis in the availability of affordable, accessible integrated housing. Many people with disabilities live on benefits that are only 18% of the median income, a full 25% below the poverty level, and an amount that is less than the national average rent for a studio/efficiency apartment.
"The federal government is sending stimulus payments to middle class workers, and is providing economic relief for the mortgage crisis, and maybe even the bank crisis," said Dawn Russell, Denver ADAPT. "What about all of us who live on fixed incomes? If we can't afford the cost of housing, we'll end up on the street or being forced into nursing homes and institutions. What are the federal government, Congress, and the presidential candidates going to do to help us with our housing crisis?"
In its platform, ADAPT is asking for:
-- 5000 new housing vouchers per year for 10 years, targeted to people transitioning out of nursing homes and other institutions
-- Twice as much funding for the construction of new housing stock that is affordable, accessible and integrated
-- Policies and procedures to track the new vouchers to assure they remain targeted to people with disabilities when the original user becomes ineligible or no longer needs the voucher
-- People with disabilities who reside in institutional settings to be recognized as "homeless."
ADAPT's DUH City will remain in operation twenty four hours a day until Thursday, September 18. The DUH City Times will be delivered daily to every member of Congress, and there will be daily DUH TV coverage on You Tube. Background information, real stories of real people and photos can all be accessed at www.duhcity.org.
DUH City Times -- Second Edition -- September 16, 2008
On site at DUH City - A Monday Night Recap
Three AM
Last night at the big meeting, ADAPTers were shocked to find out
that they had to be in line at FOUR AM today ! We buckled down however, knowing that there had to be a pretty damn good reason for getting up that early. So we finished our day’s business, went to bed, and started getting up as early as one and two am…
My roommate tapped me awake at 3 am and we leaped to action. I took a peek outside and ADAPTers were already swarming the patio below. We were downstairs by 3:45 am, and as usual with ADAPT, it was “hurry up and wait” as the line formed up. Finally, around 4:30 or so, we began silently heading out.
Luckily, our target destination was only two blocks away! That’s right, HUD. As folks streamed in to ring the plaza and our logistics team swarmed in with vans and equipment, Operation DUH took effect. We have set up several dome tents to house our equipment and teams such as media and food. We are calling this all DUH City and we even have a website - www.duhcity.org!
It took us maybe 20 minutes to get our basic stuff set up and we were complete within an hour. We have five big blue dome tents set up, which is amazing. Folks chanted their guts out till 5:30 am, when we had a roster of speakers discuss why affordable, accessible, integrated housing is important. Mike Oxford said, “If Congress set up housing as fast as ADAPT, our problem would be solved!” We heard from many who have been forced into nursing homes or being homeless because of the lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing. Our goal in being at HUD is to get politicians and federal agencies to support our housing platform. The police said they wouldn’t arrest anyone if we let visitors and employees have free access. Sometimes we are accommodating and we immediately drew a sidewalk onto our tent city—hence no arrests at Duh City.
10:30 AM
We just finished a big rally where folks talked once again about how important housing is. We also passed out the first copy of this newspaper and a team of folks are now in the process of delivering copies to every office on the Hill. Bloggers are now actively following our news and Twitter is alive with text alerts about the action. Three color groups have departed for missions unknown. The other color groups are holding down the fort at DUH City. Some are taking brief naps. The atmosphere is very relaxed as we save our energy for whatever we have to do next.
2:30 PM
The green color group came back and reported that, under heavy police watch, they visited the Democratic National Committee headquarters. They spoke with staff and a representative of Obama’s campaign, who accepted copies of the platform and promised to pass them along.
They also said they supported the concept of affordable, accessible and integrated housing and would try to drop by to visit DUH City.
It also turned out that the red and yellow color groups went to McCain’s headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia. At the time of this writing, it is reported that several ADAPTers are inside, and a few folks have been sending cell phone pictures of conflict inside the volunteer area.
Meanwhile, back at DUH, the atmosphere picked up once we heard the exciting stories brought back by the action teams. Johnny Crescendo has entertained the crowd a few times, we have done some street theater and we have done many, many rounds of chanting. We expect to be here for quite a while longer and are excited to hear back from our red and yellow McCain teams!
3:20 PM
We hear from our people that ADAPTers are now being arrested at McCain’s office and that the police are being really, really rough. We know our people are strong and we await word of the final arrest count. It is a crying shame that a presidential candidate’s campaign would rather arrest poor people than work to find solutions to the lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing.
Stay in Touch by Amber Smock
This week, ADAPT is getting the word out about housing in several new ways. In addition to our press releases and contacts, we are keeping up withpeople via the digital world. We have a website devoted to this action at www.duhcity.org, and no less than 37 bloggers at press time are involved with the National ADAPT blogswarm. Folks who love text messages can stay abreast of our doings via NationalADAPT on Twitter, a service that allows users to send brief messages and pictures to one another in real time. A posse of ADAPTers are also delivering the DUH City Times to every Congressional office on each of our action days. That’s right, we are dropping off the news at all 535 politicians’ offices on the Hill! We’re all fired up to bring you the news so we can work together to FREE OUR PEOPLE!
Moreover in putting our money where our mouth is about accessibility we also have large print and audio versions of the newspaper. Call us at (801) 347-0370 or email us at jcostley@sprynet.com to request one of these alternative versions. In addition, keep an eye on www.duhcity.org for postings of DUHtv, which will have frontline reporting from real live ADAPTers and will also be captioned.
Finally, we have Spanish language outreach efforts, because el pueblo unido nunca sera vencido! For more information, check out www.duhcity.org
Three Strikes: No Housing for You By: Amber Smock with Lopeti Penima’ani
“Without affordable, accessible, integrated housing, I would be homeless,” said Lopeti Penima’ani of Salt Lake City ADAPT. “I actually was homeless until I could find an affordable place.” “In Utah, to get an apartment we have to have first and last month’s rent, plus a credit check. I didn’t have the first and last month’s rent, and my credit was all over the place. With all three strikes, what choice do you have?”
Affordable housing can be a life or death decision for too many of our people with disabilities. Having to face this decision is a violation of our human rights. We need significant action by lawmakers and HUD to make affordable housing for all a reality, but this change needs to happen in partnership with groups like ADAPT. Lopeti also pointed out that the work of disability rights activists has paved the way for real change. “Because of the Disabled Rights Action Committee (DRAC), about seven years ago an apartment complex became accessible. With subsidies it also became affordable and now more people with disabilities live there.”
Housing for All: An Advocate’s Vision By Amber Smock with Beto Barrera
Beto Barrera, a Chicago ADAPTer and the Housing Team Leader for Access Living, has been at the forefront of the housing struggle for people with disabilities for many years. He and his team work for housing policy change at the local, state, and national levels. He is committed to the vision of affordable, accessible, integrated housing. We sat down for a brief talk about the separate parts of that vision.
Affordability
It’s no secret that our people, for the most part, are broke. “Seventy percent of our people are unemployed,” said Beto. “That’s why HUD and the Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) need to work together to create availability of affordable housing. The cheapest studio is $500 a month.” In addition, the amount of rent you pay per month does not reflect the real cost of what it takes to live in your own place.
When you move into a new place, you have to have a security deposit, plus buy any furniture or equipment for your new home.
Accessibility
The lack of accessible housing is rooted in historic cultural attitudes towards peoples’ place in the world. “Housing designed with steps is based on a European and Middle Eastern cultural heritage,” notes Beto. There is a classist element to a world built on stairs. “Poor people used to live in shacks, so rich people wanted to be on stairs to raise themselves above the poor people.” These days, architects and builders justify the use of stairs by citing the possibility of floods. However, as we saw with Hurricane Katrina, floods hit all homes, stairs or no stairs. The problem is compounded by architects being afraid to offer accessible building designs to developers, because developers are reluctant to accept designs they think will not sell. “It’s very hard for them to get out of the box,” said Beto. “It’s a matter of changing attitudes.”
The progressive architects and developers are able to use the disability community as a marketing tool. They realize that a lot of people with disabilities havemoney to spend and design for our market. However, access can still be thwarted by the actions of landlords. Beto cited the example of a Chicagoan with a physical disability who uses a manual wheelchair. This man visited an apartment building with about 30 to 40 units, but was told by the landlord that there were no units he could rent but that he could refer him to accessible housing. He wrote out the name and contact info, and it turned out to be a group home. The Chicagoan filed a complaint and, working with advocates, eventually won a $15,000 settlement against the landlord.
Integration
Why is it so hard to create real communities where all kinds of people live together without segregation? “People see people with disabilities as a commodity, a money maker,” said Beto.
Beto made an excellent point when he said, “People with disabilities don’t live in housing, they live in programs. Why? Because it’s profitable. We are living in government sponsored segregation because it’s profitable.” Clearly, the government and our people need to work together to create a change in perception. There are serious problems, however, because our government does not protect the interests of all people. “Our government works for rich people,” said Beto. “This is why we have segregated housing. We know that it’s cheaper for a person with a disability to live in the community.” Instead, the rich get richer off institutions and nursing homes. “Rich people want to continue making money, so our government is protecting those people,” he said. In a true democracy, the voice of each person would matter, but what we are dealing with is a system where a few make choices for the many, where the rich collect money and the poor get poorer. This is why ADAPT is using our people power this week to get the message to lawmakers that we must work TOGETHER to achieve afford-able, accessible, integrated housing.
A BAD MYSTERY BY: JERRY COSTLEY
Everybody loves a mystery, right? Not necessarily, not when it involves flouting congress’ intent and leaving more persons with a disability needlessly without housing. This particular mystery began when Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and HUD assisted housing providers began implementing “elderly only” restrictions that eliminated housing options for many individuals with disabilities—in fact, HUD’s own records indicate that over 500,000 living units have these restrictions and more are being added every day. Concerned about this tremendous loss of housing, Congress created 50,000 “disability only” vouchers from 1997-2000. This was a tremendous relief to our housing shortage. However, the relief was short lived. Every time an individual with a disability would move out of their newly acquired housing, the PHA would “roll over” the voucher to someone without a disability and our community would suffer a further erosion of our housing.
Again, Congress intervened, and from 2001-2004, Congress directed HUD to in-sure these housing vouchers remained with persons with disabilities when they rolled over. Instead, HUD’s instructions to the PHA’s are that these vouchers are to go to whoever is next on their waiting list.
In 2006 ADAPT began a series of protests against HUD that resulted in then Secretary Alfonso Jackson researching to find out how many of our vouchers had been lost to their flouting of Congressional intent and our critical needs. Secretary Jackson also agreed to finally issue the long sought letter to the PHAs instructing them to cease giving away our vouchers. After much pressure, we got the letter. Unfortunately, Secretary Jackson was not prompt at keeping his word and was sacked before we could hold him to locating and restoring our lost vouchers.
How many vouchers have been lost? No one knows. Can they be reclaimed? No one seems to know. How could HUD flout Congressional intent for so many years? Therein lies the mystery. Certainly Congress is not going to replace them any time soon with no guarantee that they will remain in circulation for people with disabilities.
Part of ADAPT’s demand in our housing platform is that HUD make good on its promises to locate and restore these lost vouchers. Part of our housing crisis is the result of economics. Part is inherent with the difficulty of finding accessible housing. We simply don’t need to add an additional part that is the result of HUD’s willful disregard of Congress’ intent and of our critical needs.
Please join with us in putting whatever pressure you can on HUD to make good on their obligations to people with disabilities!
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=76105&catid=158
ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) - It's an issue millions of American families struggle with: Can you afford to take care of an aged or disabled loved one in their own home? Or do you have to put them in a nursing home to qualify for government help? It may be the next big battle on the Presidential campaign trail.Both the Obama and McCain Campaigns support the right of the disabled to choose whether to live at home or in a nursing home. But Sen. McCain opposes a Senate bill designed to change a system that disabled advocates say pushes them to spend the rest of their lives in an institution.
Arlington Police did their best to protect Senator McCain's national headquarters. Dozens of disabled advocates from across the country rushed the building in Crystal City -- and police ended up arresting nearly a dozen for trespassing.
"We don't want no houses like he has. Seven houses. We don't need anything fancy. We're asking for an apartment," said protestor Cassie James.
The activists say Medicaid WILL pay for their care in a nursing home. But WON'T pay for them to have a health aide at home. "All we want to do is level the playing field so people will have a choice," said activist Rick Knight.
Sen. McCain says government living assistance for the disabled should NOT mean "perpetual confinement to an institution." But he also says the bill supported by the activists is too expensive. "The Community Choice Act is not a piece of legislation that I support," Sen. McCain told a Denver forum.
Bobby Coward says that's not good enough. He's a Persian Gulf war vet left a quadriplegic by a car accident. "If I don't get an attendant, I can't get out of the house, so I'm laying in bed."
He could check himself into a nursing home, and the government would pay for it. But he says that's the last thing he wants.
"Is it going to cost the government more to keep you in your own home?" I asked him. "No! No, matter of fact, it's cheaper.' A study this year from Prudential Financial says a home health aide in DC runs an average of $19 an hour. The cost of a private room in a nursing home: about $232 a day.
Monday, September 15, 2008
ADAPT Blogswarm, Day 2 -- Updates From the Action 2
Sent to me via email from an ADAPTer:
At approximately 4:30 AM on Monday, September 15th, hundreds of disability rights activists from across the country took over the plaza in front of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The activists, from a grassroots organization called ADAPT, are targeting HUD with this 'tent city', http://www.duhcity.org , action because people with disabilities are in a housing crisis. There simply is not enough housing that is accessible, affordable, and integrated for people with disabilities.
ADAPT activists have taken this message to the Democrats and Republicans. Eleven ADAPTers were arrested Monday afternoon at the National campaign headquarters of Senator John McCain.
To support these activists and to make this action work, ADAPT needs your help! We need the candidates for President and those for Congress to here (sic) from YOU - the VOTERS of this NATION!
Use this LINK to send a letter to the Candidates for President and the Candidates for Congress in your district! Then send this action alert link to EVERYONE you know!
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=11928371&type=ML&show_alert=1
At approximately 4:30 AM on Monday, September 15th, hundreds of disability rights activists from across the country took over the plaza in front of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The activists, from a grassroots organization called ADAPT, are targeting HUD with this 'tent city', http://www.duhcity.org , action because people with disabilities are in a housing crisis. There simply is not enough housing that is accessible, affordable, and integrated for people with disabilities.
ADAPT activists have taken this message to the Democrats and Republicans. Eleven ADAPTers were arrested Monday afternoon at the National campaign headquarters of Senator John McCain.
To support these activists and to make this action work, ADAPT needs your help! We need the candidates for President and those for Congress to here (sic) from YOU - the VOTERS of this NATION!
Use this LINK to send a letter to the Candidates for President and the Candidates for Congress in your district! Then send this action alert link to EVERYONE you know!
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=11928371&type=ML&show_alert=1
ADAPT Blogswarm, Day 2 -- Updates From the Action
Word keeps coming in on the ADAPTers' work so far. Groups have gone to the Democratic National Convention office and to Senator McCain's headquarters in Virginia. ADAPTers at the DNC were escorted by police officers, presented their case for the Community Choice Act, and invited staffers to DUH City. So far, eight people have been arrested at Senator McCain's office, and the group has not been granted an audience to present their case. The following call has gone out:
Please call the office listed below and tell McCain's staff to get ADAPT a meeting with John McCain!!
Disseminate!
Mid-Atlantic Regional Headquarters and Virginia State Office
1235 S. Clark Street, 1st Floor
Arlington, VA 22202
Office number is 703-297-8900
Office fax is 703-414-0051
Email Virginia staff at virginia@johnmccain.com
Please call the office listed below and tell McCain's staff to get ADAPT a meeting with John McCain!!
Disseminate!
Mid-Atlantic Regional Headquarters and Virginia State Office
1235 S. Clark Street, 1st Floor
Arlington, VA 22202
Office number is 703-297-8900
Office fax is 703-414-0051
Email Virginia staff at virginia@johnmccain.com
ADAPT Blogswarm, Day 2 -- Press Release and DUH City Times Issue 1
Media Advisory:
Monday, September 15, 2008
For Information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
www.adapt.org
ADAPT Fights Back re: Nation's Low Income People with Disabilities Left Behind in Election Year Agendas
Who: ADAPT Community (500 disability rights activists from all over the country.) ADAPT is the nation's largest cross-disability grassroots disability rights organization.
What: News conference to announce opening of DUH City.
When: 10 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2008
Where: The plaza outside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410
Why: The 2008 election campaigns have included rhetoric about tax breaks for middle income families, and media coverage has included stories about families who have children with disabilities.
Left out of all the election rhetoric are the candidates' positions on and commitments to those babies with disabilities who grow into adults with disabilities who all-too-often survive on extremely low incomes (less than 30% of the median income). These extremely low incomes are often the fixed benefit amounts of SSI and Social Security.
In 2006, according to Priced Out in 2006, the federal SSI benefit was $603/month and the average cost nationally of renting a studio/efficiency apartment was $633/month.
There are not enough AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, INTEGRATED housing units to handle the current demand in communities across America. When the Community Choice Act (S 799, H.R. 1621) passes, and older and disabled people can choose to live in their own homes instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions, the need for affordable, accessible housing will increase. And as the baby-boomers continue to age, the demand will grow exponentially.
HUD, Congress and the Administration have broken promises, cut funding for housing stock and housing subsidies and enforcement of anti-discrimination housing laws, and simply ignored the nation's low-income people with disabilities altogether.
ADAPT has established "DUH City" (reverse of HUD) to bring attention to and document the struggle of low income people with disabilities. When the average rent for even an efficiency apartment is more than your monthly income……where do you wind up? All too often you're forced out on the street or into a nursing home or other institution. DUH!
ADAPT's tent city will be typical community complete with its own newspaper, TV coverage, and other services.
Duh City Times - First Edition - September 15, 2008
Announcing the founding of duh city By: Jerry Costley
Solidarity! The Oxford Dictionary defines this oft used term as " noun: Unity resulting from common interests, feelings, or sympathies."
How do we gain those feelings or sympathies for others? One way is to experience or participate in the privations or hardships experienced by others.
Solidarity in Unions is gained by joining the picket lines, some snow, wind, rain or blazing heat. Want solidarity with the starving millions of the world? Try skipping a few meals and donating the savings.
ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today) in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are languishing in nursing homes and whom are in fact homeless have decided to likewise render ourselves homeless through the creation of DUH city—a homeless tent city. Established in the shadows of the Housing and Urban Development Offices and built on a foundation of HUDs broken promised (see the following articles), we expect that DUH city will highlight the plight of nursing home inmates—why we consider those in nursing-so-called homes homeless, what HUD has failed to do about this and what they can do about it.
Along with the founding of DUH city we are proud to announce the establishment of the DUH City times. Published daily throughout our protest we will provide background information on the incarceration of thousands of our brothers and sisters in nursing homes for the crime of having a disability. We will also provide updates on our daily protests. We hope this newspaper will go beyond enlightening and will serve as a call to action to Congress and all who care about individual freedom and dignity.
Define People in Nursing Homes as Homeless By: Darrell Price
We recognize that institutions such as nursing homes are not "homes" at all; no more than any non-disabled person would consider a homeless shelter or a hospital bed a home.
Just as homeless shelters and "double up" housing are not real housing options for people who do not have their own residence, nursing homes and institutions are not real housing options for people with disabilities. Just like people in shelters, people in nursing homes do not have control over their own lives. Staff in institutions dictate every aspect of the lives of people with disabilities who are trapped in institutions. They dictate when people wake up, when and what they eat, and where they must spend their time during the day. Like people in homeless shelters, people in institutions have little or no privacy. Just like people in shelters experience abuse and neglect, people with disabilities experience abuse and neglect by the same staff that is supposed to "care" for them. People who are homeless and people in nursing homes are kept in the same basic struggle because of all these conditions. Due to lack of support and control over their own lives, these situations continue to perpetuate social and economic injustice.
The basic solution for all these groups is similar; a permanent, affordable residence that is fully integrated into the community. The current service system must be reformed to provide people with disabilities affordable, accessible integrated housing with services that are controlled by the people who use them and follow them to the setting of their choice.
Defining people in institutions as homeless is a critical part in making this goal a reality on the local, state, and national level. It will help insure that government agencies and other service providers for people with disabilities meet their moral and legal obligation to provide community base housing and support services. For example since 1998, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued regulations and guidance which states that "the housing needs of people with disabilities are not met by beds in nursing homes and other service center facilities, but this is not enforced. Contrary HUD regulations housing needs assessments often fail to include people in institutions, so this need is rarely planned for or met in most communities across the country.
By keeping us in nursing homes and other segregated institutions you are destroying the lives of thousands of people with disabilities for the financial benefit of a few.
Daniel's Story By: Mike McCracken
Daniel P considers himself a homeless man living in a nursing home. He shares the room with 3 other interchangeable men, interchangeable because occasionally one roommate will pass away. The emotional toll of having a roommate die makes developing deep friendships almost impossible.
Daniel is 54 years old, and has been in this facility for over 2 years. He came due to a bout of liver failure and has been kept there due to family pressure and a severe lack of affordable housing. His family fears he cannot take care of himself in the community, and housing—well he is on housing lists.
Whenever anyone asks him he tells them he feels imprisoned. The occasional trip to a store with his sister or an outing with other facility inhabitants only increases his desire to be back in the community. A shopping trip to Wal-Mart or a visit to a doctor is exciting. Everything is exciting when you are usually confined to a nursing home.
Like most, Daniel has made mistakes in his life, but not large ones. He has never hurt anyone and is among the first volunteer to help whenever asked. Certainly, he has never done anything worthy of an indeterminate nursing home incarceration. He has done everything his family and doctor has asked in order to get out. Grudgingly, with some advocacy from a local Nursing Home Transition coordinator, the family and doctor are willing to "let him" go back into the community.
But there is no available housing which is affordable and accessible. Daniel cannot climb more than a few stairs and has trouble with stamina. His only income is from SSDI and, although substantially more than SSI, it is still not enough to rent a reasonable apartment.
Daniel has applied at the local housing authority and several local Section 8 apartment complexes. He cannot apply for a Section 8 voucher as that list is closed right now and even if he could the waiting list is many years long.
Daniel watches TV waiting for that letter which will give him back his freedom. A simple letter saying he is being offered an apartment, a home- his home and his life. A letter that never comes.
ADAPTers Speak Out on Housing By: Amber Smock
Affordable, accessible, integrated housing is a critical concern to ADAPTers and all people with disabilities across the nation. Many of us have fought for basic access for decades, and we're still being hamstrung by the terrible lack of housing for our people.
Dale Reid, Denver ADAPTer and administrator for the Home Health Agency at the Atlantis Community, said that the lack of housing is basically keeping people jailed in nursing homes in Colorado. Dale said, "In Colorado, 3,800 people who live in nursing homes and institutions have testified that they want to get out. But at Atlantis, we are only able to free one or two people per month. We could be doing a lot more, but we can't because we don't have affordable, accessible, integrated housing."
Lack of housing for people with disabilities also prevents us from building real communities. Tamara Wulle of Salt Lake City ADAPT said, "I think accessible housing should be important to a lot of people. I want to be able to have my friends come visit me and my mother has a disability. It's important to be in an accessible home. also, most of my friends have babies and children so visitable and accessible housing helps everybody."
Folks with disabilities are also familiar with business owners who don't make their businesses accessible because they say, "We never have disabled people in here." Doris J. King of Salt Lake City ADAPT notes that affordable, accessible, integrated housing allows people with disabilities to get around, go into stores and spend money. She said, "If people were living in the community, they could get to stores and store owners would HAVE to make things accessible."
Doris also made a great point about community when she talked about access to her neighbors' homes. "I've lived in my house for seven years," she said. "I don't know my neighbors because they have one step up at the front and I can't get up to their door."
Toby Tyler of Wisconsin ADAPT pointed out that in our struggle for housing, there is a big problem with nursing home lobbyists giving big contributions to political campaigns. He said, "Politicians need to stop taking contributions from the nursing home lobbyists. Living in an apartment or house is 100% better than living in a nursing home, because nobody wants to live in a nursing home. These lobbyists don't care about people."
Toby also said that we need to see all politicians talking about disability rights issues in their campaigns across America.
The fight for affordable, accessible, integrated housing is everywhere, from small towns to the legislative offices of our nation's capital. It's not some problem "other people" have. It's a real problem that affects real people, like YOU.
Doing the Math…
Why We Need Affordable, Accessible, Integrated Housing
By Marsha Katz
There are more than 4 million adults with disabilities under age 65 who live below the poverty line. This represents over 28% of adults with disabilities under age 65.
The 2006 poverty rate for adults with disabilities is nearly three times greater than the poverty rate for adults without disabilities (25.3% vs. 9.2%).
In 2006, the $633 national average rent for studio/efficiency apartments was more than the entire $603 monthly SSI check received by low income persons with disabilities and intended to cover all their living expenses.
In 1998 SSI payments represented about 24.4% of the national median income. By 2006 the value of an SSI check dropped to only 18.2% of the national median income, and 25% below the federal poverty level.
Adults with disabilities comprise well over half of the people with low incomes (under 200% of the poverty level) who reported significant hardships (couldn't pay rent/mortgage, food insecurity and hunger, didn't get needed medical/dental care) in 1998.
The ADAPT Community By: Tim Wheat
ADAPT is a national grass-roots disability rights group.
We work for equality and positive change in policy and programs to include people with disabilities in American society.
The main goal of ADAPT is to end the institutional bias in Medicaid that forces people with disabilities from their home and families into expensive institutions and nursing homes.
ADAPT proposes legislation, advises decision-makers and suggests constructive solutions on local, state and national levels. ADAPT believes in action. Like classic civil rights struggles, we may use nonviolent civil disobedience.
Most importantly, ADAPT members have helped thousands of people with disabilities live in their own homes with their own families instead of being locked away in undesirable institutions.
Do you want to live in a nursing home?
Monday, September 15, 2008
For Information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
www.adapt.org
ADAPT Fights Back re: Nation's Low Income People with Disabilities Left Behind in Election Year Agendas
Who: ADAPT Community (500 disability rights activists from all over the country.) ADAPT is the nation's largest cross-disability grassroots disability rights organization.
What: News conference to announce opening of DUH City.
When: 10 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2008
Where: The plaza outside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410
Why: The 2008 election campaigns have included rhetoric about tax breaks for middle income families, and media coverage has included stories about families who have children with disabilities.
Left out of all the election rhetoric are the candidates' positions on and commitments to those babies with disabilities who grow into adults with disabilities who all-too-often survive on extremely low incomes (less than 30% of the median income). These extremely low incomes are often the fixed benefit amounts of SSI and Social Security.
In 2006, according to Priced Out in 2006, the federal SSI benefit was $603/month and the average cost nationally of renting a studio/efficiency apartment was $633/month.
There are not enough AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, INTEGRATED housing units to handle the current demand in communities across America. When the Community Choice Act (S 799, H.R. 1621) passes, and older and disabled people can choose to live in their own homes instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions, the need for affordable, accessible housing will increase. And as the baby-boomers continue to age, the demand will grow exponentially.
HUD, Congress and the Administration have broken promises, cut funding for housing stock and housing subsidies and enforcement of anti-discrimination housing laws, and simply ignored the nation's low-income people with disabilities altogether.
ADAPT has established "DUH City" (reverse of HUD) to bring attention to and document the struggle of low income people with disabilities. When the average rent for even an efficiency apartment is more than your monthly income……where do you wind up? All too often you're forced out on the street or into a nursing home or other institution. DUH!
ADAPT's tent city will be typical community complete with its own newspaper, TV coverage, and other services.
Duh City Times - First Edition - September 15, 2008
Announcing the founding of duh city By: Jerry Costley
Solidarity! The Oxford Dictionary defines this oft used term as " noun: Unity resulting from common interests, feelings, or sympathies."
How do we gain those feelings or sympathies for others? One way is to experience or participate in the privations or hardships experienced by others.
Solidarity in Unions is gained by joining the picket lines, some snow, wind, rain or blazing heat. Want solidarity with the starving millions of the world? Try skipping a few meals and donating the savings.
ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today) in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are languishing in nursing homes and whom are in fact homeless have decided to likewise render ourselves homeless through the creation of DUH city—a homeless tent city. Established in the shadows of the Housing and Urban Development Offices and built on a foundation of HUDs broken promised (see the following articles), we expect that DUH city will highlight the plight of nursing home inmates—why we consider those in nursing-so-called homes homeless, what HUD has failed to do about this and what they can do about it.
Along with the founding of DUH city we are proud to announce the establishment of the DUH City times. Published daily throughout our protest we will provide background information on the incarceration of thousands of our brothers and sisters in nursing homes for the crime of having a disability. We will also provide updates on our daily protests. We hope this newspaper will go beyond enlightening and will serve as a call to action to Congress and all who care about individual freedom and dignity.
Define People in Nursing Homes as Homeless By: Darrell Price
We recognize that institutions such as nursing homes are not "homes" at all; no more than any non-disabled person would consider a homeless shelter or a hospital bed a home.
Just as homeless shelters and "double up" housing are not real housing options for people who do not have their own residence, nursing homes and institutions are not real housing options for people with disabilities. Just like people in shelters, people in nursing homes do not have control over their own lives. Staff in institutions dictate every aspect of the lives of people with disabilities who are trapped in institutions. They dictate when people wake up, when and what they eat, and where they must spend their time during the day. Like people in homeless shelters, people in institutions have little or no privacy. Just like people in shelters experience abuse and neglect, people with disabilities experience abuse and neglect by the same staff that is supposed to "care" for them. People who are homeless and people in nursing homes are kept in the same basic struggle because of all these conditions. Due to lack of support and control over their own lives, these situations continue to perpetuate social and economic injustice.
The basic solution for all these groups is similar; a permanent, affordable residence that is fully integrated into the community. The current service system must be reformed to provide people with disabilities affordable, accessible integrated housing with services that are controlled by the people who use them and follow them to the setting of their choice.
Defining people in institutions as homeless is a critical part in making this goal a reality on the local, state, and national level. It will help insure that government agencies and other service providers for people with disabilities meet their moral and legal obligation to provide community base housing and support services. For example since 1998, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued regulations and guidance which states that "the housing needs of people with disabilities are not met by beds in nursing homes and other service center facilities, but this is not enforced. Contrary HUD regulations housing needs assessments often fail to include people in institutions, so this need is rarely planned for or met in most communities across the country.
By keeping us in nursing homes and other segregated institutions you are destroying the lives of thousands of people with disabilities for the financial benefit of a few.
Daniel's Story By: Mike McCracken
Daniel P considers himself a homeless man living in a nursing home. He shares the room with 3 other interchangeable men, interchangeable because occasionally one roommate will pass away. The emotional toll of having a roommate die makes developing deep friendships almost impossible.
Daniel is 54 years old, and has been in this facility for over 2 years. He came due to a bout of liver failure and has been kept there due to family pressure and a severe lack of affordable housing. His family fears he cannot take care of himself in the community, and housing—well he is on housing lists.
Whenever anyone asks him he tells them he feels imprisoned. The occasional trip to a store with his sister or an outing with other facility inhabitants only increases his desire to be back in the community. A shopping trip to Wal-Mart or a visit to a doctor is exciting. Everything is exciting when you are usually confined to a nursing home.
Like most, Daniel has made mistakes in his life, but not large ones. He has never hurt anyone and is among the first volunteer to help whenever asked. Certainly, he has never done anything worthy of an indeterminate nursing home incarceration. He has done everything his family and doctor has asked in order to get out. Grudgingly, with some advocacy from a local Nursing Home Transition coordinator, the family and doctor are willing to "let him" go back into the community.
But there is no available housing which is affordable and accessible. Daniel cannot climb more than a few stairs and has trouble with stamina. His only income is from SSDI and, although substantially more than SSI, it is still not enough to rent a reasonable apartment.
Daniel has applied at the local housing authority and several local Section 8 apartment complexes. He cannot apply for a Section 8 voucher as that list is closed right now and even if he could the waiting list is many years long.
Daniel watches TV waiting for that letter which will give him back his freedom. A simple letter saying he is being offered an apartment, a home- his home and his life. A letter that never comes.
ADAPTers Speak Out on Housing By: Amber Smock
Affordable, accessible, integrated housing is a critical concern to ADAPTers and all people with disabilities across the nation. Many of us have fought for basic access for decades, and we're still being hamstrung by the terrible lack of housing for our people.
Dale Reid, Denver ADAPTer and administrator for the Home Health Agency at the Atlantis Community, said that the lack of housing is basically keeping people jailed in nursing homes in Colorado. Dale said, "In Colorado, 3,800 people who live in nursing homes and institutions have testified that they want to get out. But at Atlantis, we are only able to free one or two people per month. We could be doing a lot more, but we can't because we don't have affordable, accessible, integrated housing."
Lack of housing for people with disabilities also prevents us from building real communities. Tamara Wulle of Salt Lake City ADAPT said, "I think accessible housing should be important to a lot of people. I want to be able to have my friends come visit me and my mother has a disability. It's important to be in an accessible home. also, most of my friends have babies and children so visitable and accessible housing helps everybody."
Folks with disabilities are also familiar with business owners who don't make their businesses accessible because they say, "We never have disabled people in here." Doris J. King of Salt Lake City ADAPT notes that affordable, accessible, integrated housing allows people with disabilities to get around, go into stores and spend money. She said, "If people were living in the community, they could get to stores and store owners would HAVE to make things accessible."
Doris also made a great point about community when she talked about access to her neighbors' homes. "I've lived in my house for seven years," she said. "I don't know my neighbors because they have one step up at the front and I can't get up to their door."
Toby Tyler of Wisconsin ADAPT pointed out that in our struggle for housing, there is a big problem with nursing home lobbyists giving big contributions to political campaigns. He said, "Politicians need to stop taking contributions from the nursing home lobbyists. Living in an apartment or house is 100% better than living in a nursing home, because nobody wants to live in a nursing home. These lobbyists don't care about people."
Toby also said that we need to see all politicians talking about disability rights issues in their campaigns across America.
The fight for affordable, accessible, integrated housing is everywhere, from small towns to the legislative offices of our nation's capital. It's not some problem "other people" have. It's a real problem that affects real people, like YOU.
Doing the Math…
Why We Need Affordable, Accessible, Integrated Housing
By Marsha Katz
There are more than 4 million adults with disabilities under age 65 who live below the poverty line. This represents over 28% of adults with disabilities under age 65.
The 2006 poverty rate for adults with disabilities is nearly three times greater than the poverty rate for adults without disabilities (25.3% vs. 9.2%).
In 2006, the $633 national average rent for studio/efficiency apartments was more than the entire $603 monthly SSI check received by low income persons with disabilities and intended to cover all their living expenses.
In 1998 SSI payments represented about 24.4% of the national median income. By 2006 the value of an SSI check dropped to only 18.2% of the national median income, and 25% below the federal poverty level.
Adults with disabilities comprise well over half of the people with low incomes (under 200% of the poverty level) who reported significant hardships (couldn't pay rent/mortgage, food insecurity and hunger, didn't get needed medical/dental care) in 1998.
The ADAPT Community By: Tim Wheat
ADAPT is a national grass-roots disability rights group.
We work for equality and positive change in policy and programs to include people with disabilities in American society.
The main goal of ADAPT is to end the institutional bias in Medicaid that forces people with disabilities from their home and families into expensive institutions and nursing homes.
ADAPT proposes legislation, advises decision-makers and suggests constructive solutions on local, state and national levels. ADAPT believes in action. Like classic civil rights struggles, we may use nonviolent civil disobedience.
Most importantly, ADAPT members have helped thousands of people with disabilities live in their own homes with their own families instead of being locked away in undesirable institutions.
Do you want to live in a nursing home?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Blog Swarm -- Keep/Set Our People Free!!!
This week, I will be sharing with you press releases of ADAPT's current action in Washington DC to ensure PWDs and older people have the right and means to live independently rather than in a nursing home or hospital. There are a couple of pictures of today's organizational meeting over at Twitter. Check back every day to see how things are progressing, and if you are so inclined, please write or call your Congress-people to ask them to pass the Community Choice Act (S. 799, H.R. 1621).
ADAPT Promises Pre-Election Surprises in D.C. to Get Community Choice Act Passed
For information contact;
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Chris Hilderbrant (585) 267-0343
Washington, D.C.---Over 500 ADAPT disability rights activists committed to getting the Community Choice Act passed during this Congress are coming to town September 13-18 to exert some pre-election pressure on policymakers. The Community Choice Act (S. 799, H.R. 1621) would allow people with disabilities and older Americans to choose to live in their own homes and communities instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions by the current institutional bias in the nation's Medicaid program.
"We are coming up on an election," said Chris Hilderbrant, ADAPT organizer from Rochester, New York, "and one of the two candidates for president, Sen. John McCain, has blatantly refused to endorse the Community Choice Act even though he says he supports community services. On the other hand, Sen. Obama and his running mate Sen. Biden have both signed on to this legislation. Maybe Sen. McCain needs some more convincing."
ADAPT will be in D.C. to confront a variety of policymakers and systems that continue to put up barriers to community living for disabled and older Americans. Home and community-based services, housing, transportation, hospital discharge planning, and managed care of long-term supports and services are all on ADAPT's list of possible targets.
ADAPT celebrated 25 years of activism in Washington, D.C. in April of this year, closing down both the Republican National Committee offices and Sen. McCain's office in the Russell Senate Building demanding that Sen. McCain, himself a person with a disability, sign on to the Community Choice Act.
"Not only does Sen. McCain have a disability himself, but he has an aging mother," said Randy Alexander, ADAPT organizer from Memphis, Tennessee. "You'd think he'd understand our issues, but maybe having all that money and all those homes puts him totally out of touch with the reality that older Americans and Americans with disabilities live everyday. Being able to live free in the community shouldn't only be available to the ultra-rich. Civil rights are not based on income!"
Since its inception in 1983, ADAPT has fought for the right of people with disabilities, old and young, to live in their own homes and communities. ADAPT efforts have resulted=2 0in a significant shift toward community of the Medicaid dollars formerly directed overwhelmingly to institutions. ADAPT has also been credited by former federal Medicaid officials with creation of the Money Follows the Person portion of the 2006 federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. ADAPT is the nation's largest cross-disability grassroots disability rights organization.
During the week of September 15, 2008, ADAPT will debut internet tools that will help the disability community across the country stay closely in touch with ADAPT action activities as they happen. ADAPT will widely publicize these tools as soon as they are available to the public.
ADAPT Promises Pre-Election Surprises in D.C. to Get Community Choice Act Passed
For information contact;
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Chris Hilderbrant (585) 267-0343
Washington, D.C.---Over 500 ADAPT disability rights activists committed to getting the Community Choice Act passed during this Congress are coming to town September 13-18 to exert some pre-election pressure on policymakers. The Community Choice Act (S. 799, H.R. 1621) would allow people with disabilities and older Americans to choose to live in their own homes and communities instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions by the current institutional bias in the nation's Medicaid program.
"We are coming up on an election," said Chris Hilderbrant, ADAPT organizer from Rochester, New York, "and one of the two candidates for president, Sen. John McCain, has blatantly refused to endorse the Community Choice Act even though he says he supports community services. On the other hand, Sen. Obama and his running mate Sen. Biden have both signed on to this legislation. Maybe Sen. McCain needs some more convincing."
ADAPT will be in D.C. to confront a variety of policymakers and systems that continue to put up barriers to community living for disabled and older Americans. Home and community-based services, housing, transportation, hospital discharge planning, and managed care of long-term supports and services are all on ADAPT's list of possible targets.
ADAPT celebrated 25 years of activism in Washington, D.C. in April of this year, closing down both the Republican National Committee offices and Sen. McCain's office in the Russell Senate Building demanding that Sen. McCain, himself a person with a disability, sign on to the Community Choice Act.
"Not only does Sen. McCain have a disability himself, but he has an aging mother," said Randy Alexander, ADAPT organizer from Memphis, Tennessee. "You'd think he'd understand our issues, but maybe having all that money and all those homes puts him totally out of touch with the reality that older Americans and Americans with disabilities live everyday. Being able to live free in the community shouldn't only be available to the ultra-rich. Civil rights are not based on income!"
Since its inception in 1983, ADAPT has fought for the right of people with disabilities, old and young, to live in their own homes and communities. ADAPT efforts have resulted=2 0in a significant shift toward community of the Medicaid dollars formerly directed overwhelmingly to institutions. ADAPT has also been credited by former federal Medicaid officials with creation of the Money Follows the Person portion of the 2006 federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. ADAPT is the nation's largest cross-disability grassroots disability rights organization.
During the week of September 15, 2008, ADAPT will debut internet tools that will help the disability community across the country stay closely in touch with ADAPT action activities as they happen. ADAPT will widely publicize these tools as soon as they are available to the public.
Friday, September 12, 2008
I'm paying HOW MUCH for this?
The last three days, I've had a care worker come to get me up who I have never had before through the agency I use while in Kansas (yes, I'm still here, hiding from huricanes). This woman used to work in a nursing home and for whatever reason decided she'd rather do home care instead.
Apparently, the reason was not to listen to the person she is helping and argue every little detail.
The first day was frustrating and took a while, but that's normal. Yesterday, after she left, I decided I didn't like her. Today, BEFORE she left I decided I REALLY didn't like her. It all boils down to two things: she doesn't listen to what I'm trying to tell her, and if she can't see it then it must not be true.
My big frustration yesterday involved positioning in my chair. I will be the first to admit that getting me in a position in my chair to where I can function normally (for me) is a royal pain in the ass. I told this lady this on the first day, but I also told her that with a bit of patience, it would happen. Silly me -- I forgot to mention listening to the person being positioned. Bad Dawn -- no cookie. When I asked her to move my left leg, I quite specifically said to please pull on my pants leg on the inside of my thigh. Instead, she first moved my foot (which did nothing for getting my hip comfortable), then she pushed on the outside of my knee joint. My left knee has next to no decent muscle or tendon holding the joint together, so it is very floppy. When you push on the outside part of the joint, my knee moves in but my hip and foot stay where they originally were, putting my knee at an angle it is not supposed to be in short of getting your butt kicked in a Vin Diesel movie. Needless to say, it hurts. That whole task ended with me calling to Mom (she of having JUST had a total knee replacement a mere three weeks ago) to have her get me comfortable.
Today's frustration involved underwear.
A) It is not comfortable to have the waistband of my undies sitting crossways on my anus in general (because they were pulled up on one hip but not yet the other), but it's freaking tear-worthy to have said waistband pulled forcibly across said anus because you're trying to "straighten" the waistband where it sits below the hip rather than pulling it up into proper hip position first. Loud, irritated voice winds up being heard because through the "straightening," I was trying to get her to pull the damned things up first. She kept saying to me, "I can see it's crooked. Just let me finish before I do what you're saying." My response was, "I can feel what this fiction is doing to my anus, so just pull up the underwear."
B) After peeing, when the left side of my underwear gets caught in the elastic band of my pants on the left side and thus come up crooked and giving me a wedgy, STOP FREAKING OBSESSING OVER THE FREAKING ROLLED RIGHT WAISTBAND AND STRAIGHTEN THE FREAKING UNDERWEAR, preferrably after the first time I tell you that's what's wrong.
And do you know she actually had the NERVE to ask me why I was so tense this morning!!!
"Because you won't listen to me!" I practically shouted at her. "I'm trying to make your task easier, but you just keep doing what you want to do."
"But I can see this roll here . . . ."
I surpressed the scream trying to boil out. "That is partly because my underwear is twisted to the left. If you could shift it to the right, it may help."
"I don't understand."
What is so hard about what I said to her, would anyone who's reading this PLEASE explain it to me?
At this point, Mom came in and got me positioned in my chair. Why am I paying $16.50 a hour to an agency when the person they send to help me can't understand "move my underwear to the right" and my recovering-from-surgery mother does the hard work???
Thank goodness my regular worker comes tomorrow.
Apparently, the reason was not to listen to the person she is helping and argue every little detail.
The first day was frustrating and took a while, but that's normal. Yesterday, after she left, I decided I didn't like her. Today, BEFORE she left I decided I REALLY didn't like her. It all boils down to two things: she doesn't listen to what I'm trying to tell her, and if she can't see it then it must not be true.
My big frustration yesterday involved positioning in my chair. I will be the first to admit that getting me in a position in my chair to where I can function normally (for me) is a royal pain in the ass. I told this lady this on the first day, but I also told her that with a bit of patience, it would happen. Silly me -- I forgot to mention listening to the person being positioned. Bad Dawn -- no cookie. When I asked her to move my left leg, I quite specifically said to please pull on my pants leg on the inside of my thigh. Instead, she first moved my foot (which did nothing for getting my hip comfortable), then she pushed on the outside of my knee joint. My left knee has next to no decent muscle or tendon holding the joint together, so it is very floppy. When you push on the outside part of the joint, my knee moves in but my hip and foot stay where they originally were, putting my knee at an angle it is not supposed to be in short of getting your butt kicked in a Vin Diesel movie. Needless to say, it hurts. That whole task ended with me calling to Mom (she of having JUST had a total knee replacement a mere three weeks ago) to have her get me comfortable.
Today's frustration involved underwear.
A) It is not comfortable to have the waistband of my undies sitting crossways on my anus in general (because they were pulled up on one hip but not yet the other), but it's freaking tear-worthy to have said waistband pulled forcibly across said anus because you're trying to "straighten" the waistband where it sits below the hip rather than pulling it up into proper hip position first. Loud, irritated voice winds up being heard because through the "straightening," I was trying to get her to pull the damned things up first. She kept saying to me, "I can see it's crooked. Just let me finish before I do what you're saying." My response was, "I can feel what this fiction is doing to my anus, so just pull up the underwear."
B) After peeing, when the left side of my underwear gets caught in the elastic band of my pants on the left side and thus come up crooked and giving me a wedgy, STOP FREAKING OBSESSING OVER THE FREAKING ROLLED RIGHT WAISTBAND AND STRAIGHTEN THE FREAKING UNDERWEAR, preferrably after the first time I tell you that's what's wrong.
And do you know she actually had the NERVE to ask me why I was so tense this morning!!!
"Because you won't listen to me!" I practically shouted at her. "I'm trying to make your task easier, but you just keep doing what you want to do."
"But I can see this roll here . . . ."
I surpressed the scream trying to boil out. "That is partly because my underwear is twisted to the left. If you could shift it to the right, it may help."
"I don't understand."
What is so hard about what I said to her, would anyone who's reading this PLEASE explain it to me?
At this point, Mom came in and got me positioned in my chair. Why am I paying $16.50 a hour to an agency when the person they send to help me can't understand "move my underwear to the right" and my recovering-from-surgery mother does the hard work???
Thank goodness my regular worker comes tomorrow.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Who's the idiot here?
As seen via another blog, a story about a man cranked off about to whom his donated computer was given and the rebuilder's response to the jackass.
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