Fwd: [RD] High Stakes for Disabled on November 2

[Guest guest]

High Stakes for Disabled on November 2

[in the following Wall Street Journal column, Al Hunt

discusses recent trends regarding people with disabilities

and whats at stake in the upcoming election.]

Halting Progress for the Disabled

August 19, 2004; Page A13

by Albert R. Hunt

The Wall Street Journal

Even trite cliches occasionally are on the mark; today, for

53 million disabled Americans the glass of life is both

half-full and half-empty.

A survey this summer by Interactive of Americans

with disabilities is disquieting: Only a little over one-

third reported being employed, a much higher percentage

than non-disabled say they face inadequate health care or

transportation or are less likely to eat out or attend

religious services, and a majority express dissatisfaction

with their lives. The political progress of the '90s seems

to have slowed and some large corporations, such as Wal-

Mart, have abysmal records.

Yet accessibility to transportation, education and even

employment has improved around the country. Advocates for

the disabled say slow progress is being made with small

businesses and some large corporations, such as Microsoft,

which has worked assiduously to make its software

accessible, and Verizon, get high marks.

This dichotomy springs from the promise of the landmark

1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It doesn't

surprise Andy Imparato, head of the American Association of

People with Disabilities. " It's useful to think of the ADA

in two phases, " he notes. " One is bricks and mortar;

transportation, buildings and telecommunications all are

substantially more accessible. These are very tangible

ways in which the ADA has enabled more disabled people to

participate in society. But the rest is attitudinal; we

still have a long way to go with how people think. We need

much more dialogue, public education and positive

experiences. "

This underscores the stakes in this year's presidential

race. The ADA was pushed and signed into law by

Herbert Bush in 1990 -- overriding the objections of

his chief of staff; he is a hero to many with disabilities.

His son inexplicably has shown little interest in the issue

and through executive actions and judicial appointments

threatens to roll back much of his father's top domestic

legacy.

That would be tragic. The ADA has made America a much

better place. Just look around and notice how differently

those with disabilities are treated compared to a decade

ago. (I have two sons, one of whom is disabled; the other

was a CNN intern at last month's Democratic convention; two

of his fellow interns were deaf.)

Politically, the picture is mixed. In Congress, support for

the disabled crosses party lines. There is no more

important champion than Ted Kennedy, and there are

Republican supporters like McCain, not surprisingly,

but also staunch conservatives such as Congressman Pete

Sessions in the House and Orrin Hatch in the Senate. Yet

the GOP-run House leadership recently blocked a bill to

provide more health-care services for lower income families

with disabled children because it wasn't financed with

offsetting budget cuts, an issue it ignored when a big tax

cut for special interests sailed through.

Some of the most notable champions are on the local level,

including America's most notable Democratic and Republican

mayors -- Chicago's Daley and New York's

Bloomberg. Mayor Daley has vowed to make Chicago " the most

accessible city in the nation. " His Disabilities office is

cabinet rank and no politician has worked more effectively

with a sometimes skeptical business community than Rich

Daley. There are 149 Chicago schools that are accessible

today up from almost none when Mayor Daley took office.

In New York, advocates say, Bloomberg was that

city's first mayor to really reach out to those with

disabilities. He has increased the number of accessible

taxicabs, made numerous buildings and sidewalks more

accessible and pushed career exploration and job-shadowing

programs.

But there are other state and local officials as bad as

Messrs. Daley and Bloomberg are good. At the top of that

list is the newly elected governor of Mississippi, Haley

Barbour. Facing a budget squeeze, the former Republican

Party chair, and tobacco lobbyist, rejected measures like

increasing the state's small cigarette tax and instead is

slashing Medicaid benefits for poorer Mississippians. For

thousands of disabled, this means a reduction in

prescription drug benefits and access to necessary medical

care and a loss of transportation services to those who

need it.

These cuts will be devastating for people like Traci Alsup,

a 36-year-old , Miss., quadriplegic. She's scheduled

to lose her prescription drug coverage, amounting to about

$800 a month or just about what she gets from disability

payments; she'd face additional expenses from any

hospitalization and for her wheelchair. This would

necessitate giving up her inexpensive apartment and having

to move back to a nursing home: " I am full of anxiety and

I'm depressed. This isn't right. "

In the presidential race, Kerry hasn't said much --

there was no mention in his Boston acceptance speech -- and

W. Bush has been a disaster. Cutbacks in health care

and housing proposed by the White House disproportionately

affect those with disabilities. Five years ago the

government set a goal to dramatically increase the number

of disabled federal employees; there are less today than

when this president first took office. Tragically, he has

choked off promising research with embryonic stem cells

that eventually could profoundly affect many disabilities.

Mr. Bush rarely uses the presidential bully pulpit for

public dialogue or education. " This White House considers

us a nuisance, too high maintenance, " says one leading

disabilities advocate.

Bush judicial nominees, like Sutton and

Pryor, are openly hostile to the Americans with

Disabilities Act, following the lead of Antonin Scalia; the

Supreme Court justice, from the bench, refers to people

with disabilities as " handicaps, " and belittles the notion

they have basic rights. The High Court has eroded some of

the ADA and on 5-to-4 votes narrowly upheld other parts.

Many legal analysts believe that with any vacancies filled

by Scalia wannabes the court may well gut the act.

If you're blind, deaf or in a wheelchair, the stakes on

Nov. 2 are enormous.

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[Guest guest]

Most people don't think about these kind of things until they are in this position, myself included, but believe me, I think about it now! Try to imagine planning a simple trip to town based on whether or not you can get in the building. Once in the building can you get through the restroom door? If so, are there bars so that you can manage without having to get another person to hold you up? Is there a ramp to get up on the sidewalk? If not, sorry, you can't go there. And forget going to a friends house just to visit! Most houses don't even start to be accessible! I don't know who decided that bathrooms didn't need wide doors in these modern times, but he (it had to be a man! haha!) should have his butt kicked! Anyway, read this article and be aware next time you use the large stall at a public restroom and really don't have to! It never fails, that's the one occuppied when I need to go! All of the regular stalls are empty, but not the handicapped accessible one! Seldom, if ever is it being used by someone disabled because we are having to wait on Miss Priss who likes the extra room! OK, I'll get off of my soapbox, but like I said, I wasn't aware of this until disability happened to me! Think about it!

Marcie