FW: Disability Activists Arrested at McCain Headquarters

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ADAPT Activists Arrested at McCain Campaign Headquarters over Housing Platform

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Today's JFA:

11 Disability Activists Arrested at McCain Headquarters

Public Housing Authorities, Moving People out of Nursing Homes

Senate Passes Bill Protecting People with Disabilities in Workplace

TIME SENSITIVE: Feedback Needed from Adults with Autism

Grassroots Rally WEDNESDAY - 'Victory Lap' for ADA Amendments Act

Senator Obama on Senate Passage of ADA Amendments Act

11 Disability Activists Arrested at McCain Headquarters after Staff Refuses to Accept Disability Housing Platform

From Bob Kafka, National Organizer, ADAPT:Civil Rights done in a different way. 500 ADAPT activists have set up DUH City on the HUD Plaza in DC. WITHOUT A PLACE TO LIVE IT IS HARD TO GET A JOB. Low income people with disabilities are about 15 percent of medium income. ADAPT has developed a housing platform that they want Obama and McCain to endorse. As I write this ADAPT activists are being arrested in Sen McCain's office as he refused to accept the platform. Earlier in the day DNC officials accepted the ADAPT Platform. INCLUSION, INTEGRATION INDEPENDENCECommunity First!The ADAPT Communitywww.duhcity.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~From ADAPT:ADAPT Fights Back re: Nation's Low Income People with Disabilities LeftBehind in Election Year AgendasWhen: Monday, September 15, 2008Where: The plaza outside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410Why: The 2008 election campaigns have included rhetoric about tax breaks for middle income families, and media coverage has included stories about familes 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 a typical community complete with its own newspaper, TV coverage, and other services.For Information Contact:Randy Marsha Katz

Public Housing Authorities, Moving People Out of Nursing Homes and Preference Categories

From Steve Gold: Public Housing Authorities, Moving People Out of Nursing Homes and Preference CategoriesInformation Bulletin # 259 (9/08)Throughout the country, Public Housing Authorities have waiting lists for both their housing vouchers and public housing units.In many states, people are in nursing homes because they cannot afford to rent an apartment or housing unit on their limited SSI incomes. Without either a housing voucher or a public housing units, many people in nursing facilities will continue to be institutionalized.The question that has been raised a number of times is whether or not your Public Housing Authority could target their vouchers and public housing units to help transition people out of nursing homes and other institutions? People have complained that their Public Housing Authorities, because they have waiting lists for housing vouchers and public housing units, have not been responsive and have presented a number of excuses to using their vouchers and housing units to end unnecessary institutionalization.Here are a number of points you should be aware of:1. Yes, your Pubic Housing Authority can open its waiting list for one preference category of people - for example, people transitioning out of institutions...

>>Read the rest of the information bulletin

Senate Passes Bill Protecting People with Disabilities in the Workplace

From Reuters (9/11):Senate passes bill protecting disabled peopleWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Thursday approved major legislation that would expand protection against workplace discrimination for people with disabilities and overturn several Supreme Court rulings that curbed such safeguards in the past decade.The measure, passed on a voice vote and without dissent...

>>Read more.

TIME SENSITIVE: Feedback Needed from Adults with Autism

From the Autistic Self Advocacy Network President Ari Ne'eman: The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has put out a Request for Information (RFI) to seek input from stakeholders (those interested in autism), including autistic individuals, about what they consider to be high-priority issues and concerns surrounding services and supports for children, youth, and adults with ASD. The RFI is due no later than Sept. 19, 2008. People should direct their comments to iaccservices@.... (Read more info)This RFI provides an excellent opportunity for self advocates and allies to make our voices heard. Members of the IACC are very interested in hearing from individuals on the autism spectrum. They've heard extensively from the anti-vaccine crowd, from parents, experts, researchers, and from people on the autism spectrum.More input from autistic adults at this point, when the IACC is coming close to finalizing a budget and mission statement for the Strategic Plan, will mean more attention to the issues we consider to be most important. The focus of this particular RFI on services and supports is an area that many autistic adults have much to say about; here is a chance to say it directly to the committee that will be allocating resources to various areas. Currently, funding is skewed toward genetic research and research into treatments and interventions.In the time that autistic individuals have been submitting comments and testifying at IACC meetings, some positive change has been noted in the amount of funds earmarked for research into services and supports.>>Review ASAN's Talking Points for Developing Comments

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