The Roving Activist’s Blog

It has been quite a week–or shall I say two weeks! Busier than a beaver in springtime, I’ve been doing so much that I don’t know where to start. Silly me, I thought that I’d have a restful week chillin’ with my Mum, but of course, that was not to be. I was working on both ends–taking calls from back in DC, while helping out ADAPT in Denver. I’m getting ahead of myself, so I’ll summarize the week.

Wednesday, August 16

I arrived early at the airport, and went uneventfully through security. I say uneventfully, but for some reason, going through security is anything but uneventful for me. I’ve just gotten used to it. I must be a selectee, or on some kind of list, because every time I fly, I am taken to the side, and checked literally from head to toe. They start checking my hair thoroughly, and do everything but lift me from my chair. I find it amusing that they even check my hair. I’ve never seen anyone have their hair checked, but those who know me (or who pay attention to the pictures on this page, if they see them), know that I (now) have have very thick dreadlocks that hang well below my waist. Personally, I think its the dreads. Maybe the agents are instructed to check anybody with dreads. I asked the TSA agent why they routinely check my hair, and she said that they always check people with thick hair. It sounds silly to me because though I have extremely thick locks, there is no way that I can hide anything in them!

I make it on the plane, and as soon as it gets airborne, I get sick. I feel as if I’m going to faint, burst, and chuck at the same time. My distress is so obvious that the flight attendant allows me to go to the bathroom even though the seat belt light is still on. Thankfully, the episode passes, and the rest of the flight is pleasant.

We land in Denver, and I make it to baggage claim. I hear a voice behind me calling my name. Thank goodness–it’s my Mum. I’m really glad to see her! We go to get my bag. Poor Mum! She thought that I still had my distinctive worn burgundy suitcase with the ADAPT stickers all over it, but alas, I’d gotten a new professional looking black bag that looked like every other black suitcase on the flight. Finally, we found mine, and headed out.

Once at Mum’s, I greet the kitties, Tiger and Ralphie. I miss them, so I’m really glad to see them. I meet Murphy Brown, Mum’s Welsh Corgie. Ms. Brown is a cool dog–very bouncy, and extremely friendly. I settle in while Mum cooks dinner. We spend the evening talking and catching up.

Thursday, August 17

Mum has a doctor’s appointment, so I go with her. Her doctor, Dr. Ferguson, was once my doctor, so it’s really good to see him. He is such a good doc, a natural teacher, who understands disability issues, and the importance of independent living. He is the best doctor I’ve ever had!

We leave Dr. Ferguson’s office and head to Atlantis Community, the home of ADAPT. On the way, I receive a call about the bus forum, but I inform the caller that I am in Denver. We get to Atlantis, and say hi to all of my old friends. The folks in the Learning Center have made a really cool and beautiful banner for me. I ended up bringing it home with me. My best friend Dawn aksed me to stick around for the ADAPT meeting, but it turned out that the invitation was a cover for the fact that she had arranged a pizza party for me. How cool! The pizza and the cake were quite yummy. Hugs and kisses to Dawn!

I sit in on the ADAPT meeting. One of the topics of discussion was the fact that the new director if the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Steve Tool, refused to apply on behalf of the state of Colorado for the Money Follows the Person (MFP) grants that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Studies (CMS) is awarding the states. These grants would allow the states to get more people with disabilities and senoirs out of nursing homes and other instutions, and into the community. Toole, however felt that Colorado did not qualify for the grant because the state has no waiting lists for the various waivers, and the budget in a Money Follows the Person fashion. The group decided to write him a letter stating the reasons why Colorado is eligible, and encouraging him to participate in a conference call with CMS so that he can find out if Colorado is eligible to apply. It will be hand delivered tomorrow. I agree to write the letter, and have Dale, Babs, and Dawn edit it. Here is the letter:

August 18, 2006
   
Re: State’s decision not to apply for the Money Follows the Person (MFP) grant.

Steve Tool
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
1570 Grant St.
Denver, Colorado 80203-1818

Dear Mr. Tool,

According to Viki Manley, the State will not be applying because it feels that the budget is
designed to act in an MFP fashion, with no specific dollar amount assigned to nursing facilities or to home and community-based services. Ms. Manley also asserts that the State has no waiting list, and has plenty of room to add clients, as the capacity for their entrance into the non-developmental disabilities waivers is wide open.  

Ms. Manley also feels that since Colorado received the Nursing Facilities Transition Grant, whose success led to the addition of a transition services benefit within the Elderly and Blind waiver, that this has made Colorado ineligible to apply for MFP.

The MFP demonstration program is very flexible, so it does not matter if the funds are all in one pot, or that the State has no waiting lists for its waivers. The program flexibility also allows the states to think outside the box, and include programs and agencies not previously included in a demonstration project. The grant also allows states to target multiple populations, specific areas, or locations, and most importantly, allows Colorado to look at other parts of our system that may be institutionally biased. Additionally, greater weight is given to states who partner with disability organizations in its pursuit of, and implementation of the grant. This means that Colorado has not lost its eligibility to apply for, and to participate in the Money Follows the Person demonstration project. This is very important because although our state has had success in transitioning clients from an institutional setting to community living, it has done so at a much slower pace when compared to other states. For example. under the Nursing Facilities Transition Grant, Colorado was able to move 93 individuals from nursing homes and other institutions, to the community, while Pennsylvania has managed to moved over 1,000 people into the community under a similar grant. The 75%-25% matching federal funds that Colorado would receive directly from the MFP grant would allow the state to expedite the transition of more of its citizens to full inclusion within their communities.

CMS understands that the states may have questions and concerns about MFP, and will be hosting a conference call on Tuesday, August 22, 2006, from 3:00 pm until 4:30 pm, EST (1:00-3:30 pm MST). Colorado ADAPT strongly encourages you to be a part of that conference call. The toll free number for the conference call is 1-888-390-8568. The caller 
pass code is MFP DEMO. 
 
According to Dr. Mark McClellan, Administrator of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Studies (CMS), in his National Council on Independent Living Annual Conference Keynote Address, “States that do not apply for this program are not only failing to give their beneficiaries the choice and control they deserve, they are also passing up a huge federal funding opportunity.”

Mr. Tool, ADAPT urges you not to miss this opportunity to partner with the disability community to make the dream of living at home a reality for even more people with disabilities who are currently institutionalized. Please let ADAPT know by Monday, August 21, 2006 if you intend to be on the CMS conference call.

Free our people!
    
Colorado ADAPT

Friday, August 18

I wake up, and dash off the letter, and email it to Dale. She edits it, and adds a quote from CMS administrator, Dr. Mark McClellan. Mum and I head out early to the airport to pick up my younger sister, Saundra, and my nephew, Logan. I haven’t seen them in years. Saundra hasn’t changed–she still is a looker–short, pretty, and pixie-like. Logan, however, has gotten tall and handsome–taller than me! We stop by the store to get the foodstuffs that we will prepare for Popz’s memorial tomorrow. We then head for Atlantis, pick up Larry Williams, and Dawn, and go to the State Building to deliver the letter. The woman at the front won’t allow us to go upstairs, and according to her, Steve Tool is in a meeting. She offers to give him the letter, but we ask her to send down Diane Rodriguez to talk with us. We have worked well with her in the past, and trust her to deliver the letter to Mr. Tool. We wait in an area off to the side, and a few minutes later, Diane arrives. Of course, she agrees to deliver the letter.

On the way back to Mum’s, we stop at the rental place to arrange the rental of some chairs and a canopy for the memorial. While I’m waiting for Mum and Twink (Saundra’s nickname, which I still insist on calling her), I get a call from my friend, Bill O’Field, who is with the Board of Elections and Ethics back in Washington, DC. he informs me that they are doing poll worker trainings, and have followed my suggestion to have actual people with disabilities do the presentations about disability sensitivity, instead of showing a video. he asks if I would be willing to do a training. I tell him that I am in Denver, but will call him when I get home. Of course, I will be glad to do a training!

Back at home, we prepare sandwiches for Popz’s memorial. We have dinner, relax, and do a lot of catching up.

Saturday, August 19

Judy, a friend, and one of Popz’s former attendants, comes by to go with us to the memorial, which will be at Georgetown Lake, in Georgetown, Colorado, which is in the mountains near where Mum and Popz used to live. Harry, another friend and neighbor comes by, and takes Logan with him in his truck to pick up the items that were rented yesterday. They will meet us at the site.

It’s cold, blustery, and threatening to rain. I did not bring a jacket, so I’m freezing. We stop by the store for a few last minute items, and run into some friends of Popz. Mum talks with them for quite a while, and they give her a gift of a beautiful plant. Upon arriving at Georgetown Lake, I try to stay out of the wind. I eventually decide that the only way that I will be able to stay warm is to make myself useful, so I help to get some of the suff out of the van. After setting up the canopy, table, and food, we blow up balloons with helium. I blow some up on my own. Slowly, I begin to feel better.

After a while, some old friends and neighbors of Mum and Popz drop by. We talk about Popz, and remember all the funny and cool things that he did. Mum has made a posterboard filled with pictures of Popz through the years, some with him on his motorcycle, some with Bubba, the coolest dog in history, and some with Twink, Cindy, and Logan, as a baby. Some of Popz’s favorite music was blasting on the CD player, and one of the foods that we brought was pumpkin nut bread, which was one of Popz specialties.

It began to rain, but fortunately, we were under the canopy. I’m really freezing, so Harry, who is a real sweetheart, and gentleman, gives me his jacket, and his brand new Rockies blanket to wrap around me so that I can get warm. When the rain lightens up, we write messages on the balloons, and release them. Although Mum brought Popz’s ashes with us, it’s way too windy to spread them. After a while, we prepare to leave. as we are doing so, Lacy and Melissa, two of Popz’s former attendants come by. Since we are leaving, they come home with us, and we continue the memorial at home. Later, Mum, Twink, Logan, Harry, and I go out to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. Though it’s good, Mum’s spaghetti is far better!

Sunday, August 20

At 5:00 am, Twink and Logan come to kiss me goodbye. Their plane leaves in a couple of hours, and it’s way too early for me, as I’m not a morning person. Later, Mum and Harry return the rental items. Twink calls to say that they made it home safe. The rest of the day is spent resting and talking.

Stay tuned for part 2…

I wii be leaving in a few minutes to go to Denver for my dad’s memorial service, which will be on Saturday, the 19th. I will be in Denver for one week, but I will post, if I can.

Although I don’t like flying, I am looking forward to seeing my Mum, and my baby sister, and my nephew, who will be arriving tomorrow from Washington state. I will also visit the offices of National ADAPT, where I once worked. It will be great to see my old friends, and get energized for our September gathering here in Washington, DC!

I received an e-mail from Marie Johns saying how good it was to meet me at the Candidate’s Forum last week. She also sent me a Disability Questionnaire that she filled out early this summer. I don’t know who put this out, but here it is, with her responses:

2006 Mayoral Disability Issues Voter Education Guide

1. What experiences do you have with issues related to people with disabilities, and how have those experiences prepared you to support DC residents with
disabilities as Mayor?

Most of my experience serving people with disabilities is from my tenure as CEO of
Verizon, DC, where I identified and implemented real solutions in the telecom world,
using technological advances to improve communications access for people with
disabilities. This experience prepared me to support DC residents with disabilities in
critical ways. First, as an experienced manager with strategic planning acumen, I have
and will continuously identify methods to ensure and improve the District’s inclusion of
people with disabilities by ensuring access, whether to information, to services, to
District agencies, or to the John Wilson Building. Second, I understand the benefit of
investing upfront in assistive technology in order to save money in the long run. For
example, the District of Columbia Public School system spends $300 million, which is
approximately 30% of its budget to provide special education services, much of which is
out-of-state private tuition. One alternative would be to invest in trained teachers and
assistive technology, thereby reducing the cost of providing these services and most
important including and instructing our children in our community schools. I will use my
management experience to work with the Superintendent to restructure the provision of
special education services and ensure fiscal management of the budget.

2. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing children, youth and adults
with disabilities in the District of Columbia, and how will you work to address
those issues?

Two pressing issues facing people with disabilities that my Administration will address
immediately are the District’s failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) and the struggling management structure of the Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities Administration (MRDDA). First, District employment
practices, services and supports, facilities, telecommunications, and many general
policies and practices are woefully out of compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the disability rights
provisions of the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977 (collectively
“Disability Laws”). We must restore the office of ADA Compliance. Currently, every
agency has appointed a staff member to be the ADA compliance officer for that particular
agency. The current system, though, is lacking organization and management of the
compliance officers. I will restore that by creating an Office of ADA Compliance that
will be responsible for investigating actions or inactions of District agencies reported to
be in violation of the Disability Laws. Second, there can be no doubt that MRDDA must
be the first agency within the Human Services cluster that I focus my attention. My two
priorities will be 1) ensuring the completion of the Medicaid waiver amendment so that
the District may maximize the use of federal dollars and 2) developing an effective
management structure for the provision of services for both Evans parties and non-Evans
parties residents.

In addition, another issue that my Administration will address is emergency
preparedness. As CEO of Verizon, DC, I drafted and implemented an emergency
preparedness strategy ensuring that telephones and modes of communication were
operable during and after each hurricane and storm. As mayor, one of my top priorities
will be to work with the ANCs to identify the residences of persons with disabilities and
seniors, so that in the event of an evacuation or any type of emergency we have a plan to
ensure that all residents receive services

3. What will you do to create high quality services and supports for residents with
disabilities?

As stated above, I will restore the office of ADA Compliance to ensure evaluation of
every agency’s compliance with the Disability Laws, reporting of deficiencies,
recommendations to address those deficiencies, and enforcement and compliance with
those recommendations. Also, amongst the Human Services cluster agencies, my
priority will be the restructuring of MRDDA to ensure that all District residents have the
opportunity to receive services in the least restrictive setting. The day after I win the
November election, I commit to setting up a meeting with MRRDA, the Evans Court
monitor, the Quality Trust, and the community stakeholders to draft standards for
delivery of services and performance measures, and a strategic plan to achieve the
benchmarks of the Evans plan so that the District can exit the Evans action. I commit to
meeting with this task force monthly to regularly assess the District’s progress and
compliance with the strategic plan.

4. How will you work to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of community life?

I will work to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to particpate fully
in all aspects of community life, by addressing four areas: education and transportation,
recreation, economic development, and employment. With regard to education and
transportation, DCPS needs a permanent Special Education Director who is committed to
providing children and youth with an inclusive education in their neighborhood.
Improving and ensuring that special education services are provided at the neighborhood
level will necessarily result in the improvement of transportation and the reduction of
these costs. As to recreation, I will work to ensure that all community recreation centers
are accessible to all residents and that all staff members and volunteers are trained on
respect and accommodating all individuals. In addition, I will ensure that all new plans
for development of Recreation Centers will utilize universal design strategies for
accessibility. Within the economic development cluster, one of my administration’s
priorities will be to strengthen the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
(DCRA). Critical to that will be to ensure that all DCRA staff members are trained on
the requirements of the ADA, and that they require compliance from every housing and
commercial developer. Finally, I will also work with the Chamber of Commerce on
developing a policy and plan of diversity and inclusion within the private sector.

I think that this platform is a very good start towards full inclusion of people with disabilities as citizens of the District. I am going to see if the other candidates have responded to this questionnaire, or have similar ideas for full inclusion of our community.

Today’s (by now, yesterday’s) meeting at Metro headquarters was fairly brief. Pat Sheehan, Scott Vining, and I got together with Glenn Millis to determine exactly who we need to interface with to make the Bus Forum a success. I will send Glenn an e-mail containing the Bus Forum proposal that the E&D Committee members received. He will be responsible for sending it on to the folks whom we want to meet with, and getting them into a meeting with us. If all goes well, the meeting will include the public relations department, RAC personnel, including the Bus Subcommittee Chair, folks at the Director level at Metro, and those with access to the Interim General Manager, and to members of the WMATA Board of Directors. At that meeting, we’ll hash out an agenda, as well as an actual date for the Forum.

I’m a bit frustrated with myself because of my inexperience in setting up something like this. I am used to setting up actions, meetings, and other events for ADAPT. Though it is every bit as complex, if not more so than this, it is still a totally different situation. For one thing, I have a lot more standing in ADAPT than in this situation. Right now, I’m feeling like a tiny baby guppie lost in the Pacific Ocean. I have so much to learn, and so many pitfalls to avoid! My colleagues, Glenn included, have told me not to worry, and not to be so hard on myself. They feel that I am doing, and will do, just fine. Perhaps they’re right.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Riders Advisory Council’s (RAC) Bus Subcommittee. Dennis Jaffe, the RAC Committee Chair was there, and he came up and talked with me for a few minutes before the meeting began. Their Bus Subcommittee is larger than ours (the E&D), with ten members. Pat Sheehan, the Chair of the E&D Committee is on this subcommittee.

I must say that the atmosphere was different here than at our meetings. For one, I was the only one present for the public comment period. These folks were, in my opinion, not friendly at all. When I first began attending the E&D meetings as a spectator, I was made to feel welcome. Committee members came up, and spoke to me, and encouraged me to come back. The new subcommittee Chair, Dr. Sharon Conn, wouldn’t even address me personally, when the time came for public comments. She asked the room if she (meaning me) wanted to make a public comment. I briefly introduced myself, and announced that the E&D Committee had just given me the authority to set up a Public Bus Forum, and asked for their assistance and participation. I was asked when this would be, and replied that since I was given the go-ahead to proceed only two days before, I did not know when it would be, but hoped that it would be in early or mid October. The committe members informed me that this would conflict with the Regional Bus Conference that Metro was putting on, but I informed them that Ed Thomas, who was heading this effort, told the E&D Committee that the conference would take place on November 30th. Pat Sheehan added that Mr. Thomas felt that the Bus Forum would be an excellent lead-in to the Bus Conference.

I then returned to my place in the “audience”. Though this was the new Chair’s first meeting, and she was new at the task, their meetings were more formal than ours. I was amazed at the fact that they had access to the bus operator’s training manuals, and seemed to have input into what goes into them. They were also planning to visit a bus garage to see how it operated.

What really got to me was the (what I deemed) inordinate amount of time that they spent grilling Murray Bond, a representative of the Marketing department, about the seeming inability of Metro personnel to keep buses stocked with system maps, and the correct bus timetables. Though I understood the validity of their concerns, I marvelled that they had the luxury to spend so much time (almost an hour) on that subject that they didn’t have enough time to spend on other matters of equal, if not greater, importance.

Overall, I felt that this committe has more power in some ways than even the E&D Committee. The committe members, themselves, seem to be professionals, mostly from Virginia. I didn’t recall that there were any representatives from the District. These folks didn’t seem to be anywhere near as down to earth as the E&D Committee members, and I know that I would feel uncomfortable dealing with them. I have a problem with the fact that the new Chair, Dr. Conn, is addressed by most of the subcommittee members by her honorific, yet, she chooses to address them by their first names. I’m not used to that. There are several medical doctors and professors, as well as PhD’s in ADAPT, yet everyone addresses each other by their first name. This business of addressing a colleague by an honorific while they address me by my first name is demeaning to me. It’s one thing if the person is a supervisor, or my doctor, or professor, but colleagues should address one another equally, either formally, or informally.

Sadly, I have to say that if it were not for Dennis and Pat, this experience would have been completely demoralizing, as I felt unwelcome, unwanted, and intimidated. Thank goodness for them that I was able to salvage something positive from it.

On a positive note, I was able to confim the details of a meeting tomorrow to set up a rough agenda for the Bus Forum. I will let you know how it goes.

On Tuesday, I attended a Candidate’s Forum at the Chevy Chase Community Center. Each of the five mayoral candidates took questions about their agenda, and what they would do to fight crime, improve education, etc.

I arrived at the Community Center early in order to get a good seat. The first person that I saw was my neighbor, Samantha Nolan, an ANC Commissioner for Ward 4. Samantha is a really neat person who does a lot for the community. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so it was good to see her. On a side note, Samantha was the first neighbor to welcome me to the neighborhood when I first moved here back in 2004. She was doing a study on the traffic, as she was on the Safety Commission, and saw me struggling to get across the street, looking for the nonexistant curb cut. I don’t know what strings Samantha pulled, but within days, that intersection had new curb cuts!

Anyway, Samantha showed me to a good spot up front, and I settled in. The sun was shining directly in my face, so Samantha and Ed, the president of the Chevy Chase Neighborhood Association had the window curtains shut. Up comes this Sistah With Attitude — you know the type — the self-important, overbearing African American woman who just knows that she’s All That. Miss Thang looks me up and down and says, “I need that light for my pictures. Can you move somewhere else?” It was obvious that her pics were far more important than this “wheelchair” who shouldn’t be here, and who clearly didn’t belong among this rarified crowd. Fortunately, Samantha came to the rescue and explained that the front row seats were for folks with disabilities and those who were deaf or hard of hearing. Samantha explained that the sign language interpreter would be up front, and the light would interfere with the people’s ability to see the interpreter. The lady wasn’t hearing, or “getting” it, and was trying to contain her ire. “But you closed the curtain because the sun was in her eyes”, she insisted, glaring at me. Thankfully, she was ushered away. I doubt that she realized, or cared that she came off as an arrogant snob who begrudged a small courtesy to another human being, and an important one to other members of the audience.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and once again, settled down. Presently, a woman approached me, and asked if I’d received information about Vincent Orange, one of the candidates for mayor, and a Ward 5 city council member. I replied that I had been to his website, and asked what was his stance on people with disabilities, as I couldn’t find anything on his site. She told me that Mr. Orange was resopnsible for getting the city government to recognize American Sign Language as an actual language. She also told me that his wife worked in special education, and that Orange was trying to get a parcel of land to build one of those segregated schools for kids with disabilites so that the city could stop shipping students with disabilities out of the District for school. I was NOT impressed by that last fact, and stated that under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), sudents with disabilities had the right to attend their home school, and to be integrated into classes with nondisabled students. “And what about jobs”, I asked. “People with disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment in the District, higher than all other groups combined”. The lady began talking about unemployment in Wards 7 and 8, and I began to get irritated because though I care about such matters, the discussion was about folks with disabilities, and I resented her trying to trump our issues, and downplay our importance. She ended up giving me her card.

I noticed that 3×5 cards were being handed out for folks to write down questions that they wanted to be asked of the candidates. I took one, and wrote my question, which of course, asked what each candidate would do to help people with disabilities achieve full inclusion in the District.

Scott Bolden, a well-known attorney running for an At-Large seat on the City Council came by to say hello. I asked my stock questions, including if he supported a cabinet level office solely for people with disabilities. He felt that the mayor needed to take the lead on that. He wanted to talk with me some more, and gave me his card.

A gentleman in an expensive suit came and sat next to me. He was pretty close, and the tail of his suit was on the wheel of my chair. He seemed a bit uncomfortable, as if he didn’t know what to do, and didn’t want to appear insulting, and so was I, for that matter, because I didn’t want to be responsible for getting his suit dirty, so I moved a bit to give us some space. “Thank you”, he said, and introduced himself. He was Robert Gordon, a Ward 3 ANC Commissioner, and Chair, and a candidate for city council from Ward 3. I introduced myself, and explained that I lived only a few blocks away. “I’m glad you’re here”, he said.

At this time, it was decided to go on with the forum. Council Chair, Linda Cropp, and Ward 4 council member, Adrian Fenty had not arrived yet, but were on their way. Candidates Michael Brown, a lobbyist, Marie Johns, former president of Verizon, and Vincent Orange were present. One of the emcees explained that each candidate would be give 1 minute to present an introduction, then, three questions from various organizations would be presented, which the candidates would answer. Each candidate would be given 1 minute to answer the question, and would be entitled to four rebuttals of thirty seconds each. The candidates would then take questions directed to them, individually, and the same format would be in place.

I listened to the candidate’s introductions, and was impressed by the fact that Marie Johns had risen from being on public assistance and living in subsidized housing to become a corporate president, and mayoral candidate. I noted that Michael Brown lived in my neighborhood and shopped at the Safeway, and the CVS, two places that I frequent.

I must admit that the forum was a blur of questions, and information overload. I remember that they were asked what they would do in the first days of their administration if they were elected. They were also asked how they would handle crime, and education. About this time, council member Fenty arrived.

I will admit that about this time, it started getting a bit hot because the candidates, particularly Brown and Orange, began attacking the other candidates, who, of course used their rebuttals to defend themselves. About this time, Council Chair Cropp arrived, but there was no seat for her, so someone went to find one. At this point, Mr. Gordon graciously give his chair to Mrs Cropp, and found another. Now, it really got hot and heavy, with Brown and Orange on the attack, specifically against Fenty and Cropp. To their credit, though they defended themselves, they did so gracefully, and did not return the attack. They got hit with barbs about the baseball stadium, about the fact that they (Cropp and Fenty) voted against the crime emergency legislation, and other issues. They were asked if they would retain the police chief, and what would they do about the fire chief.

Unfortunately, the attacks and rebuttals took so long that only a few questions were asked. It seemed that the repsonses were to be expected, and each candidate’s issues were almost identical. I have to admit that I was disappointed. I could have done without the attacking and grandstanding of both Brown and Orange, and funnyman antics of Mr. Orange. I would have been satisfied had even one of the cadidates had a markedly different agenda. Perhaps I would have remembered more.

Once the forum was over, I decided to see if I could speak to any of the candidates. Mrs. Cropp did come up, and thank me for coming. I managed to find Marie Johns, and told her that I was answering her invitation to come up and say hello. She gave me a hug, we exchanged pleasantries, and she took my information. I then spoke again to Linda Cropp, who gave me her chief of staff’s number, and told me to call her, so that she could send me her entire platform regarding people with disabilities. She did tell me that she supports a cabinet level office for the disability community.

I was pleasantly surprised that Vincent Orange actually sat down with me, and asked for suggestions and ideas. I told him that he needed to reach out to our community, and keep in constant contact with us. Provide good and efficient health, and other services for us. I informed him that many areas of the District was still physically inaccessible to people with disabilities, including broken or nonexistant curb cuts, and public places that could be made accessible, but weren’t. I told him that when he sets up a summer job program for youth, be sure to include youth with disabilities. When thinking of education, don’t try to lump kids with disabilities into special education–integrate them with nondisabled kids. Prepare them for college, not group homes or nursing homes. Mr. Orange felt that I have given him quite a few ideas, and asked me to stay in touch. He did say that he supported a cabinet level office for people with disabilities.

On the way out, I was approached by Mr. Brown, and I repeated the same things that I had said to the others. I asked him (as well as the others who I hadn’t heard from) if he’d received my letter. He said that he would look for it. I never did catch up with Adrian Fenty. I don’t know if he ducked out quickly, or if I simply missed him in the crowd.

I still haven’t made my choice, yet, though it was an honor to meet the candidates. I am going to follow up on Mrs. Cropp, and Mr. Orange, and see if Michael Brown will get back to me. I’ll keep up with Marie Johns, and see if Mr. Fenty will answer my e-mail. I won’t be able to work on any candidate’s campaign because I will be a poll worker. I will, however, continue to study the candidates, and will keep you informed.

The Elderly and Disabled Transit Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly in support of the Public Bus Forum yesterday evening!

The proposal that I posted here was e-mailed to the committee members last week, and we had a lively discussion during our meeting last night. I presented the proposal, and fielded questions. When it came down to a vote, two of the nine Committee members abstained, but the other seven voted unanimously.

Some Committee members, thinking that the Forum would be complaint-driven, wanted to get statistics on numbers and types of complaints registered before proceeding. My response was, based on my, and other people’s experience, most people with disabilities either don’t know where to complain to, or won’t complain because they feel that the complaint won’t be addressed. I reminded the Committe that a major problem with the Customer Service department, is that complaints often go unrecorded. I cited my experience upon moving to the District. In my first month here, I lodged more than 30 complaints, yet, Customer Service only had record of 3, and those were instances where I had spoken with street supervisors, or superintendants. It was for this reason that I began keeping a log, and making my complaints directly to supervisors, Metro Central, Metro officials, and the E&D Committee. Therefore, I explained, data based on the number of complaints will be inaccurate. I further explained that the Forum will not be merely complaint-driven, but cover a variety of subjects.

Some Committee members wondered if passengers with disabilities won’t bother to make complaints, what made me think that they would come to a forum? I explained that they would be more likely to come to a forum because Metro officials would be there, and they could make their complaints directly to them and hold them accountable. There would also be training on effective documentation, and the complaint process for those who don’t know how to register a complaint. Also, customers could learn firsthand from Metro about new, and upcoming programs, and present questions, comments, and suggestions to Metro staff and officials.

The lively discussion and debate continued for more than the allotted ten minutes, but when the dust cleared, I was left with the realization that my colleagues had given me the authority to proceed with this momentous task. I thank them for their support and trust.

Now, the really hard work begins!  

I was checking the Washington Post, and came across a blog called Get There. It’s a blog mainly about public transit — buses, trains, highways, etc., that’s put out there by a Washington Post columnist. It’s chock full of all kinds of useful information, so I know that I’ll find myself checking it out a lot.

Anyway, while going through it, I found a post regarding the rail cars that Metro is testing, and rolling out. The post described the new features such as bench seating, and seat-to-ceiling poles. Unfortunately, judging from the comments, most folks don’t like the idea of the floor-to-ceiling poles being done away with. Though they raise some valid concerns, I hope that those poles stay gone because they interfere with my access, and while folks may think that I’m being selfish, they’ll sing a different tune when they trip over me, or hurt themselves trying to squeeze by me because I’m stuck out in the aisles. It’s much safer for me to be in the access area than blocking other people’s access, and creating an unsafe situation for other passengers. Those floor-to-ceiling poles makes it very difficult for me to get into the access area, and I live in fear of the day when someone will get hurt tripping over me, and want to sue. Don’t laugh–it could happen! We Americans are an angry lot these days. I must say that I’m glad that Metro took passengers with disabilities into consideration with this project, and I hope that it continues to do so.

Wow, I’m impressed! Less than a full day after I posted my letter to her web site, I received an e-mailed response from Marie Johns, one of the candidates for mayor. It wasn’t one of those canned autoresponses either, but a real e-mail! As part of my activist activities, I have written and e-mailed many a lawmaker, political candidate, or Famous Person only to receive an autoresponse, a canned response from a staffer, or worse, no response at all, so you can imagine how happy I am. I must say that I am honored that Marie Johns took the time to respond to me, and I hope that she doesn’t mind my reprinting her response.

Dear Ms. Cameron,

Thank you for your e-mail.  Of course I  care about people living with disabilities and if I elected, I will provide resources (education, housing, job training, and health care) so that our residents living with disabilities can be productive members of our community. While I do not have a specific plan geared solely towards those living with disabilities, I think that the plans that I do have to better DC are inclusive of all residents, including those living with disabilities; however I will explore the issues at hand further. Your suggestion to me as well as the other candidates about reaching out to the disabled community  is a good one, and it’s something that I am sure we all strive for–to be as connected as possible to all voters. 

One of the women working on my campaign came across your blog, which mentions that you will be at the Candidates Forum on August 8th.  I hope that you will introduce yourself and give me the opportunity to earn your support.

Thanks again for taking the time to write.

Sincerely yours,

Marie Johns

I will indeed be at the Candidates Forum on the 8th, and will be honored to meet with you! Again, thank you for taking the time to write back to me. 

The Metro Board of Directors voted 3-2 yesterday to proceed with a nationwide search for a permanent General Manager, and paid $90,000 to a New York firm to do the job. This was done despite a last minute effort by Councilmember Jim Graham, a board member from the District, to appoint Interin General Manager Dan Tangherlini to the permanent position.

However, board members from Virginia, concerned by the circumstances of the departure of the previous General Manger, Richard White, as well as their perception that Tangherlini is ignoring Virginia in favor of the District in improvement measures, along with what they consider to be “gamesmanship” by Councilmember Graham, voted against the measure.

Board Chairman Gladys Mack joined the two Virginia members in voting to keep the search process on track. “This is a way not only to look at the candidates around the country but also a way to confirm Tangherlini’s appropriateness for the job,” Mack said.

Though I am nervous about the nationwide search, I do agree that it would be fairer to conduct it, rather than simply appointing Tangherlini. However, I wonder why the Board did not instruct Metro’s Human Resources department to conduct the search, rather than shell out $90,000 that it can ill afford to spend? I am dumbfounded!

Having said that, I will say out loud that I cast my vote with Tangherlini. Things have been so much better at Metro since he came aboard in February. He is approachable and accessible, unlike his predecessor, Mr. White. He listens to his staff, and the community. Metro folks say that morale is much higher, and I can feel this not only when I go into the Jackson Graham Building, but I feel the vibes from bus operators, train station managers, and other Metro personnel. within a few months, Tangherlini has made the Metro experience a more positive one for passengers with disabilities. The bus fleet is now 100% accessible. Accessible trains are being rolled out. Metro Access department heads report directly to him. Tangherlini has been at every Metro event highlighting accessiblity for passengers with disabilities, whether the media was present, or not. Dealing with him strongly reminds me of my work with the head of Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which was very fruitful and positive. I sincerely hope that he comes out on top in this nationwide search, because I hate to see all of his good work go for naught if the next general Manager is like Mr. White. Good luck Mr. Tangherlini! I’ll keep my fingers crossed, and send some words out to the Universe in your behalf.