The Roving Activist’s Blog

I woke up Thursday excited to experience this day of celebrations of ADAPT’s 25th birthday. Actually, the celebrations began on Wednesday evening, with an informal reception in the Discovery Room, which held the breathtakingly unbelieveable exhibits that the Denver crew brought in. The walls of the entire room were covered in framed narratives written by ADAPT members. These spanned the entire time, from 1983 until the present, and included a picture of the ADAPT member, so that we could see who that person was, in case we didn’t recognize them by name. I am proud to say that my narrative was there! I reported on the 1992 Chicago action, and the narrative was titled, “When ADAPT Blew Through Chicago in 1992, I WAS THERE!”

There were also pictures of ADAPT actions going all the way back, as well as every T-shirt from every action, from the beginning until now. I went around that room having intense flashbacks of every description, the thoughts, sights, sounds, emotions, even the smells. I noticed the writing styles of the newspaper reporters changing over the era (yes, ERA–if you think about it, it’ll blow your mind, as it did mine). I looked at the pictures and marvelled at the fact that many of us, including me, have grey hairs now. I don’t know if I have the words to describe the feelings that came over, and how I miss Wade, JoAnne, Lee, Brooke, Leonard, Mark, Rev. Willie, and all of the ADAPT warriors who have gone to join the Ancestors.

After the reception, there was a showing of the movie called, “When You Remember Me“. The Emmy-nominated movie stars Fred Savage, Kevin Spacey, and Ellen Burstyn, and is the story of how Wade Blank was able to free the original members of Atlantis Community from a nursing facility. These young people were the original ADAPT members before ADAPT was born. Larry Ruiz, one of the original folks freed from that nursing home was there at the celebration. He is a dear friend of mine whom I’ve known all of my adult life. Linda Andre, another of the original folks, was there as well.

I was sitting with the Rochester Crew watching the movie, and many of them cried, and cheered at that final scene. Some in our group, knowing that I was from Denver, asked me did I know Wade, and I told them, ” yes, I was blessed, and honored to know and work with him.” Larry and I shared Wade stories with them. It was a very poignant, bittersweet evening.

Thursday morning, I sat with a bunch of ADAPTers for the ”Remember When“ session, hosted by Mark Johnson. Some of the Rochester Crew came down, too. Tim Wheat videotaped the whole thing. We started off with Frank Lozano telling his story, and being interviewd by Mark. I love Frank! I have known him all of my adult life, and he was my supervisor for a time, when I worked in the Colorado Springs office of Atlantis Community. We worked so well together! Frank is such a positive, supportive, and gentle person, and I still have fond memories of our work and advocacy.

Several other people told their stories, including Mary who was on a bus being blocked by ADAPT in Long beach, CA, back in the early days before my time. She told of her thoughts, and it felt being in that position, then went on to describe how things came full circle when she had her accident, and began using a wheelchair, and a few years later, her husband, too, had an accident, and began using a wheelchair. Mary said that she felt honored being on the other side now, and being with ADAPT. This was her first action, and she was going to be back!

I, too, told my story. Mark made me go into full details about my work with Dennis Schreiber, and how I got started in ADAPT, how I began as an interpreter and attendant, and my first action, as well as my first arrest. I sopke of that first national action (DC Siege/DOT) back in March of 1988, and how bitter cold it was. ADAPT had taken over the Department of Transportation (DOT) in an effort to get then secretary, Sam Skinner, to agree to put lifts on all buses. We held that building, inside and outside, all day, through the night, and into the next day. It was -4 degrees outside, and not much warmer inside. We were denied access to restrooms, and had no food, but a few snacks, which we shared. A camera crew had left behind some Perrier water, and that was it. I remember helping people to empty urinals, and hiding it in the mail room because we were not allowed to use the bathrooms. I remember that Mitch Snyder, who ran an organization that helped people who were homeless came by, along with Yoshiko Dart. They had blankets, hot soup, and food for those outside the building. I clearly remember ADAPTers who were on the outside trying to slip slices of wrapped American cheese through the cracks in the doors, so that those of us inside could at least have a morsel to eat.

We finally left about midmorning, or early afternoon. Did we go back to the hotel and rest? Nooooooooo!!! We went straightaway and started blocking buses! Some folks got arrested, but that was not to be for me. My first arrest would come on the very next action.

Needless to say, I was hooked, and vowed never to miss an action. To this day, I have only missed about four or five actions in twenty years of coming on national actions.

During the session, Jennifer McPhail, from Texas asked me if I had any rituals that I did to prepare myself for an upcoming ADAPT action. Actually, I do. That week before, I look at all of my old photos to get myself pumped up. I eat more food than usual because I know that I’ll be too busy to eat while I’m there on the action. I buy Hall’s cough drops, and eat then like candy to prepare myself for five days of chanting. I look at all of my ADAPT T-shirts to put me in a particular frame of mind for the week. Thats just some of the rituals that I do to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for ADAPT.

After the Remember When gathering, I hurried upstairs to room 753. StoryCorps folks were there to record stories and interviews of ADAPT members. There were six pairs of us doing this, and I was honored to be one of the ones asked to participate. If you are not familiar with StoryCorps, it ia a project begun several years ago to record stories of ordinary people, and the history that they may have lived, or created. It is aired on Mondays on most NPR stations, and the stories are archived in the Library of Congress for posterity.

I interviewed with Randy Alexander, from Memphis. Randy was one of the Day leaders, and has been in ADAPT for about ten years or more. Randy is a really cool person, and I enjoy working with him. We interviewed each other for about 40 minutes about how we came to ADAPT, our first actions, our first arrests, and our hopes and dreams for ADAPT. We took pictures for the archives-one by ourselves, and one together. After the interview, we were given a CD, which I burned to my hard drive. I gave Randy the original CD, which he will, in turn, give to Stephanie. National ADAPT will keep these, and get copies of all the interviews to everyone. They will also be kept in the ADAPT archives.

Afterwards, I went to the Barbeque. The food was good. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, pop, fruit, chips, and all the trimmings. There was a presentation for all of the sponsors of the celebration. Our center, the Center for Disability Rights, was one of the of the honorees. I ran into Andy Imparato, and Anne Sommers of AAPD. I was glad to see them, and now, I DO remember Anne!

The Barbeque wasn’t even over when I had to leave to participate in a sound check for the I Am ADAPT Show. All of us who were in the Show got there, and did a sound check and lined up in our places. I learned at the last minute that in addition to my I Am ADAPT piece, that I would be singing Happy Birthday with Jimmi. Actually, I didn’t feel bad about that at all, as we practiced a couple of times. What I was nervous about was what I would say for the I Am ADAPT piece. You see, I never write down a speech, or presentation. I have found that without exception, once I start, the words just come to me. I don’t know how, or why it is, but if I write down what I have to say, then, I end up stumbling and stammering. Eventually, I took a deep breath and decided that everything would be just fine. Just as we finished practicing, it was time. The Show was on!

The Show was a combination of video pieces, live perfomances, and presentations, all expertly hosted by Jimmi. To say that Jimmi is special to me is a vast understatement. We adopted each other as sister and brother. It was a pure honor to be able to be on stage with him!

Here is the pre-show video. It was eventually adapted (’scuse the pun) a bit for the Show. I love the music, and literally stood up and danced to it during the Show.
http://endeavorfreedom.ning.com/video/video/show?id=942302%3AVideo%3A24335

There was a vidoe about Wade, and his life, then, Babs, who has been in since the beginning, spoke about Wade, and what he meant to her. Babs ia another ADAPTer whom I love. I have known Babs all of my adult life. She was one of the first national ADAPT people that I met, after Wade and Molly. Babs an I have always worked well together. One of the more memorable projects that we worked on was The Battle of HCPF, a two-week successful vigil at the State Human Services building in downtown Denver back in 2002. After Babs’s presentation, she was recognized for her longtime activities and work with ADAPT. Indded, Babs is considered the Mother of ADAPT. She received some beautiful roses from everyone.

A lot of this is a blur to me. I remember that Rep. Pat Shroeder was there, and spoke about what it was like to come to that first action back in 1978–the shot heard ’round the world, if you will. After that, there were presentations and videos from the original Gang of 19, the original ADAPT kid, Tisha, Babs’s daughter, whom I ‘ve known since she was 16, and who now has a beautiful 12-year-old son, Malachai.

I was with the Free Our People part of the Show, one of the ones who had been institutionalized, but was now free. I kept my presentation short and sweet. I did well, as I suspected I would.

There were songs by Johnny Crescendo, Elaine Kolb, and Diane Coleman. There was a presentation by ADAPT youth who had grown up in ADAPT, as well as future leaders of ADAPT youth, who gave their presentation in Spanish, English, and American Sign Language. There were presentations by people who serve as attendants in ADAPT, and the folks who put together the Free Our People March. There was so much that I can’t remember, but I know that it was videotaped for our archives.

The last piece was Jimmi and I singing Happy Birthday To ADAPT, along with some cake. then, there was a final video–our Rochester, and ADAPT mascot, Gremmie, with a birthday video to ADAPT. It was quite hilarious! I really enjoyed the Show, and was honored to be a part of it!

Afterwards, was the traditional ADAPT party and dance, with cake, and a DJ. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and took the opportunity to announce my engagement to my partner, Lisa, and showed off The Ring. We plan to get married next year, and are seriously considering going to Canada to do the Blessed Deed.

Too soon, it seemed, things were done, tomorrow had come, and we were saying goodbye to our ADAPT family and getting on the bus to go home. I was exhausted, but would do it all again, and I can’t wait until the Fall Action in September!

Wednesday is the traditional day during the week that ADAPT scours the Hill. By this, I mean that we visit all 535 members of Congress and the senate and give them information on the Community Choice Act.

This time, it was a bit different. We made a list of each chapter that actually made appointments with their legislators. I made appointments for Rochester with Reps. Walsh, Kuhl, and Reynolds, and Senators Clinton and Schumer. All but Reynolds have signed on to CCA. We did not make an appointment with Rep. Slaughter (another CCA co-sponsor), as she had just visited us at our office in Rochester on the previous Monday.

Anyway, those who had appointments got special packets with detailed information about the Community Choice Act. Rather than gather in groups by color (green, red, etc.), we gathered by state. Rochester alone had 57 people, not counting those folks from New York City, Albany, and Syracuse, so of course, New York State had a huge crowd!

I did not get to go to the visits, as I had to stay behind for the dress rehersal of the I Am ADAPT show. I heard from Terrie that the meetings went well. What I do know is that since those visits, the number of CCA co-sponsors in the House has gone up from 88 to 103! Three members of Congress signed on the day that we visited (April 30th), while eight signed on the very next day (May 1st), and three signed up on May 6th. Five of those co-sponsors were from New York. They are:

Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 5/1/2008

Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 5/6/2008

Rep Fossella, Vito [NY-13] - 5/6/2008

Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 4/30/2008

Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] - 5/1/2008

As you can see, Rep. Meeks signed on the day that ADAPT came calling, and Reps. Clark and Velazquez signed on the next day! Keep up the good work, everyone!

Pardon the tardiness of the post. I’m still recovering from DC!

Though it was a bit nippy outside, Tuesday dawned bright and sunny. ADAPT headed over to the National Governors’ Association (NGA) to hold a press conference of the best and worst states for community-based services. We went to the NGA because the governors have the power to really push for the passing of the Community Choice Act. Randy Alexander, from Memphis, TN, spoke about the MCIL Underground Railroad, a program that has been in place for over a decade, that helps people from Tenessee move to other states (mainly Colorado) so that they can live in the community. They have to do this because home helth care is almost unheard ofthere. We also heard from Latonya Reeves, the first Underground Railroader, who moved from Memphis, TN, to Denver, CO, seventeen years ago. She spoke of what it was like to move, and leave her family behind, but she also spoke of the freedom that she now has in Colorado. She stated that Colorado is not perfect, but she is better off there than in a nursing facility back home. Nadina LaSpina, from NYC also spoke about a woman whom she helped to move from Alabama to New York. Nadia, the woman who Nadina helped, also spoke. Another woman from Arkansas spoke on her long incarceration in a psychiatric institution, and her fight to finally be free.

Here is the list of the best and the worst states:

The states are listed alphabetically, not ranked numerically;

TEN BEST STATES
Alaska
Colorado
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Hampshire
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont

HONORABLE MENTION
Kansas
New York
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

TEN WORST STATES
Arkansas
Georgia
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Dakota
Tennessee
Texas

DISHONORABLE MENTION
Alabama
District of Columbia
New Jersey
Ohio
Pennsylvania

We then went across the street to dine on ADAPT steak in the park. For those who don’t know what ADAPT steak is, its McDonald’s hamburgers, usually cold by the time we get them, but they fuel us for long days of actions, so I’m not complaining.

We then broke up into two groups and did a double hit on the headquarters of the RNC and the office of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican candidate for President. McCain has not signed on to the Community Choice Act. ADAPTers who were in the hallway just outside McCain’s office were arrested fairly quickly. There was a group inside McCain’s office than hung in there until after 7:00 pm, when they, too, were arrested. The rest of the group came over to join us at the RNC.

I was in the group at the RNC. We encircled the entire building, including the parking garage and alleyway, and someof us actually got inside the building. I was outside since I got into the HHS yesterday, I wanted to give my fellow Day Leader to opportunity to go inside, or get arrested if he chose to. As a Day Leader, I was on the negotiation team, and to say that the negotiations went sour isn’t saying it strongly enough. It actually got down to five words, and the substitution of “attempt to set up a meeting with McCain’s campaign rep”, to “attempt to set up a meeting with Senator McCain”. The legal counsel for the RNC claimed that they did not have the power to set up a meeting with McCain. I felt that that was utter you-know-what, and we said so, in so many words. We would not accept that, so the negotiations were off, and we continued chanting and singing loud and strong until about 11:00 at night, when we were forcibly removed from the building and the doors. believe me, the Democrats took full advantage of the RNC’s and McCain’s folly, and plastered it all over their websites and Roll Call magazine, which goes to every senator and member of Congress. While we were out there at the RNC, we got visits from Reps. Janice Schakowsky, Patrick Kennedy, and Gwen Moore, who actually sang and chanted with us for more than an hour before she told us who she was! Incidently, all of these folks are co-sponsors of CCA.

So, although we made no headway with the RNC or McCain, we did expose this conflict with them, and let them show us their true colors. FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!

Again, I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I was never able to stay online for more than 5 minutes, so I decided to fill you all in when I got home, and got somewhat recovered.

Monday was rainy and cold, but there was this sense of excitment in the air. I was a Day Leader for the week. One of the things that a Day Leader does is negotiate with the targets and the police. I was attached to the Blue team, and had decided that once we reached our target, I would try to get in. I knew that several ADAPTERS had penetrated the building earlier, but that was no guarantee that we would get in.

I know that we chanted loud and strong as we were marching, but I was deeply focused on getting inside, so I can’t remember what we chanted, or if I even chanted. I was looking to reach a certain point, then, I would make a call as an alert, then hopefully, all would go well. I sent out some words to the Universe that I would not mess up, and that the ADAPT deities would smile on us, as they often did.

The ADAPT deities did not disappoint! We reached the spot, I made the call, and a few seconds later, we were rounding the corner to our target, the department of Health and Human Services (HHS)! I saw a guy in a yellow shirt and tie (it was actually Bruce) open the door. “GO, GO, GO!” I heard myself shouting, and charged the door with such force that I almost flew out of my wheelchair. Without missing a beat, I righted myself, and speed inside, shouting at the top of my lungs, COME ON, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, NOW!!! LET’S GO, as I lead them straight to the back of the building, where there were double doors. The adrenaline was pumping hard! We were in a race with cops and security to see who would get to those doors first. Fortunately, ADAPT made it first. I hit the doors, spun around, and yelled, HIT IT NOW!, SHUT ‘EM DOWN! SHUT ‘EM DOWN NOW!! YEAH!! as 14 ADAPTers closed in on every door on that end. One lone security guard tried to capture the door, but to no avail. He soon gave up. There was a commotion at the door at the other end, where we had come in. Bruce, who’d opened the door for us, was dragged out by the cops, but managed to get back in. He tried jamming the door with his foot, and got his foot jacked up. The cops wrestled him to the ground and tried to drag him out, but a strong young ADAPT woman dragged him back in, and he came to where we were.

Meanwhile, we were chanting and singing, “Aint gonna let nobody turn me around!” Suddenly, there was singing and clapping from above us. I thought at first, that some of us had made it to the second floor, but, to my amazement, it was HHS staff singing and chanting with us! I managed to get some pictures and video, but then, my phone died. It had gotten wet. So much for blogging and uploading pics and videos. Bummer!

We kept up the chanting and singing for quite some time. I noticed that half of our group were new folks on their first action, including two from Rochester! I was SO proud of them! They stood strong, and were even willing to be arrested if it came to that.

As I calmed down, I realized that we’d done it. We got into HHS for the first time in 17 years! 75 ADAPT folks got into that building! Normally, if someone in a wheelchair so much as passed by there, security would get nervous. If more than two people in chairs passed by, they’d literally shut the place down! I’m not kidding. When 10 ADAPT members, including myself were invited to meet with then HHS Secretary Donna Shalala back in the ’90s, we were locked out, even though we had a meeting! It took them forever to call upstairs and confirm the meeting. Oddly, security had been lax recently, and that played a part in us getting in. I guarantee you though, that building was shut down tight the rest ot the time that ADAPT was in DC!

Why was ADAPT hitting HHS, you might ask? Good question. Until recently, we had a good relationship with HHS; there had been many meetings, and good dialogue. However, there had been some devastating new interim final rules involving targeted case management, and spousal impoverishment that had come down the pike. These new rules reinforced the institutional bias in long term care, making it difficult to transition people from nursing facilities and other institutions back into the community. ADAPT had had enough, and we wanted a meeting with HHS Secretary, Mike Leavitt to work things out.

Bruce and I were Day Leaders, so we tried keeping up with what was going on in other parts of the building. Since my phone was dead, we used Bruce’s phone. We learned that Philo Hall, with HHS was meeting with the negotiation team. Since Bruce and I were way in the back, the team had to negotiate with the cops, security, and Philo, to get us up there. After a while, we were able to join the rest of the negotiating team, leaving our group in the very capable hands of Bernard, a Color Leader with the Blue team.

We were escorted to where the rest of the leadership/negotiation team were, and updated on everything. Two of our folks had been arrested, and taken away. In fact, we saw them being led past where we originally were, way in the back. We wanted to know their whereabouts, and to see if they could be ticketed and released with us, but they were already in the system. The cops were really upset, and security, and the Powers That Be were VERY nervous, and really wanted us out of the building, as there were to be talks held with the Chinese delegation about food safety in light of the recent revelations regarding Chinese imports. Needless to say, the officials didn’t want the Chinese seeing the chaos of a protest taking place. Personally, I didn’t give a hoot and a hill of beans, and secretly wished that the Chinese would see the protest.

We then had to work out the gnarly details of getting a meeting with Secretary Leavitt. After a lot of back and forth, and round and round, and tempers flaring, and calming down, we hammered out an agreement. Leavitt would meet with ADAPT leadership within 30 days. We would meet with Philo, and some of the HHS bigwigs and policymakers immediately to discuss what would be spoken of the meeting with Secretary Leavitt, then, have a follow-up meeting later in the week. HHS also committed to having quarterly meetings with ADAPT to work on issues, and to consult with, and keep each other updated on other things that impact the disability community.

All in all, it was a victorious day for ADAPT. HHS felt our strength and power. FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!

The Community Choice Act has another co-sponsor!

Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] - 4/22/2008

I want to send shout-outs to New Castle, PA ADAPT for what they had to go through to get this guy on. Here is their story, in thier words:

April 18, 2008

Today Members of New Castle PA ADAPT took action to get a commitment from Congressman Jason Altmire (Representative PA 4th District) to sign on as a co-sponsor to Community Choice. Pennsylvania now has 13 of 19 Representatives signed on. Six more to go.

Twenty members of New Castle ADAPT stormed into Altmire’s field office located in New Castle, PA, and demanded that he sign on. His Caseworker in New Castle, James Ferruchi met us with hostility and disrespect. Four members made their way into his office and blocked both exits. At one point Altmire’s caseworker threatened to piss on Vivian LaCamara if she did not move out of the doorway. Her answer was ” I have been in a Nursing Home and I have been pissed on abused and neglected so go ahead”

He quickly backed off when he saw the commitment displayed by the ADAPTERS. It only took two hours and Altmire caved like a marshmellow in an ADAPT fire. We left his office with this e-mail and a signed Faxed letter on letterhead of his commitment to support Community Choice:

From: Komendant, Erik
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 1:19 PM
To: Brown, Charles
Cc: Werner, Sharon ; Butler, Mike ; Ferruchie, James; Mullen, Tess
Subject: Community Choice Act

Charles -

Can you add Congressman Altmire to the Community Choice Act (H.R. 1621)?

- Erik
—
Erik Komendant
Legislative Director
Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04)

RA’s Note: As you can see, four days later, he was signed on!

You folks are the Bomb!!!!!

Monday, April 21, 2008 was a special day for us at CDR/Rochester ADAPT! We received a visit from Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), who recently signed on to the Community Choice Act. Though she only stayed a few minutes, Bruce and I got to welcome her, and her staffer, Bobbi Wilson. We explained about the parts of the building that we were passing through on our way to the large conference room. About 50 Rochester ADAPT members and CDR staff loudly appauded as we stepped into the room. She spoke to us, and said how happy she was to be with us in our beautiful building, and how proud she was to be a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act. She took pictures with us, and we presented her with an orange Community Choice Act NOW! T-shirt, which she held up to her front, and had her picture taken. She chatted with several of us afterwards, and took her time leaving, even though she had a plane to catch right after our visit. Since due to time constraints, she was unable to take the tour of the building, Congresswoman Slaughter wants to visit us again. That will be great!

Over all, I enjoyed her visit. She remembered me from us taking over her office in Washington, DC. She told everyone that she loved my sense of humor, and that I was her buddy. She spent lots of time with me, and I got several handshakes and a couple of hugs. She also talked with me after our meeting. From being in ADAPT, I have learned a lot about politicians, and I feel that she actually does like me, even when I was loudmouthing her in her office back in January, before she signed on to CCA. When Gene and I met with her in her Rochester office back in March, she noted that I was a bit subdued, and told her staff that I was a real firecracker, and that I was a great and passionate activist. I believe that she genuinely respects the whole Rochester crew. I am looking forward to her next visit!

Since the pictures were quite large in size, I’ll give you the links to some of them.

The Group

Anita and Louise Outside CDR

Anita Shaking Louise’s Hand

I am proud to announce that Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) will visit the Center for Disability Rights, where I work as a Systems Advocate, on Monday, April 21, 2008, at 4:00 pm. Rep. Slaughter recently signed on to the Community Choice Act.

Bruce and I will give her a tour of the building, then, we will gather in the large conference room, where Rochester ADAPT will present her with an orange Community Choice Act Now! T-shirt, and take some pictures and videos. I will post these on Monday evening.

We are really exited and honored by her visit!

RA’s Note: Please excuse the sloppiness of my page today. I am experimenting with new code, and can’t figure out how I got things to work without the blank images and all.

It has been a REALLY busy time for me lately. We have been working hard on getting funding from the state for Independent Living. Our CIL, Center for Disability Rights, is the second largest CIL in New York State, yet we get NO state funding, and very little federal funding. We have tried the usual stuff–mass e-mails, faxes, and calls, to no avail. We have considered protesting, and occupying the offices of the main players in Albany, but we decided to go in a new direction with our advocacy for IL funding and with pointing a finger at the people to blame. So we made a viral video to spread on YouTube. Check it out and send it to everyone you know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=domQixfPYq4

A HUGE thank you to our script writers, directors, puppet makers, producers and our vocal talents:

Anita Cameron, Bruce Darling, Chris Hilderbrant, Zung Ho, Melinda Johnson, Terrie Lincoln, April Oakes and Chris Wood!

Additional concept contributions credits to: Sadie Gilbride and Marsha Sweet.

(The text and description is copied below)

Joe Bruno – Chris H                             Shelly Silver – Anita C

Gov. Paterson – Chris W                      Mike Nozzolio – Zung H

1199 - April O

Scene opens…

Sign says… “How NY Budget process REALLY works…”

Three men, smoke filled room…

*mumbling and muttering*

Bruno: “Dave, I’m so happy you’ve been such a team player…. It’s
really great that we are able to have everyone that matters here at the
table…

Silver: “Yup, just like the good ole days…

Paterson: “Is it smokey in here? Or is it just me?”

Bruno: “So, we all agree to borrow $250 million and build a new Racino?

Silver, Paterson (in redneck unison): “Yup”

Bruno: “It’s practically pennies. It’ll pay for itself.”

(Enter Senator Mike Nozzolio riding a white horse)

Mike: “We need funding to help people with disabilities in Ontario
County… only 300,000 dollars… practically nothing…

Silver, Bruno, Paterson: *grumble* “Sounds expensive”

Silver: “We could tax the super wealthy…

Bruno: “Shelly, ya know why that idea reminds me of your momma?
Because it’s sooooo stupid!”

Mike: “It’s less costly to serve them at home than in a nursing
facility…”

Paterson: “Ok, let’s do it…”

Mike: *bows* “Thank you, sirs. Thank you Thank you thank you.”

(Exits)

*three men mumbling, grumbling*

(Enter 1199 on a dark horse, purple shirt, yellow 1199)

Union Manager says: “We need more money in our nursing homes and
hospitals…”

Paterson: “But we need to reform healthcare… get away from
facilities”

Union Manager: “But we make political contributions…” (*cha-ching*)

Bruno: “He’s got a point there, Dave…”

Paterson: “Ok, but we need to cut back our budget…

Silver: “Let’s nix that Ontario funding…

Bruno: “Yes, that will take care of it…

Silver, Bruno, Paterson: (triumphantly) “And we’ll raise the tax on
cigarettes!”

*grumbling, mumbling*

*fade to black*

I hope that you like it. We all had fun making this little skit/movie/clip/video, or whatever you choose to call it! If you want to see some funny clips on the making of the movie, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/adaptanita They are right on the front of the page. Enjoy!

ADAPT is having its 25th birthday! This April will mark the 25th anniversary of the first national ADAPT action. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of my first national ADAPT action. I’d been hanging around ADAPT since 1986, always on the fringes — a shy, quiet young thing, totally unremarkable, except that I was Dennis Schreiber’s attendant and interpreter. Almost anybody around back then remembers Dennis, but probably doesn’t remember the mousy little Black girl with unruly hair who was his attendant. That was me.

What is ADAPT, you ask? Well, ADAPT is a national, grassroots disability rights organization that began in Denver, Colorado. It was started by 19 people with disabilities who wanted access to public transportation and public places in their community. Many of them had been incarcerated in a nursing home for most of their lives, and had only been out a relatively short time. One of their first big battles was with the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver’s transportation authority. After countless meetings and negotiations that went nowhere, the group had had enough, and staged a two-day protest where they blocked the intersection of Colfax and Broadway, the busiest streets downtown, blocking buses, and getting out of their wheelchairs and lying in the street. That was the “shot heard ‘round the world”, if you will, and people with disabilities in other cities wanted to learn how to do direct action to bring about change.

You can’t even begin to talk about ADAPT without talking about Wade Blank. Wade was once an activities director in a nursing home called Heritage House This was the place where the original group that started ADAPT was incarcerated. Wade’s history of working for social justice and social change began long before then, but while at Heritage House, he listened to the dreams of the young folks trapped there, and ultimately helped them to free themselves, and move into the community. They founded Atlantis Community, the second oldest independent living center in the nation.

Once the Gang of 19 was out in the community, they realized that there were many barriers—inaccessible public transportation, restaurants, stores, and other places. Wade imparted his knowledge of community organizing and activism to the budding activists, and they began the daunting task of fighting for the right to go where everyone else could go.

Today, ADAPT has grown from the “Gang of 19” to a grassroots network of thousands of people with disabilities and our allies, with at least 500 people from over 30 states, and sometimes other countries, continually showing up at each action. We are a diverse group…by disability, by politics, by gender and orientation, by race, by ethnicity, by age (literally cradle to grave, and even having had people die at actions), by geography, by ability to communicate and/or use assistive communication, by income (though most of us are at or below poverty level), by marital status or arrangement, by work experience or former occupation, or inability to work, by institutional history, and so much more! We are a real community, even family, that celebrates births, and the lives of those who have passed on, and celebrates the achievements of each of us, be it personal or systemic. Though we have no bylaws, elected officials, or directors, we have managed to realize many significant achievements.

We have gone from being considered rag-tag “militants”, “radicals”, and “hippies” to being a powerful force to be reckoned with. We represent the cutting edge of disability rights and activism, and have gained the respect of many elected officials and other powerful people. Some may not like ADAPT, but they do respect us, and it is much easier to get to the table to help shape policy.

I, too, have grown. I started out as a shy, mousy 21-year-old, who rarely spoke, and when I did, it was barely above a whisper. I desperately wanted to work for social justice and social change. Having been born only three years before the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I felt guilty for not being able to fight for the civil rights of African Americans. I had been involved in several peace and justice movements, but I never felt at home, and never felt as if I were a real part of things. Also, I often was the only African American taking part in the activities.

I joined ADAPT near the end of 1986. At the time, I was living in Chicago, IL, my home town. A friend of my godmother, a Sister in the order of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), called her to see if there was anyone that she knew who would be interested in working as an attendant for a man who had a disability. The man, Dennis Schreiber, belonged to a disability rights organization and travelled, and needed someone as a back-up staff. My godmother immediately thought of me, and suggested that I apply for the job. I did, and the rest is history. For the first year, I just hung out, quietly participating in local actions. I was so amazed at the work that ADAPT was doing locally with transportation issues. I also felt at home because here were people who either looked like me, or had similar experiences. Then, in March of 1988, I was finally able to go on my first national action—DC Siege/DOT! I was forever hooked, and from then on, I went with Dennis on ALL of the actions.

Shortly after I joined ADAPT, I met Wade Blank, and we hit it off immediately. In December, 1988, I moved to Colorado Springs, CO, to work with Atlantis/ADAPT. They had recently opened a new office in Colorado Springs. We often went to Denver to participate in actions or meetings, so I saw a lot of Wade, and was able to learn more about organizing and activism. In 1991, I moved to Denver to work in the main office as a community organizer, working directly with Wade, who became my mentor. Though Wade passed away only two years later, I felt enriched and blessed by being able to work with him. The pearls of wisdom that he sent my way were countless!

Over time, I grew from the aforementioned mousy chick, to a fiery activist. I have become a ham, of sorts, in ADAPT, singing, chanting, and helping to keep up our troops’ spirits. I have also become a leader, sometimes helping with negotiations, and stuff, but mostly helping to keep people informed, safe, and pumped up during the actions. I now live in Rochester, NY, and usually help to plan our local actions.

ADAPT has changed my life. I learned how to be an activist, and catalyst for change. I have learned (and am still learning) the political process, and policymaking. Through ADAPT, I have done some really cool and amazing things like help to plan a successful two-week vigil in Colorado to protest budget cuts that could have sent hundreds of people with disabilities back into institutions. I participated in the Free Our People March, where 210 people wheeled and walked from Philadelphia, PA, to Washington, DC, to bring awareness of, and to call for the passage of MiCASSA (Medicaid Community-based Attendant Services and Supports Act), now the Community Choice Act (CCA). I was one of 50 ADAPT members who met with President Bill Clinton in the East Room of the White House. I wouldn’t have been able to do these things had I not been with ADAPT.

That is why I am so excited about ADAPT’s 25 anniversary! We will be in Washington, DC from April 26-May 2, 2008. There will be some amazing stuff happening for this celebration:

April 27

National Fun*Run

ADAPT will hold its 2nd Fun Run/Roll, with the incomparable Marca Bristo as the Honorary National Runner/Roller. For more information visit:

http://www.adaptfunrun.org

April 30

When You Remember Me

Showing of the movie, “When You Remember Me”, a made-for-TV film starring Jeff Savage, Kevin Spacey, and Ellen Burstyn that chronicles Wade Blank’s work freeing youth from a Denver nursing home…work that morphed into the creation of both Atlantis, and ADAPT, will be shown in the evening. Here is the link the synopsis of the movie:

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/129908/When-You-Remember-Me/overview

May 1

The entire day will be given over to the celebration! Here is just some of the amazing things that will be taking place:

StoryCorps—if you listen to NPR, then, you are familiar with StoryCorps, where people record their stories for the Library of Congress, and some of these are aired on NPR. StoryCorps will be at our hotel recording stories from ADAPT folks. I am so excited! Here is the link to StoryCorps:

http://www.storycorps.net/

ADAPT Museum–There will be two huge rooms of multimedia ADAPT historical displays, including blow-ups of 50 of Tom Olin’s incredible photos, every T-shirt from every ADAPT action over the past 25 years, artifacts, memorabilia, first person accounts of every action, videos, slides, music. The folks from Denver are bringing most of the items, news clippings, etc.

ADAPT Jeopardy—this is Jeopardy! ADAPT style!

Tales Around The Campfire—with Mark Johnson

The Show

The Barbeque

Several dignitaries have been invited. Representative Pat Shroeder, who came to the first Denver action back in 1975 will be there!

This is only a partial list of what is happening, so come join us for this magnificent celebration of 25 years of activism. I’ll see you there!

This afternoon, Gene and I had a meeting with Rep. Louise Slaughter in her Rochester office. For the better part of a year, ADAPT has been trying to get her to become a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act. She had sign on the CCA’s previous incarnation, the Bill Formerly Known as MiCASSA, but she balked at signing on to CCA stating that the bill cost too much. We provided her with the new study by the University of California at San Francisco, but her staff never found time to read it, or bring her up to speed. When ADAPT met with her in January, right after the hearing on CCA before the House Energy and Commerce Committe, she gave us the same tired old speech about the bill costing too much, and us being in a war, and under a deficit.

On Friday, March 14th, Bruce was sitting next to Rep. Slaughter on a flight back to Rochester, and took the opportunity to speak with her about meeting in Rochester to discuss the Community Choice Act. She told Bruce that she was very busy, travelling back and forth to Albany, meeting with Gov. Paterson, and “playing Grandma”, but suggested that Bruce call her staffperson, Bobbi, and see if she could squeeze some time into her schedule. Bruce immediately called me, and asked that I do the deed, which I did. Bobbi wasn’t there, but I left her a message, then, called her again on Monday. Bobbi was able to squeeze in time for the 25th (today), but she made the meeting for Bruce alone. I didn’t like that, but felt that we needed to get that meeting.

As it turned out, Bruce was in Albany today, so Gene and I went in his stead. We brought copies of the study from U of C. Gene took the lead in this meeting and started out by discussing the new study, and some of the highlights. Rep. Slaughter asked about the waivers, and we explained that the waivers are capped at the number of people that they serve. I also told her that CCA would actually cost less than the waivers, which are optional. Gene also said that the states would get 10% more in federal matching funds under CCA.

Towards the end of the meeting, Rep. Slaughter said three words that ADAPT has been waiting for a year to hear — “We’ll Sign on”. She spoke about the horrors of the medicare prescription program, and how, Under Bush, people with disabilities are really being devastated by program cuts. After some more conversation, and a reiteration that she would be signing on, we left.

I am very happy that Louise Slaughter will sign on to CCA. I’m curious about why she signed on after all this time, but I won’t speculate about that. I’ll be even happier when I go to Thomas, and see her name on the list. of course, even if she called Rep. Danny Davis’s office as soon as we left, it won’t appear on the website for several days. Rest assured, I will let you know the moment her name is on the CCA co-sponsor list!