The Roving Activist’s Blog

The Nation of Rochester has saddled up, and we are off! 43 of us and all of our gear, plus a vanload of folks, and a cargo van are on the way to DC to join our ADAPT sisters and brothers to FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!

Orange ADAPT logo that says, Community choice, it is a civil right!

I am excited to join the ADAPT Blogswarm over at Nick’s Crusade for the Spring 2010 action! I’ll be blogging live from DC. If you’re a disability rights blogger go join the swarm. We need as many voices as we can out there!

I am quite excited about going to DC tomorrow for the ADAPT action! The theme of the action is Defending Our Freedom. It refers to the fact that across the nations, states are going through major budget cuts, and guess who is on the chopping block? Why, people with disabilities, of course. Why is it that we are the only minority who still must fight for, and defend our freedom?

Of course, ADAPT is not taking this lying down, and we are converging on Washington, DC tomorrow. The Rochester crew will be hopping on a bus to join our sisters and brother to free our people!

I won’t be taking my laptop, but I will be blogging live from DC via my cell phone. I’ll also be tweeting live, as well as taking pictures and videos. Stay tuned!

I find the murder of any child reprehensible, but the murder of kids with disabilities simply because they are disabled, pisses me off! Its the main reason that I am against abortion and euthanasia.

I was checking out some of the writings of my fellow Contributors at AC, when I came across an original poem that described the murder of a disabled child by his mother. It was extremely difficult for me to read, and I made a comment to that effect. Later, I saw that other folk’s comments reflected sympathy for this woman, and my blood boiled!

I was born premature, and almost died at birth. The first years of my life were spent in and out of hospitals and clinics. There were obvious differences in the way that my twin, who is non-disabled, and I were treated. Cruel things were said to my parents about me in my presence, things that remain with me to this day. To see people trying to romanticize the murder of a child with a disability, and sympathize with his murderer made me physically ill.

I decided to write an article about my feelings about this, rather than blast the Contributor and his supporters – after all, the word needs to get out that the murder if a child with a disability is just that, murder!

Go here to see what I wrote at AC, and the response I got.

Last week our disability community in Rochester said enough is enough! We were so sick and tired of dealing with RGRTA and their shenanigans that we organized a protest. Folks who use wheelchairs are still being passed up at bus stops. Lift Line users are still being denied rides. It is well know that RGRTA doesn’t deal well with folks who complain about them, particularly if you work for, or are in any way associated with CDR.

Want to know what happened? Find out here.

Of course, I’ve been a busy sister! Lots have been going on at work. Last week, we did a protest against RGRTA. This week, we’re preparing for the upcoming ADAPT action in Washington, DC. I’ve been practicing using a scooter for this trip, and for those who know me, you know that me and anything motorized  does NOT mix well.

I’ll survive, though…

Last August, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN stated that the Community Choice Act (CCA) would make hospitals wheelchair accessible. In October, ADAPT met with CNN’s David Vigilante, who agreed to ask Dr. Gupta to make an on-air correction of this misinformation. To date, there has been no correction of Dr. Gupta’s mistake.

See ADAPT video about CNN and Dr. Gupta at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5uTKatvkDk

Then, contact CNN and tell them to stop fooling around! They know the Community Choice Act is about our freedom to live in our own homes NOT about hospital accessibility. It’s time for them to tell it to the world just like they promised us they would!

 
Click here, which will take you to a sample letter that you can send to David Vigilante. Please feel free to personalize it, if you wish. Then, enter your contact information and click once on the Send button. It’s that easy! Please tell your friends about this alert so that they may participate, as well.

It’s that time again, and thanks to those who supported me last year!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Support Rochester ADAPT’s Anita Cameron in her run for civil rights for people with disabilities!

Many of you know me, Anita Cameron, of Rochester, NY. I am a passionate activist and advocate for disability rights. After all, I’m The Roving Activist! I will be leaving for Washington, DC on Saturday, April 24, 2010 to join ADAPT in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

On Sunday, April 25, I will participate in the ADAPT Fun*Run for Disability Rights. I pledge to roll 20 times around Upper Senate Park to raise money to keep the work of ADAPT alive, and I could really use some help from my Gentle Readers!

Please sponsor me either on a per lap basis, or better yet, a flat donation. To make it easy, I have a web site where you can make your pledge or donation. Click on the link below to help me in my effort.

http://www.adaptfunrun.org/sponsor.php?id=48

Let’s work together to end the institutional bias!

FREE OUR PEOPLE!

News Release

For more information, contact:
Mike Oxford, (785) 224-3865
Bob Kafka, (512) 431-4085
http://www.adapt.org

ADAPT Celebrates Community First Choice Option in Health Care Reform

ADAPT, the national cross-disability grassroots group, today celebrates the inclusion of the Community First Choice (CFC) Option and other long term care-related provisions in the health care reform package passed by the House on Sunday, March 21.  These provisions bring people with disabilities across America one step closer to home and community-base supports and ending the institutional bias in Medicaid.  Twenty years ago, with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with disabilities realized the beginning of a civil rights dream of access to all levels of society.  Today, ADAPT continues to fight to protect that dream, re-committing to the enforcement of the ADA-based Olmstead Supreme court case, which holds that no person can be forced to remain institutionalized against their will.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its companion legislation, the Reconciliation Act of 2010, together include several items related to home and community based services.  For example, starting in October of 2011, the CFC Option will give states the choice of providing home and community based services to Medicaid recipients instead of simply forcing them into nursing homes.  The federal Money Follows the Person program will be extended until 2016.  Provisions of the CLASS Act are also included in the new legislation. States will have increased federal funding matching incentives to fund community services.  Yet while passage of this legislation is a social landmark, much remains to be done.

ADAPT recognizes that ensuring community choice for all will require a variety of efforts, from both the grassroots and the government.  ADAPT’s Defending Our Freedom (DOF) Campaign seeks accountability for enforcing Olmstead from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights. DOF demands that the Obama administration aggressively support legislation and pursue litigation that ensures Olmstead enforcement across the country. Finally, DOF calls on grassroots people with disabilities to document their struggles to secure home and community based services.

ADAPT re-commits to fighting together with allies such as Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and other members of Congress towards the vision of meaningful community integration for people with disabilities and seniors across America. For more information, see http://www.adapt.org and http://defendingourfreedom2010.blogspot.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/

At the end of 2008, the CCA Resolution Project was launched by the Center for Disability Rights Advocacy Department. Read about this very important project to gain support for the Community Choice Act.

The Community Choice Act Resolution Project