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Disability Awareness: The Untold Story

Disability Awareness: The Untold Story. Ruthee Goldkorn No Barriers disAbled Access Consulting and Advocacy Services. Introduction. How we are influenced by language, words and people Influence of Media Changes in Language People with disAbilities vs. Disabled People vs. “Those people”

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Disability Awareness: The Untold Story

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  1. Disability Awareness:The Untold Story Ruthee Goldkorn No Barriers disAbled Access Consulting and Advocacy Services

  2. Introduction • How we are influenced by language, words and people • Influence of Media • Changes in Language • People with disAbilities vs. Disabled People vs. “Those people” • “The 10 Commandments of How to Address People with disAbilities”

  3. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1817: The American School for the Deaf, Hartford, CT • 1890s: Advocates pushed for the creation of state workers’ compensation programs • 1909: NY Public School System adopted American Braille

  4. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1909: The first folding wheelchair • 1932: Disabled American Veterans is chartered by Congress • 1935: The League of the Physically Handicapped in NYC

  5. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1940: National Federation of the Blind in PA • Advocating for white cane laws and programs for the blind • 1940: The American Federation of the Physically Handicapped is founded • The first cross disability national political organization • 1947: Paralyzed Veterans of America is founded Birmingham Hospital in Van Nuys, CA

  6. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1949: The National Wheelchair Basketball Association is founded • The first wheelchair basketball tournament in Illinois • 1957: National Wheelchair Games in NY • 1960: Paralympic Games held in Rome

  7. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1964: The Acoustic Coupler invented • Forerunner of telephone modem: teletype messages to be sent on phone lines • 1968: Architectural Barriers Act • 1970: The California Association of the Physically Handicapped (CAPH) established • Transformed into Californians with Disability Rights (CDR)

  8. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1972: US District Courts in District of Columbia ruled that children with disabilities cannot be excluded • 1973: Disabled Parking Stickers • 1973: Federal Aid Highway Act • Federal funds to pay for construction of curb cuts • Rehabilitation Act of 1973: • Title V and Section 504

  9. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1974: The Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant established in Ohio • Advocacy and activism platform for women with mobility disability • 1976: Transbus Group • Consisted of: Disabled in Action of PA, The American Coalition of Cerebral Palsy Associations and others • File suit to require that all buses purchased by public transit authorities receiving federal funds meet Transbus specifications • Making them wheelchair accessible

  10. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1977: Disability Rights Activists in 10 cities stage demonstrations in occupations at the offices of the federal HEW to force the Carter Administration to implement Section 504 • Signed on April 28, 1977

  11. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1978: Disability rights activists in Denver stage a sit-in blocking the Denver Regional Transit Authority buses • It was the first action in a year-long civil disobedience campaign to force Denver to purchase wheelchair lift equipment

  12. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1981-1983: The Reagan Administration attempted to amend or revoke the implementing sections for 504 and the Education for All Handicap Act of 1975 • 1981-1984: The Reagan Administration terminated Social Security benefits of people with disabilities

  13. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1983: American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit is organized in Denver • For 7 years ADAPT conducted a civil disobedience campaign against the American Public Transit Association • 1985: Wrye Crips • Radical disability theater group founded in California

  14. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1986: Air Carrier Access Act • 1989: The Federal Appeals Court in ADAPT v. Skinner rules that federal regulations requiring that transit authorities spend only 3% of their budget on access are arbitrary and discriminatory • 1990: The Americans with Disabilities Act signed

  15. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1990: The Wheels of Justice Campaign in Washington DC organized by ADAPT brings hundreds of people with disabilities to DC in support of ADA. Occupied Capital Rotunda and were all arrested • 1993: The American Indian Disability Legislation Project is established • 1995: Justice for All is founded

  16. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 1995: American Association of People with Disabilities is founded • 1996: Congress passed legislation eliminating more than 150,000 children with disabilities from Social Security • 1996: Not Dead Yet was formed by disability advocates to oppose Jack Kevorkian

  17. Back in Time: The History of Disability Advocacy • 2006: CDR Impact • A project to end disability discrimination

  18. To not remove barriers to access as required under State and Federal code and law is an intentional act of Discrimination! End Disability Discrimination! Don’t Tread on our Civil Rights! CDR Impact is a project of Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. www.disabilityrights-cdr.org

  19. “The Current State of Transportation for People with Disabilities in the US” • 2002: A national study conducted by the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that 6 million people with disabilities have difficulties obtaining the transportation they need. • 2000: Research conducted by the Harris poll and funded by the National Organization on Disability established that nearly 1/3 of people with Disabilities report having inadequate access to transportation.

  20. “The Current State of Transportation for People with Disabilities in the US” • Behind these statistics are many personal stories of lives severely limited by the lack of transportation. • Some people with disabilities who are willing and able to work cannot do so because of inadequate transportation. • Others cannot shop, socialize, enjoy recreational or spiritual activities or even leave their homes. • Some individuals with disabilities who need medical services must live in institutions due solely to the lack of safe, reliable transportation to needed medical services.

  21. “The Current State of Transportation for People with Disabilities in the US” • As a consistent theme in most transit systems across the US, the ADA has spawned great improvements, but many compliance gaps remain that pose significant problems to transportation for people with disabilities. • Additionally, because the ADA merely requires that when public transportation is provided, it must be made accessible for persons with disabilities.

  22. “The Current State of Transportation for People with Disabilities in the US” • Where there is no public transportation, it is likely that no transportation exists at all for people with disabilities. • In some sectors, such as in rural areas, grossly insufficient funding imposes harsh gaps in the transportation grid. • In other sectors, such as accessible taxis, a lack of requirements has meant very uneven progress. • As a result, people with disabilities are still at a significant disadvantage compared with the general public.”

  23. Where Do We Go From Here? The Advisory Committee Invitation for California Mobility Action Plan • Transit be added as a Medi-Cal reimbursable item, (i.e. buying bus passes for people with disabilities or books of tickets) • Consider that para-transit could become an eligible Medi-Cal vendor. Currently many para-transit agencies can’t get reimbursed for medical transport

  24. Where Do We Go From Here? • United We Ride Council • A Federal grant program, consisted of the Mobility Task Force with a project advisory committee, Olmstead advisory committee and Senior and Disability Advocacy Groups will provide input on this concept • We must expand the vision of transportation for people with disabilities and bring it into the 21st century.

  25. Where Do We Go From Here? We are active, we are mobile, we are employable, we are underemployed, and we lack the same opportunities as the abled to participate with equality and equity.

  26. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission • In 2006, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) made visible progress in advancing equal employment opportunity, yet much work remains. Our challenge in 2007 is to make the most effective and efficient use of agency resources to foster fair and inclusive work environments for all individuals.” • Naomi C. Earp, Chair EEOC

  27. Concluding Thoughts • To facilitate achieving any goals, any mission of EEOC or the state DFEH transportation is a critical component and mass transportation agencies must be brought to the table. • We cannot work, if we cannot get to the work place.

  28. Concluding Thoughts • “…California was a pioneer in disabled access. Our laws predate the ADA by over 20 years. I am not asking local building departments to do anything that has not been required of them for over 20 years. What has been the longstanding public policy of this state is now national policy through the ADA. Please join me in a renewed commitment to strong and vigorous enforcement of state disabled access laws and regulations. By ensuring that persons with disabilities have full; and equal access to public facilities and privately-funded public accommodations, we benefit the State of California

  29. Concluding Thoughts by tapping the talents of persons with disabilities, talent that unfortunately has not been utilized to the fullest extent possible. Creating a barrier-free California not only is the right thing to do, but it is in the economic interest of the state to accomplish this goal.” Daniel Lungren Attorney General, State of California September 17, 1992

  30. References • Frieden, L. National Council on Disability Report, “The Current State of Transportation for People with Disabilities in the US.”June 13, 2005. • Ogawa, G. Invitation to Participate in the Mobility Action Plan Implementation Project. State Department of Transportation, Division of Mass Transportation. 2007 • The Southeast ADA Center. ADA Headliner April 2007

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