Today in "his"tory or "your"story?

This is the third day of a 3-day break I took from work--okay  why am I blogging about work then?-I don't know.  I gues just because.  Anyway I was on the web this morning thinking about  how I was going to use my day and thought maybe I'd see  what's happened on this day in history.   So, the last combat troops in Nam  pulled out today in 1972-that's pretty significcant,  and in 1994 the baseball strike that ended the season  started today-that's pretty interesting.  American Graffiti (sp) opened today nearly 40 years ago and spawned most of the ABC shows for the 70's generation.  But maybe more significant for my thoughts today  is that Alex Hailey the author of the Autobiograpghy of Malcom X  and Roots was born on this date in 1921.   He opened the minds of a generation with regard to the history of an ethnic group.   He grew  up hearing the family history passed down by his  grandmother and turned it into the most powerful miniseries  in television history.  Oh yeah it was a book too but nobody reads much anymore except for social media like this. 

So what  in the world does this have to do with  disability?   Well  good old Chicken George doesn't exist if someone hadn't bothered to pass down a little history and in the disability world we  stink  at this kind of thing so I thought I'd  offer a paragragh or two  of disability history today.  It's not about August 11th, but it' still imprtant for  the disability community to know some history and tell the stories.  There's a lot of history to cover so I'm only going to take a couple of years in that same decade when American Graffiti came out and we pulled out of Nam and Nixon left the White House... and on some other days I will comment about other history.  and hereyou  goes (adapted from many sources and synthesized by  and grizzled advocate)..

 1973 Section 504 gets slipped into the Rehab Act and the term "reasonable accomodation"  gets put into play.  If you can only remember so much history start here. 

1974: Inaugural Convention of People First

You ever hear the term "person with a disability?"  lWell it came from this crazy idea that folks with disabilities are people not medical c onditions and some people got together to let the world know they felt that way  so the very  first convention for People First gets held in Portland, Oregon. People First is a national organization of people with developmental disabilities learning to speak for themselves and supporting each other in doing so.

1974: Laof "Ugly Laws" Repealed

The older I get, the more I hope that history doesn't always repeat itself.  I have seen myself if all my glory in a mirror first thing in the morning and it is criminal or at least it might ahave been  until  this fine date. 
The last "Ugly Law" is repealed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1974. These laws allowed police to arrest and jail people with "apparent" disabilities for no reason other than being disfigured or demonstrating some type of disability.

1975: Law Guarantees Free, Appropriate, Public Education for All Disabled Children

Look I went to a  small Catholic grade school.  I'm pretty sure  it wasn't the least restrictive environment... but then again .... there was a lae... but  it's hard to get  Starsky and Hutch to bust  a nun.  However, ... The Education for Handicapped Children Act of 1975—now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)&mdashis signed into law. It guarantees a free, appropriate, public education for all children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.

1976: Deaf Actress Signs On with Sesame Street

While I am not, some of you are from what I lovingly refer to as "the Sesame Street Generation.  Instead of  sitting kids down to watch a  whaskily wabbit, or a pipe smokin' salor who ate some vegies from a tin can and then  beat the crap out  of a fat  bully,  you got to learn life's lessons from  a six foot yello bird a cookie monster and a  cute green frog and  a traiklblazing   actress.  Yep, Deaf actress Linda Bove, graduate of Gallaudet College and veteran of the National Theater for the Deaf, signs a long-term contract to play Linda the librarian on public television's Sesame Street. James Earl Jones, a well known actor who has a speech-related disability, also gets his start on Sesame Street.

1977: Disability Demonstrators Occupy Federal Office

...and  probably my personal favorite... The next time you  think of people with disabilitiews as quiet and meek think about this.  The KKK didn't do this ... The Black Panthers didn't do this... (although rumor has it they helped) ... The PLO, the SLA (you don't know about them so you need to read some more history) .. nor the tea party movement did this... but people with disabilities hold the record.   For what?  Oh read  on! 
Demonstrators led by Judy Heumann take over the Health Education and Welfare (HEW) office in UN Plaza, San Francisco, California, in protest of HEW Secretary Califano's refusal to complete regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which made it illegal for federal agencies, public universities, and other public institutions receiving any federal funds to discriminate on the basis of disability. After 25 days, Califano relents and signs the regulations into effect, making this take-over event the longest occupation of a federal office by protestors in U.S. history. 

So if you've  read this far you have likely learned something you didn't know.. or remembered  something once forgotten.... we have a history and we are proud to be people first, a little rebelous, we don't want to be  restricted, we could get ugly but you can't arrest us for it. 


Go out and make some history today.

Make Every Day Count

If all things go as planned, (since when has that EVER happened) in Ocober I will have a week that goes something like this--Leave Greensboro, land in New York City.  Leave New York City land in Minneapolis.  Leave Minneapolis, land in Anchorage (sp) Conference  Leave Alaska land in Arizona. Leave Arizona land in Philadelphia.  Leave Philadelphia land in Greensboro.   Leave Greensboro Land in Atlanta.  Leave Atlanta land in Tampa.  Conference. Leave Tampa land in Atlanta.  Leave Atlant land in Greensboro--Where's my luggage?

So I was thinking this is much like most of life--it's not a straight line you know.  ... and I doubt all but a few of you have traveled your life in a completely straight line.  ... and sometimes the twists and turns and  going backward three steps  and sideways two steps  have created interesting  little stories and most the time these stories have morals and lessons and we are better off for them.  BUT NOT ALWAYS

ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO ANOTHER PEDESTRIAN IN WINSTON-SALEM COULDN'T TAKE A SIDEWALK BECAUSE ACCESS FOR ALL IS NOT CHERRISHED ENOUGH YET.  HE WAS STRUCK BY A DRIVER WHO HAD BEEN DRINKING AND NOW HE IS DEAD.  THAT MAKES THREE PEOPLE IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF . 

... and so I said to the reporter "at the risk of sounding overly draumatic, "how many people have to die" 

Well how many? 

How about  if the city started leaving big chunks of the highway unpaved or let dubptrucks park  in the middle of the freeway?  Would you think that was okay?  or would maybe, just maybe you get upset and think about seeing if there were a  law against such things?  and would you do something about it today?   Well all I amasking is that whoever you are and wherever you are the next time you see a blocked sidewalk or a  street without a safe curb-cut--call the authorities or the city and say --"I'd like to see a change"  Is that too much to consider on a Hot August Day?

A Future Retrospective?

CHANGE & THE ADA—Past, Present, & Future Thoughts

So… after  considerable musing about  the 21^st birthday of the ADA--- thinking  back to the days before the ADA and then wondering what the future holds-- I have come to three conclusions. 

(1)Things Change—(2) People Change Things & (3)What Changes is our Responsibility

Things Change--Give or take a year—(once you get to be my age they all become a blur) the ADA is two decades old.  Two decades before that around about 1970 the average price of gas was about 35 cents a gallon (unless there was a price war going on then it was about 20 cents a gallon. A postage stamp would run you a whopping six pennies.  The average price of a house was about $23,000 and the Dow Jones closed the year at a towering 840 or so. 

In 1990 gas prices were creeping above a dollar nationwide.  The average house was now $123,000 or so, and the ADA (remember the ADA—that’s what I’m writing about) came into law.  Yesterday, I felt a bit of joy when I saw gas for $3.49 a gallon—you see what I’m saying—things change.  Oh yeah, I also rode a bus that had a lift, four places for people who use chairs, and counted 33 curb cuts—none of which were there in 1990 (as far as I could tell). 

People Change Things--So… these changes in accessibility did they come about because throngs of people wanted them?  Probably not.  Probably only one or two people here or there reminded others of the ADA and our right to access.  But these curbs didn’t cut themselves and the bus designers didn’t sit around and just one day say “well this bus either needs a disco ball or a ramp which should we try?”  People with disabilities exercised the rights assured in the ADA and made this happen.  I think it would be really appropriate to remember Mead’s quote here.  "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has.” 

What Changes is our Responsibility—In the two decades before and since ADA things have changed and people have changed them so what’s next?  I don’t know.  We might not be able to make every bus, every house, every store, every school, or every restaurant accessible.  One thing we can do, however, is work on two attitudes at a time.  You thought I was going to say one at a time? We can work on the attitude of people who believe access is not really that important and we can also work on our attitude that sometimes leaves the “heavy lifting” up to others.  This is our responsibility- and so I close with a Justin Dart quote that serves as an eloquent reminder.  “I propose that we of the disability community lead the revolution of empowerment... [this] is not empty rhetoric. There is a distinct and vital difference between society/government that empowers people, and a society/government that provides for them and regulates them for their own good...empowerment is when government joins with business, labor, religion, and individual citizens to guarantee every person the tool to govern, to produce and [to] live the best life possible for self and for all...we [PWDs] have unique knowledge and experience to offer. We have the responsibility to lead.” 
COME JOIN US AS WE CONTINUE TO LEAD THE REVOLUTION JULY 26^TH 2011

LIVING THE REVOLUTION OF EMPOWERMENT

Every now and then I look back at my time in the disability movement--I was 16--I was in an unused airplane hanger--and a vet listening to an "expert" tell some people with disabilities what should be in the regs for Section 504--stood up and said Bull shi#!! 

That was a week or two ago. 

Now I look at the words of Justin Dart and I think we are doing things but can still be guided by what was said-- so I put these words in the blog today.

I propose that we of the disability community lead the revolution of empowerment...[this] is not empty rhetoric. There is a distinct and vital difference between society/government that empowers people, and a society/government that provides for them and regulates them for their own good...empowerment is when government joins with business, labor, religion, and individual citizens to guarantee every person the tool to govern, to produce and [to] live the best life possible for self and for all...we [PWDs] have unique knowledge and experience to offer. We have the responsibility to lead. Justin Dart Mainstream Magazine 1998

We must keep leading the revolution of empowerment!! Lead ON.

MLK

I had today off because it was MLK Day.  Well if we had a day off to celebrate the spirit of  knowing we can do better to work for justice... then it's okay.  However, as a person who has worked about 30 years to improve disability rights there can be no days off--the dream is far from here ESPN showed college basketball all day to celebrate  the day--what a bad decision... isn't this stereotypical  and sad.  Maybe ESPN should have shown  the names of every  oppressed person who  earned a scholarship and turned pro as a chemist or a kindergarden teacher.  That would have been a tribute.  sometimes I think are nation still has a real fear of a racially motivated uprising from African american  citizens---why?  Let's look at  our history--has a group of  Black Panthers ever seized a federal building and held it for a month to demand justice or change?   No--oh wait that  was a group of disability rights advocates--and have we had any  African americans chain themselves to the white house  gate lately?    Oh no wait that was a person with ADAPT a group of disability rights folks too..  HMMM maybe the country  fears us... is that why  they won't hire people with disabilities at a rate of about 80 percent---maybe.  Oh you say  the official unemployment rate for people with disabilities is only aroung  20 percent--well  that may be so--however, when you take into account that  only about  1 in 5  people with disabilities of working age even aspires to work anymore--I bhave to ask the question Do we have a dream?




We have come  a little ways on the road to civil rights for all--we have oh so far to go--oh so far.