From Talk Radio News Service (with audio):

In a webcast conference call hosted by the Democratic National Committee yesterday, disability advocates took Sen. John McCain to task for his opposition to the Community Choice Act. The act would allow people with disabilities to use their federal benefits to pay for services at home or in places of their choice.

Marca Bristo, former chair of the National Council on Disability, said McCain has opposed the legislation for years. “Sadly, he has refused to listen to us on one of the most critical issues to our community: the right to live with dignity in homes of our choosing rather than to be forced into nursing homes or other institutions.” Such living arrangements, she said, deprive people with disabilities of their liberty and dignity.

There is talk, she said, that McCain may now change his position. “We say: What took him so long?”

Bristo was joined by Bob Kafka, national organizer for ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a national advocacy group that employs civil disobedience to draw attention to its cause. Links here and here.

The call came on the eve of a non-partisan forum on disability issues for the presidential candidates, to be held this afternoon in Columbus, Ohio. McCain is expected to participate by satellite hookup. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is scheduled to represent Barack Obama, who is campaigning in Europe. Sen. Harkin was an architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law 18 years ago today.

Information about listening to the forum via Internet is here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 at 5:32 am and is filed under ADA, Community Choice Act, NOT2BEMISSED, advocacy, institutionalization, law, nursing homes, politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.