Comments on: Commentary on Obama ADA speech: ‘We’re screwed’ http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2009/07/28/obama-ada-commentary-20859/ Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:50:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Pamela Wilson http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2009/07/28/obama-ada-commentary-20859/comment-page-1/#comment-4611 Pamela Wilson Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:12:50 +0000 http://www.patriciaebauer.com/?p=20859#comment-4611 It seems as though President Obama connected with at least a dozen disability rights leaders the day of his speech. There is a summary posted on the down-syn list from one of twelve representatives of the disability community invited by President Obama to meet privately with him, Attorney General Holder, Secretary of Labor Solis, and senior White House officials on July 24, in advance of the ADA 19th Anniversary ceremony and the announcement of the decision to sign and seek Senate ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Some of the topics brought to the table for Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis were: "priorities for civil rights enforcement at both departments, including but not limited to internet accessibility, Olmstead enforcement, reducing the waiting period for ADA complaints to be resolved, using OFCCP to enforce the affirmative action provisions in the Rehabilitation Act, protecting children from the use of aversives and restraints; and implementing a government-wide strategy to improve the representation of people with significant disabilities in the federal workforce." She also wrote: "A significant portion of our time with the President was devoted to health care reform and the need to end the institutional bias in Medicaid, and the President offered to have Nancy-Ann DeParle and Peter Orszag and other members of his health reform team sit down with us in the next few weeks to discuss our ideas, including making the Community Choice Act a state option as part of the final bill that emerges from Congress." and "... we emphasized the importance of seeing disability policy issues as fundamentally about fairness, civil rights and human rights. We shared some personal discrimination stories and expressed our desire to work with the White House and agencies across the administration on a broad-based strategy to make progress between now and next July 26 ..." " ... All in all, we felt that this historic meeting represented a very important step forward for our community and for the country." So, there is that. It seems as though President Obama connected with at least a dozen disability rights leaders the day of his speech.

There is a summary posted on the down-syn list from one of twelve representatives of the disability community invited by President Obama to meet privately with him, Attorney General Holder, Secretary of Labor Solis, and senior White House officials on July 24, in advance of the ADA 19th Anniversary ceremony and the announcement of the decision to sign and seek Senate ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Some of the topics brought to the table for Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis were: “priorities for civil rights enforcement at both departments, including but not limited to internet accessibility, Olmstead enforcement, reducing the waiting period for ADA complaints to be resolved, using OFCCP to enforce the affirmative action provisions in the Rehabilitation Act, protecting children from the use of
aversives and restraints; and implementing a government-wide strategy to improve the representation of people with significant disabilities in the federal workforce.”

She also wrote:
“A significant portion of our time with the President was devoted to health care reform and the need to end the institutional bias in Medicaid, and the President offered to have Nancy-Ann DeParle and Peter Orszag and other members of his health reform team sit down with us in the next few weeks to discuss our ideas, including making the Community Choice Act a state option as part of the final bill that emerges from Congress.”

and

“… we emphasized the importance of seeing disability policy issues as fundamentally about fairness, civil rights and human rights. We shared some personal discrimination stories and expressed our desire to work with the White House and agencies across the administration on a broad-based strategy to make progress between now and next July 26 …”

” … All in all, we felt that this historic meeting represented a very important step forward for our community and for the country.”

So, there is that.

]]> By: Tim http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2009/07/28/obama-ada-commentary-20859/comment-page-1/#comment-4608 Tim Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:34:14 +0000 http://www.patriciaebauer.com/?p=20859#comment-4608 Call me crazy, but has anyone thought that Obama's nomination of Sonya Sotomayor would be considered a great job at "connecting with disability rights leaders"? Feel free to check out the July 8th post in this blog concerning Sotomayor for yourselves. Call me crazy, but has anyone thought that Obama’s nomination of Sonya Sotomayor would be considered a great job at “connecting with disability rights leaders”?

Feel free to check out the July 8th post in this blog concerning Sotomayor for yourselves.

]]> By: william peace http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2009/07/28/obama-ada-commentary-20859/comment-page-1/#comment-4597 william peace Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:59:18 +0000 http://www.patriciaebauer.com/?p=20859#comment-4597 The speech was a bitter disappointment. Obama badly misjudged his audience and lost an opportunity to connect with disability rights leaders. The speech was a bitter disappointment. Obama badly misjudged his audience and lost an opportunity to connect with disability rights leaders.

]]> By: ivy http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2009/07/28/obama-ada-commentary-20859/comment-page-1/#comment-4588 ivy Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:25:40 +0000 http://www.patriciaebauer.com/?p=20859#comment-4588 at first i was thinking, you can sign all the statements you want, what are you DOING? obama lists some things that are being done at the 17 min mark. at first i was thinking, you can sign all the statements you want, what are you DOING? obama lists some things that are being done at the 17 min mark.

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