From the [Portland] Oregonian:

Oregon legislator Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, says families of people with disabilities struggle every day to keep their heads above water and hold their families together. “They deserve more than Sarah Palin’s empty words, and should not be exploited as pawns in the presidential election,” she says. An excerpt:

Being the parent of a child with Down syndrome does not ensure that Palin will be an effective advocate for people with disabilities, any more than Dick Cheney being the parent of a lesbian daughter has made him an effective advocate for equality. In fact, a McCain/Palin administration will likely set back the cause of people with disabilities to achieve dignity, independence, health and full employment.

… To families of kids with special needs, I have a message: Please look carefully at what candidates up and down the ticket will actually do for your children. Demand more than words and promises. Ask for plans, and see if they match your vision for your child’s future.

Grelser is the mother of a teenager with developmental disabilities.

Editors at the Baltimore Sun say families of children with disabilities have reason to be doubtful about Gov. Sarah Palin’s pledge to be their “friend and advocate.”

What they need, first and foremost, is for politicians to put money where their mouth is — starting with support services and related community-based programs. Advocates estimate there are about 600,000 people nationwide on waiting lists for such benefits as job coaching, vocational rehabilitation, personnel assistants and respite care for exhausted caregivers.

… The candidates’ views on these matters are reflected on their Web sites. Mr. Obama’s includes a nine-page treatise on his plans to help the disabled, including full funding for special education. Mr. McCain’s 14 core campaign issues include the Second Amendment and the space program but not the disabled.

Mr. McCain still has time to come around on these issues and offer specific remedies in the weeks ahead. Having a poster mom for families caring for a disabled child on the ticket is not enough — particularly for aging seniors who can no longer care for middle-aged children. Friendship is nice, but families need a government willing to invest more in the future of children who require a little help if they are to live full and productive lives.

Woman with Down syndrome inspires families in Washington state – KNDO/KNDU-TV, Yakima, Washington — Karen Gaffney (left) speaks out about her experiences earning a regular high school diploma and a degree from Portland Community College, swimming across Lake Tahoe, and participating in a relay team that swam the English Channel. Says Gaffney:

“I’ve changed all that data.  I’ve changed their doubts. I have improved and inspired so many lives, spread my messages of being fully included in a regular classroom setting.”

Link to video here; earlier video of Karen Gaffney on the NBC Today show here.

People with Down syndrome live fully — letter to the Sacramento Bee from Elaine Linn. An excerpt:

People with Down syndrome go to school, work, have meaningful relationships, make decisions about their lives and live independently. They become dedicated employees and loyal friends.

… There’s something terribly wrong with a society that purportedly values diversity yet places a distinct lack of value on people who aren’t “perfect.” I don’t know one perfect person and it’s hard to understand this willing acceptance of terminating pregnancies based on inaccurate information about potential “imperfections.” Yet it exists 90 percent of the time with Down syndrome.

Avoid Tropic Thunder, a cruel comedy — by Eric Johnson in the Grand Forks, ND, Herald

The fact is that even among the various species of hate speech, ridicule of those with retardation is unique in its brutishness. Unlike racial minorities, religious adherents or the physically disabled, those with developmental disabilities cannot well defend themselves with wit and well-crafted retorts. That’s why the arguments of Downey and Black — that everyone has the right to say whatever they want — are especially hollow.

New system for developmentally disabled is needed — Sheila Romano in the Springfield, IL, Journal Register (institutionalization, housing)

Taking the fear out of difference — Baltimore Sun (education, attitudes)

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AP/Washington Post:

Medicaid recipients in Florida say the state is illegally forcing them to live in nursing homes rather than allowing them to live in the community where they choose.

Advocates charge that politicians have bowed to pressure by nursing home interests, and have written regulations that make it difficult for people to qualify for community care. They are pressing litigation on behalf of nearly 8,500 state residents who live in institutions.

The litigation has

… illuminated the frustration experienced by older people or those with disabilities who say they’re shuttled into nursing homes when they are healthy enough to live at home, with relatives, or in other less institutional settings.

“There are very, very, very few people who cannot be cared for outside in the community,” said Stephen Gold, a Philadelphia disability lawyer who, along with AARP attorneys and others, is representing the group. “Why should the state give a damn whether you put the money in the left pocket of the nursing home or the right pocket of the community?”

From The Hill, WUSA.com, KOAM-TV:

Police arrested fifteen demonstrators at the request of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) this week after protesters refused the congressman’s request that they leave his office and conduct their demonstration in a civil manner.

They were among 52 people from the disability advocacy group ADAPT who were detained by police during Washington area protests Tuesday over the lack of funding for housing vouchers that would allow people with disabilities to move out of nursing homes to more independent living situations.

Frank said he would not tolerate the tactics of the group, which he termed “undemocratic.” “When I heard that they had stormed into the office and occupied it, I went in and told them that was not an acceptable way of doing business and I told them to leave and if they didn’t leave, I would have the police remove them,”  said Frank, who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

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From the [Salt Lake City, Utah] Deseret News:

Some 500 people with disabilities have set up a tent city at a major government agency to protest what organizers say is federal underfunding of housing options for people with disabilities. They are occupying a spot outside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office building.

Event organizers from the advocacy group ADAPT said candidates are talking about young children with disabilities, but they should be talking about adults with disabilities who must try to survive on extremely low incomes.

Advocates said they planned to stay at the encampment until Thursday to lobby for the Community Choice Act, which would help people with disabilities live on their own instead of being forced by circumstances to live in nursing homes and care centers. Barack Obama has endorsed the measure, while John McCain has opposed it.

From the McClean, Virginia, Connection:

Ten people were arrested at the Arlington, Virginia, headquarters of Sen. John McCain this week after a group of ADAPT protesters entered the office and refused to leave. After a standoff that lasted several hours, police officers ejected them. They were charged with trespassing. “They can protest,” said one officer, “But they can’t protest on private property.”

See earlier posts here and here.

Guest commentary:

What Kind of Advocacy

Do Americans with Disabilities Really Need?

By Paul K. Longmore

Ever since Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech, the “needs” of children with disabilities have gotten a lot of press. Palin pledged to be a “friend and advocate” for those children. News stories have reported the excitement of parents and other people in the disability rights constituency that disability issues are finally getting some attention. Some of them have decided to support the election of Palin and John McCain. But do the Republican candidates offer the kind of advocacy Americans with disabilities really need? I don’t believe they do, and I want to explain why I am voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden instead.

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