On Target is a monthly publication
of the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities.
We welcome your suggestions for newsletter content and
ideas concerning the actions of the Council. On Target is made available
in accessible formats upon request.
General election: October 10, 2000
Suellen Jackson-Boner
Executive Director
Christine Dahlberg
Associate Director
Paul Shankland
Grants Manager |
Opening sessions set stage
Even though the weather was frightful, 400 determined people braved the cold
and the snow to attend the sixth annual Indiana Conference for People with Disabilities. They were greeted with opening remarks from Dr. Gary Miller, Council chairperson, and Indiana Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan.
Lt. Gov. Kernan spoke about the weather and about how, when Mother Nature puts circumstances on us, there are things we can do about them to get where we need to be. "Days like today are a reminder that we need to make sure that we
give everyone in this great state the opportunity to enjoy those things that people without disabilities enjoy," said Kernan. Using the Conference theme to drive home his point, he continued, "If we continue to stand together, there is nothing that can stand in our way."
Following Kernan's comments, Suellen Jackson-Boner, executive director of the Council, introduced Duane Hazelbaker from Ameritech, the corporate sponsor once again of the 2001 Disability Awareness Month campaign poster. Hazelbaker unveiled the new campa
ign "I can picture the real you. Friends focus on the person. Not the disability." to the crowd of conference attendees.
The keynote speaker, Julian Bond, national NAACP chairman and veteran civil rights
activist, captivated the audience as he described his heritage and how his family had succeeded throughout the years of oppression. "Both black Americans and Americans with disabilities share a history of struggle," said Bond.
Bond also spoke about a landmark Supreme Court case, University of Alabama v. Garrett, which will have repercussions throughout the disability community. If the Court rules negatively, it could call into question the constitutionality of the ADA. Oral arguments were heard in October, and a ruling is expected in early 2001.
"The civil rights community is holding its breath, awaiting the results of this case," said Bond.
Worth hits home
It was during a different time slot in the two-day agenda, but Patrick Worth traveled through the winter weather and arrived at the Conference to tell his audience something they all knew, but it never hurts to repeat it: people with disabilities are peo
ple first.
"I teach people about the value of being a person, not the disability. People are more vulnerable
if they only focus on the disability," said Worth, when speaking about People First Canada, a group that he co-founded in 1974. Today, People First Canada is a federation of People First groups around the country whose primary goal is to promote equality for all people who have been labeled as having a mental disability. Worth attended the Conference to give confidence to those who feel as if they might not achieve their goals.
"I tell many people with disabilities to think that 'I have gifts. I have strengths. I have disabilities
and I have abilities,' just as anyone else," said Worth.
Having grown up in institutions, Worth knows well the challenges that people with disabilities can face when they've been labeled as "mentally disabled." As a consultant, he draws on his own struggle to overcome those labels as a way to teach people that they have the same rights and responsibilities as those without disabilities.
"Self advocacy is not only about speaking up," said Worth, who is a strong believer in people with disabilities being advocates for themselves. "It is about leadership and listening. If you don't have the ability to listen, you don't have the power to hear."
He left the audience with one last thought B one that drives home the point that people with disabilities are people first. "Together, we are a gift."
Hockenberry faces the ADA
*By Fran Quigley
The Americans with Disabilities Act is 10 years old. Has it changed anything?
That was John Hockenberry's not-quite-rhetorical question posed in his speech to the 400 people attending the Indiana Conference for People with Disabilities last month. In the course of fashioning his answer, Hockenberry, an author and an Emmy award-wi
nning correspondent for NBC's Dateline, took the audience on a bumpy ride that was all too familiar to many of them.
Hockenberry told about taxi drivers asking if it was really necessary to bring his wheelchair in the cab, and about enduring inane questions about whether people with disabilities really
need to use the bathroom. When Hockenberry had to carry his wheelchair while pulling himself down the stairs of the many New York City subway stops that don't have elevators, the filth and the inconvenience were only part of the problem. "The worst thing was the feeling of being so desperately alone," he said. "I was invisible in an environment where I clearly wasn't wanted."
Heads in the room nodded in "been there, done that" agreement. Maybe the ADA hasn't really changed anything.
Then Hockenberry told a more recent story of being stranded at a subway stop without an elevator to get to street level. A subway official brushed off Hockenberry's questions about how he
was supposed to get himself and his wheelchair up to the sidewalk. Once again, he was alone in his fight. But just when he was resigned to again dragging himself up two flights of stairs, a young mother pushing her kids in a stroller stepped in. She loudly berated the subway offi
cial, reminding him that there are laws about this sort of thing and that he had better find a solution to Hockenberry's dilemma. Hockenberry got a ride to a stop with an elevator.
"I was amazed," Hockenberry said. "She had an understanding that there is supposed to be a plan for me, for us.
And she was outraged when there wasn't one. Not out of charity or guilt, but because part of the definition of civil society is that we have a plan for everyone and everyone is a part of our
community. That is what the ADA has done, and that is what we have to continue to fight for."
*Fran Quigley is associate/news editor for NUVO Newsweekly, a weekly publication for the city of Indianapolis.
Bill watch B take action, make a difference!
Much is at stake for people with disabilities during this year's session of the Indiana General Assembly.
The deadline for House bills to be passed is March 6, and the last day for Senate bill passage is March 8. The closing date of this session is April 29, but advocates predict a special session could be called in May over legislative redistricting and the state budget. The following are just a few of the bills that affect people with disabilities.
- SB 063 B Interference with medical services. Makes it a felony if a health care worker intentionally interrupts, or alters the administration of prescription drugs ordered by a physician resulting in injury or death. Under current law a person can be prosecuted for illegal drug use but not for the harm done to the client. SB 063 has passed the Senate.
- SB 229 B Health care ombudsman. Establishes an office to assist consumers with questions about health benefit plan selection, rights, responsibilities and resolving complaints. It has been referred to the Committee on Health and Provider Services.
- HB 1001 B State budget. Appropriates funding for state programs for the biennium. The proposed budget includes approximately $54 million to implement phase two of the 317 plan including the transition of people with developmental disabilities into the community and reductions in the waiting lists. Also, $17 million will be used for an increase in wages to direct care workers and full funding for vocational rehabilitation. However, it does not include an increase for CHOICE in-home services. HB 1001 has been referred to Ways and Means.
- HB 1052 B ISTEP waiver for children with disabilities. Changes the requirements for a student with a disability to receive a waiver to graduate from high school without passing the graduation examination. Requires a student who seeks a waiver to: attain the goals established by the student's individual educational program rather than to attain the academic standard in a subject area; and to maintain a passing grade rather than a "C" average. HB 1052 has been referred to the Education committee.
- HB 1100 B Internet coverage of the General Assembly. Allows the legislative council to provide video or audio coverage, or both, over the Internet of sessions of the General Assembly and other legislative activities authorized by the legislative council. (Access issues like captioning will be addressed by advocates.) The bill has been referred to Public Policy and Ethics and Veterans Affairs.
- HB 1926 B Access to Information Technology. Requires the Data Processing Oversight Commission to adopt standards to bring the state into compliance with federal regulations under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 requires that government information technology be accessible to people with disabilities who are state employees and members of the general public. For example, this bill would apply to state agency Web sites. The bill has passed the Commerce, Economic Development and Technology Committee.
- HB 1950 B Medicaid buy-in program for the working disabled.
- Proposes changes to the current Indiana Medicaid laws so that employed people with disabilities are no longer forced to choose between health care and employment. Medicaid buy-in creates a Medicaid work incentive program for people with disabilities as authorized by federal law. HB 1950 has been referred to Ways and Means.
Detailed information about the current status of these and other bills is posted daily on www.ai.org/serv/lsa_billinfo. For a comprehensive list of bills, contact the Council at (317) 232-7770 (voice) or GPCPD@gpcpd.org (e-mail).
Note: This information was updated January 31, 2001.
Award winners recognized at Conference
Six companies were recognized at the Conference as this year's statewide Profit From Our Ability (PFOA) awards for going above and beyond the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These awards encourage employers to employ people with and without disabilities, promote career development and recruitment, and emphasize the importance of advocacy internally and externally to fellow co-workers and professionals.
The awards are given in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October and were selected by the Indiana Governor's Planning
Council for People with Disabilities.
PFOA state winners include:
- Masterbrand Cabinet, Ferdinand
- Old Country Buffet, Michigan City
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indianapolis
- Kroger Food Stores, Crawfordsville
- Ingram Book Company, Fort Wayne
- Edison Building Maintenance, Indianapolis
The third annual Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability Issues, co-sponsored by the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities, Indiana University and Ball State University, was also awarded. Statewide print and broadcast journalists were nominated in recognition of excellent reporting on disability issues or stories about people with disabilities. Representatives from the Council, IU and Ball State judged the entries based on the effectiveness in educating the public about issues concerning people with disabilities, creativity in delivering the message, and journalistic style.
Award for Excellence Winners:
- Human Interest Category: Jerry Schwartz, Associated Press
- Issues Category: Fran Quigley, NUVO Newsweekly
- The Indianapolis Star was recognized for its commitment to sharing disability-related issues regularly and educating the public.
Olmstead planning continues
The Indiana Family and Social Service Administration (FSSA) is continuing work on a "Community Integration Plan" in response to the Olmstead decision of the Supreme Court. A series of community focus group meetings is being planned for late February and early March. Three subcommittees
representing people affected by Olmstead have been formed to advise FSSA. More information including planning documents and transcripts from the November public hearings can be found at www.state.in.us/ fssa/olmstead/index. Contact Linda Church at (317) 233-0931 (voice) for print copies of the information.
Of Note
Awareness Month materials available now
Disability Awareness Month 2001 materials are available now. To receive an order form or to place an order, contact Kim Dennison at Borshoff Johnson Matthews, 47 S. Pennsylvania St., Ste. 500, Indianapolis, IN 46204. You can also contact Kim at (317) 631-6400 (voice), (317) 631-6499 (fax), or kdennison@bjmpr.com (e-mail).
Grand prize winners announced
Susan Cline of Muncie was the grand prize winner from the 2000 Indiana Conference for People with Disabilities. She won an overnight stay and breakfast at the Canterbury Hotel in Indianapolis. Judy F. McCoy of Indianapolis was the winner of the On Target readership survey drawing. She won a $40 gift certificate to Hard Rock Café in Indianapolis. Congratulations!
Save the date
The Center on Community Living and Careers, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, the University Affiliated Program of Indiana and Indiana University are partnering to provide workshops covering the recent changes in Indiana's Article 7 and Voc
ational Rehabilitation Services Policies and Procedures. The workshop called, "Transition to Adult Life: A Shared Responsibility," is available at six regional sites. For more information, contact Leah Fulkerson at (812) 855-6508 (voice).
Evaluate the ADA
ADA-Indiana is inviting people with disabilities and family members to provide an assessment of how well they think the Americans with Disabilties Act is being implemented in their communities. To complete the survey, go to www.iidc.indiana.edu/~survey and click on the ADA Community Implementation Survey button.
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