ADAPT
"REAL HOMES NOT NURSING HOMES
Nationally ADAPT focuses on promoting services in the community instead of warehousing people with disabilities in institutions and nursing homes. Attendant services (help with things like eating, dressing, toileting, moving from wheelchair to bed, etc.) are the cornerstone to community based services for people with severe disabilities. ADAPT is working to get 25% of the Medicaid long term care funds redirected to pay for a national, mandated attendant services program.
WE WILL RIDE! ADAPT has a long history of organizing in the disability community and using civil disobedience and similar non- violent direct action tactics to achieve its goals. In 1983, as a project of the Atlantis Community in Denver, ADAPT began its national campaign for lifts on buses and access to public transit for people with disabilities. ADAPT started as American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit. For seven years ADAPT blocked buses in cities across the US to demonstrate the need for access to public transit. Many went to jail for the right to ride.
ADAPT played a major role in gaining passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, particularly in ADA's stringent requirements relating to accessible transit, and its being seen as a civil rights law. Passage of this bill has meant victory for ADAPT in our struggle for lifts on buses.
FREE OUR PEOPLE
Once the transit issue was won and access was begun to be guaranteed, ADAPT felt it was clear attendant services must be our next issue. In a national planning meeting July 1990 ADAPT targeted the reallocation of one quarter of the federal and state Medicaid dollars from institutional programs to consumer controlled community based programs. ADAPT now also stands for American Disabled For Attendant Programs Today.
Many of ADAPT's members have been locked away in nursing homes and institutions because of their need for attendant services. Many had to fight to get out, and were among the lucky few who were able to get enough support services to live in the community.
Because of outdated attitudes toward people with disabilities which label us as "sick", our needs are seen as "medical" and a huge system of institutional facilities has developed to provide for these needs. This institutionalized industry which has developed continues to use up massive amounts of funds to maintain the status quo. ADAPT wants to reverse the bias so that community based attendant services are the common option, and nursing homes are reserved as a last resort.
The collages from Chicago and Atlanta done by Carolyn Long, tell their stories of these actions in their own way. The plaque included here was placed by the County and City of Denver and Denver RTD at the intersection on Colfax where the Atlantis Community held the first inaccessible bus and was one of the first historic markers in the struggle for disability rights. Wade Blank, a founder of Atlantis and ADAPT, used to take all visitors to see it, and always brought a bottle of Fantastic to clean it up. The plaque was stolen several years ago, but in the summer of 1995 a transit transfer station was built near the site. Dedicated to Wade, the station has another larger mural on an inside wall."
Mouth
From the authors:
“Mouth brings the conversation down to street level, where well-intentioned "special" programs wreak havoc in the lives of ordinary people. People talk about calling a spade a spade. We call Jack Kevorkian a serial killer. And when maggots outnumber nurses' aides at what others call a "care facility," we call it a hellhole. We say it out loud: if special education is so darned special, every kid in every school ought to have the benefit of it.
Some folks call the Mouth radical. We think simpleminded is a better ephithet. Remember the other George Bush, when he campaigned in a supermarket and discovered that remarkable new checkout scanning technology? The man hadn't been to the grocery store since he was knee-high to a political consultant. Do-gooders are exactly that much out of touch with the helping system that they themselves operate.
Ask the next do-gooder you meet: Have you checked yourself into a nursing home lately? Tried to board an "accessible" bus in a wheelchair? Filed an
The answer will be no. It's not in their job description to use the godforsaken things.
And so it is that do-gooders go on doing their good about us --- without us.
And along comes the Mouth, roaring up from street level to take their system by the throat. This rude little magazine demands answers from the people in charge, laughs at the lying answers, and occasionally bites down, hard, somewhere near the throbbing jugular.”
Partners In Policymaking
"Partners in Living" is a seven-hour self-directed e-learning course created to help people with developmental disabilities, their parents, family members and friends, educators and service providers understand the important concepts of self-determination, family support, community living and assistive technology. Go to www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/living to review the course. We would appreciate any comments and feedback. Please take a few minutes to fill out the feedback form within the course.
"Partners in Time" is an eight-hour self-directed e-learning course created to help people with developmental disabilities, their parents, family members and friends, educators and service providers understand the history of society's treatment of people with disabilities from ancient times through the present. Go to www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/history to review the course. We would appreciate any comments and feedback.
"Partners in Education" is a six-hour self-directed e-learning course to help parents with children with developmental disabilities better understand and maximize the benefits of special education services and inclusion for their children. Go to www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/education to review the course and give us your comments and feedback. The course has been updated to reflect IDEA 2004.
"Making Your Case" is a three-hour self-directed course on how to communicate with public officials by effectively telling your personal story, writing a letter, providing testimony, and communicating in positive ways. Go to www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/makingyourcase to review the course. Please take a moment to complete the evaluation. We welcome your comments and feedback. Click here to download a course outline for Making Your Case.
"Partners in Employment" is a six-hour self-directed course on how to find a job, write a resume, participate in an interview, and plan for your career. Go to www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/employment to take the course and give us your comments and feedback. Click here to download a course outline for Partners in Employment.
These e-learning courses are available to everyone!
PLEASE NOTE: There are NO registration fees for the "Partners in Living," "Partners in Time," "Partners in Education," "Making Your Case" or "Partners in Employment" e-learning courses.
The National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN)
The National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) is dedicated to advancing the next generation of disability leaders.
The NYLN:
- Promotes leadership development, education, employment, independent living, and health and wellness among young leaders representing the diversity of race, ethnicity and disability in the
- Fosters the inclusion of young leaders with disabilities into all aspects of society at national, state and local levels.
- Communicates about issues important to youth with disabilities and the policies and practices that affect
Advocating Change Together
"Advocating Change Together (ACT) is a disability rights organization that is:
- run by and for people with developmental disabilities and other disabilities.
- committed to this premise: It is not the individual who must change to fit society, but society and systems that must change to accommodate all people.
- responding to the societal problem that individuals with developmental disabilities are too often isolated and excluded from decisions regarding their lives.
Historically, persons with disabilities have been on the receiving end of change, having no control over what services they receive, such as what accommodations are made available for education or employment. Today, thanks to the self-advocacy movement, people with disabilities are creating change - demanding equal rights and equal participation.
ACT's mission is to encourage and support this change. Through our programs and products, ACT works in two ways-- providing information, skill building, and leadership opportunities to individuals with disabilities; and challenging institutional barriers by organizing people with disabilities around issues of common concern."
Self-Advocacy Resource Network Memo
"With its weekly e-mail Memo, SARN is the facilitator of a national dialogue among self-advocates and supporters and a clearinghouse for materials and training that support self-advocacy. Individuals and groups interested in self-advocacy are invited to become a part of the network (at no charge) by contacting ACT."
Person-centered planning Education Site
“What is person-centered planning?
We're glad you asked! Person-centered planning is a process-oriented approach to empowering people with disability labels. It focuses on the people and their needs by putting them in charge of defining the direction for their lives, not on the systems that may or may not be available to serve them. This ultimately leads to greater inclusion as valued members of both community and society.
Person-centered planning involves the development of a "toolbox" of methods and resources that enable people with disability labels to choose their own pathways to success; the planners simply help them to figure out where they want to go and how best to get there.
In this site you will find:
- an overview of the person-centered planning process
- a self-study course covering the basic processes involved
- a quiz section to help you focus on areas you may need to cover more thoroughly
- a compendium of readings and activities for you to use on your own
- various links and downloadable resources.
. . . all of which are geared toward facilitating and enhancing your awareness of and appreciation for person-centered planning. We think you will enjoy your visit with us!
Using a screen-reader program? No problem! This site is completely accessible, and all the study materials found here are available in text-only formats that you can download and peruse at your convenience.”
Mainstream Online
About...
"For over 25 years, MAINSTREAM has been advocating for disability rights. Produced by, for and about people with disabilities, MAINSTREAM covers news & current affairs, new products & technology, profiles of movers & shakers, education, employment, sexuality & relationships, housing, transportation, travel & recreation."
Self-Advocacy Leadership Network
"The Self-Advocate Leadership Network, established in 1998, is a collaboration between self-advocate from across the country and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI). We offer training directly to self-advocates and others - including family members, direct support staff and board members.
The curriculum, "My Voice, My Choice - A Manual for Self-Advocates," provides the basis for much of the training. "My Voice, My Choice" emphasizes basic skills and information related to self-advocacy, how service systems work, and self-determination. The curriculum is designed in a way that makes the information easy to learn and fun. It uses ordinary language, group activities, puzzles, overheads, and more to help people learn and remember the information.
In addition, training on other topics is available using toolkits. These topics include planning and giving a presentation, establishing an AmeriCorps*
SABE
To ensure that people with disabilities are treated as equals and that they are given the same decisions, choices, rights, responsibilities, and chances to speak up to empower themselves; opportunities to make new friends; and to learn from their mistakes.
The Disabilities Network of
"The Disabilities Network of New York City (DNNYC) is a coalition of consumers, advocates and professional organizations representing and working on behalf of people of all ages with motor and sensory disabilities. DNNYC seeks, through systems advocacy, to promote full participation of people with physical disabilities in the life of the city by strengthening appropriate citywide policies, resources, services and legal protections; assuring reasonable accommodations; and building informed and accurate public perception about people with disabilities."
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Our
The mission of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund is to advance the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development.
Our Vision
The vision of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund is a just world where all people, with and without disabilities, live full and independent lives free of discrimination.
Our Work
Americans with disabilities make up one of the
We work to replace this legacy with the core principles of equality of opportunity, disability accommodation, accessibility, and inclusion by employing the following strategies.
Training and Education
- We train and educate people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities about their rights under state and federal disability rights laws so they can use the laws as tools to challenge exclusion and discrimination, and advocate effectively for full participation in the lives of their communities.
- We educate lawyers, service providers, government officials, and many others about disability civil rights laws and policies
- For over fifteen years we have operated a disability rights legal clinic in collaboration with law schools in the San Francisco Bay Area including Boalt Hall School of Law at the
Legal Advocacy
- We represent clients in leading edge disability rights litigation
- We serve as co-counsel and prepare amicus curiae briefs on behalf of parties that include disability community representatives and members of Congress in disability rights cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
- We advocate for the legal rights of individuals and families
Public Policy and Legislative Development
We design and carry out strategies that strengthen public policy and that lead to the enactment of federal and state laws protecting and advancing civil rights for people with disabilities such as the Handicapped Children's Protection Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act, the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, and the IDEA Amendments Act."
The Riot!
"You found The Riot! The Riot! is an e-newsletter for self-advocates. Self-advocates are people with disabilities who speak up for themselves and others. Self-advocates speak up with spoken words, sign language, language boards or in ways unique to each person.
The Riot! is all about self-advocacy. We also want to make you smile. Every issue focuses on a timely theme, or a particular idea. We also cover life topics, such as dating, health and everyday fun.
Most of all, we want to help people live the life they want with the support they need. We celebrate the strength of self-advocates. We take on the barriers that stand in the way. And we really don't like SILLY rules that service systems sometimes have that just keep people down.
The Riot! comes out quarterly... that's 4 times a year. It is written and put together mostly by self-advocates."
