ADAPT Tells Congress, the Administration and the States "No More Excuses!" - should add Hawker


Probably should have added Hawker and his High Holies in the no more excuses
after his overbearing post detailing how disabled people should go about
become empowered. He wrote this to a good sweet Colorado sister before the
gathering leaving her in tears. Posted it on the Colorado Family site and
(I think) on the the CALM list. Never did apologize for being an asswipe
and writing an insulting demeaning patronizing rant. I suggested he put
together a similar document for my 28 year old black son in law - always
looking for that kid to take more control but Hawker never responded.
Apparently, he only thinks he can lord it over disabled folk.

Lots of respect for his water and CALM work but he needs to back off on
dictating how us disabled folks should act and on how we should give up our
civil rights for the benefit of the gathering folk. Bull shit.

T
=====================


For Immediate Release

August 30, 2006

For Information Contact;

Bob Kafka 512-431-4085
Marsha Katz 406-544-9504
Janine Bertram 503-504-9787

ADAPT Tells Congress, the Administration and the States "No More
Excuses!"

Washington, D.C.---500 ADAPT activists from across America
will descend on Washington, D.C. September 11-16 to
deliver the message that Americans with disabilities will accept "No
More Excuses!" when it comes to their freedom and their inalienable
right to live in the community. While in D.C. ADAPT will tackle
barriers that force people nursing homes and other institutions, or
that prevent persons with disabilities and older Americans from
staying in their own homes in the community with the services and
supports they need. Those barriers include the lack of affordable,
accessible, integrated housing, the lack of personal assistance
programs in all states, and the movement to integrate long-term care
services and supports into state acute health care managed care
plans. "As we move out of nursing homes and other institutions, we
need affordable, accessible, integrated housing to move into," said
Cassie James, Philadelphia ADAPT Organizer. "An obvious place to start
is with the nation's Public Housing Authorities (PHAs). The PHAs have
the ability to designate Section 8 housing vouchers specifically for
use by people leaving nursing homes and institutions who are receiving
home and community based services. We need to make sure the PHAs do
just that- No More Excuses!" Some progress in availability of
Medicaid-funded personal assistance occurred with passage of the Money
Follows the Person (MFP) provision of the President's Deficit
Reduction Act. MFP allows people to move from nursing homes and other
institutions and have the funding that pays for their services and
supports move with them to their new home in the community. An
acknowledged drawback of MFP is that it is optional and states don't
have to implement it. The federal government is strongly encouraging
state participation in MFP by making additional funding available to
states that assist people to move from nursing homes and other
institutional settings back into their communities. "The next step is
for Congress to pass MiCASSA (S.401 - H.R. 910) so people are not
forced into nursing homes and other institutions in the first place,"
said Tennessee ADAPT Organizer Randy Alexander. In addition to
considering participation in MFP, a growing number of states are also
looking at folding long-term care services and supports into their
current Medicaid Managed Care systems. "There's no way to predict what
states will do on this issue," said Bob Kafka, national ADAPT
Organizer. "If states start integrating long-term care services and
supports into their managed care programs, then we absolutely must
demand that any such efforts include components that will not
compromise the freedom of persons with disabilities in America. We
will not allow states to reverse the progress we have been making over
the past 30 years." ADAPT's "No More Excuses" campaign echoes a phrase
often quoted by Dr. Mark McClellan, the Director of the federal
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. "Dr. McClellan is absolutely
right!" said James. "We demand that the barriers to our freedom be
removed, and we demand that the entire administration do what needs to
be done to make the President's six-year old New Freedom Initiative a
reality for people with disabilities in America. No More Excuses!"

###
FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/



.

Relevant Pages