The 2013 PACT Attendant of the Year Celebration is coming up on June 15th. We all know how important attendants are in assisting in making our lives more independent.   A nomination does not guarantee an award.

Please take time to nominate a well deserving attendant.

Click here for the nomination form that can be forwarded to other consumers, attendants and or organizations that could nominate a potential winner. Please send in your nominations.  You can email, fax (512-442-0522) or mail to: PACT c/o ADAPT 1640A E 2nd ST, Suite 100,  Austin TX 78702.  Nominations are due May 25th!

PACT wants to continue to recognize the attendant labor force and reward exemplary attendants from across Texas with an ATTENDANT of the YEAR award celebration and barbeque being held Saturday, June 15, 2013 in Austin. Click here for a nomination form for ATTENDANT OF THE YEAR  2013.  Nomination forms are due by May 25, 2013.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the PACT organizers:  Cathy Cranston or Nancy Crowther at 512-442-0252.

Please note: Nominations for Attendant of the Year do NOT guarantee an award.  If nominee is selected you will be notified by June 3^rd.

WE INVITE YOU TO PARTICIPATE!!

Dates of Summit are: August 2 thru 6, 2013

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 15, 2013.

The National ADAPT Youth Summit for young people with disabilities.

During summit you will:

• Meet with disability rights activists of all ages
• Learn about ADAPT and its issues
• Learn how ADAPT organizes campaigns
• Practice non-violent direct action to create change on issues that matter to YOU and your community

ADAPT is a national group of people with disabilities who fight for freedom and equality for all people with disabilities. Following examples of people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., ADAPT uses peaceful protest and other methods of NON-VIOLENT direct action to fight for our rights. To learn more about ADAPT, visit the national ADAPT website 

For more information contact Josue Rodriguez at: (901) 726-6404 Ext. 114

Text: (915) 407-6245

application 2013

Good news!  We have extended the application deadline for the 2013 ADAPT Youth Summit.  THE NEW DEADLINE IS JULY 15, 2013.

If you are or know a young person that has displayed potential to be a great ADAPTer that could benefit from this training, please have them apply for this great training.  We want to continue to bring in young leaders into ADAPT to ensure that our movement will continue for many years to come.

Attached you will find the ADAPT Youth Summit Flyer and Application.  Please share this with others.  Because space is limited, we URGE YOU to send in the completed application as soon as possible.

LET EMPOWER OUR YOUTH TO FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!

ADAPT YOUTH SUMMIT YOUTUBE VIDEO:  http://youtu.be/yBl2sIyz-WY

Thanks to all who came out for the Fun Runs in Austin, El Paso and Washington DC.  And thanks to all those who supported them.  With all the good energy and support they were all great successes.  “This year we are especially excited that we had Fun Runners running in three cities!” said Fun Run mogul Bob Kafka.  ”Great Job Everyone!”

Fifty ADAPT of Texas and Desert ADAPT members travelled to the nation’s capitol to join activists from across the nation in the push to support community services and supports.  Members from Austin, El Paso, Houston, Conroe, Fort Worth travelled to DC and their message was simple but powerful:  OUR HOMES, NOT NURSING HOMES.

ADAPT members went to the White House to deliver President Obama his grade on disability issues related to community services: an F!  45 people with disabilities were arrested simply attempting to deliver this message and get the President and people to respond. ADAPTers also shut down HUD for several hours to demonstrate how HUD shuts down the lives of people with disabilities with their unkept promises.  The latest example is a letter that was promised to go out to HUD providers regarding the rights of people with disabilities to live free from discrimination; HUD committed to follow up immediately and meet with ADAPT within the next 3 weeks.  ADAPT also went tot he Department of Labor which has refused to deal with the fact that new regulations regarding personal care attendants overtime will severely negatively effect both people with significant disabilities and many personal care attendants paid through Medicaid.  For more on this action visit the national ADAPT web page.

Over 2,000 people from across Texas gathered in Austin and marched up Congress with us for the Texas Medicaid Matters Rally.  Folks traveled from El Paso, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Edinburgh, Corpus, and Amarillo among other places to tell their legislators and Governor that Medicaid is NOT broken, it’s helping millions of Texans and it should be expanded to cover more people who have no coverage now and can’t afford it on their own.  People with disabilities, children, pregnant mothers, all benefit immensely from the current Medicaid services; far from being broken, Medicaid helps people achieve health and independence.  It provides thousands of jobs and helps the economy across the state.  Texas has the highest number of uninsured people in the whole country.  Over 100,000 people are on waiting lists for services, sometimes for years at a time.

People like direct care workers (attendants, etc.), people with disabilities who work, people who work in other lower paying jobs, all are stuck in a hole in the system — the can’t afford insurance on their own, their employers don’t provide it and they make just enough to not qualify for Medicaid.

If Medicaid was expanded people could avoid the emergency room last-minute, expensive, crisis care and use more cost effective and healthy preventive care.  Instead of cracking down on the people defrauding Medicaid, a subject the folks he loves to talk about, Governor Perry seems bent on scaring and punishing the people who need the services and who depend on them.  It’s a kind of sadistic and disingenuous approach to a problem he apparently loves to go on about but doesn’t really want to solve.

Marchers and rally participants did not stop at the Capitol steps.  After the rally folks went inside and visited with their legislators.  Just as with the speakers at the rally, those who went in to visit brought a wide variety of messages regarding many parts of the Medicaid system.

We know that these thousands who participated represent hundreds of thousands of Texans.  Legislators need to know this too.  One day is terrific, but it will take more to carry this message all the way home.  Join with us and let your State Representatives and Senator know what Medicaid means to you and why you support it.  Not sure who to contact?  The website Texas Legislature online has a place to find out, click here to learn who represents me.

The MMMTx March and Rally will begin tomorrow (TUESDAY MARCH 5) at 10:45am at the Ann Richards bridge (Congress and Riverside). Please wear a RED SHIRT.

RALLY begins at 11:30am at the South steps of the Capitol.

Can’t make it to Austin?  Watch the Rally on your computer. It will be live streamed by going to the  CTD or MMMTx websites.  Just click on those links to go to their websites and the livestream starting 3/5/13 10:45 am.

Together we are making a difference!!

JOIN THE MARCH AND RALLY AT THE CAPITOL Tuesday March 5^th

Gather 10:00 am south side of Congress/Ann Richards Bridge

March to the Texas Capitol

Rally 11:30 Capitol South Steps

Add your voice to thousands from across Texas.

Bring a friend and make some more friends at the rally.

Let our legislators know Texas Medicaid Matters!

Don’t cut Medicaid!

Our message:  Medicaid helps millions of lives around our state.  Medicaid means kids, families, jobs, seniors, people with disabilities, independence, health, and more!

ADAPT of Texas says expand Medicaid to cover attendants, people with disabilities and others whose incomes are just a little too high for Medicaid but can’t afford to buy their own insurance.

HELP SUPPORT MEDICAID!

For more information   www.mmmtx.org   512-442-0252    bob.adapt@sbcglobal.net

Add your story of why Medicaid is important to you at 855-442-0252 (toll free)

Download the petition to support Medicaid at www.mmmtx.org and get all your friends, family, coworkers, etc. to sign it. 

The Texas Legislature (state government) is now in session with hundreds of bills already filed. Some address ways to ”rearrange and streamline” human services. The Senate and House have presented their budgets and the Governor has said we should not dip into the rainy day fund (money the legislature sets aside for hard times).  He has also said Medicaid should not be expanded and wants to give tax payers money back. That sounds good BUT in the meantime, hundreds of thousands of disabled and older Texans are without services, waiting for years to get the long term supports they need, many low income workers — including the attendants/direct care workers who assist people with disabilities — are without any health care or supports. 

ADAPT of Texas is already there at the Capitol, fighting for services for people with disabilities.  We hope you will join us and add your voice and thoughts to the effort.  We meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Capitol Cafeteria and you can email Bob, David, Cathy or Jennifer for more details.  Hearings on the bills and the budget may, of course, be on other days so do get in touch with us.  Also, if you are from outside Austin we have lots of ideas of how you can help support services for people with disabilities.

Last but not least, and not instead of the above options, we want you to start planning NOW to come to Austin on March 5th for the big Texas Medicaid Matters march and rally.  You will have a great time and will help send an important message to our Representatives and Senators.  And don’t forget to help us get the petition filled out and to get your story recorded of why Texas Medicaid matters to you!   Just click on this link to take action.  Also, February 14 we’ll be joining the MMM Campaign for Have a Heart for Texas Medicaid; stay tuned for details.