ADAPT Members, Disability Rights Advocates, Supporters of Disability Rights and Community Attendant Rights for Wage Justice,

Call NOW!!

Now is the time to continue pressure on the State Legislative Decision Makers.  We are headed in the right direction with the wage, but we must continue pushing them to a $15/hour base wage.

Call:

Senate Finance Chairwoman Huffman: 512-463-0117

Senator Kolkhorst, Article 2, at 512-463-0118

House Appropriations Chairman Bonnen at 512-463-0729

Representative Jacey Jetton, Article 2, at 512-463-0710

Call & Ask for the Budget Person & Tell Them to Raise the Base Wage for Community Attendants to $15/HR. 

Nothing less will do!

If you have any questions, please contact Cathy at flacacata@aol.com

or Nancy Crowther at ncrowther21@gmail.com.

Thank you. Free Our People!

Community Attendants Equal Independence!

Cathy Cranston and Nancy Crowther

ADAPT of Texas/Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas

1100 S. IH 35

Austin, TX 78704

O# 512.442.0252

Don’t forget! Call today!

There’s no safety here for disabled people.

All disabled people do not look alike. We are not all the same.

WHAT DO WE WANT? We want a proper letter, on letterhead, and signed by Mr. Klein, apologizing for Starbucks kicking our member out of their store for no reason.
we want a written policy from Starbucks of non-discrimination against people with disabilities.

#StarbucksDiscriminatesDisability

#DisabledCoffeeLover

#AccessIsACivilRight

Our member was told to get out of this store (15th & San Antonio, Austin TX) because someone else in a wheelchair made a ruckus 5 months earlier.

contact Tim Klein, Regional Director 904-993-8251 tiklein@starbucks.com and tell him to stop the discrimination, write the letter and get & enforce a policy on non-discrimination.

ADAPT of Texas has lost two dear friends last week. Tim Thornton of the Denver area was a tried and true friend to all of the ADAPT network who supported us all during national actions as well as in between. Former Co-Director of Atlantis Tim left to start an attendant services agency of his own. He went the extra mile for everyone, was ready to do whatever needed to be done from wheelchair repair, to attendant services, to picking up a hundred hamburgers and sneaking them into an occupied office, to whatever the moment might call for. Such a gentle, friendly, warm person he leaves a huge hole.

Closer to home, Gene Rodgers also passed away last week. Gene was an ADAPTer from way back in the early days of Wade and the buses. When he moved to Austin he got right involved with our group, and although his busy life kept taking him away he would return and pitch in where he could. He covered our issues on the Gene and Dave show, made funny videos to carry the point with humor, testified at the Capitol and was willing to use his personal story to put a face to the need for more attendants and for better wages. Just this fall and winter he was featured in lengthy articles on these subjects. But, as Gene tells in his book Awesome by Accident, he had tons of other fascinating adventures. He was determined to live life to the fullest. David Dauber made this beautiful tribute to Gene; Click here for the tribute.

Bob Kafka, on his radio show/podcast Barrier Free Futures, interviewed Gene about his life and book: click here to hear the show.

ADAPT of Texas was down at the Capitol on Tuesday to tell Senate Finance Committee members it is ludicrous to think they will have any attendants in 2024-2025 if they don’t raise the wages from the pathetic $8.11 they have in their budget plans. HHSC didn’t ask for one more cent for attendant wages, Abbott didn’t either. There will be no community based services if this keeps up. Almost everyone who spoke talked about raising the wages to $15 per hour (and that will be low by 2025). They have a huge surplus of money this year but apparently no plans to support community services. People shared their struggles trying to find workers today and their horror of being forced into a nursing home. Next Tuesday will be the House Appropriations hearing on the same subject. But legislators need to hear from you — their constituents about why they need to raise these wages to at least $15/hr. If they don’t… the picture looks grim.

The waitlist is NOW OPEN for the efficiency and one-bedroom apartment at Salina 1138 Chicon St in east Austin! Applications must be submitted before the waitlist closes on November 15th at 5pm. Learn more and apply at www.hacaapply.org.

Housing Authority of the City of Austin

The waitlist is NOW OPEN for the efficiency and one-bedroom apartment at Salina in east Austin! Applications must be submitted before the waitlist closes on November 15th at 5pm. Learn more and apply at www.hacaapply.org.

National ADAPT is headed back to DC September 17th – 23rd to fight for disability rights and services. ADAPT’s fearless warriors will tackle various powerbrokers who should be doing more to enhance the rights and services of people with disabilities. Keep your eyes peeled here, on our ADAPT of Texas Facebook page, on National ADAPT Facebook page and in various other spots in the social media because doubtless, amazing stories will unfold! More details to come…

The Texas Disability Issues Forum (TDIF) is back for the 2022 midterm elections! Join us Monday September 19, 2022 in Austin to find out what major party candidates have to say on your most pressing issues, from healthcare to elections to education, and more!

To register click on this link

Candidates for Governor, Lt Governor, Attorney General and this year for the first time, Agriculture Commissioner will share their positions on disability issues.

Want to be a part of the action? Volunteer slots are still needed! Call Cathy at 512-442-0252. TDIF wants you to be prepared to cast your ballot in November, so they’re providing multiple ways to learn about the candidates and their stances on issues of interest to Texans with disabilities. Whether you want to be in the room when it happens, be a part of the event, or do some reading on your own time, they’ve got you covered.