Monthly Archives: June 2020

Disabled Peoples’ Lives Have Value

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Jeff, sitting in manual wheelchair (and in mask) by side of road holds long sign reading "#Life Worthy of Life for People with Disabilities"

Protest today (6/28/20) at St David’s South Austin Medical Center where quadriplegic was refused medical treatment for COVID 19.

3 people in wheelchairs hold signs by entrance to St David's Hospital South Austin. First sign: Disabled not disposable. Other sign: Justice for Michael Hickson 6-6-73 to 6-11-20.

Nicky, Ron, Jeff and Cathy (not in picture) protest for ADAPT of Texas, the death of Michael Hickson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Hickson was a quadriplegic with a brain injury who was refused treatment for COVID 19 that he acquired in a local nursing home.  Mr Hickson died on 6-11-20.  ADAPT of Texas has long been concerned about the devaluation and resulting lack of care for people with disabilities, especially in this pandemic.  As cases rise in Austin and hospitals fill, the threat grows greater.  More just triage plans are available and being used elsewhere, but will Austin in general, and St David’s South Austin Medical Center in particular care enough to do anything about this?   

Our hearts go out to Mr Hickon’s family, who were apparently left out of the decision.  

ADAPT has long battled against Texas’ draconian laws regarding end of life decisions and their disregard for people with disabilities and their families.  People with disabilities and their families know best.

#disabilitylivesmatter

#blackdisabledlivesmatter

#lifeworthyoflife

Take Action on Multiple Issues Affecting Our Community!

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           Ron & Emily join other protesters outside TX Governor's mansion calling for PPE for attendantsJulie stands tall for PPE for attendants at protest at TX Governor's mansionPlease forward this information so others can take action too. Lots of different kinds of things you can do here!

Electronic Visit Verification

Tell Senator Cruz and Senator Cornyn to support S. 3740 

S. 3740 is the COVID-19 Recovery for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act

This bill will “delay the implementation of the Electronic Visit Verification requirement until 6 months after the end of the national public health emergency in order to eliminate barriers to care in the home and keep people out of congregate settings.”

We all know that people with disabilities and Seniors are dying in the institutions due to the corona virus.  Tell them to help our people.

Call and/or email:

Senator Cruz   Central Texas  512.916.5834 or   D.C. 202.224.5922

Click this link to email him: https://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=form&id=16

Senator Cornyn   Austin  512.469.6034 or  D.C.  202.224.2934

Click this link to email him: https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/contact

 

Congress has a House and a Senate Bill addressing rental housing. 

The Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act

S. 3685 and H.R. 6820 would put $100 billion into rental assistance.  The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act 

(HEROES Act) H.R. 6800 has been passed by the House. The Senate needs to pass it now to address in-home services and safety. We need things from the Bill like the additional funding for Home and Community Based Services and hazard pay for Attendants. 

Please contact Senator Cornyn and Senator Cruz on this issue.  Their email and office phone numbers are at the bottom of #2.

#ADAPTANDSURVIVE

Congress is making decisions about our lives right now.

Congress must take action to support the lives of our community.  Send a message to Congress and the world why your life is not disposable during COVID-19 and worth saving.

Please do a one minute video and/or photo using the hashtags and messages below. 

Once completed please send your photo and/or video to Josue Rodriguez or Laura Halvorson for photo description and the video for captioning.  Below is their email info.

#DisabledNotDisposable

#LifeWorthyofLife

#ADAPTandSURVIVE

Community Attendants are #EssentialWorkers

Click on this National ADAPT link below if you want to view examples of videos made, like Latoya Maddox’s, ADAPTandSurvive video.

ADAPT DEMANDS Congress support our right to live in the community by funding home and community based services, supporting our Community Workforce, making personal protective equipment available, and ensuring we have affordable, accessible, integrated housing.

ADAPT has sent an Open Letter to Congress demanding action. We must ensure Congress pays attention and responds to our needs!

Post on social media, write an email, organize a car parade around your Congress members Offices! In any way you can, tell Congress: 

  • Unnecessary institutionalization has been illegal since at least 1990.  Now the COVID pandemic has exposed further dangers of congregate living.  
  • Forcing people into institutions is not only a violation of our rights, it is a DANGER to our safety, well-being, and our LIVES. 
  • We need the services and supports that allow us to safely shelter-in-place in the community.
  • Community services must be available to keep people from being institutionalized in congregate settings.
  • Programs, services, and supports must be available to allow people to move back into the community to live in the most integrated setting. 
  • Direct Service and Support Workers are essential to keeping us alive, safe and healthy. They deserve to be recognized and protected by receiving increased wages, overtime pay, hazard pay, and protective gear.
  • The number one barrier to home and community living is lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing. Housing must be developed.  The shortage of housing that is affordable, accessible and integrated is past the critical stage.  Likewise rental subsidies must be vastly increased. 

PPEs for PCAs (Attendants)  

Below is something we did in Austin. You are welcome to use it as a template to take action in you local area. 

Call and/or Email your City Council members about Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) Mask and Gloves

Contact your City Council Member and let them know you are an individual with a disability and work with a personal attendant and are in need of PPE  

Ask your attendant to call their city council member and ask for PPE also.

Tell them the home care agencies are not giving enough masks and gloves to your attendants and they are having to use the same one multiple times which is not a good way to keep the virus from spreading. 

Below is the list of Austin Council Members with their phone numbers to call. If you click on their name you can also send an email to the council member.  (If you live outside Austin just google your City Council or County Commissioners).

Name Phone
Mayor Stephen Adler 512-978-2100
District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison 512-978-2101
District 2 Council Member Delia Garza 512-978-2102
District 3 Council Member Sabino “Pio” Renteria 512-978-2103
District 4 Council Member Gregorio “Greg” Casar 512-978-2104
District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen 512-978-2105
District 6 Council Member Jimmy Flannigan 512-978-2106
District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool 512-978-2107
District 8 Council Member Paige Ellis 512-978-2108
District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo 512-978-2109
District 10 Council Member Alison Alter 512-978-2110
 

Askin’ For Maskin’ Campaign

Hello Texas ADAPTers,

Below is the “Dear Governor letter” campaign for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Please take time to mail a clean glove, or drawn/traced hand to Gov Abbott. Include a message asking for a commitment for PPE for our Disabled Community and Attendants. Have fun and write your message on the glove.

I have attached the letter with the ADAPT/PACT logo. For those that have a printer you are welcomed to use the logos.

Hope you all are doing well.  Stay healthy. If you have any questions please feel free to call me.

Free Our People!
Community Attendants Equal Independence!
Cathy
512.650.6543

 

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A green star with the letters PACT inside. In a circle around the star are the words community attendants equal independence.

PACT Logo

 

ADAPT Free Our People logo with person in a wheelchair breaking chains over their head

 

Office of the Governor

P.O. Box 12428

Austin, Texas 78711-2428
 
(Include date)
 
Dear Governor Abbott,
Across Texas the number of cases of COVID-19 is growing. Yet, the needs of Personal Attendants and People with Disabilities in the community are being ignored.                                                                                                                                                                Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are either difficult or impossible to find thus endangering our Community.

Governor Abbott, commit to providing PPE to essential community healthcare workers and the people with disabilities they work with and assist.
 
“We’re asking for masking.  If you love us, glove us!”
 
(Please add your signature here)

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Thank you for taking action to assist our community! 

Free Our People!

Community Attendants Equal Independence!

Cathy Cranston

National ADAPT Condemns Police Brutality and Calls for Racial Justice

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In the middle of a pandemic, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are not just being killed at alarming rates by COVID19, but are yet again being senselessly targeted by police, and some have been murdered.

For years, on the first day of each National ADAPT Action we hold legal and new members’ meetings. These meetings always include a reminder of police brutality toward Black, brown and indigenous people, and people from other oppressed communities.

National ADAPT condemns the recent murders of:

Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old, unarmed young man who was out jogging, and murdered by the McMichaels, who were tipped off by an off-duty police officer;

Nicolas Chavez, a 27-year-old father of 3 young children, was fatally shot after Chavez was on his knees reeling from being shot not only by sandbags but also a taser;

Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old certified EMT and first responder during the pandemic. On May 13 police forcibly entered her apartment and shot her 8 times as she slept.

Malik Williams The Police Department in Federal Way, Washington executed this man while he sat in his car. Not being able to move he was shot 86 times.

Jeremy McDole 28, paraplegic killed by Wilmington, DE police.

Saheed Vassell shot 19 times by NYC police Department. The officers jumped out and started firing without warning.He had a psychiatric disability.

Dreasjon “Sean” Reed, a 21-year-old, gunned down by Indianapolis police while he was live streaming a Facebook video; and

On May 26, George Floyd, who was murdered by suffocation while handcuffed and on the ground when a police officer kneeled with all his weight on Floyd’s neck.

We vehemently condemn and must put an end to all murders of BIPOC by police brutality.

Engaging in protest and non-violent civil disobedience is a right National ADAPT has long exercised under the First Amendment of our nation’s Constitution.
However, to protest without fear of violent reprisal, and even death, is a privilege reserved for our white siblings in the disability rights movement. Our disability rights movement owes a great deal to the Black civil rights movement that laid the groundwork for us under the spray of firehoses, the torrent of fists, and too many bullets.

We live today with a system that compounds the social and psychic damage experienced by the ancestors of Black, brown and Indigenous people, bridging the mob lynchings, and smallpox laden blankets of yesteryear into police “lynchings” of today. It is long past time for this to end!

National ADAPT, our local chapters, and our individual advocates and activists commit to the following:

We will call out as racial terrorism the acts of white people when they threaten, harass, and commit acts of violence against Black people and other people of color in public spaces.

We will not re-play, post, or amplify images, videos or depictions of Black people and other people from marginalized groups experiencing violence, because we recognize the trauma experienced by repeated exposure to these images.

We will continue to actively oppose the institutionalization of all people, and the damage done through institutionalization. Our fight includes opposing mass incarceration, the over-criminalization in the legal system, and the racial presumption of guilt that permeate the Black experience in this country and result in disproportionate numbers of BIPOC living in prisons, jails, psychiatric facilities, nursing facilities, and other institutions.

We will continue our anti-racism and equity work to lift up the experiences of multiply marginalized members of our community, to center them, their stories, and their solutions to the systemic racism and ableism we are committed to bringing to an end.
We hold ourselves and our disability rights siblings to the anti-racism work that is intrinsically linked to the fight for disability rights.

As an organization made up of committed social justice warriors, ADAPT cleaves to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as one of the leaders of the movement we build upon in our work, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

We, the members of National ADAPT, demand the senseless murders end. We can have no justice, no peace, no freedom and no rest until we have justice for our Black and Brown and Indigenous family.

#BlackLivesMatter

#SayTheirNames

#LivesWorthyOfLife