CTD, TARA ,TX Parent to Parent, Texas Advocates, AHA! Rev Up, Reach CIL, PACT, Mary Lee residents, E4 and folks from across the state joined ADAPT of Texas to call on Attorney General Paxton to stop his efforts to get Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 declared unconstitutional. Paxton, along with 16 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit that calls for 504 to be declared unconstitutional, a move that would strip rights from low income housing tenants, students with disabilities, health and human services clients, and others. Claiming they are only trying to get people with gender dysphoria from receiving protection under 504, the AGs never the less continue to call for the destruction of all of 504.This full-frontal attack on 504 was continued in a recent hearing for this case.

Recently the 504 rules were changed to include people with gender dysphoria, and to finally cover health and human service programs so that those entities that get federal funding can’t discriminate by having inaccessible facilities and/or programs and services that discriminate The details of these rules are fantastic and you should read them!

504 is the precursor to the ADA and much of the ADA follows 504, BUT 504 has some protections that aren’t covered by the ADA. Also, with Texas’ long record of attacking disability rights you can rest assured if they are able to dismantle 504, ADA and other laws will soon follow.

The crowd of almost 100 people in Austin spoke strongly at a press conference outside the Supreme Court Building and Capitol. In El Paso advocates from Desert ADAPT and others held a simultaneous press conference to underline the statewide concern about this problem. After the Austin press conference part of the group marched over to deliver our posters and signs to the attorney general himself. We were stopped in the lobby and eventually state police were called in, so we left but not before our message don’t mess with 504 had been loudly delivered.
we urge you to contact Attorney General Paxton and tell him to leave 504 alone.

ADAPT of Texas is holding its annual FUN RUN on Saturday February 15^thfrom noon – 2pm.

This is not a traditional FUN RUN.  It is not a race.  Sponsored FUNRUNNERS go around a ¼ mile track

as many times they can in 1 hour.

If your group is signed up as a participating FUN RUN group, your group receives 75% of all funds collected by your runners.

ADAPT of Texas has a secure computer program that allows you to solicit funds via email or social media.

We will be having a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, January 14^th at 2pm central  to further explain the opportunity to raise funds.

For more information: Ron Cranston   ronniebonners@aol.com

                                             Bob Kafka           bobkafka10467@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

For information:  Bob Kafka bobkafka10467@gmail.com

Subject:  ADAPT of Texas Demands HHS Commissioner Young Take Action on Durable Medical Equipment (DME)

Members of ADAPT of Texas will, on Thursday October 31st at 2:30pm at 4601 West Guadalupe, drop off a list of demands to rectify the “HORROR” people with disabilities and older Texans are experiencing in repairing and acquiring DME, like wheelchairs, walkers and other critical equipment we need to live in the community. 

This is no joke. It is unacceptable HHS fails to realize or care the impact loss of this equipment has on Texans real lives.

“People are stuck at home or sometimes in bed for months because they can’t get their wheelchair fixed,” said Nancy Crowther ADAPT Organizer.

“We have seen increased medical conditions because Commissioner Young fails to act” said Ron Cranston longtime ADAPT of Texas Activist.

ADAPT of Texas has met with HHS with little concrete improvements.
              

visit www.adaptmuseum.net

On Oct 31, 2024, at 7:05 AM, Austin Free Press <contact@austinfreepress.org> wrote:

40 years of Disability Rights Activism – Into the Future of Empowerment

Please come join us to celebrate 4 decades (how did that happen?) of disability rights activism and help us take this legacy into a future of empowerment.

When: Saturday October 26th 3pm to 6 pm

Where: the ADAPT office 1100 S IH 35, Austin Texas — bus routes #7 & #20

Music from local disability musicians and our allies, delicious food, history videos and stories, great company, and a big surprise!

But it won’t be the same if you aren’t there with us, so please come!

RSVP to 512-442-0252 ronniebonners@aol.com

*Accommodations upon Request*

WHAT’S BEEN GOING DOWN IN THE PAST FOUR DECADES? Well for a start…

Katz’s Deli     Fun*Run   We Will Ride    

Access Capital Metro, SunMetro, DART, VIA, METRO of Harris Co, APTA and more

Bomb or boombox under the blanket at CapMetro BOD meeting?

Anti EVV (Electronic Visit Verification)     Pay for spousal attendants  

Dallas Atlantis Office      Ride that Dirty Dog (Greyhound)       ABA/UBOA

Free Our People     Campaigns Access to City Parks Lifts on Dillos  

Our Homes not Nursing Homes         Close State Schools

Piss on Pity Campaign for delegating catheterization and toileting help

Wheelchair Santa at Armadillo Christmas Bazaar and various other locations

Rider 37 Campaign that started Money Follows the Person

Protesting Michael Hickson death from discrimination over COVID treatment

Masks and vaccines for community based service workers and customers

Justice for Justin – access to Commission of National Rehab. Services Admin’s bathroom

Take-over of Governor Richard’s Capitol Office and spending the night there

Threat of lawsuit for Campaign revealing nursing home profits in Texas

ADA lawsuit Campaign with Texas Civil Rights Project making over 200 local businesses comply

NUMEROUS sidewalk (and curb cut) campaigns       Pitchfork Approach to Advocacy brainchild

504 and Fair Housing Voluntary Compliance Agreement with HUD and the City

Visitability – first city in nation to adopt this for all new homes

Hitting THCA conventions and shutting down their office on Guadalupe

Adopt-A-Legislator Campaigns       SB1 Lemons   ACCESSIBLE Family Bathroom                     Hank’s Café      Starbucks

ADA Testing Campaign for local chains and businesses

Oral histories with Virginia Raymond

Angel Home Care campaign so agencies don’t “own” clients or attendants

Campaign $8      Campaign $10         Campaign $13     Campaign $15    Rai$e IT!

Bus Stop survey          Olmstead Activation/Implementation Campaign

Access to Voting actions   &    Disability Voting Action Project Where’s Governor Abbott?      It’s Immoral Campaign against cuts to Human

Tinsel town  Bassett Center access

Accessible pathway to Fountains and Cielo Vista malls and Wal-mart Transmountain

Dairy Queen Whataburger  Circle K Burger King Downtown 

La Gorda Los Torreados 

Turkey of the Year Housing at City Hall

Ascarate Park Occupy El Paso

State Center action My Medicaid Matters Coalition 

ADAPT and Resist Republican Vigil

Pizza Hut Billboard Vigil Sancho Claus

Actions at provider agencies

El Paso Independent School District to allow student with a disability to attend a school trip with the band.

What Else Happened in 1984?

AIDS-virus identified as HTLV-III (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)

Bopal Disaster

Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sign declaration to transfer Hong Kong back to China in 1997

Supreme Court rules (5-4) that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws

Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, 16 Candles, Footloose A Nightmare on Elm St, The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Gremlins, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Killing Fields, The Year of Living Dangerously (Linda Hunt)

Born: Katy Perry, LeBron James, Scarlett Johansson, Prince Henry, Mark Zuckerberg, JD Vance

Apple Computer Inc unveils its revolutionary Macintosh personal computer

“The Cosby Show” premieres, Murder She Wrote, Miami Vice, Nightcourt, Kate and Allie,

Bruce Springsteen‘s 7th studio album “Born in the USA” premiers

Prince releases “Purple Rain“

“Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince Rogers Nelson and Revolution peaks at #1

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time career scoring record

Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial

Indira Gandhi assassinated

AT&T’s 22 owned Bell system companies divest into 8 companies

NYC transit fare rises from 75 cents to 90 cents

Wilson Goode, sworn-in as Philadelphia’s 1st black mayor

Chuck Hull invented the 3D printer

NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams

Rock band Van Halen release their most successful album “1984”

 Prince’s “Purple Rain” album goes #1 

“Where’s the Beef?” in commercial for Wendy’s hamburger chain

Trending styles: leggings, jean jackets, parachute pants, giant shoulder pads, fluffy hair

Hulk Hogan became WWF Champ for 1^st of 6 times

LA Olympics held

California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia’s to starve herself to death in a public hospital

Supreme Court rules (5-4) that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws

Teenage Mutant Nija Turtles introduced in comic

TV shows: Dallas, Dynasty,

Regan elected to 2^nd term

US Senate rejects amendment to permit spoken prayer in public schools

Britain & China initial agreement return Hong Kong to China in 1997

NFL owners passed the infamous anti-celebrating rule

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time career scoring record 

IBM releases PC DOS version 3.0

Republican convention in Dallas

Tina Turner’s 1st #1 “What’s Love Got to Do With It”

Jerry Lewis‘ 19th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $32,074,566

First episode of daily syndicated TV game show of “Jeopardy!” with Alex Trebek as host

Papa John’s Pizza is founded

US Vice Presidential candidates’ debate – Geraldine Ferraro (D) and George H. W. Bush (R), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop, wins Nobel Peace Prize

SETI Institute (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) is founded.

McDonald’s makes its 50 billionth hamburger

“Do They Know It’s Christmas” sung for Band Aid

Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 black muggers on NYC subway train

Madonna‘s “Like a Virgin” single goes #1

Over 200 disabled Texans and allies celebrated with REv Up Texas in Austin as well as 10 other sites from the Valley to El Paso and Lubbock to Dallas to Beaumont. Houston had the largest group but the enthusiasm for voting was high across the state. The League of Women Voters addressed the crowds, Disability Rights Texas spoke about our rights and how to enforce them, REV UP leaders talked about the importance of the disability vote and addressing our issues. People registered to vote, if they weren’t already, and committed to vote and get 5 other people to vote. If everyone there can meet these commitments that’s over 1200 votes, and judging by the enthusiasm those numbers will be even higher.

The second Thursday of every month ADAPT of Texas holds our big meeting from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at our office at 1100 South IH 35 (access road). This location is served by the #7 and #20 buses. Come on down and join us and find out what happening and how you can be involved.

For literally decades many people with disabilities have faced unacknowleged discrimination from two bizzare sources: health care and human services. But this spring new Section 504 Rules take a big bite out of that problem.

Key Provisions of 504 Rules https://acl.gov/504rule

• Discrimination in medical treatment: The rule addresses discrimination in medical care and ensures that medical treatment decisions are not based on biases or stereotypes about people with disabilities, judgments that an individual will be a burden on others, or beliefs that the life of an individual with a disability has less value than the life of a person without a disability. These include, for example, decisions about life-sustaining treatment, organ transplantation, and rationing care in emergencies. (Remember Michael Hickson, the quad who they wouldn’t treat for COVID because of his disability?)
• Community integration: The rule clarifies obligations to provide services in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of individuals with disabilities, consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C (All these years later, there are still lots of people who want out of institutions but haven’t gotten out yet.)
• Accessibility of medical equipment: The rule adopts the U.S. Access Board’s accessibility standards for medical equipment to address barriers to care, like exam tables that are inaccessible because they are not height-adjustable, weight scales that cannot accommodate people in wheelchairs, and mammogram machines that require an individual to stand to use them. The rule requires most doctors’ offices to have an accessible exam table and weight scale within two years. (Has your doctor ever blown of the physical exam or just examened you in your chair while their exam table stood by empty?)
• Web, mobile app, and kiosk accessibility: The rule adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA accessibility standards for websites and mobile applications. It also requires web-enabled systems in self-service kiosks in medical providers’ offices to be accessible. These provisions are particularly important given the increased use of websites, apps, telehealth, video platforms, and self-service kiosks to access health care. (As computers and their kind take over more and more interaction with us, the public, this access gets more and more important)
• Value assessment methods: Value assessment methods are often used to decide whether a medical treatment will be provided and under what circumstances. The rule prohibits the use of any measure, assessment, or tool that discounts the value of a life extension on the basis of disability to deny, limit, or otherwise condition access to an aid, benefit, or service. (Remeber that creepy experiment they did on babies with Spina Bifida in Oklahoma? No, check it out. There are some sick people out there, and I don’t mean the kids with disabilities.)

These new rules are a huge step forward for people with disabilities just trying to get some help, live their lives, etc. At a recent ADAPT meeting we asked who had access problems and/or been discriminated against by their doctor. Every disabled person in the room raised their hands.

The rules will only cover places that get federal funding, but that’s a lot more places than you might imagine. And, there are efforts to bring ADA, 504, Fair Housing and the Architectural Barriers Act into alignment so requirements will not be in conflict any more.

To find out more about these rules and related information click on this link.

A big crowd gathered at ADAPT this year on July 26 to celebrate the anniversary of the ADA! Old friends and colleagues were there as well as up and coming young advocates. It was a great mix. Music, food, and an ADA jeopardy game were among the attractions. Jim Harrington remembered the ADA Campaigns Texas Civil Rights Project and ADAPT collaborated on the make hundreds of Austin venues accessible. Kaye Beneke brought her memorabilia and photos from the day of the signing. The E4 gang and their fearless leader Mr Tate joined us as well as dozens of others.

in mid July the gang at E4, UT Austin’s program for youth with disabilities to prepare for work, came to visit ADAPT of Texas. It was a great and energized group and we spoke to them about our history and issues and they showed us that our giant wheelchair had made the big time and was part of the PokemanGo game!!!

You are cordially invited to join a celebration of the 34th anniversary of the signing of the ADA!

We will be celebrating at the ADAPT office:

• 1100 South IH 35 (just south of Riverside)
• #7 and #20 buses

• Fri. July 26^th From 1:00 to 3:00 pm

This landmark civil rights bill deserves a grand celebration and we would be honored if you could join us, and bring a friend if you like.

We will have refreshments, music and entertainment:

• stories of the role many Texans played in passing the bill,
• a jeopardy game of ADA trivia (who was called “the General”, Who were the people in the famous signing of the ADA picture?, What date was the ADA signed? And many more.)
• Share your favorite thing about the ADA, and/or what else needs to be covered?

Come enjoy this special day!