Civil Rights

Yesterday was Disability Capitol Action Day in Sacramento, probably the best one in the 7 or so years I've been attending. Everyone enjoyed the speeches and the entertainment. A day for people to tell the legislators they elected that the poorest seniors and people with disabilities cannot take any more cuts and survive. I have the job of reading and analyzing those budget proposals, of figuring out how it will impact people's lives and of conveying that information to those we have elected. It seems that lately it is an ongoing process, as soon as one budget goes through we start another cycle of cuts. We hear the mantra "no new taxes, no tax hikes." I wonder if more people who pay taxes really had the experience of conversing with those who have withstood cut after cut after cut would feel that they couldn't withstand a relatively small financial impact that a tax increase would entail. I just have trouble believing that most are that cold of heart.

So how are tax cuts and civil rights related? If you're poor there are two places your needs are met - in an institution or in your home. When you are housed in an institution you lose so many things we all take for granted - you don't get to chose when to be up and when to sleep, you don't get to chose when and what you eat, you haven't committed a crime and yet your every move is controlled by another. But if you need some help to get dressed, or shop, or prepare food, or many other things then you either have those services in your home or in a nursing facility. In the interest of fiscal responsibility the legislators say we have to cut these in home services, they cost too much. What they don't say is that for every 1 person forced to live in an institution 3 to 4 people can receive all of the services they need in the community - the opposite of fiscal responsibility.

So my question is do they really just want to lock people away, no matter what the cost, if they've aged, if they've had an accident, if they've been the victim of a violent crime, if they've gotten a serious illness? Do we want to go back 40 years when people who were different were just locked away from society? Civil rights - either everyone of us have them or we risk none of us having the guarantee that we will have our rights respected as we go through the journey of life.

We All Need to Get Involved and Control Our Stories

According to the National Safety Council approximately 49 people become disabled every minute in the United States. Depending on the statistics used, somewhere between 18% and 20% of the population have a disability. Despite these numbers we are still not seen by many as a normal part of the fabric of America. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and 2009 was the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision upholding the integration mandate. Despite having civil rights laws behind us, a federal administration more committed to the principal and enforcement of community living, society has not moved forward. Ours is the only minority group that routinely has its independence and freedom ripped away by being placed in institutions. Ours is the only minority group that has members who are not allowed to choose when and what they eat, when they sleep, who they see, where they go. Ours is the only minority group where this removal of civil rights and segregation is viewed as compassionate and necessary - not cruel and inhumane. In addition to the legal avenues we can take to assert our rights to have the same life experiences as everyone else, now we need to take control of the stories around disability and make those stories about the normalness of all we do and who we are.



Many states are facing budget deficits. One of the first things on the chopping block is services that are essential for people to live in their communities instead of being institutionalized. Decision makers just see a dollar amount to cut. They are unwilling to look into it all a little further. In addition to being a civil rights violation it is also fiscally irresponsible – three to four people can be served in the community for every one person forced to live in an institution. So why are these bad moral and fiscal decisions so acceptable? Because we are seen as different and not an integral part of society as a whole.



Individuals with disabilities need to get involved and should no longer believe that “someone else” will fight for their rights. We need to show our numbers; how big this community is; and how we are part of every aspect of life. We all need to say in a loud, steady, forceful voice that we have the same hopes, dreams, aspirations as every other human being, and that our differences bring texture to the fabric of society and should be welcomed and cherished.



Community services are being threatened, and you need to get involved. Tell your elected officials that violating civil rights cannot be a money saving measure. Be a visible and vocal part of your community. Let people experience all that people with disabilities have to offer - let them see difference as the wonderful thing that it is.