Re: [QUAD-L] Wheelchair Warrior's paper

[Stacy Harim]

Great paper Andrea.  That one should have gotten published somewhere.  I had an idea about getting active about people with disabilities voting, but transportation has been an issue and is something that I will get involve in next year when it's time to elect a Governor.  Thank you for sharing that with us. Stacy   "People who hate you do not win unless you hate them. Then you destroy yourself" ----- Original Message ----- From: andrea murray To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 9:26 PM Subject: [QUAD-L] Wheelchair Warrior's paper Why People with Disabilities Should Vote As an activist for people with disabilities I have a lot of experience with campaigns and policymaking. As a person with disabilities I know how important my vote will be for the disabled community. This Presidential race I am looking for a candidate who will help the disabled community and not sweep them under the carpet.  The most important issues are those dealing with the lives and happiness of people with disabilities and especially, my concern that the disabled do not have any real choices in how they are looked at through the eyes of the rest of American society. People with disabilities want not to be seen as a burden, but as persons who want to live the American dream, The one way for people with disabilities to feel they can live the American dream, is through the bill called MiCASSA (Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Support Act to include the Aging Community.) You might want to ask: “Why is this an important campaign issue? Because in someone’s life, either by accident, illness or old age we all become disabled. In passing the MiCASSA bill it will save money because, nursing home care costs taxpayers more than it costs to support people in their own homes, even when these people are receiving other public benefits.  This would allow people for the first time to have a choice to live in their own homes, not nursing homes. People with disabilities who merely requiring assistance with daily life tasks is wrongly put in to nursing homes solely because they are unable to receive attendant services. The big issue to me is what each Presidential candidate has to say about the MiCASSA Act and will it finally be passed into a law. I will start with Present George W Bush. In a press release from the nation A.D.A.P.T. “Present George W Bush has promised “New Freedom” for people with disabilities that he would do every thing in his power to pass the MiCASSA Act. But, he has promised to help pass this bill in his last Presidential race. The Bush administration proposes to turn Medicaid into a block grant to the states. The MiCASSA Act is not intended for state but, a national law. The MiCASSA Act was carried out from the Olmstead decision (a lawsuit) and enacts MiCASSA and the Money Follows the Person Act. In passing the MiCASSA Act people with disabilities will have a Real Choice where they would live and the freedom to choose their community services. Now for Presidential candidate John Kerry respond to a survey which was given to each Presidential candidate by the national A.D.A.P.T. the question was “Do you support the passage and full implementation of the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Support Act to include the Aging Community MiCASSA?” This is what Kerry responded. “Yes, Americans with Disabilities must be assured quality home and community living services. I am an original co-sponsor of MiCASSA and the Money Follows the Person Act. Passage of both of these bills is vital to ending the institutional bias that makes it impossible for millions of Americans to exercise the most basic of human liberties: freedom, choice and independent living. I support increasing funding for independent living centers, area agencies on aging and similar organizations to be built to support people with disabilities in moving out of needless nursing homes.” (A publication of A.D.A.P.T. Spring 2004)  How is the MiCASSA Act going to benefit our economy and the financial world? Looking at the cost-benefit ratio, according to a 2003 GE financial survey of more than 2000 nursing homes, the average nursing home cost was $57,700 per person.   A person with a disability living at home would get similar benefit for much less cost. What would the MiCASSA bill do for People with Disabilities and the Aging Community? If the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Support Act is signed into law it would allow for a national program of home and community based services and attendant services to be developed. This would allow people for the first time to have a choice to live in their own homes, not nursing homes. As it is today, many persons with disabilities merely requiring assistance with daily life tasks are wrongly institutionalized in nursing homes solely because they are unable to receive attendant services. (MiCASSA Bill HR2020 by Andrea Pepler-Murray Department of English and Philosophy Purdue University Calumet Hammond, Indiana, April 4, 2003)  This would save our tax money and our county would profit in the long run. People with disabilities would have a choice in receiving an education and be able to enter the work force and be a taxpayer. As it is, we taxpayers are paying in the short run. As a person with a disability my concern is that whoever wins the Presidential race will not forget their promises they have made to the disability community in passing the MiCASSA Act. As for myself I believe action speak louder then word.                       Andrea Pepler-Murray                 Do you Yahoo!? Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page. www.yahoo.com