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FYI
Dana (C4-5, 31 years post, 51, KC) |
--- Begin Message ---For Immediate Release: September 25, 2005 For Information Contact:Bob Kafka 512-431-4085 Marsha Katz 406-544-9504 http://www.adapt.org ADAPT Concludes Successful Week in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. --- ADAPT, the nation's largest grassroots disability rights organization, came to Washington, D.C. on September 17 with a simple message on Medicaid cuts and housing, "Don't target low-income people with disabilities." They left on September 22, having made their point to the Congressional leadership, the National Governors Association (NGA), and officials at Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Health and Human Services (HHS). Outraged by Congressional plans to cut $10 billion from the Medicaid budget, on Monday, September 19, 104 of the 500 ADAPT activists were arrested after occupying the offices of Senators Grassley (R-IA), Reid (D-NV) and Frist (R-TN), and Representatives Pelosi (D-CA), Barton(R-TX), Hastert (R-IL) and Delay (R-TX). The next day, all of Congress read about ADAPT's demand for no caps or block granting in Medicaid, and restoration of the planned $10 billion in cuts on the front page of their in-house newspaper, Roll Call.. On Tuesday, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson came out of the HUD building to face ADAPT and committed to work with ADAPT on Section 8 housing voucher implementation after ADAPT appeared at both his house in Alexandria, VA, and HUD headquarters in D.C. While ADAPT waited for Sec. Jackson, the Democratic National Committee hand delivered a statement from DNC Chair, Howard Dean, on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, supporting ADAPT's position on fixing the current dysfunctional disability service and support system instead of putting on a legislative bandaid that provides little, if any relief, to anyone. The statement read, in part; "We have an opportunity to address the problems revealed in the aftermath of this tragedy. Americans need real leadership that includes a reconstruction effort that includes the needs of Americans with disabilities, one that provides a model for a system in which Americans with disabilities are integrated into their homes and communities and not forced into nursing homes and institutions. President Bush and Republicans in Washington should join Democrats in working to ensure that Americans with disabilities are fully integrated into our society and included in our emergency preparedness plans, so that, moving forward, they are never again left behind." Since ADAPT's "visits" to both HUD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), HHS Secretary Dr. Margaret Giannini has begun to gather information about Katrina evacuees with disabilities shipped to nursing homes around the country, and has pledged to work with HUD to get those people into temporary community housing, just like other evacuees. On Wednesday, ADAPT took their demands to the National Governors Association, marching the two miles to NGA offices behind a flower draped casket that represented those who have died waiting for community-based services. NGA Executive Director, Ray Sheppach came outside to address the ADAPT demands, promising to fax the demands to all of the nation's governors, but generally framing his own responses to the demands with the NGA party line about "states rights." "Funny thing about states rights," said Wisconsin ADAPT Organizer, Toby Tyler. "The states don't want the federal government telling them what to do to run their affairs, yet they have no qualms about telling us what to do to run ours. Well, we aren't about to let that go unchallenged. ADAPT will start hitting the nation's governors, and will keep on hitting them until they stop targeting low income people with disabilities with their budget cuts." ### FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/
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