DIA Introduced!

ADAPT sees the bipartisan Disability Integration Act back in the US Senate

By Allison Donald
Members of National ADAPT chapters from Rochester, Denver, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington DC and Philadelphia traveled to the nation’s Capital for the reintroduction the Disability Integration Act and to continue the work of getting support for the legislation.  

The Disability Integration Act (DIA) is civil rights legislation, introduced by Democratic Senator Schumer in the Senate and Republican Representative Sensenbrenner in the House. The DIA will address the fundamental right of Americans to live in the community and not be forced into expensive institutions.

People who need Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) are forced into institutions and losing their basic civil rights. The legislation (S.117, H.R.555) builds on the twenty-five years of work that ADAPT has done to end the institutional bias and provide seniors and people with disabilities home and community-based services (HCBS) as an alternative to expensive institutionalization. 

The three day event was highlighted by the 2019 Freedom Day Celebration which was attended by disability rights advocates from around the country.  Senators Bob Casey (D-PA.), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Corey Gardner (R-CO.) were in attendance to show their bipartisan support for the legislation.  In a room filled with disability rights advocates from across the country the Disability Integration Act (S.117) was reintroduced on January 15, 2019 on what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King’s 90^th birthday.  This legislation is an integral piece in the fight for civil rights for people with disabilities.  

The celebration was a sign of hope, but it was also a let advocates know that there is still much work to be done. That is why ADAPT activists went to Capitol Hill to visit our legislators and continue the education that is needed regarding the Disability Integration Act.  

Members of the Tennessee delegation, along with Denver ADAPT, visited Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen’s office and he informed them that he would be signing on in support of the bill.  After a day of hill visits ADAPT demonstrated at the Democratic National Convention headquarters.  

As another ADAPT gathering came to an end I must say that it feels good to have gotten this far, but there is still so much work ahead if the Disability Integration Act is to come to pass.  We must continue to push our elected officials in Tennessee and educate our community about the DIA, because DISABILITY RIGHTS ARE CIVIL RIGHTS!

FREE OUR PEOPLE NOW!