Robert Martin French

 

We will miss Robert French

Robert Martin French died recently from cancer, he was 70. MCIL, the disability community and all the residents of Memphis will miss his smile. He lived 30 years using a wheelchair fiercely held on to this independence. He was a great role model and friendly voice for the mission of the Center.

Robert loved music and going to live shows at the Shell in Overton Park. He re-learned to drive after becoming a paraplegic. But he taught himself to use a computer and learned to communicate with his family. 

He told others about his time in the hospital, he would recall how he felt when the doctors told him that he was paralyzed. They told him he would never walk again. He had a great attitude and did not give up or give in. He worked to take care of himself and worked to live independently. For the past dozen years Robert lived at St. Peter’s Manor in midtown.

We will miss him.

Unprecedented Opportunities to Achieve the Promise of Olmstead

June 22, 2021

Alison Barkoff, Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging

On June 22, 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Olmstead v L.C., making clear that people with disabilities have a civil right under the Americans with Disabilities Act to live and fully participate in their communities.

In the opinion explaining that decision, the Supreme Court described the harms caused when people with disabilities are denied that right. First, it devalues and stigmatizes disabled people. The Supreme Court stated that it "perpetuates unwarranted assumptions that persons so isolated are incapable of or unworthy of participating in community life.” Second, it deprives people of many things that are important in life. The Court noted that confinement in an institution “severely diminishes the everyday life activities of individuals, including family relations, social contacts, work options, economic independence, educational advancement, and cultural enrichment.”

I have been advocating for the full inclusion of people with disabilities for most of my life and have been involved in Olmstead enforcement activities across the country throughout my career. Although the Supreme Court's words were written more than 20 years ago, they still ring true.  I have seen first-hand the changes in the lives of people when they are given the opportunity – and the supports they need – to live the lives they want in the community. And I have seen how much richer our communities are when everyone is part of them.      

We now have an entire generation that was born since the Olmstead decision; a generation that has always had the right to live, work and participate in their community. But rights are not always realities. Twenty-two years after the Supreme Court’s ruling, there are still far too many people who could – and want to – live in the community, but who are instead living in institutional settings because of a lack of access to the home and community-based services (HCBS) they need in order to do so.

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the fact that institutionalization of people with disabilities is not only a civil rights issue but also literally a matter of life and death. More than one-third of COVID deaths were in nursing homes and other institutions (and disproportionately institutions that predominantly serve people of color). We lost nearly 200,000 wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, and friends in those institutions, and we know many of them were there because they lacked access to HCBS.

COVID-19 has created a national urgency to expand and strengthen our HCBS system, and we have already begun to see progress. For example:

• The American Rescue Plan included an unprecedented investment in states’ HCBS systems, providing a total of $12.7 billion through an increased federal match that can be used to transition people out of institutions, divert admissions, and serve people on waiting lists. This offers an important opportunity for disability and aging stakeholders to engage with their states on priorities for this funding.
• Congress recently reauthorized and expanded eligibility for the Money Follows the Person program, which helps transition people out of nursing homes and other institutions back to their community, as we described in a recent policy brief. ACL is working with our federal partners at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as they expand the program. 
• ACL, CMS and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are collaborating to address one of the biggest barriers to community living: the lack of accessible, affordable integrated housing. We are partnering to connect housing resources to people who are leaving, or at risk of entering, institutions. This collaboration involves strengthening partnerships between state Medicaid and disability agencies, public housing authorities, and the disability and aging networks. This partnership is more important now than ever, as new housing resources have become available through the American Rescue Plan and other COVID-19 funding packages.
• Perhaps the most significant of all new possibilities is President Biden’s commitment to strengthen the caregiving infrastructure, including his proposal for an additional $400 billion for HCBS through the American Jobs Plan. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen and expand HCBS and move closer to making the promise of Olmstead a reality.

Each day at ACL, we work to ensure that all people with disabilities and older adults have the opportunity to live, work and fully participate in their communities. Today, as we celebrate the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision and all we have achieved over the last 22 years, we also recognize – and recommit to – the work that still must be done. We are looking forward to working with people with disabilities, their families, and our networks and partners to seize the unprecedented opportunities before us and to finally realize the true promise of Olmstead.

 

What others are saying about achieving the promise of Olmstead: 

The Justice Department commemorates the anniversary of Olmstead v. L.C. 

The Pandemic and Memphis Students with Disabilities

Virtual Learning shows the gap in education for students with disabilities

By Allison Donald As we come to the end of another school year it is safe to say that parents of children with disabilities in Memphis are glad to be returning to in person learning.  Throughout the year parents have expressed their frustrations with virtual learning due in part to the quality of education their children were receiving and the lack of support parents were offered if their children had complex disabilities that required occupational or physical therapy. 

The virtual learning environment has created a dilemma for parents and most parents did not have the proper support they needed to provide the same level of education their children would have received had they attended school in person. The fear most parents had was that their children would fall further behind their peers.  As a result, most parents of children with disabilities I know were pushing to reopen schools.

“It was a hot mess,” said Jessica Peggs, whose son Isaiah attends the Shrine School, “he barely paid attention to the computer screen.”

The whole virtual learning experience led to frustration and left people wondering why the school district was not better prepared for this circumstance.

Virtual school exposes the continued gap that children with disabilities continue to face in education. As advocates we must continue to push for more equity and inclusion whether it be in person or in a virtual space. Also, we have to identify the issues and hold those education administrators accountable for not ensuring that children receive an inclusive education which is their right under the IDEA. As a community we don’t want all of the strides we have made as a group to be erased.

MCIL continues to work with organizations like Divine Interventions to bridge the gap and inform parents of the vaccine education resources that are available to students with disabilities.  If there are parents who have questions about their child’s rights and responsibilities feel free to us at 901-726-6404.

Vaccine Hotline for People with Disabilities

 HHS Launches Hotline to Improve Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for People with Disabilities 

The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the launch of a first-of-its-kind national hotline to connect people with disabilities to information and services to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is now available to help people with disabilities find vaccination locations in their communities, assist callers with making vaccination appointments, and connect callers to local services – such as accessible transportation – to overcome barriers to vaccination. The hotline also can provide information and resources to answer questions and address concerns about the vaccines and can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation.

DIAL is operated as a collaboration between a consortium of organizations serving people with disabilities and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). The consortium includes:

• Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL),
• Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD),
• Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU),
• National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD),
• National Council on Independent Living (NCIL),
• National Disabilities Rights Network (NDRN), and
• The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies.

This collaboration benefits from the disability networks’ extensive knowledge and expertise in meeting the needs of people with disabilities across the U.S. and n4a’s decades of experience operating the Eldercare Locator, the only federally funded national information and referral resource that supports consumers across the spectrum of issues affecting older Americans. By leveraging these capabilities, ACL was able to launch this critical tool in less than six weeks.

DIAL was created through a partnership between the Administration for Community Living and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help older adults and people with disabilities get COVID-19 vaccines. With support from CDC, ACL also:

• Increased the capacity of the Eldercare Locator to connect older adults, including those who are unable to leave their homes and those who live in underserved communities, to local COVID-19 vaccination resources.
• Issued nearly $93 million in grants to the aging and disability networks in every state and territory to provide critical services to overcome barriers that are preventing millions of those most at-risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19 from receiving vaccines.

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About the Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL)

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) connects callers to information about how to access the COVID-19 vaccine and related supports for people with disabilities. DIAL connects callers to vaccine sites and provides information related to barriers to vaccination by referring callers to local and national disability resources.

acl.gov/dial | 888-677-1199 from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET | DIAL@n4a.org

About the Eldercare Locator

Launched in 1991, the Eldercare Locator is the only national information and referral resource to provide support to consumers across the spectrum of issues affecting older Americans. The Locator was established and is funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living and is administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

eldercare.acl.gov | 800-677-1116 from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET | eldercarelocator@n4a.org

About the Administration for Community Living

The Administration for Community Living was created around the fundamental principle that older adults and people of all ages with disabilities should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their communities. By funding services and supports provided by networks of community-based organizations, and with investments in research, education, and innovation, ACL helps make this principle a reality for millions of Americans.

About the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities strives to advance the health and well-being of our nation’s most vulnerable populations. NCBDDD’s work is broad and far-reaching, and includes four areas of focus: saving babies through surveillance, research, and prevention of birth defects and infant disorders; helping children live to the fullest by understanding developmental disabilities; protecting people by preventing the complications of blood disorders; improving the health of people living with disabilities.