Farewell Sandi

 Celebrating the Legacy of Sandi Klink: MCIL’s Heart and Executive Director Retires

After an incredible 25 years of dedicated service to the Memphis Center for Independent Living, now Disability CONNECTION Midsouth, Executive Director Sandi Klink is retiring. Her leadership has shaped the organization into a cornerstone of the Memphis disability community, advocating for independence, accessibility, and equal rights for people with disabilities. As she steps down, her legacy of activism, compassion, and perseverance leaves an indelible mark on the city and beyond.

For 25 years, Sandi Klink has been the heart of MCIL, leading the organization with a pragmatic Southern charm and an unyielding passion for justice. Known for her no-nonsense approach and ability to get things done, Sandi wasn’t just the Executive Director—she was a listener, an advocate, and a problem-solver who always placed the needs of the disability community first. Whether negotiating funding or tackling public transit, Sandi’s leadership was guided by a vision of independence for all. Sandi was the heart and soul of the organization.

Sandi and the Center have played a pivotal role in advocating for and improving curb ramps, accessible sidewalks, and paratransit services throughout the city. She personally with her direct style, yet soft approach has built and strengthened partnerships with local, state and national disability organizations, amplifying the voices of those with disabilities. She oversaw the Center’s reach into Fair Housing for people with disabilities so that our community was not left out. Mostly for thousands of Memphians with disabilities, she has enhanced independent living skills and peer support, creating long-term impact for the community. Often one person at a time.

One of Sandi’s most defining moments came during her behind-the-scenes support at the ADAPT actions. Sandi quietly delivered hundreds of hamburgers to sustain ADAPT activists all over the United States. During the long takeover of the Tennessee Governor’s office, she made sure that MCIL continued to run smoothly. She didn’t grandstand, but without her dedicated support, the work simply would not get done. The thing about her dedication and support behind-the-scenes is just that now it is hard to express just how thankful and helpful Sandi has been to us all. 

Sandi’s influence has extended far beyond the walls of MCIL. Her tireless dedication has been felt throughout Memphis, across Tennessee and throughout the US where her quiet but effective activism ensured that people with disabilities had a voice in critical decisions. She was never one to seek the spotlight, but at the Statewide Independent Living Council and other necessary and glamourless jobs she took charge and did the important work.

From delivering meals to activists to advocating for better policies, Sandi’s work has touched countless lives. Her steady hand and fierce commitment have ensured that Disability CONNECTION Midsouth remains a beacon of support for the disability community.

We hope that Sandi does find time for some personal traveling—specifically, visiting New Orleans, a city known for its vibrant culture and history. Of course, we have her volunteering on too many projects now for her to leave. But, we hope that this marks a new chapter for a woman who has given so much of herself to the people of Memphis and beyond.

Though Sandi’s retirement marks the end of an era, her influence will be felt for years to come. Disability CONNECTION is poised to continue her work, building on the foundations she laid and continuing the fight for accessibility and independence. The organization’s future remains bright thanks to the tireless efforts and the values she instilled over her 25 years of leadership.

Thank You, Sandi!

As we bid farewell to Sandi Klink in her role as Executive Director, we offer our deepest gratitude for her 25 years of service. Her leadership, compassion, and vision have shaped Disability CONNECTION and the people today and over the past 25 years. Sandi’s legacy of advocacy will continue to inspire the work we do, and we wish her all the best as she embarks on her next adventure.

Is Independent Living still Revolutionary?

Disability Connection, Memphis’ Center for Independent Living, participates in a national discussion.

By Tim Wheat

This week the National Council on Independent Living and the IL-NET, the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Independent Living had a discussion about getting back to the movement. They wondered if the innovative Independent Living philosophy has stagnated and is not current to people with disabilities. Disability Connection staff, peers and board members participated in the discussion. 

What do you think about Independent Living in our community?

What is a CIL?

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) play a crucial role in empowering people with disabilities to lead autonomous lives and actively participate in their communities. As community-based, non-residential organizations, CILs advocate for disability rights, provide essential resources, and offer services that promote independence. In Memphis, Tennessee, Disability Connection Midsouth, Memphis’ Center for Independent Living lives this mission. The Center serves as a lifeline for individuals seeking to take control of their lives while navigating a system that often falls short on accessibility and inclusion.

At its core, the purpose of CILs is rooted in the disability rights movement’s core philosophy: Nothing about us without us! This means that people with disabilities should not only have a say in the policies that affect their lives but also be equipped with the tools to make their own choices. CILs provide advocacy, peer support, independent living skills training, and information and referrals—all designed to help individuals transition from institutions to independent living or to avoid institutionalization in the first place.

Advocacy and Action in Memphis

One of the critical roles of the Center is ensuring that the city's infrastructure meets the needs of all its residents. From advocating for curb ramps and accessible sidewalks to pushing for better paratransit services, MCIL serves as the voice for people with disabilities.

“Accessibility is not a privilege; it is a civil right,” said Deborah Cunningham, the past Director of the Memphis Center for Independent Living. “Without accessible spaces, our community is cut off from employment, education, and simply living their lives.”

Beyond physical accessibility, Disability Connection is instrumental in advocating for policies that ensure fair housing, employment opportunities, and educational access. The organization works closely with local government agencies and other nonprofits to shape policies that uphold the rights of people with disabilities.

Fostering Independent Living Skills

Disability Connection Midsouth is not limited to systemic advocacy; the center also offers hands-on support through independent living skills training. This involves helping individuals develop the practical skills needed to live on their own, manage their finances, or advocate for themselves in medical or legal settings. 

The center also focuses on peer support, recognizing the value of shared experiences. People with disabilities who have navigated similar challenges serve as mentors, helping others realize their potential and break through barriers.

A Community of Inclusion

Ultimately, the purpose of Centers for Independent Living like Disability Connection is to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not isolated or excluded from society. This year the Center hopes foster a sense of community, where people can come together, advocate for their rights, and support one another in their journeys toward independence. In Memphis, this mission is particularly urgent, given the city’s infrastructure challenges, ongoing efforts to improve accessibility and residents struggle with transportation. 

By continuing to advocate, educate, and unite the disability community, Disability Connection Midsouth plays a critical role in creating a Memphis where people with disabilities have the freedom to live fully and independently.

What’s In a Name

A Change is Gonna Come

By Christina Clift

The Memphis Center for Independent Living has been a part of the community since its founding in 1985. Since then, we have worked to facilitate the full integration of people with disabilities into every aspect of community life. But our mission has not been achieved with physical, attitudinal, and socio-economic barriers preventing people with disabilities from reaching their fullest potential. So, we still have work to do.

Unfortunately, many people are under a mistaken belief that the Memphis Center for Independent Living (MCIL) provides housing. That could not be further from the truth. Although we can assist consumers to locate housing, we are prohibited by federal law to own housing. 

When MCIL was founded, we believed that our name would reflect who we are. A center that served the city of Memphis using the Independent Living philosophy which simply means that people with disabilities are the best experts about their needs, be involved in making decisions, and organize for political power. After all, “independent living” had not become a buzz word back then. Now, you see “independent living” everywhere, especially when talking about housing for seniors.

In 2020 just before the pandemic began MCIL embarked on what became a two and a half year strategic planning process. Several changes are targeted to take disability access and our non-profit recognition to the next level. Rebranding our virtual agency is the first piece of a capacity building plan to increase visibility, services, staffing, and financial security. 

A new revitalized mission has started the groundwork to Advocate, Educate and Unite Communities. Over the next months we will be working on our new name and logo. We want the input of the people we serve to help us. 

On June 1st we will begin a contest to create a name that will encompass this organizations true value, service, cross-disability, consumer-directed, community leadership and contributions. A lot to ask from one name but only one piece of a long-needed rebranding campaign. 

Do you have an exciting and innovative idea for our name? 

You can submit your idea by visiting https://forms.gle/nG1JFjNgGcG5V1fH9. 

We look forward to reading your ideas and we thank you for your participation to ensure that MCIL’s new brand is developed using the Independent Living Philosophy.

Fair Housing in Memphis

West Tennessee Fair Housing Conference

The National Civil Rights Museum
April 11, 2019

By Tim Wheat
Beverly Watts, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, welcomed the group of about 120 people for the conference. She said that Memphis was the epicenter of the Fair Housing movement 51 years ago when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot at the Lorraine Motel, now the NCRM. Also welcoming were Harrison McGiver of the Memphis Area Legal Services, Patrice Thomas from Mayor Lee Harris’ office and Terri Freeman the President of the National Civil Rights Museum.

The Conference got a proclamation from the City of Memphis and the state of Tennessee. The state proclamation updated the language of the Fair Housing Act to “disability,” but the City’s proclamation stated: Handicap. MCIL will have to send a letter to Mayor Strickland and try to get him to update the language in the future. The odd thing is that while the Fair Housing Amendment Act passed in 1998 uses the term handicap many times, just two years later writing the Americans with Disabilities Act, Congress did not use the word handicap once.

The first speaker was Freda Turner of the Memphis Area Legal Services. She spoke about local case US v. Fairfax Manor.  After a history and coverage of the Fair Housing Amendments Act, that requires landlords to provide reasonable accommodations, Ms. Turner explained the facts of the case.

The landlord refused to allow the plaintiffs to move a parking barrier that restricted the accessible route. After making written requests for reasonable accommodation and offering to remove the parking barrier at their own expense, the landlord still refused. In the end, the landlord had to pay sixty-five dollars to remove the parking barrier that the plaintiffs had offered to move. The Landlord paid an additional $52,000.00 in fees and penalties.


“Most discrimination,” concluded Freda Turner, “is illogical and impractical.”

Juanita Hamilton the manager of the City of Memphis’ Down payment Assistance Program facilitated the next panel discussion on Lending and Home Ownership. She told the audience that there was currently a Consumer Survey to get community feedback. A form is available from the THDA website: http://thda.org 

“Eighty percent of the fair housing complaints in Tennessee wer related to disability,” said Ms. Hamilton. “Eighty percent is a pretty significant number.”

Keith Turbett, the Community Development Manager of First Tennessee Bank noted that there is less minority home ownership now than when discrimination was legal. Mr. Turbett spoke of the changing face of banks that may have no physical presence and the need for move mixed-use and mixed-income developments. The panel also said that the Consolidated Plan was being made now and student debt was a crushing problem nationally and in Memphis.

Carlos Segueda of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development spoke following the panel to give an update on HUD. He said that they average 685 complaints a month over his region and that while Tennessee is very similar to national trends, over sixty percent of the complaints relate to disability, higher than the national average. He said that the overall number of Fair Housing complaints is down and he thought that meant that we were getting down to “real discrimination.”

Sabrina Hooper the Deputy Director for the Tennessee Human Rights Commission said that on the state level they had received 1,500 complaints, accepted about 500 and closed 126. She said that although the percentage of disability complaints was not as high as the Region, she said disability complaints have trended up from 2017 53% to 57% in 2018.

Lisa Rice, President of the National Fair Housing Alliance was the keynote speaker for the conference. Her topic was Weaponized Data: how IT Restricts Access and Harms Communities. Ms Rice explained how data is used to create an inequitable system and how apartment pricing can be controlled by data to one day be $1,000, but the next day have increased to $1,300.

Lisa Rice said that data and technology was not innocuous. She explained how she felt that technology was helping to replace human bias with algorithmic bias. A computer can systematize discrimination in the credit market. She explained how the title loan industry has a business model that pushes customers to the brink of delinquency.


The title loan industry is over-represented in minority communities and loans are not well regulated, while traditional bank loans are heavily regulated. Most significantly, people who pay toward their title loans do not get positive reports to credit reporting agencies, they only get negative reports when they do not pay, while traditional loans give positive reports when they are paid. Following the keynote address, Mike Ellis of the Veterans Affairs Officer for Shelby county about housing resources.

The afternoon panel consisted of Milandria King of the Memphis Fair housing Center, Vanessa Bullock of the Fair Housing Project and Ben Sissman an attorney noted for his pro bono work. Ms. King gave the audience an overview of the Universal Rental landlord Tenant Act and Ms. Bullock covered security deposits and maintenance.

Mr. Sissman seemed to speak extemporaneously. He said that the system costs too much for regular people to participate. It just is not cost-effective to try to hire an attorney to recover deposits. The system is not naturally available to people that need it and would benefit from fair housing issues. In making his point Mr. Sissman said that people should always keep a copy of agreements, mailing communication first-class is acceptable, there is no requirement for Certified mail, and Shelby County almost always accepts a pauper’s oath. Professor Demetria Frank of the University of Memphis Law School was the final speaker for the Conference. She told about how social justice relates to someone’s residence.

MCIL annual federal report

Analysis of the MCIL annual “704 Report”

MCIL has made progress this year despite the move. Most significantly, with the loss pass-through funds and state program funds, the overall annual report will show a healthy growth of consumers despite stagnant funds for Independent Living services.

First is the overall growth rate of consumers. We have reported in previous years a slow decline, however; this year, the Center shows a sharp turn-around in the number of consumers served. We have over 70% increase over the past reporting year 2016 - 2017, and about 20% more than the reporting year before that of 2015 - 2016. Our overall total of consumer served this reporting year is about 35% lower than the high of 2012 - 2013.

MCIL has increased the number of consumers served, the number of new consumers and the rate of consumers closed. The chart shows not only the total number of consumers served, but it shows the number of “carry-over consumers.” It is important to continue to show a decrease in the number of “carry-over consumers,” so that the Center does not report on consumers that are not meeting their goals or have stagnated.

I do not believe our growth will continue at this pace, but the growth, matched with decreased carry-over is a good sign. I suspect that we will have more closed consumers in the coming reporting year and that services will level off as staff improves on data reporting, Independent Living plans, and we reach our staff capacity of service.


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The above chart shows the change in Center funding over the past six years. State and fee-for service are the largest drops over the past two years, but also notice that the Part C funding has not remained constant and dropped over the past reporting period.




Each year we report on the racial makeup of the consumers that MCIL serves. This year shows little difference from last in the racial break-down of our community.





This chart, I believe shows a healthy consistency in the types of disabilities over the past three reporting periods. I believe there is a “smoothing out” of the overall trend as MCIL works to reach out to people with all types of disabilities in our community. Still, there is a noticeable dip in our service to people with hearing disabilities and we can improve in our reporting of people with multiple disabilities. I am proud that we do not use the “other” category even though it shows up in our federal report.




Finally, I have set aside the break-down of the age of our consumers. It is important to note that the majority of MCIL consumers, nearly two-thirds (61.8%), are in the “working age” category. This area was the focus of the Independent Living from its roots in Vocational Rehabilitation. Still, almost 30% of consumers are over 60 and we have had a small increase in the percentage of young consumers of transition age. 

Notes on this year's CIL Program Project Performance Report

You may not wish to read the entire "MCIL 704 Report," but the Center has a history of always making this report public. Each year the Program Directer does some analysis on the report and uses the annual numbers to help the Executive Director and Board of Directors to guide MCIL in effectively working to accomplish our mission. 

Following are notes and highlights from the report. There is a link to the MCIL Program Project Performance Report at the end of this blog.

• This year you will find photos and active links in the report. The Center has long felt that communication often lacks connection and too often our community relies on paperwork and forms that have been passed-down for generations without a real evaluation of their impact and effectiveness. We hope that MCIL will not only provide you with written information, but also visual, video, description and audio information in accessible and usable formats. I hope that we can provide our community and the Memphis public with information that reflects our passion for equality and dedication to civil rights.
• After four years of decline, this year MCIL had an increase in the number of consumers, an increase in the number of consumers served, an increase in the number of new consumers.
• We increased the number of consumers closed. The Program Director reports that this is a healthy trend. One reason for the decline in consumers over the past four years is the stagnation of many of the Consumer Service Records. The Center was not fastidious in "closing consumers" so many remained in the database while they were not actively pursuing goals. 
• MCIL showed an increase in service provision this year, while still dealing with the large loss of overall funding.
• The type of disability shows a small "leveling off." MCIL serves people with all types of disabilities, but in the past we have had an overwhelming number of people with physical disabilities compared to other types of disabilities. Our largest service population is still people with physical disabilities, but this year we show a trend of serving a wider variety and thus physical disability is a smaller overall percentage.
• While in the past MCIL reported any consumer contact as an "Information and Referral," in this 704 we make it a point to only report on I&R that we follow-up on. MCIL believes that information can be the most powerful tool of consumers; however, it is also critical that they get good information and we distinguish between "Information and Referral to a Consumer," and I&R to the public or non-consumers. By making and tracking this distinction, MCIL is more responsive to the individual goals of people with disabilities who ask us for information.
• Please read the success story on pages 26 - 27.
• Our new workplan (also on the web) is part of this report.

The link to the MCIL Program Project Performance Report for FY 2017.

Photos from the Annual MCIL Holiday Party

Photos from the Annual MCIL Holiday Party

 

MCIL is Moving

After 33 years in Midtown the Memphis Center for Independent Living is moving. Our mission is to facilitate the full integration of persons with disabilities into all aspects of community life and it will remain our motivation and passion.

“The staff is excited about the move,” said Sandi Klink the Executive Director of MCIL, “and I am excited about the new location and the new opportunities for the Center.”

Since 1985 MCIL has been the center of a network of action, information, and resources to assist people with disabilities to conquer the barriers, overcome isolation and end dependency of people with disabilities. MCIL encourages people with disabilities to work with staff and peers with disabilities to build a new accessible welcoming community.

MCIL is moving this week 810 Clark Tower, 5100 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38137.

“The Center began in midtown Memphis and has long been associated with the area,” said Tim Wheat the Program Director. “The Center is not moving out of midtown as much as MCIL is working to embrace all of Shelby county and looking to serve more of the Midsouth. We will miss our neighbors but we hope to make new friends and reach more people with disabilities looking for independence.”

MCIL has a long history of advocacy for citizens with disabilities and is mostly known for support for accessible transportation, fair housing and promoting the Americans with Disabilities Act. MCIL has worked to provide people with disabilities options to living in facilities and institutions and offers a transition program to assist people to live in their own home rather than an expensive institution.

People with disabilities are a powerful and significant part of our community, yet; as a group, our social roles have been marginalized by bigotry, discrimination, poverty, isolation, dependency and pity. Americans with disabilities have not had access to transportation, housing and employment that other citizens have enjoyed; MCIL will change that.

The office on Madison will be closed October 1, but MCIL will still be available on the phone 901-726-6404 and on web www.mcil.org. Tuesday, October 9 MCIL plans to have moved operations to Suite 810 at Clark Tower and the Center will hold our annual silent auction and open house there on December 7, 2018.

Change is Coming

MCIL invited friends and collaborators into the office at 1633 Madison Avenue for one last meal and a public forum of changes that are coming. The message was that MCIL was still focused on our mission to fully integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of community life, but we were going to change locations. MCIL also had to note that there were many other changes going on and the MCIL staff were dedicated to continue to advocate for people with disabilities.

The highlight of the meeting was when individuals gave unscripted testimony about what all MCIL had given to them. It was an unplanned outpouring of love and support that was touching. It felt like people were saying goodbye, but Sandi Klink was able to reinforce the message that MCIL was keeping with the mission.

The Executive Director of MCIL, Sandi, gave a clear outline of the changes that people could expect from MCIL and the things that were changing. She also balanced her presentation with a clear statement that the mission and passion of MCIL were not changing and people can expect that we will continue to assertively advocate for independence and equality.

The Center also wished to confirm our continued support for the Memphis 3.0 process and the contemplative changes that Memphis can expect. Tim Wheat, the Program Director, facilitated a discussion on questions about the ADA that may impact the upcoming Transition Plan and the focus of MCIL.

People with disabilities had a lot to say about the future of the ADA in Memphis. MCIL kept a brief summary of the questions and answers:

1. Tell us all about a time when the ADA has made a difference in your life? One person said that the ADA made a difference everyday, others mentioned curb-ramps from MCIL’s lawsuit Uttilla v. Memphis, crossing signals and ramps.
   
2. Right now, Memphis 3.0 is planning for the future of Memphis, where do you see people with disabilities in our city in 5 years and in 30 years? Some people saw good things for the future and some saw problems. People wanted employment to change and they saw many people leaving the city.
   
3. What do you find as the most overlooked protection of the ADA? There were a lot of things and it is not fully discussed here, but a short list would be: accommodations, access to the city, employment, transportation, information and housing.
   
4. What do you feel are the most important changes for Memphis to consider when the City creates its ADA Transition Plan? The ability to come together and have our voices heard, the need to work together, for each of us to know more about the ADA and teach others, have workshops on the ADA and MATA to understand the ADA.
   
5. What do you think MCIL can do to help enforce the Civil Rights protections of the ADA? Work with MATA, educate people about accessibility and closed captioning for all media.
   
6. Using the ADA as a yardstick, how does Memphis measure in employment, public access, government services and communication? The group agreed that Memphis was poor in access, some gave good examples such as: Chattanooga, Denver, Vegas, Nashville, Houston and Florida.
   
7. What do you find is the most important Civil Rights protection for you? ADA employment protections, equality and government services, access protections to public accommodations, communication, the Fair Housing Amendment Act or other civil rights protections? Housing and denial of services.
   
8. Employment of people with disabilities has stayed much the same as it was before the ADA, what could make the biggest impact in getting more people with disabilities into the workforce? People answered that advocacy and knowledge of employers about how to accommodate and integrate employees with disabilities would be important. They also suggested MCIL should train employers to see the ability not the liability. They also added sensitivity training.
   
9. Do you know any examples of the ADA being abused or disability rights being extended too far? The group did have some examples of abuse like service animals, nursing home services and online applications.
   
10. What do you see locally as the greatest success of the ADA? People mentioned audible crossing signals the crosstown concourse as a great example of accessibility if improvements in areas of town in curb ramps and the yellow marks on sidewalks.

Beginning October 1 MCIL will be moving to 5100 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN it in the clock tower building in East Memphis. Sandy showed some pictures of the new office and invited everyone to come and visit us after the move.

One Call, One Click

Innovate Memphis One Call, One Click Design Workshop 1

Innovate Memphis with the Consilience Group, held the first Workshop in their design of the new Memphis One Call, One Click program.

OBJECTIVE: Mobility management to better connect seniors and citizens with disabilities to transportation choices to access healthcare and other wellness services.

Innovate Memphis has used a “Human Services Value Curve” to make connections and collaborate with agencies. The mission of the group will be to integrate services to be more efficient and effective. The two end goals of the human services value curve are efficiency a one pole, and effectiveness at the other. The overall idea is to move from intervention into problems with solutions to preventing problems from occurring.

There were 15 people at the workshop from a variety of Memphis agencies. Kevin and Laura from the Memphis Fire Department. Meredith of Consilience along with Jenessa and Sarah-Beth. Natalia Logan-Robinson and Susan Carlson of Innovate Memphis were the hosts. Cynthia McKinney joined via video from Chattanooga.

Innovate Memphis and the Consilience Group will design a program, create a partner network with a letter of understanding and create a sustainable solution to non-emergency medical transportation in Memphis. They will create a solution that is:

1. Person Centered
2. Research based
3. Collaborative and
4. Results focused

Jenessa pointed out that Atlanta and San Diego both have a on call, one click system now. She pointed out that in researching that MCIL had provided a “really wonderful,” focus group.

The problem is most chronic in the overuse of Emergency Medical Services. Their figures show that 14% of users have disabilities and that 20% of the calls are not emergencies. Jenessa also found that 23% of 211 calls were for medical transportation and that most of those needs are not met.

Some other problems are that door-to-door services have a long wait, that drivers do not provide needed services along with transportation and that transportation is necessary for non-medical to prevent isolation, socialization and to prevent poor health.

Kevin of the MFD pointed out that he has a list of 370 people who call 911 more than three times a week. Their major need is transportation to primary care. There are also needs for transportation, mental health and substance abuse.

One call, one click sees the general need as 1. Information and referral of all local transportation resources. 2. Trip planning pointed at the individual that needs the service. 3. Scheduling and payment for the trip. 4. Brokerage to coordinate the resources and payment.

The target for a pilot program is February 2019.

The next design session will be Workshop 2 on September 12, and the Final Deliverables meeting on October 31.

MCIL Celebrates the ADA

Disability Rights Law was signed July 26, 1990

Today is the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the Benjamin Hooks Public Library in Memphis Tennessee the Memphis center for Independent Living, Disability Rights Tennessee, Clovernook and the Arc of the Mid-South got together to celebrate the disability rights law.

Carlene Leaper of the Arc Welcomed everyone. She reminded us about life in 1989, life before the American with Disabilities Act. Carlene mentioned people who could be told to leave a restaurant because they had a service animal and people that could not get into many places in their neighborhood.  But today we have in America with Disabilities Act and many of those places are open to all of us today.

But, Ms. Leaper recognized that there still was work to be done.

Christina Clift asked the crowd how the ADA had help people get to the celebration today. The audience responded with MATAplus, parking and the accessible door. Christina went on to explain the ADA and tell us about what the different titles covered in our civil rights.

Christina also told about her experience going to Kroger. She would call Uber get the ride and she used an app to have the groceries she wanted selected and bagged before she arrived. Christina said she wasn't an expert on the ADA, but, her main point was that we must continue to fight for our civil rights.

Tim Redd, a former staff member at the Memphis Center for Independent Living told about his life and a little about his journey as a person with a disability.

“If I could have a shot,” said Tim, “anytime someone said I was an inspiration or motivation for them, I would be really, really drunk.”

Tim told about the day at doctor told him that he had type 2 diabetes. The doctor thought he would have to take insulin the rest of his life. But Tim didn't tell the doctor when he read about diabetes diet and he went to a gym. Tim said at the gym it was the first time the trainer had never worked with a person who used a wheelchair. Tim exercised and change how he ate. Tim professed everyone he had lost 40 pounds and then he no longer has diabetes.

Tim told about barriers that are still in the community. He told about his experience joining ADAPT and working for civil rights for people with disabilities. Tim talked about his introduction to disability rights activists using non-violence and civil disobedience to raise hell in Washington DC. He told everybody why they should support the Disability Integration Act.

There were also speakers who spoke about working with a disability, living with a disability, playing with a disability and faith groups. Carlene leaper followed by telling a personal story and suggesting that 28 years from now we all will note the progress of the ADA.

The celebration closed with a lunch for everyone and cake.

Freedom from Fear Part 1

By Sheila Patrick

I will be the gladest thing under the sun.
I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds with quiet eyes
Watch the wind bow down the grass
and the grass rise

And when the lights begin to show
up from the town
I will mark which must be mine
And then start down 
Edna St, Vincent Millay
Afternoon on a Hill

I am here to tell a story about my late husband, Louis Patrick, and about a political movement and organization that was very important to him and has become very important to me as well.
 

In 1950, when he was three years old, Louis contracted polio, also called infantile paralysis. In the first half of the twentieth century there were a number of epidemic waves of this disease. The worst and final wave of American cases was in 1952, two years after Louis contracted polio. 
 
Because the Salk and Sabin vaccines then immunized most American children and almost eliminated polio from the world, the numbers of survivors of polio are dwindling today, but while they were still a large population, many of that group led the disability rights movement in the sixties and later the independent living movement that caught fire in the eighties. 

Other people with disabilities also led in these developments, especially veterans of the Second World War, but the polio group was certainly a significant factor.  As I got to know Louis in the sixties, I noticed that many survivors of polio viewed obstacles to their mobility as solvable puzzles, rather than insuperable limitations. 
 
I like to think that part of the reason for this attitude was the example set by a very great man who contracted polio as an adult, a man my husband and I both admired very much even though he died before we were born. That man, of course, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only president elected four times, and by whose achievements all subsequent presidents have been measured, and, in my view, found wanting, including great expectations for a new president’s first hundred days.
 

After FDR died, a Constitutional Amendment prevented anyone else from being elected more than twice, although it is unlikely that many of FDR’s successors could have achieved such a thing anyway, any more than they have met the standard of the Hundred Days.
 
FDR had been to the manor born and led a charmed life, with a promising political career, until 1921 when he became ill after visiting a Boy Scout camp. He never regained the use of his legs and might have spent the rest of his life as a secluded invalid except for his wife Eleanor, who supported, and may have even insisted on his return to politics.
 
To regain his strength as well as his morale, Franklin bought and refurbished a dilapidated resort in Warm Springs, Georgia and turned it into the first major institution for the treatment of infantile paralysis. I think the fact that most of the other residents at Warm Springs were children had a lot to do with FDR regaining his customary buoyant good spirits. At Warm Springs, FDR learned all he could about polio, developing new forms of treatment, a new design for crutches, and a system of hand controls that made it possible for him to enjoy driving his own car.
 
In 1928, just before the Great Depression threw the whole nation into shock, he officially re-entered political life, ran successfully for the office of governor of New York and then, in 1932, was elected for the first time as president. His first two administrations were consumed with addressing the Great Depression and the remainder of his presidency was spent in the effort to defeat fascism and forge a new international world order.
 
Both of these challenges were massive. Earlier presidents had despaired of the possibility of reversing economic catastrophe or breaking the pattern of stumbling from debacle to debacle in a world with appallingly and increasingly destructive military technology. FDR, however, sought experimental approaches to these intractable problems and was more successful than anyone thought possible.
 

At his inauguration, FDR told the nation that the main obstacle to recovery from the depression was fear itself, the panic and despair that made most people afraid to spend money or hire people or start businesses. In 1941, just before the US became officially involved in the war against fascism, FDR gave a speech that listed Four Freedoms as the essence of a civilized world, ideals he believed that even the most isolationist, America First citizens would consider worth fighting for: Freedom of Speech and Religion and Freedom from Want and Fear.
 
The first two of the Four Freedoms were already embraced with pride by most Americans. Freedom from Want or destitution was less traditional, since Americans had always thought that poverty was a personal fault. The Depression taught a lot of Americans, at least temporarily, that it was irrational to blame the poor for poverty, that it could strike anyone, and that economic security might be a civil right.
 
Freedom from Fear, however was something new for Americans to embrace. In that speech, FDR seems to have been referring, primarily, to bringing an end to international military aggression, but he  also knew that the spread of fascism had brought with it the brute politics of exterminating hatred, a fanatical program to rid the world of all people who did not fit the fascist ideal of normal. He also knew well that, for people with disabilities, the first obstacle to living fully was fear in all its manifestations, one’s own fear of risk and the fear that other people felt toward people with disabilities.
 
For generations, families had often kept relatives with disabilities secret or at least out of sight, as a genealogical defect, a source of social stigma. People who did not have disabilities also expected to be spared the sight of those who did, and this irrational dread of seeing or being seen was among the most serious barriers to full participation of people with disabilities in their own communities.
 
I think it can be safely said that no one is more visible than a president of the United States. The privileged life that FDR had led gave him a powerful self-confidence, but even he went through a period of mourning for his old self when he first loss the use of his legs. 
 
Even though he refrained from drawing undue attention to his disability, most people, especially in Congress and the press, were well aware of FDR’s condition. Certainly, with such an example, it would be really difficult for polio survivors to see themselves as helpless. When Washington D.C. finally got around to creating an FDR memorial, disability rights advocates protested that none of the sculptures showed him in a wheel chair, which would help dispel the stigma of disability.
 

I met and married Louis in 1968, a year of terrible shocks that included assassinations as well as escalation of both the war in Vietnam and the opposition to it. For us, though, it was a time of great exhilaration for the explosion of creativity around us and, more importantly, for the daring and righteousness of the modern Civil Rights movement, the people who risked their lives to overcome segregation and racism and those political leaders who worked with them to make the country more just and democratic, even in the face of fierce and often violent resistance to these changes.
 
Louis and I were very happy, playing and taking turns going to work and school. One evening Louis remarked that getting married had been very good for him, because it gave him his freedom. Nothing ever pleased me more than to hear that. When I was growing up, men often talked about marriage as a loss of freedom and spoke of their wives as “the old ball and chain” among other nasty expressions.
 
This got me to thinking about freedom, that it is more than just the absence of restraints, more than just being left alone. It also means feeling that you can take risks and explore life because you have an ally who will stand by you, someone who wants your life to be richer and not poorer, who believes as much as you do that barriers must be broken and that engagement in and enjoyment of the world is a sacred right.
 
Sometimes that ally can be another person, but sometimes it can be the government. The term Civil Rights in fact refers to rights that can only be enjoyed by those who live under an effective government that can secure, to use Thomas Jefferson’s phrase, those inalienable rights that may exist in theory but need a means of enforcement to exist in practice. 
 
FDR had understood that too. The jobs programs of the New Deal and the Social Security Act gave many Americans a degree of economic independence, even if they did not entirely cure the Depression. As one journalist put it, FDR may not have put us on our feet, but he kept us off our knees. Later politicians in the liberal tradition set by FDR enacted laws and created government agencies to expand and protect other Civil Rights, such as being recognized as a member of the public, with access to all amenities purported to be available to the public.
 
A series of Supreme Court decisions also expanded that tradition. People who preferred to continue excluding minorities and other groups they feared or disliked grumbled about “big government” and the loss of their privilege to discriminate, and sometimes the laws and agencies intended to enforce Civil Rights were and still are subverted by officials willing to accommodate those complaints. Even with laws and court decisions, we have learned, it is still necessary to have flesh and blood allies, living human beings determined to make and keep access to the full range of life a reality.