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.

Memphis Citizens with Disabilities work for community participation

Live, work and play in Memphis

By Christina Clift
On Wednesday, July 18, 2018 members of the Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities met at city hall to discuss how to make Memphis a better place for people with disabilities to live.  During the meeting reports were given by the council’s four committees which include transportation, education and employment, housing and community access, and disability awareness. Each committee provided an update on their progress towards meeting the strategic goals which the council set in August 2017. 

The Transportation committee is chaired by Deborah Carter.  She is a public transit rider and understands the need for improving transportation services as well as its impact on the lives of people with disabilities.  The committee is currently working on ensuring that the Memphis Area Transit Authority complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in regards to making stop announcements on the fixed route.  They are also working on shortening the recertification process for MATA’s paratransit riders. Finally, they are monitoring the community’s complaints regarding the continued capacity constraints when scheduling rides with MATAPlus.  

The Disability Awareness committee chaired by Carlene Leaper, Executive Director of the Arc Midsouth, is working on organizing the 2018 disability awareness summit.  The summit will focus on assistive technology, sports and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.  Demonstrations. A resource fair will provide a variety of venders for attendees to meet and learn about what services they provide.  The summit is scheduled for Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at 3030 Poplar from 10-1:00.  This is an event open to the public and light refreshments will be available.

The education and employment committee is being co-chaired by Tashara Tolbert with UT Knoxville, Lynn Tune, Executive Director at Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Lou Conley a grad student at the U of M and long-time advocate for people with disabilities. The education and employment committee is working on providing ADA training to local employers and encouraging them to hire more people with disabilities.  It also works with programs such as Tiger Life, Project Search, Shelby County Schools, and other educational programs that provide services to students with disabilities.  

The housing committee is chaired by Gary Smith.  He worked for the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Vocational Rehabilitation.  The committee is focusing on inventorying the resources available to assist Memphians with home modifications to make their homes more accessible.  There has also been discussion about how to make homeless shelters accessible for all, so that individuals with disabilities aren’t left out in the heat and cold simply because they are blind or use a mobility device.

Finally, Paula Polite with the city of Memphis stated that money had been set aside in the 2018-19 budget to improve ADA access to 10 local libraries.  Funds have also once again been allocated to complete the city’s ADA transition plan.  The ADA transition plan will examine and evaluate all city divisions for ADA access compliance.  This has been done through gathering community input and meeting with each city division.  The evaluation covers not only physical access but also programmatic access.  When the data has been gathered, it will be prioritized and a recommendation to fix identified issues will be made.  These recommendations will be drawn up and written into the final ADA transition plan which will be presented to the Mayor and City Council. 

If you’d like more information about the MACCD or are interested in joining a committee or council, you can contact Ms. Polite at (901) 636-6746 or via e-mail at: 

paula.polite@memphistn.gov.  

The MACCD needs dedicated individuals with and without disabilities to help us make Memphis a city of choice where people with disabilities can live, work, and play to their fullest potential.  

NCIL Support for the ADA

Disability Rights Advocates to March on Washington Tuesday, July 24

Washington, DC -- On Tuesday, July 24, approximately 1000 people with disabilities, advocates, and allies from across the nation will march to the US Capitol in support of disability rights. Participants will meet at 11th and G Streets NW at 9:30 a.m. and the 1.2 mile March to the Capitol will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. All members of the public and press are encouraged to attend.  

This event will precede the 28th Anniversary of the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. 

The March route will end at the West Front Lawn of the US Capitol, where participants will gather for an empowering Rally for Disability Rights, which will feature Senators, Representatives, and Independent Living and disability rights advocates. Advocates will then make their way to the US Capitol Building to meet with their elected Members of Congress in order to promote NCIL’s Legislative and Advocacy Priorities, which are developed bi-annually by the organization’s membership.  

Some of the priorities advocates will be addressing include funding for America’s Independent Living Program, protecting the ADA from Congressional attack; protecting Medicaid and Home and Community Based Services; and promoting the Disability Integration Act.  

Confirmed Rally Speakers include: Senator Bob Casey (D-PA); Senator Duckworth (D-IL); Representative Gene Green (D-TX); Representative Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI); Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH); Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA); Representative Joe Kennedy (D-MA); Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA); Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI); Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA); House Minority Leader Pelosi (D-CA); Representative Stacey Plaskett (D-VI); Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D-NY); Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA); Representative Dina Titus (D-NV); Representative Juan Vargas (D-CA); Senator Van Hollen (D-MD); Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL); and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). 

The March and Rally for Disability Rights is being organized by the National Council on Independent Living as part of its 2018 Annual Conference on Independent Living, MOBILIZE: Resistance through Action, which will take place July 23-26 at the Grand Hyatt Washington.  

The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. Founded in 1982, NCIL represents thousands, including: individuals with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs), and other organizations that advocate for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities throughout the United States.

Fair Housing must include people with disabilities

Memphis issues often leave people with disabilities without equal access

By Allison Donald
The availability of affordable accessible housing was front and center as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis hosted a panel discussion at the National Civil Rights Museum about the Fair Housing Act 50 years later and its impact going forward. 

In Memphis a two-bedroom apartment on average is about $864.00 dollars.  If you are a person with a disability that relies on Supplemental Security Income benefits as your sole income $735.00 a month you cannot afford to live in a decent apartment in this city.  Also, it may be impossible to meet the rental criteria for the apartment complex which requires 3 times the rent that leaves people with disabilities and individuals with lower incomes out of the housing and rental market as well.

“How are we going to preserve the beloved communities?” Asked David Bowers the Vice President and Mid-Atlantic market leader. “This is the question that is at the center of these new developments that have sprung up in these under-developed and under-performing neighborhoods.”   

The beloved communities are being dismantled by incentivizing its residents to move out with vouchers and forcing those individuals who are renting out, because they can’t afford to live there anymore. 

“Who are we building these new communities for?” Asked Dr. Christopher Herbert a panelist and the managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. “African American, elderly, and the disabled are being moved out of these communities in favor of a white, more affluent population.”

“Only about ten percent of the displaced residents are able to return to their neighborhood,” said Dr. Kathryn Edin a panelist who is a professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, “once redevelopment starts.” 

Dr. Edin points out that the safety nets that are supposed to protect families and individuals who are deemed vulnerable (people with disabilities) are non-existent, due in part to low wages and the fact that policies that have been put in place to protect have not worked.  It has definitely had an effect on the way people with disabilities search for housing in Memphis.  

Often times housing searches are limited to high rises and income based housing which may not be in the most desirable neighborhoods, or kept in the best living conditions.   

As a result of this influx of activity displacement the poor many of those who are often people with disabilities has become a larger issue in cities like Memphis. 

“It is important to understand policy like the Fair Housing Act and how it affects equity in housing and sustainable communities,” said Kalima Rose a panelist and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at PolicyInk stated.  “It is the most crucial task ahead when trying to create more inclusive cities and neighborhoods with resources for transportation, housing, and other amenities that can meet the needs of all its citizens both non-disabled and disabled.”