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 ADAPT, the
nation’s largest grassroots disability rights organization, went to
Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, with a simple message on Medicaid cuts and
housing – “Don’t target low-income people with
disabilities.”
They left on Sept. 22, having made their point to the
Congressional leadership, the National Governors Association (NGA), officials
at Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Health and Human Services (
Outraged by
Congressional plans to cut $10 billion from the Medicaid budget, on Sept. 19,
104 of the 500 ADAPT activists were arrested after occupying the offices of
Sens. Grassley (RIowa), Reid (D-Nev.) and Frist (RTenn.), and Reps. Pelosi
(D-Calif.), Barton(R-Texas), Hastert (R-Ill.) and Delay (R-Texas). The next
day, all of Congress was able to read about ADAPT’s demands 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.
HUD Secretary
Alphonso Jackson came out of the HUD building to face ADAPT. He committed to
work with them on Section 8 housing voucher implementation after ADAPT appeared
at both his house in Virginia and HUD headquarters in D.C.
 While ADAPT waited for
Jackson, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) handdelivered 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 quick fix that may
provide little, if any, relief to anyone.
The statement said, 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.”
“We are pleased that Secretary Jackson
did what no HUD secretary before him has done, namely, come to us in the
street, outside the HUD fortress, and pledge to work together to improve the
lives of people with disabilities,” said Shona Eakin, Pennsylvania ADAPT
organizer. “We have made real progress in recent years getting people out
of nursing homes using our own ingenuity, perseverance and the Medicaid System
Change Grants. Our biggest challenge remains finding accessible, affordable,
integrated housing for people to move into when they leave the nursing
home.”
I’ve been waiting for a long time for my name to get to the top
of the Section 8 waiting list in Atlanta,” said Susan Edwards, a Georgia
ADAPT member. “Before Katrina, Section 8 told me I was number 100 on the
list.”
“Since Katrina, they told me that I am now number 300, and
unless both my parents die, it will be a long, long time before I get Section
8,” Edwards continued. “I’m really glad that Secretary Jackson
is going to work with ADAPT on voucher implementation for people leaving
nursing homes, but what about me? Will I die before my name gets to the top of
the list and I finally get a chance to have my own home, too?”
Since ADAPT’s visits to both HUD
and HHS, HHS Secretary 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.
The next day,
ADAPT marched 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 ADAPT, promising to fax
their 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.”
“This really is a matter of our
life and death,” said Randy Alexander, Tennessee ADAPT organizer. “A
few months ago, Tennessee Gov. Bredesen drastically cut back TennCare,
including home care services for people who use ventilators. He openly admitted
that he was forcing these people into nursing homes. Just today we got word
that we have suffered the first death of a ventilator user, the first casualty
of Gov. Bredesen’s heartless cuts. Unless Congress acts, acts, the deaths
will continue.”
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