ADA Recognition day
The link above from the Cross Disability Coalition gives times, festivities, sponsors and locations for the Denver Colorado Celebration of the 15th anniversary of the ADA. If you’re local, come by on Sunday July 24th …Me, I’m going to try to be non-homebound that day and network.
SunFun
Zoomed around the Denver Public Library and it’s grounds yesterday (there’s some sort of gardens across the street and the Art Museum. ) My plan is to learn the library and then plow through the parts of the collection that interest me. (Should take about twenty years or so.)
I did have my first Paratransit nightmare. I had about an hour wait after their assigned window to get home. Thankfully it was a sunny quiet day (Rain evidently melts the electric innards of scooters, so I’m told).
On the political side the action to protest the closings of the RSA offices in front of the Department of Education went well, with participants from as far west as Hawaii and unions being a very visible part of the demonstration. “We had over 1,200 participants at the rally by our count…” per Joanne Wilson, via an Email from the Justice for All listserv. Stephen Barr of the Washington Post mentions this figure as well as the lower 400 figure offered by department of Education officials.
The participants at the rally reiterated their concerns about this move being the first of many that would lead to a dismantling of a separate system for helping and hiring the blind and those with other disabilities.
Remembering France
A blog on Brittany (Bretagne) reminds me why I went to France and why I enjoy reading about it…even after 27 years and a loss of a great deal of the language.
More on the RSA closings
Our “friends” at Fox News give us this little gem.
The article supports combining the funding of job programs for abled and disabled clients, but the folks that work in rehabilitation interviewed for the article do explain that changing the funding streams to block grants to the states may result in preference for the easiest to place able bodied workers, funding them ahead of disabled adults in order to meet expectations for the numbers of clients placed.
According to the article, RSA presently places about 215000 clients out of 1.2 million served in jobs.
“The administration is pushing a proposal for the WIA that would offer states the choice of receiving block grants that would incorporate RSA and Department of Labor job-placement funds for both disabled and non-disabled workers. The proposal is controversial and was not in the House reauthorization bill passed in March. It is uncertain whether it will make it into the final Senate legislation.
Wilson said the block grants would be attractive to cash-strapped states, which would likely put more of the money into quick and cheap non-disabled placements at the expense of other programs for the disabled.
“If we cut back funding and mush it in with other generic programs in the system, the adult disabled folks will be left behind,” she said.
Paul Lather, director of Adult Learning and Rehabilitation in the New Hampshire Department of Education, which receives about $10 million in federal funds and helped 1,245 disabled people get jobs last year, said he is worried his staff will dwindle under block granting.
“We would have concerns about the quality of staff and the dedicated resources that would be available to disabled people in terms of employment,” Lather said…”
Joanne Wilson, former head of the RSA will be at the May 26 protest in Washington.
Wish I was there.
Another good principle
found at Goldfish’s blog.
I can think of at least twenty people I need to tell this to, but who will not really ‘hear’ it.
“It’s not my fault I’m ill, but it’s up to me whether I let this ruin my life.”
I am in such agreement with this. After discovering and treating any ilness the mechanics of adapting to it can make the difference between a ruined life and a life fulfilled. (or at least partially on the way to being so). Starting and building these mechanics is the responsibility of the person.
I think each individual gets to define for themselves what “fulfilled” is, too. When you let other people define you or your life in a negative way (i.e. ruined) you’re halfway to where they want to put you.
I’m still defining and redefining physical limits that like to change weekly, so that is a source of frustration.
Midlife And Treachery 
