People with disabilities can have active lives when integrated with others
ADAPT the Disability Rights Activist Group released the findings of a [USA] nationwide survey on the 10 worst states for community services | # 1 [or # 50, you decide] was Mississippi, indicating that "..87% of its long term care funding being spent on nursing homes and other institutions, while only 13% goes for community services."
Citing a huge bias in favor of institutional settings rather than community placment ADAPT members went to Seattle in July in an effort to get some time with the National Governor's Association | Not surprising, the activists were rebuffed | Not only did the NGA refuse to meet with anyone from the group but that "...even before we arrived in Seattle, the NGA sent out a statement about us that not only bears little resemblance to the truth, but actually seeks to undermine our right to freedom of speech" [quote from Barbara Toomer, ADAPT Utah State Organizer]
The Disability Rights group was seeking support for a resolution that would
"...ask the NGA to sponsor and vote in support of the resolution. Along with Medicaid reform, the resolution calls for the NGA to work with the states to implement the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Olmstead vs. L.C. and E.W. which calls for states to move people out of, and divert people from admission to, nursing homes and other institutions so they can live in their own homes and communities with the support they need. It also calls on the NGA to support Medicaid reform that is not based on block grants and capitation of funding."Olmstead vs. L.C was the June 1999 US Supreme Court decison that ruled "...that the unnecessary segregation of individuals with disabilities in institutions may constitute discrimination based on disability..."
Five years later, in spite of overwhelming number of people's opinions to the contrary, the states and our society still disregard this important human rights decision |
MEDICARE provides information on the quality of Nursing Home Care as well as that of Home Health Care agencies across the USA | If those links don't work, try the Medicare main page | The remaining Ten Worst states in ADAPT's included: # 2 Nevada; # 3 Louisiana; # 4 Tennessee; # 5 Illinois; # 6 Georgia [home state to Olmstead vs. LC]; # 7 Alabama; # 8 New Jersey; # 9 Florida; # 10 District of Columbia |
For a related, albeit somewhat tangetial read, check out George W. Bush's pdf.file report of the New Freedom Initative for People with Disabilities; It was penned in 2001, few [if any] of it's lofty goals enacted | We still got another half a year [or 4 and a half, G*D help us!] so maybe it'll happen |
For a related, albeit somewhat tangetial read, check out George W. Bush's pdf.file report of the New Freedom Initative for People with Disabilities; It was penned in 2001, few [if any] of it's lofty goals enacted | We still got another half a year [or 4 and a half, G*D help us!] so maybe it'll happen |
posted by Will Brady @ 03:57
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