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Another day and the institutional bias in Amerika's long term care system continues.
The frustation is that since 1965, under both Democratic or Republican Administration's
or Congresses, this bias seems unable to be overcome. Yes the nursing home industry has
a strong political lobby and the union AFSCME is a politically well connected force but are these really
the reasons every attempt for reform fail? Is it that it will cost more money?
They use the "woodwork effect" (cockaroach effect) like we will slither all over if we are
allowed to "invade" their environment. The lack of community infrastructure?
Maybe it isn't any of the above. Maybe it is as simple as they just don't want us
in their communities! Mabe disability and aging just make people uncomfortable!
Maybe the public/politicians accepting us as equals brings the reality of their own mortality and the
the diverse nature of humanity to close for comfort. If disabled and older people are equated with
"everyone else" then maybe the "everyone" feel they are devalued. It may be far easier to devalue us!!!!
Just a thought.(10/5/09)
Monday, October 5, 2009
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good stuff! Could I list it as part of the ADAPT Blogswarm Fall Action 2009?
ReplyDeleteCAN’T WE ALL GET TOGETHER?
ReplyDeleteThe concept of “person with a disability” as defined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act has been the philosophical and legal foundation of the disability rights movement for over 35 years. Though we all take pride in our own identities and uniqueness we have tried to build a sense of a disability community built on our common desire for integration into a society that respects and enforces our civil rights.
This sense of one disability community battling discrimination and segration breaks downs when the delivery of services is introduced into the mix. The “community,”like a mirror hitting concrete, splinters into pieces exhibiting the worst aspects of identity politics. I’m a deaf person. I’m a blind person. I’m have a mental health disability. I’m a person with a developmental disability. We even start defining ourselves by our medical diagnosis if it means more service dollars. I have Aids. I have a spinal cord injury. I have autism. MS. MD. CP. etc etc
The Independent Living Movement was an attempt to bridge these differences and though the cross-disability philosophy is promoted, the reality has been that after 30 plus years the IL system is still perceived to be “phys dis” movement.
So what is the answer? First we must recognize it will take time and commitment to change this “identity” funded system. Though I’m an old hippie and like things to change quickly, I’m resolved to an incremental approach. Here are two ideas that would start us on the road to the vision encompassed in the ADA:
1. Amend the Developmental Disabilities Act to be the “Significant Disabilities Act” and change the age of onset from under 22 to under 60. Leave the number of “limitations” the same to avoid the charge that it will cover “everybody” in the disability community. This would effect only the planning dollars in the Act and leave the more controversial ICF-MR funding to a later battle.
2. Expand the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) at the Dept of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Administration on Significant Disabilities. This would be a balance to the current Administration on Aging (AoA) and be a more logical structure to administer aging and disability programs.
I’m not naive to the firestorm these two ideas will create in parts of our community. Obviously more needs to be done in many other areas than is proposed above. However until a real debate about the delivery of services, identity politics and the philosophy of cross-disability is brought up in a public way, we will continue to circle our wagons defending “our services” in our siloed delivery system to the deteriment of us all.
For an Institution and Barrier Free America,
Kafkaesque
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