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ADAPT:“NO MORE EXCUSES”:National ADAPT Action in Washington D.C.:(Note: Mike Ervin is a member of Americans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today, a group that works for the civil rights of people with disabilities. This is his account of a recent "action" in Washington, D.C.)
Nobody got arrested at the national ADAPT action held from September 12th through the 15th. That wasn't necessarily by design. Every morning as we lined up in front of the Holiday Inn on C Street, leaders went through the usual routine of asking people one by one if they were willing to get arrested. But it never proved necessary. In fact, the most tense confrontation came during training that culminated in the first ADAPT youth summit, which preceded the action. Ten people between the ages of 18 and 30 were invited to learn about ADAPT history, philosophy and tactics and then put that knowledge into practice. The first target chosen was a Starbucks outlet near the National Mall that had two steps at its entrance. There is an accessible side entrance, but it is unmarked, and the door is often locked. ADAPT demanded that a memo be posted instructing employees to keep the door unlocked during store hours and that a sign be placed on the front door indicating the accessible entryway. When presented with the demands on the sidewalk outside the store, the Sunday morning manager threw up her hands, turned and went back behind the counter. ADAPT's young protesters countered by propping open the front door, chanting loudly and waving homemade signs. My favorite read "STAIRBUCKS SUCKS." Then two protesters began crawling up the stairs, which brought the police to the scene. After a brief standoff, the youth relinquished control of the door and the police went inside to try to broker a settlement. But the manager would not come out. The police managed to get her to yield two business cards, one for a regional manager and one for corporate headquarters in Seattle. The young people retreated and vowed to follow up. The first day of the national action began in typical ADAPT fashion. The crowd of about 400 lined up and slowly marched out single file onto the street, avoiding the sidewalks. As is customary in D.C., the police held back traffic to ease our passage. As we approached the Hyatt Regency Capitol hotel, leaders shouted "Go, go, go!" and everyone moved quickly until the hotel lobby was jammed with chanting, cheering people in wheelchairs. The target was the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association, which was holding its 2006 legislative forum at the hotel. PHADA represents the professional administrators of approximately 1,900 housing authorities throughout the United States. Soon, PHADA Executive Director Timothy G. Kaiser and Policy Analyst Jim Armstrong came out to meet with the leaders. ADAPT demanded that PHADA endorse its Access Across America affordable-housing plan, the centerpiece of which is first-priority designation of thousands of Section 8 housing vouchers for people with disabilities to transition out of institutions. Kaiser and Armstrong agreed to a September 25th meeting with ADAPT in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, about 60 ADAPT members split off from the march at the last minute and stormed into the office of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities with the same demand. CLPHA is composed of PHAs from the 60 largest metropolitan areas, which administer 30 percent of the Section 8 program. With ADAPT members blocking office entrances, CLPHA staff angrily refused to consider any demands. Finally, ADAPT leaders Cassie James and Bob Kafka placed a call to CLPHA Board President Sandra B. Henriquez, administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, who agreed to an October 4th meeting. Back at the Holiday Inn, more ADAPT leaders were meeting with officials from the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. NCPD was established in 1982 to further implement the 1978 Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities, which calls for full inclusion of all persons with disabilities in the church and in society. After the meeting, NCPD Executive Director Janice Benton and board Chair Jerry Freewalt came down to the hotel conference room where the full ADAPT contingent was gathered to announce that NCPD would write a letter supporting the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act (H.R. 910, S 401.), ADAPT's primary federal legislation proposal known as MiCASSA, and send it to all the bill's co-sponsors. Day two was more of the same, with a long, slow march in a steady drizzle, the battle cry of "Go, go, go." and the stampede into the ornate lobby of the Capitol Hilton hotel. To my left was a potted fern and to my right was a mahogany colonnade supporting the mezzanine terrace, from which worried men and women in business suits looked down on the packed lobby. Some of us wore cow costumes to add theater to the chant "WE'RE NOT YOUR CASH COW!" This time, ADAPT demanded a meeting
with America's Health Insurance Plans CEO Karen Ignagni. AHIP, the trade
association for many of the nation's managed-care organizations, was targeted
because as states start handing over long-term-care programs to private
managed-care providers, quality and eligibility standards might suffer. ADAPT
wants private insurers to guarantee that, among other things, people with
disabilities will be offered self-directed community-based services as the
first long-term-care option. After about two hours, ADAPT leader Mike Oxford read over a bullhorn a letter signed by Ignagni agreeing to meet within 30 days. 
The marchers then continued to the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, where people in wheelchairs occupied nearly every square foot of the lobby and spilled out onto the porch and sidewalk outside the entrance. After about an hour, ADAPT received a commitment in writing for a meeting before the end of the year with Ken Mehlman, the RNC chairman. ADAPT wants the RNC to endorse MiCASSA and Access Across America. The next night, at the final large group meeting, it was announced that the youth leaders had received a return call from the office of Jim Alling, president of U.S. operations for Starbucks. According to youth summit organizer Sarah Watkins, the group received an apology and an offer to work with Starbucks' access specialists to address problems at the local store and others in the franchise. For an Update. ******* Mike Ervin is a free-lance writer, advocate and member of ADAPT. Photos: By Tom Olin Copyright © 2006 by ILCHV PLEASE NOTE: PORTIONS OF THIS WEB SITE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION! |
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Copyright © 2006 by ILCHV |
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day-three march was much shorter and wetter, culminating at HUD headquarters.
Below the welcome sign above the front door, a line of stern-looking guards
stood behind yellow police barricade tape. Two ADAPT leaders were allowed to
enter and meet with Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Kim Kendrick. When ADAPT leaders met with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in
May, he agreed to write the nation's Public Housing Authorities, asking them to
designate a number of Section 8 housing vouchers for Medicaid-eligible persons
leaving shelters, nursing homes and other institutions. But the letter was
never sent. Kendrick promised to get the letter out by November 1st.