Editor's Column
by
Tim Benjamin
The second natural disaster
in a month hit the gulf coast in September. The devastation, as
we all know, was extraordinary. During hurricane Katrina the mainstream
media used pictures of people with disabilities and seniors but
did not focus much on their real challenges. It seemed to me that
most of the news media initially focused on the looters and on
the outstanding efforts of police, Coast Guard and other rescue
units in plucking people off roofs of flooded houses. And then began
the blame game. Then, with hurricane Rita, fiascos happened again.
This time more people were evacuated but the roads were not capable
of moving traffic and the gas stations were not supplied with needed
gasoline. And, again the blame game; why wasn’t there enough
gas for everyone, why weren’t sufficient evaluation routes
available? In both events, some of the painful and deadly effects
on seniors and people with disabilities were shown on mainstream
media.
We received a letter addressing
some major issues about the hurricanes and their aftermath.
What are your thoughts about the effects of these disasters on people
with disabilities? Let us
know.
The Hmong community is growing and with that growth the number of
people with disabilities who are new to Minnesota is increasing as
well. This month we highlight some of the cultural differences these
new Minnesotans encounter, and we look at the needs of the immigrants
and their children. This article is being published in both English and Hmong. We will continue to publish additional articles about
other immigrants in their own languages.
Many thanks to all the
folks who donated to Access Press through The Headwaters Foundation’s “Walk for Justice” on
September 18. The weather was great for a walk and roll through the
streets and parks of Minneapolis. The camaraderie among all the organizations
was wonderful to see and it gave many of us a great boost in feeling
that we can make a difference in society’s view of what is
fair and just—and even have fun at the same time. Thank you,
Headwaters Foundation, for your 10 years of work in organizing this
incredible event.
For most of attorney
Luther Granquist’s life he has been a
great friend to all people with disabilities. Luther is not someone
who would ever describe his efforts as extraordinary, yet throughout
his career, his work at the Minnesota Disability Law Center has been
consistently over and above the “call of duty.” Luther
has always been there for anyone who was not, as he might put it,
getting a fair shake. I’m one of many Minnesotans who would
not have had the opportunities I’ve had or be healthy and working
today without this man’s dedication and efforts to advocating
on my behalf. I can’t imagine where our entire community would
be without the behind-the-scenes and frontline efforts of Mr. Luther
Granquist. Thank you, my friend, and enjoy your retirement!
Will Chief Justice John
Glover Roberts, Jr. be trouble for people with disabilities? Judge
Roberts’s remarks at his confirmation
hearing would suggest to me that he would try to narrow the interpretation
of the ADA. As a lawyer in the Justice Department and as Deputy Solicitor
General, Judge Roberts voted to deny Medicaid recipients the right
to go to court to enforce their entitlement to Medicaid benefits.
Roberts constantly pushed to restrict the rights of individuals and
to enforce laws where Congress did not explicitly state that individuals
had the right to sue, which included Medicaid. We must advocate for
a more mainstream thinker for the replacement of Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Day O’Connor. This appointment could ultimately be the
life or death of the ADA as we know it.
Hope to see you at the
Charlie Smith Awards on November 4, 2005.
