Editor's Column
by
Tim Benjamin
This last weekend, we got
our first snow storm—well, not really a storm, but enough snow
that it made my coming into the house a real mess. Actually, the
mess that my wheelchair brings into the house is my biggest headache
concerning winter. Not counting the 10 minutes it takes my van to
heat up enough to be somewhat comfortable. I count myself lucky.
Winter heaps up the inconveniences and real barriers for many people
with disabilities.
Beyond its difficulties, this time of the year really is beautiful.
We know we will be getting together with our local friends, and somehow,
someone you haven’t talked to in many years always ends up
calling just to say “Hello.” Oh, presents are fun, too.
I like the giving much better than the receiving. I know, what a
cliché, but giving someone a gift is a whole lot easier than
getting a gift and not knowing how to thank the person for doing
such a wonderful, personal thing. It’s easier, too, than figuring
out how not to say, “what were you thinking when you bought
me this?” Hmmm. That’s all the holiday spirit (or anxiety?)
that I can conjure up right now, but I truly do hope that each of
you has wonderful holidays and that the person you least expect to
hear from will call you just to say “Hello.” Those are
the real gifts: friendships!
Advocating Change Together (ACT) and our former board chair, Mary
Kay Kennedy, went with Liz Koltes and a few others to New York to
help launch a new United Nations training manual on rights for persons
with disabilities. The curriculum was developed by ACT and several
other grassroots organizations. Is that cool or what! Great job,
ACT! And thanks for your outstanding work in putting Minnesota on
the map at the United Nations. Too bad that the present federal administration
couldn’t see its way to be the first to sign and ratify the
Disability Human Rights Convention. If you haven’t already,
read the front page story. Don’t skip a word and get all the
details of a story that can make us all proud!
A young man named Galen Smith came to my office a couple weeks ago
to tell me about his weekend in Chicago at an ADAPT
training. Many
of you have heard about ADAPT’s tactics of nonviolent, get-in-your-face
techniques for exposing the injustices faced by people with disabilities.
As progressive as Minnesota is on disability rights, we do not have
a local ADAPT chapter. Smith went to Chicago knowing that we didn’t
have a chapter and came back full of enthusiasm to start one. My
first response to Smith was, “yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve
heard it before.” But, the more I talked to Smith, the more
I realized this guy was really motivated, psyched and committed.
He has already put together one small training session to see about
the interest for an ADAPT chapter in Minnesota. And guess what? The
guy that said “yeah sure,” wasn’t able to attend.
But I’ll be at the next one, and the next one.
I think it’s time for
Minnesota’s political grassroots,
disability-rights community to have an ADAPT chapter. We have developed
the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, a fabulous
advocacy lobby group that has done wonderful things for our community.
I’m sure they would agree that having one more organizing tool
in our toolbox would make their lives much easier. Also, for you
youngsters—this is really fun stuff. Join up and protest like
they did in the 60s and 70s—or better! Did you know that it’s
thanks to ADAPT that we have accessible public transportation in
the Cities and throughout the country? ADAPT’s “gang
of 19” in Denver, Colorado, handcuffed themselves to city buses
to force the public to recognize the need for accessible public transportation.
Every time you see a lift come out of a city bus, you can thank ADAPT’s
tactics of protest.
Here in Minnesota, there were some pretty prominent people in the
disability rights community who held a sit-in in Governor Arne Carlson’s
office that kept our PCA program on the books. Maybe Galen can get
some of those folks to tell their stories as we build on a foundation
of historical and effective activism. ![]()
