ADAPT rolls into capital
The group that defined grassroots disability activism is turning 25
years old
by Dave Reynolds
It’s always a big week
in the nation’s capital when
ADAPT rolls into town. But the organization’s conference this
spring was really, really big.
When it was formed in 1983, ADAPT was the acronym for the Americans
Disabled for Accessible Public Transit. Organizers at that time linked
up to protest accessibility problems with the transportation system
in Denver, Colorado. Largely because of their acts of civil disobedience,
both city and long-distance buses across the country are now required
to be accessible to riders with disabilities.
Since then, ADAPT’s
non-violent, civil actions have been instrumental in passing the
1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Money Follows the
Person legislation, and several other projects and measures designed
to help people better access their communities, and to live as independently
as possible outside nursing homes and other institutions.
For more than a decade, ADAPT and other disability rights groups have
been pushing for changes in Medicaid policies that currently favor
nursing homes for long-term care.
April 27 - May 1, 2008, about
500 ADAPT activists were in Washington, DC, not only to celebrate
the group’s
25th anniversary, but also to continue the push for Congress to pass
the Community Choice Act.
They also participated in
a Fun Run (& Roll) at Upper Senate Park
to raise money to help members with low and fixed incomes to attend
local and national actions in the future. The national honorary runner
for the fundraiser was Marca Bristo, President and CEO of Access
Living in Chicago, who helped found the National Council on Independent
Living. Bristo was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Chairperson
of the National Council on Disability.
For about six hours during one day of the conference, ADAPT members
shut down the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, which is headquarters for
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and demanded to meet
with HHS Secretary Michael Levitt.
Levitt eventually agreed to set a time to meet with ADAPT members
to discuss the policy barriers that force seniors and people with disabilities
into nursing homes and other facilities.
“We’re hoping that after today HHS will work with us to
reverse the current trend, and assure older and disabled Americans
can live full lives in their community,” said national ADAPT
organizer Bob Kafka. ![]()
Those interested in
supporting the ADAPT can do so through www.adapt.org.
Source: Inclusion
Daily Express
