On Monday, February 22, over 30 representatives of Chicago ADAPT and friends from at least 7 concerned organizations protested at Representative Ken Dunkin’s office at 2059 East 75th St. in Chicago.
Chicago ADAPT demanded Representative Dunkin support a fair contract for child care and in-home service providers as well as other public employees, support full funding of services and progressive revenue, vote in favor of Illinois House Bill 4351 (a bill protecting in-home services for people with disabilities and seniors), and to meet with Chicago ADAPT Wednesday, March 16 to continue dialogue.
Shelly Berry, a constituent in Dunkin’s district, remarked: “Representative Dunkin has turned his backs on us and we demand an apology for his recent remarks insulting the disabled community and betraying the public trust.”
Chants of betrayal and demands for representing the people and not corporate interests were apparently unheard by Representative Dunkin, as he refused to acknowledge the crowd assembled at his office doorstep.
Chicago ADAPT is a grassroots disability rights group dedicated to the civil rights, independence, and integration of people with disabilities.
February 27, 2017 (Washington DC) Today ADAPTers from Maryland and the DC Metro met for the final day of their action at the National Governors’ Association Conference. We stealthly entering the Dirksen building where the Media Briefing was taking place. The Governors were delayed at the White House, for a Governor’s Only Meeting. While the media were getting situated in the briefing room, Sheryl Grossman and Cara Liebowitz snuck into the room unnoticed and handed out brochures to the press. Cara was able to ask about the governors about Medicaid block grants and per capita caps. Governor McAuliffe of VA responded that he does not support those measures. After the press conference, we handed out more brochures and got interviewed by a local Spanish language TV station.
After the briefing we staked out the Kennedy Room in the Russell Building, where the governors were eating. Security was tight, but Laura decided to “go hard or go home” and got passed the security to start greeting them at the door. She handed our brochures to Governors Baker of Massachusetts and Sandoval of Nevada, and told them the importance of saving the ACA and saying no to block grants and per capita caps and how they will affect the disability community, particularly LTSS. One of the last to leave the room was Laura’s own Congressman, Gerry Connolly. She gave him a brochure and told him how ADAPT wanted the NGA to adopt the draft resolution and support our issues.
Our voices were heard loud and clear, and we have laid the groundwork to pursue action at the Summer NGA meeting in Des Moines. Until then, ADAPT will reach out to Chairman McAuliffe to advocate more on our issues.
Hi. My name is Carol. I live in Washington, DC. A very dear friend of mine (who was with us today) introduced me to ADAPT before I acquired my disability years ago. Knowing that the disability rights movement existed, and had my back, helped me to fight and to live through some dark times. I’ve attended ADAPT actions in the past, to support. Today was the first day I participated as a member. I am so grateful and proud. It is super-late as I write this, so please excuse any rambling. … These are the highlights from my day.
I arrived at the hotel in time to grab a coffee just before the issues meeting. The medium-sized room was packed. We learned about the history of ADAPT, how it was started in the early 80’s in Denver, CO, by a group of rowdy activists to get lifts on buses. The movement spread across the country and, after years of actions, ADAPT won. Hearing this story retold was a perfect way to start my day – access to transportation is an issue I am passionate about. We learned that after the passage of the ADA ADAPT switched its focus, and began to work on getting our community out of nursing homes because they couldn’t access public transit. ADAPT is now calling for the passage of the Disability Integration Act which would, among other things, establish living in the community as a civil right. The lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing would no longer be an excuse to keep people on waiting lists. (Sounds great!) We also learned that the Graham-Cassidy ‘healthcare’ bill would not only repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), but also demolish the Medicaid program as we know it. (AAAHH!)
After the issues meeting we moved into a larger room – even more packed. We learned dos and don’ts for how to respond in an action. A diversity statement was read and we were all reminded that it is important to acknowledge differences and diversity, to support ADAPT members of color, LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming members, to call each other out if needed, and to keep an eye out for each other, and be aware if anyone is being targeted. I was grateful to hear this as a priority of the group. We were reminded that while we are all participating because issues are important to us individually, we are also here representing and speaking out for our disability family who can’t be here this week.
Later (after a much need lunch and more water), we lined up and began our looooong march/roll in the unrelenting sun and heat to — ummm, I didn’t know where we were headed. We walked/rolled past houses and hotels, tourists and DC residents, chanting: ‘Our Homes, Not Nursing Homes! ‘Disability Integration is a Civil Right!’ and ‘Down with Nursing Homes! ‘Up with Attendant Care!’ Many people took flyers about ADAPT, some cheered us on. Eventually, we turned down a side path, and squeezed ourselves onto a narrow sidewalk leading to some pretty nice looking apartments that faced each other. Then, we were told we were at Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ home and we chanted even louder, so he would know we were outside. A press release explaining why we were there was read aloud – including asking the AG to do his job, and for the DOJ to enforce the ADA and the Olmstead Supreme Court decision. The action felt great, and was a huge success.
We squeezed ourselves back out, and returned to our marching line – chanting again – eventually making it back for a debrief. We heard from seasoned ADAPT members and those who were brand new; we sang, and expressed our excitement for the days of action to come. I met old and new friends – some who I’ve only know on Twitter. I got a little teary eyed (nothing new), but they were happy tears, fierce, ‘hey – we got some demands and we’re gonna be heard, and we deserve to exist’ tears. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. To anyone reading this, I’ll be thinking of you.
By Cal Montgomery Chicago ADAPT
Cal Montgomery
After a series of training meetings all morning, we headed out to lunch and then lined up in our teams — I was on the red team. It was hot. They handed out bottled water in line.
We headed down C in single file, turned left on 2, and filed down to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s home, where we met up with other teams. Using a portable ramp to get over a barrier, we crowded in as close as we could to our target and began to chant. I’m told two neighbors came out — one to say he wished he had a bigger dog and one to offer protesters water and chant with us. Another activist who was up front said that although Sessions wasn’t home, someone kept opening and closing the shades.
A couple of security guards showed up, listened for a moment and moved through the crowd and away. Apparently our sound system went down, so as Mike Oxford read out our demands from the back near me over an old-school loudspeaker, someone further up shouted them to the front. Sessions claimed during his confirmation that the U.S. “government is one of laws, not of men.” He promised “to see that the laws are enforced faithfully, effectively, and impartially.”
But the laws protecting our right not to be unjustly imprisoned are not enforced. We are forced into institutions. Many of us die there. Our Lives and Liberty, promised to us in the Declaration of Independence, are routinely denied. Today, ADAPT insisted that Sessions admit that forcing us into institutions violates our Constitutional right to Liberty.
We insisted he work with the disability rights community, including ADAPT, to enforce the Olmstead rights of people in nursing homes nationwide. We insisted he work with the autistic community and ADAPT to change the conditions of institutionalized people at one institution, the Judge Rotenberg Center by stopping one of the aversive procedures they use in the process of applied behavior analysis.
And in light of the deplorable conditions faced by disabled people after recent disasters, we demanded he work with NCIL and ADAPT to ensure our civil rights and liberties are protected when disaster strikes. When the group was confident that we had been heard, we marched back to the hotel to meet up with the activists who attended the second action and go to a big meeting to debrief and prepare for tomorrow.
By Kimberley Jackson Denver ADAPT
Kimberly Jackson
We started to line up around 1:30 in the afternoon by color group. As this is my first national action, it was a little daunting to get in a line with hundreds of other advocates, many in power wheelchairs like myself, and follow the leader without knowing exactly where you are headed or how long it will take. Add in the 90 degree heat and humidity, and it took an act of faith to keep going.
Eventually the red team split from purple and orange, and we were lead over a cobble stone driveway that was a roller coaster of ups and downs. We finally arrived at courtyard outside of three houses. After everyone was packed in, it was announced that we were at the house of Jeff Sessions, the US Attorney General. As we were told by the ADAPT leaders, the Department of Justice hasn’t done anything to enforce the ADA or the Olmsted Act under the current administration.
While we were there, it was reported that one of Mr. Sessions’ neighbor came out to talk with us. When someone gave the example of an older woman being forced to go into a nursing home because of needing some help at home, he responded that that was how it should be. One of his neighbors came out, and started arguing with him about how ADAPT was right. Mr Sessions either didn’t come out or wasn’t home, but we promised him we’d be back.
We mostly rode back the way we had came, rolling and walking in the street to avoid problems with sidewalks and curb cuts. We were all dragging from the heat, and more than a few people had to pull to the side to cool off. I think everyone was happy to be back in the hotel air conditioning at the end of the day. All in all, it was a great start to the action.
By Liam Dougherty Philadelphia ADAPT
Liam Dougherty
It was Adapt’s first day in Washington DC. I woke up around 7am, got an Egg McMuffin, and went to the Issues Update meeting in the conference room at the Holiday Inn. Bruce Darling and Mike Oxford talked about Adapt’s mission, in the past and present. Its current priority is getting government to provide affordable, accessible, integrated housing, instead of the isolation of life in a nursing home. We also talked about the Disability Integration Act, legislation that was made by Adapt, crafted to end the “institutional bias” and grant fundamental civil rights to people with disabilities.
Then we had a full meeting, with all 200 Adapters. It was amazing to see so many of us, with all kinds of disabilities and assistive equipment. We discussed some rules of our actions, such as always traveling in an unbroken single-file line. Then I went over to the Media meeting (#adaptandresist) and lined up with the rest of the Blue team to go.
We marched for about an hour, through 90-degree weather, chanting and playing noisemakers and tambourines. Day-leaders brought a small ramp, which we used to jump the curb to get to Attorney General Jeff Session’s home. We chanted and shouted, saying he is not doing his job in protecting the civil rights of our people. One of his neighbors came out and yelled at us, saying we had no right to go to somebody’s home and harass them. We responded that it is the only way to get his attention, and that it must be nice to have a home in the first place, and not to be forced into a nursing home.
We marched back and had a big recap meeting. Now I am sitting in the hotel lobby, tired and still sweaty. We are all bracing for the next day of the action.
ADAPT members arrived in Washington DC and all gathered at the Capitol Hill location of the Holiday Inn. After unpacking and reminiscing, we quickly started gathering our gear.
Our spring National Action has begun. Taking place during Mother’s Day weekend, our busy week will be dedicated to honoring the women who made our community strong. Along with that, we will be advocating for the Disability Integration Act, and fighting against the passage of the dangerous American Health Care Act.
As our brothers and sisters got settled in, the wheels of justice were already in motion. This will be an interesting week.
By Zack Sadeq North Carolina
Zack Sadeq
‘ADAPT and Resist!’ is the shout which resounded unceasingly last Saturday in America’s capital. ADAPTers are used to going against the grain, and have become pretty darn good at it. This week they intend to show the world their skills as they gather for the National Convention and week of action in Washington, DC.
The ADAPT crew are some of the most open, accepting and loving people on the planet; folksy and forthcoming; gracious and gregarious – and ADAPTers let the Chocolate City know as they started to arrive at the Holiday Inn Capitol on Saturday, May 13th. There is no collection of people that illustrate more accurately what it truly means to be a human being.
Charlie Miller, a recent graduate from Kennesaw State University, traveled 17 hours in total– ;“Because Mark wanted to take the long way…” – to reach the convention in DC.
Mr. Miller told the ADAPT media group his biggest thing about ADAPT was “getting to see everyone.” He continued, “because people with disabilities, we don’t get this type of community [at home].”
The simple presence of ADAPT – advocates, power-chairs and powerful human interactions – has already been disruptive enough to ‘business as usual’ in the Capital. And the ADAPTers are just getting started.
By Heath Montgomery Montana ADAPT
Heath Montgomery
Part 1: So, we were leaving on the plane; and remember we woke up like super early, I think I woke up at like 4:40am like way earlier than usual. So, anyway, it’s 6:35 and all of the sudden, I hear bubbles popping in my ears like click, clack, click, clack and I was like uhhhhhh, because, you know, it hurt. So, finally, we get to the first airport, but we’re only in Minneapolis, MN; we have like 1,000 more miles to go, so we’re in Minnesota so there are plenty of Vikings fans, and I knew that, so we’re walking down onto the plane, and I looked over to my right and there was a sign that said “DELTA” which was the name of our airline and there was a Viking picture on the wall. I got really excited because I am a fan of Minnesota too.
Part 2: Now we’re in Washington DC, so I’m driving my powerchair through the airport; as usual, and out of nowhere, it totally glitches. It won’t drive and there’s a flashing power chair and back wheel on my joystick. I think it’s because it had significant brain damage on the plane trip! My mom had to push it like 105 yards. Anyway, when we finally got to our hotel we called the mechanic immediately. I mean, that was really scary. That had never happened before. And we didn’t know what to do. Thank God that mechanic came.
I met my fellow adapters at 7am this morning, our final morning for direct action. Once again we marched through rush-hour DC, this time to the home of DHHS Secretary Tom Price. We totally blocked off his street and shouted loudly together: “WE CALLED YOU ONCE, WE CALLED YOU TWICE, ADAPT WANTS TO MEET WITH PRICE.” We were outside his house for over an hour, shaming him for his overall neglect of ensuring human rights to the disability community. We then went to a nearby park and had breakfast and met with our color leaders. Blue split into three smaller groups—Adapt was having a Hill Day.
On Hill Day, groups go to a Capitol Hill office building and personally talk to congresspeople and their staff about our current legislative priorities, in this case the Disability Integration Act. My group spoke to a bunch of representative staff, including my own Pennsylvania congressman, Representative Brady. We spoke about the DIA as a civil rights bill, telling staff that it would not only save money, but restore freedom to those confined to nursing homes.
Our last stop was paying the citation we got when we were arrested. We all lined up and were taken by the police into the station one by one, where we paid our fines and they took our fingerprints. After paying for my citation, I rode my powerchair through the nation’s capital back to the hotel solo, for the first time in five days. I felt the familiar social pressure of being the only one with a disability in a world built for able-bodied people. Being surrounded by Adapt and its members for a few days gave me a needed vacation from that feeling. That bond–joining into collective strength of Adapt–is exhilarating and empowering. I made a lot of connections and felt like I made a difference in gathering support for the DIA and promoting public healthcare for all.
I joined my fellow ADAPT activists on the US Capitol lawn. I’d seen the Twitter posts of new ADAPT friends in Senate offices, calling them out on Graham-Cassidy and trying to slash Medicaid. I knew it had already been an eventful morning. We were asked to line up, single file, then moved our way into the street. We walked/rolled in front of the Supreme Court. All the while we chanted “No Cuts to Medicaid, Save Our Liberty”, and “Free Our Parents, Free Our Siblings, Free Our People Now!” It was easy to chant loud and proud, even in the heat and the blazing sun. We were passing by the court that had ruled on the Olmstead decision, which should have led to community integration for all disabled Americans. Tourists and immigrant rights activists took our flyers that explained who we were. Many clapped and cheered, thanking us for all we were doing. We turned onto Independence, then down the steep hill. At the bottom of the hill we turned and filed quickly into the courtyard of the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) building. I heard shouts – “Orange and blue get to the doors!” We crowded in as close as we could get – trying to get in, but blocked by police. I didn’t realize at the time that we had split up and were covering all three sets of doors.
A press release was passed around. We were there because HHS is the agency most directly responsible for ensuring disabled Americans receive the supports and services they need – like personal care attendants – in the most integrated setting. Instead of following the intent of the ADA and the Olmstead decision, HHS has been failing the disability community: allowing states to skirt their obligations through waivers; not enforcing requirements for states to develop Olmstead plans; and allowing continued shock treatment and torture of our siblings in institutions (among other things).
We stayed at the doors of the HHS building for hours, taking turns leading chants. An Under Secretary came down and spoke to ADAPT members at one of the other doors. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I could hear the chants in response to what I assumed were not-promising remarks. When asked if he could arrange a call with the Secretary he said he didn’t know his cell phone number, and that he could pass messages along. That wasn’t enough for us. We began looking up, and calling, every number we could find for HHS on the internet, right from the front doors – and we emailed the scheduling office. We said ‘The Secretary needs to meet with ADAPT NOW!’
Anita led us in a beautiful rendition of “We who believe in freedom will not rest.” After a while those of us that couldn’t be arrested that day moved back. The mood became more serious. We chanted “Cut the Crap, Meet with ADAPT”; “Our Homes, Not Nursing Homes”; and, “I’d rather go to jail than die in a nursing home!” That chant hits closer to home for some reason – maybe because I know that if my circumstances had been different, I could have wound up living in an institution. And I know so many people that have. The people who were risking arrest took turns leading that chant, filling in what is inaccessible to many in nursing homes – “I’d rather have love, than die in a nursing home! I’d rather have freedom; I’d rather have choices; I’d rather have a lover; I’d rather be in the community …” I was filled with anger and sadness, tears started to stream down my face. I felt a little self-conscious, but then looked over and realized the person next to me was crying, too. That’s why we were there. When the police came over to arrest the orange and blue, we cheered, made heart signs and clapped. …You probably know by now that the police decided not to arrest anyone – there were too many of us.
At the debrief meeting that night we heard stories from people who had made it into the hearing room on Monday, and from everyone who’d paid visits to Senator’s offices earlier that day. The week had been a success so far – we’d killed the bill – and I was grateful and proud to have been involved. But there is still work to be done. We were reminded that there was a time when the ADA was just a dream and we thought it would never get passed. Now, we need to keep our focus on the Disability Integration Act, to ensure living in the community is considered a civil right. I know ADAPT won’t give up until it is passed and all our people are free.
By Liam Dougherty Philadelphia ADAPT
Adapt lined up at 8am this morning. Each person got three water bottles and we hit the busy streets of rush hour in Washington DC. We marched to the senate offices once again, this time splitting into groups based on our color, and heading to several congressional offices.
The blue team went to Senator Cassidy’s office, one of the crafters of the new terrible healthcare bill. Once we were in there, we started yelling and chanting, and all telling our own individual stories about how the future of Medicaid will affect us personally, at the same time! It was very frustrating to Cassidy’s staff, who pretended to go about their business with scowls on their faces during the chaos. Later we found out that each color group hit their own key figures, almost at the same time. It is amazing how well this action is thought through and planned.
We next all came back together and went to a rally hosted by Senator Casey and featuring Senators Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer, and many others. We then took a break to eat McDonald’s hamburgers (I’m told these are called “Adapt steaks” because they are purchased at Adapt actions a lot). Then we went to the Department of Health and Human Services, where we got through the door but police stopped us from going further in. We chanted loudly outside their building, till we eventually got enough warnings from the police that they arrested us. But when we left the door to be processed they dropped the charges–they didn’t want to arrest us!
So we went back to the closed doors and taped our posters to their windows. Adapters then went to all the doors and driveways preventing anyone to come in or out of the building. Adapt leadership asked if I wanted to be arrested, and I “was a yes.” After I was sitting in the driveway for awhile, I started to doubt myself–would it be worse for me if I was arrested twice in two days? What might it affect on my record? Looking back on it now feels embarrassing, because right after that I thought about it more and realized how childish I was being. Not only would it have been fine for me, in terms of getting arrested, but I also realized how simple and selfish my worry was. Our cause–of restoring freedom, dignity, and meaning to millions of lives–is so much more important than any tiny sacrifice I could make. And our society totally disregards me and many of my people in countless ways, and it is completely justified to fight for basic civil rights. That was my biggest lesson for this trip: to not care about the rules of an evil and unfeeling government, and trust in Adapt. This fight is about life or death for millions, including myself. I must put all of myself on the line.
In the early evening we left to go back to the hotel, and we had a big meeting where we talked through all of the incredible things Adapt had done today and yesterday, and we saw the impact of those actions: the horrible Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill was not going to be put up for vote–it was finally dead.
Carol, ADAPT member from DC at Dirksen Senate Office building
My alarm went off at 3 am Monday morning, but my eyes popped open five minutes before. I was still tired, but also filled with a sense of urgency. I needed to get up and be ready to join the line outside of the hotel at 4:30 am. We had been told by organizers – they would not wait if we were late. The lobby was already full of my fellow ADAPTers when I arrived. People were chatting, eating bananas and drinking water. We all knew it would be a long day. My bag was full of PB & J sandwiches, apples and a plastic sign that read ‘Stop Trying to Kill Us!’ with a picture of a stop sign.
We began lining up. I didn’t know where we were headed, but I was excited and ready. I’m a walkie/limpy (depending on the time of day). A few of us walkies were asked if we could assist, and push a fellow ADAPTer in their manual chair. We took turns along the way because supporting each other is how we roll.
It was still dark as we marched and rolled towards the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Some had flashlights to help lead us, and people pointed out cracks and holes in the pavement to avoid. When we arrived we split up into groups so we were waiting at the different entrances. It wasn’t 6 am yet, and they wouldn’t be letting us in until 7:30. We watched the sun rise, and Congressional staffers and other activists began to arrive.
As 7:30 approached, we got ready. We would need to make it through security before we could head up to the hearing room. We rushed to get onto the elevator and when the door opened, my small group was greeted by a grinning Senator Wyden from Oregon. He had a bagel in his hand and was so happy to see us. We thanked the Senator and he was quick to say, “No, THANK YOU! For being here, and for all you are doing.” We were in a hurry to join the line, but he wanted a picture. I took the photo. The Senator said “I’m going to call this my ‘Running with the Right Team’ photo.”
We took our spots and settled in for the wait – 6 hours to go. My feet and leg were already beginning to ache – sometimes I’d sit on the ground, but inevitably a Capitol Police officer would come up and tell us that sitting down in the hallway was a form of protest. It seemed silly, because that’s why we were there – to protest the Graham-Cassidy bill. When I needed a break, I’d ask a friend to save my spot and take a walk to the front or the end of the line. I said hi to old friends, and met and talked to new ADAPT friends from other parts of the country.
I took photos and tweeted so that people would know what I was seeing and feeling. Even though I was smiling in the photos, and grateful to be meeting so many new friends – I wish it was under different circumstances. The Graham-Cassidy bill, like all the other repeal and replace bills, would limit my access to doctors, and likely have dire consequences down the line. The Graham-Cassidy bill would also make drastic cuts to Medicaid. People I know would have their access to supports and services they need to stay alive – personal attended services, home health services, even transportation – all cut. I’m filled with dread and anger whenever I think about it.
As the time of the hearing approached, word spread quickly that people were being let in. There was no way I was getting in, but my heart was with those who could. I heard that Congressional staff were bringing in more chairs to the hearing room, which would limit the number of wheelchair users who could attend. This was blatant discrimination against those who were most immediately affected by the bill. We began to chant ‘No Cuts to Medicaid, Save Our Liberty!’ We were there for what felt like hours, but I know it was less – Cough drops were handed out as our throats grew tired. Some of us were cuffed, all of us were led down by police, chanting as we moved passed the hearing – hoping to be loud enough to be heard. Outside, we waited for hours to be processed, then waited on the other side of the police line for the rest of our friends, cheering whenever someone was released, eating pizza and reflecting on the day. At around 8 we began the march back. It was dark again, but this time we would be marching down hill, reflecting on the day, and energized (if not physically, then mentally) for the next day’s actions.
By Cal Montgomery Chicago ADAPT
Cal Montgomery
This morning we lined up outside the hotel at 4:30. By 5 we were ready to head over to the Senate, collecting a significant number of police escorts along the way, and then we lined up early at an entrance so we could get in as soon as the doors opened. Breakfast was from McDonald’s: I got hash browns and a muffin with jelly.
When the doors opened we went through security, then up to the second floor to get in lime for the Finance Committee hearing. And there we waited alongside many other people. The police lined up against the wall in pairs and waited with us. Around two the line moved a little as the people up front got into the hearing room, and we pulled into tighter formation, and the chanting started.
“No cuts to Medicaid! Save our liberty!”
Other groups tried other chants but we stuck to ours. A police officer came to one of the other members and explained that we could avoid arrest. I turned off my wheelchair. I never heard the warnings that we were going to get arrested if we didn’t leave, but it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. Awhile later a color leader came down the line and told me we had all been arrested. She outlined my options: I could turn on my chair and leave under my own power, or show the Capitol Police how to operate it, and get a citation, or I could refuse to cooperate, be charged with resisting arrest, and be transported for booking.
I do not speak and do not always understand what I hear. Once the police had figured out how to communicate with me, they asked me the same question. I told them I was neither resisting nor fighting back but could not in conscience cooperate. After some debate as to what I might possibly mean by that as I sat quietly, they decided I was resisting arrest, tried to figure out how to operate my wheelchair, somehow missing the bit labeled “ON,” then disengaged my brakes and pushed me out of the building.
On the sidewalk they confiscated some of my belongings, including my communication device, but not all of them. A cop saw me rocking a bit and decided I looked distressed and began to rub my back — which, given my disability, distressed me. I asked for my communication device back but they said I couldn’t have electronics … as I sat in a powerchair with a tablet on my footplate.
Another activist explained my access needs, but the cop just could not allow me near electronics. When the accessible van came we had some problems with loading. They forgot to engage the brake before raising the lift and I got run into a pole a couple of times, but no harm done. I sat there with two activists from NYC and one from Denver, talking. I did get my communication device back in the van and kept it until the end of the day. At “the garage” (which is a garage used for processing arrestees) we were processed very slowly so we hung around talking. I was on the last bus in and the only one for my arresting officer, so I was one of the last processed.
I identified myself as nonspeaking and explained how to communicate. My interviewing officer switched from complete sentences to questions like “Is … this” — pointing to a name on a form — “… friend?” I asked her to use complete sentences as it is easier to understand. She apologized — and continued to speak like that.
Out right at midnight.
By Liam Dougherty Philadelphia ADAPT
Liam Dougherty
We lined up at 4:30am this morning, when DC was still dark. We were all exhausted but determined. We marched in line for almost an hour through the dark. My friend Larry was marching behind me and is low-vision. He held onto my power chair to guide him while we were walking because there was very little sunlight.
We then arrived at a senate office building before it opened, and we waited in front to be first in line and entered at 7am. We went up to where the senate Finance Committee was meeting to discuss the financing of the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill. The line to get into the meeting was very long as many different organizations from around the country lined up to be there in person. Adapt waited in line for 7 hours–giving interviews, talking to each other, and posting to social media.
Eventually we started yelling as loud as we could, “NO CUTS TO MEDICAID, SAVE OUR LIBERTY,” joining the chanting of other groups from around the building. We chanted for hours and more and more cops showed up, while employees were evacuated from the building. Eventually they announced that they would arrest us if we kept going. And we did.
We gave in peacefully and went outside to be processed–some Adapters were taken to jail in a van with a lift. But we were given our citations right outside. After a pizza dinner we lined up and went home, and waited in the hotel lobby to cheer when those who were arrested returned. It was a full day.
The 2017 Fall DC action coincides at another momentous time.
Republicans in Congress introduced yet another attempt to strip away the services that keep millions of disabled Americans alive and in the community. This “new” bill referred to as the Graham-Cassidy amendment (H.R. 1628) and is really more of the same bad policy which Americans have already rejected. This bill sunsets funding for Community First Choice and it block grants Medicaid funding which means that over time, States will be forced to cut back on the “optional” services that secure disabled people’s lives and liberty in the community.
Once community-based services are cut, Americans with disabilities will be forced into institutions that are even worse than those of today because after community based services are cut, there will also be funding cuts for institutions, making them even more crowded and more dangerous. Republicans in Congress are trying to squeeze the Disability Community until we bleed, and to trade away our lives and our liberty in return for tax cuts for a few wealthy people.
Once again ADAPT will be at the forefront of the fight against this injustice. ADAPT activists from all over the nation have traveled to DC to protest against these changes. Join ADAPT and #ADAPTandRESIST!
Return to this page to see the latest photos from the action and read the daily ADAPT Action Reports.
Over the years, since its inception as a grassroots disability rights organization fighting for equal access to transportation, ADAPT has improved the quality of lives for millions of Americans with disabilities.
ADAPT played key role in many legislative bills such as the Money Follows The Person, American with Disabilities Act, etc.
Many of these positive changes are under threat. With the proposed cuts to Medicaid to the tune of $880 billion, services which enable people with disabilities to live in the community will be cut forcing them to live in nursing homes.
ADAPT activists from all over the nation traveled to DC to protest against these changes. Join ADAPT and #ADAPTandRESIST!
Return to this page to see the latest photos from the action and read the daily ADAPT Action Reports.
Another sunny day in the heart of our nation’s capital. ADAPT members filled the conference room as we held a quick meeting outlining what had happened in the last few days and to share stories. As I sipped my coffee I eagerly awaited two things: the day ahead and the caffeine to set in.
Our mission that day was fairly straight forward. We were to split into small groups and visit members of congress from all fifty states to promote co-sponsoring of the Disability Integration Act. The bill, presented as Senate Bill 910 and House of Rep Bill 2472, had been in the senate for a month and had just been introduced in the house on May 16th (the day prior).
I was in a group of seven; I came up with the creative nick name of “Blue Seven” since we were all from the Blue Team. We had about eleven reps to visit in the Rayburn building up the street from our hotel off of Independence Avenue.
The groups left one by one and met up outside the Rayburn. There was a small court yard with shade trees. We were not allowed to crowd around the entrance so we figured a way to get chairs and scooters up into the grassy area in the court yard. One by one we entered the court yard and sat, awaiting our lunch.
Lunch was a bit late, but with ADAPT one key rule to remember is to “Hurry up and Wait”. Wait we did. Our food arrived, but the time waiting was spent prepping, doing homework, and getting to know the people in our group. We ate in the shade and after we had our fill, “Blue Seven” headed inside, as did the rest of our ADAPTERS.
Passed security the hallways were buzzing with activists and activities. The visits became a blur to me, but a few key things stood out. We had Johnathan from Rochester and Dr. Reagan from Long Island doing a majority of the speaking for us. One of the reps we visited, Norton from the District of Columbia, had signed on to co-sponsor DIA just two hours before hand. My group taught me a lot about how to speak with the staffers and other members of congress.
After “Blue Seven” finished for the day, we split off in smaller groups to go back to the hotel. The group I was going back with ended up getting back late and I came back in the middle of nightly meeting. Everyone was commenting about what types of responses they got from their officials. I spoke about Congresswoman Norton’s co-sponsoring.
We all gave our last thoughts and reflected on the whole week. The White House, FDA, Capital Hill, and Fun Run made for a very full week. At the end of the meeting we learned the dates of the next action. Taking place in mid September, we will again be returning to Washington DC. We cheered with excitement.
After the meeting we held a wrap up party in the only way ADAPT can. We had snacks, watched an awesome slideshow put together by the media team, and said our goodbyes. Everyone was slated to leave the next day. It was a bittersweet feeling, saying goodbye. But it is not goodbye, it’s a “see you next time”.
Being color leader has drastically changed my outlook on ADAPT and leadership. I saw just how pre-planned everything was and how much attention and care it takes to make sure everyone gets to and from our destination and that their concerns are addressed. I would love to take this role again.
