Monday, August 30, 2004
RNC Day 2 and Homecoming
Got up a little later than I wanted Sunday, put on my red and yellow ADAPT shirt, and headed out the door to the disability rights mini-march which was gathering at 10 AM to join the big anti-RNC march that was starting at noon. Lindsey and I decided to walk to our meeting site because we figured it would be faster than waiting for a bus and I could get some poster board to make a sign if we saw a place on the way. We passed Gray’s Papaya Hotdogs (my favorite NYC restaurant) and ran into one of...
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Saturday, August 28, 2004
RNC Arrival and Day 1
Greetings from the Counter-convention/RNC Not Welcome. Traveled all of yesterday from about 2:00; got to my host Alexander's house around 11:00. Lindsey (the women helping me who I found on Craigslist at the last minute is super nice, as is her girlfriend, she was sort of stressed by all the newness of PCAdom at first but she seems to be getting the hang of it). Alexander's house is very nice and it's kind of fun to pretend it's my apartment because he's not here. He doesn't even know me and he...
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Wednesday, August 11, 2004
2 + 2 =4
It’s bad enough that Massachusetts residents on Medicaid have lost coverage for basic things like glasses, dental care, and prosthesis, but the really sad part is that the State thinks its saving money by doing these things. It’s not. Not being able to see, walk around, or chew without pain make it harder, not easier, to get a job and get off assistance. They’ve also reduced the amount of money you can earn and still be eligible for MassHealth (Massachusetts State Medicaid), which has ended up...
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Monday, July 26, 2004
Happy 14th Birthday Americans with Disabilities Act!
I remember the day that the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the most significant American civil rights legislation for disabled people ever, became law. I was 14 and enjoying my favorite two weeks of the year; those spent at a disability-only sleep away camp. We had a dance to celebrate and there was a huge American flag with the universal access symbol (the little man featured on the disability parking space signs) in the middle. At the time, I believed that the law would ensure my future...
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Thursday, July 22, 2004
home sweet home
I'm finally home, after almost 14 hours of travel to get here. Of course Greyhound messed up and didn't have an accessible bus, when I requested one over a week ago. Personally, I wish I would have brought my old Greyhound protest T-shirt. Then maybe they wouldn't have screwed with me as much. Tomorrow I am going to call my friend Mark at the National Council on Disability, whose job it is to monitor Greyhound's treatment of passengers with disabilities. I'm also going to call Greyhound's ADA...
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Wednesday, July 21, 2004
The end of the action
Yesterday ADAPT had a big strategy meeting. People tell me they used to do this alot when there were 50 of us and not 300. We came up with lots of good ideas and had regional meetings for different areas of the country. New England's contingent was only 4 strong. We really need to work on that, yet we are going to find out where the regional HUD office is in New England and go visit them. We are also going to work together in a Jerry Lewis telethon protest. Personally, I am going to go somewhere...
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Monday, July 19, 2004
Monday action report
Today was another short day. I swear I'll get spoiled if this keeps up. Went to a press conference, which featured the ten worst states for community-based services. In case you're interested those states are: Mississippi, Nevada, Louisiana, Tennessee, Illinois, Georgia, Alabama, New Jersey, Florida and D.C. (which is not a state you know). What I found most alarming about the list were that a lot of the states were southern, which leads me to conclude that disability rights and civil rights are...
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Sunday, July 18, 2004
ADAPT: the weekend edition
Columnist note: I know I was supposed to update this every day but by the time I figured out how to get here and there was a free computer space, it was Sunday. Sorry. As my regular readers know, I am in Seattle this week with many old and new friends to confront the National Governors Association (NGA) about their lack of forward moverment on various long term care policies. Friday was a bit of a disaster. The van service was 45 minutes late, at least from when they told me they'd be there. I...
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Wednesday, July 14, 2004
On The Road for Personal Care Assistance
I just got home from a speaking engagement Washington, DC went topped off a two week trip, which included a two day getaway to Atlantic City and an 8-day eating orgy at my parents house during which I hung out with my new six month old second cousin Caleb and visited my ex-boss Theo at the Center for Independent Living (an advocacy organization for disabled people that has chapters all other the country. For more details, check http://www.ncil.org) This Friday, I’m leaving again. Off to Seattle...
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Monday, June 28, 2004
Wrongful What?
One of my favorite t-shirts has the words Slavery is the legal fiction that a person is property emblazoned on the front. On the back it says Corporate Personhood is the legal fiction that property is a person. After spending the day researching yet another speech on the intersection of disability rights and reproductive freedom, I have decided to make another shirt that says Certain politicians want you to believe that abortion is murder on the front and Certain lawyers want you want you to...
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