Kenneth -- By "they" are you referring to LA? JMW
On Mon, 19 Apr 1999 07:12:52 -0400 "Barber, Kenneth L." <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>
>just to be fair, i have been in several states (not all of them by any
>measure) and as far as the dept of education, (can't say about the
>rest of
>state government) they have the best education program for the
>handicapped
>kids than all the states that i have been in.
>like i said just to be fair.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Brian Shea [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>> Sent: Friday, April 16, 1999 5:27 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: ***Not a Flame!***:)
>>
>> Joan,
>>
>> <*Rant Advisory*>
>> What you say about people in jails and prisons who
>> need psych. services not receiving them they is
>> absolutely right. That is a nationwide problem
>> stemming from public policy that values building more
>> and more prisons to lock people down in, many of whom
>> may have had (untreated)psych issues to begin with,
>> and who only come out crazier after being let out from
>> some of these high-tech "Super-Max" dungeons without
>> some transition to living among people in regular
>> society.
>>
>> Any kind of health-care for prisoners, with or withou
>> any kind of disabilities, is not considered a priority
>> in a public-policy environment where politicians can
>> get a lot of cheap votes by snarling about all those
>> criminals and what we should do to them. Funny, most
>> of the guys doing some of the loudest snarling are
>> ideal candidates for orange jump-suits themselves.
>> Especially if racism itself was a criminal offense.
>> <*End of Rant*> :)
>>
>> RE:the "mistakes of the 70's" of which this bureaucrat
>> speaks of in his letter, I'm assuming this refers to
>> the wholesale "dumping" of people out of truly
>> frightening institutions into the community with no
>> supports, are exactly what these folks want to do &
>> what they're afraid that the ADA's "integration
>> requirement" will stop them from doing-- getting by on
>> the cheap.
>>
>> Providing services for people with disabilities in the
>> most integrated setting doesn't depend on the clinical
>> diagnostic category of one's impairment. It depends
>> on the kind of services and supports an individual
>> needs-- *those* depend on a person's clinical
>> situation. What these jokers in Georgia want to do is
>> provide cheap, inadequate "services" in institutions
>> for people with certain diagnostic labels, and they
>> would hate like hades to have to bother with actually
>> providing supports to meet real people's real needs.
>> That would mean they would actually have to <*gulp*>
>> adequately fund <*horrors!*> real mh services,
>> personal assistance services, etc. That is why what
>> this guy says about not wanting to abrogate the ADA
>> is, to put it politely, er... "disingenuous". Just
>> look at their track record.
>>
>> I hope at least some of this makes sense, and I hope
>> you don't take my anger at these knuckleheads
>> personally.
>>
>> Brian
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --- joan m wallyn <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> > I know I'm probably going to get flamed but...
>> > This letter seems to
>> > make a lot of sense. We are struggling with this
>> > very issue in the
>> > agency/district that I work in. The truth is that a
>> > lot of jails are
>> > being used to house people who need treatment. Are
>> > there distinctions
>> > made between physical disabilities and mental
>> > illness? I've copied a lot
>> > of this thread and filed it, but these things have
>> > never been addressed.
>> > I for one do not want to repeat the "mistakes of the
>> > 70's" as they cost
>> > me dearly. Joan M. Wallyn
>> >
>> > On Fri, 16 Apr 1999 02:30:17 -0400 "I. STEPHEN
>> > MARGOLIS"
>> > <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>> > >-----Original Message-----
>> > >From: Majordomo List Server
>> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>> > >Behalf
>> > >Of Stephanie Thomas
>> > >Sent: Thursday, April 15, 1999 4:32 PM
>> > >To: micasa-list
>> > >Subject: FW: Roland Letter
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >-----Original Message-----
>> > >From: Mark Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
>> > >Date: Tuesday, April 13, 1999 6:46 PM
>> > >Subject: Olmstead
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >>THIS LETTER WAS RECENTLY SENT TO THE REMAINING
>> > STATES (NOW, 8). HOW
>> > >DO YOU
>> > >>LIKE THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE 4TH PARAGRAPH?
>> > GOVERNOR ROY BARNES,
>> > >GA, CAN
>> > >>STILL PULL THE PLUG ON THE APPEAL. LET TOMMY
>> > OLMSTEAD AND CARL
>> > >"EDDIE"
>> > >>ROLAND ( DHR, MH/MR/SA, Two Peachtree Street, NW,
>> > Suite 22-224,
>> > >Atlanta,
>> > >>GA, 3030-3142) AND GOVERNOR BARNES (240 State
>> > Capitol, GA, 30334,
>> > >>404-656-1776 or e-mail him, go to his comment page
>> > at:
>> > >>http://ganet.org/governor/contact.html, remember
>> > no www.) KNOW WHAT
>> > >YOU
>> > >>THINK IS "IN THE BEST INTEREST OF PEOPLE WITH
>> > DISABILITIES."
>> > >>
>> > >>Thanks,
>> > >>
>> > >>Mark
>> > >>
>> > >>Last fall, your state supported Georgia's
>> > successful petition to the
>> > >U.S.
>> > >>Supreme Court to review lower court decisions in
>> > favor of the
>> > >plaintiff in
>> > >>L.C. v. Olmstead. As you know, the lawsuit was
>> > brought on behalf of
>> > >two
>> > >>state hospital patients claiming that Georgia
>> > officials violated
>> > >their
>> > >>rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act
>> > by continuing to
>> > >serve
>> > >>them in the hospital when they could have been
>> > served in a more
>> > >integrated
>> > >>community setting.
>> > >>
>> > >>No doubt, you and your public officials are being
>> > pressured to
>> > >withdraw
>> > >>your state's support. I am writing to urge you to
>> > stay with us and
>> > >to
>> > >>clarify why we took this case to the Supreme
>> > Court. I hope this
>> > >>information will help you answer opponents, who
>> > mistakenly believe
>> > >that
>> > >>Georgia is trying to hold people in institutions,
>> > that we are
>> > >violating
>> > >>their civil rights by not moving them to the
>> > community, and that we
>> > >are
>> > >>willing to undermine the ADA to support our
>> > position.
>> > >>
>> > >>We fully understand and appreciate the importance
>> > of the ADA to
>> > >people with
>> > >>disabilities. However, we content that the
>> > "integration regulation"
>> > >of the
>> > >>ADA does not address the issue of moving people
>> > from institutions to
>> > >>community services, and a finding in favor of
>> > Olmstead does not
>> > >weaken the
>> > >>law.
>> > >>
>> > >>Moreover, we strongly believe that the lower court
>> > rulings are not in
>> > >the
>> > >>best interest of people with disabilites. As it
>> > stands, the decision
>> > >sets
>> > >>a precedent for further law suits, including class
>> > action law suits,
>> > >that
>> > >>could require states to move everyone to the
>> > community whose clinical
>> > >>evaluation shows them capable of living in the
>> > community, without
>> > >regard
>> > >>for consumer or family choice. Unless we are
>> > willing to repeat the
>> > >>mistakes of deinstitutionalization in the 1970's,
>> > funding will have
>> > >to be
>> > >>available to support the services people need to
>> > leave the
>> > >institution and
>> > >>live successfully in the community. And, unless
>> > public officials are
>> > >>willing to find new revenue, the funding will have
>> > to come from the
>> > >state
>> > >>hospitals or from other existing resources (that
>> > may also support
>> > >needy
>> > >>programs). Moving money from state hospitals must
>> > be done in a
>> > >carefully
>> > >>planned way to avoid undermining services for
>> > those who remain.
>> > >Court
>> > >>orders can make that planning difficult.
>> > >>
>> > >>In short, Georgia is not opposed to
>> > deinstitutionalizatio, and we are
>> > >not
>> > >>taking a stand against civil rights. In fact, the
>> > state has made
>> > >dramatic
>> > >>progress in expanding community services, and
>> > without a court order.
>> > >Since
>> > >>1996, we have closed three hospitals, and since
>> > 1995, we have moved a
>> > >total
>> > >>of $83 million from hospitals to new community
>> > services. However, we
>> > >are
>> > >>opposed to moving people to community services if
>> > we do not have the
>> > >>resources to provide the supports they need. We
>> > do not want to
>> > >contribute
>> > >>to people with mental disabilities ending up in
>> > jails on on the
>> > >street.
>> > >>
>> > >>The outcome of L.C. v. Olmstead has far reaching
>> > implications for all
>> > >>states and their services to people with
>> > disabilities. We hope you
>> > >will
>> > >>stand with us.
>> > >>
>> > >>If you need additional information, please do not
>> > hesitate to call me
>> > >at
>> > >>404-657-2260. Thank you for your support.
>> > >>
>> > >>Sincerely
>> > >>
>> > >>Carl E. Roland,Jr.
>> > >>Director
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >NATIONAL ADAPT MAILING LIST - Adapt MiCASA List of
>> > Adapt Organizers.
>> > >
>> >
>> >
>> === message truncated ===
>>
>> _________________________________________________________
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>
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