YOU KNOW I WAS THINKING KAINE OR BYAH. I HOPE I SPELLED THAT RIGHT.
--- On Wed, 8/20/08, Kendall D. Corbett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> From: Kendall D. Corbett <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Fwd: Editorial
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 5:41 PM
> Editorial from Obama's disability vote director. Still
> no word on the
> Veepstakes. I was sure it'd be Kaine, as Barack was
> campaigning in VA
> today.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Kareem Dale <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, Aug 20, 2008 at 3:24 PM
> Subject: Editorial
> To: Kareem Dale <[log in to unmask]>
> Cc: Douglas Rogers <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
> Please see the below link/editorial posted today on the
> blog. Please
> feel free to forward.
>
> http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/dahome/
>
> Editorial by National Disability Vote Director
> <http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/kareemdale/gG59nb>
>
> by Kareem Dale, National Disability Vote Director, Obama
> for America
> Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 10:25 AM
>
> As we prepare for the convention and Senator Obama's
> historic acceptance
> of the Democratic nomination, I thought I would share some
> of my
> personal thoughts about Senator Obama and his campaign for
> the
> Presidency.
>
> EDITORIAL
> by Kareem Dale
> National Disability Vote Director
> Obama for America
>
> Hope. Change. "Yes We Can." For many
> doubters, these are just
> words. But for Americans with disabilities who grew up
> without closed
> captioning, without descriptive video to describe movies,
> without
> computers that talk, without accessible forms of
> communication, without
> the Americans with Disabilities Act, words are at the
> foundation of
> progress. And these words ring true; true with the promise
> of a better
> tomorrow, the promise of educational equality, the promise
> of equal
> access to employment, the promise of the right to live
> independently,
> the promise of the ending of discrimination based on
> disabilities and
> the promise that all Americans, no matter their disability,
> will be
> treated the same as every other American. For me, an
> American with the
> disability of being blind, Senator Barack Obama embodies
> the very
> qualities that are needed in our next President to ensure
> that Americans
> with disabilities will have a full, fair and equal
> opportunity to
> compete for every scholarship, every award, every job,
> every athletic
> contest, every movie role, every music contract, and every
> single thing
> that a person's mind can fathom.
>
> For far too long, words have been used negatively to
> attempt to
> stunt the progress of Americans with disabilities. The
> word "can't" has
> been said so many times to me, it might as well be tattooed
> on my chest.
> Whether it's we can't tie our shoes, we can't
> work in a mainstream
> classroom, we can't succeed in college, we can't
> keep up with the
> "regular" students in a top tier law school or
> graduate program, we
> can't possibly excel at a large law firm or Fortune 100
> company, we
> can't, we simply can not, these are the words that
> Americans with
> disabilities continue to hear every day. And now, we have
> a candidate
> who is saying "Yes, We Can," and who is committed
> to real change. With
> this change comes true empowerment and the realization for
> all Americans
> with disabilities that absolutely anything is possible.
> Senator Obama's
> previous legislative record illustrates his staunch support
> of Americans
> with disabilities. Senator Obama has been on the front
> lines of
> ensuring safety for people with disabilities. For example,
> he sponsored
> and voted for a bill that created the Emergency Evacuation
> Plan for
> People with Disabilities Act. Senator Obama also sponsored
> and voted to
> create the Abuse of Adults with Disabilities Intervention
> Act, which
> protects adults with disabilities from harassment,
> intimidation and
> interference with personal liberty. I believe these
> examples of Senator
> Obama's tireless work demonstrate that he is a man on
> whom Americans
> with disabilities can rely.
>
> Not only has Senator Obama's previous work shown
> his commitment
> to Americans with disabilities, but his plans and policies
> for the
> future indeed give all Americans with disabilities reason
> for hope. I
> am ecstatic that we have a candidate who is going to stand
> front and
> center and lead the charge for government action for
> Americans with
> disabilities. Senator Obama is willing to hold
> Congress' feet to the
> fire by ensuring that it holds up its end of the bargain
> and fund 40% of
> the excess costs of educating children with disabilities
> under the IDEA
> rather than the 17% it has gotten away with. In addition,
> Senator Obama
> is going to invest $10 billion per year in early education
> and
> developmental programs for children between zero and five.
> That's the
> type of real change that Americans with disabilities
> desire.
>
> We also have a candidate who is going to make sure
> that there is
> sufficient funding for vocational rehab programs, which are
> critical to
> supporting Americans with disabilities and their successful
> matriculation through college and graduate programs. I
> could not have
> succeeded in college or law school without vocational rehab
> services,
> but there must be substantial improvement in those
> programs. Senator
> Obama is ready to institute the necessary improvements.
> That's the type
> of change that Americans with disabilities long for.
>
> Americans with disabilities deserve to have equal
> employment
> opportunities. Senator Obama is the candidate to provide
> those
> opportunities. In fact, he's willing to start with the
> federal
> government by increasing its recruitment, hiring,
> retention, and
> advancement of workers with disabilities. He also will
> ensure that
> Americans with disabilities can more effectively
> participate in the
> labor market by creating a National Commission on People
> with
> Disabilities, Employment and Social Security to address
> work
> disincentives in the SSDI, SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid
> programs. That's
> the type of change that Americans with disabilities must
> have.
>
> I am honored to be working for a candidate that
> supports the
> right of Americans with disabilities to live independently.
> Senator
> Obama is a sponsor of the Community Choice Act, which will
> put Americans
> with disabilities back in control of their living
> arrangements.
>
>
> From ensuring that all voting polling locations are
> fully
> accessible, to appointing judges who understand the
> importance of
> enforcing the ADA, to providing additional funds to the
> EEOC to enforce
> discrimination laws, to expanding the Family Leave Act,
> Senator Barack
> Obama is the candidate to lead the push for equality for
> Americans with
> disabilities. Because of Barack Obama, the 54 million
> Americans who
> live with disabilities in this country will now have an
> equal shot at
> realizing the American dream. Speaking as one of those
> Americans and as
> the National Disability Vote Director for Obama for
> America, I am proud
> to advocate for the disability vote on behalf of the next
> President of
> the United States, Barack Obama, a man that I believe will
> substantially
> improve the lives of all Americans with disabilities.
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> Kendall
>
> An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's
> redundant!)
>
> The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the
> unreasonable one
> persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
> Therefore, all progress
> depends on the unreasonable man.
>
> -George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
>
> -----------------------
>
> To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go
> here:
>
> http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy
-----------------------
To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:
http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy
|
