INCLUSION DAILY EXPRESS
TOP DISABILITY RIGHTS STORIES OF 2001
These are the events that I believe have had, or will have, the greatest
impact on the largest number of people with disabilities and their allies.
It is not so easy to come up with a list of top stories from the entire
world for the entire year. What get missed are the millions of individual
stories of struggle and triumph that are lived out in every pocket of the
world every day.
Anyway, here are my suggestions, each followed by links to expanded
coverage. They are not in any particular order:
(This list can also be found at the Inclusion Daily Express website at
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/top2001.htm )
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Terrorists Attacks Claim Thousands Of Lives:
On September 11, 2001, hijackers took over four airliners and used them to
murder thousands of innocent people in Pennsylvania, New York City, and
Washington DC. An unknown number of people with disabilities and their
friends and loved ones died in the attacks. The disability community
responded immediately with messages of unity and support for the friends and
families who lost loved ones. Since the attack, attention has been drawn to
the safety of people around the world, and in particular to those of us who
have disabilities, when it comes to evacuation plans, building design and
airline safety.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/01/911.htm
Stephen Hawking Visits India:
The British physicist was invited to visit India to speak at universities.
But officials became embarrassed when they realized that many of the sites
to which they had invited Hawking were not accessible to him. The fact that
they had to have people carry the famous scientist, who has ALS (otherwise
known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and uses a wheelchair, sparked new interest
in making public facilities accessible to Indians and visitors with
disabilities.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/india.htm
Statue Has FDR In His Wheelchair:
In January, President Clinton unveiled a life-size bronze statue of
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, depicting him as he was for much of his
life in the White House -- seated in the wheelchair he designed for himself.
The statue is at ground level and greets all visitors to the FDR Memorial.
During his presidency, few knew that FDR used a wheelchair, leg braces and
crutches after he had contracted polio.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/special/fdr.htm
President Bush Launches New Initiatives:
In February, President Bush announced his New Freedom Initiative which would
pump nearly $1 billion toward, among other things, improving access to
employment, education, housing and assistive technologies. In June, he
signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to work with states to
make sure they comply fully with the Supreme Court's ruling in the Olmstead
decision. The executive order also expands the scope of Olmstead to include
all disabilities. In July, Bush launched the Interagency Coalition for
Community Living along with a community living initiative involving several
agencies within his administration.
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/special/gwbush.htm
Robert Latimer Must Spend Ten Years In Prison:
Canada's highest court ruled in January that Robert Latimer must serve no
less than 10 years of a life term for murder. In 1993, Latimer admitted
killing his daughter, Tracy, because of her disabilities. In December, the
Canadian Civil Liberties Association presented a petition with 60,000
signatures to the office of Solicitor General requesting clemency for
Latimer. They were turned down.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/crime/latimer.htm
Special Education Figured Big In Jeffords Defection:
Vermont Senator James Jeffords, a long-time supporter of education for
children with disabilities, shocked both political parties when in May he
decided to leave the Republican party, thereby single-handedly shifting the
balance of power in Congress. While his decision was based on a number of
factors, Jeffords has been vocal about his dissatisfaction at the GOP for
not pushing for more funding for special education.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/education/jeffords.htm
ADA Wins One, Loses One At Supreme Court:
Casey Martin v. PGA Tour -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May that
professional golfer Casey Martin should be allowed to use a golf cart as a
reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Martin
has a disability that makes it painful and dangerous for him to walk the
long distances the PGA Tour requires during tournaments. He asked for and
was denied the use of a motorized cart to move about the course as a work
place accommodation under the ADA. Martin sued the PGA Tour in 1997.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/participation/caseymartin.htm
Alabama v. Garrett & Ashe -- The Americans with Disabilities Act was struck
a blow in February when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress
overstepped its bounds when it decided to allow state workers to use the ADA
to file discrimination lawsuits against their employers.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/employment/garrett.htm
Mental Retardation and the Death Penalty On Trial:
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether or not executing convicts
who have mental retardation violates the Eighth Amendment's protections
against "cruel and unusual punishment". The same court spared John Paul
Penry for a second time, because of confusing instructions given to the jury
that sentenced him to death. Several states that have a death penalty voted
to ban execution for convicts determined to have mental retardation.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/laws/deathpenalty.htm
Death Row Inmates Were Improperly Convicted:
In Illinois, Florida, Oklahoma, Virginia, Missouri, Louisiana, and
Pennsylvania death row inmates with mental retardation were spared execution
when evidence showed that they were improperly convicted of the crimes. Some
were cleared when other inmates gave more accurate confessions. Others were
cleared when DNA evidence showed they could not have committed the crimes.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/laws/overturned.htm
Some of the death row inmates with mental retardation who were cleared had
confessed to investigators, bringing into question the tactics used by
police to gain those confessions.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/laws/confessions.htm
France's High Court Supports Wrongful Birth Lawsuits:
In separate cases France's high court of appeals ruled that the parents of
children with disabilities, including a boy who has Down syndrome, should be
compensated because the parents were not given the option to have them
aborted before they were born.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/wrongfulbirths.htm
Section 508 Makes Information Technology Accessible:
On June 21, 2001, new accessibility guidelines went into effect for U.S.
government agencies. These guidelines are part of Section 508 of the 1973
Rehabilitation Act, which were revised in 1998. They require all electronic
and information technology products and services that federal agencies buy
to meet new accessibility standards. This includes computers, fax machines
and millions of government Internet Web pages. The new guidelines have
implications for Web development world-wide.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/access/section508.htm
Activists Demand Equality And Action:
From Austin, Texas to St. Petersburg, Russia, and from Baltimore, Maryland
to Hubli, India, disability rights activists gathered in different places
around the world, to lobby for changes in how people with disabilities are
perceived and treated. The National Disabled Students Union formed in
response to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against Pat Garret (see above).
A few weeks later, hundreds of students from college campuses across the
U.S. staged a nation-wide "Leave Out" in protest. ADAPT staged protests in
Washington, DC and in San Francisco, California demanding government move
money to community supports instead of the current bias toward institutions
and nursing homes.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/institutions/ca/lagunahonda.htm
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/adapt0501.htm
Assisted Suicide In The News:
Attorney General John Ashcroft Unveils Drug Policy That Stops Oregon's
Assisted Suicide Law
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/assistsuicide.htm
Court Rules Jack Kevorkian Must Stay In Prison
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/kevorkian.htm
California Court Sides With Florence Wendland, Weeks After Her Husband Dies
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/wendland.htm
Heroes, Role Models, Leaders Who Moved On:
Gunnar Dybwad, Heidi Van Arnem, Colleen Fraser, Dale Evans were among those
who passed away this year. Also, an unknown number of people with
disabilities died in the World Trade Center towers when they were struck by
hijacked jets on September 11.
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/special/passing.htm
------
Forwarded to this list by:
Dave Reynolds, Editor
Inclusion Daily Express / Inclusion Weekly Review
Disability Rights Email News Service
[log in to unmask]
http://www.InclusionDaily.com
A service of
Inonit Publishing
PO Box 68
Spangle, Washington 99031 USA
Phone: 509-245-3831
Toll free in USA: 888-551-8280
Fax: 509-472-3220
Copyright © 2002 Inonit Publishing
|
