INCLUSION DAILY EXPRESS
International Disability Rights News Service
http://www.InclusionDaily.com
Your quick, once-a-day look at disability rights, self-determination
and the movement toward full community inclusion around the world.
August 1 and August 2, 2005
Year VI, Edition 1167
Today's front section features 9 news and information items, each
preceded
by a number (#) symbol.
Click on the "Below the Fold" link at the bottom of this section for 34
more
news items.
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
"It was pretty obvious that they thought I was a little mad, that the
dream
was a 'some time in my life I'd love to . . . ' type dream. Little did
they
know how determined I would become!"
--Hilary Lister, who plans to become the first quadriplegic sailor to
navigate alone across the English Channel later this month, using
sip-puff
technology to control her sailboat (Sixth story)
"The mentality blows my mind. If I keep my child at home, you will not
give
me a cent. But you will spend $110,000 if I give her up and put her in a
state school."
--Jamie Travis, who has avoided institutionalizing her 25-year-old
daughter
that has developmental disabilities by keeping her in their Texas home.
Travis' daughter has been on a waiting list for community services for
more
than eight years (Second story)
-----
# ADVOCACY / HEALTH CARE
Protesters Toll Bells Across Tennessee Over Health Care Cuts
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
August 1, 2005
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE -- On Monday, about 97,000 people who were receiving
TennCare lost their drug coverage, while another 400,000 faced a limit on
their drug benefits. The state also stands ready to cut as many as
290,000
additional TennCare recipients from the Medicaid portion of the health
care
program.
"This is the single largest cutback of public health care, not just in
the
state, but in the history of this country," said Tony Garr, executive
director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign, during a July 28 press
conference.
Civil, senior and disability rights advocates have been holed up inside
the
State Capitol building, and just outside Governor Phil Bredesen's office
since June 20, demanding he meet with them publicly and restore cuts he
has
made to TennCare. Bredesen has eliminated much of Tennessee's
contribution
to the federal-state funded Medicaid health-care program, leading to the
end
of health care for hundreds of thousands of low-income citizens, many of
whom have disabilities.
On July 28, protesters set up a church bell in Nashville's Legislative
Plaza
and started tolling it every 4 seconds -- each toll signifying 10 people
who
are losing some or all of their health care benefits -- through Sunday
night. Organizers arranged for bells to be tolled in every county across
Tennessee.
The demonstrators hope that their efforts will force lawmakers to arrange
a
special session to address the health care problem.
"The pressure is working," said protester Pam Beziat. "I think the
governor
is caught in a hard place."
In the meantime, the protesters have not been allowed to have food or
water
delivered to them inside the Capitol building, following a two-week-old
rule
by the State Capitol Commission.
Related:
"DAY THIRTY-FOUR: Six lies of Governor Bredesen, Part Two" (Memphis
Center
for Independent Living)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072305s.asp
"DAY THIRTY-FIVE: Photos from Al Levenson" (MCIL)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072405s.asp
"DAY THIRTY-SIX: Call for a Special TennCare Legislative Session" (MCIL)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072505s.asp
"DAY THIRTY-SEVEN: Photos from the Nashville Peace and Justice Center"
(MCIL)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072605s.asp
"DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: Bredesen passes pork to friends" (MCIL)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072705s.asp
"DAY THIRTY-NINE: The Bell Tolls" (MCIL)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072805s.asp
"DAY FORTY: The Bell Tolls in Federal Court" (MCIL)
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/log/2005/072905s.asp
"State cracks down on protestor meals" (Nashville City Paper)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/05/red/0801a.htm
"Consider if Jesus would join TennCare protesters" (Nashville Tennessean)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/05/red/0801b.htm
"TennCare supporters ring bell to oppose cuts in benefits" (Maryville
Daily
Times)
http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/213562
"TennCare activists escalate protests" (Commercial Appeal)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/05/red/0801c.htm
---
# COMMUNITY LIVING / FAMILIES
Texas Families Continue To Wait For Community Services
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
August 1, 2005
HOUSTON, TEXAS--In a study published three years ago, Texas ranked 48th
among all 50 states in per capita spending for home and community-based
services for people with intellectual disabilities.
That low level of funding has left somewhere between 28,000 and 40,000
Texans on waiting lists for those services -- some of them for over 10
years.
And it doesn't look like the waiting list is going away any time soon:
The
state Legislature has allocated enough money during the next two years to
get community services for only about 10 percent of those on the waiting
lists.
At the same time, the state still houses thousands of people in
institutions, here called "State Schools", for many times the cost of
homes
in the community.
"The mentality blows my mind," Jamie Travis, who cares for her
25-year-old
daughter at home, told the Houston Chronicle. "If I keep my child at
home,
you will not give me a cent. But you will spend $110,000 if I give her up
and put her in a state school."
Three years ago, the Arc of Texas and Advocacy Inc. filed a lawsuit on
behalf of 20 plaintiffs, including Travis' daughter, accusing Texas of
discriminating against 40,000 people with developmental disabilities who
continue to wait for Medicaid-funded services.
As of March of this year, lawsuits had been filed against 24 other states
by
people with developmental disabilities and their families seeking
community-based services.
"Just like any other parents, we want our kids to be where they are happy
and to be where they are fulfilled," Travis said.
Related:
"Families sue to keep mentally disabled close by" (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/metropolitan/3289446
State of the States in Developmental Disabilities (Coleman Institute)
http://www.cu.edu/ColemanInstitute/stateofthestates/
---
# INSTITUTIONS / ABUSE
Physical And Sexual Assaults On The Rise At Iowa Institution
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
August 1, 2005
WOODWARD, IOWA--The Des Moines Register reported Monday that Woodward
Resource Center, a state-run institution housing about 260 people with
developmental disabilities, is seeing a recent rise in reports of sexual
and
physical assaults.
Until last year, Woodward had been the focus of a U.S. Department of
Justice
investigation initiated after one resident died in a bathtub in 1999 and
other residents were seriously injured or died when they were physically
restrained by staff members.
Even though the incidents of restraint have gone down so far this year,
the
rates of resident-to-resident and resident-to-staff assaults is on the
rise.
Advocates and law enforcement officials alike blame the increase of
attacks
on an increase of new, violent offenders who are being housed with
potential
victims.
In January, the guardians of one resident sued the state over claims that
she contracted genital herpes from a sexual assault while at the
facility.
In April, a 16-year-old boy who was at Woodward for weekend respite care
was
allegedly sexually abused by a male Woodward resident.
Also this spring, a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at Woodward
by a
prison inmate on break from a work crew.
Beginning in March, Woodward employees reported to the local sheriff
about a
half-dozen serious allegations of assault upon them by residents.
The sheriff told the Register that he is frustrated at the lack of
security
at the Woodward campus.
Mike Davis, the institution's superintendent, had an entirely different
take
on Woodward's safety issues.
"Overall, I think things are going pretty good right now," Davis said.
"Given the folks we serve, this is a safe place."
Related:
"Assaults on residents, staff on the rise at state-run Woodward Center"
(Des
Moines Register)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/05/red/0801d.htm
"Deaths in Iowa's Institutions" (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/institutions/ia/iowa.htm
---
# CRIME
Jury Awards $99,000 To CTA Rider Over Alleged Beating By Driver
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
August 2, 2005
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS--The Chicago Transit Authority has been ordered to pay
a
rider $99,000 over his claims that he was assaulted by a bus driver.
A civil jury granted the award to Arturo Barajaz, 32, after a one-week
trial
that ended July 29.
Barajaz, who has partial paralysis on his right side, claimed that he
lost
his balance on October 15, 2001, when CTA driver James White failed to
wait
until Barajaz was seated before pulling away. When Barajaz asked a fellow
passenger to allow him to sit in the area designated for riders with
disabilities, White allegedly stopped the bus, then came back and punched
Barajaz repeatedly, knocked him to the ground, and kicked him several
times
in the face and body.
Barajaz was later treated for a broken nose and a deviated septum.
Even though police were called, criminal charges were not filed, leading
Barajaz to file the civil suit in 2003.
Transit officials have denied the claims. A CTA spokesperson said the
Authority would be looking at all of its options, including the
possibility
of appealing the decision.
Related:
"$99,000 award for alleged beating by CTA bus driver" (Chicago Sun-Times)
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-cta02.html
---
# TECHNOLOGY
New Implant Helps Man Cough
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
August 2, 2005
CLEVELAND, OHIO--Ronnie Moore can cough.
More precisely, Moore can make himself cough either just once or three
times
in a row, thanks to an experimental device now implanted in his spine.
This is no small thing to the 52-year-old man whose spine was injured in
a
car accident seven years ago, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.
A few weeks ago, doctors involved in a five-year, $1.5 million project,
implanted electrodes near the surface of Moore's spinal cord. The
electrodes
then were connected by wires to a receiver installed under the skin below
Moore's ribcage.
When Moore presses a pencil onto the # 1 on a black control box on the
tray
of his wheelchair, a signal is transmitted to the receiver, causing his
abdominal muscles to contract and for him to cough. When he presses # 2,
it
makes a series of three coughs.
"I feel air moving out of my throat," Moore said.
When it is perfected, the technology could help others who experience
spinal
cord injuries and other physical disabilities to cough when they feel the
need. This could spare many from premature death or hospitalization from
respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. It might also
mean
more independence for people who are in nursing homes because of worries
that they might choke on their phlegm, fluids or food.
Related:
"A simple cough never sounded so sweet" (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/05/red/0802a.htm
---
# TECHNOLOGY
Quadriplegic Sailor To Use Sip-Puff Technology To Guide Boat Across
English
Channel
August 1, 2005
KENT, ENGLAND--The following four paragraphs are excerpts from a story
published Saturday by BBC News:
A disabled female sailor plans to sail the English Channel solo by using
an
unusual system of suck and blow power.
If successful, Hilary Lister will become the first quadriplegic to sail
the
channel between England and France.
The mechanism, similar to one on her wheelchair, uses two straws
connected
to switches to control the boat's sails and the tiller, which steers the
boat.
She already uses a sip-puff system to control her electric wheelchair,
and
parts have been taken from an old chair and put into a 27ft long Soling
boat.
Entire article:
"Disabled sailor uses 'windpower'" (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4731139.stm
Related:
Hilary Lister &The Channel Challenge: Channel Challenge
http://www.hilarylister.co.uk/da/18355
---
# TODAY'S FEATURED ACCESSIBILITY WEBSITE
A-Prompt -- Web Accessibility Verifier
Web authors can use A-Prompt to make their Web pages accessible to people
with disabilities. The A-Prompt software tool examines Web pages for
barriers to accessibility, performs automatic repairs when possible, and
assists the author in manual repairs when necessary. These enhanced Web
pages are available to a larger Internet audience.
http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/index.html
---
# EXTRA! From the IDE Archives -- One year ago:
Second Group Of Institution Abuse Victims Receive Payout
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
August 2, 2004
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND--Dozens of former patients at Lake Alice Hospital
have received an average of $47,000 each to compensate them for the
mistreatment they endured while at the psychiatric institution in the
1960s
and 1970s.
The New Zealand Herald reported over the weekend that the government has
paid a total of $4.2 million to 88 people in a "second wave" of
complaints,
this time by former patients of the hospital's notorious child and
adolescent unit.
The average age of the patients at the time of the alleged abuse was 11
years. The unit itself was closed in 1978.
The former patients alleged in recent years that hospital staff often
punished them by performing electric shock treatments on them without
benefit of anesthesia, isolating them for long periods of time, and
injecting them with strong sedatives. They also claimed that as children
they were locked in rooms with adults who sexually abused them.
Three years ago, 95 other former Lake Alice patients were given a total
of
$6.5 million in compensation. The government also apologized for the way
they were mistreated at the mental institution.
In addition to these sets of claims, more than 200 patients of other
former
New Zealand psychiatric hospitals have filed claims alleging they were
mistreated during the same time period. They are seeking up to $500,000
compensation each and exemplary damages approaching $50,000. A settlement
with the government may be in the works.
In a related story, the Herald wrote Monday that police have not decided
--
after two years -- whether to prosecute Dr. Selwyn Leeks, the
psychiatrist
who ran the child and adolescent unit from 1972 to 1977. More than 30
former
patients have called for criminal charges to be filed against Leeks for
his
part in their abuse.
Leeks, 70, no longer practices in New Zealand. He is under investigation
for
allegations of sexual misconduct with a former female patient in
Melbourne,
Australia.
Related:
"Former Lake Alice patients win $4.2m payout" (New Zealand Herald)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3581489
"Police told to hurry up on investigation into psychiatrist" (New Zealand
Herald)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3581549
"Culture Of Abuse At Former New Zealand Institutions" (Inclusion Daily
Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/institutions/nz/nz.htm
---
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---
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---
# BELOW THE FOLD
Click here for the rest of today's disability-related news:
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/05/btf/08020553.htm
------
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