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December 29, 1998                        LEAP 1-800-410-5327   e-mail: [log in to unmask]	

    CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS, FAMILIES MARCH TO END PERSECUTION OF MOM IN WHEELCHAIR

SANDUSKY, OHIO - Disability rights activists and families from all over the
US will march today in support of Kelly Dillery.  Dillery, a 30-year old
mother who has Muscular dystrophy and uses a power wheelchair, has been
arrested twice in her hometown of Sandusky for carrying her 4 -year old
daughter, Kelsi, secured with a safety strap, on her lap. The city contends
that Dillery's use of city streets is unsafe, while Dillery counters that
she has no choice because, in many places, the sidewalks are not accessible.

According to Ms. Dillery, and to the many disability rights activists and
families who support her, Kelly is simply a Mom, and a conscientious one, at
that.  "This woman is being harassed in spite of the fact that she is doing
an excellent job of raising her daughter," said Marcie Roth, a nationally
recognized disability rights leader, and a single mom, herself.  "Any mom
knows that leaving the kids with a sitter can be simpler, but deep-down we
recognize that finding the energy to take our kids with us as we go about
our daily activities is key in building a genuine mother-child
relationship."  Roth, of TASH Worldwide, a disability advocacy organization
whose membership is largely made up of people with significant disabilities,
noted that Dillery goes that extra mile in mothering her daughter, taking
Kelsi to the park, the library, and on educational nature walks.  "Most
parents would look at Kelly as a role model, as someone they should strive
to be like.  Instead, this remarkable mom is being punished because she uses
a wheelchair and carries her daughter on her lap." 
 
"We will be meeting at 11:00 a.m. December 29th at Jackson Street Pier in
Sandusky." said Mary Butler of the LEAP Independent Living Center in Ohio.
Butler, a march organizer who also uses a wheelchair, will be joined by her
husband, daughter, and grandchildren, and will carry her grandchild on her
lap during the march.  Butler notes that she, along with other state and
national civil rights leaders are calling for national action in support of
Dillery, requesting citizens make telephone calls, and send fax and e-mail
messages to Sandusky city officials and the local Sandusky newspaper.
According to Butler, attempts to persuade Sandusky police to consider making
changes to city thoroughfares that would allow wheelchair users to ride on
sidewalks were disregarded.  "We are always willing to work with policy
makers, hoping to get them to recognize situations in which simple
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would resolve
conflict, and we tried this in Sandusky."   

The Dillery case has spawned hundreds of communiqués, including calls and
letters from internationally trusted sages of disability policy.  Fred Fay,
one of fathers of the ADA, says that he was shocked to learn of the
discrimination Kelly is facing, "I used a wheelchair for 20 years.  I
carried my son around on my lap from playgrounds to science centers to
libraries to Fenway Park.  Between his birth in 1967 and his last such trip
in the seventies we covered hundreds of miles.  Many of those miles were in
the street due to the lack of curb ramps.  I never dreamed I could get
arrested pushing around in my wheelchair.  I Didn't.  Kelly Dillery did!" 

The response from Sandusky officials has not been positive.  In fact,
Sandusky Police "chose to hunt Kelly down and charge her a second time" said
Carol Banks, co-founder of Advocacy an online disability rights network that
has become known as a hotbed of disability rights action. "It is crucial
that everyone who cannot be in Sandusky on December 29th let their disdain
for such discriminatory actions be known through technological means - that
means e-mail, faxes, and telephone calls.  All of the contact information is
easy to get on the web."   

Roth cautions America's parents "Apparently, Sandusky lawmakers are under
the false perception that people with significant disabilities are incapable
of safely caring for the children they love.  If Kelly is convicted, this
town could be setting a precedent that validates snatching babies out their
mother's hands based purely on societal misconceptions.  That should be a
frightening prospect for anyone whose culture necessitates a parenting style
that might be considered 'different'."

Shona Eakin a disability organizer who works for the Ability Center of
Greater Toledo, said that the city of Sandusky issued a permit for the march
late last week.  The march will start at the Jackson Street Pier, head east
on Water Street and end on the lawn of City Hall on Meigs Street, where
organizers are expected to speak.  Dillery also plans to speak.  According
to Sandusky officials, city safety guidelines require two people to precede
the march to make sure traffic doesn't interfere with the parade at
intersections.  An additional police car will follow the parade for safety
reasons.
"To sin by silence when the should protest makes cowards of men."  ~Abraham
Lincoln