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THE BEACON for [dis]ABILITY™
World Association of Persons With Disabilities [WAPD]
A Non-Profit, Non-Political-Association
The Beacon of Knowledge & Refuge for the World's Largest Minority
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January 11 , 1999 BOOKMARK: <http://www.wapd.org>
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A FREE newsletter sent to 23,000 subscribers around the world.
Feel Free to forward this newsletter to interested associates.
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"Let us be among those who renew this world
and bring prosperity & solace to creation"
_ Zarathushtra.. about 1738 B.C. _
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FERGUSON PUBLISHING
The Leading Publisher in Career Education
<http://www.fergpubco.com>
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Quality Of Life Begins In Your Mind
1. LETTERS TO EDITOR..
"The Kelly Dillery Affair"
2. Large Nigeria (dis)ABLED Youth Project Needs..HELP!
3. Resources
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A. "Singin' Scientist"
B. Deaf Watch
C. Specially Adapted Alternative Manufactured Homes
4. About WAPD
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A. WELCOME...ALL INDIA PHYSICAL HANDICAPPED COUNCIL
Dr. Abhinandan Vashistha, President
5. The Fork
6. Disability Policy in the 106th Congress (USA)
( A Letter )
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QUALITY OF LIFE BEGINS IN YOUR MIND...
Riches lie within you, not in material possessions.
Your real riches are riches of the head and heart.
Satisfaction comes from appreciating what you have.
Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation.
There are two ways of being happy:
you must either diminish your wants or augment your means.
It is always better to appreciate things you cannot have
then to have the things you cannot appreciate.
It is not what you have,
but what you enjoy that constitutes your abundance.
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Nothing Is Impossible!
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Dear Editor:
Below is a series of events and corerespondence
concerning the Kelly Dillery/Sandusky, Ohio affair
that has created worldwide attention. I feel that
the readers of the BEACON will appreciate knowing
that their e-mail efforts are very effective and
that WAPD will help to solve the problem that we
are following very closely.
George Kerford, Ph.D. Chairman/CEO [WAPD]
<[log in to unmask]>
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(WAPD e-mail to Sandusky Register publisher 29 Dec. 98)
Dear Mr. Hofmann,
World Association of Persons with dis-ABILITIES [WAPD]
representing over 19,000,000 people throughout the world
calls on you/leaders of your community to stop the
persecution of Ms. Kelly Dillery!
Sincerely,
Dr. George Kerford
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(Below e-mail received at WAPD: 31 Dec 98)
Dear Dr. Kerford:
This "access" problem within our city was brought
to light by the newspaper. A "march" this week in
Sandusky, hundreds of support letters--and much
more--has most certainly created a tide of support
for Kelly.
Why does everyone (hundreds) who e-mail me think
the newspaper is the problem?
Perhaps you could help in this matter??
Jim Hofmann, publisher
Sandusky Register
<[log in to unmask]>
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(WAPD/MY response 31 Dec 98)
Dear Mr. Hofmann, (Ref: Your, attached, e-mail)
The Sandusky Register is the primary "Mouthpiece" for the
community that is unfortunately/fortunately in the world
spotlight due to the Kelly Dillery affair. Your newspaper
can and should be the leadership solution for making this
a "win-win" or profitable situation for the total community
since you definitely have the attention of people all over
the world.
I will be very happy to help change "Lemons into Lemonade"
and invite you to give me a call at: (omtted here). I am
normally in my office until 5:00 p.m. cst.
Happy New Year!
Dr. George Kerford
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Sandusky Register Editorial Jan. 6, 1999
Our opinion -- Child forgotten in disability rhetoric
Wednesday, January 6, 1999
On a frigid morning last week, dozens of activists made their
way from Jackson Street Pier to Sandusky City Hall to show
their displeasure with city officials for what they called the
"oppression" of Kelly Dillery.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Dillery saga, this is it:
Kelly Dillery was driving her motorized wheelchair down a city
street with her 4-year-old daughter, Kelsi, strapped to her lap.
As a result, the 30-year-old Dillery, who has muscular dystrophy,
was cited by city police for child endangering and being a
pedestrian in a roadway.
There are many arguments that were made during the course
of the rally that are difficult to argue with. The handicapped
should have access to sidewalks, local businesses and government
offices. It is not a process that can happen overnight, if for
no other reason than limited financial resources.
The issue, however, extends beyond the catch-all outcry of the
disabled community.
The issue extends beyond Kelly Dillery and whether she has a
civil right to live her life as she sees fit.
The real issue, when you cut past all the rhetoric, is Kelsi.
It is dangerous for Kelsi to be out on the street with no
protection other than her mother's lap. Dillery was cited for
endangering her child, not herself. It was a move made to
protect a young girl who was being placed in harm's way.
Let's put it in this context: If any of us were to climb onto a
bicycle, plop a 4-year-old on our lap and then head into the
street to run some errands, we would be stopped by the police.
It is reasonable that once or twice we might just receive a
warning. But if it kept occurring we would also be charged with
child endangering.
If that happened, would we then have the right to claim the
city's "oppression" of bicycle riders? We don't think so.
There is a bottom line in the Kelly Dillery case, no matter how
much special interest groups want to make her the poster child
-- we must not forget about Kelsi, whose name has seldom
come up at the rally or in the flood of responses that have come
to our office. And she is what this should be about.
No one, no matter what level of ability or disability they might
have, has the civil right to put a child in harm's way.
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[WAPD Note]
The following email was forwarded to Mr. Hofman 1/10/98
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Dear Mr. Hofman,
Your newspapers inflaming editorials are exactly the
reason for the growing problems! I related same to your
managing editor, Todd Franko, when he called me in your
behalf this week. His comment, "our publisher is more
excited about the Dillery matter than he has been about
anything in a long time", was very revealing but sad.
It appears to me that your editorial committee is fully
interested in maintaining your attention by selling news
that inflames a home-town situation that should not have
been allowed to reach such worldwide proportion.
It is a well known fact by advocates everywhere that the
news media, plays a large part in molding public opinion.
The Sandusky Register newspaper can/should choose to promote
and be a strong advocate for basic human rights. It can use
it's influence to mold community opinion toward a just and
proper treatment of, in this case, the Kelly Dillery right
to movement around her community without fear of harassment
by law officials or any other person, for that matter.
Instead of the Sandusky policemen riding around to catch and
confront the lady with another legal citation they should be
out there to assist her safe and secure passage from place
to place until the situation is improved by installing the
proper curb-cuts and other safeguards to protect her right
of mobility.
Since August 1998 the Kelly Dillery story has been noticed
by your newspaper. Your personal emergence as one of the
community leaders is very much needed to gather other city
leaders together and solve the problem that has escalated
for entirely too long. A positive approach for everybody
concerned will certainly cast the city into a much better
profile of responsibility for people that need/require help.
Make.. "User Friendly" the by-words for Sandusky, Ohio as has,
an example to emulate, Las Vegas, Nevada that has proven it's
just plain good business!.. It will certainly do much more for
Sandusky and your newspaper than the present track of courts
and confrontation that the city cannot win!
As I related to your managing editor... I am counting on you
to do the right thing in this matter.
Very Sincerely,
George Kerford, Ph.D., Chairman/CEO [WAPD]
Note: sig. block is omitted for this newsletter.
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IF IT'S GONNA BE...IT'S UP TO ME
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LARGE NIGERIA (dis)ABLED YOUTH PROJECT NEEDS..Help!
WAPD member and businessman Dick Francis of Lagos, Nigeria is
heavily inolved with setting up training workshops for hundreds
of children that have migrated to the capital city from
various areas throughout the country where they are, due to
extreme ignorance and taboos about disabilities, treated very
badly. Chief (Mrs) Orduh, a local lady, is the prime mover.
The mentally and physically disabled youth have been left to
very harsh futures of begging and exploitation by the general
population. (back to the old "hand in cap"/handicap mode that
most of us do NOT wish to be identified with)
This project can use help from consultants and volunteers
from everywhere. A child saved from the ravages of the
streets is someone that can be waiting to help you in the
future.
Contact: Dick Francis <[log in to unmask]>
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KEEP ON KEEPING ON!
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[-RESOURCES-]
A. "Singin' Scientist"
<http://www.bluemarble.net/~jbtbrain>
B. Deaf Watch
<Http://www.deafwatch.com>
C. Specially Adapted Alternative Manufactured Homes
<http://www.samh.com>
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SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY NOT A DESTINATION
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ABOUT WAPD...
A. WELCOME to membership of...
ALL INDIA PHYSICAL HANDICAPPED COUNCIL
Dr. Abhinandan Vashistha, President
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NOT dis....BUT...ABILITY!
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THE FORK...
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer
and had been given 3 months to live. Her doctor told
her to start making preparations to die (something
we all should be doing all of the time.) So she
contacted her pastor and had him come to her house
to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She
told him which songs she wanted sung at the service,
what scriptures she would like read, and what she
wanted to be wearing.
The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to
be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in
order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the
woman suddenly remembered something very important
to her.
"There's one more thing." She said excitedly.
"What's that?" came the pastor's reply.
"This is very important," the woman continued. "I
want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing
quite what to say.
"That shocks you, doesn't it?" the woman asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,"
said the pastor.
The woman explained. "In all my years of attending
church socials and functions where food was involved
(and let's be honest, food is an important part of
any church event; spiritual or otherwise); my
favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the
dishes of the main course would lean over and say
'You can keep your fork.' It was my favorite part
because I knew that something better was coming.
When they told me to keep my fork I knew that
something great was about to be given to me.
It wasn't Jell-O or pudding. It was cake or pie.
Something with substance.
So I just want people to see me there in that
casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to
wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you
to tell them: 'Something better is coming so keep
your fork, too.' " The pastor's eyes were welled
up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman goodbye.
He knew this would be one of the last times he
would see her before her death. But he also knew
that that woman had a better grasp of heaven than
he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the woman's
casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing
and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her
right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the
question "What's with the fork?" And over and over
he smiled.
During his message the pastor told the people of
the conversation he had with the woman shortly
before she died. He also told them about the fork
and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor
told the people how he could not stop thinking
about the fork and told them that they probably
would not be able to stop thinking about it
either.... He was right!
So the next time you reach down for your fork,
let it remind you, oh so gently, that there is
something better coming.
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INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS
We Increase Mobility for Children
Real Bowling for Wheelchair Users
Innovations for the (dis)Abled is our Business
<http://www.iphope.com/>
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Disability Policy in the 106th Congress...
Dear Advocacy Colleagues,
This is in response to Justin Dart's December 21, 1998,
e-mail.
With respect to Mr. Dart's comments, he certainly has
the individual right to support the President. However,
involving the entire disability community in politically-
charged situations that essentially have nothing to do
with disability policy is detrimental to achieving our
goal of accomplishing good public policy that increases
opportunities for productivity and participation by
Americans with disabilities. Each of us must think
independently and make our own individual choices based
on complete, factual information.
I want to address a couple of points Mr. Dart made in
his e-mail:
1) If the "universal health care" he mentions is the
plan put forth by Mrs. Clinton, it is important for all
who live with disability to know that plan would have
reduced or eliminated benefits for those with chronic
conditions. In testimony before Congress, a Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services admitted that Mrs. Clinton's plan was
"not designed as a chronic care benefit."
2) Mr. Dart stated that former Speaker Newt Gingrich
voted against the ADA four times and that Speaker
Designate Hastert voted against the ADA eight out of
nine votes. In fact, Mr. Gingrich signed on as a
co-sponsor of the ADA on Nov. 15, 1989, and both he
and Mr. Hastert voted FOR passage of the ADA on
May 22, 1990. These facts are easily verified by
referring to the Roll Call section on the House
website.
Mr. Dart neglected to mention the December 13, 1998,
Los Angeles Times article which reported that after
President Clinton had suggested that he would put $1
billion over 5 years in his FY 2000 budget for medical
benefits for workers with disabilities, his aides
acknowledged to advocates that no funding had actually
been set aside for this. Nor did Mr. Dart make note of
the fact that the Clinton administration is the main
promoter of cuts to the Social Services Block Grants,
according to the December 21, 1998, "Disability Funding
News."
The point is that sometimes we benefit from the policies
of one party and sometimes we benefit from the policies
of the other party. We can only do ourselves harm by
alienating one political party and giving essentially
thoughtless allegiance to the other. As the 106th
Congress begins, the choice is ours. We can sell
ourselves and our issues out to partisan interests -
or - we can work collaboratively with all members of
Congress to achieve good policy.
Effective advocates are good educators and negotiators.
They understand the issues and concerns of all
stakeholders. They are not self-serving or easily
manipulated by others. They recognize that it is unreasonable
to expect policy makers, or anyone else, to have our level
of understanding of disability issues, if they have not had
our experience. It may be easier to just get angry - or to
focus hatred on an individual or one political party - but
that will not get us good policy. Those who live with the
reality of disability and those who genuinely care about
improving disability policy need more allies - not more
enemies.
Instead of allowing ourselves to become involved in
partisanship, I am optimistic that we will be wise in
our advocacy strategies and contribute to a more
productive 106th Congress.
Best wishes,
Carol Hughes
Marietta, GA
<[log in to unmask]>
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Be Proud Of Who You Are!
You Are Unique As An Individual
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Copyright© 1998 World Association of Persons with Disabilities
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