This article was forwarded to me- thought u would be interested
Source of article is business week-

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jan2001/nf20010124_822.htm






JANUARY 24, 2001




ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
By John M. Williams

One-on-One with Jesse Ventura
In a Q&A, Minnesota's governor talks about the ADA, paltry federal
funding for disability programs, and his own disabled daughter

For most of America, Jesse "The Body" Ventura is already a political
legend. The 49-year-old Minnesotan served as a Navy SEAL, worked as a
bad-guy professional wrestler, and dabbled in acting and broadcasting
before becoming the mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minn. Two years ago,
running as
an independent, he bested candidates from the two major parties to win
the governorship of his home state.

An imposing 6-ft., 6-in. with a gravel voice and twinkle in his eye,
Ventura is both outspoken and controversial. An advocate of
campaign-finance reform, he refuses to even meet with lobbyists in the
state Capitol. He's a stickler about a strong national defense. And
some
speculate he may even make a run for the White House someday.

What few know is that Ventura has a 17-year-old daughter, Jade, who
suffers from both seizures and a learning disorder. Ventura used a
$50,000 fee
from a professional wrestling appearance to establish a foundation in
her name that aims to help small organizations provide services and
support to
children with physical disabilities or tough family situations.

So it comes as no surprise that Ventura sees himself as a champion on
disability issues -- although, even there, he's controversial, with
some disability advocates complaining that he hasn't delivered the
legislative
goods. For instance, Ventura's government failed last year to spend
$44 million earmarked for families caring for disabled relatives. That
money hasn't been recycled back into disability programs in 2001, say
his
critics. And his state budget, recently submitted to the Minnesota
legislature, keeps spending requests for disabled programs at current
levels. On Jan. 17, when the governor discussed his views in an
exclusive
interview with BusinessWeek Online, Ventura didn't seem to be aware of
that. Here are edited excerpts of the conversation:

Q: Do you plan to increase spending in your state for the disabled?
What about investing additional money either into the purchase of
assistive technology for disabled people or the development of
assistive technology?
A: Check with my budget person on that one. (Note: The state of
Minnesota released Governor Ventura's 2001 proposed budget on Jan. 23.
Spending requests for disability programs were in nearly every
instance at the
same level as a year earlier. There were largely no requests for
increases.)

Q: What is your opinion of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
A: It's a good law with excellent intended consequences. But the law
is too gray. For example, it is too vague on what is a disability and
what is not. I think a person who is disabled should be disabled by no
act of their
own. If you become disabled because of alcoholism, drugs, or things of
that nature, I do not think those conditions qualify someone to be
called
disabled. I think those conditions result from personal decisions.

Q: So then the ADA is a federal mandate without the federal funds to
enforce it?
A: If the government mandates anything with a price tag on it, then it
ought to fund the project. I made it a point in my administration,
when I was mayor and now as governor, not to legislate any unfunded
mandates.
The federal government should also honor its commitment and do what it
said
it would do in the field of funding special education programs. One of
my biggest tasks in this area is to get the federal government to pay
its share of special education programs. Many years ago when the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed, the
federal government agreed to pay 40% of the annual costs for special
education to the states. For many years, the federal spending was
around 11%. Now it's around 13%. That's too small.

I have spoken to former President Clinton about this lack of funding.
I met with former Vice-President Al Gore when he was here campaigning.
And I have already written a letter to President Bush about this issue
and will discuss it with him when we meet.

Q: So is the lack of funding the fault of the President?
A: No. The President does not appropriate funding. Congress does. But
I tell our congressional representatives and senators all the time
they need
to provide us with the 40% funding. To secure increased federal
spending, I keep politicians' feet to the fire.

Q: How does the federal lack of funding affect Minnesota?
A: If the federal government paid its fair share of IDEA, that would
free up $250 million annually for my state. That's money that we can
spend in other areas. We could put more money into training people
with
disabilities so they can complete in this world economy. We could
improve our centers for independent living and provide
independent-living facilities for more
Minnesotans. I could invest more money in public transportation so
that people with disabilities will be able to get to and from a job.
As you know, access to public transportation is important for people
with
disabilities who can't drive.

Q: How has your daughter affected your views of IDEA, and how should
it be applied in the schools?
A: When you're involved in working to bring IDEA to the schools as
interested parents, you see the flaws and the positives of the
situation. My wife, Terry, and I have seen Jade have classes in broom
closets, because
that was the only class space available for special-education
students. We have had poorly trained teachers working with Jade and
other children
with disabilities. I have seen special-education programs that were
ineffective because they lacked the resources for teachers and
students. We need to improve in these areas.

Q: But you are happy now about Jade's situation, now that she has been
put into a mainstream classroom, with disabled and able-bodied
students?
A: Yes. My daughter's most recent experiences at Osseo High School
have been very positive. When able-bodied students are exposed to
disabled children, the disability becomes second nature to the
able-bodied
students.  The able-bodied students recognize that students with
disabilities are the same as them, even though they have a disability.
They see disabled students walking, talking, riding in a wheelchair,
using assistive technology. I think there are many districts in
Minnesota that are doing an outstanding job of mainstreaming disabled
children with able-bodied children.

Q: Should the Professional Golfers Assn. allow Casey Martin to play
golf, or has it the right to exclude him from riding from hole-to-hole
in a golf cart because of his disability? Should Martin be using the
ADA to force
the PGA to let him play?
A: Martin should be allowed to ride from hole-to-hole in golf
tournaments as long as he can qualify for each tournament. I don't
understand the PGA's
reluctance to let him play. If the ADA is his way of getting the PGA
to let him play, then that's the way it is. But it's sure a waste of
time by the PGA. It's also a public-relations disaster for the
association. It's
Martin's ability that counts in this case.

Q: You have a reputation for fiscal conservatism in government
spending, yet you advocate spending more money on programs benefiting
people with disabilities. How do you reconcile the two?
A: It's common sense. Disabled people need more invested in their
education, housing, job training, transportation, assistive
technology, and independent-living facilities. Governments earn back
this investment -- and more -- by making people with disabilities
economically productive citizens. As fully employed individuals,
people with disabilities contribute to the strength of the economy, to
the social fabric...to the overall strength of the country. And we
know people with disabilities make excellent employees if they are
just given the chance.

Q: What should be the relationship between the government and private
sector in terms of helping disabled people?
A: There has to be a partnership between government and the private
sector in working on programs benefiting disabled people in all walks
of life.
For example, the state of Minnesota recently gave a contract to
Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing for Minnesotans. And,
of course
disabled people use this housing. I think the partnership needs to be
extended into training and rehabilitation areas, and in funding the
development of assistive-technology products for disabled people. The
private sector can produce these products less expensively than the
government and can bring them to market quicker.

Q: Minnesota was one of the first states to sign into law the federal
Ticket to Work and the Work Incentives Improvement Act. Why did you do
it so quickly?
A: Ah, those are no-brainers. We want disabled people to work. Health
insurance should be a given for every citizen. And this law provides
it for disabled people who want to work. In fact, far more people with
disabilities have taken advantage of the program in Minnesota than we
originally anticipated. From the state's standpoint it is an
unqualified success.

Q: Any thoughts about the new Bush team in Washington?
A: I am not in the position to micromanage the President because I am
not privy to all the details. But I have a lot of confidence in the
President. One of the things that made me very confident in him was
when he selected Colin Powell as Secretary of State. In about a year,
maybe we should start critiquing his performance.

Q: What should be Bush's No. 1 priority? You are a staunch advocate of
campaign-finance reform. Is Senator John McCain right to push for this
so hard considering the economy is slowing down and many people think
a tax cut should be the main priority?

A: Both should be big priorities. Suddenly, the economy is important,
and that's a priority. We need campaign-finance reform, too.


Williams writes Assistive Technology every week, only for BW Online.

Got a comment or question? Please visit our Assistive Technology
interactive forum
Edited by Alex Salkever


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