thanx. :) >From: ken barber <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: "St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List" ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: “But there are places for disabled people!” >Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 18:35:15 -0800 > >i know not if it will help, but, i did send a plea to >2 influential media outlets in new york city. > >--- Jonathan Rand <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > Many of you will not be able to help me in any way > > with this, but I think > > you need to know what’s happening nevertheless. I > > suspect this happens to > > many of the physically disabled poor. Their lives > > get torn apart, and > > nobody knows about it. Some rich landlord gets a > > little richer, while a > > poor person, (even someone with severe > > disabilities), loses their home, > > their possessions, and even their connections with > > other people! > > > > After being taken in by a friend who was mentally > > ill, (after losing my own > > apartment), and after that person became sicker, and > > had to leave here, the > > landlord is evicting me. There are no affordable > > apartments available in > > Manhattan, and if you’re talking about wheelchair > > accessible apartments, > > FORGET IT! (I use a wheelchair.) (I won’t survive > > in an outlying borough, > > in a dangerous neighborhood, isolated from people in > > Manhattan that help me! > > I’ve already been physically attacked by “young > > males” from the projects, > > so I steer clear of those kinds of places. I’m not > > sure what was thrown at > > me at one point. I think it was a bottle.) > > > > The landlord is apparently thinking about the > > “bottom line!” He let the > > back rent build up… Legal Aid told me they > > “couldn’t do anything until it > > came right down to the wire!” And the landlord > > needed to serve me with > > eviction papers before they would act. A lot of > > time went by. I was > > served, (a few times), with papers having to do with > > THE CAR’S PARKING > > SPACE, downstairs in the parking lot, but no one > > came to my door with > > anything having to do with the apartment. An > > eternity went by, but nobody > > lifted a finger to head something like this off! I > > knew I was headed for a > > very bad situation but there was little I could do! > > I’m severely disabled. > > A nonverbal spastic, athetoid quad, (like CEREBRAL > > PALSY), with low vision. > > I can’t use a phone or read text. Email is my only > > line to “the outside > > world,” and until recently, I couldn’t even leave > > this neighborhood! The > > electric scooter I got from Medicaid, DIDN’T FIT ON > > THE BUS! And when I > > complained about this, (at United Cerebral Palsy, > > down on East 23rd Street, > > here in New York, I was told, “that was the only > > scooter that could be > > approved. That’s the law! And if I didn’t like it, > > I should go to > > Washington and LOBBY!” (I guess they expected me to > > crawl there…..!) > > > > Anyway, the landlord refused my friend’s rent check, > > saying he violated the > > lease. When he got sicker, he went to his > > girlfriend’s, so she could take > > care of him, leaving me here alone. The landlord > > said: “he wasn’t living > > here, and he had an illegal sublet.” My friend > > didn’t tell the landlord > > that I was here, BECAUSE HE SUFFERED FROM A > > DISABLING ANXIETY DISORDER. He > > was AFRAID to! The lease was never violated > > maliciously! > > > > Someone in the neighborhood helped me get a > > Section-8 rent voucher. So soon > > after my friend left, I had the ability to pay the > > rent here! (This is a > > RENT STABILIZED apartment, and the rent is only $100 > > more than my voucher!) > > Current rents everywhere else, are much much higher, > > so staying here seemed > > like the best option. If I’m forced to leave, my > > life will be literally > > torn apart! I’ve learnt, over the years, to take > > care of myself IN THIS > > APARTMENT! The placement of the sink, in relation > > to the bathtub, is > > important because of the routines I established so I > > could wash and brush my > > teeth in the morning! if I get on the floor, and > > lean over the bathtub, I > > can do things like wash my face, or eat on my own! > > I rigged a hose, going > > from the bathroom sink faucet, to the bathtub, so I > > could fill a cup, or wet > > a cloth. It used to take me five hours to wash & > > dress everyday! Now I can > > do it in under two hours! Take me away from this > > apartment, and I’m > > “helpless” again! I took YEARS to figure out how to > > do this stuff here, and > > I dread having to start all over! It took me for > > ever to find the right > > hose, that would fit in the bathroom sink faucet! > > > > And also, like most men, I guess, I’m fighting the > > aging process! :) My > > hair is turning grey! I darken my mustache! You > > might think that this > > routine would be something I could let go of easily! > > But I have an extra > > problem! I was born with a facial deformity. A > > cleft palate & lip. I went > > through hell because of this, when I was younger, > > until I figured out how to > > cover it up, with a big “walrus” moustache! The > > moustache, a pair of “John > > Lennon wire rim glasses, & a Beatle haircut, > > distracted people away from the > > deformity, and my life changed INSTANTLY! Now that > > I’m older, the moustache > > is turning grey! It’s losing its shape, and no > > longer doing its job, > > (unless I use that “stuff!”) (“GREYaway, Only for > > ‘REAL’ MEN!) :) I made > > a kind of “vanity table” that fits in the BATHTUB. > > Getting down on the > > floor, and leaning over the tub, enbles me to color > > my mustache! Hands > > free! There’s a light, & an adjustable “jig” that > > holds a MIRROR and a > > BRUSH. I have everything worked out! From mixing > > the > > hair-dye GOO, to applying it, (by moving my head > > over the mounted brush), > > to rincing it off! I use an electric screwdriver to > > unscrew the caps on the > > little tubes! Everything’s worked out. And the > > routine is very intricate! > > Change ANYTHING, and everything falls apart! > > > > I’m horrified at the prospect of not being able to > > take care of myself! And > > the thought of uncovering that deformity after all > > these years totally > > floors me! I’m actually surprised that even THIS > > landlord, (notorious for > > being cruel & mean), is doing this to me! > > > > People in the system, (social workers etc.), don’t > > really know what to do in > > cases like this. And they’re constrained by rules & > > regulations, (and lack > > of money), so anyone in my position could easily > > “fall through the cracks “ > > and get crushed! > > > > Legal Aid accepted my case about a year ago, and > > when eviction papers were > > served, I won that round in court on a technicality. > > (My name wasn’t on the > > papers.) > > > > After that, time passed. And little or nothing was > > done to try and head off > > the coming storm! Rent bills started arriving. I > > asked my social worker > > about these… Could it be that the management office > > wasn’t aware of what > > was happening? There was no response. > > > > When the lease was up, I got a rent bill saying, > > “your lease has expired. > > Call the office immediately.” My social worker > > asked my Legal Aid lawyer > > what we should do about this, and was told that I > > shouldn’t worry about it. > > And that we needed to wait for actual eviction > > papers to arrive. I’d get > > served, we’d go to court, and everything would take > > a really long time! > > > > Although I had the Section-8 voucher, back rent was > > building up. And > > section-8 won’t pay that! I asked about this, and > > was told that if the > > landlord accepted my voucher and allowed me to stay, > > the CITY would pay the > > back rent! But until papers were served, nobody > > would do anything to head > > things off! > > > > I was worried about being put out in the street! I > > was told, there’s a law > > that protects me, (because I’m severely disabled), > > and >=== message truncated === > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >http://mail.yahoo.com