From: ADAPT <cyanosis@igc.org>
Subject: 03/92 INCITEMENT: AROUND THE NATION
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: University of Missouri
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 20:15:17 GMT

                        AROUND THE NATION

     Atlanta, GA - Atlanta ADAPT marked the ADA effective date 
with a protest against a Bar-B-Q at Habitat for Humanity in Hiram 
GA, where their social service facility was not accessible, 
within three days after the protest however, a ramp was 
installed.  February 7th, ADAPT followed with a sit- in at the 
office of Mayor Maynard Jackson to force him to make good on a 
campaign promise to hire a person to focus on disability issues.  
Four days later the Mayor agreed to fill the position he had 
promised.   Working with Life Worthy of Life, Atlanta ADAPT has 
also been very active on health care issues working on town 
meetings held by Representative John Lewis, helping to organize a 
press conferences on health and long term care, and participating 
in  the Poor People's Day lobby effort.  They also helped get 
over 10,000 signatures on a successful petition campaign to hold 
the Paralympics in Atlanta along with the Olympics in 1996.

     Austin, TX - ADAPT in Austin celebrated ADA enforcement day 
(Super Bowl Sunday) by protesting a local restaurant which had 
promised access for years but done nothing.  Sitting outside in 
torrential downpours, protesters nibbled on hamburger buns and 
peanut butter, the stirring fare in the "handicapped service" 
section -- on the sidewalk.   Local media came out, and the owner 
finally and began plans for access modifications.  ADAPT of Texas 
helped organize a rally on Texas Independence Day in support of 
closing state schools.  Despite the rain 150 folks came out.  Two 
days later a legislative task force recommended to the Governor 
closure of four schools.  (Hey if anyone out there reading this 
has a boat...  Incitement staff are getting pretty tired from 
treading water, and seriously our printer has been zapped by 
lightening twice this winter.)

     Houston, TX - Local ADAPT activists took on Luther's 
Bar-B-Q for lack of access required by the ADA.  Local organizer 
Judy Ziegler said "ADAPT is here to serve notice that we take 
our hard won right to access very seriously and do not intend to 
pretend access is not a serious issue."  Setting up a table 
outside the inaccessible front door, protesters read from the 
"handicapped" menu which included items like "rampless salad", 
"closed-to-us chili", "ignorance special" and "smoked excuses".  
Spokespeople from the corporate office were caught off guard, 
but still were full of excuses claiming they had spent $75,000 
on access -- yet they had not ramped the step at the front 
door.  Pat Boguslowski, another organizer with ADAPT said, 
"We want businesses to be aware we're going to be out in the 
community.  We're not going back into a closet to hide!"

     Philadelphia, PA - Disabled in Action (DIA), ADAPT's local 
cohorts, hit the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) on Walnut 
Street when ADA took effect for public accommodations. This major 
franchise apparently had chosen to ignore its obligation to  
provide access, and had done nothing to remove the large single 
step at the entrance.  So DIA set up "handicapped seating" out in 
front with a table and munchies that just happened to block the 
access for others, as IHOP had blocked the access for them.  The 
media carried the story for two days.  An IHOP executive from 
California is now negotiating timelines with DIA, since IHOP has 
quite a number of establishments across the US which need a 
little work; of course they could have started over a year ago.  
If the IHOP in your neck of the woods needs work too, don't be 
shy ... DIA plans a series of ADA access actions.  (Thanks to 
Cassie James for this information)

     St. Cloud, MN -- Sharon Kowalski is free.  December 17, 1991 
the Minnesota Court of Appeals ended the seven year battle for 
Sharon's liberty and granted her lover, Karen Thompson, 
guardianship.  May we all be so lucky as to have a partner like 
Karen,  who willingly engaged in a seven year battle to free 
Sharon from the nursing homes her family wanted her to vegetate 
in after her brain injury.  Sharon and Karen's fight  became a 
national symbol of the fight people with disabilities can have 
with their own families over lifestyle choices and negative 
stereotyping of people with disabilities, all in the name of 
safety.  The struggle also became a national symbol of the 
problem lesbians and gay men have in playing a role in their 
partners' future, after a disability like brain injury or AIDS.  
At one point when Sharon's father had apparently worn himself out 
in the fight to keep Karen away from his daughter, the courts 
awarded guardianship of Sharon to her high school track and 
volleyball coach!  In its decision, the appeals court stated "All 
the medical testimony established that Sharon has the capacity 
reliably to express an preference in this case, and she has 
clearly chosen to return home with Thompson if possible." 
(information partially from article in the New York Times 
12/18/91)

     South Weymouth, MA -- Likening it to the "raping of 
Weymouth" local residents were up in arms against locating a 
group home for people with mental illness in their community.  A 
classic example of the not in my back yard syndrome, the fight in 
Weymouth has all the typical trappings: concerns over property 
values, calls for extra police patrols or security guards, and 
demands that the Department of Mental Health "find another 
community".  "We feel very sorry for these people, but we have 
feelings too.  This community doesn't want this because we have 
had enough" one of the locals told department officials at a 
recent hearing.  One of the few supporters (a local and a mental 
health professional) among the 150 attendees noted "I've seen 
more hostility and rage in this room tonight than I've ever seen 
working with the working with the mentally ill."  CORD, picketing 
outside, summed up the situation in this way: Discrimination in 
Weymouth is alive and well...  Disabled people have the right to 
live in real homes!  The time for integration is now!" (Thank you 
to Kent Killam for this information)

     Tallahassee, FL - According to the Wall Street Journal, a 
law passed in Florida last year would have helped prevent older 
people from being forced into nursing homes.  This is a big deal 
for Florida, since 20% of its population is over age 65. But 
many states have the same concerns on a smaller scale and are 
watching Florida about what will come of a developing battle. 
Surprize, surprize, the nursing home lobby (the Florida Health 
Care Association) is opposing this tooth and nail.  As it 
stands now, folks who are "bedridden for more than seven 
consecutive days, ... can no longer dress or bathe themselves, 
or if they are frequently incontinent" must be evicted from 
alternative facilities like retirement-homes and villages.  
Families USA states that studies of Florida's nursing homes have 
shown just over one quarter of their residents need intensive 
24 hour care.  No surprize to Incitement readers, the folks who 
need less care can boost profits the most, since they use less 
services and staff time.  The new law was to allow people to 
"age in place" and either postpone or totally avoid 
institutionalization. Opposition is building from not only the
Florida Health Care Association, but also the  Atlanta based 
nursing home corporation Convalescent Services, and is also 
being funded by several other nursing home chains from around 
the country, according to the Journal.  Keren Wilson, a 
consultant who helped design Florida's new program, told the 
paper "for the nursing home industry, this is a do-or-die 
battle." 

                          WATCH OUT FOR

     Where will ADAPT turn up next?  ADAPT has been written up 
the Hotel/Motel Security and Safety Management bulletin.  This 
newsletter tells its readers to watch out for the American Health 
Care Association's meetings because ADAPT ("a militant political 
group for disabled persons") plans to continue protesting against 
them over "the home care funding issue". After mentioning the 
action in Orlando, it gives one of the clearest summaries of 
ADAPT's issue and history, quoting at length from Mike Auberger!


                        RITES OF PASSAGE

                    Dorothy Tolbert Passes

     It is sad to report the loss of another ADAPT activist, 
Dorothy Tolbert.  Those who came to the early ADAPT actions will 
remember this wild woman from Chicago who rode into the actions 
on her three wheeler calling "WE WILL RIDE" in her deep southern 
drawl.  We will miss you Dorothy.   

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