 | | California Candidates Debate Disability Issues
by Pro Se  Sunday September 03, 2000
First ever Candidates Forum on Disability Issues
t has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."
--Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers
.
Candidates, on the whole, offered listeners much to reflect on, and much choice to boot. The occasion was a candidates' forum sponsored by the Coalition for a Santa Monica Disabilities Commission at Ken Edwards Center on Monday, August 28.2000
"Of course, we should have both a state and a city disabilities commission, it is a no brainier," said Pro Se. "There is always room for improvement and the commission will allow us to utilize the advice of expert volunteers."
Opening remarks were given by Christopher Knauf, an attorney with the Western Law Center on Disability Rights who told the massive overflowing audience." The Disabled still have to fight for their rights that A.D.A. established for them in 1990. The Disabled should have been afforded these rights since the beginning of time."
The three-hour forum saw candidates for District Attorney, State Assembly, State Senate, College Board of Trustees, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board and City Council parry questions specifically related to disability concerns and issues from the audience.
In one of the most striking exchanges in one of the most heated political races, State Assembly candidate Fran Pavley, who has an autistic son, described her personal experience with disability issues.
"I am concerned about his future, after my husband and I are gone," she said. Pavley's opponent for the State Assembly, Jayne Shapiro, shunning the microphone, drew on her experience as a nurse and forcefully presented her opinions on how to support people with disabilities.
According to the Pro Se, nearly 20% of Americans, or 40 million people, live with disabilities, and that number does not include the families who care for them.
There was a moment of silence as forum organizer Pro Se dedicated the proceedings to the memory of the recently deceased Ilona Katz, a champion for people with disabilities.
Briefly, some good news: It appeared to be resolved among candidates for school board that the local district's special education programs--which many parents with special-needs kids have complained about for years--are in dire need of extra attention. It's good to have this issue on the front burner. And City Council candidates seemed to agree that some sort of new resident group is needed to help the city of Santa Monica become more accessible to people with disabilities (though exactly what form such a group would take continues to be a subject of debate).
At times, the candidates for these crucial positions honestly expressed their ignorance of disabled issues and willingness to learn; at other times, they offered enlightening insights on disabled issues from both insider and outsider perspectives. Local advocate Pro Se deserves big credit for helping create a forum on these important overlooked issues.
Despite all of the good vibes, however, the night did not go off without some high weirdness. Gil Garcetti who faces a fight for his life against his opponent Steve Cooley both supports the establishment of a disabilities commission. Los Angeles D.A. Gil Garcetti and his opponent, Steve Cooley, showed up and politely fielded a few disabilities-related questions from the audience--which seemed to me a little like asking Kofi Annan questions about the parcel tax--before somebody asked a nondisability-related question, giving the two gentlemen an opportunity to tear into one another like a couple of maladjusted pit bulls. Cooley seemed to take particular relish in bashing Garcetti for overzealous reliance on three-strikes laws, and for what he said were wasteful crime-prevention programs. What this had to do with people with disabilities was a mystery to everybody, but it was kind of fun to listen to nonetheless.
"This is the first time I agree with everything Steve has said," chimed Los Angeles District Attorney candidate Gil Garcetti. He was referring to his opponent in the upcoming election, Steve Cooley, who had just given a rousing endorsement for the need to help people with disabilities throughout Los Angeles County.
While the candidates spoke on a variety of subjects to the special needs of the disabled, including housing, education, transportation, communication and medical services, three candidates---Margaret Quinones, Donna Block, David Cole, --spoke in favor of immediately creating a city disability commission."There shouldn’t be a question of whether there should be a commission. There should be one," says Quinones. David Cole supports Pro Se goals of establishing both a state and a city disabities commission. Donna Block says, "the need for the disabilities commission is now and the composition consist of people with different disabilities.
Santa Monica’s Mayor Ken Genser who is disabled says that the creation of a disabilities commission is not a simple matter. The three incumbent candidates like their peers defer to staff to practice the best government practices policy so the fate of the disable can be decided by the city council two or more months after the November 7th, 2000 election. The three incumbents gave high ratings on how well the city handles disability issues. Pro Se and city council candidate gave the city a zero while the other city council candidates gave the city low marks.
Santa Monica's own Chuck Allord, a neighborhood activist and City Council candidate, made a dramatic, pro-wrestling style entrance onto the floor before delivering his opening remarks. These mostly consisted of Allord berating fellow candidate Jerry Rubin, who was also an organizer of the event at hand, because Allord claims the sponsoring group, the Coalition for a Santa Monica Disabilities Commission, never invited him (Pro Se said later that he had indeed called Allord). Before storming off angrily for the night, though, even Allord made the good point that, folks in wheelchairs can’t open many doors in public buildings around town.
Proponent of the candidate’s forum Pro Se left the room twice. One time to break up a fight between two candidates on the issue of which one supported disabilities first and which one should speak last. Pro Se left the room to attend the Social Services commission meeting in another room to speak on three agenda items that were to be voted on by the city council during September 5,2000 meeting. Unknown to the proponent Pro Se, the three agenda items 13a, 13b, 13c, were pulled and differed to staff to be buried. With other pro disability agenda items. Pro Se vowed to the chair of the Social Services Commission DR. Karen Gunn that he would send letters to the editor and advocate for 13a, 13b, 13c, during the three minutes of non-actionable public input allowed at the next city council meeting of September 5,2000.
"IT’S ABILITIES THAT COUNT" Mr.Pro Se (310) 899 – 3888 E-Mail aodc_squeakywheel@hotmail.com Sept. 01, 2000
Coalition For A Santa Monica Disabilities Commission 1144 FIFTH STREET SUITE. #309. SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA. 90403 – 5157.
Letter to the Editor,
Why has the proposed gains (agenda items’ 13a, 13b, 13c) for the disabled been pulled from the September 05, 2000 Santa Monica City Council meeting by the city manager? Will staff eventually respond to these vital urgent disability issues? The disabled community is still waiting for staff to respond on vital agenda items pulled by the city during the last two years. Why the delay? What is the city afraid of? President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself."
Agenda item 13A: City Council action is requested to go on record to make a motion in supporting the establishment of a state disabilities commission. City Council directs staff to forward a letter to every city in California expressing this motion and urging to all cities having a disabilities advisory body or disabilities office to follow Santa Monica’s progressive leadership by drafting their own motion supporting the establishment of a state disabilities commission. Staff is directed to complete this task by Oct. 1, 2000 (disabilities awareness month).
The disabled deserve their own state disabilities commission so that they can have a venue to meet and express- their own needs for themselves and for their families. A state disabilities commission is ten years overdue. A state disabilities commission would benefit disabled residents that have no city disabilities commissions, no city disabilities departments or offices, and no city A.D.A. staff coordinators on key departments of their city. Able-bodied city staffs are clueless on disability issues. Able-bodied staff always addresses disability issues from an administrative point of view and never hire A.D.A. applicants for their abilities or their merits that best meet the needs of the disabled. Typically, cities only have one A.D.A. coordinator. Typically, cities hire the A.D.A. coordinator to administer programs that serve both seniors and the disabled. Typically, cities never allow the disabled to judge hiring criteria and guidelines to fill the A.D.A. coordinator’s position.
With partnership as a priority, a California state disabilities commission is a clear means of addressing disabilities issues concerning residents, visitors, businesses, schools, parents, government, and service providers.
The leadership of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, S.M.R.R, and over one hundred organizations, is supportive of being partners with a Local disabilities commission. California will equally benefit by the same predestined partnerships with the proposed disabilities commission. Non-partnerships with the disabled will only lead on the path of sorrow. The days of government hiring a token disabled person to be a hired gun must end. Instead of appreciating the well meaning, able bodied good intentions of telling us what our needs are and how they can be met with their good intentions, we, the disabled, chose to meet our own self needs and family needs. We, the disabled, chose to have our own venue of a state disabilities commission.
We urge this City Council to hear our voices, see our faces, read our Braille, and appreciate our signing. Please don’t delay us with government-best policies or government-best excuses. Let the disabled decide their own best policies. Let the disabled have their own venue. Let the disabled comprise their own state disabilities commission. Ignorance and prejudice are the real disabilities. We ask this City Council to boldly go where no city council has gone before. Please, City Council, vote in support of this motion. Vote from your hearts and minds with courage, not silence. A true leader chooses to be conscious at all times. A true leader, like a parachute, can only work if open.
AGENDA ITEM 13B: City Council is requested to go on record by making a motion supporting the establishment of the following official city policy: all city meetings which adhere to the Brown Act must provide the disabled with access to speak on any item on the agenda, taking into account their medical needs; the disabled speaker will be required to provide a doctor’s letter as proof of these medical needs at the meeting. Examples of medical needs are: speaking early; using a recording if they are in the hospital, bedridden, or near death; extra time allocated if warranted due to debilitating medical conditions; interpretation necessary for their communication.
AGENDA ITEM 13C: City Council action is requested to make a motion that asks staff to come back to City Council within 3o days with a report that provides guidelines for the fast-track program.
Voting in favor of establishing a fast-track program will allow the terminally ill and their families some small amount of respect and dignity often overlooked by society. All social services providers that receive city funding must be included in the fast-track program. Applicants for the fast-track program need to provide verification letters from their doctors stating that patients have a terminal illness diagnosis of two years or less to live. The service provider must make applicants’ verification of one year or more of residency.
There are several areas in which fast-tracking can ease the pain and huge financial burden incurred by the families with a terminally ill member. Childcare, medical-care, preschool, affordable housing after-school activities, legal aid, and mini grants are clear areas that can be of great benefit to the terminally ill and their families when they’re fast-tracked at no additional expense to a provider of fast-tracking services. The fast-tracking program can reduce the waiting time for social services by as much as five years. It is my hope that cities around the country establish their own fast-track program.
Pro Se
A.O.D.C. President
"ALWAYS FAITHFUL, ALWAYS UNITED, ALWAYS GIVING ALL OF OUR ABILITIES."
Contact Pro Se via e-mail at aodc_squeakywheel@hotmail.com
|
