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Last updated: January 25, 2010
"Patriots are not revolutionaries trying to overthrow the government. Patriots are counter revolutionaries trying to prevent the government from overthrowing this Constitutional Republic."- Thomas Jefferson
'We the people are the rightful master of both congress and the courts - not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.' - Abraham Lincoln
"Whoever truly accepts the Spirit of God can become an agent of justice in the world."-Isaiah 42:1-7
Addresses for your representatives:
http://www.house.gov
http://www.democrats.org/page/event/search_simple
Please notify us if you know of a republican site similar to the democratic site above!
ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING THE FAMILY RECLAMATION MOVEMENT
The Gregory Center For Exceptional Children & Families, Inc.
The Falsely Accused of SBS
The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Patients, Inc.
The National Parents' Rights Association (NPRA)
Georgia Family Rights
Par 4 Kids Sake
NATIONAL
Posted: January 25, 2010
Boy Scouts have added a belt loop and pin for increasing disability awareness.
http://usscouts.org/usscouts/advance/cubscout/academics/disabilities.asp
September 30, 2009
From NCIL
Community NOW!
The U.S. Senate is going to begin the process of merging its two versions
of healthcare legislation as soon as later this week. The bill passed by
the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee contains the
CLASS Act. The bill currently being marked-up in the Senate Finance
Committee contains the Community First Choice Option. We must all take part
in a National Day of Action to ensure that these two priorities remain in
the final Senate bill.
This Wednesday, September 30th, advocates from all over the nation must
make their voices heard by all 100 U.S. Senators, so it is clear that
healthcare reform must include the Community First Choice Option and the
CLASS Act. There will be a briefing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Additionally, there will be a national call-in number for those who cannot
be in Washington, D.C.
The Message for Senators: I strongly support the Community First Choice
Option and the CLASS Act as a part of the final healthcare bill in the
Senate. I urge the Senator to please support both of these priorities for
people with disabilities as the Senate Finance and HELP Committees merge
their bills.
If you are able to be in Washington D.C. on Wednesday: If there is any way
you can make it to Washington this Wednesday, now is the time to make our
voices heard and ensure that these priorities remain in the final
legislation. On Wednesday, at 1:00 p.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Room SD 430, there will be a briefing to talk about these two
priorities and their importance to people with disabilities! Following the
briefing, all attendees will be encouraged to take one page handouts to
their U.S. Senators. Having a physical presence on Capitol Hill will show
how important these priorities are to people with disabilities!
If you cannot be in Washington D.C. on Wednesday: This is a short
turnaround time to bring a large physical presence to the Capitol, but we
still need everyone who wants to see the Community First Choice Option and
the CLASS Act in the Senate healthcare reform legislation to call in to a
hotline on Wednesday to share the message. That number will be provided
before Wednesday and sent out in another alert. If there was ever a time to
advocate for these priorities, NOW is the time! If you cannot call in on
Wednesday, anytime this week is a great time!
More Information about the Community First Choice Option (
http://www.ncil.org/news/CommunityFirstChoiceOption.html ).
For more information on the CLASS Act, see the Healthcare section of the
NCIL Policy Priorities Booklet (
http://www.ncil.org/news/policyprioritiesjune2009.txt ).
If you have additional questions about the priorities, the Community Now!
National Advocacy Day, or the healthcare reform process, contact Jason
Beloungy, NCIL Policy Analyst, at 1-202-207-0334 (toll-free:
1-877-525-3400) ext. 1008. You can also e-mail Jason at: jason@ncil.org.
*************
March 08, 2009
FROM: Kirsten Suto Seckler, Special Olympics
DATE: March 6, 2009
SUBJECT: Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign
This past February, we held our 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in
Boise/Sun Valley, Idaho uniting nearly 2,000 athletes from nearly 100
countries. As part of that event, we gathered 130 young people with and
without intellectual disabilities for a week-long activation summit. The
motivation of young people to make change in the world for people with
intellectual disabilities is inspiring.
On February 9, during the week of activities, Dick Morris used the word
“retarded” in a demeaning way on the O’Reilly Factor. The students of the
Youth Activation Summit acted swiftly and reached out to FOX and Bill
O’Reilly to educate and engage them on this blunder. On February 12, Bill
O’Reilly gave an on-air apology.
Young people have found their power and are leading an effort for Special
Olympics called Spread the Word to End the Word. Students across the
country are planning local events for 3.31.09 to end the use of the R-word
and to garner more pledges of support.
Actor and National Down Syndrome Society Ambassador John C. McGinley
attended the 2009 World Games and was so impressed with the actions of
these young people that he has signed-on to help them further their goal.
We invite you to join us as we Spread the Word to End the Word this month.
Help the youth spread the word by mobilizing your constituents to support
their efforts. Graphics, tools and resources can be found at
www.r-word.org. Your organization and constituents are welcome to use the
materials to participate in this nationwide awareness effort to help us
accomplish what we set out to do in August 2008 – change the conversation
and raise the consciousness of society about the hurtful effects of the
R-word.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kirsten Seckler at
kseckler@specialolympics.org or 1-202-715-1147 or Barbara Kornblau
@bkornblau@specialolympics.orgForwardSourceID:NT00361FDA
Posted: November 13, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jim Ward 202-415-4753 or Marcie Roth 301-717-7447
50 State ADA Bus Tour Comes Home to Congress
Washington, DC - One year ago Jim and Debbie Fletter Ward sold their 5000
square foot house, took their 1 and 2 year old sons and joined
photojournalist Tom Olin on a 370 square foot bus for a 50 state tour about
the ADA Restoration Act and an educational exhibit about the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
On 11-15-07, the Road to Freedom Tour will return to the U.S. Congress to
be welcomed by Senators Harkin (D-IA), Specter (R-PA), and Rep. Hoyer
(D-MD) and Sensenbrenner (R-WI) as well as numerous leaders of the
disability community. There is an 11 AM – 1 PM Tour welcoming and
disability history exhibit at The US Capitol and National Mall at 3rd St,
NW. Senator Harkin will greet the bus riders and speak at 11AM.
Harkin, Specter, and Hoyer were key sponsors of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Rep. Sensenbrenner joined the other 3 in cosponsoring
the ADA Restoration Act to correct the weakening effects of Supreme Court
decisions that restricted discrimination protections that Congress intended
when the original ADA was passed in 1990.
A Senate hearing on the ADA Restoration Act will be held at 2:00 PM in 430
Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The Bus Tour has traveled more than 25,000 miles to more than 100 bus stop
events. Road To Freedom events have included U.S. Senators, Members of
Congress, Governors and other policymakers at sites such as the National
Civil Rights Museum, Brown v. Board of Education Historic Site, Clinton
Presidential Library, as well as state houses, city halls, museums,
churches, colleges, and schools throughout the country.
The tour traveled with disability rights photo-documentarian, Tom Olin, who
has been chronicling the disability civil rights movement for almost 30
years and whose work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian. Tom’s work is
the core of the Road To Freedom traveling multimedia exhibit which seeks to
put a human face on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with images
of people with disabilities engaged in civic participation and even acts of
nonviolent civil disobedience. These images of empowered citizens
struggling for a more accessible America provide a sharp contrast with the
mainstream media’s frequent portrayal of people with disabilities in the
context of charity, sympathy and pity.
For prior press coverage, photos, and more information, see
http://roadtofreedom.wordpress.com
SOURCE: Janine Bertram Kemp, Solutions Marketing Group, 503-622-6387,
janinebk@verizon.net
Posted: September 20, 2007
There will be a September 25th press event in Washington D.C. on Capital
Hill, 11AM regarding HR 2231 (Exemption of Complex Rehab & Assistive
Technology from Competitive Bidding), information about bill at
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2231
The 25th is also the day for the hearing on the Community Choice Act,
http://www.adapt.org/commchoice/index.php?mode=P&id=27
The two congressmen (Rep. Allen and Lewis) and other cosponsors will be
present. We are looking for some consumers to attend.
The Clinician Task Force can help with expenses. A roundtrip flight up and
back (same day) is available now and we would like to take advantage of
advanced ticketing rates. If you know of someone who might like to join me
please put them in touch ASAP at the contact info below.
Thank you.
Laura
Laura J Cohen PT, PhD, ATP
Rehabilitation & Technology Consultants, LLC
134 Ridgeland Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
404-370-6172 phone
404-378-6775 fax
laura@rehabtechconsultants.com
http://www.rehabtechconsultants.com
Posted: August 23, 2006
Campaign web site, http://www.bobehrlich.com/
Ehrlich Courts Disabled Voters
Record Called Good but Not Flawless
By Matthew Mosk and Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writers
July 16, 2006
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was running late, but the students at the
Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick didn't seem to mind.
In sign language, they gabbed across the aisles, their hands darting,
tapping and punching at the air. When Ehrlich finally entered, trailed by
his new running
mate, Kristen Cox, all the hands began to applaud.
"The governor has just made a trailblazing choice," said James E. Tucker,
the school's superintendent, as he introduced Cox, a blind mother of two
who heads
the department Ehrlich created to focus on the needs of the disabled. "Wow!
We just thank you for believing in us."
The brief visit last week provided a window into one element of the
Republican governor's reelection strategy: the courtship of disabled
voters. With a blind running mate on board and a first-term record that has
largely pleased disabilities advocates, Ehrlich has plans to reach out to
this often-overlooked constituency for help.
Records from the 2000 Census show that 13 percent of Marylanders have some
disability, and many in Ehrlich's camp think the disabled could become a
potent
political force.
On the campaign trail, Ehrlich has begun to appeal to disabled voters,
saying that "empowering people" is the mission of his tenure as governor.
He repeated the
phrase to the deaf students as he described why he elevated the state
office devoted to disability issues to a Cabinet-level department and put
Cox at the helm.
It was not "a feel-good initiative," Ehrlich said, but an effort "to
empower someone to empower an agency to empower you."
In more than a dozen interviews over the past week, advocates for the
disabled universally praised Ehrlich's decision to elevate the disabilities
office and his
decision to run with Cox. Both moves, they said, would have symbolic
significance.
But many said that as they begin to consider whom to support in the race
between Ehrlich and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D), the governor's
record on an
array of issues will be more crucial to their decision: Has Ehrlich
provided enough money to enable the disabled to have access to public
health insurance even if
they work? Has he secured money to provide non-institutional settings for
disabled people to live in, if they're able?
Ehrlich's record in both areas has been strong, most advocates interviewed
said, but not without flaw.
The governor included $10 million in this year's budget to reduce by 1,225
the number of people on the state's waiting list for placement in
community-based
housing. Ed Worff, president of the board for Arc of Maryland, an advocacy
group for the mentally disabled, said the governor's contribution was
appreciated but
not nearly sufficient to address a growing problem. The waiting list, which
exceeds 15,000, leaves Maryland among the least effective states in the
nation in
helping move the disabled out of institutional settings, Worff said.
At the same time, Ehrlich included $10.6 million -- more than advocates
sought -- to fully fund the state's Medicaid Buy-In program so that
disabled people could
keep their health coverage if they returned to work.
"There's no question they've been very friendly to the disabled community,"
said Josie Thomas, a Democrat who serves as executive director of Parents'
Place of
Maryland, a center for families of children with disabilities. "It wasn't
what anyone necessarily expected. He just right away, from day one, got
moving on it and
showed a real commitment."
But it was the governor's effort to help deaf people navigate driver
education that was most warmly applauded Tuesday in Frederick, especially
by teenagers.
Yvonne M. Dunkle, a former faculty member at the Maryland School for the
Deaf who heads Maryland's Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, said the
state has worked with the Motor Vehicle Administration to improve driver
education for the deaf.
"It's not acceptable for deaf and hard-of-hearing students not to be able
to take driver's ed," she said, "But it won't be that way for long."
Ehrlich is not alone in his outreach to the disabled. O'Malley attended a
forum in May at which he outlined his goals for serving the disabled and
his record in
improving services for disabled Baltimore residents.
Politically, Ehrlich has the most to gain by reaching out to this
constituency, said Keith Haller, president of Potomac Inc., an independent
research firm. A
Washington Post poll conducted last month showed that most people view
Ehrlich as a traditional Republican, believing that large corporations have
too much
influence with his administration while regular people do not have enough.
"This provides him a progressive social agenda that doesn't run in conflict
with being conservative on fiscal matters," Haller said. "It's a smart
move."
After his speech, Ehrlich told reporters that working on behalf of the
disabled is not just a passing political fancy but has been a major part of
his career. He
noted it was how he first met Cox.
And Cox has picked up his message. In Charles County last week to speak
with GOP activists, she put it this way: "The real mission that the
governor and I
jointly share is helping those who haven't had a shot in life."
Staff writer Philip Rucker contributed to this report.
2006 The Washington Post Company
Posted: March 21, 2006
RALLY AGAINST LEGAL ABUSE APRIL 17
Promoted by the Citizen's Justice Institute
1:00 pm at the Rayburn Congressional Office Building
The location of the House Judiciary Committee
Posted March 18, 2006
URGENT!!!
REAL PEOPLE - REAL VOICES
No More Stolen Lives
Documenting the Institutional Bias in the American Long Term
Care System
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 2006 9am-9pm
LOCATION: Hilton Hotel - Nashville, Tennessee - Volunteer Ballroom
PARTICIPANTS:
Up to 100 people with disabilities from across the US who have been in or are currently in a nursing home, developmental disability facility, residential hospital facility or mental health facility.
PANEL: Representatives from the following organizations:
* National Council on Disability (NCD)
* National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) (formerly NAPAS)
* American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
* Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Disability
* National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
DOCUMENTATION:
* Recording and transcribing of testimonies edited into a report;
* Filming of testimonies/proceedings for development of a documentary;
Photographs of proceedings for use in PowerPoint presentation and report.
TESTIMONIES:
Each individual will briefly describe what life was/is like in an institution, how they managed to leave or why they want to leave and what it is like living in the community.
OUTCOMES:
* Development of report of proceedings for use by advocates and policy makers at the federal/state levels;
* Development of short documentary;
*Powerpoint Presentation Gallery
For information:
The ADAPT Community
512/442-0252
adapt@adapt.org
Posted March 16, 2006
See amazing Oregon case where judge participates in showing the collusion and other legal activities of the state in pseudoabuse cases.See link below under OREGON
Posted January 14, 2006
PRESS RELEASE
January 8, 2006
PARENTS LOBBY HOUSE FOR BILL TO PROTECT FAMILIES FROM PSEUDOABUSE
Who: The Family Reclamation Movement
What: A Congressional Lobby for Change and Accountability
When: January 19th and 20th, 2006
Where: The Capitol, West Front Entrance 07:00am
A group of parents calling itself “The Family Reclamation Movement,” led by Dr. Cheryl BryantBruce, M.D. and Atlanta resident Kimberly Gomez is going to Washington, D.C., to lobby the House of Representatives for a bill to protect families from pseudoabuse.
Dr. Cheryl BryantBruce and her child, who became known to the world as “Baby Gregory,” became an international household name on February 9, 1995 when she kidnapped her 19 month old son, from the custody of a state-sanctioned foster-care placement in Tennessee to bring the critically ill child to Egleston Children’s Hospital in Atlanta for a second opinion. The baby had been taken from his family when a Tennessee hospital made allegations of child abuse.
 The findings that the hospital alleged were evidence of child abuse were later shown by doctors at Egleston to be related to the child’s underlying medical condition.
Atlanta resident Kimberly Gomez is the mother of five children, the youngest of whom was removed from her custody when the child was almost three weeks old.
 Ms. Gomez took her child to The Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Atlanta because her baby had been vomiting and was failing to gain weight appropriately. In spite of the fact that Ms. Gomez had expressed concern to medical personnel previously about her baby’s slight frame, the hospital held her baby and an allegation was made of Munchausen’s, alleging that she had abused her baby by giving it an E.Coli infection. When the hospital was not able to substantiate this, the allegation was changed to neglect, alleging that she had a mental condition called post-partum depression and had failed to feed her child. After multiple attempts through the court system to get her baby returned, the child still remains in the custody of the state, where the child continues to show inappropriately low weight gain and poor feeding ability.
Dr. BryantBruce was contacted by Ms. Gomez and another Atlanta mother Charmaine Smith in December, seeking her assistance in helping them to bring their babies back home.
 Charmaine, a brand new mom, lost her first baby to the state when the same hospital alleged that the child had multiple fractures. An initial x-ray obtained from the hospital showed no fractures. The state presented a set of x-rays as evidence that showed multiple fractures. A recent second opinion at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio confirmed that the child had never had a fracture in his life. Ms. Smith who spent time in jail for child abuse was an innocent victim of pseudoabuse. Her child also remains in state custody.
With all of these cases, and many like them, the state social workers, medical personnel and even judges duck behind immunity laws as they wantonly brandish allegations of abuse and then perpetrate the fraud. Parents are made to jump through hoops like animals in a circus in efforts to get their children back, only to find when they get back to court that the rules have been changed and goals have been set which they can never attain. Meanwhile, families are torn apart. Very few parental relationships survive the fiasco. Siblings who are left behind suffer numerous emotional problems and frequently become socially maladjusted. Many develop a disdain for the legal system that they have seen fail them and destroy their family. All suffer from post-traumatic stress to varying degrees.
Jackson Bortz was forcibly removed from the home of his grandparents who had temporary custody of him because his parents had been accused of the murder of his younger brother after his mother accidentally dropped her young infant on the soft spot of his head.
While The Family Reclamation Movement acknowledges that Child Abuse is real, we are the evidence that pseudoabuse is real and equally devastating to families. Not only is it devastating to families, but the fear of it is weakening the United States as a whole, by rendering American families impotent in our parenting abilities. Families are afraid to discipline their children because of fear of allegations of abuse. Families are afraid to take their children to hospitals, because if the family has not been affected directly by pseudoabuse, most now know of at least one other family that it has negatively impacted. American society is in a crisis!
Contact: Dr. Cheryl BryantBruce (650)451-8112
(please call Dr. BryantBruce after 8pmEST)
Kimberly Gomez (770) 714-5775
CALIFORNIA
The California Disability Community Action Network
http://www.cdcan.us/
GEORGIA
Posted: Sept. 30, 2009
Dear Advocates,
Probably most of you have seen this but in case you haven't, this is a major victory! Long Term Services and Supports made it into a Senate version of the Health Reform bill. Regardless of what you think of the rest of this legislation, enriched match for Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) would make a HUGE difference for Georgia since we are among the bottom 10 in the nation for people receiving these valuable services. So call your Senator today and tell him how much people with disabilities need this provision in the Baucus bill.
Senator Johnny Isakson - 202 224-3643
Senator Saxby Chambliss - 202 224-3521
Posted: Sept. 30, 2009
Event Oct. 10-15
COMMUNITY ADVISORY
Who: 400 ADAPT activists from across the country
What: ADAPT Fall National Action 2009
When: October 10-15
Where: ATLANTA, GEORGIA!
The collective power of disability rights is about to strike in the
hometown of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. As the nation continues
to struggle with the vital issue of health care reform, ADAPT continues to
advocate for the end of the institutional bias in Medicaid and a revolution
in community choice! Will you be with us?
The last times ADAPT was in Atlanta were in 1990 and 1996. The Olmstead
Supreme Court case, fought by Georgians, was decided in 1999. Now, ten
years past Olmstead, Georgia is still out of compliance with Olmstead and
thousands of Georgians with disabilities lack adequate access to community
supports, like their brothers and sisters across the Southern states. The
percentage of Georgians with disabilities under age 65 who live in nursing
home is on the rise. The Olmstead decision said that based on the ADA, we
all have the right to live in the community if we choose, not institutions.
As MLK himself would say, "A right delayed is a right denied." As ADAPTer
Johnny Crescendo would say, "Tear down the walls!"
Atlanta is also home to many regional agencies providing disability
services. Neither of Georgia’s Senators officially support the Community
Choice Act or Community First Option. Adequate funding for Georgia
disability programs is currently in danger. Georgians with disabilities
are some of our strongest fighters, and we look forward to joining them on
their turf. The Federal institutional bias affects every single state, so
from Montana to Texas, California to DC, let's make our voices heard!
To sponsor activists or to donate to the ADAPT legal defense fund, visit
http://www.adapt.org/donate.php . Your dollars empower ADAPT to make a
difference through direct action.
If you would like to join ADAPT activists in Atlanta, rooms are still
available at the Omni Hotel through SEPTEMBER 18. To receive the ADAPT
discounted room rate, reservations need to be made through Tisha Cunningham
in Denver, tisha@atlantiscommunityinc.com.
If you can't make it to Atlanta, stay up to the minute with Twitter updates
and action alerts. Follow Nationaladapt on Twitter or go to
http://www.adapt.org and hit the ADAPT Twitter button to check out our
tweets (messages).
For more information on the Community Choice Act and to contact us, see
http://www.adapt.org . More to come as we approach October 10!
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