Five percent-No Excuses!

ThisAbled.com is calling on President Obama to employee people with disabilities at all levels of the Federal Government.  Currently, people with disabilities make-up less than 1 percent of the Federal workforce, this is unacceptable.  We can longer afford to keep the most vulnerable in poverty by denying them jobs and promotions.  America is better than that and we will prove it!

Together, we will send Washington a clear and unequivocal mandate to fix the unemployment problem which faces 54 million people with disabilities.  We will not, we cannot and we must not take the same lame excuses that we have for decades.  The Clinton Era promise of 100,000 new jobs for people with disabilities was a cruel hoax perpetrated on a community of people who have no choice but to believe in promises made by government.   During the rolling economic times of the Clinton Presidency, Executive Order 13163 went into effect.  It called for 100,000 new hires by the year 2005 today Disabled employees represent 0.92 percent of the federal workforce, a decrease of nearly 15 percent since 1997.  

The Ticket to Work Act of 1999, also signed by President Clinton has been a serious disappointment to people with disabilities wishing to work.  The saving grace of the Act may be the Medicaid Buy-In program which has allowed thousands of people with disabilities, to receive medical benefits while working.  These, programs are run through a States’ Medicaid Agency and may go by different names in different States.  For a list of Buy-In States go to http://www.nchsd.org/links/index.asp?c=39 and click on your State.

One would suppose that the unfulfilled promise of 100,000 jobs by Uncle Sam was a kick in the gut.  However, what really leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many Americans is the money and effort expended by the Federal and State government to “get people employed”.  For example, in 2001 “The Social Security Administration (SSA) awarded MAXIMUS a $56.4 million nationwide contract to provide Program Management services for the Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. (Maximus Website).

The five-year contract would make MAXIMUS the Program Manager for the Ticket-to-Work Program. They would be responsible for recruitment and management of nationwide employment networks anticipated to be in excess of 4,500.  In addition, they would coordinate services to 13 million Ticket recipients over the next five years; assistance to SSA in processing payments to employment networks; and operation of a national call center.  In reality, more people with disabilities were working before this contract than after it.  MAXIMUS, like most huge conglomerates never got it.   Therefore, no jobs were really ever created.  Here is a thought, contract someone to get 100,000 people hired into the Federal system, then move on from there.

Everyone has heard of all the new jobs that will be created under an Obama Administration; well we want 5 percent of at least the Federal workforce to be people with disabilities.  The Federal workforce is under the direct control of the President.  54 million people with disabilities have waited too long and cannot afford to wait another year.

What can we do this year?

Sign and Share our Petition to President Obama.  Simply copy the text below and email it to friends, family, colleagues or post it on websites and social network sites, Facebook and My Space.

Five percent-No Excuses!

The Second part of 2009 efforts on behalf of people with disabilities has begun. Here is the www.thisabled.com petition to President Obama to increase the number of Federal employees with disabilities by five percent. We ask that you sign it and forward to others as well as share.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Thisable/petition.html

Petition Text

We call on President of the United States Barrack Obama to employee people with disabilities at all levels of the Federal Government.  Currently people with disabilities make-up less than 1 percent of the Federal workforce, this is unacceptable.  We can longer afford to keep the most vulnerable in poverty by denying them jobs.  America is better than that and we will prove it!

Five percent of Federal workforce to be people with disabilities by 2013, no excuses!

Together, we will send Washington a clear and unequivocal mandate to fix the unemployment problem which faces 54 million people with disabilities.  We will not, we cannot and we must not take the same lame excuses, we have for decades.  Five percent-No Excuses!

Sign the petition at:  http://www.petitiononline.com/Thisable/petition.html  

Tags: buy in, change, Disability, Employment, federal, five, medicaid, obama, petition, unemployed, work

How sad and joyous is my life?

 A holiday message.

How sad and joyous is my life?  I am so delighted in the everyday existence of people and things, thankful for the opportunity to be.  I marvel at the man who quietly accepts his fate and the young child who decides to fight hers.  I have seen the strong fall to their knees and a black man become president.  I was there when seeds turned to life and laughter filled every bit of space around me.  How amazing every breath, step, song, thought, and good deed done for others.   How glorious the vastness of a universe that most of us will never see.  How soft the stardust that falls upon us from a billion years ago and the light that traveled from the Sun just to meet us in a point in time.  How joyous am I?

How sad and joyous is my life.  How sad am I? to watch the World tumble into war and destruction in the name of Gods, safety and wealth.  To think the children who come after my children and theirs may not have clean water, polar bears, rainforest, gorillas, elephants or whales.  How tragic the devastation of hunger which kills children and adults.  How shameful, to allow myself to forget the faces of those who drag themselves through the streets because   they cannot afford a wheelchair or transportation.  Lest I forget, those with disabilities locked in institutions, trapped in poverty and disavowed by society’s unwillingness to accept them as full members of their community.  The grief is greatest when I forget.  How sad am I?

There is no middle moral ground on which to stand or knee; or crawl.  There is only action and inaction, only acknowledgement that we cannot run from truth.  There is acceptance of our wealth in relation to those that have nothing to give, but still manage to thank the lord for all they have.

Javier Robles

Copyright 2008

Tags: holidays

Will anything change under an Obama administration for people with disabilities?   That is the fundamental question people with disabilities are grappling with.  Will there be meaningful change that is measureable in four years?  Or will it be more of the same, repackaged with a Democratic gift wrap?  There is possibly a bright spot to the beginning of this four year journey with the first African American President of the Nation, he actually acknowledged people with disabilities in his victory speech.  For a few seconds the world thought about the existence of an overlooked and underserved portion of the United States populace.  But will acknowledgement lead to action in a depressed economy?  The worst economy in a century will pose a serious challenge to this President and an even greater challenge to our community.   Will we matter?

There are so many questions facing the new President when he takes office in January.  Many to which we may not know the answer to for years to come.   So what exactly is it that people with disabilities want?  I suppose primarily the community as a whole is seeking a President who keeps the promises made to them; someone who understands the importance of inclusion and diversity in their Administration and acts on it. 

Too many politicians understand the importance of diversity but forget to implement it when they come into office.  I have served on election campaigns for successful candidates who promised much to people with disabilities and eventually delivered little, if anything.    Our diversity as a group makes us great, we are Latino, White, African American, Jewish, Moslem, male,female but it is also our Achilles heel.   We become easy to forget as we fade back into distinct groups and are no longer organized around supporting our favorite candidate.  Trying to track us as a group really is like “nailing Jello to the wall”.  We are a mass of ideologies and ideas with a poor track record of long term cohesiveness.  What I am saying is that we can come together as a non-homogeneous group for certain issues, i.e. national elections, but we do not sustain that group push. 

That lack of constant push I would argue is what separates us from other groups when it comes to overall empowerment.  It is also what we need, to ensure that politicians do not forget about or overlook our issues.  I am not saying that we cannot do this.  We in fact have a track record of successful pushes for the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Work Incentives Act of 1990 just to name a few.  Success is achievable. 

Regardless of how many promises are made it is us as a group that can make sure they are kept.  We as a group do not have the luxury of waiting till the next election or the next law to pass before we act.  There are commonalities which unite us all, regardless of our racial, religious, or ethnic background.  We must continue to unite on common ground as we move forward. Issues such as housing, employment, health care, transportation, and education connect us all, but affect people with disabilities disproportionately.  Poverty is the direct outcome of the neglect experienced by our community by past Administrations, who promised jobs, health care and inclusion.  It is not in our best interest to meld into the background and hope for the best.  We must maintain that commonality of struggle and that take no prisoner attitude to ensure promises are kept this time.       

In my last blog about Sarah Palin I spoke about the convenience of using people with disabilities when it is politically expedient.  After all many of us can make a great photo OP even better.  Regardless of our feelings and likes or dislikes we must begin holding office holders accountable.  With that in mind, here are a few things that you can do to ensure that our views and needs are not put aside until the next election:

·         Find the commonalities which unite your group with other groups such as employment, education, or health care.

·         Agree to push issues together which benefit all such as, stem cell research or handicapped parking bills.

·         When politicians come into office in January 2008 write them a letter as to what you expect to be as it regards people with disabilities.

We cannot let four more years go by without action and cohesion.  It’s your life.  Live it!

October 26, 2008 by Javier Robles

Tags: alaska, autism, colorado, Disability, disabled, looser, mccain, palin, sci, vote, vp

Sharing Spinal Love

Here I am a week away from the 2008 World Stem Cell Summit and have no funds to service my van. Looking at the directions I printed out it will be a total of 30 estimated hours to drive but took us over 40. The people that helped me to get to Wisconsin from New Jersey was my mother, Armando and Alvin, my dream team. Before leaving that night,September 18, 2008 while in bed I typed a list of things to take. Camera equipment to document the event for my IReports for CNN, some clothes for 3 days that turned in to 4, I was 2 T-Shirts short so I borrowed one from Armando. I listed everything I use daily and had what I use from bed pads, rubber gloves, medications, pain relievers for the night sweats, water bottle and the list goes on. So after we all get packed I take a nap in my chair tilting it back.

We left around 2 a.m. and Armando took the first driving shift, my van isn’t made for traveling although it made it from New Jersey to Atlanta two years ago it’s still a local van. The van is a wheelchair accessible modified 1999 Dodge Caravan that I’ve used for traveling all around the east coast. It’s a nice looking van but the modifications make is ride low so I’m always scraping the road when there’s bump and it’s especially scrapping under the van on entrances in to driveways. We finally on our way to Madison, Wisconsin making one last stop to fill the gas tank and get snacks for the road.

First stop was Pennsylvania where we started documenting interviews about what people knew about stem cells and who they feel in November 2008 will be best for the country and the hope many of us are looking for. Very interesting but after thinking about it, although we have seen controversy over stem cells many people know nothing but what they may seen or heard briefly, so not to many people knew what stem cells was . If it wasn’t for Christopher Reeve I may know just as much as many others.

Ohio was next, traffic was great until we hit Chicago which going both ways was the only city we ran into traffic both ways. The weather was beautiful reaching over 80 degrees the closer we got to Wisconsin. We stopped in Indiana for a third fill up, I pretty much fill up even if I’m on half a tank after Illinois was Wisconsin, making it there GPS style 11;30 p.m. Saturday night.

The lab on the lake was at the Pyle Center and Wisconsin Memorial Union Terrace on campus. I performed Get Up Stand Up and met Charlie Brooks that understood my mission and hope that we may be able to cure all diseases using stem cells. We went to the Governor’s mansion after , all I can say is wow. I was originally just there for Sunday, but my fiend Robert invited me to stay one more day for the summit at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. We interviewed and enjoyed the event especially the food for me, I have to thank Rob and Bernard Siegel for inviting me and my family and I hope the next on comes to New Jersey where traveling is easier.

Many others there was Dr Wise Young, Dr Patricia Morton, Sabrina Cohen, Danny Heumann, J.D. , Peter D. Kiernan, III , Josh, Sam Schmidt and so many more.

I thank God for making everything possible especially getting me home after my van had a flat, the electrical system going crazy and my brakes giving out, finally in my backyard where it broke down. My next mission is writing a van or truck company to donate a van, I really would like a Hummer, let’s pray it happens.

Check out my web site for updates. http://www.professirx.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/professirx

Professir X

MORE PICTURES CLICK HERE

USA wins Gold with the help of a young man coming from one of New Jersey’s Urban Communities

I remember reading a great comparrison story written by my friend Starr Santina Muha on Why It’s Like Being Paris Hilton, comparing her life to Paris’. Ironically enough after watching the news one day before the 200I8 Olympics which had a phenomenal intro, I was inspired by a young man named Cullen Jones on the USA Swimming team. Although what I went through as a young man with goals outside what the streets had, staying away from drugs, guns and violence wasn’t always far from reach. That’s an issue many do not understand, in an environment filled with negative options, you can refuse things negative but they are still at hand reach.

It’s all about being a team, I think the bigger a more positive team the stronger you are. Cullen Jones had to first succeed in surviving and avoiding some of the most designs of community obstacles that may keep you from perusing your dreams and goals. Then having to share a pressure to represent not just where he comes from but also the country he’s from.

Therefore in comparison to his short journey I’m seeing my long journeys as I’m still swimming in rough waters but like many sports , there wont be a victory without a team. Advocacy, Music, Journalism and Video my 4 person team. Paralysis wouldn’t be considered the best way to show I’m coming to pass out of the rough community although my path from the community that had part in my paralysis also laid the stones of my address to change. My paralysis, my pain and my struggle didn’t end the problems developing around me, they just seemed to increase.

So once I stroked in the waters of success, my team had to swim together. Every athlete needs a couch and dedicated teammates or the game will be hard to win. Weather it be the advocacy, journalism, music or video this team needs multiple players. Someone to assist, someone to coach and others to cheer you on, you support and motivation to keep you going. If you lose one it’s like starting all over again. I compare that to everything I do, being paralyzed requires a team, if I can’t control the devices I use, someone has to push the buttons, if my status is unknown to a place I want to capture a story, I need a pass to obtain any information and the rest goes on to video and advocating.

Cullen Jones, his teammates, his coaches, family and support made up one big team, so what was their Gold Medal in compression to how we swim. It’s clear to me now, it’s going to take UNITY, no one payer can be in charged and although many people want to lead us to a cure or a being called the King or Queen of something, there’ll be nothing long lived if we just don’t become one team. So as I watched the Olympics every country get’s a chance to be in a competition where every player is more likely to come home. But in War there are no more then likely to come home , in your community your fighting may take an innocent life, and at home your domestic disputes mat leave orphans or broken families, sure not every player will get along, some may even get caught in an illegal act but the game must be played by a team in order to complete a mission.

Sometimes I wonder which discrimination is worse for me — the fact that I’m a woman, the fact that I’m Black, or the fact that I have a physical disability.  As a Black female dancer with a disability, I have faced unwelcomed situations in my daily life — but rather than sing a “woe is me”  song,  I choose to roll up (litterally)  and demonstrate that I not only have a place in the arts — but also a rightful place in this world.  As someone who contracted polio at the age of five and someone who has been using a wheelchair for the past 30+ years, I don’t let a day go by that I’m not  living a full and productive life.  I have been married twice, given birth to an fantastic son who is now in his 3rd year of medical school, and I have pursued careers that are not appropriate by many people’s perspectives.  The key to all of us leading worthwhile and satisfying lives is pride in all that we are.  I am proud to be female and Black and I EMBRACE my disability.  I know that I have purpose — and that purpose is to teach others life lessons about acceptance and diversity.  I would not change one thing about my life.  I don’t deny that painful orthopedic surgeries have been difficult — but because of those painful times I grew to appreciate and love music.  Listening and singing to the old jazz greats like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitgerald, Sarah Vaughn got me through those homebound periods and itchy smelly days in body casts.  My strength also comes from personally experiencing racism.  I take pride in our rich history and as Black people because of our proven resilience.

Therefore, I feel that we should never neglect to take the time to pamper ourselves,  to know that we are deserving of loving relationships, and to always believe in our ourselves and our capabilities.  It is the best way we can overcome the obstacles that may jump in our paths.  So if there are times (like those expressed by the previous blogger Professor X) where our bodies are not as “fresh and clean” as we might like due to health situations — let’s just make sure our minds remain clean.  For dirty and prejudice thinking is far worse and a lot harder to overcome. 

Submitted by Alana

What an experience for both Santina and I to feel fresh and so clean. As we explore this atmosphere of friendly cosmetic doctors, hair dressers, nail filers, body massagers and a clientele of some of the finest women I seen, being there from 11 AM to 8 PM documenting the place for a purpose to inform and bring awareness to what’s out in the world for not just individuals in the wheelchair but all. But the main objective is Santina and I combined forces a long time ago to seek pleasurable accessibility and bring my last Blog about institutionalization a past practice and see who is out here with enjoyable life experiences. designed for those walking or rolling.

As Santina states, being the more investigative comrade at the time, I was too busy looking at legs, lol. She states how terrible it feels not just for a woman but a man who just got spinal cord injured to spend almost a year in hospitals and rehabilitation centers stuck in bed and not feel so fresh. I remember when I was first injured, only hand washes, hair can’t get properly washed, mouth dry and pasty, a disgusting feeling for 2 months in a hospital before I was even sent to rehabilitation.

As Santina explains, there is so many people right now laying in a bed not feeling so clean and don’t get the experience she felt in just one day because all someone may hear about is life after the rehab that’s just rehab.

So as I’m watching Santina having her hair washed, nails cut and seeing old friends from school, the smile on her face was priceless. Look fellow roll on friends and others, it can’t just be about the Knife. We need to know what is the future to end this physical challenge but in the meantime life must go on. Another comrade of mine, Louis Torez base his whole platform on the life you live now, not just to sit back and wait for cure and that’s why I love my advocacy because I just don’t support and fight for a cure but enjoy my life the best way I can. Enjoying life is knowing what’s out there accessible for the wheelchair.

I went to document the place, which has wide doors, very roomy and very relaxing. The accessibility level I give this place is high because there’s not only enough room for your chair, they’ll make more room. I got my nails cut, yea yea I did but see the pampering and view of so many beautiful ladies made my experience not retro but hetro. Anyway, for both men and women, don’t just sit in that house after possibly years of just sitting in the house doing nothing, go get them years of feeling not so fresh, not so clean washed away.

Again this is not just about chair users, it’s letting chair users know where normal everyday individuals go that also has the accessibility for others. They not paying me to promote or advertise, I don’t get paid to advocate, my fee is hearing others inspired by my work, I just know being stuck in your house and no knowledge of accessible fun is disturbing when there is places out there accessible for everyone.

Until next time when Starr and Professir X go access hunting, enjoy some pictures. Videos coming soon.

MORE PICTURES CLICK HERE

If you in or ever come to New Jersey come and enjoy not just the acessability but yourself
http://www.tiberiasspa.com/

Institutionalized

in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize
2. To place (a person) in the care of an institution.

Have you ever been in Bed-Sty Brooklyn in a wheelchair and saw you couldn’t get into them Brownstones or to The Newark Public Library and saw a new addition to the building to allow people in wheelchairs to get inside. I’m sure if you’re walking you never thought about it at all. This is not an I’m bitter because I can’t walk statement because the majority of people in society think people in wheelchairs are bitter and mean , this is not always true but I understand why some people are afraid to approach individuals sitting down because they might be mad at what life has become for them.

I opened up with this question because it isn’t until recently we are seeing our construction built before us being designed with the wheelchair in mind. Every generation after the struggles and fights to have rights, freedom and accessibility seems to forget what it was when they were without. But is it not the new generations fault they don’t know what they are doing. Only the person living for over 100 years can understand and appreciate. I don’t know what it was like to have to take a commode from under my bed and use it, or have to go to an outhouse because in my time of birth, there was plumbing. So imagine after every march to get your freedom and rights, or a vaccine for a disease is found and a lift or ramp put on a bus or building is accomplished the struggle is no longer there for that child born into an era of change, so how can they appreciate something they was never without.

When Hip Hop was delivered by Kool Herc and to a place Known as the South Bronx, To me it symbolized the events of God sending Moses to free the slaves and bring them to a place where they can no longer be in bondage. We remember from movies Moses goes away for some time and returns seeing his people worshiping gold, engaged in out of control sexual activity and doing insane acts. Today we are not far from that scenario. The freedom of the milk and honey somehow made the oppressed become the obsessed. It’s the now being able to have that seems to create the it’s not that important to me right now, I’ll get it later. Doesn’t it seem odd that the struggle causes unity then the unity causes victory that makes the victory cause insanity.

All these statement aren’t rambling, I’m not jumping from one topic to another, everything relates, that’s why it’s important to have diversity because in every cookie there are many ingredients.

So back to the issue on top. What does it mean, where are we today and do we still have a long way to go to end institutionalization. Remember when I asked if you ever tried getting into a Brownstone in a wheelchair. That was a question to what do you know about how history saw the different able. Do you think no one was paralyzed before the construction of our cities around the country. I have encounter many public places not accessible for wheelchairs, therefore before the fight for different able rights, society must have been in a mental state that no one with a physical challenge will need get in this building so the contractors and forman wasn’t looking at blueprints with a wheelchair accesses in mind.

Institutions held those who weren’t normal , ever watched an old black and white cinema or TV show, can you count up to 5 times you seen a wheelchair. May families would send their children, their parents to institutions where they stayed until death. Somewhat today we have institutions , called nursing homes, usually in some rural area out the way. Not saying the quality of care is the same but abuse of a person can come event in their own home, not just in adult care facilities.

Zen Garcia, a good comrade of mine that introduced the generation of a fight to freedom. We had the Women’s Liberation the Civil Rights Movement, the Gay Right Movement and now it seems it’s the dawn of the Wheelchair Exist Movement. But with the wheelchair movement , no matter, sex, ethnic, sexual orientation, anyone can be in a wheelchair. Discrimination of the chair is not always something done in intent but we can’t forget individuals in wheelchairs may want to have a life more then their chair. Zen fights so that no matter if you’re ina wheelchair, if you want to live in your own house, you should be able too and society should be designed so that if nurse care, therapy or personal assistance is needed, it should be available ina persons home if needed. Not everyone want to live in a senior care facility their whole life. The same quality of living should exist everywhere, not a chosen spot.

This is even my theory when it comes to sports and entertainment. Tom Cruise in Born On The Fourth Of July and a movie that’s name I can’t remember where Wesley Snipes played a wheelchair bound person. Neither actor paralyzed but received a role written for a paralyzed individual. A friend of mine made a statement, ”if the role is written for a paralyzed individual, why not hire a paralyzed actor”. Well I’m sure a response would be ”Tom Cruise and Snipes sells tickets, what paralyzed actor you know that famous and besides it’s my movie pal, relax”. Hollywood doesn’t have to follow the rules a bus or train has too, whomever a producer hires to play a role, there’s no law that says their movie should have a number of wheelchair extras or actors in it and shouldn’t have to. I’m not looking for a law, why should you have to force anyone to do what’s humane but history shows you have to force or make laws to make people humane.

I’m sure if Christopher Reeve was here, we see more diverse actors in hollywood but human issues was more important , the quality of life, the health and cure of paralyzed individuals was front-line and that’s why to me after Jesus, King and Malcolm, Reeve was a great humanitarian that gave his life for my freedom. So during Christopher’s journey he chose others not Hollywood alone. With power comes great responsibility, what you chose to do with it can determine your front page then what’s inside the book. I respect a man’s choice, even when they can make things possible for others that might share their own challenges but the only famous person that relates to my challenge that use their famous attribute to do more then asked of him is Christopher Reeve.

So tell me if you feel institutionalized by anything in life. What do you feel left out from and what is it that you feel is why you were left out.

What a difference a day makes!  I wholeheartedly support Sen. Barack Obama’s painful decision to divorce himself from Rev. Wright.  Many of us in the Black community tried our best to understand (not agree with necessarily) Rev. Wright to some degree.  But his over the top statements and posturing yesterday made it impossible for many of us to defend his actions any longer — especially in light of the fact that he is hurting not only Barack’s campaign but also Barack’s core being.  My blog comments yesterday were meant to emphasize that opinions about Rev. Wright should not be meshed together with opinions about Barack.  Now more than ever — we need to put Rev. Wright to bed and let Barack move on with his Presidential campaign.  Unfortunately, I also reiterate that the media is doing its level best to prevent us from moving on!  Let’s keep our eyes on the prize — not the distrations!

 Thank you for your tolerance.  Alana