ROLLING PROUD by Andrew Levinson

When Is the Economic Boom for People with Disabilities Going to Arrive?

14.1%? Come on, you’ve got to be joking.

Yes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced not too long ago that in “November 2009, the unemployment rate of persons with a disability was 14.1 percent, compared with 9.2 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted.” Even during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the unemployment rate for people without disabilities is still only in the single digits, while people with disabilities suffer from double-digit unemployment. Yeah, people can talk about the economic expansion of the 90s and say that the good days are long behind us. However, just ask the contributors to a project that ended in 2004 called The Center for an Accessible Society. It doesn’t seem that there ever were “good days” for people with disabilities.

2010 will bring the ADA’s 20th birthday, with the ADA, of course, being the principal example of federal disability rights legislation. It’s time to celebrate that birthday with true health care reform. It’s time to end a dependence, for a lot of us, on Social Security. (If you have a “preexisting condition,” you are left with Medicaid, by way of SSI, as your only option. Also, Medicaid is far from a universal health care program with its restrictive eligibility standards). Here’s to Josie Byzek of New Mobility for talking about this dependence and the fear of leaving one’s job over health care coverage. I think it’s only fair that we allow entrepreneurs with disabilities to buy affordable health care coverage and allow workers with disabilities to find the job that provides them with the highest standard of living and not the best health care insurance.

categories Community Inclusion, Disability, Disability Advocacy, Employment, Independent Living, Legal | Andrew Levinson | datetime December 23, 2009 10:18 pm | comments Comments (0)

Attitude, Attitude, Attitude By Rich Fabend

This is the first time I have done a blog so please bear with me. I am 66 years old and a C6 quadriplegic and have been for almost 11 years. I can only speak from my own personal experiences, sharing what I have learned and what I believe to be important.

Attitude, Attitude, Attitude I have become convinced over the last ten years that attitude is much more important to individuals who are physically challenged than ability.  To look on a new situation not as a problem but as a challenge needing to be met, may actually set one’s mind free of the mental restraints which prevent one from finding a solution.

Attitude towards the future will play a great role in how one adapts to any new lifestyle. I am sure there are many people who would look at me confined to a wheelchair and think that it is probably one of the worst things that could happen to anyone.  It doesn’t matter what other people think, what is important is what I think.  I had little control over what happened to me but I have almost complete control over how I deal with my situation, and feeling in control is critical to progress and recovery. What I believe and how I handle the results of my accident will determine how I live and enjoy the rest of my life. I have good days and bad days but ultimately the control of my situation and attitude rests within me.

I know I have the ability to cope with what has happened to me, and I can decide how I will handle this and subsequent challenges I will face. The strength to deal positively with any challenge is in every one of us. I do not see myself as a person with a disability I see myself as being challenged.  Christopher Reeve said “I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I will live my life. I don’t mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery.”

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categories Disability | Rich Fabend | datetime 4:50 pm | comments Comments (0)

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