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ADA ●CIL News
Vol. 01 Issue 01
Fall 2004
TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO REGISTER TO VOTE
PUBLIC POLICY EFFORTS AT ALLIANCE CIL
FIFTH ANNUAL TRIANGLE ACCESS AWARDS
Alliance of Disability Advocates, Center for Independent Living, opened its doors at 401 Oberlin Road in Raleigh in March of this year with its first project in view. In fact, the project was right outside of its doors along the west side of Oberlin Road beginning north of Clark Avenue . Curb cuts were missing along the west side of the street, so it was not possible for many Alliance staff and consumers to travel along Oberlin or to access Cameron Village .
A call to the City of Raleigh Department of Transportation got the ball rolling. Shawn Hessee and Michael Atkins , two Alliance staff members, met with George Nance, Construction Inspections Supervisor, and explained the need for curb cuts. They noted that Alliance staff members were not able to go to the post office or the bank to conduct daily business for the Center, and were not able to take lunch breaks at Cameron Village just across the street. Also, the lack of a curb cut at the T-intersection of Oberlin and Cameron prevented consumers and staff members from being able to safely use the crosswalk at that location even though the crosswalk is already equipped with audible traffic signals. In addition, Shawn and Michael pointed out the bus stops in Cameron village and on the east side of Oberlin, but no curb cuts to travel safely to the Center.
Shortly after the meeting with George Nance, markings appeared on the sidewalks along the west side of Oberlin Road, and the curb cuts soon followed. A crosswalk was relocated because an electrical box under the sidewalk prevented the addition of curb cuts. At the T-intersection of Oberlin and Cameron, the new curb cut provides a way for consumers to locate the crosswalk and safely utilize the audible traffic signals which were already in place.
To acknowledge this prompt response to the request for curb cuts, Alliance staff members sent a letter of appreciation to Russell Allen, Raleigh City Manager. In no time, bicyclists, skateboarders and people pushing strollers as well as consumers and Alliance staff members began taking advantage of the new curb cuts as a part of their daily routine.
Karen Clark , Peer Advocate at Alliance CIL, has been playing bridge for 20 years using print Braille cards. Karen’s original idea for learning bridge was for fun, and for a way to interact socially; but over the years, she also realized that playing bridge increases brain power and may be preventative to Alzheimer’s disease. For anyone with vision loss, the numbers and suits of the cards have to be memorized for each hand, whereas someone who can see can fan out a hand of cards and always scan them from time to time. So Karen decided to offer this skill of playing bridge with accessible cards to other people through an independent living skills class at the CIL.
Karen’s accessible bridge class has been going for about 8 weeks on Friday afternoons at the Center. Six people have taken advantage of this opportunity to learn bridge and to practice their playing skills. Participants have commented that this is an opportunity to learn and play bridge in a nonthreatening environment. The pace of the class is designed so that people with varying levels of skill abilities can participate.
The class will be ongoing through December. Karen would like to invite anyone who would like to learn to play bridge to come and join them at the Alliance CIL on Fridays at 1pm .
TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO REGISTER TO VOTE
10) It validates my martyr complex.
9) I can live like a king on $500 a month.
8) I think the ADA goes too far.
7) I have always wanted to live in a nursing home.
6) I enjoy being a part of the last disenfranchised minority.
5) Jerry might leave me out of next year’s telethon.
4) I am not allowed to use sharp pointed objects like pens and pencils.
3) I might lose my parking spot.
2) It is not part of my rehab program.
1) I would have to make a decision without the help of the Social Security Administration.
The general election is upon us, and people are listening to the candidates and thinking about issues important to them. For many, November 2 will culminate in a vote at the polling place. However, there will be a large number of people with disabilities for whom access to the voting process prohibits their voting privately and independently in their country’s democratic process.
Alliance of Disability Advocates, Center for Independent Living, has developed and is implementing an ongoing program to address issues of accessibility at polling places and to the process of voting privately and independently. With a focus on removing barriers to the voting process, Alliance CIL is collaborating with community leaders and with directors and staff of county boards of election in its five-county service area.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote can not be denied or abridged on account of race, color or gender as guaranteed under the 15 th and 19 th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. In recent times, a sequence of national legislation has passed requiring the removal of barriers to voting for people with disabilities. These include the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act ( HAVA ) of 2002. With decades of legislation echoing “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged . . .,” the lack of access to voting remains significant.
With the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, nearly every state had specific constitutional provisions, statutes, or case law that prohibited individuals with cognitive disabilities from voting. In testimony given to Congress, reasons to deny people the right to vote included judgments of competence based on appearance, illegible signatures and arbitrary decisions such as the ability to use one’s voice is a requirement for voting.
People who are the target of discrimination are denied equal standing with their fellow citizens. “If people with disabilities voted at the same rate as those without disabilities, there would have been 4.6 million additional voters in 1998, raising the overall turnout rate by 2.5 percentage points,” according to researchers Kay Schriner of the University of Arkansas and Douglas Kruse of Rutgers University. It is understandable why a large percentage of people with disabilities do not vote. It is not because of a lack of understanding the political system or political issues, but rather from awareness that the voting process does not facilitate the involvement of people with disabilities.
Your voice is your vote. A way of becoming a voice to be heard on Election Day is to know that as a citizen you have a guaranteed right to vote that cannot be denied. The physical access to polling facilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and accessible voting equipment as required by the Help America Vote Act facilitate your right to vote. Although barriers still exist, your participation in the voting process will make accessibility a priority. Regardless for whom you vote, let your voice be heard at the polling place this November 2, and become a force in the electoral process through your vote.
If you experience any of the following problems on Election Day,
call this toll-free number: 1-866-OUR VOTE (866-687-8683)
If a poll worker does not allow you to vote for any reason
If the polling place is inaccessible
If there is a late opening or early closing of a polling place
If your polling place runs out of ballots or has an incorrect ballot
If you experience discrimination from a poll worker in the voting process
To view your voting rights under North Carolina law go to www.alliancecil.org/. Under the heading "ELECTION 2004" click on "NC VOTER'S BILL OF RIGHTS" and select either Text or PDF format. If you are unable to access the Alliance web site, for whatever reason, you can visit Alliance of Disability Advocates at 401 Oberlin Rd., Suite 103 or call (919) 833-1117 and the online information will be made available to you.
Following the November 2 General Election, information on reported barriers to the election process from across the nation will be available online. To view the information click on "OUR VOTE." If you are unable to access this web site, for whatever reason, you can visit Alliance of Disability Advocates at 401 Oberlin Rd., Suite 103 or call (919) 833-1117 and the online information will be made available to you.
If you experience any of the following problems on Election Day,
call this toll-free number: 1-866-OUR VOTE (866-687-8683)
PUBLIC POLICY EFFORTS AT ALLIANCE CIL
Last summer, Alliance CIL made multiple forays into the public policy arena. Several agency staff arrived at Alliance CIL having had prior experience with legislative advocacy and/or policy-oriented groups, and this experience has been put to use as Alliance CIL takes initial steps to create an agency presence on policy issues that have an affect on persons with disabilities.
One such step was the hiring of an intern, Darcie Mersereau , from the School of Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. Through connections with other agencies, particularly the Governor’s Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities (GACPD), Darcie began learning about current policy issues affecting individuals with disabilities and helping to address issues at the state level. Darcie shadowed Cynthia Temoshenko at the GACPD during committee meetings and floor sessions on new legislation to clarify pedestrian right-of-way at intersections permitting right-turns-on-red, and to increase penalties for drivers who fail to yield. Darcie is also working with Cynthia on background research for legislation to recognize American Sign Language as a foreign language in North Carolina . Once the background research is complete, Darcie will be involved in bringing collaborators to the table and drafting legislation to introduce into the next legislative session. The information Darcie has learned about the legislative process and specific pieces of legislation have been disseminated to staff to build the expertise of the agency in this area.
Alliance CIL has also been involved in policy issues on the national level which affect consumers in its service area. Four members of the staff traveled to Washington , D.C. in June for the annual National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) conference. The conference focused on national issues, including MiCASSA, Money Follows the Person, Inclusive Home Design Act, IDEA, and reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act. Staff also met with legislators to discuss these issues.
TUMBLING AFTER
A book review by Karen Clark
“Tumbling After”, by Susan Parker, is available on cassette tape through the Library for the Blind.
The book describes the challenges a couple encountered after the man was permanently injured in a bicycling accident. The couple went from having friends to socialize with to losing their friends because people did not know how to interact with them. They also had to struggle with going from having everything accessible to the typical inaccessibility of facilities.
The couple adopted a new definition of what is a family and shared many real challenges. There were parts of the book that made me laugh out loud and I empathized with the couples’ life as they went from complacency to activism.
An inclusion in Faith Communities workshop was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Raleigh on August 28. The workshop was designed to assist churches with including people with disabilities into their congregations.
The keynote speaker was Brett Mitchell. Brett spoke about how churches have typically excluded people with disabilities. He then spoke eloquently and with Bible references on how to include people with disabilities, and that the first step churches need to take is to apologize to people with disabilities.
The workshop focused mainly on how to include children, but there were a lot of ideas presented that would work for adults as well. There was a session in the afternoon that listed specific strategies used by Crossroads Fellowship Church in Raleigh .
Alliance of Disability Advocates, Center for Independent (ADA-CIL) is proud to announce that ADA-CIL Director Rene Cummins is the recipient of the 2004 Lockhart Follin-Mace Advocacy Award. Rene received the award at the Raleigh Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities Awards Luncheon held at the Crabtree Marriott on October 7.
The Lockhart Follin-Mace Advocacy Award recognizes a person who has demonstrated advocacy over an extended period of time. The recipient has served as a role model through advocacy on the community, state or national levels, and has promoted self-determination by people with disabilities and cross-disability activities.
Congratulations to Rene.
FIFTH ANNUAL TRIANGLE ACCESS AWARDS
Alliance of Disability Advocates CIL, Universal Disability Advocates and NC Museum of Natural Sciences co-hosted the Fifth Annual Triangle Access Awards Presentation and Reception on July 22 at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh . The Fifth Annual Triangle Access Awards also commemorated the 14th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990 .
The purpose of the Triangle Access Awards is to honor individuals, businesses and organizations in the Triangle area whose awareness and actions have created accessibility and inclusion in the community for people of all ages and abilities. Recipients have demonstrated outstanding achievements in removing barriers in the community, including architectural, communication/sensory and attitudinal barriers, in implementing assistive technology, and in creating all-around universal access.
This year's recipients of the Triangle Access Awards were:
For removing Architectural Barriers – Little & Little Landscape Architects, for incorporating esthetics into inclusive outdoor spaces for everyone.
For removing Communication Barriers – Dr. Ed Funkhouser, for providing access to printed materials through the creation of our current Triangle Reading Service; and Robert Hinton, for his dedication to bridge communication between people with hearing loss and people in the hearing world.
For removing Attitudinal Barriers – Doug Gill, for promoting inclusion of older adults with developmental disabilities; Tricia Inlow-Hatcher, for promoting inclusion for everyone with a desire to learn through the Encore program; and Angela Langley, for promoting access, awareness and inclusion throughout the community at large.
For implementing Assistive Technology – Bobbie Simmons, for creating inclusive bridge programs through the introduction of large print and Brailled playing cards.
For creating Universal Access – Cary YMCA, for their extensive efforts to promote accessibility and inclusion in a fitness environment; and David Harrell, for promoting accessibility and inclusion through his work as a performing artist.
First Union/Wachovia currently has a total of 1,273 Talking ATMs. Close to 300 of the machines are in North Carolina . Please try out the Talking ATMs in your area, and report any problems back to Alliance of Disability Advocates at 919.833.1117 . We need to monitor how well the bank staff is receiving training on this technology and all other access issues involved with these Talking ATMs.
The following are locations of Wachovia/First Union banks with
Talking ATMs in this area:
Raleigh :
Rex Healthcare Hospital, 442 Lake Boone Trail; Hayes Barton, 2016 Fairview Rd.; MINI City, 3400 Spring Forest Rd.; Wachovia, 2600 Hillsborough Street; Raleigh Main Financial Center, 150 Fayetteville St. Mall; Quail Corners Financial Center, 1311 Millbrook Rd.; Walnut Creek Shopping Center, 3416 Poole Road; Six Forks Financial Center, 8901 Six Forks Rd.; Beacon Plaza, 3959 New Bern Ave.; North Hills Mall Financial Center, 4220 Lassiter Mill Rd.; Western Boulevard, 4530 Western Blvd.; Stonehenge CreedMoor Financial Center, 7600 Creedmoor Rd.; St. Augustine College, 1315 Oakwood Ave.; Columbia Raleigh Community Hospital, 3400 Wake Forest Rd.; Crabtree Valley #1, 4325 Glenwood Ave.; Meredith College, 3800 Hillsborough St.; City Of Raleigh, 222 W. Hargett Street; Eastgate, 1420 Hardimont Rd.; NCSU Student Union, 3102 Cates Ave.; Cameron Village, 2001 Clark Ave.; GlaxoSmithKline, Inc., 3030 Cornwallis Rd.; GlaxoSmithKline, Inc., 5 Moore Drive; Nortel #1, 4001 East Chapel Hill-Nelson Hwy.; Nortel #5, 35 Davis Drive; Bayer Crop Science, 2 T W Alexander Drive; Research Triangle Park, 4 Park Place
Apex:
Cooper Tools Apex, 1000 Lufkin Rd.
Cary :
SAS Institute, SAS Campus Drive; Rex Healthcare Hospital II, 1515 S W. Cary Pkwy; Weston,
1701 N. Harrison Ave.; Austin Quality Foods, 1 Quality Ln.; Preston Corners Financial Center, 998 High House Rd.; Mellon, 1200 Crescent Green; Wellington Park Shopping Center, 6430 Tryon Rd.;
Cary Main Financial Center, 1201 Walnut St.; MacGregor Village, 101 Edinburgh St.
Chapel Hill :
Chapel Hill University, 129 S. Estes Dr.; Granville Towers West Dorm, 125 E. Franklin St.; Timberlyne, 101 Banks Dr.; UNC Sales Center, 210 Daniels Bldg. – South Road; UNC Hospitals – Chapel Hill Memorial, 101 Manning Dr.; University Mall Financial Center, 201 Estes Drive
Durham :
Eno BP Station, 5292 Roxboro; Duke University – East, 1602 W. Main; Avondale, 300 Foushee St.; 27704 Research Triangle Institute, 3040 Cornwallis Rd.; AW NC, 4112 Old Oxford Hwy.; Veteran’s Medical Center, 508 Fulton St.; Duke Medical Center Financial Center, 1000 Trent Drive; Fuqua School of Business, 1 Towerview Drive; Croasdaile Village Retire Community Financial Center, 2600 Croasdaile Farm Pkwy.; 201 North Roxboro Road; NCSSM, 1219 Broad St.; 27715 Duke – Uncle Harry’s Central Campus, 1917 Yearby St.; North Duke, 3600 North Duke Street; Cree, 4425 Silicon Drive; Durham West Financial Center, 2000 W. Main St.; Boulevard, 2821 Chapel Hill Blvd.; Duke University – Bryan Center, 101-2 Bryan Center; Woodcroft, 4709 Hope Valley Rd.; Duke Medical Center
Garner:
Clayton, 82 Glen Rd. ; Garner Forest Hills, 1301 Fifth Ave. ; McCullers Crossing, 8005 Ten-Ten Rd.
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