DerbyCity Area Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.
*** OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
David Allgood - (502) 589-6620
VICE PRESIDENT
Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206
TREASURER
Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865
LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE
Jill Farmer
FUNDRAISING CHAIR
Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER
Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368
PAST PRESIDENT
Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE-
Mike Perry
Kelly Young
NSCIA DERBY CITY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
Editor- Barbara Davis
Contributor- David Allgood
Visit Our Website at www.DerbyCitySpinalCord.org
The Derby City Area Chapter Newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Frazier Rehab Institute
From NewMobility.com
WHO GETS MY VOTE?
By Josie Byzek
I’m a registered Democrat in Pennsylvania and for the first time ever my primary vote actually matters. It’s exciting, but it’s scary. What if I choose wrong, and my vote is the vote that pushes my candidate into the White House, where he or she ends up being another dunker? Plus, I have a responsibility to figure out which candidate would do the best job on issues that matter most to the Disability community. Given that none of the candidates, to my knowledge, has spoken the words, “disability issues” on Meet the Press or even The Tonight Show, this is a harder task than it seemed at first.
For openers I asked other Pennsylvanians with disabilities who they’re voting for. Bill Beck, a wheelchair-using advocate with CP I know from my old organizing days, works at Freedom Valley Disability Enablement and lives in the Philly suburb of Broomall. He strikes me as a moderate guy, so I figured he could give me a feel for how folks are choosing their candidates.
“My party already determined its outcome, so I’m probably voting for McCain,” says Beck, 56. “But I’m considering switching my party and voting in the Democratic primaries. The Democrats have exciting choices,” says Beck.
Will Beck become an Obamacan or Hillraiser? Perhaps. But besides Obama’s shine and Clinton's sizzle, what actual issues are important to Beck, or for that matter, to all of us?
“Disability is my consideration,” he says, “but it’s not the only factor. I care about the war. Housing. How the U.S. is seen by other countries. Also, the economy, jobs, violence, the Environment, education and of course, health care.”
To bone up on the issues, I visited the American Association of People with Disabilities website (www.aapd.com), where I found a bonanza of info on each presidential candidate, including contact info.
AAPD worked with such disability groups as ADAPT and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered to compile a list of questions that get at each candidate’s position on issues ranging from employment to voting. Are these issues organized in order of importance to AAPD and the groups that put the questions together?
“They are not,” says Anne Sommers, policy council for AAPD. “We tried to represent the policy interests of the entire cross-disability community, so certain of the issues will strike a chord with more people than others.” Some people with disabilities may be moved by which candidate participated the most with AAPD-sponsored activities, while others will want the nitty-gritty details on a specific policy.
Of the three contenders who still have a shot at becoming president in November, only the two Democrats actually completed the questionnaire. But on Nov. 2, AAPD held a
