The Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association Network- Serving Kentuckiana.
Message From the President
Dear Members & Friends-
November’s meeting will be held at Frazier Rehab Institute; 220 Abraham Flexner Way; Louisville; 10th floor dining room. Our speaker is Dr. Mary Ellen Buning, who will talk about assistive technology.
Our annual Christmas party will take place in lieu of December’s meeting. See calendar for details.
- David Allgood
From NewMobility.com—ed.
WHO GETS YOUR VOTE?
By Rebecca Hare and Daryl Ann Doane
New Mobility asked two people with disabilities, each with knowledge of politics and government - one Republican and the other Democrat - to write an essay of equal length explaining why they are voting for their party's candidate. The views expressed are those of the author, not New Mobility.
BARACK OBAMA IS
THE BEST CHOICE ...
By Rebecca Hare
As a second generation little person, I was born and raised in the Disability community. My father, Billy, and my mother, Joan, were both little people. When I was a year old, my father became paralyzed in an on-the-job-accident. I have no memory of him ever not using a wheelchair. What I do have memories of is his worry about how to support our family and to get the healthcare services he needed outside of the hospital. When my parents went to Voc Rehab to apply for services, they were told to put their daughter in foster care. That was not an option.
My parents grew up without the Americans with Disabilities Act and fought discrimination in their academic, employment, and social lives. I am fortunate to be a member of the ADA generation, having grown up with the civil rights protection of the ADA, Sect 504, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
These laws need to be protected and enforced. This is why I am proud to declare my support of Sen. Obama's candidacy for president.
The 2008 presidential election is critical for the disability community not only because we will elect the next leader of our nation, but because of the impact the next president will have on Supreme Court appointments. From his background as a civil rights attorney, Obama understands the need for supporting civil rights statutes and expanding the availability and provision of accommodations in the workplace to enable qualified people with disabilities in the workplace.
Obama is a long-time supporter of the ADA Restoration/Amendments Act and signed on as one of the original co-sponsors. Sen. McCain is an original co-sponsor as well, and even though this is very exciting to have both presidential candidates supporting this legislation, it is critical for voters not to forget that the next president will likely have the authority to reshape the Supreme Court in a powerful way.
Americans with disabilities cannot afford to ignore the importance of the relationship between the Supreme Court and the ADA in this election. In the aftermath of multiple cases where the Supreme Court has found it appropriate to narrowly define who is and who isn't a person with a disability, McCain has made it clear that the justices he would appoint would model the views and opinions of the more conservative justices, many of whom do not have track records that demonstrate support of the ADA. Too many Supreme Court decisions related to disability have resulted in narrow rulings. With at least two justices reaching the age where they are more likely to retire soon, voters in the disability community need to be aware that if McCain becomes our president and appoints more anti-ADA justices, there is a stronger likelihood that those decisions will turn to 7-2 verdicts, and the rights of people with…
