Well, its been too long since my last post but so much has happened. I have been very busy assisting an Independent Living Center develop a Strategic Plan. The project was just finished in late October so now I am looking for another project to keep me busy.
The original purpose of the blog was to express my opinions on the state of disability policy in the US but so much has changed or is at risk I find it hard to know where to start. The most important issue that needs to be addresses immediately is the threat to Medicaid and the community based services the program funds. Congress is considering serious cuts to the program which in the long run would actually cost Medicaid more money because reducing community based options through waivers would actually send more people into institutions.
This short sighted strategy is based on the simple fact that Congress has never looked long term at the way it budgets. The kick the can down the road mentality is alive and well in Washington so if the cuts occur then we will be back at it in a few years trying to fix the problems it creates with the proposed changes it is now contemplating.
The present system of creating community options is through the waiver process. It seems to me that the opposite should be the case. That is, a waiver should be written if a person has to be placed in an institution! The present system is so disjointed and many states have little community based options in place. This is happening in spite of the Olmstead decision of the Supreme Court handed down over 12 years ago. The decision states in simple terms that "an individual who can handle and benefit from community based options" must have that option instead of being placed in a institutional setting. The decision does require that a plan for implementation be developed but this plan is non existent in many states. If the plan does exist it has little if any time lines to ensure that all persons with disabilities have equal access to community options.
Massachusetts for example still does not have a system that provides equal access to all individuals with disabilities. There are small waivers for individuals with acquired brain injuries and those with traumatic brain injuries. The Commonwealth also recently instituted a money follows the person program but these approaches still do not address many individuals who will not be eligible due to the caps on the programs.
Next time I will dig deeper into the complex situation of community options and the significant unemployment problem affecting people with disabilities. Let me know what you think about this post. Feedback is good and dialog solves problems!
http://jchappelldisabilitysolutions.blogspot.com/
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday May 16th, 2010, the first post and is it the most important?
Well, it is Sunday afternoon and I finally took the dive and have set up my blog. I still don't like the layout but you have to start somewhere. I am watching Julie and Julia on Netflix streaming as I write.. In some small way I feel a lot like Julie and Julia. I am not writing a cook book but I am trying to expose the internet, the general public and policy makers to creative ideas that will move our issues forward. Yes, much has been accomplished but when hundreds of thousands of persons with disabilities are still locked away in institutions and most persons with disabilities are unemployed and on benefits then much still has to be done.
Actually, if I look back over the 37 years since I first attended that local coalition meeting in Hampton VA much has changed. In those days it was accessible public bathrooms and public establishments, curb cuts and some recognition that people with disabilities had rights; the same civil rights as others. I will never forget the day a number of us met with the then Attorney General of Virginia Marshall Coleman who point blank told us that he thought only women and blacks had civil rights. I kid you not; he actually said that to us. We quickly reminded him of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and that it was patterned after the Civil Rights Act of 1965.
That day was monumental for persons with disabilities in Virginia---but more about that later. I use this example to try in some small way to demonstrate the real progress we have made. Yet, most states, including Massachusetts still do not have a real Olmstead Plans to move people from institutions to community living ---(see http://www.pascenter.org/olmstead/olmsteadplans.php for status in each state as of 2009). Furthermore the unemployment rate amongst people with disabilities is between 50-75% depending on what data is used. That is a national disgrace because when surveyed 90% of people with disabilities want to work (see survey results at http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=31 ). Just as importantly, there is no national approach to dealing with the real disincentives in the Social Security System that keeps many people earning just enough stay keep eligible.
Well, that's the first post. I expect to cover everything from my life experiences to real suggestions to the afore mentioned problems and more. I hope to get plenty of feedback and I promise to be as truthful and candid as possible, yet still be able to keep the dialog somewhat civil.http://jchappelldisabilitysolutions.blogspot.com/
Actually, if I look back over the 37 years since I first attended that local coalition meeting in Hampton VA much has changed. In those days it was accessible public bathrooms and public establishments, curb cuts and some recognition that people with disabilities had rights; the same civil rights as others. I will never forget the day a number of us met with the then Attorney General of Virginia Marshall Coleman who point blank told us that he thought only women and blacks had civil rights. I kid you not; he actually said that to us. We quickly reminded him of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and that it was patterned after the Civil Rights Act of 1965.
That day was monumental for persons with disabilities in Virginia---but more about that later. I use this example to try in some small way to demonstrate the real progress we have made. Yet, most states, including Massachusetts still do not have a real Olmstead Plans to move people from institutions to community living ---(see http://www.pascenter.org/olmstead/olmsteadplans.php for status in each state as of 2009). Furthermore the unemployment rate amongst people with disabilities is between 50-75% depending on what data is used. That is a national disgrace because when surveyed 90% of people with disabilities want to work (see survey results at http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=31 ). Just as importantly, there is no national approach to dealing with the real disincentives in the Social Security System that keeps many people earning just enough stay keep eligible.
Well, that's the first post. I expect to cover everything from my life experiences to real suggestions to the afore mentioned problems and more. I hope to get plenty of feedback and I promise to be as truthful and candid as possible, yet still be able to keep the dialog somewhat civil.http://jchappelldisabilitysolutions.blogspot.com/
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