Welcome to Issue #4- Monthly Newsletter
Quote- "There is something that is much rarer than ability;
the ability to recognize ability."
-Robert
Half
You've got to be
kidding!
Speeding Wheelchair Users Are Put on
Notice
Valley College wants them to slow down, or risk a ticket or
even expulsion. Educators say it's a safety issue; others call
it absurd.
By Wendy
Thermos Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December
14 2002
Concerned for the safety of pedestrians on campus, Valley
College in Los Angeles is cracking down on speeders by setting
a new speed limit of 4 mph.
But the
target isn't errant motorists. It's wheelchair users.
"Are you
speeding on campus?" asks a flier recently mailed to disabled
students. "If so, you could get more than a speeding ticket."
In fact,
offenders face being cited or even expelled, according to the
campus office of disabled services, which imposed the new
regulations. The speed limit is 1 mph faster than the average
walking speed.
"It's
like a bad joke," said Lynn Eller, one of several dozen
students who navigate the Valley Glen campus by wheelchair or
electric cart. "I don't know which is more absurd -- the
ticket or the fact that this came from the office that's
supposed to be helping disabled people."
Administrators said they issued the policy this fall because
more students are using motorized wheelchairs that can go
faster but are also heavier and can cause serious injury if
they hit someone.
"It's a
safety issue, pure and simple," said Tom Jacobsmeyer, vice
president of administration. "A speeding wheelchair can be
just as dangerous as a speeding car."
Although
no collisions have been reported and no citations have been
handed out on the 20,000-student campus, there have been some
close calls, Jacobsmeyer said.
He asked
the disabled services office to impose the policy after seeing
a "very petite female student" stepping out of a classroom
nearly get hit by another woman "going very fast" in a
wheelchair. "They both made pretty exaggerated moves to keep
out of each other's way," he said.
Two
advocates for the disabled in California say they know of no
reported injuries or problems caused by wheelchair users in
crowded areas.
"This
sounds like the bureaucratic impulse to regulate everything in
sight," said Deborah Kaplan, executive director of the World
Institute on Disability in Oakland, a public policy think
tank. "Do they also cite students who bump into each other in
the hallways when they're not looking?"
"This
seems like a solution looking for a problem," added Bay Area
disabled-rights attorney Larry Paradis, a wheelchair user.
"I'm just mystified as to why they picked this out among all
the various hazards out there. People should not be talking on
cell phones and reading while they're walking."
Officials said anyone on campus can go to the administration
office and report someone barreling along too fast in a
wheelchair. If a warning doesn't work, alleged speeders will
be cited under the student conduct code. "We'll bring them in
and say, 'Slow down,' " Jacobsmeyer said.
Chronic
offenders, however, can be reprimanded, suspended or expelled,
said Kathleen Sullivan, coordinator of the disabled services
office.
Eller, a
56-year-old Pacoima resident enrolled in computer courses,
says campus officials have their priorities backward. "People
who aren't disabled should be warned to be considerate of
wheelchair users."
She
wants a retraction of the policy and an apology for the flier,
which states some wheelchair users are "putting other students
at risk."
Eller
said other disabled students share her opinion and many at
first thought the flier was a joke. "We figured they've got to
be kidding that we might be a danger to somebody. In fact, we
have to watch out for everybody else."
Sullivan
defended the flier's message. "It had to be said because some
people in their wheelchairs go fast through crowds," she said.
"It's an awareness issue."
She
admitted, however, that some people are wondering what's next.
A fellow
administrator sent her a note that asked jokingly, "How about
cracking down on the blind? A guy could get a poke in the eye
with one of those white canes."
ArcLink Update
If you have not visited the site TheArcLink lately, you have
missed The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Terry Boisot's latest
column. Feel free to send this message to people you think
might be interested in reading Terry’s stories.
Reprints Available
TheArcLink reprints from 2002 are now available. 2002 Stories,
Letters and Articles contains all of Terry’s stories and many
other commentaries and articles. This 135-page book also
includes tables of contents by date and author. Click here for
more information on how to obtain reprints.
TheArcLink Calendar
Over 250
national and state organizations are now registering their
important events on to TheArcLink Calendar. The calendar is a
public service to assist people with developmental
disabilities, their families and any related professionals in
locating training and other events that interest them. It is
also a tool for organizations to use so they do not schedule
one event on top of another one.
If your
organization has not already registered to schedule events on
TheArcLink Calendar, go here. (If you have already registered,
and need help in entering events, send an email to Calendar@TheArcLink.org.)
More States to Launch Soon
After
months of planning and preparation, Arizona, Illinois, New
York, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma will officially launch
on TheArcLink in January and February. Including a state’s
provider and service system data is no small effort. It
requires coordination between the state sponsor, state
officials, many state employees who work with the actual data,
as well as all the people working directly at TheArcLink to
get the information online.
These
launches will bring the total number of states to fourteen,
with over 25,000 providers. This means that 136 million
people, or about half the United States population, will have
access to TheArcLink’s information for their state!
Our
heartfelt thanks goes to all the people who have participated
in this effort, and in particular our sponsors and their
underwriters: The Arc of Arizona, The Arc of Illinois, NYSARC
(New York), The Arc, Upper Valley (North Dakota), The Arc of
Ohio and TARC (Oklahoma).
Medicaid Reference Desk
A new
web site just for people self-advocates and other people with
intellectual disabilities is now available in seven states,
with four more coming in the next few months. The Medicaid
Reference Desk explains the options available under Medicaid
in each state. Go to
www.TheDesk.info. Click here for a one-page summary of
this resource.
Stats
As we
approach the end of 2002, it is worth noting that more than
60,000 people have visited TheArcLink this year. From the
limited information we have, it appears that about 35% are
individuals or families seeking for information. 15% of
TheArcLink’s visitors are in higher education. 20% of the
visitors are state workers or officials and 25% are providers.
The rest are international visitors.
For
information on any item contained in this update, send an
email to
Editor@TheArcLink.org.
Learning Opportunities
Self Determination Web Cast
WHAT
Self-Determination -- A Transfer of Power
WHEN
Wednesday, January 22, 2003 3:00 Eastern; 2:00 Central; 1:00
Mountain; 12:00 Pacific; 11:00 ADT
WHERE
http://www.ilru.org/ku-ilru/online/Webcast.html (click the
link above this announcement)
WHO
Tom
Nerney, President of the Center for Self-Determination
HOW
See
instructions below
OVERVIEW
The
raison d'etre of independent living is self-determination.
People with disabilities should be able to choose to live as
independently as they wish. Yet self-determination, as we all
know, is not a simple matter of personal volition.
Tom
Nerney asserts that our current system of supports creates and
perpetuates enforced poverty of people with disabilities.
Join us
as Nerney examines self-determination, tracing its evolution
to the present, discussing means by which people with
disabilities are practicing self-determination, and
identifying what can be done to promote consumers''say in how
they live.
A NOTE
ON CONNECTING TO THE WEB CAST
The
server used for the Web cast can accommodate up to 300 people.
These "conference seats" will be on a first-come, first-served
basis. If for any reason you cannot get on the server, the
presentation will be archived--along with any handouts and
other supporting materials within a couple of days and
available for listening at any time.
ACCOMPANYING DISCUSSION FORUM
In
addition to the live Web cast, the presenter will respond to
questions and comments via a discussion forum for at least
four weeks following the original presentation.
If you
listen to the archived presentation, you may use the
discussion forum to ask questions of the presenter. The
discussion forum is intended to be free-flowing, so please
post any questions or comments you wish to make as well as
respond to any other posting.
The Web
address for the discussion forum is
http://www.comspace.com/ilru/forums/board_show.pl?bid=2
SUPPORT
FOR THIS WEB CAST
Support
for this Web cast is provided by the National Institute for
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) through its
funding for RIIL (Research Information for Independent Living
-- http://www.getriil.org/)
program, the Rehabilitation, Research and Training Center on
Managed HealthCare & Disability, the Center for
Self-Determination, and ILRU.
NIDRR is
part of the U.S. Department of Education, and no endorsement
of the opinions expressed in this Web cast by the Department
should be inferred.
************************************************
STEPS TO
PARTICIPATING IN THE WEB CAST
STEP 1
Go to
http://www.ilru.org/ku-ilru/online/Webcast.html (Click on
the link above this announcement) Review the handouts. These
include an agenda as well as information for discussion during
the Web cast.
STEP 2
Go to
ILRU'S preview Web cast 2 to 3 days prior to the Web cast.
Your media player should open automatically, and you should be
able to view the broadcast screen and listen to the audio.
Depending on your connection speed, it may take a few minutes
for the transmission to begin.
PLEASE
NOTE: The Web cast will consist of an audio broadcast of a
live presentation. In addition, realtime captioning of the
presentation will be displayed. No other images will be
broadcast.
The
captioning is best viewed using RealPlayer. If you do not wish
to view the captioning, you may minimize your screen without
loss of the audio portion.
ABOUT
'BUFFERING'
For
those using 56K or slower modems, there may be pauses in the
audio and video transmission caused by 'buffering.' This has
to do with Web traffic and is an unavoidable part of live
online conferencing at the present time.
If
transmission does not resume in 1 to 2 seconds, you should
press the Stop and then the Start buttons to get the broadcast
to continue. If RealPlayer is working correctly, skip to Step
5. If RealPlayer does not open, go to Step 4.
STEP 3
You need
to have RealPlayer to receive the Web cast. If you do not have
it, a free version can be downloaded here:
http://www.real.com/index.html?src=downloadr,020214r1choice_c1
PLEASE
NOTE: We cannot emphasize enough the need to download
RealPlayer prior to the day of broadcast.
Depending on your connection speed, it could take any where
from 30 to 90 minutes to download and install. Once you have
RealPlayer installed, return to Step 3 to test your system.
FOR
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE prior to or during the Web cast, call
ILRU at 713.520.0232 (V) or 713.520.5136 (TTY) and ask for Web
cast assistance.
STEP 4
On the
day of the Web cast, go to
http://www.ilru.org/ku-ilru/online/Webcast.html where you
will be instructed to 'CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WEB CAST.'
STEP 5
We would
like to have your feedback on how we can improve the Web
casts, particularly with regard to accessibility and
navigability.
Please
complete an evaluation form:
http://www.ilru.org/online/Evaluation/WebcastEval.html .
Also, if you have ideas for future Web casts, please let us
know via webcast@ilru.org
ILRU
maintains an email list of persons in the IL-related fields
that will remain private. This information has been sent as a
courtesy. If you wish to stop receiving these messages, please
contact Dawn Heinsohn at:
heinsohn@ilru.org
Laurel
Richards
Director
of Training
ILRU --
Independent Living Research Utilization Program 2323 S.
Shepherd, Suite 1000 Houston, TX 77019 713.520.0232 (v/TTY)
713.520.5785 (fax) Fax on demand for latest information on all
programs: 800.795.7118 Worldwide Web Site: www.ilru.org
2nd Annual Immersion Learning about Self Determination
The 2nd
annual Immersion Learning about Self-Determination will be
held in Las Vegas at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, March 30 - April
3, 2003. Below is the link--and for some of you, the flier
will also appear below. It will be possible to register
on-line and pay on-line via PayPal. More comprehensive
promotional materials are being developed, but people can mark
their calendars now! 2nd Annual Immersion Learning about
Self Determination
The 2nd
annual Immersion Learning about Self-Determination will be
held in Las Vegas at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, March 30 - April
3, 2003. Below is the link--and for some of you, the flier
will also appear below. It will be possible to register
on-line and pay on-line via PayPal. More comprehensive
promotional materials are being developed, but people can mark
their calendars now!
Immersion Learning Flyer
In Loving Memory
I am
writing this in memory of a remarkable woman who touched the
lives of many. She was only with us for a short time, but
during that time she reached for her dreams, embraced life,
and fought for the things that were dear to her. She knew the
meaning of self-determination.
If you
were to ask people to describe her, you would hear
descriptions such as funny, loving, giving. enthusiastic, as
well as exasperating, stubborn, and tenacious. Her husband
describes her with great love but also remembers how he rarely
won an argument. He often talks about how she fought illness
to the bitter end; how she hated being sick, how she always
wanted to take care of the people she loved, and how much he
misses her.
If I had
to pick two words to describe her, they would be self
determined. She challenged those who got in the way of her
progress and kept searching until she found the answers that
worked for her. She knew what she wanted and would not give up
until she figured out how to get it.
This
spirited lady spent the first 40 years of her life being
controlled; placed in institutions and various adult foster
care settings. When she talked about her dreams and goals, she
was often told that she could have those things "when she was
ready" (after she'd met certain goals, and when she learned to
behave "appropriately"). People felt the need to protect and
control her because she happened to have a developmental
disability.
Her
opportunity finally arrived when she was removed from an
abusive care facility, not after learning to behave
"appropriately", and not having reached any of the goals
others had set for her in order to prove that she was "ready".
She was given her opportunity because she needed a place to
live and a few people thought she might be able to reach her
dreams - "ready" or not.
Her
dreams were not extravagant. She only wanted to have the
things that she'd heard other people talk about: her own home,
job, family, marriage, friends, a pet, and the freedom to
pursue these things. It was not until the last five years
other life that she was "allowed" to pursue her dreams. During
those five years, she realized every one of them.
Unfortunately, two years after moving into her own place, and
one year after her wedding, she was diagnosed with a fatal
illness. She fought it with every fiber of her being. She had
a network of people who cared about her and who joined in the
fight. Unfortunately, there just wasn't a way to remove this
particular barrier and she lost the battle.
Many
came to pay their respects during her funeral, not only her
family and friends but the professionals she had challenged
over the years. She touched many lives while she was with us
and I am honored to have been one of those people. Even though
I was a professional in her life, I will always remember her
as a friend who taught me much. She taught me that life is not
about "being ready" to do things, but about having dreams,
trying new things, taking risks, learning from experience, and
standing up for the things that are important to you.
People
don't have time to wait for someone to declare them as "ready"
for life. They know when they are ready to do things. It is
the responsibility of systems, programs, and the people who
support them to be "ready". Supporting people shouldn't be
about control or protection. It should be about removing
barriers and supporting individuals to follow their dreams,
experience life, have meaningful relationships, take
reasonable risks, learn from mistakes, and have the ability to
make choices.
Special
Education Advocates
Wrightslaw has hundreds of files - articles, legal decisions,
newsletters, law and regulations, news and more. Here is a
brief overview of the site.Special Education Advocates
Wrightslaw has hundreds of files - articles, legal decisions,
newsletters, law and regulations, news and more. Here is a
brief overview of the site.
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