Testimony by:
Joseph A. Rogers
Executive Director
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
1211 Chestnut Street, Suite 1207
Philadelphia, PA 19107
800-553-4539, ext. 273
215-751-1810, ext. 273
Fax: 215-636-6312
E-mail: jrogers@mhasp.org
www.mhselfhelp.org

Presented at:
New Freedom Initiative 
"Federal Barriers to Community Living For People with Disabilities:
Recommendations for Change"
A National Listening Session

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
Washington, D.C.
September 5, 2001

I want to thank the participating federal departments for this opportunity to speak on Executive Order 13217.

Fulfilling the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act is extremely important. I congratulate President Bush on his initiatives in this area, particularly in regard to promoting full access to community life through the swift implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Olmstead.

My testimony primarily concerns protection of the rights of people with psychiatric diagnoses, and ensuring that they have the opportunity for full integration into community life.

The good news is that people with psychiatric disabilities are not waiting around for the federal government to embark on these initiatives. Although such efforts are greatly appreciated, people with psychiatric disabilities are also organizing on their own behalf to demand that their rights be fully realized under the promise of the ADA and other provisions of civil rights law.

In Portland, Oregon, in August 1999, approximately 450 people with psychiatric disabilities from around the country attended the first National Summit of Mental Health Consumers and Survivors, organized by the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse with the help of the Oregon Office of Consumer Technical Assistance. Its goal was to develop consensus around the issues of greatest concern to people with psychiatric
disabilities and to create action plans for future work. The unifying principle was the construction of a platform from which the
consumer/survivor movement can influence the national debate.

Attached to my testimony is the Executive Summary and some of the "plank" reports from the Summit. For the sake of brevity, I have not included all 12, just the reports from the planks on Community Support Services, Alternative Services, Recovery, and Force and Coercion.

I would like to particularly call your attention to the issues raised in the Force and Coercion plank. It is ironic that the government spends a huge amount of resources in discussing how to fully integrate people with disabilities, particularly psychiatric disabilities, into the community while, at the same time, efforts are under way around the country to expand forced treatment.

The expansion of forced treatment, including involuntary outpatient commitment, was one of the key areas of discussion in the Force and Coercion plank in Portland. The group took a firm stand against such expansion, and reported out the following vision statement: 

"We will work toward a future where all the needs of a person with a psychiatric disability can be truly met in the community, gently, supportively, and holistically."

Besides a complex analysis of the values and principles, services and supports that are important to recovery, the Recovery plank report also put a human face on the issue by quoting 30 session participants on what recovery means to them. One participant's response seemed to sum it up. It is as follows:

"What does recovery mean to me? To have hope. To feel like a useful, needed person. To be able to utilize the abilities I have. To be able to help others and be a contributing member of society. To have a positive attitude. To be out of the victim mode and be able to transcend the experience I had. To feel connected to the Creator and other people. To take responsibility and take charge of my life. To lead a productive life. Inner healing. Enjoying living. Spiritual wholeness. Living effectively. It's giving back, forgiveness. Helping other people. Believing in yourself. Overcoming obstacles in achieving my goals."

I'd also like to call your attention to the comments by the renowned human rights advocate Justin Dart, Jr., at our Second National Summit, and in particular the following statement: 

"One of the first priorities of the empowerment society will be real rights for all - including people with psychiatric disabilities and psychiatric survivors. We must create and enforce laws that abolish the persecution which we suffer every day in every aspect of life. We must abolish involuntary confinement, physical and psychological abuse, coercion, outpatient commitment, and forced treatment of any kind."

Thank you very much. 

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Full plank reports at:

http://www.mhselfhelp.org/plank.html.