ADAPT Goes to New Governor Corbett to give Bill of Rights
 Click for Larger View ADAPT of Western PA delivers Bill of Rights to Governor Corbett
February 17, 2011
ADAPT of Western Pennsylvania delivered the Bill of Rights of Pennsylvanians with disabilities to Governor Corbett on February 17, 2011. Forty protesters surged into the Governor’s Office to urgently schedule a meeting with the new governor. They delivered a giant 8 foot by 4 foot board detailing these rights which included declarations of freedom from institutions and adequate budget funding for programs that save tax dollars. The protestors pointed to new policies of the state that interfere with personal control of their lives. They demanded that Harrisburg stop oppressive policies that deny privacy and conspire to micro-manage their lifestyle from Harrisburg.
ADAPT Advocate Keith Klink told John Callahan, Deputy Director of Policy and Planning, "I am as angry as hell over the State messing with my life!" Each of the protesters pointed to the Bill of Rights as they explained each item and how their civil rights are threatened by bad budget policies. They demanded that any new State Budget guarantee the Rights of Pennsylvanians with Disabilities. ADAPT was promised a call from the Appointment Secretary of the Governor within a week.
Bill of Rights of Disabled Pennsylvanians
Twelve Articles Freedom Rights that will SAVE PA tax dollars: Meet with ADAPT of Western Pennsylvania, 2011
- Fund Freedom First; Rebalance Long Term Care Services expenditure to at least 50% community care and no more than 50% institutional care.
- Conflict of Interest; Get States and Counties out of the Institutional Long Term Care Business.
- State Officials should not decide how long citizens with disabilities sit on a toilet; Service Plans must be unique to my personal functional needs and local decision making.
- Obey the Supreme Court Olmstead Decision of 1999; finish Pennsylvania’s Olmstead Plan with no caps on community care costs and no waiting lists; Waiting Lists Kill.
- My Right to Privacy; Give me the right to not share personal lifestyle information with Harrisburg computer databases.
- Fix Long Term Care Enrollment Process; Give us cheaper community care JUST AS FAST as high cost nursing home care.
- Give me Control so I can save tax dollars; Support Consumer-Employer Models of community care through effective funding of programs and wages for a reliable, sustainable workforce.
- We are Homeless trapped in Costly Medical facilities; The Statewide housing crisis traps us in nursing homes; Rent subsidies, assistive technology, and home modification with ramps and accessible bathrooms will save taxes.
- We want to go to Work; Transportation Services 7 days per week for 18 hours per day so we can pay taxes.
- Our Right to Self Determination: Centers for Independent Living are owned and operated by Pennsylvanians with disabilities for self-help in our community; give us meaningful funding so we can hire ourselves.
- Access is our Civil Right; Enforce current accessibility laws on all property owned or rented with Pennsylvania Tax dollars, including any government or elected official office, and all polling places.
- Our Right to Choose our Caregiver is taken away by the current Nurse Practice Act; Change the law to give us back our ability to delegate normal, everyday activities that may appear to others as medical procedures.
Advocacy takes many forms:
- Letter Writing to express how bad policy affects us personally
- Rallies and Marches through city streets
- Speaking up at Public Hearings
- Protests and Sit-Ins in policy maker's offices
TRIPIL brings people together who share a common problem that they believe singles them out due to their disability. The community members are invited to talk about the causes and solutions to the problem. Other people are recruited to the process until there are people who care enough to form a plan of action. More people are recruited continuously as the advocacy begins.
See Our Community Action Plan
Working together, we can take on the big issues, like:
- Finding accessible rental housing
- Buying accessible housing
- Making the current home more accessible
- Solving transportation problems
- Getting skills for a job
- Keeping a job
- Voting and Politics
- Recreation and sports
Roland1 used to tell us, "If you take what they give you, You deserve what you get."
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