Legislative Reports

• 2009
• 2007
• 2005

CTD Advocacy

Historical Achievements

350 Miles...7 Days... By Hand!

Capitol Ride ’05, held from March 1-8, 2005, was an incredible demonstration of endurance, strength, and will by CTD member Mikail Davenport who hand cycled from South Padre Island to the steps of the State Capitol, a distance of 350 miles. CTD and Davenport teamed up to raise awareness of the capability of cancer survivors and people with disabilities.

Mikail personifies the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities' mission statement of ensuring that people with all disabilities have the right and opportunity to live, learn, work, play and participate fully in the community of their choice.

Mikail is a native Texan who contracted polio at age two. In 2000, he began competing in 5Ks and 10Ks in his wheelchair. In 2002, after doctors removed 1/3 of his lung, Mikail went on to successfully complete the 2003 Motorola Marathon. Capitol Ride ’05 was the longest marathon Mikail had ever done in 2005.

Working with only limited resources, CTD has consistently accomplished goals that directly benefit persons with disabilities by organizing people within the community and developing win-win partnerships. CTD made history twice by developing and coordinating Team Everest '03, an awareness and consciousness raising project of epic proportion. CTD first made history when the largest cross-disability group of individuals (four in wheelchairs) made it to Mt. Everest Base Camp at 19,500'. A few weeks later, Trek Leader Gary Guller became the first person with one arm to summit Mt. Everest.

We are proud that CTD has accomplished many historical achievements. Since 1978, we have:

• Expanded the number of facilities that are in compliance with architectural barriers building codes.
• Wrote and secured adoption of a state plan for critical personal assistance services.
• Secured the adoption of the Telecommunications Relay System (TRS) and Specialized Telecommunications Assistance Program (STAP).
• Input incorporated into the new operating rules for the Texas Department on Housing and Community Affairs to promote more accessible units in subsidized housing.
• Secured a mandate for the transportation-disadvantaged to have a seat on all Texas transit authorities' boards.
• Secured a franchise tax credit that provided an incentive to employers to hire a person with a disability. CTD collaborated with state agencies and advocates to develop a Medicaid Buy-In pilot program, which provided alternatives and removed the disincentive of hiring people with disabilities.
• In the spirit of "fair shake", to be free from unreasonable, sometimes ridiculous, practices and regulations, CTD worked to remove motorized wheelchairs from the Motor Vehicle Code; to give personal assistants more latitude; and to eliminate the cumbersome annual reporting requirement for a retired educator with a permanent disability.
• Have three times won the Barbara Jordan Award for Excellence in the Communication of the Reality of Disabled People.
• During the 78th legislative session (2001), CTD successfully advocated for rededication of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to community services for Texans with disabilities.