YOU have a great opportunity to select the next US President! The result of the Super Tuesday primaries on February 5 has set up Texas as THE key state. Democrats Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama are running a very close race and the word is that Texas is up for grabs. The winner in Texas will likely go on to the nomination. Clinton and Obama participated in a national disability issues questionnaire. To find out their positions, click here. The candidates are expected to make frequent visits to Texas. If one is coming to your community, please make every effort to attend and make your presence known, be visible, ask questions if you can.
For Republican primary voters, be advised that none of the remaining Republican presidential candidates chose to participate in the questionnaire. You should go to the candidates’ websites to look for information, if any, on their disability platforms.
There’s more than the presidency at stake. Numerous local and state primaries are on the ballot. Be sure to research those candidates and vote in those races. Note in primary elections, you must choose only one party in which to vote. For information on voting practices and rights, including the rights of voters with disabilities under the Help American Vote Act, go to www.votexas.org.
Early Voting: February 19 through February 29
Election Day: March 4
Questionnaire results courtesy of AAPD, NCIL, SABE, ADAPT
Eric Reed contributed to this article.
It took the perfect storm to create the House Select Committee on Services for Individuals Eligible for Intermediate Care Facility Services. Speaker Tom Craddick appointed the special committee when inconvenient truths about the Texas State School system caught the public and media eye. Warehousing people with cognitive disabilities became an accepted concept in America in the 1850s. Over 150 years later, Texas leads the nation by operating 13 of these institutions. Combine the declining populations with an annual per resident cost of over $120,000 and Texas fiscal conservatives are taking note. There’s more: shocking, documented cases of abuse and neglect at the Denton and Lubbock facilities have been publicized nationwide by journalist Geraldo Rivera and the U.S. Department of Justice. Then there’s the question of unnecessary placement in the institutions. Some 60% of residents don’t have guardians. That means these individuals are considered capable of making decisions about their lives. Even the Texas Dept of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)estimates at least 1500 residents can be relocated to less expensive community settings. Topping all these negatives is the fact that Texans with disabilities overwhelmingly prefer to live in their own homes. Less than 5000 people reside in State Schools while 34,540 languish on the waiting list for Home & Community Services (HCS), the waiver that would provide services for persons eligible for State School placement. Another 68,144 people with disabilities of all ages are on Texas’ other community services waiting lists.
Craddick appointed Reps. Phillips, Zerwas, Crownover, King, Martinez, Olivo, Pickett, Rose and Truitt to the committee. Some say the Speaker stacked the deck. Most of these legislators have institutions in their districts and will be pressured to preserve the misnamed institutions and the local jobs attached. In fact, they may copy the last Legislature who rewarded the system for abusing residents by throwing more money down the rat hole. CTD says: The top priority concern is people. All residents who want to relocate to the community should receive assistance to do so, when that’s done, right-size the number of facilities to the remaining population, ensure those remaining are safe and secure, then take the savings and reduce all the waiting lists. That’s what CTD will advocate for.
Kelly Bremer has joined the CTD staff to handle our CDS services. Kelly is a graduate of Texas State University and worked previously for the ARC of Texas and the Austin American Statesman. Kelly brings a wealth of experience in customer relations, account management, bookkeeping, and personal daily experience with persons with disabilities.
Since last year, CTD has provided the CDS delivery option to folks with disabilities living in the community in seven Central Texas counties. Consumers hire, supervise and fire their attendants, while CTD handles the administrative and tax related duties. This option allows employers to offer their attendants higher wages, bonuses, vacation, and other incentives essential in keeping good attendants. If you live in Austin and the surrounding counties and are interested in learning more about the CDS option, please go to our website: www.cotwd.org or call Kelly direct at 512/236-1070.
Free technology: DARS announces a fund for assistive technologies, devices and related training. Consumer must be at risk of and need assistive technology to avoid institutional placement . Contact Lance Hamilos, 512/424-4135, lance.hamilos@dars.state.tx.us For blind services, contact Glenda Embree, 512/377-0583, glenda.embree@dars.state.tx.us
SILC conference, March 3 -4, Houston, theme is "Mapping Your Route to Wellness". ww.txsilc.org for information and registration.
Texas Housing Summit, April 22-23, Austin, organized by the Disability Policy Consortium, http://ths.dpctexas.org for information
CTD 30th Annual Convention, September 5 – 7, San Antonio. Mark your calendars! More info to come.Click here if you are having trouble reading the newsletter.
Become a Member of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities
Your Membership Counts with CTD!
Click on www.cotwd.org for more information.