November 10, 2001
Inside News From Duluth — p. 9 Adult CP Clinic Opens — p. 3 State Council Award Winners — p. 3
Reader Profile: John Tschida — Page 8
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“Either we must attain freedom for the whole world or there will be no world left for any of us.”
—Walter White
Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Mpls. MN Permit No. 4766
Volume 12, Number 11
SOURCES
RESOURCES
November 10, 2001
MCIL CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY 20 YEARS OF ADVOCACY, OUTREACH, AND SUCCESS by Amy Farrar
Dan Klint, Board Chair, and Executive Director David Hancox at the MCIL 20th Anniversary Celebration
After September 11, People With Disabilities Find Tough Going by Lolly Lijewski
T
he events of September 11 have changed lives, and people with disabilities are no exception. The challenges they faced before have been amplified by the loss of their homes, their mobility devices, access to public transportation, and the tools and services that enable them to live actively in the community. The stark reality of the impact of the disaster became apparent to advocates with the network of Centers For Independent Living in New York the day after the attack. Brad Williams, Executive Director of The New York Statewide Independent Living Council (NYSILC) says a myriad of problems faced people with disabilities on the day of and following the collapse of The World Trade Center (WTC.). Getting out was the first problem. There was no cohesive emergency plan for assisting people with disabilities to evacuate. Then there is the destruction of
some of the transportation and housing infrastructure near ground zero. In an emergency, people with disabilities do not have access to the same options as nondisabled people. Many current consumers have new needs for multiple services. Also, people with disabilities who never previously utilized independent living services now find their independence and employment in jeopardy. Furthermore, the injuries people experienced in the attack have resulted in an increase in the number of people with a disability. It is projected that at least 3,500 people who were treated and released have acquired a disability, yet when disaster workers were asked if any of the over eight thousand people treated were people with current or newly-acquired disabilities, the answer was “No.” The Red Cross and other agencies attending to victims
of the disaster are not prepared to meet the specific needs of people with disabilities. Most disaster-relief agencies ask victims to come to them, yet many of the Red Cross sites weren’t accessible. Under the circumstances, many people with disabilities weren’t able to comply. The Center For The Independence Of The Disabled In New York (CIDNY), located two miles from the WTC in Manhattan, has tripled their call volume since September 11. CIDNY has 11 paid staff, woefully inadequate to meet the growing need. The Three Phases Katinka Neuhof, Outreach and Training Specialist at CIDNY, says she knows of three deaths of people with disabilities either during or after the attack. But, beyond that, she says there have been three phases people have gone through during the past CIDNY - cont. on p. 13
“Nothing about us without us” is a saying that sprang from the disability rights movement in South Africa in the 1980s. It is a saying that encompasses much of the hard work that has been accomplished during the last 20 years, both within the disability rights movement, and by the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) in Saint Paul, a leader in the independent living movement. On October 24, MCIL celebrated its 20th anniversary. To understand the independent living movement, we need to backtrack to the 1960s, to the movement’s founder, Ed Roberts. Roberts was a polio survivor who was paralyzed from the neck down. He was the first person with a disability to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Robert’s determination not to be denied the education of his choice turned into a long history of activism that rubbed off on many people who came in contact with him. Roberts’ success at Berkeley attracted other disabled students, and together they created the first Center for Independent Living (CIL), which helped people with disabilities inside and outside the school become integrated into the surrounding community. None of this was without struggle. Roberts had to fight with the school’s officials just to gain entry to the school, because they said the school wasn’t accessible to people in wheelchairs. Once they did accept him, Roberts and the other students with disabilities initially had to live in a hospital on campus, until their efforts resulted in funding to make
the community more accessible through ramps and hydraulic lifts on transportation vehicles. Roberts was even denied a job by California’s Rehabilitation Services because he was considered “too disabled.” There were many other hurdles for Roberts to overcome. However, his hard work paid off when California Governor Jerry Brown offered him a job in his cabinet—as Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services! Roberts’ tenure in Brown’s cabinet led to the creation of the World Institute on Disability, a world public policy center. The Independent Living Movement is, in the words of David Hancox, MCIL’s executive director, “one of the last great civil rights movements.” Indeed, the fire fueling Roberts and other activists during his time was sparked by the concurrent civil and women’s rights movements, both of which had themes similar to those of the disability rights movement. Unlike the other two movements, however, the disability rights movement had something that is lending cohesion to the movement to this day: no boundaries. “Disability know no boundaries based on economics, age, or gender—it crosses all boundaries,” says Hancox. “At one time or another, it touches us all.” MCIL’s first director, Walt Seibert, described MCIL’s formative years, saying, “There was passion, and there was commitment. We were proving to the funding community that we were more than some program of the federal government. We
knew where we were going and how to get there. We had an extremely committed staff. It was not unlike the anti-war effort of the 1960s. We had a commitment to an ideal, without having it occur at the expense of anyone else.” Seibert is currently a major gift and planned-giving officer at Courage Foundation. The Origins of MCIL MCIL’s origins were as a grassroots movement among people with disabilities in the community. Those involved wanted to make available consumer-driven, community-based resources that would represent an alternative to the existing system and prevent unnecessary outof-home placements of people with disabilities. The goal was to help people with disabilities find their own voice, power, and advocacy. The center opened its doors in the spring of 1981. There are now 500 Centers For Independent Living (CILs) across the country, with eight in Minnesota—all independent nonprofit organizations. Ninety percent of MCIL’s board and 80 percent of its staff are people with disabilities. “Our board and staff believe people with disabilities need to be in the driver’s seat,” said Hancox. MCIL places no limitation on the type of disability the organization serves, and no age limit. It offers services that are consumer-driven. Referrals are another valuable service offered by MCIL. Hancox said his staff strives to partner with the community, not represent them, encouraging those who seek help to lead more selfdirected lives. MCIL - cont. on p. 12