Freedom´s Post

The Indiana Third District Congressional Candidate Forums

Transcripts and photos from October 10 and 20

Douglas Schmidt

ACT Team Coordinator

Fifth Freedom Network

Email Doug


Earlier this month, the Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition (Fifth Freedom and eight other advocacy organizations) hosted a pair of Congressional forums at the Allen County Main Library. The two candidates for Indiana’s third district – Mike Montagano and Rep. Mark Souder – answered a series of questions related to disability issues. They were given some questions in advance, and also answered questions from the audience.

We have CART transcripts from both forums. CART stands for Communication Access Real-Time Translation, a system used by people with hearing loss to turn spoken language into written text in real-time. The transcripts are provided by Voice to Print Captioning.

There are two versions of the transcripts. To read the complete transcripts in their original format, including introductory and closing comments by Tom O’Neill of the Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition, use these links:

Rep. Mark Souder Congressional forum transcript

Mike Montagano Congressional forum transcript

We have also prepared a merged transcript, with Souder and Montagano’s answers to the prepared questions placed side-by-side for comparison purposes. To read the merged transcript, click here.

Finally, we took a number of photos of the forum. Click a pictures to enlarge it.

From the forum with Mike Montagano:





From the forum with Rep. Mark Souder:





Remember to vote November 4!

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Fifth Freedom gets out the vote!

Douglas Schmidt

ACT Team Coordinator

Fifth Freedom Network

Email Doug


The very first meeting of The Change Makers, a local advocacy organization, where I encouraged people to register to vote. Click a picture to enlarge it.




At the CANI Building, where Fifth Freedom helped dozens of people register to vote. Click a picture to enlarge it.



Keep visiting the site for more photos of Fifth Freedom events!

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Accessability Issues at an Indiana Governor's Debate

Kim Mettache

ACT Team Leader

--- Kim Mettache here, past graduate of Partners in Policymaking.

Recently, I had requested CART at the Governor's Debate that was held on September 16th in Merrillville, Indiana. When I got there, there was no CART, no interpreters. I really thought even at a Governor's Debate, there should be 100 percent accessibility. As a registered voter, and past graduate, I decided to check out the accessibility. I went.

I asked the usher where people with hearing loss should sit.

She says, "Oh sit anywhere".

I am like, "NO, where shall WE sit?"

Finally she says, “Sit here...” Which was close to the front.

Where I was sitting was about 5 rows back, and the stage was so high, that when the 3 debaters were speaking, I couldn't even see their mouths from where I was sitting. I sat through the entire debate...crying on the inside. I emailed the Indiana Debate Commission and let them know that they did not provide the accessibility. While they did apologize, it was unacceptable. I requested that they purchase the transcript from the CART provider Kathy Cortopassi. (She typed from home for the TV show, Lakeshore) but the Star Plaza or Indiana Debate Commission made no effort to get a TV or a laptop for those with disabilities to get a LIVE closed captioning while sitting in the audience!

While the Indiana Debate Commission surely has learned its lesson, they have given me the transcript to do with as I see fit. I would like you to email the transcript in its entirety, so that all registered voters can make a decision on the best candidate to vote for. Before the transcript, I had absolutely no clue! I would like everybody - hearing or those with hearing loss - to have equal access and read the transcript so that they too, can make their decision. You will need to email me, so that I can email you with the transcript. I would like to thank the Indiana Debate Commission for working this out with me.

Thank you.

- Kim Mettache


Partners in Policymaking Graduate 2007



Note: To read the transcript, click here.

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An Introduction to The United Nations’ Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Douglas Schmidt

ACT Team Coordinator

Fifth Freedom Network

Email Doug


The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into force on May 3, 2008. The Convention attempts to detail the rights of people with disabilities and how these rights can be protected by anti-discrimination and accessibility legislation, among other adjustments. Article 1 of the Convention states that its purpose is to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”.

Among others, the rights of people with disabilities described in the Convention include:

*Living independently

*Being included in the community

*Personal mobility

*Freedom of expression and opinion

*Education

*Health

*Participation in political and public life

*Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport

*The right to accessible public transportation

As of this writing, 34 countries are parties to the Convention. The United States is not one of them.

By signing on to the Convention, a country would be committing itself to passing laws and regulations to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, and to repeal any laws that might lead to discrimination.

You can read the Convention by clicking here. You may also be interested in the Convention “in plain language,” a paraphrase by Ratify Now, a nonprofit devoted to encouraging the United States to ratify the Convention. You can read that by clicking here.

According to Inclusiondaily.com, “The Bush administration announced in June of 2003 that the U.S. would not sign any international treaty protecting people with disabilities from discrimination. …national laws, such as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, should cover such rights. While the U.S. would support the work of the panel, the administration said it would not sign any document that could be legally binding.” (Source.)

The Democratic Party’s platform for 2008 expresses the party’s support for the treaty: “We will once again reclaim our role as world leaders in protecting the rights of people with disabilities. We will lead the United States in ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first human rights treaty approved in the United Nations in the 21st century.”

Similarly, Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for president, has this message on his Web site: “Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe the United States should lead the world in empowering people with disabilities to take full advantage of their talents and become independent, integrated members of society. Dozens of countries have adopted laws modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act, but America’s leadership in the world has faded in recent years. As president, Barack Obama will renew America’s leadership by making the United States a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – the first human rights treaty approved by the UN in the 21st century and a vital foundation for respecting the rights of people with disabilities worldwide. He will urge the U.S. Senate to ratify the Convention expeditiously.”

Neither the Republican Party nor its candidate, Senator John McCain, has made such statements.

Negotiating treaties is the responsibility of the president, but approving treaties is the responsibility of the Senate. Two-thirds of the Senate must approve a treaty for it to come into force. In the U.S. Constitution, the Treaty Clause (Article II, Section 2, Clause 2) gives the President the authority to make treaties with other countries, with the consent of two-thirds of the Senate.

The president is advised on foreign affairs by the Secretary of State, who in turn is advised on U.N. affairs by officials with the United States Mission to the United Nations.

People wishing to express their views on the treaty can use the following contact information:

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD
Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov

U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay Service)
To email a question or comment, click here.

United States Mission to the United Nations
Press and Public Diplomacy Section
United States Mission to the United Nations
140 East 45th Street
New York, N.Y. 10017
Press inquiries and opinions: 212-415-4050
Fax: 212-415-4053
Email: USUNPublicAffairs@state.gov

For more information on the treaty, visit http://ratifynow.org.


National Forum on Disability Issues

Douglas Schmidt

ACT Team Coordinator

Fifth Freedom Network

Email Doug


On July 26, hundreds of people from all over the country came to Columbus, Ohio for the National Forum on Disability Issues. Thousands more watched the live broadcast on the Web. The event showcased the growing political influence of people with disabilities, and their importance as one of the nation's largest voting blocs. The forum featured presidential candidate Senator John McCain. Speaking on behalf of presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama was Senator Tom Harkin, one of the framers of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The stage was decorated with flags, with a field of stars projected on the backdrop. Musician Jeff Moyer opened the event with his famous "ADA Anthem," which he had performed at the signing of the landmark civil rights legislation. Bishop Timothy J. Clarke, pastor of the First Church of God, welcomed the audience.

John Houston, the Speaker of the Ohio State House of Representatives, spoke briefly about the eighteenth anniversary of the ADA, and the importance of the Medicaid buy-in program. He reminded the crowd that it is important to stay involved with issues at the state level, as that is where federal policies are implemented.

Andrew J. Imparato, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, came onstage to offer thanks to the people who had worked so hard to set up the forum, including the event's only Indiana sponsor, The Fifth Freedom Network. Finally, he introduced Robert David Hall.

Robert David Hall is an actor who portrays the coroner Dr. Albert Robbins on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Hall, both a person with a disability and an advocate, said that "People with disabilities are a vital thread in the fabric of this country." In order to cover the expense of his health insurance and prosthetic legs, he often was forced to take less than stellar acting gigs. He worked in radio as a disc jockey, in low and no pay classical theater, and did radio commercials for a local hardware store. Later, when he achieved real, television acting gigs, he was often forced to portray "angry, disabled veterans, angry, disabled activists, super inspirational disabled teachers, and super pathetic disabled mugging victims."

As an entertainer, Hall is very aware of the way people with disabilities are portrayed - or, more often than not, ignored - in the media. According to Hall, the invisibility of people with disabilities in the media leads to the media paying less attention to the rights movement. People with disabilities make up close to 20 percent of the population, but a recent Screen Actors Guild/UCLA study reported that characters with disabilities only spoke 0.5 percent of all television dialog.

The news director of WOSU, Mike Thompson, came onstage to introduce Judy Woodruff, the event moderator. Woodruff is a journalist best known for her work with the PBS show NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She spoke about her son Jeff, a person with spina bifida. She spoke briefly about the two candidates, and then introduced her panel: John Hannah, Paul Tobin, Rebecca Hare, and Cynthia Owens.

John Hannah is the vice president of the Arc of Ohio. Woodruff asked how much progress he thought had been made in the 18 years since the ADA was signed into law. He said that little villages with small budgets have made the least progress implementing the ADA. States and federal government have progressed more due to their larger financial resources.

Paul Tobin is a U.S. Navy veteran and president and CEO of the United Spinal Association. He said that the next president should mandate full funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), that veteran health care funding should not be treated as discretionary and that the VA needs more and better trained staff.

Cynthia Owens works for the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities and has a son with cerebral palsy. She said that there have been tremendous improvements since the signing of the ADA, but there is still a ways to go. For example, using an airplane is still difficult for people with disabilities. She also said that the Social Security Work Incentives Act is an overly complex and underused system. More people with disabilities would go to work if they better understood the work incentive system and if they could earn money without risk of losing their benefits.

Rebecca Hare is the project coordinator for the National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth. She said that there is still a stigma associated with disability, and this stigma discourages young people with disabilities from learning about disability issues and history and from developing self-advocacy skills.

After the panel discussion, Senator Tom Harkin was introduced. As one of the framers of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Harkin is very popular in the disability community. Harkin came onstage to thunderous applause and cheers, greeting the crowd with the sign for "I love you", prompting several people in the crowd to shout, "We love you, too!"

Harkin champions full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and is the chief sponsor of the Community Choice Act (CCA), formerly known as "MiCASSA". CCA would allow people with disabilities to choose to remain in their homes, rather than live in institutions. Having control over their living situations is a key component in independence and economic self-sufficiency. Harkin explained that independence the institutional bias in Medicare and Medicaid "incarcerates" people in nursing homes and institutions.

Obama is a cosponsor of the CCA. Indiana representatives Andre Carson, Brad Ellsworth and Peter J. Visclosky are cosponsors of the House version of the bill. The CCA's yearly cost would be about the same as ten days in Iraq.

Harkin mentioned that Obama is committed to being the first president in history to have a disability advisor on his domestic policy staff, within the White House. "People with disabilities would be at the table every time domestic policy is formulated." Obama has also promised universal heath care coverage within first two years of his time in office.

Harkin explained how a series of Supreme Court decisions has reduced the list of legally recognized disabilities, "gutting" the ADA. He blamed a majority of "activist conservative judges" for reducing the effectiveness of the ADA, and said that the ADA Restoration Act would undo the damage done by the court.

Harkin has introduced S. 2061, the Fair Home Health Care Act of 2007, which would ensure that home health care workers are covered by minimum wage and overtime laws. One of his first cosponsors when he put the bill together was Obama.

John McCain was introduced, appearing live via satellite from Cottonwood, Arizona. McCain is the principal author of Title Four of the ADA, legislation which improved telecommunications access and led to the installation of public Teletypewriter machines and the creation of Telecommunications Relay Services. He also led efforts to improve services and care for disabled veterans. He supports the ADA Amendments Act. His wife, a former special education teacher, has a master's degree in special education.

McCain said that he believes young Americans would be more willing to serve their country in the military if the government improves the way it treats veterans. He said that the VA should specialize in health care for combat injuries, including offering more help for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sufferers and all "battle wounds, both seen and unseen."

McCain suggested that veterans with routine medical problems that are not combat-related should be able to go to outside doctors and health care centers for their needs. Veterans should be "given a plastic card…. Take it wherever you want… and get the treatment you need."

McCain said that he supports the idea of community choice, but not the CCA. He believes that "most Americans would rather remain in their homes as long as possible." Institutionalized care should be the last option. However, emphasizing his commitment to a responsible budget, he said that he considers the CCA too expensive.

McCain called programs like the Medicare prescription drug act "unfunded liabilities," and expressed his concern that the CCA would become another one. The government cannot fund basic Social Security programs already, and is already in too much debt. McCain said that Social Security is "going broke", and he wants to ensure that later generations have the same benefits as their parents and grandparents.

McCain believes that the diminishment of the ADA was due to the way it was written, not the Supreme Court. "Let's not blame the courts for our [McCain and Harkin's] work not being what it should be… Maybe he and I ought to go back and see how we wrote the law and maybe fix it."

Andy Imparato made some closing remarks, thanking everyone involved in putting the forum together. The event closed with more music from Jeff Moyer.

How tall are you now, Victoria?

Dee Wheat, ACT Team Leader in Orange County