Jerry Lewis is going to receive an Oscar, but it's not for acting. It's a Humanitarian Award for his years hosting the Muscular Dystrophy telethon each Labor Day. By all accounts he's raised over 2 billion dollars with his telethon. Great, right? There are several disability activists who would answer this question with a resounding "No!"
These folks don't like the way Jerry displays his "kids" as hopeless and helpless "half a person" (a term he used to describe people with disabilities a few years ago). They believe he is a big reason people with disabilities are not valued in society, and I agree.
Harriet McBryde Johnson, an attorney from Charleston, S.C., who had a physical disability and died last summer, was one of his greatest critics. She said in a chapter titled "Honk If You Hate Telethons" from her book “Too Late to Die Young”; "Lewis’ productions raised money by turning children into objects of pity without hope, effectively sentencing them to death on live TV."
Jerry has also raised the ire of the gay community when he made a derogatory "fag" comment on last year's telethon. That the Academy of Motion Pictures would give this guy an Oscar (he was never so much as nominated for one while acting)as a Humanitarian is frankly; beyond my understanding.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Waiting
It's looking like the state has a plan to keep people with developmental disabilities waiting for services longer than they have been already. The infamous "Waitlist" may once again rear its' ugly head in the face of people who need help NOW.
Let's run through an imagined, yet real scenario, where YOU are on a Waitlist for services. You are 45 years old. You've been scraping by in life since you graduated high school with a modified diploma in the early 80's. You live in a single room occupancy hotel in downtown Portland. You get $609 per month from Social Security...$350 goes for renting your roach infested room. You can't get a job, because you have no one to help you navigate through the "system". You are on a Waitlist for assistnce.
You might feel like if you complain it may only get worse for you, so you just throw away the letter from DHS that the guy in the room next door reads to you. You might be relieved that you can put off the anxiety of dealing with new people, new situations, and new successes, even though you know your way doesn't work so well. You might not care any more. After all... you've managed to stay alive this long on your own.
Think this is some sort of exageration of the truth? There are over 2000 citizens in Oregon (mostly in the Portland Metro area)who fit in this scenario somewhere. Civil Rights? Human Rights? Fairness? Equity? None of these exist for those still waiting. It's really a shame, that Oregon can do without.
Let's run through an imagined, yet real scenario, where YOU are on a Waitlist for services. You are 45 years old. You've been scraping by in life since you graduated high school with a modified diploma in the early 80's. You live in a single room occupancy hotel in downtown Portland. You get $609 per month from Social Security...$350 goes for renting your roach infested room. You can't get a job, because you have no one to help you navigate through the "system". You are on a Waitlist for assistnce.
You might feel like if you complain it may only get worse for you, so you just throw away the letter from DHS that the guy in the room next door reads to you. You might be relieved that you can put off the anxiety of dealing with new people, new situations, and new successes, even though you know your way doesn't work so well. You might not care any more. After all... you've managed to stay alive this long on your own.
Think this is some sort of exageration of the truth? There are over 2000 citizens in Oregon (mostly in the Portland Metro area)who fit in this scenario somewhere. Civil Rights? Human Rights? Fairness? Equity? None of these exist for those still waiting. It's really a shame, that Oregon can do without.
Aging = Disability
I’m not so sure that people realize that along with aging comes disability. I think it goes along with people being in denial of their own vulnerability. They just don’t want to think about having a disability... until it’s too late.
Let’s face it. We’re all getting older, and at some point some of us will wind up with some sort of serious disability. All of us “baby boomers” will be competing for limited resources to help us stay in our homes. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on this issue.
I found some interesting statistics on the Roseburg News Review which inspired me to write this post...
Douglas County is growing older but is also becoming somewhat more diverse, according to the results of a new three-year study by the U.S. Census Bureau.
More than a quarter of the county’s 103,656 residents are now age 60 or older. Since 2000, the percentage of residents who fit into that category has risen to 25.3 percent from 23.1 percent.
At the same time, the percentage of county residents younger than 20 has fallen more than 3 points, from 26.6 percent to 23.2 percent.
The median age for Douglas County residents is 43.4, up from 41.2 in 2000. Statewide, the median age is 37.6.
For the state of Oregon as a whole, 17.8 percent of the population is 60 or older, and 25.8 percent is 19 or younger. Nationally, 17.2 percent of Americans fit into the older category and 27.6 percent are teens or younger.
The estimates provided by the American Community Survey were gleaned from surveys taken in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The surveys, which are now taken yearly, replace the long forms sent out previously to a sampling of census respondents.
The survey asks a variety of questions on income, marital status, the number of children respondents have and the type of residence they have. It also asks questions on how many cars they drive, how long it takes them to get to work and whether they have served in the armed forces or have a disability.
While Douglas County residents are overwhelmingly Caucasian — at 91 percent of the population — the Hispanic population rose more than 23 percent between 2000 and 2007. The number has increased from 3,283 to 4,042, or 3.9 percent of the county population.
Mexico is the source of the largest group of Hispanics, 3,099. Another 275 residents are natives of Puerto Rico and 154 originally came from Cuba.
American Indians make up the second-largest ethnic group, although that number has decreased by 281 since 2000. There are now 1,249 American Indian residents in Douglas County.
The number of Asian residents rose nearly 74 percent, from 628 in 2000 to 1,092. Among different Asian groups, the number from India rose the most, from 54 to 308. There are also 308 Koreans residing in the county, tying with Indians for the largest groups of ethnic Asians.
The per capita income in Douglas County is $20,324, up from $16,581 in 2000. The statewide figure is $25,097.
The median income for a man working full time in Douglas County is $36,902, up from $32,512 in 2000. For a woman, it’s $25,567, up from $22,349. Statewide, the average man makes $42,676, while the average woman earns $33,017.
The percentage of Douglas County residents who have a high school diploma or a GED rose from 81 percent in 2000 to 84.6 percent. Statewide, 87.5 percent of Oregonians have finished high school.
The percentage of county residents with a bachelor’s degree or advanced degree increased from 13.3 percent in 2000 to 14.7 percent. Still, that number lags behind the statewide average of 27.6 percent.
A total of 5,823 county residents have earned an associate degree. That’s 7.9 percent of the population, up from 6.5 percent in 2000.
The percentage of Douglas County residents who served in the armed forces declined from 20 percent in 2000 to 17 percent. However, the percentage is still above the statewide figure of 12.5 percent.
Let’s face it. We’re all getting older, and at some point some of us will wind up with some sort of serious disability. All of us “baby boomers” will be competing for limited resources to help us stay in our homes. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on this issue.
I found some interesting statistics on the Roseburg News Review which inspired me to write this post...
Douglas County is growing older but is also becoming somewhat more diverse, according to the results of a new three-year study by the U.S. Census Bureau.
More than a quarter of the county’s 103,656 residents are now age 60 or older. Since 2000, the percentage of residents who fit into that category has risen to 25.3 percent from 23.1 percent.
At the same time, the percentage of county residents younger than 20 has fallen more than 3 points, from 26.6 percent to 23.2 percent.
The median age for Douglas County residents is 43.4, up from 41.2 in 2000. Statewide, the median age is 37.6.
For the state of Oregon as a whole, 17.8 percent of the population is 60 or older, and 25.8 percent is 19 or younger. Nationally, 17.2 percent of Americans fit into the older category and 27.6 percent are teens or younger.
The estimates provided by the American Community Survey were gleaned from surveys taken in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The surveys, which are now taken yearly, replace the long forms sent out previously to a sampling of census respondents.
The survey asks a variety of questions on income, marital status, the number of children respondents have and the type of residence they have. It also asks questions on how many cars they drive, how long it takes them to get to work and whether they have served in the armed forces or have a disability.
While Douglas County residents are overwhelmingly Caucasian — at 91 percent of the population — the Hispanic population rose more than 23 percent between 2000 and 2007. The number has increased from 3,283 to 4,042, or 3.9 percent of the county population.
Mexico is the source of the largest group of Hispanics, 3,099. Another 275 residents are natives of Puerto Rico and 154 originally came from Cuba.
American Indians make up the second-largest ethnic group, although that number has decreased by 281 since 2000. There are now 1,249 American Indian residents in Douglas County.
The number of Asian residents rose nearly 74 percent, from 628 in 2000 to 1,092. Among different Asian groups, the number from India rose the most, from 54 to 308. There are also 308 Koreans residing in the county, tying with Indians for the largest groups of ethnic Asians.
The per capita income in Douglas County is $20,324, up from $16,581 in 2000. The statewide figure is $25,097.
The median income for a man working full time in Douglas County is $36,902, up from $32,512 in 2000. For a woman, it’s $25,567, up from $22,349. Statewide, the average man makes $42,676, while the average woman earns $33,017.
The percentage of Douglas County residents who have a high school diploma or a GED rose from 81 percent in 2000 to 84.6 percent. Statewide, 87.5 percent of Oregonians have finished high school.
The percentage of county residents with a bachelor’s degree or advanced degree increased from 13.3 percent in 2000 to 14.7 percent. Still, that number lags behind the statewide average of 27.6 percent.
A total of 5,823 county residents have earned an associate degree. That’s 7.9 percent of the population, up from 6.5 percent in 2000.
The percentage of Douglas County residents who served in the armed forces declined from 20 percent in 2000 to 17 percent. However, the percentage is still above the statewide figure of 12.5 percent.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Remember Fairview?
I believe it's important that as a community we never forget about the existence of the Fairview Educational Center in Salem. As the budget in our state shrinks, and decisions are made in the Legislature regarding where cuts are made, they shouldn't be made at the expense of people with developmental disabilities. It's not like these folks haven't suffered enough already.
I made 4 or 5 visits to Fairview over the years. My purpose in going there was to meet people who were preparing to leave the institution to live in the community. I absolutely hated going to that place. It smelled of human waste, it was dark and cold (no matter what season), and I didn't experience the people working there as friendly or compassionate. I think they saw my presence as a threat to their state paid jobs.
On one such visit in the early 90's I recall an abusive situation that I reported. I was in an area where people were working, if that's what you would call it. Actually, the folks with disabilities were doing some menial task as they sat at tables. One of the staff in charge noticed that someone (a male) had urinated in his pants as he sat at the table working. The staff person told one of his coworkers what had happened in front of everyone in the room, and asked them to get a pair of pants along with underpants.
When the staff person came back to the table with the clothes, he took the underpants and put them over the head of the man who had urinated. He then stood him up and walked him toward a changing area. I couldn't believe what I saw! The other staff people thought this was funny and laughed as the two walked across the room. I left in disgust. When I got back to Portland I called the Office of Investigations and Trainings to report what I'd seen. I'm not sure what happened to the staff person, as OIT keeps their findings secret, but my hope was that they were fired.
Fairview was a bad place. I'm glad it's closed. Now, if we can only find the key to keeping people safe in the community, the world will be a better place for these folks.
I made 4 or 5 visits to Fairview over the years. My purpose in going there was to meet people who were preparing to leave the institution to live in the community. I absolutely hated going to that place. It smelled of human waste, it was dark and cold (no matter what season), and I didn't experience the people working there as friendly or compassionate. I think they saw my presence as a threat to their state paid jobs.
On one such visit in the early 90's I recall an abusive situation that I reported. I was in an area where people were working, if that's what you would call it. Actually, the folks with disabilities were doing some menial task as they sat at tables. One of the staff in charge noticed that someone (a male) had urinated in his pants as he sat at the table working. The staff person told one of his coworkers what had happened in front of everyone in the room, and asked them to get a pair of pants along with underpants.
When the staff person came back to the table with the clothes, he took the underpants and put them over the head of the man who had urinated. He then stood him up and walked him toward a changing area. I couldn't believe what I saw! The other staff people thought this was funny and laughed as the two walked across the room. I left in disgust. When I got back to Portland I called the Office of Investigations and Trainings to report what I'd seen. I'm not sure what happened to the staff person, as OIT keeps their findings secret, but my hope was that they were fired.
Fairview was a bad place. I'm glad it's closed. Now, if we can only find the key to keeping people safe in the community, the world will be a better place for these folks.
Remember Fairview?
I believe it's important that as a community we never forget about the existence of the Fairview Educational
Sunday, December 07, 2008
What The Hell Is THIS About??
I ran into this story on the internet this morning. Right in my own back yard the Gestapo are arresting innocent people for the fear that they MIGHT be having illegal sex at PSU?...
Homophobia In Portland!!
On December 3 2008 Taylor Vineyard,a successful artist turned civil rights law student, my husband of 5 years accompanied me to Portland State University's Smith Center while I rehearsed scenes with a classmate for a theatre class. At 5:08 he headed out for coffee and to smoke a cigarette, he would be missing for the next 7 hours to me. I thought the love of my life, my husband, my best friend, was dead.
At approximately 5:30 pm PSU security began a witchhunt arresting gay men and accusing them of being involved in various sex acts on campus. While they were in the process of arresting another student my husband happened to be walking by in the park blocks, returning from his coffee run. He was arrested. He was read his miranda rights and told to sit while they went to talk to "a witness" to see what the charges were.
accused of criminal trespassing and public indecency.
He was mocked and laughed at by security as he pleaded his innocence. The Guards taunted their victims with promises of "If you tell us what we want to hear we'll let you go home right now"
and "It's up to me if you go to jail or not tonight so you should do what I say"
One student crumbled under the pressure and told the Campus security that he'd been masturbating- he was promptly released.
My Husband was then accused of the same , when he denied it the charged were escalated, culminating in the claim he was involved in a group orgy in a mens room in plain view of others students having group sex in front of the urinals . Since he was innocent of any of this ridiculous false charges he refused to change his story to fit their pink panic witchhunt so he spent the next 6 hours in Multnomah County Jail, where he was not allowed to call me.
In 5 years he has quite literally never been late. In fact he's always early, so by 6:10 pm I was frantically calling friends knowing something was wrong. he'd left his backpack and a bag of Hanukkah gifts. I spent until midnight calling friends, the police, all area hospitals, and campus security themselves who blatantly lied about having any knowledge of his whereabouts.
After finding him in jail and getting him home safe I spoke to PSU representatives and Mike Sotto head of campus security who rudely "corrected" " your friend,partner whatever" when I referred to Taylor as my husband when I discussed the matter with him. When I asked him to stop doing that as it was demeaning and disrespect ful Mike Sotto replied "Sorry I didn't know how you'd perceive your relationship with this man"
This is Portland Oregon in 2008 and he was treated like bar raid in 1965. This is unacceptable.
If you'd like to discuss further details please let us know.
dreamsofsleep@gmail.com
Andrew Klaus
Homophobia In Portland!!
On December 3 2008 Taylor Vineyard,a successful artist turned civil rights law student, my husband of 5 years accompanied me to Portland State University's Smith Center while I rehearsed scenes with a classmate for a theatre class. At 5:08 he headed out for coffee and to smoke a cigarette, he would be missing for the next 7 hours to me. I thought the love of my life, my husband, my best friend, was dead.
At approximately 5:30 pm PSU security began a witchhunt arresting gay men and accusing them of being involved in various sex acts on campus. While they were in the process of arresting another student my husband happened to be walking by in the park blocks, returning from his coffee run. He was arrested. He was read his miranda rights and told to sit while they went to talk to "a witness" to see what the charges were.
accused of criminal trespassing and public indecency.
He was mocked and laughed at by security as he pleaded his innocence. The Guards taunted their victims with promises of "If you tell us what we want to hear we'll let you go home right now"
and "It's up to me if you go to jail or not tonight so you should do what I say"
One student crumbled under the pressure and told the Campus security that he'd been masturbating- he was promptly released.
My Husband was then accused of the same , when he denied it the charged were escalated, culminating in the claim he was involved in a group orgy in a mens room in plain view of others students having group sex in front of the urinals . Since he was innocent of any of this ridiculous false charges he refused to change his story to fit their pink panic witchhunt so he spent the next 6 hours in Multnomah County Jail, where he was not allowed to call me.
In 5 years he has quite literally never been late. In fact he's always early, so by 6:10 pm I was frantically calling friends knowing something was wrong. he'd left his backpack and a bag of Hanukkah gifts. I spent until midnight calling friends, the police, all area hospitals, and campus security themselves who blatantly lied about having any knowledge of his whereabouts.
After finding him in jail and getting him home safe I spoke to PSU representatives and Mike Sotto head of campus security who rudely "corrected" " your friend,partner whatever" when I referred to Taylor as my husband when I discussed the matter with him. When I asked him to stop doing that as it was demeaning and disrespect ful Mike Sotto replied "Sorry I didn't know how you'd perceive your relationship with this man"
This is Portland Oregon in 2008 and he was treated like bar raid in 1965. This is unacceptable.
If you'd like to discuss further details please let us know.
dreamsofsleep@gmail.com
Andrew Klaus
Women and Disabilities
Some time back, my wife and I sat in on a teleconference around disability abuse. We were shocked to hear of the plight of women becoming disabled by domestic violence in America. It is pandemic how many women are abused throughout the world. This article from the Antigua Sun Weekend shows some startling data...
Women and disabilities
What are the numbers of women with disabilities worldwide?
According to the World Health Organisation, women with disabilities comprise 10% of all women worldwide. Approximately 300 million women and girls around the world have a mental and/or physical disability.
Globally, women make up three-fourths of the disabled people in low- and middleincome countries; between 65 per cent and 70 per cent of those women live in rural areas.
In most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, women report higher incidents of disability than men.
Conversely, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that women are at an increased risk of becoming disabled throughout their lives due to neglect in healthcare, poor workforce conditions, and gender-based violence.
What is the situation of women with disabilities in the developing world?
The World Bank estimates that 20 per cent of the world’s poorest people have some kind of disability and tend to be regarded in their own communities as the most disadvantaged. Women with disabilities are recognised to be multiply disadvantaged, experiencing exclusion on account of their gender and their disability.
The ILO states that women with disabilities are at an increased risk of being sicker, poorer, and more sociality isolated than either men with disabilities or non-disabled women.
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the literacy rate for women with disabilities is as low as one per cent.
The United Nations estimates that, worldwide, only 25 per cent of women with disabilities are in the workforce.
Neglect, lack of medical care and less access to food or related resources have resulted in a higher mortality rate for girls with disabilities. For example, a UNICEF study in Nepal found that the survival rate for boy children several years after they have had polio is twice that for girl children, despite the fact that polio itself affects equal numbers of males and females.
What are some of the specific issues related to women with disabilities and development programmes?
Gender-based violence: Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse. For example, a small 2004 survey in Orissa, India found that virtually all of the women and girls with disabilities were beaten at home, 25 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and six per cent of women with disabilities had been forcibly sterilised.
Rule of law: Legal barriers exist for women with disabilities that hamper their right to marry and start a family. For example, in Tanzania, consent for marriage must be given “freely and voluntarily”. However, consent is not considered valid when either party has a mental disability based on the assumption that he or she cannot fully understand the nature of the ceremony. Similar laws exist in Cambodia and China.
HIV/AIDS: A recent World Bank study states that women with disabilities are at a higher risk of obtaining HIV/AIDS due to lack of awareness and lack of access to traditional HIV/AIDS programs. Furthermore, the folk belief that individuals with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, can rid themselves of the infection if they have intercourse with a virgin poses a particular risk for disabled children due to the mistaken belief that individuals with a disability are sexually inactive – hence virgins.
Human trafficking: Women and girls with disabilities are at risk of being trafficked and forced into prostitution. In Thailand, for example, UNICEF reports that proprietors of houses of prostitution have specifically sought out deaf girl children and adolescents, with the idea that such young people will be less able to communicate their distress or find their way back home in a world where neither their customers nor their employers or fellow sex workers are able to speak sign language. In Taiwan, a recent study found that the proportion of child prostitutes who had mild developmental disabilities was six times greater than what might be expected from the incidence in the general population.
What are the barriers?
Physical barriers:Physical barriers exist that prevent women and girls with disabilities from receiving various services and participating in international development programs. For example, a recent survey in South Africa has found that the services for battered women, with a few exceptions, are generally not accessible or appropriate to the needs of women with disabilities.
Attitudinal barriers: People with disabilities often face stigmas and exclusion resulting from limited knowledge and understanding of the causes of disability. For example, in India, women with physical disabilities are not eligible to receive reproductive health services because they are considered to have no marriage prospects.
Organisational barriers: Projects are often implemented without adequate consultation from people with disabilities or the disabled community, which can result in programs that are not accessible or discriminate against people with disabilities.
What can be done to better integrate people with disabilities?
Conduct outreach: International and national Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) and disability leaders are an excellent resource and can help in the design, implementation, and evaluation of development programs to ensure that they are accessible to people with disabilities.
Hire Staff, Interns, and/or Consultants with Disabilities: Improving diversity within the workplace improves and ensures diversity of programs and activities.
Ensure accessible facilities and materials: Make sure that the trainings or activities you are conducting are in an accessible venue. Also, provide materials in alternative formats, such as documents in large print or information on compact discs.
Educate and Train: Conduct trainings for your staff and partners on inclusive practices and disability awareness-raising on physical, organisational or social barriers.
Source: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/wid/gender/wwd.html
Women and disabilities
What are the numbers of women with disabilities worldwide?
According to the World Health Organisation, women with disabilities comprise 10% of all women worldwide. Approximately 300 million women and girls around the world have a mental and/or physical disability.
Globally, women make up three-fourths of the disabled people in low- and middleincome countries; between 65 per cent and 70 per cent of those women live in rural areas.
In most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, women report higher incidents of disability than men.
Conversely, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that women are at an increased risk of becoming disabled throughout their lives due to neglect in healthcare, poor workforce conditions, and gender-based violence.
What is the situation of women with disabilities in the developing world?
The World Bank estimates that 20 per cent of the world’s poorest people have some kind of disability and tend to be regarded in their own communities as the most disadvantaged. Women with disabilities are recognised to be multiply disadvantaged, experiencing exclusion on account of their gender and their disability.
The ILO states that women with disabilities are at an increased risk of being sicker, poorer, and more sociality isolated than either men with disabilities or non-disabled women.
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the literacy rate for women with disabilities is as low as one per cent.
The United Nations estimates that, worldwide, only 25 per cent of women with disabilities are in the workforce.
Neglect, lack of medical care and less access to food or related resources have resulted in a higher mortality rate for girls with disabilities. For example, a UNICEF study in Nepal found that the survival rate for boy children several years after they have had polio is twice that for girl children, despite the fact that polio itself affects equal numbers of males and females.
What are some of the specific issues related to women with disabilities and development programmes?
Gender-based violence: Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse. For example, a small 2004 survey in Orissa, India found that virtually all of the women and girls with disabilities were beaten at home, 25 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and six per cent of women with disabilities had been forcibly sterilised.
Rule of law: Legal barriers exist for women with disabilities that hamper their right to marry and start a family. For example, in Tanzania, consent for marriage must be given “freely and voluntarily”. However, consent is not considered valid when either party has a mental disability based on the assumption that he or she cannot fully understand the nature of the ceremony. Similar laws exist in Cambodia and China.
HIV/AIDS: A recent World Bank study states that women with disabilities are at a higher risk of obtaining HIV/AIDS due to lack of awareness and lack of access to traditional HIV/AIDS programs. Furthermore, the folk belief that individuals with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, can rid themselves of the infection if they have intercourse with a virgin poses a particular risk for disabled children due to the mistaken belief that individuals with a disability are sexually inactive – hence virgins.
Human trafficking: Women and girls with disabilities are at risk of being trafficked and forced into prostitution. In Thailand, for example, UNICEF reports that proprietors of houses of prostitution have specifically sought out deaf girl children and adolescents, with the idea that such young people will be less able to communicate their distress or find their way back home in a world where neither their customers nor their employers or fellow sex workers are able to speak sign language. In Taiwan, a recent study found that the proportion of child prostitutes who had mild developmental disabilities was six times greater than what might be expected from the incidence in the general population.
What are the barriers?
Physical barriers:Physical barriers exist that prevent women and girls with disabilities from receiving various services and participating in international development programs. For example, a recent survey in South Africa has found that the services for battered women, with a few exceptions, are generally not accessible or appropriate to the needs of women with disabilities.
Attitudinal barriers: People with disabilities often face stigmas and exclusion resulting from limited knowledge and understanding of the causes of disability. For example, in India, women with physical disabilities are not eligible to receive reproductive health services because they are considered to have no marriage prospects.
Organisational barriers: Projects are often implemented without adequate consultation from people with disabilities or the disabled community, which can result in programs that are not accessible or discriminate against people with disabilities.
What can be done to better integrate people with disabilities?
Conduct outreach: International and national Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) and disability leaders are an excellent resource and can help in the design, implementation, and evaluation of development programs to ensure that they are accessible to people with disabilities.
Hire Staff, Interns, and/or Consultants with Disabilities: Improving diversity within the workplace improves and ensures diversity of programs and activities.
Ensure accessible facilities and materials: Make sure that the trainings or activities you are conducting are in an accessible venue. Also, provide materials in alternative formats, such as documents in large print or information on compact discs.
Educate and Train: Conduct trainings for your staff and partners on inclusive practices and disability awareness-raising on physical, organisational or social barriers.
Source: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/wid/gender/wwd.html
Saturday, December 06, 2008
A New Kennedy In The Senate?
It's looking like Caroline Kennedy is salivating over Hillary's seat in the senate. Well, not actually her seat, but she's thinking maybe that position would be a good one to have. AOL reports that 73% of respondents to the question of whether she would be a good fit for the job were positive.
Do we want ANOTHER Kennedy in the senate?? Have we seen enough of political bloodlines making decisions on behalf of/for Americans in the last century?? I don't know for sure.
My father campaigned heavily for John Kennedy. We had the hats, buttons, and even the "Whoop There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant" recorded version of his campaign song around our house in his bid for the presidency. Then came his book, Profiles In Courage and Teddy's screw up and his and Bobby's assassinations and Jackie and Arie and John Jr. and his plane thing and Bobby Jr.'s drug thing and ad nauseum...
I think we should put the Kennedy's and Bush's to bed. Not to mention the "new" family on the block... the Clinton's. These familial politicos have been dragging our country down for too damn long.
Do we want ANOTHER Kennedy in the senate?? Have we seen enough of political bloodlines making decisions on behalf of/for Americans in the last century?? I don't know for sure.
My father campaigned heavily for John Kennedy. We had the hats, buttons, and even the "Whoop There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant" recorded version of his campaign song around our house in his bid for the presidency. Then came his book, Profiles In Courage and Teddy's screw up and his and Bobby's assassinations and Jackie and Arie and John Jr. and his plane thing and Bobby Jr.'s drug thing and ad nauseum...
I think we should put the Kennedy's and Bush's to bed. Not to mention the "new" family on the block... the Clinton's. These familial politicos have been dragging our country down for too damn long.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Campground Mystery
As I was going through my email this morning, I came upon a CNRG posting where they are looking for people to man a phone bank for the Gifford Pinchot Task Force. It spoke of this group as being the protectors of the forrest. I decided that what I should do is contact the executive director of the task force staff to see what, if anything, ever became of the "Incident Report" I wrote at the end of August, when my wife and I were camping.
I searched my office until I found some information that I would need to share with them around our experience with teens using an axe and gun(s) in the campsite we were staying at. I then forwarded my blog post from 8/31/08, which pretty much tells the story.
After sending the email to the executive director I was thumbing through a brochure we picked up while we were camping, and came upon a copy of the incident report that I'd hand written because I felt funny about the camp hostesses handling of the incident. I decided to post it on my blog, and am waiting to see what happens. This was written the day of...
"At around 1:00 yesterday afternoon, Suzanne and I swung by the Camp Host to inquire about the location of the walking bridge.She was drinking a beer which she said was her 2nd. She said she's a "light weight" and was talking to her boss about reservations on a walkie talkie. She told us it was her day off. We got the directions and went back to our site.
We walked to the foot bridge, took some pictures, and walked back to the road and our site. It was now approximately 1:30. 4 young people came by and went to the river. Suzanne told me one of the men (2 men and 2 women) had an axe. By 1:45 we heard chopping. By 2:00 or 2:05 I saw a tree fall. We heard hooting and hollering. By 2:30 the kids came out of the bushes and walked toward lower numbered sites.
At around 3:00 we heard what sounded like a gun shot coming from the direction they went. Between 3:15 and 3:30 there were 4 more shots.
At around 4:30 the camp host came by, asking if we had heard chopping the night before. I said no, but we heard and saw bad stuff going on this afternoon. I showed her the tree that was cut, and said we wanted to call a Ranger, but don't have a cell phone. She said there is no cell phone service here. She left around 4:45. I walked down to where the action took place and saw a bottle of green tea.
Suzanne and I walked down to site #21 which was raked clean. #19 was not raked, and they had been there for a longer time. There were 2 cut trees in #21.
At around 5:15 or 5:30 the camp host returns with her boss. They check out the cut tree and begin writing an incident report. They came over to our site and her boss shows me an I.R. with writing on it. Said the host will be back in a while, and I'll write below her. She came back with a BLANK I.R. which I filled out in detail. I told her about the green teabottle as possible evidence. She looked but couldn't find it. I found it again this morning".
I then signed my name at the bottom.
I searched my office until I found some information that I would need to share with them around our experience with teens using an axe and gun(s) in the campsite we were staying at. I then forwarded my blog post from 8/31/08, which pretty much tells the story.
After sending the email to the executive director I was thumbing through a brochure we picked up while we were camping, and came upon a copy of the incident report that I'd hand written because I felt funny about the camp hostesses handling of the incident. I decided to post it on my blog, and am waiting to see what happens. This was written the day of...
"At around 1:00 yesterday afternoon, Suzanne and I swung by the Camp Host to inquire about the location of the walking bridge.She was drinking a beer which she said was her 2nd. She said she's a "light weight" and was talking to her boss about reservations on a walkie talkie. She told us it was her day off. We got the directions and went back to our site.
We walked to the foot bridge, took some pictures, and walked back to the road and our site. It was now approximately 1:30. 4 young people came by and went to the river. Suzanne told me one of the men (2 men and 2 women) had an axe. By 1:45 we heard chopping. By 2:00 or 2:05 I saw a tree fall. We heard hooting and hollering. By 2:30 the kids came out of the bushes and walked toward lower numbered sites.
At around 3:00 we heard what sounded like a gun shot coming from the direction they went. Between 3:15 and 3:30 there were 4 more shots.
At around 4:30 the camp host came by, asking if we had heard chopping the night before. I said no, but we heard and saw bad stuff going on this afternoon. I showed her the tree that was cut, and said we wanted to call a Ranger, but don't have a cell phone. She said there is no cell phone service here. She left around 4:45. I walked down to where the action took place and saw a bottle of green tea.
Suzanne and I walked down to site #21 which was raked clean. #19 was not raked, and they had been there for a longer time. There were 2 cut trees in #21.
At around 5:15 or 5:30 the camp host returns with her boss. They check out the cut tree and begin writing an incident report. They came over to our site and her boss shows me an I.R. with writing on it. Said the host will be back in a while, and I'll write below her. She came back with a BLANK I.R. which I filled out in detail. I told her about the green teabottle as possible evidence. She looked but couldn't find it. I found it again this morning".
I then signed my name at the bottom.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Another Day At The Office
Things are really heating up over at the Legislature today. Actually, it's been the last 2 days. Hot exchanges going back and forth around Ted's shiny new budget are coming out in legislative press releases. People falling all over themselves to get in their two cents. If it wasn't so tragic, it would seem funny...
Senator Ted Ferrioli
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court Street NE, S-223
Salem, Oregon 97301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michael Gay
December 1, 2008 503.986.1950
503.781.8559
STATEMENT FROM SENATOR TED FERRIOLI REGARDING
GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET
SALEM - Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day) had the following to say after the Governor released his 2009-11 budget proposal on Monday:
“The state has almost $1 billion more to spend this budget cycle than last, so Oregon can make do with what we have if we prioritize, pay for what is most important and invest in our economy. After we protect education, public safety and the most vulnerable, we should be providing low-income families with tax relief so they can make ends meet. The Working Family Tax Relief plan that I proposed would provide relief to those that need it most and create almost 20,000 permanent, private sector jobs.
“The Governor’s answer to 133,000 unemployed Oregonians is taxes, taxes and more taxes. While the Governor recognizes that families have been changing their lifestyles and spending in the face of a struggling economy, he fails to recognize that government must follow their lead. Government has been spending at a break neck speed, creating unsustainable program growth despite almost $1 billion more in revenue. Now is the time to counter that tax and spend mentality with common sense and fiscal responsibility. But the Governor’s response is to increase spending even further on earmark projects and pork barrel spending, paid for by massive borrowing schemes and asking Oregonians to shoulder at least seven new taxes and fees.”
###
------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT
900 Court St., N.E., Room S‐203
Salem OR 97301
www.leg.state.or.us/senate/senpres
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Robin Maxey December 1, 2008
(503) 986‐1605
robin.maxey@state.or.us
COURTNEY, CARTER SAY GOVERNOR’S BUDGET
CUTS TOO DEEP INTO CORRECTIONS, DHS
(SALEM) – Senate President Peter Courtney and Senator Margaret Carter, the new Senate Co-Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, said today they are concerned that the budget proposed by Governor Kulongoski this morning cuts too deep into the Department of Corrections and the human services safety net on which more and more Oregonians must depend during in an economic recession.
“We cannot allow the people who are the most vulnerable in these times to be put into the street. We can’t let dangerous felons be released into the street,” Courtney said. “Throughout this crisis there has been a lot of talk about Wall Street and Main Street. We also need to be focused on making sure families on Oak Street are safe; that they have food on their table; daycare for their children; and that our senior citizens have the long-term care they need.”
Carter said too many times policy makers lose sight of what the state budget is all about.
“When I see a spreadsheet, I see people,” Carter said. “I see the faces of single parents who work two jobs and still depend on food stamps to feed their children. I see the faces of foster children and of those in our mental health system. I see the faces of Oregonians who have lost their jobs and have no where else to go for help.” Carter said. “We can’t turn our backs on the people who count on us the most, when they need us the most.”
The Oregon Department of Human Services reported last month that the number of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Need Families has increased by 16 percent in the last year and that, since October 2007, 29,000 additional families have been added to the rolls of those receiving food stamps.
In September alone, an additional 14,000 Oregonians joined the ranks of the unemployed, the pair noted.
“It’s ugly out there,” Courtney said. “We need to explore every option and we absolutely must protect those who can’t protect themselves – our children, our elderly and those with multiple disabilities. Oregon will rebound from this crisis, but there has to be bridge so that nobody gets left behind.”
“We’re all in this together and we will get out of this by working together,” Carter said.
------------------------------------------
OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2008
CONTACT: Nick Smith
503-515-4206
STATEMENT FROM HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER BRUCE HANNA REGARDING
2009-11 GOVERNOR’S RECOMMENDED BUDGET
SALEM—House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) today had the following to say
regarding the release of the 2009-11 Governor's Recommended Budget:
"The state has nearly $1 billion in new revenue for the 2009-11 budget, yet we have a state government that taxpayers can't afford. Thanks to the unsustainable spending passed in 2007,which Republicans repeatedly warned against, the Legislature is now facing painful decisions in the months ahead.
"The Legislature must identify the core functions of government and sustain the programs and services that are most important to Oregonians. That's why House Republicans will continue to call for prioritized spending that adequately funds education, public safety and vital human services. Democrats must be prepared to sacrifice their pet projects. "The Governor's budget doesn't reflect reality. It's balanced on imaginary revenue including tax increases that haven't yet been approved yet. Democrats can't tax, spend and borrow out of the mess they created. Throughout 2009, we will work with Democrats to develop a more responsible state budget. However, we will oppose saddling Oregonians with reckless tax increases and uncontrolled debt.
"Rather than passing another unsustainable budget, the Legislature must focus on putting more dollars back into the economy and more dollars back into the pockets of low-income Oregonians and working families. We must create an environment where businesses can survive this recession, create new jobs and lead Oregon to recovery."
###
Senator Ted Ferrioli
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court Street NE, S-223
Salem, Oregon 97301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michael Gay
December 1, 2008 503.986.1950
503.781.8559
STATEMENT FROM SENATOR TED FERRIOLI REGARDING
GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET
SALEM - Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day) had the following to say after the Governor released his 2009-11 budget proposal on Monday:
“The state has almost $1 billion more to spend this budget cycle than last, so Oregon can make do with what we have if we prioritize, pay for what is most important and invest in our economy. After we protect education, public safety and the most vulnerable, we should be providing low-income families with tax relief so they can make ends meet. The Working Family Tax Relief plan that I proposed would provide relief to those that need it most and create almost 20,000 permanent, private sector jobs.
“The Governor’s answer to 133,000 unemployed Oregonians is taxes, taxes and more taxes. While the Governor recognizes that families have been changing their lifestyles and spending in the face of a struggling economy, he fails to recognize that government must follow their lead. Government has been spending at a break neck speed, creating unsustainable program growth despite almost $1 billion more in revenue. Now is the time to counter that tax and spend mentality with common sense and fiscal responsibility. But the Governor’s response is to increase spending even further on earmark projects and pork barrel spending, paid for by massive borrowing schemes and asking Oregonians to shoulder at least seven new taxes and fees.”
###
------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT
900 Court St., N.E., Room S‐203
Salem OR 97301
www.leg.state.or.us/senate/senpres
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Robin Maxey December 1, 2008
(503) 986‐1605
robin.maxey@state.or.us
COURTNEY, CARTER SAY GOVERNOR’S BUDGET
CUTS TOO DEEP INTO CORRECTIONS, DHS
(SALEM) – Senate President Peter Courtney and Senator Margaret Carter, the new Senate Co-Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, said today they are concerned that the budget proposed by Governor Kulongoski this morning cuts too deep into the Department of Corrections and the human services safety net on which more and more Oregonians must depend during in an economic recession.
“We cannot allow the people who are the most vulnerable in these times to be put into the street. We can’t let dangerous felons be released into the street,” Courtney said. “Throughout this crisis there has been a lot of talk about Wall Street and Main Street. We also need to be focused on making sure families on Oak Street are safe; that they have food on their table; daycare for their children; and that our senior citizens have the long-term care they need.”
Carter said too many times policy makers lose sight of what the state budget is all about.
“When I see a spreadsheet, I see people,” Carter said. “I see the faces of single parents who work two jobs and still depend on food stamps to feed their children. I see the faces of foster children and of those in our mental health system. I see the faces of Oregonians who have lost their jobs and have no where else to go for help.” Carter said. “We can’t turn our backs on the people who count on us the most, when they need us the most.”
The Oregon Department of Human Services reported last month that the number of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Need Families has increased by 16 percent in the last year and that, since October 2007, 29,000 additional families have been added to the rolls of those receiving food stamps.
In September alone, an additional 14,000 Oregonians joined the ranks of the unemployed, the pair noted.
“It’s ugly out there,” Courtney said. “We need to explore every option and we absolutely must protect those who can’t protect themselves – our children, our elderly and those with multiple disabilities. Oregon will rebound from this crisis, but there has to be bridge so that nobody gets left behind.”
“We’re all in this together and we will get out of this by working together,” Carter said.
------------------------------------------
OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2008
CONTACT: Nick Smith
503-515-4206
STATEMENT FROM HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER BRUCE HANNA REGARDING
2009-11 GOVERNOR’S RECOMMENDED BUDGET
SALEM—House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) today had the following to say
regarding the release of the 2009-11 Governor's Recommended Budget:
"The state has nearly $1 billion in new revenue for the 2009-11 budget, yet we have a state government that taxpayers can't afford. Thanks to the unsustainable spending passed in 2007,which Republicans repeatedly warned against, the Legislature is now facing painful decisions in the months ahead.
"The Legislature must identify the core functions of government and sustain the programs and services that are most important to Oregonians. That's why House Republicans will continue to call for prioritized spending that adequately funds education, public safety and vital human services. Democrats must be prepared to sacrifice their pet projects. "The Governor's budget doesn't reflect reality. It's balanced on imaginary revenue including tax increases that haven't yet been approved yet. Democrats can't tax, spend and borrow out of the mess they created. Throughout 2009, we will work with Democrats to develop a more responsible state budget. However, we will oppose saddling Oregonians with reckless tax increases and uncontrolled debt.
"Rather than passing another unsustainable budget, the Legislature must focus on putting more dollars back into the economy and more dollars back into the pockets of low-income Oregonians and working families. We must create an environment where businesses can survive this recession, create new jobs and lead Oregon to recovery."
###
Attackers of Sikh escape hate crime charge
All over the world Oregon is being exposed for having less than a stellar record for protecting minorities from hate crimes. I found this story on The Times Of India website this morning...
NEW YORK: A jury in Oregon has declined to indict three men for committing a hate crime when they tore off and did away with a Sikh trucker's
turban. Instead, the culprits have been indicted on the lesser charges of harassment and theft in the third degree, disappointing the Sikh community.
"Burning a cross on an African American's lawn is not a mere act of vandalism, and stealing a Sikh's turban is not a misdemeanour theft. They are both hate crimes," said Amardeep Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, commenting on the verdict that came earlier this week.
On Aug 5 last year, when the victim, Ranjit Singh, was leaving a convenience store at a truck stop in Oakland, Oregon, three men approached him and tore off his turban before driving away.
Within a month, the assailants were arrested and charged with hate crimes.
Now the jury has decided that evidence is not sufficient to move forward with a hate crime prosecution.
In a press release, the Sikh Coalition has expressed disappointment that the dollar value of Ranjit Singh's turban arose as an issue during the jury proceedings, while "the turban is a priceless article of faith for Sikhs".
NEW YORK: A jury in Oregon has declined to indict three men for committing a hate crime when they tore off and did away with a Sikh trucker's
turban. Instead, the culprits have been indicted on the lesser charges of harassment and theft in the third degree, disappointing the Sikh community.
"Burning a cross on an African American's lawn is not a mere act of vandalism, and stealing a Sikh's turban is not a misdemeanour theft. They are both hate crimes," said Amardeep Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, commenting on the verdict that came earlier this week.
On Aug 5 last year, when the victim, Ranjit Singh, was leaving a convenience store at a truck stop in Oakland, Oregon, three men approached him and tore off his turban before driving away.
Within a month, the assailants were arrested and charged with hate crimes.
Now the jury has decided that evidence is not sufficient to move forward with a hate crime prosecution.
In a press release, the Sikh Coalition has expressed disappointment that the dollar value of Ranjit Singh's turban arose as an issue during the jury proceedings, while "the turban is a priceless article of faith for Sikhs".
Kulongoski To Raise Minimum Corporate Tax (Slightly)
I've been watching and waiting this past week to see what would happen when the Governor came out with his new budget. Time's up.
What a brave man he is! To raise the minimum corporate tax from $10 to $25 goes far beyond comprehension! It doesn't matter if low income folks in Oregon have dental or optical insurance, the Gov. has chosen to "take on" the corporations in our state with this bold move.
And... he's going to boost the tobacco tax by 60 cents per pack of cigarettes. What a hero he is! Of course the demographics of who smokes show that it's mainly low income people, but his courage is up there with Superman regarding this stand.
Here's an idea Teddy. Eliminate the minimum corporate tax all together. Tax these corporations at a fair rate for them AND the citizens of Oregon. And leave the smokers alone. In other words... grow a pair!
What a brave man he is! To raise the minimum corporate tax from $10 to $25 goes far beyond comprehension! It doesn't matter if low income folks in Oregon have dental or optical insurance, the Gov. has chosen to "take on" the corporations in our state with this bold move.
And... he's going to boost the tobacco tax by 60 cents per pack of cigarettes. What a hero he is! Of course the demographics of who smokes show that it's mainly low income people, but his courage is up there with Superman regarding this stand.
Here's an idea Teddy. Eliminate the minimum corporate tax all together. Tax these corporations at a fair rate for them AND the citizens of Oregon. And leave the smokers alone. In other words... grow a pair!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
"Give It Time"
Is there anyone out there who sees the Democratic phrase of "give it time" regarding all the Clinton appointees to the Obama team as being bullshit? What ever happened to the CHANGE Obama was supposed to bring to America?? I am totally disgusted with who he has chosen to lead his "change".
He has appointed the same old same old to their same old offices. What the hell does he OWE Bill and Hillary? I have to wonder what he's thinking in giving these people back their old jobs. I don't think it has anything to do with change. I think it mainly has to do with his desire to PLEASE the Clintons, and this idea sucks.
He has appointed the same old same old to their same old offices. What the hell does he OWE Bill and Hillary? I have to wonder what he's thinking in giving these people back their old jobs. I don't think it has anything to do with change. I think it mainly has to do with his desire to PLEASE the Clintons, and this idea sucks.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
I may finally be on to something that explains me. I ran into a woman this morning who has custody of her 14 year old grandson. She was telling me about his various diagnoses, which are plentiful. He has Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Attention Deficit-Hyper Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
I was curious to know first about the PTSD, which she told me came from losing the 3 most important males in his life over a 6 month period. Next I asked about the ODD, to which she reponded that he has a strong belief about what is "fair", and gets extremely upset when things are "unfair".
Hmmm... me too! When Tracy was denied treatment by her support team, I became furious with them. How dare they make decisions about refusing treatment without even seeing her medical record! Without getting a 2nd opinion! She WAS only 44 years old at the time of her diagnosis! But you know what? I'm really not alone in my feelings. The Oregon Administrative Rules regarding abuse states very clearly what is and is not to be done in caring for people with developmental disabilities.
"Failure to act/neglect that leads to or is in imminent danger of causing physical injury, through negligent omission, treatment, or maltreatment of an adult, including but not limited to failure by a provider or staff to provide an adult with adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, or through condoning or permitting abuse of an adult by any other person. However, no person shall be deemed neglected or abused for the sole reason that he or she voluntarily relies on treatment through prayer alone in lieu of medical treatment."
It seems as though the OARs must have been written by someone with oppositional defiant disorder. Go figure...
I was curious to know first about the PTSD, which she told me came from losing the 3 most important males in his life over a 6 month period. Next I asked about the ODD, to which she reponded that he has a strong belief about what is "fair", and gets extremely upset when things are "unfair".
Hmmm... me too! When Tracy was denied treatment by her support team, I became furious with them. How dare they make decisions about refusing treatment without even seeing her medical record! Without getting a 2nd opinion! She WAS only 44 years old at the time of her diagnosis! But you know what? I'm really not alone in my feelings. The Oregon Administrative Rules regarding abuse states very clearly what is and is not to be done in caring for people with developmental disabilities.
"Failure to act/neglect that leads to or is in imminent danger of causing physical injury, through negligent omission, treatment, or maltreatment of an adult, including but not limited to failure by a provider or staff to provide an adult with adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, or through condoning or permitting abuse of an adult by any other person. However, no person shall be deemed neglected or abused for the sole reason that he or she voluntarily relies on treatment through prayer alone in lieu of medical treatment."
It seems as though the OARs must have been written by someone with oppositional defiant disorder. Go figure...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Kotek and Gelser Selling Out
In some circles Tina Kotek and Sara Gelser are looked upon as up and coming stars of the Oregon Legislature. They’ve championed Carly’s law to protect children and they’ve put together a bill to create a registry of bad caregivers who won’t be able to work with vulnerable people in Oregon. They have a real penchant for wanting to protect some people. However; others they’re not quite as concerned about.
On 10/22/08 I sent the following email to Tina (my North Portland Representative) and cc’d Sara...
Dear Tina,
I was watching your hearing this morning when I noticed that you mentioned to one of the women testifying that one of your constituents had some concerns around what's happening with Carlee's (sp?) Law. I have a similar concern around the death of a 45 year old woman here in Portland. She definatly fell through the cracks of justice and ethics. I'm posting her story here, and would like to see your and Sara's comments about what happened to her. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
David
Euthanasia in Portland
I first began circulating this true story on the internet on 3/14/07. Because this is all true, no one that I have named here has challenged my assertions. I believe that is because if this ever made it into court the responsible parties would be unable to spin their way(s) out of big trouble. They hope I’ll go away. I won’t.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My name is David McDonald and I live in North Portland, Oregon What I’ve written here is a true story that must be told. There are people who have gone to great lengths to suppress the information herein. What I hope to do is compel those reading it to join with me in demanding accountability from the responsible parties. An investigation independent of Oregon’s Protection and Advocacy agency is needed to decide exactly who the responsible parties are.
In early April 2006 I found out that a close friend of mine had stage 3 colon cancer. She had a profound developmental disability and was non-verbal. In order for critical health care decisions to be made on her behalf, she needed representatives who knew and cared about her to gather and interpret medical information and weigh all her options. An Advocacy Team was assembled including myself, two other staff members from her day program (who knew her well), and her Individual Service Plan (ISP) team. This consisted of a management staff representative of the day program provider (who saw her a few times a year), the owner of her foster home (who supervised her direct caregiver and ran other homes) and a county case manager (who was assigned my friend a few months earlier, and didn’t know her). A close friend of the day program representative was brought on board to act as health care representative (who didn’t know my friend prior to her diagnosis). We all met and decided that the case manager would look into what was covered under her health plan, the health care representative would get the medical record and a 2nd opinion. She committed to providing these documents to the team as soon as she got them. I said that I would look into treatment options. Without any of this being accomplished, other than the information I shared about diet and exercise being critical, she was placed in hospice about two weeks later.
Following that initial meeting where I and another Advocacy Team member voiced our opinion that treatment should likely occur, our participation in decision making was apparently no longer desired. Decisions were made without our input and we felt we were being regarded as tokens. He quit that “team. Instead, I joined her ISP team as her friend and advocate with no objection from any other ISP team member, and acknowledgement that it was appropriate for me to fill this role. From the beginning I insisted that in order to responsibly represent my friend in making decisions about her health care, we needed to see the medical record, get a 2nd opinion, and make sure we all knew what her options were. The rest of the ISP team was more interested in allowing her to die without any medical “interference.” In fact, in early June, without access to any medical record, I was asked by the day program representative to sign a form that would indicate that I agreed to refusing treatment – I declined.
I complained of medical neglect for months while my friend received no treatment. While I was researching diet and exercise, part of the team enrolled her in hospice and cancelled her home health aide; the case manager claimed she had no idea how that happened. While I was complaining of a service plan that didn’t address supports for her condition, the case manager scheduled a meeting to discuss a burial plan. While I complained of a team making decisions without having the medical record to look at, the Health Care Representative took a 10 day vacation to Greece, and the case manager took no action to get the medical record while she was gone. I had already contacted the Protection and Advocacy agency, but received no assistance from them in getting the medical record, even though I had alleged medical neglect. They could and should have gotten the medical record themselves by that time.
A consultation meeting with hospice that involved the entire ISP team only occurred after she had been enrolled in hospice for 2 weeks. This is supposed to happen before making the decision to elect hospice care. This “consultation” consisted of meeting with a hospice social worker and nurse who used what seemed to me like fear tactics to sell their services, including talking about going to a hospital as the indignity of being “loaded” and “hauled off” to an unfeeling and strange place that makes you “wait for hours” for care.
It was obvious that the ISP team would do anything to get me out of the picture and have my friend quietly fade away. My advocacy was characterized by the case manager’s supervisor as “disruptive” and “ancillary” to what the ISP team was doing (damn right), and he began trying to have me removed from my friend’s team. This is in violation of the Oregon Administrative Rule that says that the team can’t be changed when critical health care decisions are being made. He even went to the extent of trying to deceive the Protection and Advocacy agency and keep them out of the loop by changing their email address so they wouldn’t get the cc of his letter calling to remove me. Either that or they were directed by the P&A to do so. I filed a grievance with the county developmental disabilities program manager. She declined to communicate with me except through the county’s lawyer. I began to receive letters on official county lawyer letterhead. I asked for my friend’s grievance to be heard by a grievance committee, which is provided for in the state’s administrative rules. I was told that only the program manager and her lawyer would talk to me and the meeting would take place in the county lawyer’s office.
At the end of July my friend was taken off hospice but still received no treatment. The reason given for this move was that she wasn’t eligible for hospice because she wasn’t homebound. The fact is, she had been attending her day program 5 days a week and taking the public lift to get there since a week after hospice had begun.
Finally, in early August, the medical record was made available by the Healthcare Rep. This was 4 full months after her diagnosis and refusal of treatment by the other ISP team members. No 2nd opinion was included. What the Health Care Representative had been calling a 2nd opinion was an oncology consultation from a second doctor during the same hospital visit. I believe that no 2nd opinion was ever done. The doctor said that chemotherapy is the usual course of treatment and there were concerns about her communication and side effects. I discovered that the case manager and the day program representative had a meeting at the hospital with a social worker and decided then that she was incapable of chemotherapy. At the initial meeting back in early April, this was presented as a fact given to them by the doctors. I found that a hospice consultation was given, along with an in inaccurate reference to her being bed-bound and an opinion about her quality of life and disposition. There was no prognosis of 6 months as they had claimed. I also discovered that she had symptoms involving her intake and weight loss fifteen months earlier. In March an endoscopy had been recommended but wasn’t done.
A nurse from the Department of Human Services was assigned to the case and conversations about guardianship started. I complained to the Protection and Advocacy agency that the team was pursuing an inappropriate guardianship (I feared this was in order to put a “do not resuscitate” order in place). I never heard from the Protection and Advocacy agency what happened around the guardianship. I do know that when my wife went to the Association for Retarded Citizens to get information about pursuing guardianship ourselves, the ARC called the county developmental disabilities office and told them she had been there.
I had also called Protective Services to report possible medical neglect, but was told they wouldn’t investigate as long as the Protection and Advocacy agency was already involved. I now feel that the one regrettable mistake I made through this whole thing was in contacting the Protection and Advocacy agency, believing that she needed a lawyer. They never gave a clear answer as to whether or not they would even represent her. In the face of reams of evidence forwarded their way, the P&A did nothing that I am aware of. A well-documented trail of deceit, betrayal, delay and cover up of information continued until I finally left the ISP team, disgusted, in September.
She continued in her day program until late November, when it was announced that the cancer had spread and she was back in hospice. At 10:00 A.M. PST on December 14, 2006 my friend gave in to “pain killers” prescribed while she was on hospice care. I believe my friend was euthanized. I believe this was because she was unable to say “yes” or “no”. She was someone with a huge spirit and a small body. She was someone with a quiet demeanor and a profound developmental disability. In life she was easy to overlook, but the way she died will not be.
On January 10, I submitted a grievance with the P&A regarding their handling of my friend’s case. After not hearing from the executive director in 15 working days, I sent the grievance on to the board’s grievance committee. After not hearing from them after 30 days, I can only assume that my friend’s death and her life don’t merit their attention.
If you are wondering whether I can back up my claims here, the answer is YES. I have documentation that supports this true story and will share it selectively. What I am looking for in sending this out is feedback, advice, and legal assistance to ensure my friend’s death was not in vain. I also need help in getting as much exposure to this story as possible.
------------------------------------------------
After hearing nothing from either of them, I emailed them again on 11/12/08...
Dear Tina and Sara,
This email is kind of difficult for me to write. But I believe that sometimes the hardest thing to do is not the most comfortable thing to do, so I'll take my chances trusting in your desires to see justice served.
I am aware that responding to a story like this one involves a level of courage most people don't have, because it involves truly looking into the facts of what happened. And looking into those facts involves questioning the decisions and motives of people you might not want to question. So we're either going to have "selective" investigations of abuse and neglect in Oregon, or we're going to investigate ANYONE who has medically neglected a person with a developmental disability.
I'm requesting that a real investigation into what happened to my friend be done. This means looking at Disability Rights of Oregon and Multnomah County Developmental Disabilities. I have the details of the slipperiness right here in my computer. I just need someone who cares to allow me to show them what happened. If this can happen to Tracey without any accountability, it can happen to countless others in our state. Please do the right thing.
Sincerely,
David
-------------------------------------------
I’m sure that they have no intention in getting back to me at this point. I also believe the community needs to know how cowardly these women really are.
On 10/22/08 I sent the following email to Tina (my North Portland Representative) and cc’d Sara...
Dear Tina,
I was watching your hearing this morning when I noticed that you mentioned to one of the women testifying that one of your constituents had some concerns around what's happening with Carlee's (sp?) Law. I have a similar concern around the death of a 45 year old woman here in Portland. She definatly fell through the cracks of justice and ethics. I'm posting her story here, and would like to see your and Sara's comments about what happened to her. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
David
Euthanasia in Portland
I first began circulating this true story on the internet on 3/14/07. Because this is all true, no one that I have named here has challenged my assertions. I believe that is because if this ever made it into court the responsible parties would be unable to spin their way(s) out of big trouble. They hope I’ll go away. I won’t.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My name is David McDonald and I live in North Portland, Oregon What I’ve written here is a true story that must be told. There are people who have gone to great lengths to suppress the information herein. What I hope to do is compel those reading it to join with me in demanding accountability from the responsible parties. An investigation independent of Oregon’s Protection and Advocacy agency is needed to decide exactly who the responsible parties are.
In early April 2006 I found out that a close friend of mine had stage 3 colon cancer. She had a profound developmental disability and was non-verbal. In order for critical health care decisions to be made on her behalf, she needed representatives who knew and cared about her to gather and interpret medical information and weigh all her options. An Advocacy Team was assembled including myself, two other staff members from her day program (who knew her well), and her Individual Service Plan (ISP) team. This consisted of a management staff representative of the day program provider (who saw her a few times a year), the owner of her foster home (who supervised her direct caregiver and ran other homes) and a county case manager (who was assigned my friend a few months earlier, and didn’t know her). A close friend of the day program representative was brought on board to act as health care representative (who didn’t know my friend prior to her diagnosis). We all met and decided that the case manager would look into what was covered under her health plan, the health care representative would get the medical record and a 2nd opinion. She committed to providing these documents to the team as soon as she got them. I said that I would look into treatment options. Without any of this being accomplished, other than the information I shared about diet and exercise being critical, she was placed in hospice about two weeks later.
Following that initial meeting where I and another Advocacy Team member voiced our opinion that treatment should likely occur, our participation in decision making was apparently no longer desired. Decisions were made without our input and we felt we were being regarded as tokens. He quit that “team. Instead, I joined her ISP team as her friend and advocate with no objection from any other ISP team member, and acknowledgement that it was appropriate for me to fill this role. From the beginning I insisted that in order to responsibly represent my friend in making decisions about her health care, we needed to see the medical record, get a 2nd opinion, and make sure we all knew what her options were. The rest of the ISP team was more interested in allowing her to die without any medical “interference.” In fact, in early June, without access to any medical record, I was asked by the day program representative to sign a form that would indicate that I agreed to refusing treatment – I declined.
I complained of medical neglect for months while my friend received no treatment. While I was researching diet and exercise, part of the team enrolled her in hospice and cancelled her home health aide; the case manager claimed she had no idea how that happened. While I was complaining of a service plan that didn’t address supports for her condition, the case manager scheduled a meeting to discuss a burial plan. While I complained of a team making decisions without having the medical record to look at, the Health Care Representative took a 10 day vacation to Greece, and the case manager took no action to get the medical record while she was gone. I had already contacted the Protection and Advocacy agency, but received no assistance from them in getting the medical record, even though I had alleged medical neglect. They could and should have gotten the medical record themselves by that time.
A consultation meeting with hospice that involved the entire ISP team only occurred after she had been enrolled in hospice for 2 weeks. This is supposed to happen before making the decision to elect hospice care. This “consultation” consisted of meeting with a hospice social worker and nurse who used what seemed to me like fear tactics to sell their services, including talking about going to a hospital as the indignity of being “loaded” and “hauled off” to an unfeeling and strange place that makes you “wait for hours” for care.
It was obvious that the ISP team would do anything to get me out of the picture and have my friend quietly fade away. My advocacy was characterized by the case manager’s supervisor as “disruptive” and “ancillary” to what the ISP team was doing (damn right), and he began trying to have me removed from my friend’s team. This is in violation of the Oregon Administrative Rule that says that the team can’t be changed when critical health care decisions are being made. He even went to the extent of trying to deceive the Protection and Advocacy agency and keep them out of the loop by changing their email address so they wouldn’t get the cc of his letter calling to remove me. Either that or they were directed by the P&A to do so. I filed a grievance with the county developmental disabilities program manager. She declined to communicate with me except through the county’s lawyer. I began to receive letters on official county lawyer letterhead. I asked for my friend’s grievance to be heard by a grievance committee, which is provided for in the state’s administrative rules. I was told that only the program manager and her lawyer would talk to me and the meeting would take place in the county lawyer’s office.
At the end of July my friend was taken off hospice but still received no treatment. The reason given for this move was that she wasn’t eligible for hospice because she wasn’t homebound. The fact is, she had been attending her day program 5 days a week and taking the public lift to get there since a week after hospice had begun.
Finally, in early August, the medical record was made available by the Healthcare Rep. This was 4 full months after her diagnosis and refusal of treatment by the other ISP team members. No 2nd opinion was included. What the Health Care Representative had been calling a 2nd opinion was an oncology consultation from a second doctor during the same hospital visit. I believe that no 2nd opinion was ever done. The doctor said that chemotherapy is the usual course of treatment and there were concerns about her communication and side effects. I discovered that the case manager and the day program representative had a meeting at the hospital with a social worker and decided then that she was incapable of chemotherapy. At the initial meeting back in early April, this was presented as a fact given to them by the doctors. I found that a hospice consultation was given, along with an in inaccurate reference to her being bed-bound and an opinion about her quality of life and disposition. There was no prognosis of 6 months as they had claimed. I also discovered that she had symptoms involving her intake and weight loss fifteen months earlier. In March an endoscopy had been recommended but wasn’t done.
A nurse from the Department of Human Services was assigned to the case and conversations about guardianship started. I complained to the Protection and Advocacy agency that the team was pursuing an inappropriate guardianship (I feared this was in order to put a “do not resuscitate” order in place). I never heard from the Protection and Advocacy agency what happened around the guardianship. I do know that when my wife went to the Association for Retarded Citizens to get information about pursuing guardianship ourselves, the ARC called the county developmental disabilities office and told them she had been there.
I had also called Protective Services to report possible medical neglect, but was told they wouldn’t investigate as long as the Protection and Advocacy agency was already involved. I now feel that the one regrettable mistake I made through this whole thing was in contacting the Protection and Advocacy agency, believing that she needed a lawyer. They never gave a clear answer as to whether or not they would even represent her. In the face of reams of evidence forwarded their way, the P&A did nothing that I am aware of. A well-documented trail of deceit, betrayal, delay and cover up of information continued until I finally left the ISP team, disgusted, in September.
She continued in her day program until late November, when it was announced that the cancer had spread and she was back in hospice. At 10:00 A.M. PST on December 14, 2006 my friend gave in to “pain killers” prescribed while she was on hospice care. I believe my friend was euthanized. I believe this was because she was unable to say “yes” or “no”. She was someone with a huge spirit and a small body. She was someone with a quiet demeanor and a profound developmental disability. In life she was easy to overlook, but the way she died will not be.
On January 10, I submitted a grievance with the P&A regarding their handling of my friend’s case. After not hearing from the executive director in 15 working days, I sent the grievance on to the board’s grievance committee. After not hearing from them after 30 days, I can only assume that my friend’s death and her life don’t merit their attention.
If you are wondering whether I can back up my claims here, the answer is YES. I have documentation that supports this true story and will share it selectively. What I am looking for in sending this out is feedback, advice, and legal assistance to ensure my friend’s death was not in vain. I also need help in getting as much exposure to this story as possible.
------------------------------------------------
After hearing nothing from either of them, I emailed them again on 11/12/08...
Dear Tina and Sara,
This email is kind of difficult for me to write. But I believe that sometimes the hardest thing to do is not the most comfortable thing to do, so I'll take my chances trusting in your desires to see justice served.
I am aware that responding to a story like this one involves a level of courage most people don't have, because it involves truly looking into the facts of what happened. And looking into those facts involves questioning the decisions and motives of people you might not want to question. So we're either going to have "selective" investigations of abuse and neglect in Oregon, or we're going to investigate ANYONE who has medically neglected a person with a developmental disability.
I'm requesting that a real investigation into what happened to my friend be done. This means looking at Disability Rights of Oregon and Multnomah County Developmental Disabilities. I have the details of the slipperiness right here in my computer. I just need someone who cares to allow me to show them what happened. If this can happen to Tracey without any accountability, it can happen to countless others in our state. Please do the right thing.
Sincerely,
David
-------------------------------------------
I’m sure that they have no intention in getting back to me at this point. I also believe the community needs to know how cowardly these women really are.
You Call Yourself a Christian?
How can anyone claim to be a Christian and support war? That is an impossibility. Being a Christian means you subscribe to the teachings of Christ, who was completely against the whole concept of war. In every thing he said in the Bible, he never once mentioned that killing others was an ok thing to do.
He DID however, speak of taking care of the poor, sick, and imprisoned populations. He never said we are to judge these people, but tend to their needs. I challenge anyone who believes wars are a necessity in the world to prove me wrong on either of these points.
So the next time you tell someone you are a Christian while supporting or participating in war, remember you are on your way to Hell according to the teachings of Jesus. It’s really that simple.
He DID however, speak of taking care of the poor, sick, and imprisoned populations. He never said we are to judge these people, but tend to their needs. I challenge anyone who believes wars are a necessity in the world to prove me wrong on either of these points.
So the next time you tell someone you are a Christian while supporting or participating in war, remember you are on your way to Hell according to the teachings of Jesus. It’s really that simple.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I Can Only Assume
Someone from the state must want me to put this on my blog seeing how they've sent it to me 3 times in the last 24 hours (never happened before). Ok... here it is. Now stop sending it to me!
OFFICE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT
900 Court St., N.E., Room S‐203
Salem OR 97301
www.leg.state.or.us/senate/senpres
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Robin Maxey November 17, 2008
(503) 986‐1605
robin.maxey@state.or.us
RISING UNEMPLOYMENT SHOWS NEED FOR LEGISLATURE TO CREATE JOBS, PROTECT SAFETY NET
Statement by Senate President Peter Courtney
“The release today of the October unemployment figures is the first of two sobering announcements I expect this week. The second will come in the form of Wednesday's quarterly revenue forecast. I expect it to be bad. I can handle bad. I just need to know how bad it’s going to be.
“The jump in unemployment in our state to 7.3 percent tells me two things. It is critical that the Legislature do all it can to protect the human services safety net on which more and more Oregonians will need to depend – things like food stamps, aid to needy families and health care for children. Plus, we must create jobs by making long overdue investments in our infrastructure.
“All of the experts – including the State Treasurer and the state economist – say the best thing the Legislature can do to help turn the economy around is to create jobs.
“As the most veteran member of the Oregon Legislature I have been through severe economic crisis in the past – in the early 80s as a freshman in the House and six years ago when it took five painful special sessions before we were able to stop the bleeding. Trying times like those teach you something. It is my goal for the Legislature to approach this recession with the wisdom learned from the pain Oregonians endured in 2002.
“We are already gathering information so that we can approach the 2009 session and the cuts that are going to be necessary in a way that will keep the criminals from running wild, protect education, protect the human services safety net and give us the ability to invest in jobs-creating infrastructure projects.”
OFFICE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT
900 Court St., N.E., Room S‐203
Salem OR 97301
www.leg.state.or.us/senate/senpres
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Robin Maxey November 17, 2008
(503) 986‐1605
robin.maxey@state.or.us
RISING UNEMPLOYMENT SHOWS NEED FOR LEGISLATURE TO CREATE JOBS, PROTECT SAFETY NET
Statement by Senate President Peter Courtney
“The release today of the October unemployment figures is the first of two sobering announcements I expect this week. The second will come in the form of Wednesday's quarterly revenue forecast. I expect it to be bad. I can handle bad. I just need to know how bad it’s going to be.
“The jump in unemployment in our state to 7.3 percent tells me two things. It is critical that the Legislature do all it can to protect the human services safety net on which more and more Oregonians will need to depend – things like food stamps, aid to needy families and health care for children. Plus, we must create jobs by making long overdue investments in our infrastructure.
“All of the experts – including the State Treasurer and the state economist – say the best thing the Legislature can do to help turn the economy around is to create jobs.
“As the most veteran member of the Oregon Legislature I have been through severe economic crisis in the past – in the early 80s as a freshman in the House and six years ago when it took five painful special sessions before we were able to stop the bleeding. Trying times like those teach you something. It is my goal for the Legislature to approach this recession with the wisdom learned from the pain Oregonians endured in 2002.
“We are already gathering information so that we can approach the 2009 session and the cuts that are going to be necessary in a way that will keep the criminals from running wild, protect education, protect the human services safety net and give us the ability to invest in jobs-creating infrastructure projects.”
More Bleak News
I don't wish to be known as a "Negative Nellie", but I think reporting the news (good and bad)is important in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully folks will become more proactive around this stuff than reactive. From the Eugene Register Guard...
State revenues plunge, cuts planned
By David Steves
The Register-Guard
Published: Nov 19, 2008 09:51AM
SALEM — Oregon’s state revenues took their sharpest quarterly plunge since statehood, falling by $718 million, economists reported Wednesday.
The grim news triggered Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s call for across-the-board cuts of 5 percent from education, human services and public safety programs, which could take effect as soon as January.
The 4.6 percent drop since September is the largest, as a percentage of state general fund resources, since 2002, when those income tax and other revenues fell by 4.9 percent in a three-month period. In dollars, the dropoff was $506 million.
The plunging revenues, triggered by the national economic crisis, mean fewer dollars for public schools and universities, health care and safety-net programs and public safety.
The bleak news hit on two fronts. For the upcoming two-year spending cycle, which begins in July, Kulongoski and the Legislature are on track to fall $831 million, or 5 percent, short of the $16.9 billion needed to maintain all programs at their current levels.
For the current budget, which ends June 30, the Legislature and governor will have to find $142 million to keep the budget balanced.
Kulongoski said in a statement that across-the-board cuts to close that gap represented 1.2 percent of the overall 2007-09 budget. But since they would only apply to the biennium’s final six months, they would represent 5 percent of remaining spending for general-fund programs.
“Today’s forecast shows the depths of this recession and the economic uncertainty facing our state and our nation right now,” he said. “This recession demands tough decisions and requires shared sacrifice — and today’s action is the first of many difficult decisions that lie ahead.”
State revenues plunge, cuts planned
By David Steves
The Register-Guard
Published: Nov 19, 2008 09:51AM
SALEM — Oregon’s state revenues took their sharpest quarterly plunge since statehood, falling by $718 million, economists reported Wednesday.
The grim news triggered Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s call for across-the-board cuts of 5 percent from education, human services and public safety programs, which could take effect as soon as January.
The 4.6 percent drop since September is the largest, as a percentage of state general fund resources, since 2002, when those income tax and other revenues fell by 4.9 percent in a three-month period. In dollars, the dropoff was $506 million.
The plunging revenues, triggered by the national economic crisis, mean fewer dollars for public schools and universities, health care and safety-net programs and public safety.
The bleak news hit on two fronts. For the upcoming two-year spending cycle, which begins in July, Kulongoski and the Legislature are on track to fall $831 million, or 5 percent, short of the $16.9 billion needed to maintain all programs at their current levels.
For the current budget, which ends June 30, the Legislature and governor will have to find $142 million to keep the budget balanced.
Kulongoski said in a statement that across-the-board cuts to close that gap represented 1.2 percent of the overall 2007-09 budget. But since they would only apply to the biennium’s final six months, they would represent 5 percent of remaining spending for general-fund programs.
“Today’s forecast shows the depths of this recession and the economic uncertainty facing our state and our nation right now,” he said. “This recession demands tough decisions and requires shared sacrifice — and today’s action is the first of many difficult decisions that lie ahead.”
WE ARE STARVING!!
We are in bad shape here in Oregon. The level of poverty and hunger ranks as one of the highest in the Land. Our unemployment is right up there as well. At what point do we insist our legislature address our needs as a people? From the Medford Mail Tribune...
November 19, 2008
By Sanne Specht
Mail Tribune
New data depicts Oregon as one of the hungriest states in the country, with statistics showing big jumps in Southern Oregon residents needing food stamps and other assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Monday that the current hunger rate in Oregon is 5.5 percent, among the highest in the nation and comparable to Mississippi, Maine, South Carolina and Georgia.
FOOD STAMP ELIGIBILITY
The maximum income for a family of three to qualify for food stamps is $2,713 a month. Benefits range from $14 to $426 per month for a family of three. To find out whether your family qualifies, call Oregon SafeNet at 1-800-723-3638 or visit the online benefits calculator at www.oregon.gov/dhs/assistance/.
That translates into about 78,000 Oregon households that, at some point during the year, skipped meals, shrank portions and worried about making it to the end of the month, said Mark Edwards, an Oregon State University sociologist and expert in hunger issues.
The worst news may be yet to come, Edwards said. The numbers reported on Monday are three-year averages, from 2005 through 2007. The data for 2008 has not yet been tallied, he said."In 2005 and 2007 this was how much worse it was getting. How much more so is it going to get with all the indicators — job loss, increase in food, fuel and housing costs? With all of the things that have happened in the past 11 months, we can certainly anticipate that the situation has gotten worse," said Edwards.
Representatives of area food banks report a 25 to 30 percent increase in people needing help in White City and west Medford, areas where there are greater concentrations of low-income households. The Salvation Army has seen a dramatic spike in October for its west Medford location, said Philip Yates, nutrition programs manager for ACCESS Inc.
"They went from being fairly consistent in serving 300 boxes to 600 boxes being served," Yates said.
At the same time, donations are down. A recent food drive by a local middle school garnered 46 percent less food than last year, said Yates."With increased need, our resources are in the decline," said Yates.
The number of people needing help with food, gas or rent has grown in the past year and accelerated in recent months. The Oregon Department of Human Services reported that the district including Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass and Cave Junction saw a 26 percent increase in the number of families relying on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in October, compared with one year ago. The number of households relying on food stamps increased 19 percent since last year.
Statewide, the number of families receiving temporary assistance is up about 16 percent, or 2,900 families, from October 2007. Households receiving food stamps increased by approximately 13 percent, for an additional caseload of about 29,000 households compared with a year earlier.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides cash assistance to families who have children under the age of 18. To qualify, families must have very few assets and little or no income. The current maximum monthly benefit for a family of three is $528 and clients are expected to participate in the JOBS employment and training program.
Oregon's rate of food insecurity is similar to the national average, about 12 percent. But a larger proportion is experiencing very low food security, often referred to as "hunger," Edwards said.
Each year, the USDA measures hunger as "food insecurity" using an 18-item survey of thousands of U.S. households that asks adults about the decisions they made in the past year regarding putting food on the table for their families and themselves.
"We're not talking about people who just forgot their lunch one day. People are telling us, 'The food we bought just didn't last and we didn't have money to get more,'" said Edwards. "Or, 'We were coming to the end of the month and I had to go without eating so my kids could eat.' "
Food insecurity is not the same as starvation. But it does measure who may be "on the raw edge of hunger," said Lauri Stewart, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.
"People may be eating. But they're not eating reliably," she said.
Yates said he suspects the post-holiday season will be the worst for local food banks."People are in a giving spirit during the holidays. Our feeling here is that we'll see a huge spike in (need in) January and February," said Yates.
To offset that need, Yates has been asking businesses such as the Grange Co-op, Harry & David and Amy's Kitchen to give more. The companies' help is needed not only here in Jackson and Josephine counties, but in other areas across the state. As a statewide nonprofit food bank, ACCESS can trade excess Rogue Valley-generated goods for other items not locally available, he said.
In 2007, the Oregon Food Bank saw its first significant increase in demand for food boxes in several years due to the downturn in the economy, Edwards said.
However, the 5.5 percent rate increase does not take into account the more serious economic downturn in 2008, he said.
"I anticipate that the percentage of those experiencing hunger will go up even more next year given what our economy has experienced," Edwards said.
The recent survey showed a significant increase in two-parent families with children needing assistance, said Edwards."That's particularly disconcerting. People want to blame this on single parenthood. But we had especially high hunger rates among our traditional families," said Edwards.
Increased fuel, food and housing costs means it takes at least two minimum-wage earners to pay for basic needs, Yates said. ACCESS has seen many new families, particularly those of blue-collar workers, he said.
"We're seeing people in the construction industry. This wasn't usual for them but they felt they needed to come here for their families," said Yates.
These people may not know they are eligible, or they may resist asking for help — even as their need increases, Edwards said.
"We have a new group of people who may never have imagined they would qualify or who may have been critical of those who have needed help. These are folks who may feel quite a bit of shame in asking for help. But if you are in need, you should be able to get the help to tide you over until things get better," Edwards said.
November 19, 2008
By Sanne Specht
Mail Tribune
New data depicts Oregon as one of the hungriest states in the country, with statistics showing big jumps in Southern Oregon residents needing food stamps and other assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Monday that the current hunger rate in Oregon is 5.5 percent, among the highest in the nation and comparable to Mississippi, Maine, South Carolina and Georgia.
FOOD STAMP ELIGIBILITY
The maximum income for a family of three to qualify for food stamps is $2,713 a month. Benefits range from $14 to $426 per month for a family of three. To find out whether your family qualifies, call Oregon SafeNet at 1-800-723-3638 or visit the online benefits calculator at www.oregon.gov/dhs/assistance/.
That translates into about 78,000 Oregon households that, at some point during the year, skipped meals, shrank portions and worried about making it to the end of the month, said Mark Edwards, an Oregon State University sociologist and expert in hunger issues.
The worst news may be yet to come, Edwards said. The numbers reported on Monday are three-year averages, from 2005 through 2007. The data for 2008 has not yet been tallied, he said."In 2005 and 2007 this was how much worse it was getting. How much more so is it going to get with all the indicators — job loss, increase in food, fuel and housing costs? With all of the things that have happened in the past 11 months, we can certainly anticipate that the situation has gotten worse," said Edwards.
Representatives of area food banks report a 25 to 30 percent increase in people needing help in White City and west Medford, areas where there are greater concentrations of low-income households. The Salvation Army has seen a dramatic spike in October for its west Medford location, said Philip Yates, nutrition programs manager for ACCESS Inc.
"They went from being fairly consistent in serving 300 boxes to 600 boxes being served," Yates said.
At the same time, donations are down. A recent food drive by a local middle school garnered 46 percent less food than last year, said Yates."With increased need, our resources are in the decline," said Yates.
The number of people needing help with food, gas or rent has grown in the past year and accelerated in recent months. The Oregon Department of Human Services reported that the district including Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass and Cave Junction saw a 26 percent increase in the number of families relying on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in October, compared with one year ago. The number of households relying on food stamps increased 19 percent since last year.
Statewide, the number of families receiving temporary assistance is up about 16 percent, or 2,900 families, from October 2007. Households receiving food stamps increased by approximately 13 percent, for an additional caseload of about 29,000 households compared with a year earlier.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides cash assistance to families who have children under the age of 18. To qualify, families must have very few assets and little or no income. The current maximum monthly benefit for a family of three is $528 and clients are expected to participate in the JOBS employment and training program.
Oregon's rate of food insecurity is similar to the national average, about 12 percent. But a larger proportion is experiencing very low food security, often referred to as "hunger," Edwards said.
Each year, the USDA measures hunger as "food insecurity" using an 18-item survey of thousands of U.S. households that asks adults about the decisions they made in the past year regarding putting food on the table for their families and themselves.
"We're not talking about people who just forgot their lunch one day. People are telling us, 'The food we bought just didn't last and we didn't have money to get more,'" said Edwards. "Or, 'We were coming to the end of the month and I had to go without eating so my kids could eat.' "
Food insecurity is not the same as starvation. But it does measure who may be "on the raw edge of hunger," said Lauri Stewart, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.
"People may be eating. But they're not eating reliably," she said.
Yates said he suspects the post-holiday season will be the worst for local food banks."People are in a giving spirit during the holidays. Our feeling here is that we'll see a huge spike in (need in) January and February," said Yates.
To offset that need, Yates has been asking businesses such as the Grange Co-op, Harry & David and Amy's Kitchen to give more. The companies' help is needed not only here in Jackson and Josephine counties, but in other areas across the state. As a statewide nonprofit food bank, ACCESS can trade excess Rogue Valley-generated goods for other items not locally available, he said.
In 2007, the Oregon Food Bank saw its first significant increase in demand for food boxes in several years due to the downturn in the economy, Edwards said.
However, the 5.5 percent rate increase does not take into account the more serious economic downturn in 2008, he said.
"I anticipate that the percentage of those experiencing hunger will go up even more next year given what our economy has experienced," Edwards said.
The recent survey showed a significant increase in two-parent families with children needing assistance, said Edwards."That's particularly disconcerting. People want to blame this on single parenthood. But we had especially high hunger rates among our traditional families," said Edwards.
Increased fuel, food and housing costs means it takes at least two minimum-wage earners to pay for basic needs, Yates said. ACCESS has seen many new families, particularly those of blue-collar workers, he said.
"We're seeing people in the construction industry. This wasn't usual for them but they felt they needed to come here for their families," said Yates.
These people may not know they are eligible, or they may resist asking for help — even as their need increases, Edwards said.
"We have a new group of people who may never have imagined they would qualify or who may have been critical of those who have needed help. These are folks who may feel quite a bit of shame in asking for help. But if you are in need, you should be able to get the help to tide you over until things get better," Edwards said.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Deinstitutionalized My A##
In the Statesman Journal on Sunday was an article about people living in squalor in a Salem room and board home for folks with mental illness. Where is the OVERSITE?
From the Journal...
State's community care plan isn't working
But prospects for reform to help mentally ill look grim
November 18, 2008
Oregon's plan to deinstitutionalize care for people with mental illness has never worked as intended. The latest example is Harmony Manor, the squalid room-and-board facility that was profiled Sunday in the Statesman Journal.
Home to at least 22 mentally disabled people, the house on 14th Street NE appears filthy, tense and (when a reporter visited) cold. Some people suffer from mental illnesses so disabling that they stay in bed, refuse to bathe for long periods or misuse medications.
Julieta Lacandazo, who bought the home in September, seems well-intentioned. She says she has started making improvements such as replacing carpeting and hiring a half-time cook. She holds weekly house meetings to discuss issues such as what food residents would like.
But what she really needs is more frequent visits by county caseworkers to her clients with mental illness. She can't force her renters to take showers, change their beds or otherwise cope with daily life. However, trained professionals, checking regularly to see that clients are taking their medications, could make a big difference in tenants' ability to cope with communal life.
The state should do more to ensure that taxpayers get their money's worth from the nearly $11,000 of Social Security disability payments that tenants pay the owner each month for their housing and meals. There's no state oversight to determine whether the money is spent fairly — just a registration program so the state knows where the room-and-board homes are. That seems like a recipe for abuse.
The prospects for either reform aren't good. Marion County's mental-health workers already handle case management for 80 or more clients apiece. The department can't take on more responsibility without additional state money, said Marybeth Beall, a county behavioral health director.
Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, the Legislature's champion for causes involving mental illness, said Monday that he could make no promises regarding better case management or even better state oversight. The rising unemployment rate and the worsening revenue prospects are too grave.
The sorry thing about Harmony Manor is that this is not as bad as it gets for people with mental illness. If people can't make it in places like this, they become homeless — trying to survive in the outer reaches of our area's parks. Then, along with filth, cold and tension, they'll have to deal with rain, crime and police sweeps.
This is not the rosy picture of "community care" that was promised when Oregon closed some of its institutions. It's an embarrassment to Oregonians.
From the Journal...
State's community care plan isn't working
But prospects for reform to help mentally ill look grim
November 18, 2008
Oregon's plan to deinstitutionalize care for people with mental illness has never worked as intended. The latest example is Harmony Manor, the squalid room-and-board facility that was profiled Sunday in the Statesman Journal.
Home to at least 22 mentally disabled people, the house on 14th Street NE appears filthy, tense and (when a reporter visited) cold. Some people suffer from mental illnesses so disabling that they stay in bed, refuse to bathe for long periods or misuse medications.
Julieta Lacandazo, who bought the home in September, seems well-intentioned. She says she has started making improvements such as replacing carpeting and hiring a half-time cook. She holds weekly house meetings to discuss issues such as what food residents would like.
But what she really needs is more frequent visits by county caseworkers to her clients with mental illness. She can't force her renters to take showers, change their beds or otherwise cope with daily life. However, trained professionals, checking regularly to see that clients are taking their medications, could make a big difference in tenants' ability to cope with communal life.
The state should do more to ensure that taxpayers get their money's worth from the nearly $11,000 of Social Security disability payments that tenants pay the owner each month for their housing and meals. There's no state oversight to determine whether the money is spent fairly — just a registration program so the state knows where the room-and-board homes are. That seems like a recipe for abuse.
The prospects for either reform aren't good. Marion County's mental-health workers already handle case management for 80 or more clients apiece. The department can't take on more responsibility without additional state money, said Marybeth Beall, a county behavioral health director.
Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, the Legislature's champion for causes involving mental illness, said Monday that he could make no promises regarding better case management or even better state oversight. The rising unemployment rate and the worsening revenue prospects are too grave.
The sorry thing about Harmony Manor is that this is not as bad as it gets for people with mental illness. If people can't make it in places like this, they become homeless — trying to survive in the outer reaches of our area's parks. Then, along with filth, cold and tension, they'll have to deal with rain, crime and police sweeps.
This is not the rosy picture of "community care" that was promised when Oregon closed some of its institutions. It's an embarrassment to Oregonians.
Ya Just Never Know
Last month I wrote of a Goodwill employee in Tacoma who was killed on their loading dock, and how they were heavily fined by the Department of Labor & Industries. I also wrote that I was concerned about the safety training my nephew/son was receiving from Goodwill here in Oregon.
In my email this morning was a letter from Matthew Erlich, the Media Relations/PR Manager of Tacoma Goodwill Industries. He wrote:
David,
I wanted to make you aware that Tacoma Goodwill recently received a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Education grant to help people with disabilities receive job training and placement services. Below is the link to the story that ran Sunday in the Yakima Herald-Republic on the grant – and what it will do for the Yakima area. Attached is the general press release.
Here’s the link:
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2008/11/14/goodwill-gestures
Feel free to call me if you have any questions,
Matthew
Matthew Erlich
Media Relations/PR Manager
Tacoma Goodwill Industries
253.284.0015
merlich@tacomagoodwill.org
Because jobs change lives
This seemed a bit boastful and a tad "rub-your-face-in-it" to me so I wrote him back asking:
Hi Matthew,
I'm unclear as to why you sent me this email. Do I know you?
David
He wrote back:
David,
You don’t. But DAWG ran a brief item on an L&I case involving a tragic loss at Tacoma Goodwill earlier this year. I thought it would be worth noting some additional news involving people with disabilities, and as DAWG focuses on that type of news, you’re the person to send it to.
Matthew
I suspected such an answer, so I wrote:
I see. I could also write about Goodwill "participants" being ineligible for any sort of benefits, being paid piece rate most of the time, and Michael Miller being one of the highest paid non profit CEOs in America.
Can't wait to see if I hear back...
In my email this morning was a letter from Matthew Erlich, the Media Relations/PR Manager of Tacoma Goodwill Industries. He wrote:
David,
I wanted to make you aware that Tacoma Goodwill recently received a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Education grant to help people with disabilities receive job training and placement services. Below is the link to the story that ran Sunday in the Yakima Herald-Republic on the grant – and what it will do for the Yakima area. Attached is the general press release.
Here’s the link:
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2008/11/14/goodwill-gestures
Feel free to call me if you have any questions,
Matthew
Matthew Erlich
Media Relations/PR Manager
Tacoma Goodwill Industries
253.284.0015
merlich@tacomagoodwill.org
Because jobs change lives
This seemed a bit boastful and a tad "rub-your-face-in-it" to me so I wrote him back asking:
Hi Matthew,
I'm unclear as to why you sent me this email. Do I know you?
David
He wrote back:
David,
You don’t. But DAWG ran a brief item on an L&I case involving a tragic loss at Tacoma Goodwill earlier this year. I thought it would be worth noting some additional news involving people with disabilities, and as DAWG focuses on that type of news, you’re the person to send it to.
Matthew
I suspected such an answer, so I wrote:
I see. I could also write about Goodwill "participants" being ineligible for any sort of benefits, being paid piece rate most of the time, and Michael Miller being one of the highest paid non profit CEOs in America.
Can't wait to see if I hear back...
Portland Rip Off
Yesterday afternoon, I went downtown to a meeting at the United Way building. I plugged the meter with extra coins because I wasn't sure how long the meeting would last, and I didn't want to get a parking ticket. In fact,I put in $2.35 which would cover me from 4:19 until 6:11, figuring the meeting would definitely be over by 6:00.
I was right. We got back to my truck by 5:50. Lo and behold, there's a ticket under my wiper. I was surely pissed, but couldn't read it in the darkness. When we got home I read what the ticket was for. It said; "Receipt On Streetside No Receipt Curbside" and came with a $24 fine.
Ok... I made a mistake. I always park on the right hand side of the road, and have made a habit of placing the sticker on the passenger (curbside) window. I believe a warning of some kind was in order. But paying $24 for the inconvenience I may have caused a Meter Officer seems ridiculous to me. The person would have had to simply step into the street to see the sticker! So the city of Portland wants me to fork over $24 because of this additional effort and stress placed on a valued employee?
I don't believe that's the case at all. I think the city of Portland wants to get the money of the citizens of Portland any way they can. That disappoints and angers me. Any day now the TV commercials will be starting; telling everyone to "do your Christmas shopping in lovely downtown Portland". They can forget about this old man coming anywhere near downtown for anything less than meetings.
I was right. We got back to my truck by 5:50. Lo and behold, there's a ticket under my wiper. I was surely pissed, but couldn't read it in the darkness. When we got home I read what the ticket was for. It said; "Receipt On Streetside No Receipt Curbside" and came with a $24 fine.
Ok... I made a mistake. I always park on the right hand side of the road, and have made a habit of placing the sticker on the passenger (curbside) window. I believe a warning of some kind was in order. But paying $24 for the inconvenience I may have caused a Meter Officer seems ridiculous to me. The person would have had to simply step into the street to see the sticker! So the city of Portland wants me to fork over $24 because of this additional effort and stress placed on a valued employee?
I don't believe that's the case at all. I think the city of Portland wants to get the money of the citizens of Portland any way they can. That disappoints and angers me. Any day now the TV commercials will be starting; telling everyone to "do your Christmas shopping in lovely downtown Portland". They can forget about this old man coming anywhere near downtown for anything less than meetings.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
1 Day Of Cultural Competency Can Change the World!
All it really takes is a one day training to make someone culturally competent, right? That's what Bruce Goldberg says... well, maybe not exactly, but close.
November 14, 2008
To: All DHS employees
From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., director
An ongoing commitment to diversity
"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions."
~Harold S. Geneen
Our agency has a commitment to diversity and it is up to all of us to demonstrate that our commitment is sincere and ongoing. As our client population increases in diversity we must match that trend by becoming a more multicultural workplace, and we are doing that. We also must ensure that our work and the services we provide are culturally competent. We are doing that as well. That is why, as the start of a renewed and ongoing effort to ensure cultural competency, all of us have completed a one-day cultural competency class.
Finally, we must do more to eliminate disparities in health, services and outcomes among our client groups. At its core, this is an issue of equity and social justice, and it is what I want to talk about today.
The health of our population and the outcomes we achieve in our programs should not differ by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. When these differences do exist, and unfortunately they do, they are referred to as disparities, and a disparity is an inequality.
For example, although just 1 percent of kids in Oregon are African American and 1.5 percent are Native American, these children make up 7 percent and 10 percent of the children in foster care. Those same Native American children account for 5 percent of uninsured children in the state. Hispanic and rural youngsters also are over-represented among Oregon's uninsured kids.
If you are African American or Native American in Oregon you are twice as likely to have diabetes as the general population, and African Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes. In 2004 only 69 percent of Hispanic women had prenatal care in the first trimester, compared to 84 percent of white women.
Hispanic teens are six times more likely than white teens to give birth. The infant mortality rate for African Americans is twice that of white babies. Forty percent of African American men die prematurely from cardiovascular disease, compared to 21 percent of white men.
These disparities among Oregon's population groups are a call to action and we at DHS have an obligation to do all we can to eliminate disparities. To do so will require a comprehensive strategy incorporating research, education, policy changes, changes in how we do our work and community partnerships, which will be fundamental to accomplishing this goal. As Oregon grows more diverse, it becomes even more urgent that we tackle this issue.
This is an issue that spans DHS and all of our programs. That's why I've moved the Office of Multicultural Health and Services (OMHS) into the Director's Office, and we have been recruiting for an OMHS Administrator who can lead our efforts to better serve diverse populations and eliminate disparities.
We must become better service providers for every Oregonian. We must seek new and creative ways to reach out to the full range of individuals who live in Oregon, and to find new partners who can help. Oregon is depending on all of us.
November 14, 2008
To: All DHS employees
From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., director
An ongoing commitment to diversity
"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions."
~Harold S. Geneen
Our agency has a commitment to diversity and it is up to all of us to demonstrate that our commitment is sincere and ongoing. As our client population increases in diversity we must match that trend by becoming a more multicultural workplace, and we are doing that. We also must ensure that our work and the services we provide are culturally competent. We are doing that as well. That is why, as the start of a renewed and ongoing effort to ensure cultural competency, all of us have completed a one-day cultural competency class.
Finally, we must do more to eliminate disparities in health, services and outcomes among our client groups. At its core, this is an issue of equity and social justice, and it is what I want to talk about today.
The health of our population and the outcomes we achieve in our programs should not differ by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. When these differences do exist, and unfortunately they do, they are referred to as disparities, and a disparity is an inequality.
For example, although just 1 percent of kids in Oregon are African American and 1.5 percent are Native American, these children make up 7 percent and 10 percent of the children in foster care. Those same Native American children account for 5 percent of uninsured children in the state. Hispanic and rural youngsters also are over-represented among Oregon's uninsured kids.
If you are African American or Native American in Oregon you are twice as likely to have diabetes as the general population, and African Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes. In 2004 only 69 percent of Hispanic women had prenatal care in the first trimester, compared to 84 percent of white women.
Hispanic teens are six times more likely than white teens to give birth. The infant mortality rate for African Americans is twice that of white babies. Forty percent of African American men die prematurely from cardiovascular disease, compared to 21 percent of white men.
These disparities among Oregon's population groups are a call to action and we at DHS have an obligation to do all we can to eliminate disparities. To do so will require a comprehensive strategy incorporating research, education, policy changes, changes in how we do our work and community partnerships, which will be fundamental to accomplishing this goal. As Oregon grows more diverse, it becomes even more urgent that we tackle this issue.
This is an issue that spans DHS and all of our programs. That's why I've moved the Office of Multicultural Health and Services (OMHS) into the Director's Office, and we have been recruiting for an OMHS Administrator who can lead our efforts to better serve diverse populations and eliminate disparities.
We must become better service providers for every Oregonian. We must seek new and creative ways to reach out to the full range of individuals who live in Oregon, and to find new partners who can help. Oregon is depending on all of us.
Morris Dees Slam Dunks the KKK
The trial is over. The KKK is going to have to come up with 2.5 million for damages. This may put them out of business...
Nov. 14, 2008
Dear Friend,
We won a great victory today in our lawsuit against the Imperial Klans of America (IKA) and its leader, Ron Edwards.
The jury awarded a $2.5 million verdict to our client, Jordan Gruver, who was brutally beaten by IKA members while attending a county fair in Brandenburg, Ky.
The people of Meade County, Kentucky, have spoken loudly and clearly. And what they've said is that ethnic violence has no place in our society, that those who promote hate and violence will be held accountable and made to pay a steep price.
Jordan is understandably gratified by the verdict. And he's relieved that the ordeal of the trial is over, though he will never fully recover from his nightmare.
We know the IKA does not have the assets to pay the full verdict. But we look forward to collecting every dime that we can for Jordan and to putting this violent organization out of business.
Details about the case and verdict are available on our website.
We've received numerous messages of support over the past few days. We greatly appreciate your commitment to tolerance and justice.
Sincerely,
Morris Dees
Founder
Nov. 14, 2008
Dear Friend,
We won a great victory today in our lawsuit against the Imperial Klans of America (IKA) and its leader, Ron Edwards.
The jury awarded a $2.5 million verdict to our client, Jordan Gruver, who was brutally beaten by IKA members while attending a county fair in Brandenburg, Ky.
The people of Meade County, Kentucky, have spoken loudly and clearly. And what they've said is that ethnic violence has no place in our society, that those who promote hate and violence will be held accountable and made to pay a steep price.
Jordan is understandably gratified by the verdict. And he's relieved that the ordeal of the trial is over, though he will never fully recover from his nightmare.
We know the IKA does not have the assets to pay the full verdict. But we look forward to collecting every dime that we can for Jordan and to putting this violent organization out of business.
Details about the case and verdict are available on our website.
We've received numerous messages of support over the past few days. We greatly appreciate your commitment to tolerance and justice.
Sincerely,
Morris Dees
Founder
Friday, November 14, 2008
When You Can't Fight Back
The thing that bothers me most about this article, is the dude KNEW how vulnerable the man in the wheelchair is. Even if he wasn't going to push him into the river, he played on that vulnerability.
Man Arrested In Wheelchair Assault
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Police arrested a man for allegedly hitting a wheelchair-bound victim, then trying to push him into the Willamette River.
Investigators say 44-year-old Ronald Baynum had an ongoing dispute with the victim. One day last week, they say he hit that wheelchair-bound man on the head. Then, he told him he was going to send him into the river.
A witness told police that Baynum pushed the victim to the edge of a steep dropoff, when the bank falls about 40 feet to the water. The wheelchair victim hollered for help, some nearby people heard his cries and ran at Baynum. He hopped on his bicycle and got away, but was arrested later.
The victim's wheelchair ended up about a foot short of the dropoff.
Ronald Baynum is charged with kidnapping, coercion, menacing and reckless endangering.
Man Arrested In Wheelchair Assault
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Police arrested a man for allegedly hitting a wheelchair-bound victim, then trying to push him into the Willamette River.
Investigators say 44-year-old Ronald Baynum had an ongoing dispute with the victim. One day last week, they say he hit that wheelchair-bound man on the head. Then, he told him he was going to send him into the river.
A witness told police that Baynum pushed the victim to the edge of a steep dropoff, when the bank falls about 40 feet to the water. The wheelchair victim hollered for help, some nearby people heard his cries and ran at Baynum. He hopped on his bicycle and got away, but was arrested later.
The victim's wheelchair ended up about a foot short of the dropoff.
Ronald Baynum is charged with kidnapping, coercion, menacing and reckless endangering.
2nd Day Of Klan Trial
Nov. 13, 2008
Dear Friend,
We heard remarkable testimony at trial today in our case against Ron Edwards, the leader of the Imperial Klans of America (IKA) and his top lieutenant, Jarred Hensley.
A former Klansman stunned the courtroom when he told the jury that Edwards ordered him to kill SPLC founder and chief trial counsel Morris Dees in the late 1990s.
Fortunately, an undercover FBI investigation foiled the plot. The would-be assassin served three years in prison, but Edwards was never charged — and the extent of his involvement had not been disclosed until today.
We also heard testimony today from two Klansmen who were present the night our client, Jordan Gruver, was brutally beaten by IKA members recruiting at a county fair in Brandenburg, Ky. They testified that Edwards is motivated by greed and obsessed with recruiting new members so that he can fill his coffers with donations and membership dues.
You can read full coverage of today's testimony on our blog.
We have long believed that litigation is but one tool we can use to fight injustice and intolerance. We also believe that by reaching children before their minds are filled with bias, we can prevent some of the hatred that resulted in the case we're trying today. We're pleased to report that today an estimated four million students in thousands of schools participated in our annual Mix It Up At Lunch Day and crossed social and racial boundaries by sitting down with someone new at lunch.
Morris and I would like to thank you for your support. We'll continue updating you over the next couple of days as we wrap up the trial.
Sincerely,
Richard Cohen
CEO and President
Dear Friend,
We heard remarkable testimony at trial today in our case against Ron Edwards, the leader of the Imperial Klans of America (IKA) and his top lieutenant, Jarred Hensley.
A former Klansman stunned the courtroom when he told the jury that Edwards ordered him to kill SPLC founder and chief trial counsel Morris Dees in the late 1990s.
Fortunately, an undercover FBI investigation foiled the plot. The would-be assassin served three years in prison, but Edwards was never charged — and the extent of his involvement had not been disclosed until today.
We also heard testimony today from two Klansmen who were present the night our client, Jordan Gruver, was brutally beaten by IKA members recruiting at a county fair in Brandenburg, Ky. They testified that Edwards is motivated by greed and obsessed with recruiting new members so that he can fill his coffers with donations and membership dues.
You can read full coverage of today's testimony on our blog.
We have long believed that litigation is but one tool we can use to fight injustice and intolerance. We also believe that by reaching children before their minds are filled with bias, we can prevent some of the hatred that resulted in the case we're trying today. We're pleased to report that today an estimated four million students in thousands of schools participated in our annual Mix It Up At Lunch Day and crossed social and racial boundaries by sitting down with someone new at lunch.
Morris and I would like to thank you for your support. We'll continue updating you over the next couple of days as we wrap up the trial.
Sincerely,
Richard Cohen
CEO and President
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Legislative "Furniture"
For the last 1/2 hour I've been watching the Joint Committee on Legislative Administration on the Oregon Channel. They are debating on how many times they get to move their office furniture free of charge. I mean really... is this what our state government has come to?
Hello Representatives Richardson and Hannah. There are people starving in your districts. It almost looked like President Courtney was going to pop a blood vessel as he facilitated this waste of tax dollars. Are these people so poor that they have to fret over furniture moving costs. They all have on suits, which tells me they're ok.
I'm reminded here of Alan Iverson and his now famous press conference about "practice". These people need to figure out how they're going to fix our broken budget, and get over the whole furniture debate.
Hello Representatives Richardson and Hannah. There are people starving in your districts. It almost looked like President Courtney was going to pop a blood vessel as he facilitated this waste of tax dollars. Are these people so poor that they have to fret over furniture moving costs. They all have on suits, which tells me they're ok.
I'm reminded here of Alan Iverson and his now famous press conference about "practice". These people need to figure out how they're going to fix our broken budget, and get over the whole furniture debate.
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Guess what Oregon? You don't have to act like a republican no more! The days of passivity are over! We can finally bring to bare the restoration of civil and human rights in Oregon, and tell the truth! Doesn't THAT feel great??
I'm afraid for some, it may be too late, but not me. I've been practicing singing an old familiar song, accapella (the whole guitar thing is too much), and plan to get my wife involved. I never realized there are 5 verses, as different people perform it different ways. I prefer the way it was written in 1963, by none other than Bob Dylan himself. Now my task is finding a venue to sing it. If you have any ideas, please let me know.
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Come gather 'round people wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving
Then you'd better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Come writers and critics who prophecise with your pen
And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'
For the loser now will be later to win
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Come Senators, Congressmen, please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway don't block up the hall
For he who gets hurt, will be be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside and it's raging
It'll soon break your windows and rattle your walls
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers throughout the land
And don't criticize what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command
And your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the way if you can't lend a hand
Oh the times they are a-changin'
The line is drawn, the curse it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be last
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Oh the times they are a-changin'
I'm afraid for some, it may be too late, but not me. I've been practicing singing an old familiar song, accapella (the whole guitar thing is too much), and plan to get my wife involved. I never realized there are 5 verses, as different people perform it different ways. I prefer the way it was written in 1963, by none other than Bob Dylan himself. Now my task is finding a venue to sing it. If you have any ideas, please let me know.
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Come gather 'round people wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving
Then you'd better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Come writers and critics who prophecise with your pen
And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'
For the loser now will be later to win
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Come Senators, Congressmen, please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway don't block up the hall
For he who gets hurt, will be be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside and it's raging
It'll soon break your windows and rattle your walls
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers throughout the land
And don't criticize what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command
And your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the way if you can't lend a hand
Oh the times they are a-changin'
The line is drawn, the curse it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be last
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Oh the times they are a-changin'
Update ON KKK Trial
I received this letter from Brandenburg, Kentucky, where the trial of the Imperial Wizard of the Imperial Klans of America is under way. It looks like there is some compelling evidence which should lead to a conviction...
Nov. 12, 2008
Dear Friend,
Morris Dees and I are here in Brandenburg, Kentucky, where we just finished the first day of trial in our lawsuit against Ron Edwards, leader of the Imperial Klans of America, and one of his key lieutenants. Our client, Jordan Gruver, was severely beaten, knocked to the ground, and kicked by two Klansmen wearing steel-toed boots.
This morning, we selected a jury and called as witnesses one police officer who saw Jordan being kicked by two Klansmen, and another who interviewed Jordan after the attack and described him as a physical and emotional wreck. Jordan's jaw was wired shut, and he was afraid for his life.
We also put Imperial Wizard Edwards on the stand and presented evidence about the annual white-power rally he hosts, where Klansmen, racist skinheads and neo-Nazis are encouraged to commit violence against minorities. Edwards will be back on the stand tomorrow.
You can read more coverage of the trial on our blog. I'll update you again after tomorrow's testimony.
Thanks for standing with us in our fight against hate and injustice.
Sincerely,
Richard Cohen
CEO and President
Nov. 12, 2008
Dear Friend,
Morris Dees and I are here in Brandenburg, Kentucky, where we just finished the first day of trial in our lawsuit against Ron Edwards, leader of the Imperial Klans of America, and one of his key lieutenants. Our client, Jordan Gruver, was severely beaten, knocked to the ground, and kicked by two Klansmen wearing steel-toed boots.
This morning, we selected a jury and called as witnesses one police officer who saw Jordan being kicked by two Klansmen, and another who interviewed Jordan after the attack and described him as a physical and emotional wreck. Jordan's jaw was wired shut, and he was afraid for his life.
We also put Imperial Wizard Edwards on the stand and presented evidence about the annual white-power rally he hosts, where Klansmen, racist skinheads and neo-Nazis are encouraged to commit violence against minorities. Edwards will be back on the stand tomorrow.
You can read more coverage of the trial on our blog. I'll update you again after tomorrow's testimony.
Thanks for standing with us in our fight against hate and injustice.
Sincerely,
Richard Cohen
CEO and President
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A Good Looking Plan (Did I Say That?)
It’s looking more and more like Barack Obama is going to make a good President where disability issues are concerned. He has a pretty comprehensive plan for leveling the playing field. I was hoping that a civil rights attorney would have a better understanding of what is needed, and he seems to have that going on. Now, if he’ll just mandate a combining of physical and mental disabilities, putting them in alignment here in Oregon, we’ll be well on our way to equality. I’m linking here to his plan from his website.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Morris Dees Takes on IKA
I think it's only fitting that Morris Dees from the Southern Poverty Law Center is going to court this Wednesday to take on the Imperial Wizard of the Imperial Klans of America. It was 20 years ago on that date that Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian National, was murdered on the streets of Portland by racist skinheads. Below is a letter he sent out yesterday.
Nov. 10, 2008
Dear Friend,
I'm writing to you from Brandenburg, Kentucky, where I'll be going to court Wednesday against the leader of Imperial Klans of America (IKA) to win justice for a teenage boy who was brutally beaten by IKA members.
Led by Imperial Wizard Ron Edwards, the IKA is one of the largest and most dangerous Klan organizations in the country. Each year, Edwards hosts a "white-power" rally at his compound, where he indoctrinates followers in hate and violence through speeches, music and the display of violent, racist imagery. They even bring little children to this festival of hate.
You may recall that our client, Jordan Gruver, was attacked by Klansmen who had attended one of Edwards' white-power rallies and were recruiting for the IKA at a county fair. They thought Jordan was, in their words, an "illegal spic." Jordan, who's a U.S. citizen, suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw.
I wish you could be in the courtroom with us, but it's not wise. We've received numerous threats since we filed the suit.
I'm deeply grateful to you for helping us seek justice for Jordan and, hopefully, put these hate-mongers out of business.
SPLC President Richard Cohen, who is here with me, will be updating you on our progress throughout the trial.
Sincerely,
Morris Dees
Nov. 10, 2008
Dear Friend,
I'm writing to you from Brandenburg, Kentucky, where I'll be going to court Wednesday against the leader of Imperial Klans of America (IKA) to win justice for a teenage boy who was brutally beaten by IKA members.
Led by Imperial Wizard Ron Edwards, the IKA is one of the largest and most dangerous Klan organizations in the country. Each year, Edwards hosts a "white-power" rally at his compound, where he indoctrinates followers in hate and violence through speeches, music and the display of violent, racist imagery. They even bring little children to this festival of hate.
You may recall that our client, Jordan Gruver, was attacked by Klansmen who had attended one of Edwards' white-power rallies and were recruiting for the IKA at a county fair. They thought Jordan was, in their words, an "illegal spic." Jordan, who's a U.S. citizen, suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw.
I wish you could be in the courtroom with us, but it's not wise. We've received numerous threats since we filed the suit.
I'm deeply grateful to you for helping us seek justice for Jordan and, hopefully, put these hate-mongers out of business.
SPLC President Richard Cohen, who is here with me, will be updating you on our progress throughout the trial.
Sincerely,
Morris Dees
Suffer The Children
It’s kind of confusing when you keep getting these mixed messages of where the economy is right now. From the AP...
Economy Forcing Children's Center To Close
Christie Care Will Close In 2 Weeks
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A local children's care facility was hit hard by the economic crisis, forcing it to close its doors.
The Children's Receiving Center, also known as Christie Care, said some of its programs can't rely on state funding anymore.
In about two weeks, a local resource center for children and their families will have to shut its doors.
News of the Christie Care having to close hit home with a lot of families who rely on the program.
The organization used to receive five cents on the dollar from the state to fund its various programs. But with the economic crisis in full swing, that's become too much for the state.
Christie Care is one of the only resource centers in the nation that helps children who are either abused or neglected. The program takes in children to provide them with support services while keeping them in familiar environments.
The organization prides itself on keeping siblings together, but Friday the Oregon Department of Human Services said the cost to keep the Children's Center open is too much.
So in two weeks, Christie Care will shut down operations. It's something the director said will be very hard to do.
"I think the people who are most affected by this transition period -- again DHS may pick up the services and provide them in a different way -- are the children and families that have relied on that service to meet their interim needs," said Lynne Saxton, the director of Christie Care.
Even though Christie Care is closing, it will still answer its crisis hot line.
The director said the organization is hopeful that in the future the state will find money to start up the program once again.
Economy Forcing Children's Center To Close
Christie Care Will Close In 2 Weeks
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A local children's care facility was hit hard by the economic crisis, forcing it to close its doors.
The Children's Receiving Center, also known as Christie Care, said some of its programs can't rely on state funding anymore.
In about two weeks, a local resource center for children and their families will have to shut its doors.
News of the Christie Care having to close hit home with a lot of families who rely on the program.
The organization used to receive five cents on the dollar from the state to fund its various programs. But with the economic crisis in full swing, that's become too much for the state.
Christie Care is one of the only resource centers in the nation that helps children who are either abused or neglected. The program takes in children to provide them with support services while keeping them in familiar environments.
The organization prides itself on keeping siblings together, but Friday the Oregon Department of Human Services said the cost to keep the Children's Center open is too much.
So in two weeks, Christie Care will shut down operations. It's something the director said will be very hard to do.
"I think the people who are most affected by this transition period -- again DHS may pick up the services and provide them in a different way -- are the children and families that have relied on that service to meet their interim needs," said Lynne Saxton, the director of Christie Care.
Even though Christie Care is closing, it will still answer its crisis hot line.
The director said the organization is hopeful that in the future the state will find money to start up the program once again.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
What Other Folks Are saying
Though I'm taking a "wait and see" approach to the Obama presidency, there are others who strongly believe we are in for some great times. This letter came from the president of the Southern Poverty Law Center...
Dear Friend,
What an exhilarating night!
We've just witnessed an historic transformation, one of those singular moments in our history that we'll all remember for the rest of our lives.
In this new day, all our children can dare to believe in the promise of the American ideal, the principle that their horizons are limited only by the reach of their aspirations, not by the color of their skin.
Around the world, people everywhere are seeing a new face of America, one that is more tolerant and more just. This is a credit to the sacrifices and the determination of millions of people, like you, who have worked so hard to make equality in our country more than just a dream. As President-elect Obama said to his supporters last night, "This is your victory."
This election, of course, can never erase the ugly stain of slavery and cannot reverse overnight its terrible, enduring legacy of poverty, discrimination and bigotry.
Nor does it mark the end of overt hate and racism. The campaign exposed deep hostility and even rage among some white Americans who cannot yet accept the idea of a black man as our nation's leader. And many white supremacists believe this election will rally white people to their cause, especially when our economy is teetering on the edge of an abyss.
I hope and believe that they are wrong, that the growing number of Americans who cherish justice and tolerance will drown out the fear and bigotry that have held our country back for too long.
For now, let's all celebrate the promise of a new era. Tomorrow, let's get back to work to make that promise a reality.
Sincerely,
Richard Cohen, CEO and President
Dear Friend,
What an exhilarating night!
We've just witnessed an historic transformation, one of those singular moments in our history that we'll all remember for the rest of our lives.
In this new day, all our children can dare to believe in the promise of the American ideal, the principle that their horizons are limited only by the reach of their aspirations, not by the color of their skin.
Around the world, people everywhere are seeing a new face of America, one that is more tolerant and more just. This is a credit to the sacrifices and the determination of millions of people, like you, who have worked so hard to make equality in our country more than just a dream. As President-elect Obama said to his supporters last night, "This is your victory."
This election, of course, can never erase the ugly stain of slavery and cannot reverse overnight its terrible, enduring legacy of poverty, discrimination and bigotry.
Nor does it mark the end of overt hate and racism. The campaign exposed deep hostility and even rage among some white Americans who cannot yet accept the idea of a black man as our nation's leader. And many white supremacists believe this election will rally white people to their cause, especially when our economy is teetering on the edge of an abyss.
I hope and believe that they are wrong, that the growing number of Americans who cherish justice and tolerance will drown out the fear and bigotry that have held our country back for too long.
For now, let's all celebrate the promise of a new era. Tomorrow, let's get back to work to make that promise a reality.
Sincerely,
Richard Cohen, CEO and President
Obama and Disablity
About a week ago I posted about how the Republicans were likely to steal the Presidential election. I WAS WRONG.
The fact that Obama won in a landslide gives me some real hope. He is/was a civil rights attorney, so hopefully he "gets it". He should be able to see how people with disabilities are discriminated against as much (or more than) as black people in America. And... he should see that these people's needs are not currently being met by a long shot.
I attended a meeting yesterday where the DHS budget was brought up. The news was not good, and there is the potential for deeper cuts than the 10% I wrote about the other day. Rather than becoming fearful, I found myself becoming angry. Angry that those who need help in Oregon, must grovel for the crumbs left behind by their non-disabled counterparts. Angry that corporations in our state barely pay any taxes, and receive a corporate "kicker" each year. Angry that people are so lethargic that they'd support suffering through silence.
Now, we have a new president. Someone who spoke of "spreading the wealth around" as he campaigned. Will he be a friend to people with disabilities? Will he do his part to ensure they have a decent existence in America? I have the audacity of hope that he does.
The fact that Obama won in a landslide gives me some real hope. He is/was a civil rights attorney, so hopefully he "gets it". He should be able to see how people with disabilities are discriminated against as much (or more than) as black people in America. And... he should see that these people's needs are not currently being met by a long shot.
I attended a meeting yesterday where the DHS budget was brought up. The news was not good, and there is the potential for deeper cuts than the 10% I wrote about the other day. Rather than becoming fearful, I found myself becoming angry. Angry that those who need help in Oregon, must grovel for the crumbs left behind by their non-disabled counterparts. Angry that corporations in our state barely pay any taxes, and receive a corporate "kicker" each year. Angry that people are so lethargic that they'd support suffering through silence.
Now, we have a new president. Someone who spoke of "spreading the wealth around" as he campaigned. Will he be a friend to people with disabilities? Will he do his part to ensure they have a decent existence in America? I have the audacity of hope that he does.
Open Letter to Crazy Female Bicyclist
Dear Crazy Female Bicyclist,
2 mornings ago you came dangerously close to hitting me with your bike as you careened down Willamette Boulevard, near the corner of Greeley Avenue. You actually stopped me in my tracks as you began yelling "Get out of the f###ing street". Your male partner also came close to hitting my wife, which would be a big mistake.
There are a few points you need to be aware of. I'm writing them here, as the two times this has happened you continued on your way.
1.) The sidewalks in this part of town are unsafe to walk on in the dark. I'm not about to risk a broken ankle so that you can win some kind of time trial on your bike.
2.) Feel free to contact the Mayor to request that the money he wants to spend on bike paths be used instead to fix the sidewalks.
3.) It is not breaking any law to walk in the street in Portland, but it is against the law to threaten someone by purposely aiming your bike at them.
4.) If you do this again, I will take your action as an act of aggression, and will in fact, shove you and/or your male companion as you ride by.
5.) Each day, as we walk along this path, at least 7 other bicyclists ride by us. I have never had problems with any of them.
I want to make myself clear that it is you who must change your anti-social behavior, and stop trying to restrict us as we happily walk along.
Sincerely,
David
2 mornings ago you came dangerously close to hitting me with your bike as you careened down Willamette Boulevard, near the corner of Greeley Avenue. You actually stopped me in my tracks as you began yelling "Get out of the f###ing street". Your male partner also came close to hitting my wife, which would be a big mistake.
There are a few points you need to be aware of. I'm writing them here, as the two times this has happened you continued on your way.
1.) The sidewalks in this part of town are unsafe to walk on in the dark. I'm not about to risk a broken ankle so that you can win some kind of time trial on your bike.
2.) Feel free to contact the Mayor to request that the money he wants to spend on bike paths be used instead to fix the sidewalks.
3.) It is not breaking any law to walk in the street in Portland, but it is against the law to threaten someone by purposely aiming your bike at them.
4.) If you do this again, I will take your action as an act of aggression, and will in fact, shove you and/or your male companion as you ride by.
5.) Each day, as we walk along this path, at least 7 other bicyclists ride by us. I have never had problems with any of them.
I want to make myself clear that it is you who must change your anti-social behavior, and stop trying to restrict us as we happily walk along.
Sincerely,
David
Monday, November 03, 2008
10% Off People's Lives In Oregon
Well, they’re doing it again... the state has a plan to balance the Human Services budget off the backs of people (primarily with developmental disabilities)who need assistance. You don’t really wonder why I run this blog, right? And, you are getting the idea that when I talk about the civil rights of these folks constantly being violated, that I may have a point?? Here’s a summary of how the state plans to reduce DHS spending by 10%.
TOTAL 10% PROPOSED DHS REDUCTIONS
STATE FUNDS
(General & Lottery) OTHER FUNDS Federal Funds (Limited) Total
(413,504,241) (9,812,976) (458,107,783) (881,425,000)
SPD (Mostly) Cuts Culled from the Whole DHS 10% Cut List.
Biggest Provider Concern Is the COLA Delay Proposals
Note: Funds are listed as State Funds, Other Funds, Federal Funds and Total Funds. Often there’s not an Other category, so if you see only 3, assume that #2 is Federal. If there’s only two amts, assume GF and TF.
Delay COLA increases within DHS control - COLA
Additional 6 month delay COLA increases within increases for program service provider contracts would be delayed to start January 2010 rather than July 2009.
(11,360,313) (1,051,356) (17,637,728) (30,049,397
1.) These are the people who work to provide the assistance folks need in the community. As it is, they make between $8.50 and 10.00 per hour.
Cut Supported Employment - SE 38. Cut Supported Employment Services to 280 people with Mental Illness per year. Loss of these services means that people with mental illness won’t be able to find jobs, learn the skills needed to get and keep jobs. Without the benefits of work some will have trouble managing their illness and may require more intensive levels of care including state hospital services. This cut jeopardizes the MH Block Grant MOE requirements. (1,000,000) (1,000,000)
2.)Without Supported Employment, folks will be living on around $650 per month unless they have a work history to draw from.
Eliminate remaining dental for OHP Plus adults, except pregnant women. This reduction option would eliminate all dental services for non-pregnant adults, ages 21 and older who are covered under the OHP Plus and Standard Benefit packages.
(22,862,032) (38,960,662) (61,822,694)
3.) It’s a well known fact that people with disabilities (who qualify for OHP Plus) have a history of some very serious dental problems. They will pay for this out of pocket?
Limit OHP Plus adult vision services. This reduction option would eliminate routine vision coverage for all OHP Plus non-pregnant adults, age21 and older. Only a very limited number of clients in this group would qualify for vision overage due to medically necessary diagnoses to restore vision due to surgical removal or congenital absence of the natural lens. The reimbursements for this limited number of clients eligible for exams and vision products would be very small.
(4,893,721) (8,339,705) (13,233,426)
4.) Who needs glasses anyway?
DHS control - adjust contract services to delay COLA start date to July 1, 2010. (Does not apply to administrative budget items.)
(11,360,313) (1,051,356) (17,637,728) (30,049,397)
Restructure and Reduce Employed Persons with Disabilities (EPD) Program - Originally in 1999 was designed as a program for in-home clients who need some supports to enable them to be employed outside the home. Currently, 912 clients, of which half are DD, are served by a "sheltered employment" program. Policy discussion on continuation and purpose of this
program. 21 month implementation for the reduction.
(3,093,052) (3,862,740) (6,955,792)
5.) Sheltered Employment also includes day programs. If these go under, chances are that Group Homes and Foster Care will need to hire additional staff. Think the state will go along with that idea?
Reduction of General Fund to DD Housing Fund in Base Budget - The GF provides funding to the DD Housing Fund each biennium. Currently the Housing fund Base Budget is $9.7 million. An adjustment to recognize and additional $2.4 million in prior fund balance and interest will increase the Base Budget to $12 million in the Fall 08 Rebalance. The program has not indicated a strong plan to expend the $9.7 in current reserves and maintenance resources. GF support for the program can be reduced.
(2,500,000) (2,500,000)
6.) Who needs a place to live anyway?
Institution- SOCP - Program Support Hiring Freeze- Implement a hiriing freeze for the 2009-2011 biennium except for critical need and direct care staff positions in the SPD SOCP budget. Assumes 1% savings salary costs of $89.0 million TF, for estimated savings of $0.8 million TF. This is a one time savings for 6 month savings starting 7/1/09.
(78,144) (128,612) (206,757)
DD Service Element 45- A 24 month program reduction to a limited number of clients in Nursing Facilities who receive Nursing Facilities Specialized Services- 25 hours of employment or alternatives to employment, currently 100% General Funded services offered but not mandated in the DD program. Clients who receive this services can be better served in a community based setting. Places CAP at 15 clients@$719/mo.
(444,769) (444,769
7.) 15 clients, huh? What about the other 2 or 3 hundred living in Nursing Facilities?
Reduce Children In-home Intensive Services Medically Fragile Unit Budget - This reduction would reduce the budget for the MFP and recognize 1/3 of these children have private pay-in. Both in 2005-07and 2007-09 the State Plan includes services to both SPD and CAF children. These children require specialized nursing care due to being on vents. Parental income is not considered for financial eligibility for this population.
(1,861,888) (3,272,301) (5,134,188)
8.) Who needs to breathe anyway?
Restructure and reduce Special Projects DD Service Element 57- This is a 48.72% reduction in the Community Training budget portion of this service element which provides training to DD community providers.
(1,227,200) (772,800) (2,000,000
9.) This comes on the heels of the Governor saying “any level of abuse is unacceptable”. How are the providers going to be trained around abuse?
Reduction of Comp 300 Clients in Base Budget(EBL 50-040-05) - Reduce by 50% projection assumption of 130 clients entering DD Comprehensive services. Postpones final roll out of Staley Agreement by deferring 65 clients to 2011-13. A total of 130 people were projected, this will assume services for 65 people who will enter Comprehensive Services without having to go through Crisis Diversion (will not have to reach the Crisis level) before DD Comprehensive Services are offered. Removes administrative cost for CDDP caseload and services for 65 clients in EBL base budget.
(4,469,147) (6,946,411) (11,415,558)
10.) There is a lawsuit agreement that will need to be addressed here. Comp 300 was supposed to be completed by 2007. The agreement was already renegotiated once in 2004.
Reduction of DD Brokerage Support Services in Base Budget (EBL 50-040-06) - One of the final program requirements of the Staley Re-Settlement Agreement requires the DD program to provide services within 90 days (eliminating wait list). The Base Budget assumes opening to two new Brokerages in Oregon in 2009-11, each serving 700 potential new clients thus increasing Brokerage capacity by 1,400. This reduction assumes only opening one new Brokerage serving 700 clients and deferral of second Brokerage until 2011-2013. Current Brokerage capacity of 5,800 slots is at approximately 76% capacity, serving 4,700. Removes administrative cost of one brokerage development and services for 700 clients in EBL base budget. Should capacity need to be increased, SPD would bring the caseload driven issue to a Rebalance.
(6,115,070) (3,082,822) (9,197,892)
11.) Brokerages provide case management services to people with developmental disabilities. Many of those waiting for help have been waiting for 30 or 40 years. All Brokerages were also expected to be set up by 2007.
Restructure and reduce In-home Services and Family Support GF program in DD -35.17% reduction of In-home Services and Family Support Program.
(6,000,000) (6,000,000)
12.) Families will lose some seriously needed money here. That’s how the state treats you when you care for a disabled loved one at home.
Are we going to stand by and watch all this happen? Are we?
TOTAL 10% PROPOSED DHS REDUCTIONS
STATE FUNDS
(General & Lottery) OTHER FUNDS Federal Funds (Limited) Total
(413,504,241) (9,812,976) (458,107,783) (881,425,000)
SPD (Mostly) Cuts Culled from the Whole DHS 10% Cut List.
Biggest Provider Concern Is the COLA Delay Proposals
Note: Funds are listed as State Funds, Other Funds, Federal Funds and Total Funds. Often there’s not an Other category, so if you see only 3, assume that #2 is Federal. If there’s only two amts, assume GF and TF.
Delay COLA increases within DHS control - COLA
Additional 6 month delay COLA increases within increases for program service provider contracts would be delayed to start January 2010 rather than July 2009.
(11,360,313) (1,051,356) (17,637,728) (30,049,397
1.) These are the people who work to provide the assistance folks need in the community. As it is, they make between $8.50 and 10.00 per hour.
Cut Supported Employment - SE 38. Cut Supported Employment Services to 280 people with Mental Illness per year. Loss of these services means that people with mental illness won’t be able to find jobs, learn the skills needed to get and keep jobs. Without the benefits of work some will have trouble managing their illness and may require more intensive levels of care including state hospital services. This cut jeopardizes the MH Block Grant MOE requirements. (1,000,000) (1,000,000)
2.)Without Supported Employment, folks will be living on around $650 per month unless they have a work history to draw from.
Eliminate remaining dental for OHP Plus adults, except pregnant women. This reduction option would eliminate all dental services for non-pregnant adults, ages 21 and older who are covered under the OHP Plus and Standard Benefit packages.
(22,862,032) (38,960,662) (61,822,694)
3.) It’s a well known fact that people with disabilities (who qualify for OHP Plus) have a history of some very serious dental problems. They will pay for this out of pocket?
Limit OHP Plus adult vision services. This reduction option would eliminate routine vision coverage for all OHP Plus non-pregnant adults, age21 and older. Only a very limited number of clients in this group would qualify for vision overage due to medically necessary diagnoses to restore vision due to surgical removal or congenital absence of the natural lens. The reimbursements for this limited number of clients eligible for exams and vision products would be very small.
(4,893,721) (8,339,705) (13,233,426)
4.) Who needs glasses anyway?
DHS control - adjust contract services to delay COLA start date to July 1, 2010. (Does not apply to administrative budget items.)
(11,360,313) (1,051,356) (17,637,728) (30,049,397)
Restructure and Reduce Employed Persons with Disabilities (EPD) Program - Originally in 1999 was designed as a program for in-home clients who need some supports to enable them to be employed outside the home. Currently, 912 clients, of which half are DD, are served by a "sheltered employment" program. Policy discussion on continuation and purpose of this
program. 21 month implementation for the reduction.
(3,093,052) (3,862,740) (6,955,792)
5.) Sheltered Employment also includes day programs. If these go under, chances are that Group Homes and Foster Care will need to hire additional staff. Think the state will go along with that idea?
Reduction of General Fund to DD Housing Fund in Base Budget - The GF provides funding to the DD Housing Fund each biennium. Currently the Housing fund Base Budget is $9.7 million. An adjustment to recognize and additional $2.4 million in prior fund balance and interest will increase the Base Budget to $12 million in the Fall 08 Rebalance. The program has not indicated a strong plan to expend the $9.7 in current reserves and maintenance resources. GF support for the program can be reduced.
(2,500,000) (2,500,000)
6.) Who needs a place to live anyway?
Institution- SOCP - Program Support Hiring Freeze- Implement a hiriing freeze for the 2009-2011 biennium except for critical need and direct care staff positions in the SPD SOCP budget. Assumes 1% savings salary costs of $89.0 million TF, for estimated savings of $0.8 million TF. This is a one time savings for 6 month savings starting 7/1/09.
(78,144) (128,612) (206,757)
DD Service Element 45- A 24 month program reduction to a limited number of clients in Nursing Facilities who receive Nursing Facilities Specialized Services- 25 hours of employment or alternatives to employment, currently 100% General Funded services offered but not mandated in the DD program. Clients who receive this services can be better served in a community based setting. Places CAP at 15 clients@$719/mo.
(444,769) (444,769
7.) 15 clients, huh? What about the other 2 or 3 hundred living in Nursing Facilities?
Reduce Children In-home Intensive Services Medically Fragile Unit Budget - This reduction would reduce the budget for the MFP and recognize 1/3 of these children have private pay-in. Both in 2005-07and 2007-09 the State Plan includes services to both SPD and CAF children. These children require specialized nursing care due to being on vents. Parental income is not considered for financial eligibility for this population.
(1,861,888) (3,272,301) (5,134,188)
8.) Who needs to breathe anyway?
Restructure and reduce Special Projects DD Service Element 57- This is a 48.72% reduction in the Community Training budget portion of this service element which provides training to DD community providers.
(1,227,200) (772,800) (2,000,000
9.) This comes on the heels of the Governor saying “any level of abuse is unacceptable”. How are the providers going to be trained around abuse?
Reduction of Comp 300 Clients in Base Budget(EBL 50-040-05) - Reduce by 50% projection assumption of 130 clients entering DD Comprehensive services. Postpones final roll out of Staley Agreement by deferring 65 clients to 2011-13. A total of 130 people were projected, this will assume services for 65 people who will enter Comprehensive Services without having to go through Crisis Diversion (will not have to reach the Crisis level) before DD Comprehensive Services are offered. Removes administrative cost for CDDP caseload and services for 65 clients in EBL base budget.
(4,469,147) (6,946,411) (11,415,558)
10.) There is a lawsuit agreement that will need to be addressed here. Comp 300 was supposed to be completed by 2007. The agreement was already renegotiated once in 2004.
Reduction of DD Brokerage Support Services in Base Budget (EBL 50-040-06) - One of the final program requirements of the Staley Re-Settlement Agreement requires the DD program to provide services within 90 days (eliminating wait list). The Base Budget assumes opening to two new Brokerages in Oregon in 2009-11, each serving 700 potential new clients thus increasing Brokerage capacity by 1,400. This reduction assumes only opening one new Brokerage serving 700 clients and deferral of second Brokerage until 2011-2013. Current Brokerage capacity of 5,800 slots is at approximately 76% capacity, serving 4,700. Removes administrative cost of one brokerage development and services for 700 clients in EBL base budget. Should capacity need to be increased, SPD would bring the caseload driven issue to a Rebalance.
(6,115,070) (3,082,822) (9,197,892)
11.) Brokerages provide case management services to people with developmental disabilities. Many of those waiting for help have been waiting for 30 or 40 years. All Brokerages were also expected to be set up by 2007.
Restructure and reduce In-home Services and Family Support GF program in DD -35.17% reduction of In-home Services and Family Support Program.
(6,000,000) (6,000,000)
12.) Families will lose some seriously needed money here. That’s how the state treats you when you care for a disabled loved one at home.
Are we going to stand by and watch all this happen? Are we?
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Finally... They Spot a Hate Crime
The US Department of Justice has come out with a new list of the hate crimes committed in Oregon in 2007, and guess what? If you thought I was going to say there were none committed against people with disabilities, you’re wrong. In fact, one hate crime was “committed” against a person with a disability in Portland in 2007. One? Yup, that’s it.
I suppose one prosecution is better than none, which has been the case here for the previous three years. And I understand that hate crimes are hard to prove, but it can be done. I hope that soon the police, prosecutors, and judges will be trained on how to pursue hate crime charges on behalf of people with disabilities. Until that happens, you can believe that crimes will continue to be committed against these human beings, with little consequence to the criminals.
Number of incidents per bias motivation
I suppose one prosecution is better than none, which has been the case here for the previous three years. And I understand that hate crimes are hard to prove, but it can be done. I hope that soon the police, prosecutors, and judges will be trained on how to pursue hate crime charges on behalf of people with disabilities. Until that happens, you can believe that crimes will continue to be committed against these human beings, with little consequence to the criminals.
Number of incidents per bias motivation
| Race | Religion | Sexual orientation | Ethnicity | Disability | ||
| Total | 77 | 28 | 37 | 27 | 1 | |
| Cities | 67 | 20 | 34 | 24 | 1 | |
| Albany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ashland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Beaverton | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Bend | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Boardman | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Canby | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Corvallis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Eagle Point | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Grants Pass | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hermiston | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Keizer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| La Grande | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Lincoln City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Medford | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Newberg-Dundee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Newport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Portland | 20 | 11 | 22 | 9 | 1 | |
| Redmond | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rogue River | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Roseburg | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Salem | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Seaside | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Silverton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Springfield | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Stayton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tigard | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tillamook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Woodburn | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Counties | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| Benton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Clackamas | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Deschutes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jackson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lane | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Marion | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Yamhill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Douglas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lincoln | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tillamook | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Umatilla | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| State Police Agencies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| State Police, Washington County | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
