A Beautiful Day For a Protest

McDonalds Protest

I was there from 11am-1pm, and the camaraderie was great! There was about 50 people+ in chairs, and a lot of people honked in support. I will let you all know what the next act is.

Nick

James Thurber Quotes

Last night I dreamed of a small consolation enjoyed only by the blind: Nobody knows the trouble I've not seen!
-James Thurber

More James Thurber quotes here.

Tree Sitters

The oak tree grove is a beautiful place that should be cherished, not destroyed by the university in the name of building a new stadium. I think that the university and it's admins are not nearly as old as those trees are. The tree sitters are courageous people who should not be charged with a crime. The UC police should not hurt them in any way, and they should receive the proper food. Having been in many civil rights struggles over the years, I know how hard it is for those people to put aside their differences, and stay in those trees. Keeping the momentum going for over a year, and just barely staying alive says a lot to the perseverance of those people, the cause, and everything it stands for. There's not many of them, and there are too many of us not being involved. I long to sit in those trees, or when I am 80 years old, witness their growth, and bow down to their beauty. Let the trees stay, and let the people go free.

BCC Berkeley City Council

Tonight I went to the Berkeley City Council meeting, and it was pretty boring. The tribute to Dona Spring before the meeting and a mention by Kriss Worthington that there would be a life celebration on August 10th at the park seemed pretty cool. I will be on channel 28 sporadically over the next few days. Channel 28 is the East Bay local channel.

Today was a interesting day. It was filled with a myriad of adventure's and conversations.

Afghanistan

Are we still looking for Osama Bin Laden?

More Troops Going to Afghanistan

Remembering Council Member Dona Spring

Dona was an amazing person. Her leadership on the Berkeley City Council was valued to say the least. The disability community and Dona saw along the same lines on many different, complex issues that faced the city of Berkeley. I personally remember working with Dona on the second term of the City Emergency Service program for people with severe physical disabilities who required attendant care. When the council didn't know about a disability related issue, they would look to Dona for guidance, and advice. I remember her as charismatic, non-judgmental, very open minded, and very determined. Dona was an avid activist for disabled students, and community members. I really liked that she was for the warm pool here in Berkeley, and it's reconstruction, and I remember watching a live city council meeting online, and Dona said, "We need a warm pool now!"

Inside Bay Area article

Lyrics

Just a few of my thoughts for the day.
-------------------------------------

Moon Shadow
Cat Stevens

I'm being followed by a moon shadow
moon shadow-moon shadow
leaping and hopping on a moon shadow
moon shadow-moon shadow
and if I ever lose my hands
lose my plough, lose my land
oh, if I ever lose my hands
oh, if...
I won’t have to work no more
and if I ever lose my eyes
If my colours all run dry
yes, if I ever lose my eyes
oh if …
I won't have to cry no more.
yes, I'm being followed by a moon shadow
moon shadow - moon shadow
leaping and hopping on a moon shadow
moon shadow - moon shadow
and if I ever lose my legs
I won't moan and I won't beg
of (oh)* if I ever lose my legs
oh if...
I won't have to walk no more
And if I ever lose my mouth
all my teeth, north and south
yes, if I ever lose my mouth
oh if...
I won't have to talk...
Did it take long to find me
I ask the faithful light
Ooh did it take long to find me
And are you going to stay the night
I'm being followed by a moon shadow
moon shadow - moon shadow
leaping and hopping on a moon shadow
moon shadow - moon shadow
moon shadow - moon shadow
moon shadow - moon shadow

Tracy Chapman
Fast Car

You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I both can get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living
You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too you to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone
be someone
be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs

You got fast car
And I got a job that pays our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way

Tracy Chapman
Across the Lines

Across the lines
Who would dare to go
Under the bridge
Over the tracks
That separates whites from blacks

Choose sides
Or run for your life
Tonight the riots begin
On the back streets of America
They kill the dream of America

Little black girl gets assaulted
Ain't no reason why
Newspaper prints the story
And racist tempers fly
Next day it starts a riot
Knives and guns are drawn
Two black boys get killed
One white boy goes blind

Little black girl gets assaulted
Don't no one know her name
Lots of people hurt and angry
She's the one to blame

Boy Mows Lawns With CP

AT even works for youngsters!

Hospice and Sexuality

If the US could only learn...

A Word About Obama

Jesse Jackson said that Barack Obama was talking down to black males, but Obama has a good point: once you become a father, one should realize and take for responsibility for their child. They should pay child support, or be held accountable. I think Obama talks about real issues that affect real people. I know many single moms that fight really hard for child support. I also know many people who will do anything they can to get out of paying child support. They leave a job as soon as they're caught, and they have to pay. We owe it to our children to have fathers that are responsible and caring adults that make sure that they always can have food on their table, and clothes on their child as well as a roof over their head. I think Barack Obama would be more talking down if he said, "African American males should all get jobs and stop having kids."

As we all know, that's not a reality. Barack Obama speaks from reality, and the real question for our country is, "can we handle the truth?"

Here's the article.

DD and MH Taking Hits From Other Folks

(This is a post from Maggie Dee from the Berkeley Disabled list. Below it is my response.)

It is *very* troubling this singling out two parts of a very large cross
disabilities group...and meeting by meeting it is getting clearer and
clearer that there will be only two groups who are going to be served by
Olmstead!...and spending an entire meeting on this.

The so-called existing "allowance" is wholly inadequate! What is it now
$209? THAT is an insult to human beings! This amount of money might pay for
food if one is careful! I wonder how many people can live on a flat $50 a
week for food. I know I do but I cut EVERY corner possible and skip a meal
a day to do it.

Rents in the S.F. Bay Area **start** at $800 for a studio (S.F.) in the
*bad part of town* and most of those are not "accessible". $600!? What
about PG&E, water, garbage, telephone...not to mention food, clothing etc.
The SSI does not cover what is needed...so to make this possible we must
cut what? IHSS ancillaries? and other horrible cuts to give still MORE
money to folks with DD and MH issues!? What a gravy train they are
on!...Even they are demanding that "THEIR" programs not be cut!

So what it boils down to is a HORRIBLE US v Them! Nope, I will not play
that game! Any of us who are disabled regardless of how we are disabled
need basic human needs, we need our civil rights in tact...one canNOT feel
that one's civil rights are in tact when groups are fighting one another
for pots of money.

THEN, of all things, the "Boomers" are coming! Staggering numbers of people
will be knocking on program doors and we canNOT serve those already in the
programs!

Our people are sleeping in alleys, on top of vents in the street where
stinky heat comes to the street surface. People fight for these places.
Last year a partial quad was found with her feet and hands frozen! She was
not DD or not a person with MH...that is until she could not find housing
for 3.5 years! She crashed and burned. She lost both hands and a foot! God
knows if she has died by now. The poor soul was afraid to talk to anyone
when she was rolled into hospital in screaming pain!

I am going to have a *very* difficult time with this turn of events...a
WHOLE DAY on DD/MH! A WHOLE day on Us v Them! **WE** the collective "we"
can no longer be fighting for the shrinking dollar, we must pool our money,
spend it creatively not on one group or another!

Other than what the recent PAI/Laguna Honda lawsuit has been able to do,
setting so many units apart for those getting out of Laguna Honda or not
going into L.H. via the General Hospital diversion program (a one million
dollar fund!) the coalition lawsuit settlement established. I may not have
all the details but seems to me that someone was looking after at least a
few others who were not DD/MH or...maybe all folks being helped ARE DD/MH
diagnosis. Of course LH is one of the largest nursing homes in the nation;
the staff are paid incredibly huge sums of money to work there. The "new"
SEIU international prez wants to totally disrupt the way unions used to
work. Of course the union in S.F. has had something to say about this--but
just a matter of time before S.F. loses their ability to skirt the will of
the many.

So, as I understand it, there is no discussion of the state/federal money
that is dealing with all housing. This is like a few years ago when all
funding except one million dollars was to go into "senior housing". The
"other"/all other disabilities except folks with DD/MH status. All "other"
got a whole one million dollars for the entire **nation**!

Why are we setting up MORE silos! The DD community has been getting so much
money over the years and little remains. People on SSI who are not blind
deeply resent those on SSI who are "blind" and get so much more money! This
fighting among ourselves is so divisive!

I understand the funding streams are many and none available to "other
disabilities". Isn't it time that the "other disabilities"/cross
disabilities get some of the money. We have people on waiting lists for 7
to 10 years! Not folks who in the status of DD or MH...but the "other".

Gosh...a whole day! on DD and mental health!? And now there is a
clue/possible legislation that will make this all happen with the state's
unused land! I sat in on the Senate Floor a month or so ago and listened to
the Republicans and the Democrats debating what to do with this land...and
here it is, the land will be used for a few in our community!? I was
stunned to learn this as what I heard on the floor of the Senate would not
lead anyone to think that this land, or parts of it was an easily settled
matter! There was a huge distance between the Party lines! An now, it is
suggested that there will be 3 potential hospitals that will be used as a
"pilot" if legislation goes through...guess who for? Folks who already have
LOTS of money flowing into their various services! How demeaning to all of
us in the community...and to those of you who have to deal with all of this
awful mess!

I have heard that some states gives everyone a set amount of money and each
person has the right to choose the services that they specifically
need/want. While there is a tiny reserve for emergencies and only very
little--perhaps not enough to go around to very many people, sorta first
come/first serve. Does anyone have any "Best Practices" on this concept?

WOW! I have thrown so much your way. I have a hunch that his will be one
very LONG meeting with many feelings running high! Later...whew! Maggie

Maggie

--------------

Maggie,

People with DD and MH issues need these services and support just as much as people on IHSS. Your comment is hurtful and really intolerant.We can't help what our needs our and funding should be equal. Did you know in the DD world, Providers have not have a rate increase in over three years. Case manger's have case loads of over 80 clients a year and autism is coming in to the regional centers at 12 case per week. Clients in the DD community do not get access because of issue around behavior and other issue related to their condition. The DD community fights really hard on employment. We fight for advocacy and transportation, and are big supporters of bills that empower people with disabilities. It costs a lot of money for 24/7 care, speech therapy, PT/OT, meds, assistive technology, independent living, and day programs...we don't ask for what we get in life, and I think it is really unfair of you to be so biased. "Live on a gravy train?" Are you nuts? What about all the people that have MR, or autism? Shouldn't we all have the right to function in our society? I am really confused with you, Maggie. I thought you were for all disability rights: physical, DD, MH-aren't we all fighting for the same thing? Your words below are intolerable, and I expect a full apology, and some understanding of the DD and MH community before you are so quick to criticize. Was it Ed Roberts who said that everyone has a role in the disability rights movement? I am very disappointed. I look forward to your response.

"...other horrible cuts to give still MORE

money to folks with DD and MH issues!? What a gravy train they are
on!...Even they are demanding that "THEIR" programs not be cut!"

Nick

Today Was a Crazy Day

Today was crazy.

The woman who I hired did not show up for training, my office assistant was sick, one of my attendants got a wage garnishment, and I got two new clients. My money that I was supposed to get did not show up.

Later

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act - 1973

In 1993, I read a book called "No Pity," by Joseph Shapiro. It introduced me to a lot of ideas, and concepts behind the disability rights movement of the late 60's and 70's. One of the things that inspired me the most was Section 504, which mandates the all federal and state governments to include people with disabilities. HEW (now called DHS) got taken over for over 50 days by people with disabilities, and in the end, congress got it signed into law. Why is this such a powerful movement for me? Perhaps it's because I have a disability myself, but I think of it as a much bigger picture. A minority of a small group of people can change the world, and even make it better. Without Section 504, people with disabilities would be stuck in our world, and would not be able to be on the equal playing field when it came to programatic, and physical access. This law was exciting because it banned discrimination, which one can argue still exists today. Section 504 was on NPR recently, and a lot of my friends, coworkers, and other professionals that I know, have lived and died in the struggle to keep 504, and the ADA alive for future generations of folks with disabilities. I hope as you listen to the link below, that you reflect on the leaders in this country, and what is to come of the future of the disability rights movement.

I owe a great deal of my education, many different jobs that I have had, and for all the accommodations that I would not be entitled to if 504 had not been in place. 504 was enacting a great set of laws that only happened because all my disabled brothers and sisters, similar to other civil rights movements, refused to move from the federal building, and had the longest successful sit-in in history, to this day. Please listen to the link below, and think about what we can do together, and the awesome power of "people power."

504 Sit-in webcast

A Better Tomorrow

I hope that tomorrow will be brighter than today.


His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- The Simon Wiesenthal Center has strong evidence that a former SS member known as "Dr. Death" is in southern Chile or Argentina, a top Nazi hunter for the human rights organization said Tuesday.

Fire crews have been straining to cover 330 active California wildfires, many of which were ignited by a lightning storm more than two weeks ago. A heat wave forecast to linger in much of the state until the weekend is making the job all the more difficult. At least 23 homes and 25 other structures have been destroyed in the Big Sur area.

Monday, Monday

Today was a typical Monday. I had to tie up loose ends from the holiday weekend-and where did June go, anyway?

A Story that Tells it All.

Ok everyone, given that today is Sunday and a beautiful day, this story portrays awesome images in my mind of how what a diverse culture disability is but yet so normal.

>NPR.org, July 4, 2008 · The content of Seventeen magazine in Braille is
>exactly the same as Seventeen in English. There's no footnote breaking
>down what exactly is meant by Miley Cyrus' "look" nor extra explanation
>describing the makeover before-and-after images.
>
>This is perfectly fine with 14-year-old Kyra Sweeney of Santa Monica,
>Calif., who keeps a copy on her ultra-organized desk.
>
>"I get it for the articles," she explains, before acknowledging she's
>never come across a publication specifically for blind teens like herself.
>"I rely on my friends to tell me what to wear."
>
>A little over a week ago, Kyra had just finished her last day of eighth
>grade. But the academics were not over. On the following Saturday, she
>would compete in the competition to top all competitions for blind and
>visually impaired students: the Braille Challenge. Finalists from across
>the United States and Canada had worked their way through local and
>regional contests to make the cut. Lucky for her, it was to be held just
>across town at the Braille Institute of Los Angeles.
>
>The event is more intense in some ways than a spelling bee. Students
>compete in up to four categories — including the dreaded "speed and
>accuracy" test, which requires typing hundreds of words correctly in
>Braille. Dangling over Kyra's head were thousands of dollars in potential
>prizes plus the opportunity to add yet another gold star to her resume.
>
>Standing in her family's living room, Kyra recites a weekly schedule that
>reads like a newspaper's music section: lessons and recitals for choir,
>piano, flute, chamber orchestra. The week before, she spent her one "day
>off" performing for thousands at the Hollywood Bowl, alongside superstar
>flautist James Galway.
>
>"A lot of blind musicians have perfect pitch. I'm one of them, which is
>cool, I guess," she says and laughs.
>
>The bios of all the Braille Challenge participants — who range from
>first-graders to 12th-graders — are similarly impressive. Nine-year-old
>Cricket Bidleman was 4 when she was adopted from China. She learned
>English in a month, and Braille in three months. Nicole Torcolini, 18,
>created a computer program to make the periodic table of the elements
>accessible for the blind. And according to test proctors, last year, one
>participant was moonlighting for the FBI.
>
>"I liken it to Harvard's freshman class," says Dr. Stuart Wittenstein,
>superintendent of the California School for the Blind. "Most of these kids
>have never lost a competition." Consequently, Wittenstein often finds
>himself consoling parents. "It's often the first time that's happened, and
>we really have to talk about how the world is a tough place."
>
>Finding 'Normal'
>
>At the reception the night before the contest, however, conversations
>reveal that many of these kids are more concerned with appearing "normal"
>than "special." All but a few are the only blind student at their schools
>back home; being in the majority is a rare indulgence.
>
>"It's easier in some ways to be around blind kids than sighted kids," one
>girl confesses, "because you don't have to constantly prove yourself."
>
>This draws "yeahs" from four other girls, including Kyra and long-time pal
>Megan Bening of Minnesota, a vivacious, Diet Coke addicted blonde.
>
>Making friends at school is a struggle, Megan says, which is hard to
>believe, given that she keeps the people around her constantly laughing.
>
>The problem isn't that sighted kids are mean, she says matter-of-factly;
>it's that they are too nice. Paralyzed by political correctness, people
>often pretend that they haven't noticed she's blind, which adds a
>saccharine veneer to interaction.
>
>"It doesn't do any good to dance around the elephant in the room. It eats
>up too many brain cells," she advises.
>
>PC matters aside, Megan confesses that the main issue that has her nervous
>about starting ninth grade in the fall is her looks. Her "one honest
>friend" at school confessed to her that she doesn't have many "in"
>clothes: It's one of the first times she has come across a problem that
>she's not clear how to fix.
>
>Dirty Rumors
>
>Around the same time that Playboy in Braille temporarily went out of print
>in the 1980s, a nasty rumor began to circulate: Braille was going to die.
>It had nothing to with Hugh Hefner; rather, like radios and beepers, new
>technology was expected to undermine Braille's relevance. Blind and
>visually impaired individuals would soon carry around devices that could
>read and write for them, the thinking went, undermining the need for
>Braille.
>
>The rumors died down as it became apparent that technology and Braille are
>natural partners, according to Wittenstein, an outspoken advocate of
>Braille literacy. But questions about Braille's relevance lingered. In
>many ways, the National Braille Challenge represents an effort to refute
>those doubts.
>
>The contest is an opportunity for talented blind students to compete and
>get to know each other. But it's also a way to boost Braille's profile by
>tying its public image to achievement. Braille is used by only a small
>percentage of blind and visually impaired individuals, according to the
>stats.
>
>Sometimes, it's the parents who show reluctance to embrace Braille,
>Wittenstein says.
>
>"If you introduce your idea of Braille to them, it says, 'My child is
>blind, and maybe I have to start thinking of my child in a different
>way.'"
>
>Blind people are terrifying to the sighted world, says Wittenstein — who
>has full sight, but spends most of his time with blind students and
>friends — because they make people think, "If I lost my vision, how would
>I get around? How could I do my job?"
>
>For kids, however, he says the biggest obstacle is not the loss of vision
>— they find their own way of doing things — but the loss of the sighted
>world's expectations.
>
>The Competition
>
>The day of the competition, parents huddle in the hallways, straining to
>see their children through the windows in the doors of each testing room.
>One mother attempts to enter the classroom — perhaps to offer a final good
>luck squeeze — but is sternly asked to step back.
>
>At the signal of "go," the rapid click-clack-swoosh of Perkins Braillers
>takes over the building. It's a simple sort of typewriter, with a key for
>each of the six dots that make up the Braille code. Students rapidly type
>whatever the proctor or audio tape tells them. Five minutes in, pages
>covered in the raised bumps of the Braille code start streaming from the
>Braillers to the floor.
>
>Throughout the day, participants rotate through challenges that test some
>combination of spelling, reading comprehension, proofreading and
>graph-reading abilities.
>
>Although the atmosphere can be tense, the event lacks the cut-throat
>precision of the National Spelling Bee on ESPN. A girl runs out of paper
>during the speed-writing contest and taps her fingers impatiently as the
>moderator takes almost a minute — potentially costing her dozens of lost
>points — to offer her a new sheet.
>
>In another room, Cricket, last year's first-place winner in the youngest
>category, draws inquiries from confused room monitors.
>
>"Something is wrong with that girl," a sighted monitor tells the test
>proctor. "She's not typing."
>
>Another monitor inspects the situation and returns with an assessment:
>"No, she's just working so fast that you didn't see it."
>
>And the Winners Are …
>
>Good friends Kyra and Megan sit huddled together in the giant ballroom
>following a full day of competition.
>
>"We're hoping we split first place. We'll cut the PAC Mate in half," Kyra
>jokes, referring to the digital Braille computer system awarded to winners
>in each age group. The PAC Mate is a sort of digital Perkins laptop,
>complete with GPS, Internet hookup, and the ability to immediately
>translate between Braille and text.
>
>All eyes are on the pair as the announcer (actor Mark Hamill of Luke
>Skywalker fame) begins: "And the third-place winner in the Junior Varsity
>category is …. Kyra Sweeney." Kyra floats up to the stage. Megan does not
>place.
>
>Cricket, who at age 9 stands about half as tall as most of her
>competitors, takes second place in her age category. As she fields praise
>from her fans, her one hand keeps reading the ceremony program.
>
>How did it feel to win?
>
>"Normal," she says, matter-of-factly.

What an incredible true story!

The ups and downs of starting your own business.

When I started Dare To Dream Attendant Services in April of '05, I sat in a corner of the library for five hours and composed a business plan. After consulting with the SBA and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, It wasn't long before quality homecare when you need it most was not just my company tag line but it began to take over my life. A lot of what I have learned in business has come from trial and error and the field of homecare keeps growing and the knowledge that I need to know will never end. I could spend weeks and weeks going to conferences but I feel a much greater need to keep helping my clients and not get out of touch with the community.
I have decided recently that I want to get a house for people who are developmentally disabled and who want to transition intro community living. There is always a constant need to grow and find ways to help more people. We are also looking into medical benefits for our staff and building a really cool database. I would love to see investors who are interested in a socially responsible business that can truly grow and expand. I embarking on a letter-writing campaign and would love to get an investor to help in the purchase of a house and a van to assist folks who need transportation.
I hope that everyone had a good 4th of July yesterday!
Daretodreamattendantservices.com

Yearning for Summer Camp

It is always towards the end of June that I begin to miss Skylake Ranch Camp. This was not just a place for a kid to escape to, and learn and make friends, and all that stuff. For me, today, it has a much deeper meaning. When you are young and have a physical disability, you do not understand the slight actions of people not wanting to hang out with you. Skylake Ranch Camp (SRC) made me feel right at home.

There were never any questions about if I could or could not do something. It was always just "how can we include Nick?" And people would come up with very creative ways to help me to get to the top of a mountain. That is what three counselors allowed me to do. They literally carried my stroller up the 317 feet of steps and mist. I remember when my friends and I finally got to the top. All of a sudden, there was a great peace, and everyone became silent. We looked over the edge, and I remember seeing the whole valley. This was 22 years ago, and these memories are still vivid in my mind, and help me remember that I want to start a summer camp for all to enjoy!

Elliot's Birthday

My dog will be older than me (in dog years) on July 11th. He will be eleven, and his present will be his old girlfriend, Ellen, coming all the way from SF on the 17th to see him. For two and a half years they would spend a lot of time together, and he would be perched at the door, waiting for her arrival.