Starting in 2008, Lott Industries of Maumee will have to lay off 300 workers with disabilities who worked for the Maumee Stamping Plant. Since 1981, the workers have "put clips on plastic wheel wells for the Ford F-series pickups and other vehicles" as part of the Ford Motor family.
The layoffs are part of the ripple effect of Ford Motor Company closing their Toledo plant. This will reduce the funding for Lott Industries from $6 million to $1.5 million. Either other work will have to be found for a third of its disabled workforce - who have achieved various quality distinctions favored in the auto industry - or staff will have to come up with other activities, said Jeff Holland, business manager and chief executive for the company.
Friday, September 29, 2006
300 Workers With Disabilities To Lose Auto Industry Jobs
Thursday, September 28, 2006
DeWine Introduces Crime Victims With Disabilities Act
From the office of U.S. Senator Mike DeWine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ANDREW LANGWORTHY
SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 (202) 224-2315
DEWINE INTRODUCES CRIME VICTIMS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Bill Aims To Increase Investigation, Reporting And Prosecution Of Crimes Against People With Disabilities
U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) today introduced the Crime Victims With Disabilities Act, which would enhance cooperation and coordination between law enforcement and the state officials and programs which provide services and care to the disabled. The bill would build upon a successful training and coordination program operating in
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Legal Rights, Taft Reach Agreement in Martin Case
Remember the Hatfields and the McCoys? After a few generations of fighting, neither side could remember what started the fight...
The Governor and Ohio Legal Rights do not always have that degree of adversarial relationship, but at times it has been difficult to keep up with the twists and turns of the Martin case that was originally submitted in 1989. They reached a settlement agreement last week.
To keep things in pespective, I was a senior in college at Miami in 1989. Bob Taft was a Hamilton County Commissioner in 1989. It's been a while since this one got dropped on the court house steps.
The class-action lawsuit, filed in 1989 on behalf of Ohio’s mentally retarded and developmentally disabled adults, pushed the state to offer less-restrictive housing, as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Had the case gone to trial and the state been found in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Ohio could have been ordered to move people out of institutions more quickly and at a greater cost. Courts have ruled that states that fail to provide the least-restrictive housing options to those who are eligible to live outside institutions are guilty of discrimination.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Parents with Mental Retardation Sue To Regain Custody
Want a nice, easy one heading into the weekend?
Donald and Bertha Adkins of Dennison are suing to regain custody of their son, 11-year old Donald, Jr. And the case went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court.
The real issue in this case is the fact that both Donald and Bertha Adkins have mental retardation, and their attorneys feel that this fact alone is the basis of Tuscarawas County denying them custody of their son.
Donald, Jr. was removed from the home after an investigation was started at the request of Bertha Adkins; Donald was being overly physical toward his parents.
The county set the Adkins' up with group parenting-skills classes, but terminated them after it was determined that the Adkins' needed one-on-one interventions. But before those classes were set up, the county moved to gain permanent custody of the child.
Mr. and Mrs. Adkins are suing, stating they should have had the opportunity to go through the individualized classes before losing custody.
I agree. If that is the recommendation, then they should have been afforded that chance.
David Haverfield, the attorney for the county Job and Family Services office, said the agency’s efforts to teach the Adkinses parenting skills didn’t work, and it was in the best interest of the child that he be removed from their care.
A Vote for Voting by the Blind
Congratulations to Debbie Cook of the Washington (State) Assistive Technology Act Program. She has an op/ed piece in the Seattle Times where she describes the satisfaction of voting on election day, in a polling place, without the assistance of anyone else.
Without these types of machines it is often necessary for people with disabilities to vote absentee or have the assistance of someone in the booth, where they have to share their political choices with someone else in order to participate.
There are people who do not want the new electronic voting equipment implemented. They say it's because the machines do not provide access for all people with disabilities and cite some good examples. It's probably worth noting, though, that most of those who object to implementing the equipment are not people with disabilities.
Phones For Life Helping People With Disabilities, The Elderly
Phones for Life is a non-profit organization that "provides free cell phones to seniors and the disabled to dial for emergency help."
The organization takes donated Blackberries and cell phones and modifies them so they can reach emergency personnel with the touch of one button. They also load 100 "anytime minutes" so that people with disabilities can reach out to emergency contacts in a time of need.
Good idea.
If you would like to donate your old phone to this worthy cause in Ohio or northern Kentucky, please contact Phones for Life at the following:
Tubbs-Jones Comes Out Against Voter ID Requirement
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Democratic congresswoman from Cleveland, has come out against HB 4844, the Voter ID Act of 2006.
The Act, according to Yahoo! News, requires the following:
1) Starting in 2008, voters would have to present a government-issued photo ID, or send in a copy when voting absentee or by mail, before getting a ballot; 2) Starting in 2010, the ID would also have to show proof of U.S. citizenship. This would likely mean either a U.S. passport or the "REAL ID" card, which has yet to be implemented.
Tubbs Jones released the following statement:
"It is a shame that this Congress who just months earlier joined together in a bipartisan effort to renew the Voting Rights Act would now propose such a divisive piece of legislation that has the potential to disenfranchise millions of Americans," stated Rep. Tubbs Jones.Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Denny Hastert, had this to say about the bill:"This bill amounts to nothing more than a new age poll tax that will disproportionately effect the elderly, people with disabilities, rural voters, students, racial and ethnic minorities, the homeless, low-income people. No citizen should have to pay money to vote.
"Every election cycle we hear stories of voter fraud and stories of non-citizens voting in our elections. That is why the Voter ID Act is the common sense step towards bringing integrity to our elections. This bill builds on the REAL ID Act, and it follows the recommendation of the bipartisan Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform. The Voter ID Act will require voters to present a photo ID in the 2008 federal elections. Effective 2010, voters will be required to provide a photo ID that could not have been obtained without proof of U.S. citizenship.
Buy-In Makes It To the Weeklies
I found that the Columbus-based This Week newspaper has printed an article about the newly introduced Medicaid Buy-In bill. The more exposure this important bill can get, the better. (State Representative Jon) Peterson said the current system has poor incentives and should be modified. "Here we have a group of Ohioans who really want to work and Ohio's system is telling them no," he said. "It is time we changed that system. This proposal helps break down a barrier (to working)."
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
ADA Lawsuits Showing Up In Northeast Ohio
This is an age-old question in the disability world... (Well, if you define "age-old" as anything since the summer of 1990).
Is filing lawsuits and against businesses, hotels, and restaurants who are not compliance with the ADA the best way to bring businesses, hotels, and restaurants into compliance with the ADA?
An article in today's Toledo Blade looks at this issue. Michael Miles, who works at the Ability Center in Toledo, has filed numerous lawsuits across the state against hotels, restaurants and shopping centers for being out of compliance.
What frequently happens is that the business will offer a modest settlement and agree to make some changes, and the case goes away. For example...... a consent agreement reached in May with a Sandusky, Ohio motel revealed that $20,000 was paid to Mr. Miles' attorneys, Lawrence Fuller and Owen B. Dunn, Jr., as part of a settlement to resolve ADA issues.
Mr. Miles, however, feels that this is the only way to get local businesses to act: "Honestly, if you went to some of the hotels that I have stayed at, it ends up being a waste of time and money. I have been to hotels that don't have ramps or handicapped parking spaces,'' he said. "Do you think that businesses will spend money to put in ramps and restrooms that are fully accessible without somebody complaining?''
And that is the point. Complaining, yes. But I think the better solution would be to first approach the business and try to work with them on ways to be more accessible -- with the understanding that it is the law.
But filing a lawsuit? I'm not so sure.
We want businesses to be compliant because it makes good business sense, not because of the fear of a lawsuit. Some national experts agree. Janna Starr, director of disability rights at the Disability Policy Collaboration in Washington, said groups that join with attorneys in "drive-by'' litigation hurt legitimate disability groups.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Experts to Assess Whether McCarron Can Stand Trial
The court has appointed a mental health expert to examine Karen McCarron to help determine if she is competent to stand trial in the case of the death of her three-year old daughter Katie.
In a motion to suppress evidence, attorneys claim McCarron's statements weren't voluntary because of her physical, psychological, mental and emotional state. After allegedly killing her daughter, McCarron tried to overdose on Tylenol.
If she is deemed fit to stand trial, Hamm said earlier, there is a "high probability" that an insanity defense will be pursued.
McCarron is undergoing treatment at a mental-health facility in Springfield, where she has stayed since mid-June. She remains forbidden to contact anyone younger than 18, including her 2-year-old daughter, Emily, and is required to wear an electronic monitoring device, except while she's receiving treatment at a confined facility.
Founder of Hattie Larlham Site Dies
Richard Larlham, founder of an institution that provides long-term care for children with developmental disabilities, passed away on Monday at the age of 95.
The Hattie Larlham Institution was founded in 1961 as a home for children with developmental disabilities who had no one to care for them. Ms. Larlham, who prior to 1961 had no connection to disability other than her work as a medical nurse, started the organization out of compassion for those who had no one. Together she and her husband build the institution into one that is recognized all over the world.
Just a few days ago the Foundation broke ground on a $14 million capital campaign to start the Hattie Larlham Center for Excellence.
Rest in peace.
Beacon Journal Comes Out In Favor of Buy-In
The momentum for Medicaid Buy-In in Ohio is gaining steam. The Akron Beacon-Journal today became the first major newspaper in the state to come out in favor of Senate Bill 369, establishing a Medicaid Buy-In program for the state of Ohio.
It was just on September 6th that represenatives of the DD Counci, including myself, met with the Editorial Board of the the ABJ about this and other issues. And today they came out with a strong editorial.
Many thanks to the Akron Beacon Journal and their Editorial Staff.
It is certain that many disabled people are unemployed not because they can't or don't want to work, but because of the hurdles they typically encounter in joining the work force.Amen.
Ohio cannot afford to waste individual potential. The proposed bill is a good start, tapping those now on the sidelines who have the ability to contribute.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
LEAP's 25th Anniversary Celebration Set For September 15
For those folks in Cleveland and northeast Ohio...
Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential (LEAP) is celebrating its 25th anniversary tomorrow night.
The "Celebrate, Educate, Donate" program is a live and silent art auction, featuring artists with disabilities. The honorary chairman is former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano.
Tickets are available at the door for $25.00 The event starts at 6:00 at the LaCentre in Westlake.
For more information, go to their website.
Medicaid Buy-In Bill Number Announced
The bill to implement a Medicaid Buy-In program in the state of Ohio is Senate Bill 369.
Call your state representative and state senator to urge them to vote for SB 369 this year.
Youngstown Decides To Have An Election
The Mahoning County Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing a long overdue payment of nearly $500,000 to a Nebraska company that makes ADA-compliant voting machines.
The bill had gone nearly two years without being paid, and the company had announced they were no longer going to do business with the county until with bill was covered. This (at least partially) threatened the election because the batteries in all of the voting machines were past their expiration date.
Man With CP Dies in Fire Set By His Own Mother
Perry Township - Mike Henry, a 25-year old man withe cerebral palsy, died in a housefire that was set by his own mother.
Lisa Henry was believed to be despondent over the recent death of her mother. She intentionally set the house on fire after calling her husband. She is believed to have been suicidal.
Husband John Henry rushed home to find his ranch-style house on fire. He pulled Lisa Henry from the house and returned to save his three grandchildren, one of whom is an infant, Perry Township Fire Capt. Mike King said.Fire crews arrived at the scene at 9:37 a.m. but couldn't save Mike Henry from the flames in his small bedroom, King said.
"When we got here, Mike was our priority," Perry Township Fire Capt. Mike King said. "The firefighters want to do what they can to save a person, and they did absolutely everything they could to get to Mike," he said.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Cincinnati to get "accessible treehouse"
I love DisneyWorld - nearly everything about it. I think it is one of the few magical places on earth. Every January my kids and I start plotting, planning and pleading with my wife to get her to agree to let us go there for one day out of our annual Florida trip each summer. By June, we've broken her down and victory is ours.
When I am at the Magic Kingdom, I always look around to see how Disney is doing making the park accessible for people with disabilities. For the most part, they do a great job.
There is one ride/attraction, however, that is wholly inaccessible: The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. (above). It's the world's largest treehouse, but it is comprised only of steps. No ramps, no lifts, no elevators. Steps.
Come to think of it, treehouses are one of the coolest things a kid could have, but they are completely inaccessible.
That's why it is great that Cincinnati is getting an accessible treehouse.
Michael Flannery, a television reporter, has raised $500,000 to fund the treehouse, and scores of volunteers to help build it. The treehouses come from Forever Young Treehouses, a Vermont-based company dedicated to building accessble treehouses. Their goal is to build an treehouse in every state by 2008. Eight down, forty-two to go.
At first, it was hard selling people here on the idea, Flannery said. They didn't seem to get it.
"Who's ever looked up at a treehouse and seen a kid in a wheelchair waving down at them?" Flannery said.
But when the idea clicked, the help flooded in. Builders and Bengals volunteered their hands. Major corporations and TV viewers opened their wallets. Construction companies kicked in footers and ramps. With the funding and help secured, organizers hope to have the house finished in the next two months.
9/11
Everywhere yesterday newspapers, TV, and the Internet were filled with 9/11 memorials - commemorating those who lost their lives and gave their lives five years ago.
I'm the chair of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council. I wanted to take a moment to remember one woman who lost her life that day.Colleen Laura Fraser, 51, Elizabeth, N.J., chairwoman, New Jersey Developmental Disabilities Council. She was born with a condition that made her legs grow deformed and had more than 30 painful operations to straighten them. She later drew on her experiences to become a leading advocate in New Jersey for people with disabilities. Fraser was the former chair and current vice-chairwoman of the New Jersey Developmental Disabilities Council when she died. “She had always been a strong voice for the proposition that people with disabilities should speak for themselves and not be spoken for,” said Ethan Ellis, director of the council.
The tragedy affected so many different types of people.
God bless this country.
"Circuit-Breaker" Homestead Exemption Legislation Introduced
Representative Peterson and Senator Goodman introduced a bill last month to raise the salary limits on people who would qualify for the "Homestead Exemption." This is a concept that caps the amount of property tax that people on fixed incomes would have to pay at 10%, depending upon their salary levels.
The old maximum income was $23,000; this new bill raises the level to about $50,000.
This purpose of this bill is to minimize the property tax burden on senior citizens and people wtih disabilities. It (hopefully) has the effect of removing an incentive for this subset of the population to vote against levies for local schools and county services, many of which rely on levies for funding.
And there is even a quote from me...
Stay tuned.Disability advocates support the bill -- but would like to see one change.
"As far as how this would impact people with disabilities, we're very much for it, because it needs to be updated and we see that the new legislation includes the salary guidelines," said Bill Darling, chair of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and director of Assistive Technology of Ohio.
Darling said the one way he would improve the bill is to make sure that people with disabilities would be able to work and still qualify for the exemption if their incomes are low enough.
The definition the bill uses is "permanent and total disability," Darling said, "which, in my mind, means they can't work."
Ohio Has Medicaid Buy-In Bill!
I just returned from a press conference put on by Senator Steve Stivers and Representative Jon Peterson. They are introducing Medicaid Buy-In for the state of Ohio!
This is a day that has been YEARS in the making. It has been a lot of hard work - by groups in the disability community such as the DD Council, Governor's Council, SILC and OOTF. It also represents the hard work of individual advocates such as Bev Johnson, Doug DeVoe, Eric Rathburn, and others.
At the conference today, Stivers and Peterson spoke, along with Melissa Day. She is a former Ms. Wheelchair Ohio who is attending law school. She was injured in a diving accident when she was 16, and was afraid she wouldn't be able to live out her dreams of working in politics. She couldn't even take a job as a page with Senator Stivers due to the fact she would lose her Medicaid coverage.
Medicaid Buy-In will change all of that.
There will be so much more in the weeks and months to come. It may not pass this year, but today's action represents the first time Ohio has seen the introduction of a Buy-In bill.
Congrats to all. It is a great day for Ohioans with disabilities.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Mahoning Co. Won't Pay Bill for ADA-Compliant Voting Machines
OK - you may need a score card for this one.
Mahoning "bought" $450,000 worth of ADA-compliant voting machines in 2004 from Election Systems & Software, a Nebraska-based company. As yet, the company has not been paid by the county. So, as you might expect, the voting-machine company is refusing to do any more business with the county until they are paid. The problem is, many of the voting machines are past their battery dates and are in danger of not being operable come November 7. So, it's possible this could jeopardize the election.
County commissioners Anthony Traficanti and David Ludt refuse the pay the bill because county Auditor Michael Sciortino - a former elections official - has yet to write a $75,000 check to pay for the county's purchase of the Oakhill Renaissance Center.
What those two things have to do with each other, I have no idea. Except that apparently the Commissioners have concern about the purchase of Oakhill and are using the voting machine bill as leverage of some kind.
And the plot thickens ---
In anticipation of a huge voter turnout in the November 2004 election, something that occurred, Sciortino authorized the purchase of the 312 ADA-compliant machines.
At the time, the county had a verbal commitment from the Ohio secretary of state that money from the federal Help America Vote Act would pay for the machines, Sciortino said. That money was paid to the county earlier this year.
But the county used that money to pay a portion of a loan it borrowed in 2005 to keep operating after voters rejected county sales tax renewals, Sciortino said.
The elections board, Traficanti and Sciortino have asked county Prosecutor Paul J. Gains for a legal opinion on the voting machine payment issue.
A couple of things. First, I have no idea what the Oakhill Renaissance Center is, so I'm out on that argument.
Second - I would think it would have been smarter to ask for a legal opinion on spending HAVA money to keep your doors open before you spent it. But that's just me.
Third - elections are important, and people deserve to be paid for their work. So cut the check.
You can work out the Oakhill thing later. People - especially people with disabilities who now have accessible machines - deserve to have an election in Youngstown this year.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
"Mongoloid Mike" DJ Suspended in Canton
Q92 FM in Canton has suspended "Igor," the on-air personality responsible for the "Mongoloid Mike" contest, after disability advocates from across the country mounted a public-relations offensive against the station.
Steps are now in place to get Q92 involved with the disability community...
On Friday, Peterson met with members of the Stark County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Pat Fehlman, MRDD’s director of public information and community education, said Peterson has apologized profusely. Igor apologized for the segment on-air Wednesday night. The apology also is posted on Q92’s Web site.
“Without the people power that has developed over the past three days, I seriously doubt that we would have any resolve to the issue,” said Fehlman in an e-mail to those who flooded the station with complaints — singling out Gary Tonks of Arc of Ohio and Ron Klonowski of Arc of Stark County for their help. “Not all negative stories have positive outcomes like this one, and this one wouldn’t have ended this way without each and everyone of you and the many thousands of others from around the country who made their voices heard.”
Fehlman said Stark MRDD is now focused on working with the radio station to plan educational and awareness opportunities, possibly including public service announcements on acceptance of people with disabilities and other awareness events.
News Flash: People with Disabilities Don't Hate Life
According to a Canadian Study, people who were born prematurely, resulting in disability, had a very positive view of life - comparable to people without disabilities.
People in the study qualified if they were born between 1.1 pounds and 2.2 pounds. The study showed that 62% rated their life positively, compared to 72% of people with normal birth weight.
The findings were greeted with ``some skepticism and disbelief,'' the study points out. According to the naysayers, the positive responses had to be due to ``denial and self-deception.''That's beautiful. So, people with disabilities should fall into one of the following three categories.
A. People who are miserable.
B. People with disabilities who ARE indeed miserable, but are in denial about it; or
C. People who should be miserable, but aren't, due to the fact they are secretly deceiving themselves.
`Children born with impairments, such as those in our study, have never known life to be any different,'' the study said. ``They have adapted to their disabilities while growing up and perhaps made the necessary adjustments with less conscious effort.''Massoli, who is a nurse in Children's neurodevelopmental center, said the kids' focus isn't on their disabilities.
``They're kids,'' she said. ``They're resilient. They focus on what they can do and not on the things they can't do.''
Marcus' Birth Mother Suing Everybody
Donna Trevino, the biological mother of Marcus Fiesel, filed suit for $5 million for wrongful death.
Trevino is suing the Butler County Commissioners, Butler County Children's Services, the placement agency, Liz and David Carroll, and David Carroll's live-in girlfriend, Amy Baker.
"It's not about the money," attorney Kevin Hughes said Tuesday during a news conference outside his office. "It's about accountability. We do not want this to happen again."She states that she was working toward having Marcus reinstated with her.
In April, authorities removed three of Trevino's children — Michael, 10, Marcus, 3, and Peaches, 13 months — from her Middletown home after Marcus was found wandering the streets and police found "very bad living conditions." Marcus previously had fallen from a bedroom window, according to authorities.I'm not one who believes that Google is the great sociological measuring instrument of our time, but if you type in "It's not about the money," (in quotes) into Google, you get over 109,000 direct hits.
That's a lot of community-minded people.
Seneca County Celebrates 50 Years of Services to People With Disabilities
The Seneca County Opportunity Center, which started in the basement of a church in 1956, is celebrating 50 years of services to county residents with disabilities.
Lewis Hurst, superintendent of the center, said parents in the past had two choices. They could put their children in state institutions or receive no home services.
“Families got together and fought for services,” he said.
Well done.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Park For All Kids To Be Named For Marcus Fiesel
This is community action at its best. The Beech Acres Park on Beechmont Avenue in Cincinnati is going to be updated and expanded, and will be named in honor of Marcus Fiesel.
700 WLW has been promoting it, and information about how to make a donation can be found at their website.
I know that donations can also be made at Fifth Third Banks in Cincinnati, although I didn't find anything about in on their corporate website.
They are looking to raise $400,000 to finish the playground. The Park District, however, has an interesting take on this effort...
(Duffy Beischel, an Anderson Park District commissioner) said the park district will not be involved in fundraising for the playground and will not encourage donations because it doesn't want to appear to be exploiting Marcus' death. "We don't want it to look like we're turning a very tragic event into a fund-raiser," he said.They may have to take that stance, and that's fine. I can see their point.
The Anderson Park District, which operates eight public parks, has been telling callers who wanted to do something to commemorate Marcus to donate money to the Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati or to the Beech Acres Parenting Center, an agency next to Beech Acres Park that counsels parents.
But I say let's build the kids a playground. I'm going to contribute.
