ADAPT Promises Pre-Election Surprises in D.C. to Get Community Choice Act Passed

Washington, D.C.---Over 500 ADAPT disability rights activists committed to getting the Community Choice Act passed during this Congress are coming to town September 13-18 to exert some pre-election pressure on policymakers. The Community Choice Act (S. 799, H.R. 1621) would allow people with disabilities and older Americans to choose to live in their own homes and communities instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions by the current institutional bias in the nation's Medicaid program.
"We are coming up on an election," said Chris Hilderbrant, ADAPT organizer from Rochester, New York, "and one of the two candidates for president, Sen. John McCain, has blatantly refused to endorse the Community Choice Act even though he says he supports community services. On the other hand, Sen. Obama and his running mate Sen. Biden have both signed on to this legislation. Maybe Sen. McCain needs some more convincing."
ADAPT will be in D.C. to confront a variety of policymakers and systems that continue to put up barriers to community living for disabled and older Americans. Home and community-based services, housing, transportation, hospital discharge planning, and managed care of long-term supports and services are all on ADAPT's list of possible targets.
ADAPT celebrated 25 years of activism in Washington, D.C. in April of this year, closing down both the Republican National Committee offices and Sen. McCain's office in the Russell Senate Building demanding that Sen. McCain, himself a person with a disability, sign on to the Community Choice Act.
"Not only does Sen. McCain have a disability himself, but he has an aging mother," said Randy Alexander, ADAPT organizer from Memphis, Tennessee. "You'd think he'd understand our issues, but maybe having all that money and all those homes puts him totally out of touch with the reality that older Americans and Americans with disabilities live everyday. Being able to live free in the community shouldn't only be available to the ultra-rich. Civil rights are not based on income!"
Since its inception in 1983, ADAPT has fought for the right of people with disabilities, old and young, to live in their own homes and communities. ADAPT efforts have resulted=2 0in a significant shift toward community of the Medicaid dollars formerly directed overwhelmingly to institutions. ADAPT has also been credited by former federal Medicaid officials with creation of the Money Follows the Person portion of the 2006 federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. ADAPT is the nation's largest cross-disability grassroots disability rights organization.
During the week of September 15, 2008, ADAPT will debut internet tools that will help the disability community across the country stay closely in touch with ADAPT action activities as they happen. ADAPT will widely publicize these tools as soon as they are available to the public.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
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