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September 2004
Gargoyle Awards : Announcing the 2004 Winners We now announce the advocates who have been selected for this year's Gargoyle Awards.
The raffle will include :
The invitations will arrive in mid-September. Please be sure to contact us about any needed accommodations as early as possible, but no later than October 1st. Please refrain from using scented products to accommodate people with chemical sensitivities. Call the office with any questions. See you there! 
The history of CDR's Gargoyle Awards.
Halting progress for the disabled By Albert R Hunt Even trite cliches occasionally are on the mark: today, for 53 million disabled Americans, the glass of life is both half-full and half-empty. A survey this summer by Harris Interactive of Americans with disabilities is disquieting: Only a little over one-third reported being employed, a much higher percentage than non-disabled say they face inadequate health care or transportation or are less likely to eat out or attend religious services, and a majority express dissatisfaction with their lives. The political progress of the '90s seems to have slowed and some large corporations, such as Wal-Mart, have abysmal records. Yet accessibility to transportation, education and even employment has improved around the country. Advocates for the disabled say slow progress is being made with small businesses and some large corporations, such as Microsoft, which has worked assiduously to make its software accessible, and Verizon, get high marks. This dichotomy springs from the promise of the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It doesn't surprise Andy Imparato, head of the American Association of People with Disabilities. "It's useful to think of the ADA in two phases," he notes. "One is bricks and mortar: transportation, budget and telecommunications all are essentially more accessible. These are very tangible ways in which the ADA has enabled more disabled people to participate in society. But the rest is attitudinal; we still have a long way to go with how people think. We need much more dialogue, public education and positive experiences." This underscores the stakes in this year's presidential race. The ADA was pushed and signed into law by George Herbert Walker Bush in 1990 — overriding the objections of his chief of staff; he is a hero to many with disabilities. His son inexplicably has shown little interest in the issue and through executive actions and judicial appointments threatens to roll back much of his father's top domestic legacy. That would be tragic. The ADA has made America a much better place. Just look around and notice how differently those with disabilities are treated compared with a decade ago. (I have two sons, one of whom is disabled; the other was a CNN intern at last month's Democratic convention; two of his fellow interns were deaf.) Politically, the picture is mixed. In Congress, support for the disabled crosses party lines. There is no more important champion than Ted Kennedy, and there are Republican supporters like John McCain, not surprisingly, but also staunch conservatives such as Congressmen Pete Sessions in the House and Orrin Hatch in the Senate. Yet the GOP-run House leadership recently blocked a bill to provide more health-care services for lower income families with disabled children because it wasn't financed with offsetting budget cuts, an issue it ignored when a big tax cut for special interests sailed through. Some of the most notable champions are on the local level, including America's most notable Democratic and Republican mayors — Chicago's Richard Daley and New York's Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Daley has vowed to make Chicago "the most accessible city in the nation." His Disabilities office is cabinet rank and no politician has worked more effectively with a sometimes skeptical business community than Rich Daley. There are 149 Chicago schools that are accessible today up from almost none when Mayor Daley took office. In New York, advocates say, Michael Bloomberg was that city's first mayor to really reach out to those with disabilities. He has increased the number of accessible taxicabs, made numerous buildings and sidewalks more accessible, and pushed career exploration and job-shadowing programs. But there are other state and local officials as bad as Messrs. Daley and Bloomberg are good. At the top of that list is the newly elected governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour. Facing a budget squeeze, the former Republican Party chair, and tobacco lobbyist, rejected measures like increasing the state's small cigarette tax and instead is slashing Medicaid benefits for poorer Mississippians. For thousands of disabled, this means a reduction in prescription drug benefits and access to necessary medical care and a loss of transportation services to those who need it. These cuts will be devastating for people like Traci Alsup, a 36-year-old Jackson, Miss., quadriplegic. She's scheduled to lose her prescription drug coverage, amounting to about $800 a month or just about what she gets from disability payments; she'd face additional expenses from any hospitalization and for her wheelchair. This would necessitate giving up her inexpensive apartment and having to move back into a nursing home: "I am full of anxiety and I'm depressed. This isn't right." In the presidential race, John Kerry hasn't said much — there was no mention in his Boston acceptance speech — and George W Bush has been a disaster. Cutbacks in health care and housing proposed by the White House disproportionately affect those with disabilities. Five years ago the government set a goal to dramatically increase the number of disabled federal employees; there are less today than when this president first took office. Tragically, he choked off promising research with embryonic stem cells that eventually could profoundly affect many disabilities. Mr Bush rarely uses the presidential bully pulpit for public dialogue or education. "This White House considers us a nuisance, too high maintenance," says one leading disabilities advocate. Bush judicial nominees, like Jeffrey Sutton and William Pryor, are openly hostile to the Americans with Disabilities Act, following the lead of Antonin Scalia; the Supreme Court justice, from the bench, refers to people with disabilities as "handicaps," and belittles the notion they have basic rights. The High Court has eroded some of the ADA and on 5-to-4 votes narrowly upheld other parts. Many legal analysts believe that with any vacancies filled by Scalia wannabes the court may well gut the act. If you're blind, deaf or in a wheelchair, the stakes on Nov. 2 are enormous. Source: The Wall Street Journal, 8/19/04. The new hanging chads One of the scandals of the last presidential election was the large number of voters who were denied the right to vote because of foul-ups in the election system, like errors in the voting rolls or problems in directing voters to their correct polling places. As a result, Congress required that this year, voters be allowed to fill out provisional ballots if their eligibility is in question, and that the validity of those ballots be determined later on. It was a crucial reform, but in many places the ballots aren't working out the way they are supposed to, because of poor procedures and overly technical regulations. If this year's election is close, there are likely to be furious battles over how these rules were applied. While there is still time, state and local officials should fix the provisional-voting problems. The nation's voting rolls are notoriously inaccurate. One study found that as many as six million votes were lost in the 2000 presidential election because of registration problems and that the use of provisional ballots nationwide could have cut the loss significantly. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 mandated that such ballots be given to every voter in a federal election who shows up at the polls but doesn't seem to be listed on the voting rolls. Unfortunately, Congress left local officials too much discretion in carrying out the law. In Chicago this March, 93 percent of the provisional ballots were thrown out, often for dubious reasons. One of the biggest problems is that some states are refusing to count provisional ballots cast in the wrong polling place. In Chicago, this rule voided more than 20 percent of the votes with provisional ballots. But when voters cannot locate their polling places, elections officials are often just as much to blame. This month, Claude Hawkins went to four Kansas City, Mo., polling sites, trying to vote, only to be told he was in the wrong place. No poll workers, however, could direct him to the right place. The Board of Elections phone lines were busy or not answered all day. At his fourth stop, Mr Hawkins cast a provisional ballot, which was disqualified — because he had voted at the wrong polling place. Mr Hawkins and other Missourians are challenging the wrong-polling-place rule in federal court. They rightly argue that it violates the Help America Vote Act, which says provisional ballots "shall be counted." They also argue, in an equal-protection claim, that in Missouri's 2002 election, African-Americans were significantly more likely than whites to have their provisional ballots thrown out. The judge has ordered Missouri to wait before certifying this month's primary results, and he has put the case on a fast track. This week, several unions filed a similar suit in Florida, which also disqualified provisional ballots cast at the wrong polling places. The wrong-precinct rule serves no legitimate purpose, and it denies eligible voters the right to vote. States should not wait for a court to tell them that rule is unacceptable. At the very least, election officials who intend to throw away ballots cast in the wrong locations must have a foolproof way of directing voters on Election Day to their correct polling places. Many more provisional ballots are disqualified because of errors in completing them. Some 2,400 of the 5,914 provisional ballots in Chicago this year went not counted because the accompanying affidavits were incompletely or wrongly filled out. Provisional ballots cannot be a literacy test, preventing all but the most sophisticated voters from casting valid votes. The ballots and affidavits should be simple and the instructions clear, and well-trained poll workers should be on hand to help voters complete them. When the time comes to count provisional ballots, highly technical rules should not be used to disenfranchise voters. Finally, and most basically, elections officials must have enough provisional ballots on hand. Since this is the first presidential election with mandatory provisional voting, and interest in this year's race is so high, they should err on the side of excess. In California's March primary, voters were turned away because polling places had run out of provisional ballots. Some voters had to make three trips before new ballots arrived. The guiding principle behind the Help America Vote Act's requirement for provisional ballots is that glitches in the election system should not keep eligible voters from voting. State and local elections officials must not handle provisional voting in a way that frustrates this core democratic ideal. Source:The New York Times, 8/19/04. Campaign hopes to turn out the homeless vote By Marian Smith WASHINGTON, Aug.13 — Having no home and no money should not exclude someone from voting, according to two national groups that are trying to register thousands of homeless people to vote in the presidential election. "The message that the poor and homeless are voting is part of a bigger strategy to get the issues of the poor heard," said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. On July 22, his group and the National Low Income Housing Coalition registered roughly 1,150 homeless people nationwide in a one-day drive in 16 states and the District of Columbia. They also worked with local shelters to train volunteers and educate communities about voting rights. They are hoping to register 25,000 poor and homeless people to vote in November. But the effort had smaller beginnings. Two residents of the Pine Street Inn, a shelter and service group in Boston, paired up with local election officials and a voting machine manufacturer to register shelter residents and other local homeless people. So far, the two men, Fred Atkinson and Jim Cronin, have registered more than 570 homeless people, including 170 on the one-day drive in July. Aimee Coolidge, a spokeswoman for the Pine Street Inn, said that 61 percent registered as Democrats, 31 percent as independents and fewer than 1 percent as Republicans. Kim Schaffer, communications director for the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said, "There is a lot of confusion around how or even whether someone who is homeless can register to vote." The Constitution does not require voters to own property or to have a permanent address, though some states require an address for registration purposes. To comply with these laws, many homeless people claim residency at soup kitchens, homeless shelters and even intersections or parks. While the National Low Income Housing Coalition has been involved in this project for a year, the National Coalition for the Homeless has been working to educate the homeless about voting since 1992. This national effort "provides the opportunity to make sure people understand how what happens in Congress affects people's daily lives," Ms Schaffer said. Michelle Maslov, social justice coordinator for So Others Might Eat, a Washington service group that has been working with local branches of CARE, an international humanitarian organization, said that many would-be registrants in Washington worried about their status as former felons. "In DC, if you are an ex-felon, as long as you are not in prison, you can register," she said. "A lot of people were happy to hear that." While thousands are registering to vote with this year's initiative, others registered before they became homeless. "I think it's great; in order to affect registration on homeless issues they have to have a voice, they have to vote," said James Davis, 47, who has been registered to vote in Maryland since 1979. Mr Davis said he was laid off by the Department of Defense, where he worked for 23 years, and has been homeless for several months. Now he is a vendor in downtown Washington for Street Sense, the newspaper produced by the National Coalition for the Homeless, and is involved in Faces, a program that sends former and current homeless people to discuss homelessness in colleges and religious organizations. "I know it could happen to anybody," said Mr Davis. Another Street Sense vendor, Jason Luke, 25, said he registered to vote at 18. He became homeless, he said, about three years ago. Mr Luke said he would vote for Senator John Kerry this year because "he seems to be more worried about us than anyone else." Mr Luke said he worked for several months as a car mechanic for daily wages after losing a job he held for three years at Jiffy Lube. "If you work eight hours of labor, I mean hard labor," he said, "you should get at least enough money to be housed and fed." Source: The New York Times, 8/15/04. Don't block my vote United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has recently launched www.DontBlockMyVote.org, a national campaign for equal access to the polls, to call on members of Congress to fully fund the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). By logging on to the web site, activists can send a free letter to their Members of Congress asking them to fully fund HAVA and provide all Americans equal access to the polls. Also, through a partnership with Rock The Vote, visitors to this web site can also use an online voter registration tool to register to vote. "Too many Americans with disabilities cannot exercise their constitutional right to vote — because polling places are inaccessible to those who use wheelchairs, voting machines are inaccessible to people who are blind or have limited use of their hands, and ballots are inaccessible to people with limited literacy skills," said UCP President and CEO Stephen Bennett. Despite initial efforts to correct problems that were widely publicized during the 2000 election, Congress has yet to back up HAVA with appropriate funding, effectively denying millions of Americans with disabilities equal access to the ballot. President Bush requested only $65 million for HAVA in his 2005 fiscal year budget, though HAVA authorizes $650 million. As of April 2004, only 18% of the total funds authorized by HAVA have been disbursed, according to the US Commission on Civil Rights. HAVA requires states to provide at least one accessible voting machine at each polling place. The legislation also sets aside funding for polling place accommodations, outreach programs, training for election officials, and technology research grants. "With more than 45 million eligible voters with disabilities in the United States, members of both parties ought to make voting accessibility a priority," added Stephen Bennett. "We implore Congress to fully fund the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to ensure all Americans can participate in the electoral process." 
www.dontblockmyvote.org
Source: Kristine Marigomen, UCP Coordinator. IL Disability Vote Project The Illinois centers for independent living, the State Independent Living Council, Equip For Equality, and the Council for Disability Rights have joined together to encourage people with disabilities, their families and advocates to get registered and vote on November 4. Many of the members of the project are working with the state and local election authorities to improve access to the polling places, as mandated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Anyone who is interested in any type of election activity — getting people registered, joining a phone bank to call members, becoming a deputy registrar, becoming an election judge, learning how to be a poll watcher — please call any of the members of the Project. We need everyone to volunteer an hour or two to make the disability vote a reality. Your help will be needed from now until Election Day. Call any of the agencies or your local election authority to get more information about what you can do to help. Please participate — get involved! As Justin Dart said, Get involved in politics as if your life depends on it, because it does! VA opens doors to voter registration & education Disability rights advocates hail voting rights victory (Palo Alto, CA) — Local officials last week agreed to allow advocates for people with disabilities to conduct voter registration and education activities at the VA Medical Center campus in Menlo Park, reversing an earlier position advocates believed to be discriminatory. "The VA's arbitrary position would have denied hundreds of veterans a crucial link to the democratic process," said Jennifer Mathis, a staff attorney at the Washington-based Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. "Eligible voters with mental or physical disabilities shouldn't be consigned to the margins of America's political culture-They deserve a voice." The VA Medical Center campus contains a 150-bed skilled nursing facility, a 125-bed nursing facility for older veterans with mental illness, a 50-bed facility for women with post-traumatic stress disorder, 62 psycho-social rehabilitation beds and a 100-bed domiciliary for homeless veterans. Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) — a California legal organization that represents people with disabilities — made anonymous investigatory calls and was informed by the VA that only the League of Women Voters was allowed to enter facilities to register residents to vote, and that residents with conservators would not be permitted to register, regardless of their competence. "The VA's stated position was over-broad and on the wrong side of the law," said Margaret Jakobson, of PAI. "A conservator can be appointed for many reasons-that doesn't mean that a person shouldn't be allowed to vote." Under federal and state law, P&A, Inc. has the authority to investigate rights violations and advocate for people with disabilities. Under the Help America Vote Act, the organization also has the responsibility to ensure full electoral participation — including registering to vote, casting a vote and accessing polling places-for individuals with disabilities. PAI and the Bazelon Center, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California and the ACLU's National Voting Rights Project, were prepared to go to court if PAI was not allowed entry to the facilities to register eligible voters and conduct voter education trainings. "This is a question of fairness," said Mathis. "People with disabilities who are eligible to vote-and especially those who are veterans-deserve access to the ballot." "We're glad the VA has opened its doors to allow us to help people participate in the political process," said Jakobson. "Limiting voter registration was just one more obstacle on the way to the ballot box for a group that has historically struggled for political representation." The Bazelon Center for Mental Health law is a national legal advocate for the rights of people with mental disabilities.
Bazelon
Bazelon Center Voting Issues
Register to Vote at Congress.org
Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI)
For more information, contact Christopher Burley, Bazelon Center, 202-467-5730 x133 (or Margaret Jakobson, PAI, 619-239-7861).
Source: Bazelon Center, 8/23/04. A housing plan in need of repair By Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of US HUD WASHINGTON — Section 8, the federal program created in 1975 to provide low-income families with the opportunity to rent safe and affordable housing in the private market, is broken. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a plan to fix it. If Congress passes the flexible voucher program we have proposed, President Bush and I are convinced that we can better serve the two million families who depend on Section 8 — and help even more Americans find affordable housing in the process. Over three decades, Section 8 has grown into an overly prescriptive and unwieldy program. It has separate rules for more than a dozen different types of housing vouchers, along with 120 pages of regulations. Costs have spiraled out of control, without a corresponding gain in benefits. Five years ago, Section 8 consumed 36 percent of HUD's budget; today, it absorbs more than half. In the past four years, the financing needed for the program has increased by 41 percent, to $20 billion a year. This growth rate is not sustainable, and it has already begun eating away at other essential HUD programs. In voting on the department's fiscal year 2005 budget last month, the House Appropriations Committee cut funds from almost every other department program in order to keep Section 8 going. Our HOME Investment Partnerships program, which gives states block grants to help people purchase, build and renovate homes, was cut by more than $85 million. President Bush's Samaritan Initiative, a vital part of the plan to end chronic homelessness by 2012, received no money at all. Neither did the Prisoner Re-entry program, an effort with the Labor and Justice Departments to help the 600,000 people who leave prison each year make the transition to society. In addition, HUD's supportive housing programs for the elderly and people with disabilities or AIDS were cut by a total of $56 million. And because that still wasn't enough to maintain Section 8, Congress even had to look beyond our budget and take money from the National Science Foundation. So, are the astronomical cost increases of Section 8 justified? Are higher percentages of people leaving the program and finding their own homes without government assistance? The answer to these questions is a resounding no. Here's the problem: under Section 8's current rulers, Washington provides money to local public housing authorities around the country for a precise number of units each year, without regard to the number of families that could benefit from the same amount of money if it was used more effectively. This doesn't make sense. If a housing authority is limited to providing a specific number of vouchers no matter how efficient it is with the financing, whet incentive does it have to control costs and serve more families? None. That's one reason the waiting lists are so long for Section 8 housing in many cities. Moreover, under the current rules, the dollar amount of vouchers for rental payments in every housing market is prescribed by a system known as " fair market rent." Based on imprecise government data, these figures rarely reflect true market value. Over the past few years, most rental markets have softened and vacancy rates are the highest in decades. Under our flexible voucher program, HUD would eliminate this requirement and provide each housing agency with a specific budget and would allow them to serve as many families as possible. How many more families could we serve? Consider this example from our own backyard: in the Washington ZIP code 20020, HUD provides 1,733 families with Section 8 vouchers to rent two-bedroom apartments. While the average rent for such units is $860, the average paid by the District of Columbia Public Housing Authority is $960. Under our proposal, the authority could pay the actual market rent and would save enough money to aid 200 additional low-income families in that Washington neighborhood alone. Imagine what such a change would mean nationwide. And Washington is on the low end of the scale — in other cities, the disparity in rents is far more egregious. There is another major change we would like to see. In 1998 Congress enacted a quota system that gives Section 8 vouchers almost exclusively to families making less than 30 percent of a given area's median income. This has had the unintended consequence of shutting the door for voucher assistance on men and women who are working hard and raise their income above the quota level, but remain too poor to afford a home. This is precisely the wrong message to send. The flexible voucher program, while still serving low-income families, would remove the quota system. Housing agencies would no longer have to discriminate against those moving up the economic ladder. Congress needs to realize that the failed policies of the past are becoming more expensive than our proposed solution would be, and it should bring our proposal to a vote when it returns from summer recess. Our program would be more effective, efficient and flexible than the current Section 8 — and, most important, it would better meet the needs of the low-income families who depend on it. Source: The New York Times, 8/30/04 In the richest country in the world... The hidden housing crisis By Elizabeth Schulte IF YOU ride the commuter train from Chicago 40 miles west to Aurora, Ill., you'll pass towns with small shops on tree-lined streets, lush woods, golf courses--and plenty of large single-family homes. But for working-class and poor people who live in Aurora--like more and more cities, large and small, across the country--there is a hidden housing emergency. With a population of about 143,000, Aurora has the kind of affordable housing crisis that is usually associated with larger cities like Chicago and New York City. Aurora was named the "City of Lights" in 1881 for being the first city in the world to light its streets with electricity. But the lights are dim in the hallways of Harbor Village public housing. Its residents are forced to endure all the humiliations--and dangers--of substandard public housing. In 2001, Harbor Village resident Tamika James' 2-month-old daughter Shamia died from respiratory syncytial virus, a condition that is the most common cause of bronchitis and pneumonia in babies. The cause of this tragic death soon became clear to residents--a mold that was growing on the walls and ceilings of the cold, damp apartments. Cynthia Ralls is an affordable-housing activist from the Aurora area and a founder of a grassroots coalition of residents called JUST Housing. She told Socialist Worker about one resident, who was undergoing breast cancer treatment while living in an apartment where the mold was growing unseen in her closet. "For an immune-compromised person, this is incredibly dangerous," Ralls said. Several residents complain of respiratory problems, skin rashes and infections. And if the conditions weren't bad enough, strict rules and restrictions required of public housing residents leave them unsure when they might find themselves thrown out on the streets. Mary Taylor had lived in Aurora Housing Authority's (AHA) Southwind apartment complex for more than 16 years. She was president of the first Tenant Council and worked closely with police and the AHA to make Southwind what she hoped could be a safe place to live. But that didn't stop her from being evicted after another resident made the outrageous claim that her son--12 years old at the time--"threw a bomb" at him. Under a federal zero-tolerance policy upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002, local housing authorities have the right to evict public housing tenants if anyone living with or visiting that tenant used drugs in or near their home. In Aurora, the policy was extended beyond drug use to include all violent crimes, whether actual or threatened. AHA claims that its so-called "zero-tolerance" policies have cut down on crime. But the only crime in the case of Taylor and her son was their eviction. "Considering my time in housing and as a resident who helped create a safe and positive environment and worked very closely with the Housing Authority for 16 years, to be totally overlooked and kicked to the curb without a hearing was outrageous," Taylor said. After eviction, housing choices vanish into thin air. Living with family or friends is a risky prospect if they also live in public housing, because they could be thrown out for offering you a place to stay. In Aurora, one "option" is the backyard of Hesed House--where, for almost 15 years, a "Tent City" has served as a shelter for homeless people in the summertime. This year, Tent City had to turn away about 95 people because there wasn't enough room. If George W. Bush gets his way, the crisis of affordable housing will get even worse. The Bush administration has announced that it is cutting back on Section 8 housing vouchers. With a Section 8 voucher, eligible residents pay 30 percent of their income in rent, and the federal government's Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department pays the rest. Bush's 2005 budget proposal is $1.6 billion below the amount needed to maintain the current level of assistance. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, some 250,000 households could lose vouchers. In addition, Bush wants to distribute voucher funding in block grants with fewer federal restrictions, meaning that individual states could increase the amount that residents pay--and tens of thousands more people could end up on the street. As Ralls puts it, "Bush's plan is to end homelessness in 10 years. I want to know exactly how he's going to achieve that with budget cuts to HUD housing. If anything, he's creating more homelessness. The budget cuts that are now coming down are going to make more people homeless--more families, more seniors, everyone. Change is going to have to come from the people themselves who live the problems." A war on affordable housing By Cindy Klumb In New York City, two successful housing programs are in jeopardy. A program called Project-Based Section 8 provides 83,000 affordable apartments for low-income tenants in the five boroughs. In these privately owned buildings, tenants pay 30 percent of their income and the rest of the rent is paid with a subsidy from HUD. Under another program, "Mitchell-Lama" landlords receive low-interest loans and tax breaks in return for an agreement to charge a modest rent. Both programs allow landlords to opt out at the end of 20 years. By the end of this year, 33,000 Project-Based Section 8 contracts on apartments are due to expire, and more than 55,000 Mitchell-Lama apartments are at risk. Project-Based Section 8 landlords can renew their contract through the "Mark Up to Market" program. To qualify, they must pass inspection, and their current contract must be below market rent for similar apartments in the area. If these landlords then agree to renew their contracts for at least five years, they can increase rent to the market rate. At West Village Houses, a 420-unit Mitchell-Lama development, the owner has promised to triple current rents. "Currently, the South Bronx is one of the poorest districts in the United States," Joyce Culler, of the group Mothers on the Move in the South Bronx, told Socialist Worker. "A lot of residents will be dislocated, breaking up families, or rendered homeless further burdening New York City's shelter system." As of April 2004, there were more than 39,000 homeless men, women and children sleeping each night in the New York City shelter system. Included in this number are 15,900 children and 13,200 adult family members. Even if you have a Section 8 voucher, this doesn't guarantee you a place to live. It's not uncommon for vouchers to go unused because a family simply can't find an apartment. Tenants living in troubled buildings, those with multiple violations, are especially at risk. Once HUD identifies a property as troubled, they may take enforcement actions. One option is to encourage the owner to pre-pay and opt out of the program. This is the worst-case scenario for tenants. It leaves the building in possession of the slumlord, without any federal oversight. Tenants in this situation face displacement since it's unlikely that their apartments will pass inspection. Another option is foreclosure. Despite federal laws that encourage tenant protection, community input and local control, most of these buildings are being sold at auction to the highest bidder. Purchasers can acquire the properties regardless of the number of outstanding code violations they may have on other properties or their level of experience owning and managing multiple-family units. Currently, 14 buildings are facing action and another 17,000 are at risk. Since HUD places no cap at these auctions, the final bids often are more than what the building could support financially as affordable housing. "HUD has had 20 years to devise a plan to keep housing stock affordable in this city and throughout the nation," Culler said. "Instead, in many cases, they have allowed landlords to mismanage the properties, pre-pay mortgages, opt out of the programs or sell those properties to new owners who have chosen not to stay in any subsidized housing program. This is a war against affordable housing, which in itself is a crime against humanity." A new bill called the Tenant Empowerment Act has been introduced in the New York City Council, which aims to protect tenants and give them the tools to protect their homes and keep them affordable. It's important for tenants caught in this situation to form strong tenant associations, if they don't already exist, to strengthen their ability to fight for their rights to remain in their apartments and the program. "The number one option of these tenants is to organize and join forces via tenant and block associations, and partnering with grassroots organizations," Culler said. "Workshops, public forums, meetings, demonstrations and dialogues with public officials can put pressure on these landlords and HUD/NYCHA to keep these apartments affordable." Source: The Socialist Worker, 8/20/04 From sterile to stylish: ADA-compliant bathroom products now target the majority of your customers By William Atkinson, Special to CONTRACTOR When one thinks of ADA compliant bathroom fixtures and accessories, the word "sterile" usually comes to mind. These days, however, stylish is replacing sterile. And it's not because companies are trying to market stylish fixtures exclusively to disabled people. Rather, they are targeting mainstream consumers of all ages with their ADA-compliant offerings and not even mentioning the fact that the products happen to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The strategy is working - so well that it may not be long before the majority of new-construction bathrooms are outfitted with ADA-compliant fixtures. Besides the marketing strategy involved in this trend, some local legislation is triggering the move. The city of Naperville, Ill., for example, passed a "visibility ordinance" in early 2002 to assist people with disabilities when they visit homes in the city, such as grandparents visiting their children or grandchildren's homes. The ordinance applies to all new home construction and requirements include minimum width openings on all first-floor doorframes, minimum heights for electrical receptacles and maximum heights for light switches. In the bathroom, the ordinance requires wall reinforcements in all first floor bathrooms (wood blocking installed in the wall framing) to support grab bars if they need to be installed. "These reinforcements must be installed on all walls that are adjacent to toilets, shower stalls and/or bathtubs," explains Dick Dublinski, development services team leader for the city. He is also aware of similar ordinances in Phoenix and a city in Texas. And since Naperville adopted the statute, Dublinski has received more than 50 e-mails from other communities interested in adopting similar legislation. New generations While manufacturers initially created special fixtures that were designed to be ADA-compliant, most are now expanding their lines to appeal to other generations, particularly baby boomers. Gary Uhl, director of design for American Standard, says his company has focused on accessibility for more than 10 years. "We realize that the baby boomers are aging," he says. "I'm one of them, and I find that few of us want to admit that we aren't as agile as we once were. Our research has found that if it is easier for someone with disabilities to use a product, it will also be easier for the population in general to use." Uhl recalls something a professor told him a few years ago: In reality, almost everyone in our society has some kind of disability. However, the only ones we notice are those that are easily visible, such as people in wheelchairs. "For example, people who wear glasses, hearing aids and various types of support worn under clothing usually aren't considered disabled, even though they are," Uhl points out. Understanding the value of reaching out to others beyond those who are obviously physically disabled and qualify under ADA guidelines, manufacturers also realize the importance of designing stylish ADA-compliant fixtures. "We have gone out of our way to make sure that the vast majority of our new products meet ADA requirements, but that they also retain style," Uhl says. "Just because a customer purchases something for accessibility doesn't mean it has to look sterile or generic." The company's research has found something very interesting: If it emphasizes to customers that a certain fixture has been designed for people with disabilities, even if it is stylish and functional for other people, most customers will walk away from it, not wanting to be identified with something aimed at disabled people. "As such, we design with disabilities in mind, but we market with style in mind, and we emphasize that style when we talk with customers," he notes, adding that the company's price book does use a wheelchair icon for products that are specifically designed for disabilities. "This is for architects or engineers who need to know if something is specifically ADA-compliant or not." Kohler Co. focuses on style as well. "We have increased our awareness of universal design for ADA-compliant products," says Diana Schrage, an interior designer with Kohler's Design Center. "We find that we can still meet ADA requirements with many of our traditional products, depending on the way the products are installed." For example, the company's Tea for Two tub meets ADA requirements with the addition of a 15-in. transfer seat at the head. Its comfort-height toilets also meet ADA requirements. "However, we market them simply as comfort-height toilets," she explains. Delta Faucet also pays attention to the style of its products. "Our newer products focus on good looks, but they are all ADA-compliant, even though we are not aiming them at the handicapped market," says Faye Adams, new product development manager. Product examples Here is a sampling of what some of the manufacturers are offering: American Standard has moved away from knobbed faucet handles, realizing that 5-lb. pull levers and crosses meet ADA requirements. This has worked out from the style standpoint too, Uhl says. With its single-control bathroom faucets, it installs hot-limit safety stops, allowing users to set the top temperatures. "This is for people who have slow reflex actions who may not be able to move their hands out of the way in time, and people with nerve-ending damage who may burn their hands without even realizing it," he says. The company also markets a series of toilets called "right height," which are easier for users to get on and off, he adds. American Standard tubs have a deck area where users can sit and swing their legs into the tub, rather than having to climb over to get in. All the company's sinks, whether undermount or pedestal, follow ADA requirements for knee clearance. American Standard also offers thermograb-static bath/shower valves. "Federal codes require pressure balance," he explains. "However, we believe thermostatic valves are better, because they maintain a temperature. Pressure balance valves don't account for temperature changes in the water coming to the faucet." Moen has had its ADA-compliant line, called Home Care, in existence for about six years, says Brian Grant, senior product manager. Products include an adjustable tub/shower chair and adjustable transfer bench with large, comfortable seat pans and contoured seat backs that snap into place to provide additional security. It can be customized with accessories, such as a pair of handles with textured areas to improve grasp and flared tops that allow people to use the palms of their hands to push up. Hansgrohe offers a thermostatic valve with a lever handle to make volume control easy. The scald control has a thermostatic cartridge. "If there is a cold water shutdown, the cartridge also shuts down the hot water," explains Lars Christensen, product manager. "The temperature control is also easily accessible and adjustable." For the company's luxury lines, the design sports a high-end, modern look from the designers Hansgrohe uses in Italy and France. Kohler offers the President's Tub with swinging door. Users can open the door, enter the tub, put a slip-down seat in the tub and close the door, Schrage explains. The gasket creates a seal. Despite the new designs that make fixtures ADA-compliant, installation takes place in virtually the same way as traditional fixtures, according to most manufacturers. Christensen notes that the base body of Hansgrohe's ADA products is the same as its other products and has the same screw-on installation. For Moen, Grant says, the only issue would be the correct placement of bars for the users' convenience and mobility. American Standard's ADA-compliant products are installed the same way as traditional items, Uhl says. He does add another caveat, though, that should be of concern to contractors: "Contractors do need to be aware of positioning of products within the bathroom, such as the width of passageways and placement of grab bars." Future faucets, fixtures While most manufacturers have already shifted from focusing only on the elderly and those with noticeable disabilities to embrace the needs of aging Baby Boomers, some see even wider opportunities opening up with all segments of the population, and for a number of reasons. "Our products are becoming more popular with older people in general," Grant says. "Most of them want to stay at home as long as they can, rather than moving into retirement homes or nursing homes. We realize that our products can help them stay at home and remain independent longer." And, despite the fact that baby boomers are aging, many still have a mental barrier about using these products, Grant says. "They don't want to admit that they can't function completely on their own anymore," he explains. "However, we are finding that as they become more familiar with these new products to take care of their parents, they are becoming more comfortable using them themselves." Moen is finding that its ADA-compliant products are gaining popularity with pregnant women and people recovering from sports injuries. In addition, younger parents are becoming interested in the products as a way for their children to be safer, such as when they are getting in and out of showers and tubs, Grant adds. Delta is seeing the multi-generational appeal of its products. Two years ago, for example, the company launched an electronic-flow faucet for residential use. The water is activated for 30 seconds when users place their hands under the faucet. The fixture has an adjustable temperature, as well as a high-temp limit stop. It comes with a battery pack that lasts five years, or it can be hard-wired. "The product not only appeals to the elderly, but we find that parents like it for their young children, who often have trouble using traditional faucets," Adams says. The implications for contractors should be obvious. As more and more people find ADA-compliant fixtures appealing, such products will begin to become mainstream. This opens up a whole new opportunity for contractors, Grant says. For example, plumbing contractors can make consumers aware of all the other products available that they may not know about, such as high-rise toilets and single handle levered faucets. "We are seeing a whole new group of contractors who specialize in accessibility issues, such as installing grab bars," Grant says. "While they are in the home, they realize that a lot of other opportunities can present themselves." Source: www.contractormag.com/ [William Atkinson, a free-lance writer, is a frequent contributor to CONTRACTOR.] "I am with you always. I love you. Lead on. Lead on." Dear Engaged Colleagues: Voices of Civil Rights Bus Tour posted three stories of our Houston leaders, Anthony Koosis, Kristen Jones and Peg Nosek written by Debra Utacia Krol of Phoenix, AZ. I think it will be helpful if enough of us write to Ms. Debra Utacia Krol, a Native American journalist, and congratulate and thank her for choosing "voices of disability rights." Please mail to Voices of Civil Rights, AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049 and/or send email. Cc to Mr. Wade Henderson at LCCR and Mr. Rick Bowers at AARP will help enhance our efforts further. The Bus Tour will travel around the country until October 11th, 2004. I hope our community will fully get involved in the broad civil rights movement. This is one of many good opportunities without us organizing it ourselves. Solidarity forever! Together, but only together united in love and truth, we shall free our people and we shall overcome. I love you! Leading on no matter what. Yoshiko Dart, August 29, 2004 Job fair promotes access to employment There are nearly 500,000 Illinois residents with disabilities who are unemployed. Across the US, only 30 percent of disabled adults of working age have jobs. The National Able Network is hosting a call to action on October 29th to provide a valuable link between employers and persons with disabilities by holding an employment fair at the Oak Lawn Hilton (Cicero Avenue at 94th Street in Oak Lawn) from 9 AM to 1 PM. The event is sponsored by the Cook County Board President's Office of Employment Training (POET) and coordinated with the National ABLE Network. Co-sponsors include NBC-5 Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times, and Star/Daily Southtown. For more information, contact Mary Anne McAndrew at 847/540.6000. Fragile X Seminar In cooperation with the National Fragile X Foundation and the William & Irene Beck Foundation, the Fragile X Resource Group of Greater Chicago will present a seminar at the Chicago Marriott Suites in Deerfield (Two Parkway North) on Saturday, October 23 from 8 AM to 5 PM. The seminar will cover educational and daily living strategies / for people affected by Fragile X Syndrome. Whether you are an educator, therapist, physician, or family member, you will gain valuable information. Deadline to register is October 14. For more information, send an email to or write Fragile X Resource Group, 800 Weidner Road #303, Buffalo Grove 60089. Legislative Intern: Progress Center for Independent Living Progress Center for Independent Living (PCIL) in Forest Park is offering a legislative internship beginning immediately and running through the end of November. You will learn how to make a difference in the legislative process, how to lobby and make your vote count, get first-hand knowledge of government policies straight from your local and state officials. The ten-week internship will cover how to become a self-advocate, how the legislative process works, how a bill becomes a law, and methods of communicating with your Legislators. PCIL is seeking anyone interested in advocacy on disability issues who will commit to attend all ten Tuesday sessions, starting Tuesday, September 28th through November 30th from 2 PM to 4 PM. Let them know if you will need an ASL interpreter or any other reasonable accommodation. In recognition of chemical sensitivities, PCIL is a scent-free zone; anyone wearing perfume or scented products will be asked to leave. For more information, please contact Larry at 708/209.1500 or 708/209.1826. PCIL is at 7521 Madison Street in Forest Park. Wheelchair Doctors A new and innovative wheelchair repair center has been opened that will provide high quality service to Chicago citizens with disabilities. It is located at the IL Center for Rehabilitation and Education-Roosevelt, 1950 W Roosevelt Road, Chicago 60607. For more information or an appointment, please call 877/563.8585. Combined charitable campaigns Community Shares of Illinois (of which CDR is a member) is in the charitable giving campaigns of Combined Federal Charities (CFC), State Employee Charitable Activity (SECA), Cook County, UIC, NEIU, CSU, and others. If you are an employee, please look for CDR in the campaign booklet and consider making a contribution to CDR. 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