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The latest news from your friendly folks at GCILRC.

Institutional Bias

From Adapt (7/7/09): For Immediate release:

Obama Administration Continues Institutional Bias in Healthcare ReformWashington, D.C.--- The nation’s largest grassroots disability rights organization, ADAPT, expressed outrage today at the Obama administration’s selective endorsement of one piece of proposed long term care legislation while refusing to support a companion measure aimed at=0 Aeliminating the institutional bias in Medicaid for aging or disabled lower income people that Obama, with strong support from over 80 national disability and aging organizations, co-sponsored as a Senator.July 6, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, sent a letter to Sen. Edward Kennedy, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, expressing President Obama’s support for Kennedy’s “CLASS Act,” which would allow middle class Americans to set aside money from their paychecks in anticipation of the expenses they will likely face for long-term services and supports as they age, or acquire a disability. After paying into the fund for at least 5 years, workers or their non-working spouses could draw on the fund for long-term services and assistance, either in a nursing home or in the community. Workers who wish could opt out of the program, an outcome more likely in tough economic times or in cases where low worker-wages barely cover individual or family survival expenses.

The Year of Community Living

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 22, 2009
President Obama Commemorates Anniversary of Olmstead and Announces New Initiatives to Assist Americans with Disabilities.

On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama today celebrated that anniversary and launched "The Year of Community Living," a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities.

Specifically, the President has directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. As part of this effort, later today, Secretaries Sebelius and Donovan will announce several new initiatives including details about increased numbers of Section 8 vouchers and enhanced interagency coordination to address this critical civil rights issue. The initiative also will include listening sessions conducted by HHS across the country to hear the voices and stories of Americans and to keep the President's pledge to be as open and transparent as possible.

NCIL Urges Members to Oppose Judge Andre Davis

judge-andre-davis NCIL is going on the record in opposition the nomination of Judge Andre Davis to Maryland’s Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. While NCIL does recognize and appreciate Judge Davis’ efforts on civil rights for other marginalized groups of people, NCIL cannot and will not support a nominee to the bench with as bad a record on Disability Employment decisions as Judge Davis.

Your Help is Needed! Look at the table below to see if your U.S. Senator is on the Judiciary Committee. The voice of the disability community needs to be heard loud and clear that we need judges who respect the laws of the land, including the ADA and the ADA Amendments Act. By calling your US Senator who is on the Judiciary Committee, you will make that voice heard.

OBAMA’S SPECIAL OLYMPICS JOKE

Source: Opinion Editorial by Eleanor Canter, Weekly Advocacy Monitor (WhAM!), Volume 7, Issue 7

Obama joke

The media is currently running wild with the rare opportunity to confront President Obama on his poor choice of words during last week’s appearance on Jay Leno. But is this a typical case of wording that demonstrates underlying bias? We often report on stories of discriminatory language in the WhAM! because language is important to our community and the advancement of our civil rights.

JERRY LEWIS RECIEVES HUMANITARIAN AWARD—WHY??

On February 22, 2009, Jerry Lewis received a humanitarian award from the motion picture academy for his philanthropy and his comedic acting. Jerry Lewis has been the rimary spokesmen for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, leading 43 Labor Day Telethon’s.
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