I was one of nineteen Rochester ADAPT activists who went to Washington, D.C. last week to push for passage of the Community Choice Act. The hardships that the group endured to conduct the vigil were enough that I had to leave Thursday morning for the sake of my health, but eleven of our people stayed through the week’s end, along with activists from Philadelphia.

ADAPT broke camp on Friday afternoon, and took the “Free Our People” message to a White House event at which President Obama signed a resolution that the U.S. will join 140 nations in adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities.

ADAPT members, who were not invited to this landmark event, distributed Community Choice Act (CCA) buttons to the disability community guests entering the White House. I listened to President Obama’s remarks on C-Span, and tears of grief and frustration welled up in my eyes.

First the President spoke of Michelle Obama’s father:

I’m reminded today of my father-in-law — some of you have heard his story — Fraser Robinson. He was Michelle’s hero — when you talk to her about her dad even today she just lights up. He was a vibrant and athletic man who provided for his family as a shift worker at a water treatment plant in Chicago.

And in his early 30s, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And even as it progressed, even as he struggled to get dressed in the morning and used two canes to get himself to work every day, despite the fact that he had to wake up a little bit earlier and work a little harder to overcome the barriers he faced every day — he never complained. He never asked for special treatment. He just wanted to be given the opportunity to do right by his family. Never missed a day of work. Would have trouble buttoning his own shirts, but he would make sure that he woke up in time to do it.

And by the time I met him he would struggle with those two canes, but even if he had to go over a bumpy patch of grass to watch his son’s ball games or go up a flight of stairs so that he could see his daughter dance, he would do it. This was before the ADA passed. And I think about him all the time when I think about these issues.

I believe that I understand Mr. Robinson’s story. I was raised to believe that it was my responsibility to “overcome my disability,” not society’s responsibility to accommodate me. It was up to me to avoid inconveniencing others and to prove my abilities and worth “despite” my disability. President Obama praises his father-in-law for never complaining even though he had to work harder to overcome barriers. He holds up the “Overcomer” as a role model.

Not until I was almost 30 did I begin to meet people with disabilities, raised like me, who had shared their stories and recognized the disability oppression inherent in the demands we had internalized. The disability community showed me how to turn around and see my disability with pride and join our disability culture and movement. President Obama’s words of admiration for his father-in-law, words that must have sounded respectful to himself and to many, were a painful reminder that we are still expected to stay in our place and be grateful.

As I listened to the rest of the President’s remarks, I felt like I was in Alice in Wonderland, where someone doesn’t say what they mean or mean what they say:

…[L]ike all great movements, this one did not begin or end in Washington, D.C. … It began when people refused to accept a second-class status in America. It began when they not only refused to accept the way the world saw them, but also the way they had seen themselves.//And when quiet acts of persistence and perseverance were coupled with vocal acts of advocacy, a movement grew, and people marched and organized and testified.

He referred to history that I was part of. I was one of 104 people arrested in the U.S. Capitol rotunda in ADAPT actions leading directly to the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). It is worse than ironic that ADAPT was excluded from the White House event marking the 19th Anniversary of the ADA.

The President concluded his remarks at the ADA Anniversary/United Nations treaty event by talking about what he apparently views as progress in connection with disability rights:

… [E]ven as we extend our commitment to persons for — with disabilities around the world, we’re working to deepen that commitment here at home. We’ve lifted the ban on stem cell research. We’ve reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program, continuing coverage for 7 million children and covering an additional 4 million children in need, including children with disabilities. I was proud to sign the landmark Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation specifically aimed at addressing the challenges that are faced by Americans living with paralysis.

That’s all well and good, but I can’t help but compare it to signing the Voting Rights Act and then talking about expanding research addressing sickle cell anemia. There is a bit of a disconnect here.

Finally addressing the issue that took ADAPT to Washington, D.C. last week, the President said, “We’ve launched the ‘Year of Community Living’ to affirm the fundamental right of people with disabilities to live with dignity and respect wherever they choose.” Why is there only a “Year of Community Living”? The U.S.

Supreme Court says that “community living” is a civil right, that the ADA’s non-discrimination mandate applies to government funded long term care services and supports. Moreover, the Constitution limits the ability of the government to interfere with the right to liberty. Now the U.S. has adopted the U.N. Convention, including its Article 19 affirming the right to community living. How many laws do we need to make freedom a reality?

It is time for President Obama to move beyond the “overcomer” theory of disability. It is time for him to recognize that ADAPT is calling for justice on behalf of nearly 2 million people who have been denied the choice for community living. We will not stop until we Free Our People.

For a powerful response to last Friday’s speech, I would also like to recommend Josie Byzek’s New Mobility blog, Tremors of Intent, “Obama’s ADA Speech Bombs.”

http://www.newmobility.com/browse_thread.cfm?id=186&blogID=10