Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Remarks from the Denis Pratt ADA Awards

Yesterday marked the 20th Anniversary of the historic signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Here in Maine we marked the occasion in Bangor with the Denis Pratt ADA Awards presented by the Maine ADA Coalition and hosted by Husson University.

Founded in 2009 and led by Alpha One, Maine's Center for Independent Living, the Maine ADA Coalition is a group of non-profit organizations. The Coalition is involved in disability related information and services working together to create new opportunities for people with disabilities in Maine.

I was honored to be invited to speak at the event. Below is a copy of my remarks and an example of the press that followed.

Thank you for allowing me to celebrate today's historic occasion with you all.

As an Independent Living Specialist at Maine’s Center for Independent Living, as a Member of the Maine House of Representatives, and as someone with quadriplegia, I wish I could say that Maine leads the nation in accessibility... We don’t. In fact, we haven’t really surveyed accessibility in Maine on a large scale or formally. We’ve looked at pieces of the puzzle -- schools, public buildings, our court houses, parks, some businesses, places of public accommodation, our voting facilities -- all the things mandated under the ADA and other federal laws like HAVA (Help America Vote Act passed after the contested 2000 presidential vote). Denis Pratt -- who we remember today was involved in lots of this work.

Let me start with the good news part of this discussion. Our state government facilities have made the concerted effort to be accessible and they are to be commended in that regard. I have always found the public facilities in our Capitol complex to be fully accessible. The same is true for almost all the public facilities statewide. Although we’re not perfect, we’ve done a great job on the state and municipal government levels.

We’re winning that battle. And we are winning the battle with Maine businesses, too. Business people realize that access is good business. People with a disability are consumers, too. Good business is good business -- so the progress will continue.

But accessibility in Maine is a different story from that.

I can’t cite statistics -- and if I did it would be out of keeping with our celebration. Instead I want to share an experience which I am now repeating. Governor Baldacci can probably still remember his days as a member of the Maine Senate before he went on to serve with distinction in higher office -- both the US House of Representatives and the Blaine House -- and I am sure he remembers his many hours campaigning for the Maine Legislature.

Campaigning in Maine means “knocking on doors.” It means going door to door in the District, introducing yourself and asking people one on one to give you their vote. For elected officials, a vote is almost a sacred thing, and “the ask” is a great responsibility and a duty. I was struck by the weight of this duty two years ago when I made my first run for elected office, and I’m reminded of it every day as I campaign for re-election in November.

If knocking on doors is the essential task -- and it is -- what does that mean for me when the door is up a small flight of stairs?

From the perspective of a legislator -- and legislative candidate in a wheelchair Maine accessibility has a long way to go. Any person with a disability -- looking for an accessible place to live -- knows exactly what I am talking about. Any Maine family who is welcoming an elderly parent or a disabled family member into their home knows what I am talking about. Even one of my colleagues in the Legislature who had a skiing accident that left him temporarily with a mobility impair knows what I am talking about.

Having a disability is not a moral flaw or a mortal failure. It is not something that deserves discrimination or censure. My friends -- if you are lucky enough to live a very long life -- it is something you will most likely encounter. There is a point in a long life where we stop gaining facility and start losing it -- and that is unavoidable. If you live long enough -- you too will doubtless enter that category we call “people with a disability” because you need assistance with one or more activities of daily living.

In short -- we have a way to go -- especially when it comes to our homes. As I pointed out -- first things first -- but after 20 years, we should raise our expectations.

Alpha One has consistently helped people improve access. Sometimes we’ve done it with good technical assistance, sometimes with a key referral, and sometime with money to make an improvement. And we are making progress-- but we still have a long way to go. A good friend of mine is just finishing a 33 foot ramp that will allow me to get out of my car and roll up on his deck and the into his home. Great, but he talked about it for four years before he did it.

So today -- let’s celebrate the progress we’ve made. But let’s also be sure not to take our eyes off the ball. We’ve done a good job. We’ve made remarkable progress. We still have a long way to go. We need to keep working and this work will be generational in scope. I am glad we are here today and I especially want to thank Governor Baldacci for taking the time from his schedule to join us -- but let’s keep working. Making Maine the most accessible state in the nation sounds like a pretty good goal--and one worth pursuing.

Thank you again, and enjoy the celebration.

http://www.wabi.tv/news/13143/denis-pratt-ada-awards

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