Should people with disabilities be focused on curing their condition, or be proud of their differences and work for accomodations for them? I’m somewhere in the middle in this age-old disability debate. I would definitely appreciate a cure because of all the suffering and lack of supports I’ve experienced, but I’ve mostly focused on supports … Continue reading “Removing Disability Vs. Removing Barriers”
…to “World Trade Center.” Yep, they are reclaiming the old name. Since I’ll soon be living near the WTC site, I felt obligated to blog about this. Personally, I don’t really care what they name it (“a rose by any other name…”) but I am interested in the outcry the change has precipitated, and am … Continue reading “Changing The Name Of The New World Trade Center…”
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is one the worst war criminals in recent history. His Janjaweed thugs have killed 300,000 people in Darfur, raped untold numbers, and caused over 2.5 million Darfuris to flee to perilous existences as refugees. Bashir makes Slobodan Milosovic (with an estimated 10,000 killed) look like small potatoes. Most recently, in response … Continue reading “Arab League Embraces Sudan’s Genocidal Dictator”
I’ve had an email and a few message board posts asking me “what the…” is going on with the economy. I’m not an economist (I was an English major) but I’m incredibly curious, and I read a lot. Here’s my take: A big part of this whole Wall Street collapse are something called “adjustable-rate mortgages” … Continue reading “What Went Wrong In The Economy”
From everything I see in the media, it looks grim, like we’re deep into a Great Recession. There are bread lines of sorts forming at food banks, and charities send 18-wheelers to small towns whose sole employers have closed shop. At the same time, states like Georgia have all but ended assistance to the poor … Continue reading “Observing The Economic Crisis First Hand”
Israeli scholar Rachel Elior has rocked the blogosphere with her allegation that The Essenes didn’t exist at all, and Josephus likely made them up to make Jews look tough to the Romans: Elior contends that Josephus, a former Jewish priest who wrote his history while being held captive in Rome, “wanted to explain to the … Continue reading “The Essenes: A Historical Hoax?”
Photo credit: Alejandra Ospina This failed sign says “STORAGF.” People don’t realize it’s broken (a fitting metaphor for this place). Inspired by FAIL BLOG
Today, March 24, the Community Choice Act was re-introduced in Congress by Senator Tom Harkin (D – Iowa) and Representative Danny Davis (D – Chicago)! It’s way past time for this legislation. Medicaid was passed in 1965, when medical technology was not advanced enough to allow severely disabled people to live at home, so institutionalization, … Continue reading “Community Choice Act (CCA) Re-introduced!!”
For people with severe disabilities like me, you’re paradoxically only as independent (defined here as self-directing, in control of your own daily existence) as the people you’re depending on enable you to be. As I wrote in my last post, if your caregivers are responsive and willing and able to support all your needs, your … Continue reading ““That’s Not My Job” (Angry Rant)”
Who is more disabled? The successful banker who happens to be quadriplegic, and gets up each weekday (with the help of assistants) and goes to work, contributing to the community and pulling down over $100,000 a year? Or the dude who still lives in his mom’s basement, who can do chin-ups, run and jump, but … Continue reading “Disability A “Social Construct?” Not If You Lack Supports”
Because Medicaid makes getting on home care waivers ridiculously complex and difficult, whereas institutionalization is easily funded, I ended up here, at a city rehab hospital while I wait for home care to be set up for me in Manhattan. This is my waiting period. Institutionalization, the most costly, elaborate and inconvenient option, is the … Continue reading “Lucky Unit 13 (Long Essay on Institutional Living)”
I used to be a big activist. I made a national splash fighting Alabama Medicaid’s arbitrary cut off at age 21 (NPR story here) in a campaign dubbed “Nick’s Crusade.” It was years of legislative work, followed by half a year of lawsuit work, and a sustained internet and media campaign throughout. I saved myself, … Continue reading “Rising From The Ashes”