THE 2024 U.S. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITIES VIRTUAL FUND-RAISING GALA

This year the virtual gala is on October 21^st from 6-7:30 pm Eastern Time. You may buy tickets at www.usicd.org. Tickets are $100 dollars each. You may also donate at the website. If you would like to be a sponsor, contact USICD’s CEO, Isabel Hodge, at ihodge@usicd.org.

 

This year USICD is honoring Ambassador Gallegos, who thoughtfully steered the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities through the United Nations to final adoption. It is also will be honoring Representative Tony Coelho, a central figure in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The gala will also include an inspiring message from actor, Ron Livingston.

 

USICD holds a unique space in the disability community. For 30 years it has advocated for disability rights in international contexts. That means it promotes disability rights in how the U.S. government makes decisions about how we spend U.S. dollars abroad. And, it educates and supports others in educating people and governments about the value and impact of concrete engagement with the disability community. If organizations and nations invest in disability rights, communities and countries are transformed to more inclusive and equitable environments in which everyone benefits economically and socially.

 

Please buy a ticket to the USICD gala. It will mean a lot to me.

 

Thank you.

Patricia Morrissey

Vice President, U.S. International Council on Disabilities

 

 

 

Things Need to Change: Is It Time for a Disability PAC

I watched both political conventions gavel to gavel. It is easy to do so when you live in Hawaii and are “retired”. No speakers at either convention included a reference to people with disabilities in their speeches. No speakers represented the disability community.

 

I was a volunteer on the Reagan, George Bush, and George W. Bush campaigns. One thing accomplished in both Bush campaigns was the inclusion of the phrase “individuals with disabilities” in any listing of categories of people (Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, disadvantaged, women, etc.) in speeches, policy papers, and media releases. That one simple move gave visibility to the disability community in many contexts, and enhanced their value among Republicans as a voting block that should not be ignored.

 

Back when the Americans with Disabilities Act (enacted July 26, 1990) was being drafted the disability community found supporters among Republicans and Democrats. These alliances were sustained on a bipartisan basis for some time, leading to enactment of other legislation important to people with disabilities. In an 18-month period beginning in January of 1998, six pieces of disability-specific legislation were enacted and became law, a record. Republicans controlled the House of Representatives and the Senate. Bill Clinton was President.

 

Now the House of Representatives and Senate are evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Bipartisanship is rare. One of my latest efforts is a case in point. As I have indicated in earlier blog posts, I am trying to identify a Republican, to be the first Republican, to co-sponsor legislation, that would establish a commission to assess the value of building a national museum on disability history and culture. I have had no luck. Several Republican Senators have indicated that they would be willing to be a co-sponsor, but not the first. Senator Casey (Democrat, PA) is the author of the legislation and up for re-election. He will not introduce it without a Republican co-sponsor. In this election cycle, no Republican or Democrat, wants to help the other side, because the stakes are too high, and they don’t want to be blamed for contributing to the success of the other side. The House Bipartisan Disability Caucus WILL introduce the legislation after it is introduced in the Senate.

 

In my experience, Democrats and Republicans divide legislation into two categories – legislation that affects people directly, and everything else. Democrats must support the former, so it’s hard to get their attention for any one thing and you must do so repeatedly. Republicans are usually interested in the latter category, but if you can educate them about how legislation would promote human achievement and ability to contribute to society, you have them forever.

 

People with disabilities are not all Democrats. But as a practical matter that’s what both Democrats and Republicans think. Democrats think they don’t need to work for the votes of people with disabilities. Republicans think that they will not receive votes from people with disabilities, so why help them. We need to change the way Democrats and Republicans view us if we want to accomplish anything in the remainder of this Congress or the next one. I am hoping that the museum legislation may be one modest way to do that.

 

Politicians, regardless of party, pay close attention to three things – votes, money, and positive public attention. If the disability community is going to have any clout going forward, it must organize more aggressively, engage with elected officials of both parties, develop allies in both parties, and raise money during election cycles through a political action committee. Twenty percent of the U.S. population is estimated to have some type of disability. It could and should be viewed as a substantial voting block with influence within each party. That is not the case right now.

 

Thank you.

 

Common Grounder

 

 

 

 

 

 

I HAVE A VISION

The Vision --I am sitting on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The sun is shining. It’s a rare summer day with low humidity. There is even a breeze. In front of me is a new museum – the National Museum of Disability History and Culture. So many people contributed to it. Those of us with disabilities, our families, friends, and colleagues, members of Congress, those with expertise in finding and archiving the treasures connected to the disability community, those who are great at messaging, building, architecture, accessibility, and education. Inside the museum are exhibits that tell the stories of people with disabilities, both struggles and successes. The exhibits trigger amazement, pride, but most importantly, understanding and appreciation of our common humanity. 

 

Today we are just beginning -- Asking Senators to join Senator Casey (D, PA) so he will introduce legislation to authorize a commission to consider if a Museum of Disability History and Culture is a good idea. If the legislation becomes law, the Commission will not only decide if it is a good idea, it will explore how to go about it. The Commission would have two years to do its work and write a report to Congress. Then the next step will be to authorize the actual building of the museum.

 

I am a member of Friends of the National Museum of Disability History and Culture. Senator Casey will not introduce the commission legislation until he has an initial Republican co-sponsor. Senator Casey wants the legislation to be bipartisan. I have reached out to 15 Republican Senators. Two have agreed to be co-sponsors, but not be the first Republican co-sponsor. Five other Republicans are reviewing the legislation and discussing the consequences of sponsorship. The remaining eight Republicans I contacted have not responded. My efforts began in May 2024.

 

We have bipartisan sponsors lined up in the House of Representatives, but they are waiting for the Senate to go first.

 

Why are we not swimming in success with many enthusiastic Republican co-sponsors? It’s an election year. Everything hangs in the balance because the Senate and House have almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans and former President Trump and Vice President Harris are almost equal in the polls. No one wants to tip the balance against his or her party. That is the naked truth. 

 

How can we convince Republicans that this modest legislation transcends partisan concerns and will transforms how the disability community views elected officials? By letting them know how we feel, what we expect. Our millions of votes will be influenced favorably by sponsorship. GOP sponsorship will inspire new, needed conversations with Republicans on a wide range of issues and forge new bipartisan partnerships that improve Congress’ standing with the public generally. 

 

So during the Congressional recess, visit with your Senators and ask them to contact Senator Casey and agree to co-sponsor the legislation. The five Republican Senators who are considering the bill are: Braun (R, IN), Ernst (R, IA), Fischer (R, NB), Hagerty (R, KS), and Tillis (R, NC).

 

We have an opportunity here to demonstrate that bipartisan sponsorship is beneficial across parties and wins the thanks of 60 million plus people.

 

Common Grounder

 

 

 

 

  

DISABILITY MUSEUM: TIME TO SECURE SENATE CO-SPONSORS, SEND THOSE EMAILS

 Currently, I am working with a group, Friends of the National Museum of Disability History and Culture, to encourage introduction of legislation to authorize a commission to explore the feasibility of establishing a national museum of disability history and culture on the National Mall. Commission legislation is the first step. If the commission is authorized, signed into law, and recommends establishing a national museum of disability history and culture, a second piece of legislation would need to be introduced, enacted, and signed by the President, before the museum could be built. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives must pass a bill and agree on a final, single version of any legislation before it goes to the President for signature. This is a very big, long-term undertaking. I will write another post for the House of Representatives.

Our group has been working with Senator Casey on drafting, and a final draft of the legislation is ready. I hope that you will share information about this legislation with your senators as soon as possible and urge him/her to be a co-sponsor. 

 

Once the bill for the disability museum commission is introduced and given a number, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee will handle the legislation.

 

The goal is to introduce the commission legislation as soon as possible with a strong bipartisan cohort of Senators.

 

Here is some information you could highlight in an email to your Senators: People with disabilities comprise approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population. Significant change began to occur in the last quarter of the 20^th century for this segment of the population. Most notably was the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. The catalyst for this action was an unprecedented grassroots campaign comprised of people with disabilities and their advocates. This amazing collection of problem solvers (people with disabilities, parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, colleagues, and other advocates) deserve a place to tell their stories and the U.S. population needs a place to learn about and grasp the challenges people with disabilities have faced in this country over time – what they did to make the U.S. more inclusive and accessible and what more remains to be done to bring about a fully inclusive society, a model for the world. 

 

Such a museum will: 

·       Provide a platform to educate people about the intersectionality between disability and other distinct populations like those celebrated in our national museums for African Americans, American Indians, Women, and Latinos. 

·       Be a stage for collaboration with these other museums and a platform from which to influence their exhibits and programs. 

·       Trigger interest among others involved in projects to identify, collect, preserve, and share disability-related artifacts and events, including oral histories. 

·       Be an immersive experience, to shape and reshape attitudes and perceptions of people with disabilities in positive ways that last; reinforce advocacy for disability rights; and perhaps motivate people to embrace careers connected to building fully accessible communities.

 

I have suggested using email because snail mail must be sanitized and checked for contaminants before sent to a Senator’s office. This process can take up to three weeks. We do not have three weeks to spare. We all must act now. 

 

How to determine to whom you should write your email: Google the name of your Senator’s Legislative Director. Once you have the name use this format: firstname_lastname@senator’slastname.senate.gov. THERE IS AN UNSCORE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND LAST NAME OF THE PERSON TO WHOM YOU ARE ADDRESSING THE EMAIL. Chances are your email will not bounce back.

 

Things to put in your email:

 

1.      I am writing to ask you to co-sponsor a bill to establish a commission to advise Congress on the merits of establishing a National Museum of Disability History and Culture as part of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

2.     A group has been meeting for a few years to organize the effort. With the assistance of Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, we have written a bill that Senator Casey is planning to introduce in the U.S. Senate in July.

3.     The bill will establish a commission of 23 members, with seven members appointed by the President, and four members appointed by the majority and minority leaders of each chamber of Congress. A majority of the commissioners would be people with disabilities. The commission will recommend whether a new museum of disability history and culture should be created within the Smithsonian Institution.

4.   The rationale for the museum (see points above).

5.   My email is part of a national grassroots campaign to urge Congress to pass this legislation now. Once again. I urge you to be a co-sponsor.

6.     A sentence or two about you.

7.    Please let me know if you have any questions.

8.    Your name and contact information.

If you would like to let Senator Casey (PA), Chair of the Select Committee on Aging know about your efforts to reach out to potential co-sponsors of the disability museum commission legislation use these links:  Aging Committee or personal office contact me.

We do not have a second to waste. Please send your emails to your two Senators right after you read this. I will keep you posted on our progress.

 

Thanks, 

Pat Morrissey

AKA: Common Grounder 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Status of Disability Museum Initiative

 I can't believe I have not written a post since last July! Well, I have news on the group focused specifically on the brick and mortar effort. We have created a group called Friends of the Museum of Disability History and Culture (FMDHC). We are working on incorporation, obtaining nonprofit status, and planning to solicit funds from an established funding source. We have formed a steering committee made up of the right kind of experts to guide us. We are working with Senator Casey to introduce legislation on a commission to assess the potential of authorizing a Museum of Disability and Culture. This is the first step. If a Commission is enacted and it recommends Congress pass a legislation for an actual museum, separate legislation must be passed for that -- step 2. So, we have a lot of work ahead of us.

We have generated bipartisan interest in the Senate.  Our current plan is for introduction of the step 1 legislation, the commission, in early June 2024. We have reached out to the Bipartisan Disability Caucus in the House of Representatives as well. Its Co-Chairs are Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) and Debbie Dingell (MI). It would be AMAZING if both the Senate and House would introduce the legislation on the same day!

If you would like to help here are some points to use when contacting your Senators and Representatives:

People with disabilities comprise approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population. Significant change began to occur in the last quarter of the 20^th century for this segment of the population. Most notably was the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The catalyst for this action was an unprecedented grassroots campaign comprised of people with disabilities and their advocates. This exceptional collection of problem solvers deserves a place to tell their stories and the U.S. population needs a place to learn about and grasp the challenges people with disabilities have faced in this country over time – what they did to make the U.S. more inclusive and accessible and what more remains to be done to bring about a fully inclusive society, a model for the world. 

 

Such a Museum of Disability and Culture will: 

• Provide a platform to educate people about the intersectionality between disability and other distinct populations including but not limited to those celebrated in our national museums for African Americans, American Indians, Women, and Latinos. 
• Be a stage for collaboration with museums, organizations, and every day people and influence their exhibits and programs. 
• Trigger interest among others to identify, collect, preserve, and share disability-related artifacts and events, including oral histories. 
• Be an immersive experience, shaping and reshaping attitudes and perceptions of people with disabilities in positive ways that last; reinforce advocacy for disability rights; and perhaps motivate people to embrace careers connected to building fully accessible communities.

This is something that could bring us all together just like the ADA did. If you have questions or want to chat just send me a comment here and I will respond. I promise. In the meantime, let your elected federal officials know what is coming and ask them to be a cosponsor of the commission legislation. It would be phenomenal if we all push hard to have the legislation on the President's desk by July 26, 2024, the anniversary of the ADA. It will happen if we work together.

Thank you.

Common Grounder

 

The National Disability Museum Concept Is Alive Again!

Aloha from Hawaii! 

It has been awhile, I know. 

In the spring of 2018, after hearing Lonnie Bunch (now head of the Smithsonian) speak about the challenges of establishing the African American Museum, I wrote two blog posts on the need for a disability museum on the national Mall. That idea did not gain visible traction again until the death of Judith Huemann, a friend to many and a national/international advocate for disability rights, in the spring of this year.

Now things are really hopping! There are two groups working on the museum concept.  Neither group has a formal name yet. One group, the small one, is focused on the necessary steps to get to a brick and mortar national museum. It is working on legislation to authorize a commission to recommend on the feasibility and approach to creating a national museum on disability history and culture. 

The other group, the big one, is focused on all aspects of collecting, cataloging, and otherwise curating materials for disability exhibits, and eventually the creation of a national museum. Currently it wants to foster and help others to consider, build, and share exhibits throughout the country, including local museums, regional museums, and the Smithsonian, with emphasis on educating others about the importance of disability rights. 

I am participating in both groups.

It has been fascinating to be involved in this process. The larger group, which may have a listserv of more than 400 people at this point, was started in March 2023. It has had five meetings. The attendance at the first few meetings was impressive, but, according to one participant at today’s meeting only 19 people participated. A great deal of time has been spent in these large group meetings discussing how to maximize access for anyone and everyone with disabilities and on how to attract the broadest diversity of people with disabilities. These two priorities have left less time to discuss and decide structure and designate people to leadership roles. 

I have never observed such an organic process. I fear, however, without a name, leadership, and organization, this admirable effort may dissipate or break into smaller groups over the next year. So much energy, enthusiasm, and effort has been generated and they need to be sustained and grow.  This will happen if they are channeled and directed. This won’t happen without structure and leadership. 

Based on what I have heard and observed so far, full accessibility and broad diversity will be clearly reflected priorities in any organization adopted and any leadership designated. By their nature, access and diversity will always need tending, but right now we need to address organization and designate leaders.

This summer, the smaller group will be reaching out to disability and museum sources/experts to join a steering committee to oversee promotion and realization of legislation that would authorize the commission to advise on a museum on disability history and culture. The commission option appears to be the first step on the path to create any national museum for any population.

I will be writing more about the efforts of both the small group and large group as the year progresses. I hope you too will decide to help by tracking what develops and alerting your contacts. A national museum on disability is a big deal and long overdue. Disability intersects with each and every category of human beings. We need to identify, collect, and organize the disability experience, the good, the bad, and ugly, and preserve it so today’s and future generations can learn from it.

Here the larger group’s communications link: disability-rights-museum@googlegroups.com 

The smaller group does not yet have a public link. I will keep you apprised of its actions through my blog.

Thank you.

Pat Morrissey (aka: Common Grounder)

Judy Heumann, 1947-2023

 Yesterday Judy Heumann officially acquired angel status.

Judy always knew what the right thing was to do. But she also knew, it would take more than one person to make something right to happen. She was a human Rolodex, the best connector of others, and the best button pusher to make right things come about.

She was super human. I’m not sure that she ever slept. She would call people at all times of the day and at night. Sometimes just to see how they were feeling, but often also to motivate them. 

Her geo-political reach was unmatched in the disability rights arena. She had genuine relationships with disability advocates across the globe. They knew when Judy called, texted, or sent an email it was for a good reason and they were committed to action. 

She had the best intuitive sense of why certain people needed to get to know each other. Perhaps for personal growth, but more likely to combine forces to bring about needed change. 

She knew that for disability rights to be understood and to flourish younger generations needed to be nurtured and included. So many young people saw Judy as a mentor and friend. 

She had vast audiences and platforms. She recognized educating others about disability rights was an incremental process. She realized words alone were not enough, books alone were not enough. She saw the timely value in public speaking, social media, blogs, documentaries, and film. 

She wanted legislation to create a permanent disability advisor in the State Department, with staff, money, and clout to become law, but it did not. 

Now is our turn to act. To honor Judy and give traction to her energy, passion, and legacy, let’s get that legislation passed. Judy is above us now, watching over us. Let’s not let her down. Reach out to all Members of Congress to pass the legislation quickly to honor Judy Heumann and provide a catalyst for what she so tirelessly fought. 

When Judy was in a room the electricity was palpable. When Judy was on a zoom call, ears waited for Judy to speak. Brains waited to process what she said. 

Though we no longer have direct access to her wisdom, we know what we need to say and do. 

Remind others that disability rights is nonpartisan, that access without meaningful inclusion is of marginal value, and that planning anything without people with disabilities at the table is not smart and likely, costly. 

We will miss Judy. She does not want tears. She wants action.

Pat Morrissey