Notes From Debbie's Desk
Dearest readers, Next month is Disability
New Hope Community was founded in 1975 on the belief that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) deserved respect, a voice, choices, opportunities, and support that fueled the fullest and most meaningful lives possible. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, it is with humble pride that I acknowledge New Hope Community’s amazing role in charting out paths of progress for people with I/DD. I trust all of you take a few minutes throughout each week to read our social media posts and view our many pictures and videos. Our new monthly New Hope Note, along with our quarterly Community Insider, our annual FOCUS report, and the many communications shared by our Director of Development, Janae Myers, share stories of growth, adventure, accomplishments, relationships, and so much more. They also highlight our trips to the NYS Capitol as well as the U.S. Capitol, as staff and those we support join forces and voices to forward the empowerment of all people in every aspect of life, always. We invite everyone to join us both in this celebration and this fight. Much has been accomplished since the days of Willowbrook, but our work is not done. And as potential changes are considered that could affect critical Medicaid funding streams, it is more important than ever to be proactive and “noisy” on needed fronts. Please respond to our Action Alerts and contact your legislators, join us at rallies, call us with questions or talk to others. We will always look back to recognize the lessons of our past. But we must never go back. Not only next month, but every day, may we all extend our best efforts to contribute to society’s evolution in response to the value and beauty of our human diversity. Let’s wear our disability pride and lift up our people and communities - always! Sincerest and best regards, Debbie
Pride Month, and I thought it would be
most fitting to share a message that speaks to the importance of this upcoming celebration. On March 12, 1990, over 1,000 people marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol to demand that Congress
pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Upon arrival,
about 60 activists, including eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan- Chaffins, physically demonstrated the inaccessibility of public spaces by getting out of their wheelchairs or setting aside their mobility aids and crawling up the Capitol steps in an act of civil disobedience that later became known as the Capitol Crawl. Police then arrested 104 activists for unlawful demonstrations, many of whom were in their wheelchairs. On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Since then, each July is celebrated as Disability Pride Month, commemorating this historic moment. Disability Pride Month celebrates people with disabilities, their identities, culture, and societal contributions. It seeks to change the way people think about and define disability, to end the stigma of disability, and to promote the understanding that disability is a natural part of human diversity. It stands on the fact that the lives of people with disabilities are just as whole, valuable, and worthy of respect as those without disabilities. Disability Pride Month also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges people with disabilities still face every day as they strive for social justice and equality in their daily lives.
2
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs