The Esperanza Hope Award  honors a consumer/survivor of color who has expanded the idea of cultural competency and done exceptional work within the mental health and peer support community.

Protests are taking place across the country in the face of cuts to healthcare. In the news, you hear of "die-ins" and people with disabilities putting their bodies on the line as they protest in the offices of Senators. These protests are being organized by members ADAPT, a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists. The fight for disability rights is a story that ADAPT has long since been a part of, beginning with the Gang of 19 in July 1978 where disabled activists chained themselves to buses in Denver, Colorado, to fight for accessible public transportation. This act of civil disobedience shut down the transit system and paved the way for buses to become fully accessible both in Denver and across the country.

ADAPT originally stood for Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit and officially formed in 1983. With more work to be done, they did not stop after this victory and continued to fight for the rights of people with disabilities. Their next area of work was in accessible housing. According to ADAPT's website, there are over two million people with disabilities living in institutions. 250,000 of them wish to return to their communities. For community housing that does exist, there are multi-year waiting lists and lack of affordable integrated housing. To combat this issue, ADAPT was very involved in the Olmstead Ruling - a decision that also holds a recent anniversary on June 22. This 1999 ruling requires states to end segregation of people with disabilities and to ensure community integration. ADAPT also launched a proposal for a program called Access Across America. This program would coordinate subsidized housing and allow for more community based supports.

ADAPT's most recent actions have been taking place around the country to prevent the passage of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, bill number H.R. 1628. This bill will, among other things, bring about large funding cuts to Medicaid and completely restructure the Medicaid system. With these cuts to Medicaid, many people with disabilities will lose access to healthcare and their ability to live independently in their own communities. During "die-ins" at the US Capitol and several senator's offices, activists block building entrances and hold up tombstone-shaped protest signs to symbolize the people that may die should this bill pass. Protesters chant things such as "No Cuts to Medicaid," "No Cuts, No Caps," and "Don't touch Medicaid, save our liberty!" Many people have been arrested and the protests have gained extensive media coverage due to the brutality of the arrests, which included people being pulled out of their wheelchairs. However, this media coverage tends to neglect the purpose of the protests: that Medicaid cuts will severely hurt the disability community.

In these times, it is more important than ever to ensure the rights of people with disabilities and study the history of our movement. As anniversaries and current activism collide, learning from the past will set the stage for a better future.

 

For more information on ADAPT, visit their website at www.adapt.org

For more information on the Olmstead ruling, visit https://www.olmsteadrights.org/about-olmstead/