Women’s History is Disability History

Women’s History Month is for honoring the contributions that women have made to U.S. society. It is important that we highlight the role that women with disabilities have played in shaping our laws, mindsets, and communities.

Did you know:

 · Cinda Hughes (pictured, on left) was a quadriplegic member

of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. She started her advocacy for Native Americans with disabilities as a high schooler and was eventually appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Advisory Council on Exceptional Children, where she advocated for children with disabilities.

·        Harriet Tubman is well-known for her actions on the Underground Railroad assisting Black people with escaping slavery. Tubman’s disability is lesser known. She had epilepsy and sleeping spells after being hit with by a slave master with a 2-pound weight as a teenager.

·        Fannie Lou Hamer was a Civil Rights Movement leader who survived polio as a child. When she attempted to register to vote in Mississippi she was brutally beaten and arrested, causing her limp to worsen, permanent kidney damage, and a clot behind her eye. Hamer gave testimony about her experiences at the 1964 Democratic National Committee.

Not only have disabled women made a significant impact on general U.S. history, but they have also been at the forefront of the Disability Rights Movement.

·        Lois Curtis is one of the plaintiffs in the now famous 1999 Olmstead Supreme Court decision, which said that Title II of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to institutional settings. Lois was also named Self-Advocate of the Year in 2017.

·        Catherine Kelly Baird was the founder of the first ever Youth Leadership Form for students with disabilities in California in 1992. She replicated this program in 33 other U.S. states and territories.

·        Judy Heumann was an activist and widely regarded as “the mother” of the Disability Rights Movement. She was a leader in the historic Section 504 Sit-In of 1977 and instrumental in the development and implementation of other disability rights legislation.

For further resources on the intersection of gender and disability, please access the links below:

Ableism - A Form of Violence Against Women

Disabled Women in the Working World: Bias and Barriers that Hinder Workplace Advancement

Living at the Intersection: Black Disabled Women and Girls

CILO Advocacy Updates

The Center for Independent Living Option’s (CILO) 2024 advocacy plan is full of opportunities for you to get involved in the work we are doing to grow and better our community.

Cincinnati Pride Disability Advocacy

CILO staff is collaborating with leaders of the Cincinnati Pride planning committee to incorporate accessibility and accommodations into this year’s parade and festival. We want to hear from you about what would make an event like Cincinnati Pride a safer, comfier, and more accessible environment for attendees with disabilities. Submit your feedback and suggestions on this topic via email Dee Henry.

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Disability Rights and Self-Advocacy in Community Spaces Training

Last month, CILO’s Disability Rights and Advocacy Specialist held a training and discussion session at the Grove House Community. Grove House offers a free community space in a Northside house, sharing their laundry room, kitchen, living areas, and restroom with anyone who visits. The organization is highly dedicated to making both their physical location and their community culture more accessible for people with disabilities. Grove House has committed to using future funding toward installing accessibility features, including a ramp.

The training focused on how Grove House can encourage self-advocacy at their events and the importance of knowing disability rights history. In order to create a culture of accessibility, we must start with our community spaces.

Do you know of a community space or organization that would be interested in receiving this training? To request more information email Dee Henry.

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Our Rights with Rideshare: Using Uber or Lyft with a Disability

Are you ready for more accessible transportation in Greater Cincinnati? The Disability Rights and Advocacy Specialist (DR&A Specialist) has been serving on the Greater Cincinnati Region Paratransit Coordination Committee, which will be releasing a mobility guide later this year. The mobility guide will cover various topics related to accessible transportation in Greater Cincinnati.

One portion of the guide was co-authored by the DR&A Specialist, CILO’s Core Services Intern, and an Advocacy Advisor at Hamilton County Developmental Disability Services. This section covers the rights that people with disabilities have while using rideshare services, as well as the barriers to accessibility that still exist. Until we live in a society with free, accessible transportation for all, some disabled people must rely on using rideshare services. It is important that we know our rights and how to advocate for ourselves in these circumstances, especially as we push for more options to be made available.

Access Our Rights Using Rideshare While Having a Disability (extended version) here.

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Disability Q*mmunity

CILO's Disability Q*mmunity is a peer support and self-advocacy group for 2SLGBTQIA+ people with disabilities to talk about shared experiences and take action to make our communities safer and more accessible for us. People of all identities are welcome at the Disability Q*mmunity. Our next meeting will take place on April 9th at 6:00PM. Email Dee Henry with any questions.

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MetroNow! Expansion

One of the most commonly reported barriers that people with disabilities face is lack of accessible transportation. This is especially true in areas that do not have public transportation.

MetroNow! is a Cincinnati fleet of smaller vehicles to provide transportation in areas that do not have the population density and/or the street infrastructure to support regular Metro buses. This service is both accessible and on-demand and offers curb-to-curb or corner-to-corner services, based on the customer’s needs.

An expansion of MetroNow! has been announced to start on March 17^th, 2024. Multiple areas of operation will be added, including Northgate/Mt. Healthy and Springdale/Sharonville areas. The hours of operations will also be expanded to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

To learn more about MetroNow! and how to book your ride, visit their website.

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Kentucky Introduces Program to Assist Drivers with Communication Barriers

Beginning in 2024, any Kentucky-based driver can update their vehicle registration to include any communication barriers they may experience. This free program provides protection for d/Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or other individuals with disabilities affecting verbal communication who are pulled over by law enforcement officers. If pulled over, law enforcement officers will be able to see that a driver has a communication barrier when they run their license plate number. Read more at drive.ky.gov/cd.

Kentucky drivers can contact their local County Clerk’s office to request that the communication barrier code be added to their vehicle’s registration. Information about communication barriers is only visible to law enforcement officers and county clerks.

Additionally, the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers free visor communication cards for drivers to use if they are pulled over by a law enforcement officer. These cards have symbols that can help people with various communication barriers communicate with law enforcement officers without an ASL interpreter or support person present.

To order a free visor card, please follow these instructions.

National Advocacy News

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Action Alert

M. Boujaoude, MSW, CILO Intern

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide equal access to broadband Internet services for low-income households. Eligible households can obtain a $30 monthly discount on Internet services. Additionally, those eligible can receive a discount of up to $100 to purchase a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer if they contribute between $10-$50 towards the purchase.

Although the ACP provides an essential service for low-income households, the program is in jeopardy: If Congress does not pass legislation to support the ACP, the program will run out of funds in April 2024. The effects of Congress’ inaction are already here: as of February 7, 2024, the ACP program is no longer taking applications as they prepare for their “wind-down” process.

In today’s world, it is nearly impossible to navigate employment, education, healthcare, and other systems without reliable access to the Internet. This is especially true for people with disabilities; research has shown that disabled people who connect with their communities via the Internet have better health outcomes and decreased loneliness than those without Internet access.

This is a call to action. Please reach out to your elected officials and urge them to save the Affordable Connectivity Program before it is too late. Below is a sample message you can send to your representative, as well as information about contacting them.

Sample Letter to Representatives

Dear [Representative’s Name],

Reliable and affordable access to the Internet is vital in today’s world. Indeed, it is nearly impossible for people to interact with employment, education, healthcare, and other institutions without Internet access. This need is especially relevant for Americans with disabilities. Although research demonstrates that disabled people with access to the Internet have better physical, mental, and social health outcomes than those without access, people with disabilities are less likely to be able to have reliable, affordable Internet service.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides an invaluable service to people with disabilities and other disadvantaged individuals by distributing discounts for Internet services and electronic equipment. This program allows everyone, regardless of income, to be connected with their communities. However, unless Congress intervenes, the ACP will end in April of 2024.

As your constituent, I urge Congress to pass legislation to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Best,

[Your Name]

Representative Contact Information:

You can utilize USA.gov to find your elected officials. From there, you can navigate to your federal representative’s website and fill out a contact form using the advocacy letter provided above.

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Accessibility in Healthcare Survey Action Alert

CILO is reaching out to consumers asking for your participation in a survey regarding experiences with doctors and accessibility. The survey will be used by Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) to link people with disabilities to good quality doctors.

Please read the following instructions and FAQs from the survey organizer and access the survey below:

How to Participate: 

Use this link to share your thoughts and experiences. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. 

Why your voice matters:

Everyone deserves accessible and inclusive healthcare where they feel comfortable, understood, and involved. We want you to share both the good things and bad things that have happened at your health appointments or with your doctors. Your experiences will help others find good doctors. 

What will you do with my answers? 

Your personal information will not be shared. We will use all answers to make a list of doctors who make everyone feel welcome and are easy to access. This list will be shared with the community. 

What will the survey ask me? 

• Physical Access: Are you able to enter and move around the building easily? 
• Communication: Are the healthcare providers good at talking with you? 
• Do they have communication in a helpful way? Do you feel like they listened to your concerns? 
• Attitude and Understanding: Are the doctors positive during the visit? Are they nice to people with disabilities? Did you feel understood?  
• Our program: Do you want to be linked to doctors that you need? 

Your Participation Makes a Difference: 

Your experiences are powerful and important. You are helping create a better healthcare system where everyone can get the care they need.

If you require this publication in an alternative format,

please contact us.

To learn more about Independent Living and other services provided by CILO, visit our website at www.cilo.net

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