National Conference Coming to Indianapolis

It is an honor and a privilege to share with you that the Osteogenesis ImperfectaFoundation will host its 2014 National Conference in Indianapolis this summer.

A rare genetic bone disorder, OI, which is also known as “brittle bone disease,” is characterized by fragile bones that break easily.  I am among the approximately 50,000 Americans and their families who live with OI.

I am pleased to be a part of the planning effort for the conference, which will kick off with the National Unbreakable Spirit^® Walk-n-Wheel for OI on July 31 along the Canal Walk.  It is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our community’s accessibility, which played a role in the selection of Indianapolis for the conference.

During the conference, which runs from August 1-3, nearly 800 members of the OI community will gather for the latest in medical developments, policy information and networking opportunities.  To learn more about the conference, or to register for the Walk-n-Wheel, please visit www.oif.org. 

I hope you join me in welcoming the OI community to Indianapolis.  We will continue to update you on how you can participate in this landmark event.

The Inspirational Eskenazi Health

Our city’s newest medical center, the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, is open to the public.  Its’ predecessor, Wishard Hospital, has provided the finest health care to the uninsured, underserved and the general population of our community for 150 years. 

As a Trustee of the Marion County Health and Hospital Corporation, it has been a transformational opportunity working with the team who helped conceive, design and build this iconic health care center.

Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital is more than a medical complex.  It’s where Wishard’s culture of compassion has found a new home.  It’s where medical professionals are partners with their patients.  Eskenazi is where patients emerge to take on their medical challenges with dignity and independence.  At its core, the hospital was built with the patient in mind. 

The physical space of the hospital delivers an accessible environment.  Procedure rooms, work stations, patient rooms and public space allow patients and their healthcare advocates ease of movement during their stay.  Additionally, all guests, staff members and vendors may move barrier free during their visits. 

Eskenazi Health continues its many educational partnerships, including Ball State University’s Bowen Center’s Disability Project to offer internships for students with disabilities.  This program is helping redefine what career choices are available to students with disabilities.  Thus far, two students have completed internships – one in Finance, the other in Rehabilitation Services – with more opportunities available in 2014. 

I hope you take the opportunity to visit the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and see for yourself how inspirational it truly is.  It may even spur you to choose Eskenazi and many of its recognized medical professionals for your health care needs. 

From our sports facilities, hotels, restaurants, convention centers and museums, Indianapolis continues to lead in accessibility.  We may now proudly add a universally accessible modern medical center to our collective work. 

Well done, Indianapolis.  And here’s to a Healthy New Year.

Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

On August 29, all eyes were turned to Washington, DC as our nation collectively commemorated the 50^th anniversary of the historic March on Washington.

In his stirring remarks, President Obama shared the path that the marchers had walked to Washington, advocating for change in a non-violent way. And he made a point that resonated particularly with me, a person with a disability:

“Because they marched, America became more free and more fair -- not just for African Americans, but for women and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans; for Catholics, Jews, and Muslims; for gays, for Americans with a disability.  America changed for you and for me.  And the entire world drew strength from that example, whether the young people who watched from the other side of an Iron Curtain and would eventually tear down that wall, or the young people inside South Africa who would eventually end the scourge of apartheid.”

America has changed for people with disabilities.  We have come a long way since 1963, when people with disabilities couldn’t even participate in the March on Washington, because the city wasn’t accessible.  We have come a long way since the days before restrooms were accessible in restaurants, shopping malls and office buildings. We have come a long way since President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, and his son approved the ADA Amendment Act during his second term.

I am constantly reminded of just how far we have come.  Ball State University, from where I am a proud graduate and a current distinguished fellow, is one of the nation’s most accessible college campuses.  This semester, I am teaching “The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and its Amendments: Supporting a Sustainable Lifestyle for People with Disabilities,” (POLS 403/408/503).  My students reflect the diversity of this country, and as I listened to our President, I was struck by how those who marched on Washington paved the way for my students. 

Yet, as President Obama and others have shared, we still have much, much more to do.  Unemployment for people with disabilities is still is disproportionally higher than for the general population. Only 17.8 percent of persons with a disability were employed in 2012.  Many people with disabilities, particularly those who pursued college and graduate degrees, are chronically underemployed and unemployed. They struggle to earn a viable living. Some are forced to rely on public assistance. 

We are making progress, however.  Earlier this year, Indianapolis city leaders included the Disability Enterprise Category to the city’s contracting program with overwhelming bipartisan support.  Young people with disabilities are empowering themselves to compete in current job market.  More organizations are adding – or considering adding – internship opportunities for students with disabilities.

Like the marchers from 1963, we will not be deterred.  We will keep on marching. 

How Indianapolis is Creating More Entrepreneurship Opportunities for People with Disabilities

The Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council recently approved a proposal to create more entrepreneurship opportunities for people with disabilities. Led by Council President Maggie Lewis and Vice President John Barth, the Council unanimously agreed to include the Disability Enterprise Category to the city’s contracting program. Within days, Mayor Greg Ballard signed it into law.   

This bipartisan action by our city leaders marks a significant milestone for people with disabilities in Indianapolis. However, it doesn’t come as a surprise. For generations, our community’s elected and civic leaders have been committed to fostering a climate of accessibility and inclusion in both public and private places. 

From curb cuts to ramps, Indianapolis’ physical infrastructure makes it a remarkably convenient city for people with disabilities to navigate. Our athletic facilities, which are among the best in the nation, provide an unparalleled sports experience. The Cultural Trail allows people with disabilities to fully participate in all our downtown has to offer. Accessible hotels, museums, parks and arts experiences abound.

Proof of this good work is Indianapolis’ 2009 recognition with the Accessible America Award by the National Organization on Disability, naming our city the most disability-friendly in the country.

Yet, more than 20 years after President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, people with disabilities still lag behind. 

Even though we have the ability and the desire to participate in our economy, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is disproportionally higher than for the general population. Only 17.8 percent of persons with a disability were employed in 2012, while 63.9 percent of persons without a disability had a job. Many people with disabilities, particularly those who pursued college and graduate degrees, are chronically underemployed and unemployed. They struggle to earn a viable living. Some are forced to rely on public assistance. 

At Ball State University, where I am both an alumnus and a Distinguished Fellow, we impress upon our students with disabilities that they must be empowered and self-reliant. They must go the extra mile to not just secure an internship, but to ensure they have reliable transportation to that internship, and fully communicate any special needs to supervisors and colleagues. They understand that securing meaningful employment won’t be easy and they are willing to work for it.

All too often, we see partisan rancor at the federal and state level over so-called “entitlement programs,” that millions of Americans, including some with disabilities, have come to rely. Perhaps lawmakers’ time – and our taxpayer dollars – would be better spent developing common sense solutions that help keep people with disabilities off of public assistance and engaged in sustainable employment.

Our leaders in Indianapolis understand better than most that a common sense approach puts people to work. Including people with disabilities as a Disability Enterprise Category will come at little or no cost to the taxpayers. It’s an example of good government in action.

Because of their foresight, people with disabilities who own businesses now have the opportunity to join their counterparts – racial and ethnic minorities, women, and veterans – to participate in the process by which our local government has elected to diversify its contracts with vendors. According to the Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employed persons with a disability were more likely to be self-employed in 2012 than those without a disability.

Our Councillors and Mayor have sent a strong message to people with disabilities who possess an entrepreneurial spirit:  the playing field is more than level. People with disabilities can actually play in the game.

Fourth of July 2013

The struggle for economic equality has always been difficult for Americans relegated to the second tier of our economy based upon the bias of our political leaders and yes, their constituents. Yet, as always is celebrated this time of year, the great American experiment continues to demand that all men are created equal.

On June 11, 1963, President John Kennedy took up the issue of civil rights when he said, “We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.”  A little more than a year later, President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act. 

Twenty-seven years after President Kennedy’s comments, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, finally opening the door to people with disabilities.  Twenty-three years later, people with disabilities still lag behind.  In 2012, only 17.8 percent of persons with a disability were employed. In contrast, the employment ratio for persons without a disability was 63.9 percent. 

Many people with disabilities, particularly those who pursued college and graduate degrees, are chronically underemployed and unemployed.  They struggle to earn a viable living.  Most are forced to rely on public assistance.  The acceptance of public assistance becomes the bondage of disability.  

On April 22, 2013, a bipartisan action by city leaders marked a significant milestone for people with disabilities in Indianapolis.  Our elected leaders moved toward a commitment to fostering a climate of inclusion by creating entrepreneurial opportunities for people with disabilities. Led by Council President Maggie Lewis and Vice President John Barth, the Council unanimously agreed to include the Disability Enterprise Category to the city’s contracting program.  Mayor Greg Ballard signed it into law on May 2, 2013. 

Because of their foresight, people with disabilities who own businesses now have the opportunity to join their counterparts – racial and ethnic minorities, women, and veterans – to participate in the process by which our local government has elected to diversify its contracts with vendors. 

Our leaders in Indianapolis understand better than most that a common sense approach puts people with disabilities to work.  All too often, we see partisan rancor at the federal and state level over the so-called “entitlement programs,” that millions of Americans with disabilities have come to rely.  Perhaps lawmakers’ time – and our taxpayer dollars – would be better spent developing common sense solutions that help keep people with disabilities off of public assistance and engaged in sustainable employment.

We, in Indianapolis, continue to send a strong message that people with disabilities are cherished and that like the rest of America, and supported by our Constitution, we possess an entrepreneurial spirit that will help us secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.  Because, as President Kennedy so eloquently said, “We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”