Inclusion Daily Express -- July 29 & 30, 2003

INCLUSION DAILY EXPRESS

http://www.InclusionDaily.com

Your quick, once-a-day look at disability rights, self-determination
and the movement toward full community inclusion around the world.

Tuesday, July 29 and Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Year IV, Edition 121

This front page features 8 news and information items, each preceded by a number (#) symbol.
Click on the"Below the Fold" link at the bottom of this page for the rest of today's news.

QUOTES OF THE DAY:
"If others would take time to stop and get to know us then they would see that we have a lot to offer."
--Fourteen-year-old Luke Jackson, who has Asperger syndrome (Third story)

"He could just read people. Most of his life, people needed Bill's help, rather than Bill needing others'."
--Tom Walz, talking about Bill Sackter, who started a coffee shop in Iowa City after spending 40 years in a Minnesota institution. Local film-makers want to do a documentary on the life of Sackter, who was the subject of two movies, including "Bill" starring Mickey Rooney (Second story)

-----

# CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM / ABUSE

Jury Deadlocked In Donovan Jackson Beating Case
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 29, 2003

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA--A judge on Tuesday declared a hung jury in the case of a former Inglewood Police officer accused of using excessive force during the arrest of a teenager last summer.

The jurors had deliberated for three days over whether Jeremy Morse assaulted Donovan Jackson under color of authority. They were deadlocked 7-5 in favor of conviction when Judge William Hollingsworth Jr. called it a hung jury. The jury needed a unanimous vote to convict or acquit Morse.

Prosecutors have until September 22 to decide whether they will retry Morse.

On July 6 of last year, a video camera recorded part of Morse's arrest of Jackson, a black 16-year-old who has a developmental disability. Images of Morse picking up the hand-cuffed Jackson by the back of his collar and belt, slamming him onto the trunk of a police cruiser and then punching him in the head were later broadcast on national television.

A coalition of local government, church and community leaders successfully urged the community to stay calm after the jury's decision was read, in hopes of preventing a riot. The trial had brought back memories of the 1992 riots which broke out after white police officers were acquitted of assault charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, a black motorist.

Jackson's parents said the teen has difficulty understanding and following instructions. Prosecutors suggested that may have been why he did not immediately follow police orders.

Both sides agreed that Jackson resisted arrest and made suspicious motions, including putting his hands in his pockets.

During his testimony, Jackson was not able to describe some details of the incident, and gave inconsistent answers to questions about whether or not he was unconscious during the arrest.

Morse could have received as much as three years in prison if convicted.

Related article:
"Hung Jury in L.A. Police Beating Case" (Associated Press via FindLaw Legal News)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/0729a.htm

---

# COMMUNITY LIVING / CONTRIBUTION

Film-makers To Produce Documentary On Local Hero Bill Sackter
July 30, 2003

IOWA CITY, IOWA--The following five paragraphs are excerpts from an article that appeared in Wednesday's Daily Iowan:

Every town has a local celebrity, and several Iowa City residents are making their hero's story into a movie.

UI graduate Lane Wyrick, the president of the local film-production company Xap Interactive, is transforming the life of Bill Sackter, the founder of Wild Bill's Coffee Shop and the inspiration for Uptown Bill's Small Mall, into a documentary he plans to première at major film festivals and possibly at Hancher Auditorium.

Sackter began his life in Iowa City in 1975, making coffee for UI students and faculty in North Hall, where to this day Wild Bill's remains a fixture.

Sackter was mentally disabled, and he spent more than 40 years of his life in a Minnesota state mental institution. With an IQ of 47, Sackter couldn't dial a phone number or tell time. He slept in his work clothes in front of a window, relying on the sun to wake him. However, close friends say Sackter's disability put no limitations on his ability to touch the hearts and lives of those in the UI and Iowa City communities.

"He is a model of a spiritually developed human being," (Tom Walz, who oversees operations at Uptown Bill's Small Mall) said. "We need more heroes like that today."

Entire article:
"Seeking to capture Bill's special spirit" (Daily Iowan)
http://www.dailyiowan.com/news/448927.html&mkey=911217

---

# SELF-ADVOCACY

Teen Author Speaks Out On 'Gift Of Asperger Syndrome'
July 29, 2003

LONDON, ENGLAND--Fourteen-year-old Luke Jackson wants others to know that his Asperger syndrome is not only a part of who he is, it is a gift.

Jackson has published two user guides for young people with autism. He also talks at conferences and has appeared on television "just to let everyone know that people with autism in any shape or form are just as entitled to be themselves as anyone else in the world."

"I don't know what 'normal' is, but I know that people like me are the minority, not the majority. So that, in our society, is what constitutes 'abnormal' (rather insulting I would say!)," he wrote in a piece published Tuesday by the BBC News.

"Until I was about nine years old, I thought everybody else was weird. Maybe I was right!"

"If others would take time to stop and get to know us then they would see that we have a lot to offer."

"Yes, we may get angry and frustrated at the world (particularly our parents!), but that is a natural reaction to feeling like an outsider all of our lives and being misunderstood."

"All in all, to all AS people and everyone reading this, always remember that 'different is cool!'"

Related article:
"'Why my autism is a gift' by Luke Jackson" (BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3106599.stm

Related resource:
Books by Luke Jackson (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/author.php?id=877

---

# CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM / ADVOCACY

Advocates, Family, Friends Call For "Paul's Law"
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 30, 2003

DENVER, COLORADO--The shooting by a Denver Police officer earlier this month of 15-year-old Paul Childs III has advocates pushing for a measure requiring law enforcement officers in the state to go through special training to deal with people that have developmental disabilities and mental illness.

Crisis Intervention Team training (CIT) is a 40-hour course that teaches officers how to deal with "invisible disabilities". One section of the training is presented by a panel of people with developmental disabilities.

But only a fraction of officers receive the special instruction, according to the Denver Post. Some legislators want to introduce "Paul's Law", a measure that would make the training mandatory.

Childs, who had mental retardation and a seizure disorder, was shot to death in his home July 5 by a police officer when he refused to follow instructions to drop a kitchen knife.

The family had called for police in an effort to calm him down. A neuropsychologist has suggested that Childs may have been under the after-effects of an epileptic seizure for which he had been hospitalized just a few days earlier.

Advocates say that police will likely have more interaction with people that have disabilities now that more live and work in their communities rather than in institutional or sheltered settings.

In a related story, students attending the Colorado Cross Disabilities Coalition, an eight-week summer internship program, decided to focus this year on preventing other deaths like Childs'. The six interns in the program are promoting the law aimed at making CIT mandatory for law enforcement officers.

The issue is very close to intern Mikelle Learned, who was Childs' classmate and friend. Learned was also Childs' prom date.

"I miss Paul," Learned said through her Dyna-Vox electronic communication device. "He was very nice."

Related articles:
"Training sought to help police aid disabled" (Denver Post)
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E1538764,00.html
"Death spurs disabled youths into action" (Rocky Mountain News)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/0729c.htm

---

# COMMUNITY LIVING

Governor Notes No Complaints Against Disability Department
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 30, 2003

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA--More than halfway through a series of public hearings on the governor's budget, Governor Mark Sanford's praised the Disabilities and Special Needs Department Wednesday for shifting its priorities from funding programs to focusing on individuals' needs.

The governor noted that the 10-year-old agency was one of the few that had received compliments instead of complaints.

An Associated Press article noted that the department now relies on federal Medicaid funds for about two-thirds of its budget, compared to zero federal funds just a decade ago. The department eliminated about 25 percent of its workforce by contracting with private providers.

The article also noted that 85 percent of the 24,000 people the department serves live with families, and that 1,600 are currently waiting for services.

Related article:
"Governor praises Disabilities agency for shifting focus" (Associated Press via Herald-Tribune)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/0729b.htm

---

# TODAY'S FEATURED WEBSITE

Adaptive Environments Center, Inc.

A non-profit organization, AE was founded in 1978 to address the environmental issues that confront people with disabilities and elderly people. Adaptive Environments promotes accessibility as well as universal design through education programs, technical assistance, training, consulting, publications and design advocacy. Its mission is to promote, facilitate, and advocate for international adoption of policies and designs that enable every individual, regardless of disability or age, to participate fully in all aspects of society.

http://www.adaptenv.org/

---

# EXPRESS EXTRA!!!

From the Inclusion Daily Express Archives (One year ago)
ACCESSIBILITY / EDUCATION

University Must Pay Student For 'Violating Educational Rights'
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 29, 2002

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA -- A local university must pay a student for "violating her educational rights" by not making the school accessible to her, the Korea Herald reported.

The Seoul District Court on Friday ordered Soongsil University to pay 2.5 million won (about $2,100 US) to Park Ji-joo, a student majoring in social welfare. The court said that the university failed in its responsibility to provide an education for Park which was equal to that of other students.

Park filed suit against the school one year ago claiming that it discriminated against her by not providing elevators, toilets, classrooms and libraries that could be accessed from her wheelchair.

"I hope the ruling will open the way for more and more handicapped people to claim the rights they deserve," Park said.

---

# DISCUSSION BOARD
Check in with other Inclusion Daily Express readers:
http://members5.boardhost.com/InclusionDaily

---

# BELOW THE FOLD
Click here for the rest of today's disability-related news:
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/btf/073003_47.htm

------

Tell your friends and colleagues about Inclusion Daily Express!

Inclusion Daily Express
http://www.InclusionDaily.com

Reprint guidelines:
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/faq/distribution.htm