Inclusion Daily Express -- October 28, 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, October 28, 2003
Year IV, Edition 166

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 41 more news items.

QUOTES OF THE DAY:
"I believe my brother made the right decision."
--President George W. Bush on the decision by Florida Governor Jeb Bush to block Terri Schiavo's starvation last week (First story)

"There is a huge work force out there that wants to work and is willing to work."
--Chuck McHale, president of McHale Catering, which has hired two employees that have disabilities and is encouraging other businesses to do the same (Second story)

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# ADVOCACY / FAMILIES

President Supports His Brother's Position in Terri Schiavo Case; Husband Accuses In-laws Of Wanting Wife's Money
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
October 28, 2003

TAMPA, FLORIDA--President George W. Bush said Tuesday morning that he agrees with the October 21 decision by his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, to order an end to Terri Schiavo's starvation last week.

"I believe my brother made the right decision," President Bush said in response to a reporter's question during a nationally-televised news conference at the White House.

Monday night, Michael Schiavo appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" to explain why he wants his wife to die starve to death, a wish that led to her feeding tube being removed by court order on October 15.

"I love my wife and I'm going to follow her wishes and nothing's going to stop me," said Mr. Schiavo, who is also Terri's legal guardian.

When Larry King asked Mr. Schiavo about the other woman with whom he has been living for several years, and with whom he has sired two children, Schiavo answered, "I'm lucky. I have two great women to love." Schiavo has refused to divorce his wife.

Mr. Schiavo claims his wife told him she would not want to be kept alive "by artificial means" sometime before she collapsed and was without oxygen for several minutes on February 25, 1990. While some doctors have said Terri is in a "persistent vegetative state" from which she will not recover, others argue that she is alert, responsive and could benefit from rehabilitation -- which her husband has refused for many years.

Schiavo first petitioned the court to have Terri's feeding tube removed in 1998, six years after winning a $1.2 million malpractice insurance settlement. Several court decisions have supported his decision.

"Terri's Law" was passed in a special session by the Florida legislature, over-ruling the courts and giving Governor Bush authority to order Terri's feeding tube reinserted six days after it was removed. Bush's action came after concerted activism by disability and right-to-life groups. Schiavo and his attorney plan to challenge the constitutionality of the new law, claiming that the legislative and executive branches cannot go against the courts.

During the interview, Mr. Schiavo told King he believes Terri's parents want his guardianship revoked so they can have what's left of an insurance settlement that has since dwindled to around $50,000.

Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, claim that Mr. Schiavo has spent more than one-half of the money on legal fees fighting in the courts to have Terri's gastronomy tube removed, rather than on rehabilitative therapies as he had originally promised.

Schiavo also told King he believes his wife's collapse was caused by a potassium imbalance brought on by bulimia, an eating disorder in which the person purposefully vomits to keep weight low.

Last Friday, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden told Fox News that it was extremely rare for a person in her 20s to have a heart attack from low levels of potassium. Baden suggested that a bone scan done in 1991 shows evidence of possible trauma to Terri's head and to other parts of her body.

The Schindlers have long suspected that Mr. Schiavo may have caused Terri's initial collapse. The state's Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities is currently investigating the Schindlers' claims that Schiavo has abused their daughter, and has prevented visits from family members and priests.

"They are conducting a pretty comprehensive investigation into past and current allegations of abuse, allegations that Terri is being abused, neglected and exploited," said Schindler spokesperson Pamela Hennessy. "They're going to be looking over the current condition that she is in, the fact that therapy has been withheld, the fact that she's kept in isolation. All these things are abuses."

The St. Petersburg Times published a story Tuesday explaining both sides of the issue and the terminology being used to describe Terri's condition.

The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine also issued a statement explaining the differences between "vegetative" and "minimally conscious" states. The organization suggested that Terri's conscious state be evaluated on a regular basis, because function has been known to return to people in her condition.

Related:
"Schiavo suspects bulimia caused wife's collapse" (CNN.com)
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/28/schiavo.lkl/index.html
"The Interview That Wasn't" opinion by Wesley J. Smith (Weekly Standard)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/1028d.htm
Doctor Says Schiavo Likely Victim of 'Some Kind of Trauma' (Cybercast News Service)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/1028e.htm
"Understanding Terri Schiavo" (St. Petersburg Times)
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/28/Tampabay/Understanding_Terri_S.shtml
"Rehabilitation Organization Clarifies Clinical Distinctions Between the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States" (U.S. Newswire) http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=131-10282003
"Life should be the default answer in controversial cases" opinion by Russ Maney (Snitch.com)
http://www.snitch.com/000567.html
"Schiavo Case Demands Answers To Bigger Questions" column by Maggie Gallagher (Yahoo.com)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/1028c.htm
Expanded coverage: "Terri Schiavo's Right to Live" (Inclusion Daily Express)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/advocacy/schiavo01.htm

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# EMPLOYMENT

Business Network Promotes Hiring Workers With Disabilities
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
October 28, 2003

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY--A network of business organizations and employment services agencies launched a new effort Tuesday to encourage employers to hire workers with disabilities.

The group, the Northern Kentucky chapter of the Kentucky Business Leadership Network, plans to meet once each month to share the message that it makes good business sense to employ people with disabilities .

"Typically, the agencies have done all this work, going to businesses, knocking on doors and making their pitch," said Tom Fricke, who is blind and whose firm consults on the Americans with Disabilities Act. "Now we're trying to get business to knock on doors and tell people their experiences."

"There is a huge work force out there that wants to work and is willing to work,'' said Chuck McHale, president of McHale Catering which has hired two employees that have disabilities.

Related:
"Hiring of disabled workers promoted" (Kentucky Post)
http://www.kypost.com/2003/10/28/kydisabilities102803.html
Kentucky Business Leadership Network
http://www.kybln.org/

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# AWARENESS / ACCESSIBILITY

Groups Plan To Move Ahead With Accessible Playgrounds
October 28, 2003

VINELAND, NEW JERSEY--The following four paragraphs are excerpts from a story in Tuesday's Press of Atlantic City:

Some came in wheelchairs, others had canes and walkers, and still others had disabilities that weren't visible.

Close to 100 people - disabled people seeking information and service providers and agency representatives - attended the third annual Cumberland County Disability Awareness Day on Saturday at the Ramada Inn.

Freeholder Mary Gruccio, an elementary school principal in Vineland, cited her support of an all-abilities playground where children with and without disabilities could be together.

"When you put a child with disabilities in a classroom, most children are supportive and kind," Gruccio said. "A program like this will enable all children and adults to be together and to understand each other."

Entire article:
"Advocates for disabled push for all-abilities playground" (Press of Atlantic City)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/1028b.htm

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# ADVOCACY

Vote With Inclusion In Mind
October 28, 2003

TORONTO, ONTARIO--In her latest column for the Toronto Star, Helen Henderson encouraged voters in Toronto's upcoming election to keep in mind the needs of people with disabilities.

"We need councillors and school trustees who pay more than lip service to accessible cities, men and women who understand that investing in children and adults with disabilities pays off big-time," Henderson wrote in her Saturday column.

"We need elected representatives who will work with the new regime at Queen's Park to improve transportation, education and other vital pieces of a framework that supports inclusion."

"We need people who recognize that giving kids with disabilities the help they need early lets them realize their full potential as contributing members of society."

"To do otherwise robs them of the tools they need to be self-sufficient."

Entire column:
"It's time for voters to back inclusion" column by Helen Henderson (Toronto Star)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/red/1028a.htm

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# ACCESSIBILITY / LAWS

Car Rental Companies Agree To Provide Accessible Airport Shuttle Buses
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
October 28, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC--The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that two of the nation's largest car rental agencies have agreed to improve access for passengers with disabilities on airport shuttle buses.

Under the agreement, Alamo Car Rent-A-Car LLC and National Car Rental System Inc. will have the next 60 days to equip each company-owned airport location with a shuttle bus designed to carry a person in a wheelchair or scooter between the terminal and the lot where rental vehicles are kept. The companies will also make sure all newly purchased or leased buses that carry 17 or more people are equipped in the same way, as well as 10 percent of smaller buses.

The agreement ends a Justice Department investigation into possible federal disability rights violations.

Alamo and National operate under the corporate name Vanguard Car Rental USA and have more than 3,200 rental locations in 83 countries.

"Our customers will be able to experience this expanded commitment within the weeks ahead," said Jeff Parell, chief operating officer for Vanguard.

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# TODAY'S FEATURED WEBSITE

Justice For All E-Mail Network (American Association of People with Disabilities)

Welcome to the Justice For All E-Mail Network

Justice For All and our JFA E-mail Network were formed to defend and advance disability rights and programs in the 104th Congress. One JFA goal is to work with national and state organizations of people with disabilities to get the word from Washington D.C. out to the grassroots.

This page provides you with information on how to obtain the JFA alerts both by subscribing to the Mailing List and by having access to past alerts via Majordomo access.

http://www.jfanow.org

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# EXPRESS EXTRA!!! From the Inclusion Daily Express Archives -- One year ago:

ADVOCACY
Advocates Mourn Death Of Civil Rights Champion Paul Wellstone
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
October 28, 2002

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA--Americans across the country are mourning the deaths of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, and their daughter Marcia, who died Friday in an airplane crash in northern Minnesota. The plane's pilot and co-pilot, along with three of Wellstone's staff aides, also perished in the accident, which took place between re-election campaign stops.

Wellstone, 58, considered by colleagues as a liberal "warrior", had championed many causes related to civil rights and health care since he took office in 1991.

In February of this year, Wellstone announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but that he would continue his re-election campaign. "I have a strong mind -- although there are some that might disagree about that -- I have a strong body, I have a strong heart, I have a strong soul," he told reporters.

Previously, Wellstone also said that he had a learning disability that required him to study harder and take more time to learn in school. Because of this, as a senator he opposed measures that emphasized standardized test scores.

"Sen. Wellstone was a strong advocate for people with disabilities including people with multiple sclerosis," the National Multiple Sclerosis Society said in an on-line statement. "He frequently sponsored or co-sponsored legislation that would benefit people with disabilities and people in poverty."

"Senator Wellstone was a great advocate for people with disabilities and their families," said Linda Warner, Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation in a press statement. "His leadership in pursuing mental health parity legislation is an example of the ways he championed health care for all Americans."

Wellstone considered running for the presidency in 2000, but finally decided against it, saying a back injury would prevent him from effectively running the campaign.

The Minnesota Democrat and his wife are survived by their two sons and six grandchildren.

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# BELOW THE FOLD
Click here for the rest of today's disability-related news:
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/03/btf/102803_53.htm

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