ADA anniversary, continued

Just 17 years ago, our family was so preoccupied with Margaret's medical and educational needs that we didn't even notice the passage of the ADA. Similarly, any improvements that the ADA may have made to Margaret's life were certainly not obvious to us, as we struggled to get her a decent education in a largely unresponsive local school district.

With luck, this blog will help me catch up on what I missed, about the ADA as well as other disability-related developments. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, here are a few more documents relating to the act's anniversary.
-- Proclamation from President Bush
-- Statement from Hillary Clinton, pledging to expand economic opportunity for individuals with disabilities
-- Statement from John Edwards, calling for Congress to strengthen the ADA

On the 17th anniversary of the ADA ...

-- From the National Council on Disability: "two reports on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ... show that ADA implementation is not only possible and practicable, it is also good for business."

-- From Radio Iowa: Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin intends to introduce language to "restore the intent" of the ADA, which he says no longer offers protections to people with epilepsy, diabetes and cancer.

-- From WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C. -- Legal advocates say courts have eroded the rights of people by allowing employers to say a person is too disabled to do the job, but not disabled enough to be protected. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) say they will co-sponsor new legislation to restore the ADA to its previous mission.

Braille literacy drop called civil rights issue

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the number of Braille-literate children has dropped precipitously. It is estimated that between 12 and 20 percent of 55,000 legally blind children in the U.S. can read Braille, down from about 50 percent in the 1960s. Many believe the trend will provide a significant barrier to employment, as current studies indicate that at least 90 percent of the blind people in the U.S. who currently hold jobs are Braille literate.

"[Literacy] is the biggest single determinant of a person's ability to be successful," says Steven Rothstein, president of Perkins School for the blind in Watertown, Mass. … (He) considers the decline an "enormous crisis" requiring a civil rights movement for America's disabled.

… The decline in literacy is generally linked to the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which mainstreamed blind students into public schools where teachers were often unprepared to teach them. Today about 85 percent of blind schoolchildren are enrolled in public schools.

Real jobs for real people, take 2

Just heard a speech by Walter Smith, managing partner of international law firm Baker, Botts, who was being honored for the firm's commitment to hiring people with intellectual disabilities. To learn more about the program, click this link. There was also an article about the program in the Washington Post by Amy Joyce that ran last October. (Headline: Beyond disability barriers: Employees quickly emerge as assets.) Click here for the article preview; it's now pay only.

Here's what Walt had to say:

"We got as much or more out of this experiment as did our special needs employees. In fact, our lawyers and staff have responded so favorably to the idea, that we now have eight full-time special needs employees in our five offices in the U.S.

"It just so happens that professional service firms -- that’s law firms, accounting firms, consulting firms and the like -- are ideal places to work for individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities. We have a safe and quiet environment that lends itself to training and mentoring. We have a relatively educated and caring workforce. But most importantly, we have work they can do that needs to get done."

Companies that follow the Baker, Botts example, he said, will

"... not only be doing a great service, they’ll get a great employee as well. One who will show up for work every day with a smile on his or her face, eager and thankful for the opportunity. And remember: you won't just be helping them make a living, you'll be helping them make a life."

Real People, Working

The shop is called “C’est Bon de Vivre” – “It’s Good to be Alive” – and one visit will convince you of the wisdom of its name. The windows are lined with beautiful hand-stencilled ceramics in pastel hues, and the fact that the windows front on the main street of a little French city called Versailles makes the display all the more delicious. Inside, the shop’s white-smocked artists keep up a merry chatter as they layer on the paint.

It’s the creation of Helene bes de Berc, whose 23-year-old daughter Sophie’s oft-repeated saying provided the shop with its name. Madame de Berc had been eager to find a place where Sophie could work, socialize and connect with her community, but was disappointed in her quest. France has few programs for young adults like Sophie, who has Down syndrome, Madame de Berc said, so she set about to build her own.

The result is a bustling store with a revolving cast of artisans, all of whom have some degree of intellectual disability. Madame de Berc, who trained as an artist before her five children arrived, has conceived of her storefront as a place where young adults can work with paint, ceramics, wood and other media, as well as develop skills in reading, computation and independent living. All the artwork they produce is offered for sale. The shop also takes advance orders for particular items.

“I did it to show that it is possible,” Madame de Berc said, adding that she was eager to demonstrate the competence of Sophie and her peers in the face of a school system that does not devote much attention to students with intellectual disabilities. “It is good for them to do something creative, because they are able to understand and to learn.”

The shop “C’est Bon de Vivre” can be found at 56 Rue d’Anjou, 78000 Versailles. To learn more about their products, contact Helene bes de Berc at +33 (0) 1 39 50 00 74, or email bes_de_berc@wanadoo.fr