While her classmates sat in their classroom in Parsons learning the three Rs, 9-year-old Allie Jones was in Washington, D.C., last week learning lessons in history, politics and life.

It is in Washington where Allie saw direct action in progress -- the same type of direct action that has led to change over the years from the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote in a letter from Birmingham jail, "Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path? You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored."

Allie was in Washington for the 25th anniversary of ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a group that uses direct action to fight for legislation to promote services in communities instead of warehousing people with disabilities in institutions and nursing homes.

"It's about having access to everything, so they have their rights like everyone else does," Allie said.

Way to go Allie! Read more here in the Parsons Sun.]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000194 http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000194 Whats Hot Wed, 14 May 2008 08:39:43 -0900 The ADA Partners Project brings together Alaskans from all parts of the state to explain provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to individuals and businesses, and help Alaskans comply with the ADA requirements.

Services:

• Technical assistance and information dissemination on the legal obligations and rights under Americans with Disabilities Act and state and federal disability laws/regulations
• Tailored training presentations for staff of businesses, local and state government, social services agencies, universities and schools, clubs, and the general public upon request. -May include, but not limited to, training topics such as employment; reasonable accommodations; disability awareness & sensitivity; customer service for persons with disabilities; service animals; and accessibility.
• Accessibility Compliance and Survey assistance for a barrier-free environment

David Barton
ADA Partners Project Coordinator
Access Alaska
121 W. Fireweed Lane
Anchorage, AK 99503

(907)248-4777 Ext. 206
TTY: (907)248-8799
(800) 949-4232
dbarton@accessalaska.org
www.dbtacnorthwest.org ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/access_alaska_services/ada_partners_project/#000193 http://www.accessalaska.org/access_alaska_services/ada_partners_project/#000193 ADA Partner's Project Mon, 05 May 2008 16:01:48 -0900

Marty Hintz, Fairbanks MS Support Group Member.]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/media/#000192 http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/media/#000192 Media Mon, 05 May 2008 11:42:30 -0900 here.

Kris is an active member of the MS Support Group in Fairbanks.]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/media/#000190 http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/media/#000190 Media Thu, 01 May 2008 12:22:13 -0900 disablism both are stains and strains on our community.

April 16, 2008

Dear Fellow Citizen of Anchorage:

Once again, an incident of racial prejudice has shocked our town. Local disk-jockeys have made a “joke” at the expense of Native Alaskan women, and have been suspended pending “sensitivity training.” Does this treatment solve the problem? Not unless you think the problem is merely the public airing of sentiments and beliefs that most of us carry in our hearts.

Healing Racism in Anchorage, a grass-roots organization of volunteers, thinks there is a better, deeper way to cure the underlying sickness of prejudice, racism, and bigotry that infects our community.

A five-week session of classes begins with the video “Anchorage Is Our Home,” showing us the impact of stereotyping, prejudice, and racism in our own town. Discussion centers on the experiences and feelings of members of the class evoked by watching the video. All discussion is confidential - we agree not to report it outside of the classroom without prior consent of the speaker.

In successive meetings we watch other videos, including the powerful “The Color of Fear.” Members always have ample time to discuss, and to express their thoughts and feelings. Experienced leaders maintain confidentiality, safety, and respect at all times. Readings will also be provided for home study.

Whether you have already been a participant, or have not yet attended one of these classes, we invite you to join a new group that will meet for five successive Thursday evenings, starting May 15th:

6:30 – 8:30 P.M.
May 15 – June 12
BP Energy Center
(a separate building in back of the big BP headquarters at the corner of Northern Lights Blvd. and New Seward Hwy.)

Cost: Free to Members
$20 for a One-Year Membership
(reduced price to students and seniors)

Sincerely,

Healing Racism in Anchorage
PO Box 92086
Anchorage, AK 99509-2086
907/561-3238; 907/677-8918 fax
www.anchoragehealingracism.org; contact ppartnow@alaska.com

More news reports:
KTUU
AP
the source. ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000189 http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000189 Whats Hot Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:16:35 -0900 From the New York Times: Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases... The system means that the burden of expensive health care can now affect insured people, too. Pay here. ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/our_blog/insurance/#000188 http://www.accessalaska.org/our_blog/insurance/#000188 Insurance Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:49:41 -0900 -- Martin Luther King, Jr., Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968 ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000187 http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000187 Whats Hot Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:49:19 -0900 The tailor of my spirit
fashioned for me a cloak,
of fatherhood,
Cut from the cloth
of the father I knew,
not just the man
the world saw,
but the father
He longed to be,
if I were to be a father
I could be that man for him....
The Cloak, made over my lifetime,
hidden, all but forgotten,
lay folded in wait,
sprung from its hiding place
fitted itself to me
in less than a blink, at feeling
the first kick of my child, through
the thinning skin of her mother’s belly.
The strong fabric of many lives,
stitched, woven into a garment of identity
often liberating, in its confining nature,
always there, a perfect fit.
Over the years, snagged on reality, many times,
the fabric would fray & fringe,
never failing, always there, giving
purpose to my life, guiding
my every step.
I, in contemplation, am comforted,
seeing loose threads, thought lost,
were chosen by my children
to weave into their own garment,
now hanging in the closet of their soul
until needed.
I know in my heart, Somewhere
my father is proud of the
way his grand children chose
to dress themselves.

T.F. Box ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/staff/#000186 http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/staff/#000186 Staff Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:53:59 -0900 Alaska Alliance for Direct Service Careers and will be awarded at the Full Lives Conference on April 17th.

Frank received many nominations from co-workers and members of the Head injury Support group, which is a testament to how much we appreciate all he has given the field. We are all very proud of Frank for his compassion and hard work.

Read some of Franks work here.]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000185 http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000185 Whats Hot Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:23:15 -0900 From Dermot Cole.]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/media/#000184 http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/media/#000184 Media Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:49:40 -0900 It's a social movement that may surprise you: Anchorage students are banding together to encourage people to quit using the word "retarded" in a negative light, by banning the "R" word all together.

Fifty years ago, the word retarded was the clinically accepted term for people with developmental disabilities. Over the years, it has become hurtful and derogatory. Now, some local students want it banned.

More from Channel 11 here.
The “R” Word Campaign here.

Qualified Individuals Who Experience A Disability Are Encouraged To Apply. ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/employment/#000182 http://www.accessalaska.org/about_us/employment/#000182 Employment Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:20:50 -0900 Awareness Training on Domestic Violence and Abuse for People with a Disability

• Recognizing Domestic Violence and Abuse
• Personal Safety and Reporting
• Screening Providers

Thursday, March 27th and Friday, March 28
Time: 9:00 - 1:00 pm
Access Alaska
526 Gaffney, Suite 100
Fairbanks, Alaska

This Free, two day training is designed for consumers…family members and care providers will also benefit and are encouraged to attend.

To Register Contact:
Lorraine Trask or Cassi Berry (907) 479-7940

If you require a reasonable accommodation, please let us know no later than March 21, 2008 so we may be able to fulfill your request.

This training is sponsored by grant funding awarded to the State of Alaska, Governors Council on Disabilities and Special Education from the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women (Grant #2004-FWAX-K033). ]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/events/#000181 http://www.accessalaska.org/events/#000181 Events Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:48:57 -0900 Ellen Brehm, a retired nurse who walks with cane, was stranded last September after flying home from California following the annual trip she's been taking with college friends since 1947.

Her flight, had which departed six hours late, landed at Newark at about 1:20 a.m. The wheelchair service she'd requested was nowhere in sight. Brehm returned to the plane to sit and wait, but a flight attendant told her she must get off so the crew could leave.

She then stood on the jet bridge, balancing on her cane, to wait. About 30 minutes later, another flight attendant exited the plane and asked if she needed help. The woman eventually returned with a wheelchair attendant.

"Here I am, at 2 a.m., 83 years old, all by myself," Brehm says. "There wasn't one person in this whole huge airport. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't come out."

Airlines are obligated to provide free, prompt wheelchair assistance between curbside and cabin seat to comply with the 21-year-old Air Carrier Access Act, an anti-discrimination law.

More here.]]> http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000179 http://www.accessalaska.org/whats_hot/#000179 Whats Hot Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:48:50 -0900