New Horizons Un-Limited Inc.

Editorials

Legislation

• NHU Position Paper: 2011-13 Wisconsin State Budget
  [April 11, 2011]
  To the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly Joint Finance Committee Members - we support the budget recommendations of the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations. Taking from those who have little is not a remedy, it is a disaster. The state has been working toward providing community service providers and helping people live and work in the community from a program to de-institutionalize citizens with disabilities. The consequences and ramifications of the proposed budget of the lack of assistance to citizens with disabilities will not bring about the fiscal change the legislators desire, but will bring substantially more cost to the state. Anyone of us(we) could become disabled at any time. It is disheartening to think we are willing to throw citizens of our state(ourselves) away, at a time their (our) lives when they(we) are most vulnerable from disability by not lending assistance when they(we) may need assistance to live, find care, and find new ways to work in our communities.

• Legislation: Special Report: 2011-13 Wisconsin State Budget
  April 8, 2011
  In this report we are including more information on the following: on what is in the bill, how will the bill impact you, and what positions are Wisconsin disability advocacy groups taking? This report covers Medicaid, Public Transit, Special Education, Long Term Care, Mental Health, Corrections, and Local Access to Benefits. There is also a guide on What Can I Do to Advocate on Disability Issues in the Wisconsin State 2011-2013 Budget?

• 2003 - State of the Union for People with Disabilities
  January 29, 2003
  This article was written and published by the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.). Redistribution and reprinting of this article is encouraged by N.O.D. "America's 54 million citizens with disabilities are determined to participate fully and equally in national and community life. But significant participation gaps between Americans with and without disabilities persist in employment, income levels, education, community activities, political and religious life, access to housing, transportation and healthcare, and emergency preparedness. Closing these gaps - both through the work of people with disabilities and the involvement of others in our society, including the government -- is America's Disability Agenda."

• Legal Tide Has Turned Against the Disabled
  November 25, 2001
  This article is written by Lennard Davis, Professor of the English and Disability and Human Development Departments at University of Illinois - Chicago, reprinted here with permission and provides a brief discussion of the whittling impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It further proves to open our eyes to the necessity of such laws, reminding us that someday, we too may need the protection provided by the laws that are slowly being eroded by unsympathetic justices and representatives.

• Disabled Adult Child and Title 19 Medical Assistance
  November 30, 2001
  Few understand the laws guiding the distribution of Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income. This lack of understanding has led many adults with disabilities to needlessly lose their benefits. People with disabilities and their families must educate themselves on this and other laws to ensure entitled benefits are properly received.

• New Legislation Makes It Easier for Homeownership to be a Housing Option for People with Disabilities
  October 31, 2001.
  New legislation and the final regulation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allow people with disabilities to use Section 8 vouchers that pay rent to apply instead to buy a house and pay monthly mortgage payments. Local public housing authorities have to choose to participate in the program and there are eligibility requirements, but this is an important change that offers homeownership as a housing option for people with disabilities.

• Is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Working for You?
  January 31, 2001
  The Americans with Disabilities Act has recently celebrated its tenth year in existence. How much can really be celebrated? The Act, even after a decade, is in a state of disarray. Individuals with disabilities are forced to be the only enforcement behind a law that is only effective if complaints are voiced and heard. Multiple government agencies are then handling these complaints with little comprehensive direction. Courts are further complicating the process by not taking a strong stance on the rights of individuals with disabilities. The agency and court officials are continuously redefining the term "disability" therefore not providing a platform on which future rulings can be based. Individuals are ultimately forced to put their lives on hold, due to the ineffectiveness of this disorganized, reactive enforcement policy of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• The Patient's Bill of Rights Debate - How It Will Impact the Disabled
  July 27, 2001
  Congress has taken up new legislation, the Patient's Bill of Rights, to limit the ability of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) and other providers to deny coverage and be held accountable for their decisions on patient care. One group in particular is adversely impacted by the rising costs of health care and ill treatment by managed care providers - the disabled. Because the disabled require more medical care than other patients do, they incur significantly higher costs. These higher costs lead providers to shy away from insuring individuals with disabilities. Any potential Patients' Bill of Rights that is passed by Congress needs to address the needs of individuals with disabilities so they are able to continue receiving the health services they require. We encourage you to investigate additional details about the Patient's Bill of Rights legislation and contact your Senators or Representatives to show your support for and concerns about this legislation.

• Senator Jeffords' Party Change a Result of a Dispute over Funding for the Disabled
  July 27, 2001
  Senator Jim Jeffords' (I-VT) recent change in party affiliation is the most significant political development of the Bush Administration and directly impacts the disabled. A long time moderate, Jeffords had increasingly found himself voting with the Democrats on issues like taxes and spending, while the leadership of the Republicans became increasingly conservative and less willing to negotiate on policy with the Democrats. The President's proposed tax cut and spending initiatives left little room to expand funding for needed social programs, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If the president had agreed to fully fund the IDEA, he could have received full support from Senator Jeffords for his proposed tax cut. Jeffords' defection brings issues affecting the disabled, such as funding for the IDEA, to the forefront. Much more attention will be placed on funding education, adaptive technology, and medical care. The change in control of the Senate will bring some much-needed attention to long neglected issues impacting the disabled.

2000 Presidential Election

• Candidate Comparison
  June 30, 2000
  In the upcoming November elections, our country faces a decision on the direction in which we will proceed for the future. There are many groups competing to have their issues placed on the national agenda, and create policy that is self serving. Whomever is elected President, either Vice President Al Gore or Texas Governor George W. Bush, will have the greatest opportunity to impact what issues are addressed in the beginning of the new administration and create meaningful policy to assist the most under-represented Americans today, the disabled.
• The Election of 2000 Shows the Disabled Being Denied their Right to Vote
  January 31, 2001
  By not having access to the polls and effective representation, the disabled are being denied their constitutionally protected right to vote. They are also being denied equal protection guaranteed by the 14th amendment. If the disabled are even to become fully accepted into society, they need to be treated in the same manner as everyone else. They need to have the same opportunity to vote, the same chance the rest of us take for granted.
• One Vote Really Can Make a Difference
  January 30, 2001
  The Presidential Election of 2000 showcased the importance of individual voters and how only a few individuals could change the outcome of an election, and affect the direction of the country. It also shows the importance that an organization of voters can play. If a group can organize itself and turn out its voters, it can play a pivotal role in an election. If the disabled community turned out and voiced its opinion, via the voting booth, neither candidate could continue to ignore their concerns.

Amend the Older Americans Act

• NHU's Overview of the Older Americans Act  
  July 7, 1999
  A large amount of legislation has been proposed in the current and past U.S. Congress sessions to amend the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965 and to authorize funding for future years. Many people with disabilities and caregivers feel that the younger disabled should be included in the OAA, so that they are able to receive the same programs and services. The following is an overview and analysis of current and past legislation concerning the Older Americans Act and how amendments to the OAA affect younger persons with disabilities.

• NHU's Overview of the S. 10 and the National Family Caregiver Program
  July 7, 1999
  Several bills have been proposed in the U.S. Congress to create the National Family Caregiver Support program through amending the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965. This program does not include Americans with disabilities under the age of 55. In this article, NHU examines a recent legislative bill that proposes this program, S.10, to justify the need for younger individuals with disabilities to be included in future proposed legislation concerning the National Family Caregiver Support program in order to obtain equal treatment as received by individuals with disabilities over 55 years of age.

• Include People with Disabilities in the Older Americans Act
  February 18, 1999
  This letter was written by "A Lifelong Caregiver" to the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C., 105th Congress, 2nd Session, in response to bill S. 2295, "To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965." The letter describes the lack of services for people with disabilities and appeals to include services for people with disabilities in this legislation.

Federal Legislation and Funding

• The ADA and Lack of Funding Provided by Disabled Legislation
  Nobember 29, 1999
  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1991 was created to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to programs, activities and services received by non-disabled Americans.  However, the lack of implementation of this access is, in part, due to the deficiency of funding provided by the Federal government in order to uphold the regulations established by the ADA.  Individuals with disabilities need more legislation that provides funding for programs.

Federal Legislative Support for People with Disabilities

The information in this editorial is now dated since the election of a new Congress in November 2000. However, the information presented here is still valid. Some of the members listed here are still in office and continue to support disabled issues. Now, we need to call upon these people to continue their efforts and make new proposals that aid the disabled in the 107th Congress.

• Supporters of Legislation for People with Disabilities
  November 13, 1999
  Legislation in general can be extremely difficult to understand, but we have found that legislation specifically affecting the disabled can be very complicated.  This editorial attempts to explain the legislative process, bring notice to members of the U.S. Congress who are advancing legislation for the disabled and urge everyone for continued support of these issues.

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