Oct. 24, 2006 The second and final day of the 2006 Voices That Count conference, dedicated to achieving equal rights for the disabled, revealed that most of the problems addressed in the conference two years ago remain just as they were at that time unresolved.
While the 2004 conference might not have achieved the results that disabled residents hoped for, this year's conference, at the Holiday Inn Windward Passage on St. Thomas, gave residents cause for hope: Many voices made themselves heard to people with the potential power to help this year's covey of political candidates.
Sponsored by the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, the conference was packed with about 175 persons with disabilities, family members, caregivers and advocates (many of them in wheelchairs).
The group was loud and clear about its concerns Tuesday. Perhaps Yegin Habtes, the center's executive director, phrased it best: "They [the disabled] want to own their own homes, to be loved and to be part of the community." He told the political candidates, "They long for a champion."
On Monday, the conference's first day, the group prepared questions for the candidates. The three gubernatorial candidates — John deJongh, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg and Kenneth Mapp — and candidates for the territory's congressional seat — incumbent Donna M. Christiansen and candidate Warren Mosler — responded to those concerns in Tuesday's morning session.
The candidates addressed issues in five primary areas: education, transportation, employment, health (including mental health), and housing.
One of the main concerns in all areas is compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), passed by Congress in 1990. The territory lags far behind the states in implementing these mandates, as acknowledged by all candidates.
Many government buildings do not have wheelchair ramps, nor elevators — even in the territory's premier showplace, Government House.
Disabled advocate Iselyne Hennessey, who lost a leg several years ago, had something to say about Government House. "A terrorist probably can't get into Government House with the Plexiglas doors, which drown out sound, but neither can a citizen with a disability. I have to stand in front and yell for somebody to help me up the stairs," Hennessey said. "I don't see why they can't install a bell for people to ring."
As the questions were addressed, a small group sat at the front of the room, paying strict attention to Bertha C. Boschulte Junior High School teacher Sarah Hancock, who sat in front of them, signing all the information. "I brought my deaf class with me today," she said.
Hancock translated the words of one adult in the group, Julienne Pickering, a teacher in the government's Maternal and Child Health program.
"We need support, and we need some interpreters to help us," Pickering said. "The way we have to hold everything in and can't express ourselves . . . the Senate should do something to help us."
The question of the territory's cap on the federal Medicaid program came up often. Delegate Christensen said, and others agreed, that it is a "stumbling block" in getting SSI (supplemental security income) funds, which would help many education and health programs. "To get the cap lifted, it would also have to include Puerto Rico, and that is a big problem," she said, adding that she has been fighting in Congress for years to get the cap lifted.
DeJongh said at the outset that what the territory needs is an ADA compliance officer in the government "to enforce the laws." He said later that he was confident that getting an ADA representative would not "present a problem."
All candidates agreed that the $28,000 starting salary for teachers, including special education teachers, is ridiculous. "We need incentives," Mapp said. "That salary cannot pay somebody teaching 27 students six hours a day, five days a week."
De Jongh said he is familiar with the need for special education teachers. "Two of our three children have attention deficit disorder, and my wife, Cecile, and I were challenged. An ADA coordinator in the V. I. would work with the Department of Education to implement these issues."
Transportation issues fared somewhat better than education. Christensen noted that in the last two years 10 VITRAN buses with wheelchair lifts have been added to the government's fleet.
On the issue of housing, all three gubernatorial candidates were in favor of integrated housing for the disabled.
Mapp and Donastorg also vigorously supported taking back the V. I. Housing Authority from the federal government. "We could manage it better; it's a mess with broken lights, staircases it's worse than ever," Donastorg said.
"We ought to take the feds to court and hold their feet to the fire [over the issue]," Mapp said.
All candidates also agreed that employment for the disabled is also lagging behind.
One disabled representative in the audience had a special plea for the candidates: "One of you will be addressing the Legislature in January with your State of the Territory address. Please make it available to those of us who cannot see, or who cannot hear."
Keynote speaker Eva Britt, a Washington, D. C. attorney, closed the morning session with a brief but passionate speech. Britt, whose practice is devoted to protecting the rights of the disabled, wheeled herself up to the center of the room, deftly turned her wheelchair around and spoke to the crowd.
"Take the opportunity to fight and to make yourselves heard," she said. "I feel greatly blessed to be here. Last night I couldn't believe that God would choose me to be in a place where there is no parity [for the disabled].
"When all else fails, and you can't get attention, resort to pressure; there's a way to get your point across and be heard. You have the ADA laws; use them."
Britt, who has suffered with rheumatoid arthritis since she was nine, said she still encounters problems as a disabled person. "I almost didn't get here because of a problem at the D. C. airport," she said.
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