Oct 18 2008
My Introduction…
I’m Martina. I got hired today at 6:48 am. This blog is about disability rights and intersection of other identities . along with that of a disabled person. I myself am a person of multiple identities . I am a disabled person, a bisexual person, a person of color, a woman and a low income person. Each of the identities influence and effect the others. Primarily i am also very tired of people assuming I rank one of my identities above the others. The next time someone asks me what i am first i am going to tell them honestly “What i am first at this moment is someone that really wants to hit you in the face “.
I am conserned about alot of things at the moment, but i figure i would share a few of them. As this is my first entry.
1. I learned on friday that the total increse to my personal care assistants (PCA) wages during the entire Bush regime was a grand total of .72 cents. For the ones that dont know what a personal care assistant is, they’re the people who take care of the things i would normally do on my own if i was able to do so. I am in a wheelchair so i can’t go to the bathroom, wash myself, cook, or clean my house independently. Even typing is somewhat difficult although i can do it. In fact i am dictating this entry to someone right now. I think it is shameful that people who assist human beings to be independent get paid less than some people that work at McDonald’s. My PCA’s get paid $ 10.84 an hour but the people that work at McDonald’s near my parents house can get paid up to $ 12, which is more important?
2. I am also concerned that while the government is busy bailing out Wall Street they don’t seem to have any money for programs that assist poor people and low income people to stay in their homes. We have foreclosures happening every day because people are victims of predatory lending practices and many disabled people cannot find homes or apartments which suit their access needs. Many are forced to live in nursing homes or to survive in apartments that don’t suit them. No one is talking about bailing those people out!
3. We still don’t have a nationalized program that would allow PCA users to move any where we wanted and keep our service level, services are determined by what state and sometimes county you live in. i had to move to Massachusetts to receive the level of services i needed. I don’t think this is fair and I feel like I should have been able to remain in Pennsylvania with my family and friends. But I had to move or I would have still been living at my parents house and not on my own, as i badly wanted to do. There is a bill to change this practice and nationalize personal assistance services throughout the country, so no one has to move ever again to get services they need. If you want to get involved (and i hope you do) you can write your Congress person and tell him or her to support either h. r. 1621 or Senate Bill 971 the Community Choice Act. You can also go to adapt.org for more information. ADAPT ia great direct action, disability rights organization. Many there’s one in your area (and I bet they’re looking for new members, both disabled and non-disabled).
