President
Richard Sweeney

1st Vice President
Gail Cartenuto-Cohen

2nd Vice President
Kathy Kellogg

Secretary
Nancy Hansen

Treasurer
Marlene Perez

Angela Cristantiello

William Frumkin

Pat Mahar

Mary Neff

Tyrone White

Jeffery Williams

Ivan Wyler

As we are preparing to publish our Fall 2000 newsletter we are also preparing to participate in Westchester ADA 2000, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is an appropriate time to reflect on the progress we have made and where we still have a ways to go.

There is no doubt that people with disabilities have more resources available to them than they had 10 years ago, in areas such as transportation, access to government buildings, access to businesses and employment opportunities. However, these resources are not simply handed to us, we as individuals and as a community must demand our rights and hold those who would deny them accountable. All too often the accommodations we need to fully participate in our community are viewed as too expensive. Some towns continue to claim that there is no money in their budget to make their government facilities accessible, although federal law requires a plan to modify their facilities. Unfortunately, the Federal government does little to enforce the ADA. The lack of proactive leadership by the Justice Department and other Federal Agencies is documented in a newly released report by the National Council On Disability "Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal Enforcement of the ADA". Thus ADA enforcement has relied on private citizens, groups and attorneys to bring civil suits to force compliance. Westchester Disabled On the Move Inc. will continue to be involved in systems advocacy. As Ed Roberts, one of the founding fathers of the Independent Living Movement stated the primary task of Independent Living Centers is to "Advocate! Advocate! Advocate!" .

Despite our successes the following sobering facts remain: More than 70% of working aged people with disabilities are unemployed, and New York State has not passed legislation to offer a Medicaid buy-in to working people with disabilities; New York State has almost 5,000 people between the ages of 21-64 in Nursing Homes, and New York State has yet to develop a plan to transition these people into the community;Many of our polling places are not accessible and the election day volunteers are not adequately training to provide reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities; The Supreme Court and Congress may take steps that will weaken the ADA.

What should be our response to these challenges and threats? One response is to: Get out and vote in this November's Elections! We need to be seen by politicians as a force that must be reckoned with. The aging community has done this very effectively and politicians go out of their way to court the Senior Vote. Too many of us don't vote due to disinterest, and/or lack of accessibility at the polling places. This year your vote is of critical importance: The next President will be appointing up to four Supreme Court Justices. The Court is the body that will decide if the ADA has been enforced and whether all aspects of the ADA are constitutional. Look in this issue for information about Garrett v Alabama and the Court's Olmstead Ruling. I am not telling you who to vote for. It is your responsibility to educate yourself about the issues and make an informed decision. JUST VOTE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT, BECAUSE IT PROBABLY DOES!