Dayton Daily News Editorial, January 16, 2015
Dennis G. Grant, Executive Director, United Rehabilitation Services
As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches once again, I was thinking about the opportunity I had last year to speak to the subject of King’s speech titled World House Vision and how this relates to the work I do each day with hundreds of children and adults with disabilities at United Rehabilitation Services (URS). Like most people, I was intimately aware of his “I Have a Dream” speech but this was new territory, so I read it over a couple of times. To summarize a key passage I read, King shared the following message. “Some years ago, a famous novelist died. Among his papers was found a list of suggested plots for future stories, the most prominently underscored being this one: ‘A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together.’ This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live together – black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu – a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace….All inhabitants of the globe are now neighbors.” He went on to reference how technology had changed the landscape and understanding we all have of our place in society and the world which brought a lot home to me in my thinking.
King’s message has never been more relevant than today when we see a global economy and the impact this has had. Just as relevant, is the ongoing violence and unrest in the world like what we recently experienced in Paris, France in the attack on Charlie Hebdo in response to their free expression of views. There is much we need to do as a Nation and a World to bring all people together to find a way to live in peace. I feel it is critical that as we look to our communities and assess how diverse groups cannot just get along but thrive as we must remember Dr. King’s words and advance the concept of accepting diversity in all people. When we think of “Diversity Training”, it is usually based on race, religion and gender. Not always are disabilities addressed or even considered. It is important that people realize there are many commonalities in the struggles of all people to achieve equality and full participation in our Society.
Dr. King said, in his speech I Have a Dream, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir….guaranteed the inalienable Rights of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 eliminated “Jim Crow” laws and “separate but equal”. However, during that same time, people with disabilities, especially those with severe physical and/or cognitive disabilities were not just “unequally” segregated into different schools or sometimes classrooms or simply denied access to any formal education and often institutionalized or hidden away from the public eye in families’ attics and basements. I have heard literally hundreds if not thousands of stories in my time told by parents who described being advised by their physician or family to “put your child away and forget them”. It was some time after the Civil Rights Act before deinstitutionalization finally began to take place in the 1970’s and 1980’s when we finally closed the abusive human warehouses like Orient outside of Columbus and the Lima Correctional Institute for the Criminally Insane. In fact it was 26 years after the Civil Rights Act that the Americans with Disabilities Act finally began the same battle of overcoming discrimination and separateness for people with disabilities. Even with the advent of mainstreaming and later inclusion in attempting to overcome the “separate but equal” doctrine, there is still a struggle for recognition of the rights and abilities of those dealing with a disability.
At United Rehabilitation Services, we are committed to helping the thousands of children, adults and seniors we support to become as independent as possible and encourage a sense of self-worth through person-centered planning and self-determination. We offer individuals with disabilities, no matter how young or old, respect and unconditional positive regard and teach them to be self-advocates (Solidarity).
King referred to the World House being created by technology. This is especially true for those with disabilities who now can have “a voice” thanks to Augmentative Communication Devices, computers that use synthesized speech to communicate. They can also use the internet to interact with their community and the world beyond. For some, there are now power wheelchairs that even rise or allow them to stand and a myriad of other devices that allow them greater access and independence than ever imagined just decades ago when King wrote his speech. Although still far too limiting, public transportation including para-transit services such as the RTA Project Mobility can make a huge difference in this population’s lives. Today, we also find many individuals with disabilities who can attend college which opens doors they never expected to be there. Unfortunately, limited numbers (12% – 30%) of students with disabilities currently pursue post-secondary training/education. However, thanks to institutions like Wright State University, known worldwide for their welcoming approach to enrolling students with disabilities, this may be changing.
The Civil Rights Act and ADA created a more level playing field for employment also, but today there remain many inequities as many of those covered in these laws remain impoverished. African Americans and particularly Youth suffer higher rates of unemployment and in spite of the ADA, people with disabilities age 16 – 64 experience a 76% unemployment rate. URS started a Community Employment Program in 2004 to assist adults and high school students in preparing for the rigors of job seeking and sustaining employment in the community. We also provide Vocational Training in our center, allowing adults with disabilities to have meaningful paid work opportunities.
Dr. King said, in his speech I Have a Dream, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir….guaranteed the inalienable Rights of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Never were truer words spoken. Let us not forget any one of us when we consider this and one day we may actually realize his dream of “an oasis of freedom and justice” for all.
