APPENDIX 7 LETTER TO HON. JIM LEACH, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF IOWA, FROM RICHARD R. ZEHRBACH, SUPERVISOR, EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, GRANT WOOD EDUCATION AGENCY April 22, 1983 Representative James Leach 1724 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Representative Leach: This letter is in support of your work for the International Decade of the Handicapped. I believe that this effort can provide a forum in which troublesome problems can receive a thorough, thoughtful debate. A review of your objectives indicates that you are attacking a very broad and important topic. As a supervisor of a Early Childhood Program, I would like to suggest for your action a problem that we encounter daily but which has, I believe, international human rights implications. Let me cite two examples. Sammy (fictitious name) is a child who was born with fluid where the brain typically forms. He is initially kept alive through heroic measures, then stabilizes and exists with care. Mary (fictitious name) is a premature child weighing slightly less than two pounds at birth. She also is kept alive through heroic measures including oxygen during the first two or three months of life, intravenous feedings, etc. One year after birth, although still small for her chronological age, she is a very pretty baby, alert, showing early signs of speech, of learning to walk, of attending to others. All indications are that she will develop into a normal child. The basic question: Under certain conditions both children would have perished It is the responsibility of individuals working with parents of these children with special needs to do all that we can to help them develop as much as possible. Also, we have to help parents deal with the different conditions that face them. We hear of parents who are faced with difficult questions by medical personnel, by relatives, by neighbors, by other residents in the community. It would appear that a full discussion, drawing from all walks of life, all ethical and I hope that this letter serves as a springboard to a full discussion of the issue. Sincerely, Richard R. Zehrbach, Ph. D. Supervisor, Early Childhood Programs cc: Cindy Springer, Subcommittee on Human Rights International Room 704 HOB Amc #1 Washington, D.C. 20515 (121) APPENDIX 8 COMPILATION OF STATEMENTS FROM VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS REGARDING THE U.N. DECADE OF DISABLED PERSONS DISABILITY GROUPS HENRY B. BETTS, M.D., MEDICAL DIRECTOR, REHABILITATION INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO I would like to start by stating a simple but indisputable fact: That for every dollar invested in the rehabilitation of a disabled person, a nine-fold return can be expected once that person has a job. When one considers the estimated thirty five million Americans with physical and mental disabilities, the economics suddenly become staggering. While it seems only appropriate here to discuss these issues in more lofty and philosophical terms like humanity and morality, I believe the most convincing argument can still be made from this one simple and practical point: That a human being who is warehoused and kept dependant upon society for support is an economic liability in a nation which values productivity. This premise---that productivity pays--must also serve as the starting place for the directions we pursue as we strive to achieve the nine long term goals promoted during the International Year of Disabled Persons. (122) (1) EXPANDED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES In rehabilitation we believe that education in general is as much a part of the rehabilitation process as the equipment we use and the therapies we employ. However we also believe that educating the disabled for the sake of education is wasteful unless the larger society places a value on it and, through employment, is willing to reward it. Thus educational opportunities can be expanded in three separate ways: through the identification and pursuit of those technologies which can make education available to more disabled persons with a broader range of handicapping conditions; through the incorporation of educational goals into the treatment and rehabilitation plans of those disabled persons in our care; and through communicating to all constituencies--institutions of higher learning, employers, the business community, governmental agencies and more---the value of education and its critical relationship to human productivity. (2) IMPROVED ACCESS TO HOUSING BUILDINGS AND TRANSPORATION Public access is one of the key issues which disabled persons face in their struggle to become integrated as productive members of society's mainstream. All of the talk on this matter is worthless if disabled persons remain physically unable to enter the workplace, see art within galleries, pray within houses of worship, mail letters and pay bills in post offices and banking facilities, locate adequate housing and transport themselves safely and efficiently. Here too, the rehabilitation community can play a vital role. For years we have been designing facilities and environments which stress mobility, utility, and safety. It is time now for us to share our knowledge with others---to combine the disciplines of design and architecture with what we know of rehabilitation engineering. In a larger sense we can also teach others to think anew about how they will build and who will have access to what is built. Again, it is not enough to say we are interested in broadening the horizons of the disabled, if, by architectural barrier, we lock them out of a polling place, a jobsite, or a residence. (3) EXPANDED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Those of us who have worked for any length of time in rehabilitation know a great deal about human potential. We know too, about the extraordinary possibilities Here the attack must be twofold: A commitment on the part of the private sector to aggressively seek and recruit disabled persons with the goal in mind of achieving dramatically increased employment of the handicapped within the next nine years, and the development of accessable environments which will make the achievement of that goal possible. 2 Once again, all of the well intended "hire the handicapped campaigns" in the world are without meaning if disabled persons cannot transport themselves, navigate safely around and within the jobsite, enter stores to purchase clothing appropriate to the position, and acquire the tools with which to get the job done. For our part we in rehabilitation, can continue to share our expertise in environmental design; develop programs which will ensure job-readiness for disabled persons; and research, design and distribute those devices and appliances which will strengthen the abilities of disabled persons to compete successfully in the marketplace, while keeping these affordable and available to this limited market. (4) EXPANDED PARTICIPATION IN RECREATIONAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES In the post World War Two era it used to be fashionable in some circles to organize special outings for people who suffered a particular handicapping affliction. However well intentioned, this is classically the kind of thinking which we must now un-learn. For it stresses the differences between people rather than those things they hold in common with one another. This is particularly significant in the context of human productivity because if we tell people they do belong in the workplace, but for reasons of accessability, they don't belong in the theater, the art gallery, or the stadium, then basically we are telling them they can work, but they can't enjoy the fruits of their labor. If we do this, then what have we done to the incentive to be productive? 22-976 O 83 <- 9 |