Spring 2003 Newsletter
Great Organizing
This comes from Steve Gold at The Disability Odyssey. Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at http://www.stevegoldada.com with a searchable Archive at this site.
Information Bulletin # 49 The California and Virginia disability communities have successfully organized and shown their elected officials what Disability POWER is all about. The Supreme Court had agreed to hear a case from California that would have decided whether the States' sovereign immunity trumped Congress' authority to enact Title II of the ADA against States.
After the Supreme Court took the case, the California advocates shouted "NOT ON OUR WATCH." They were outraged that their State would be The Cause for a potentially devastating Supreme Court decision. A terrific statewide coalition of "insider advocates" and "outsider advocates" combined forces and began exerting their collective pressure.
Understanding both their power and the nature of the political system, the advocates got to the California Governor, the California Attorney General, their Senators, other elected and appointed officials, and the press -- all of whom obviously felt the heat and heard the strength of the disability leaders. Yes, disabled folks vote; yes, disabled people can get press; yes, disabled persons know how to exert political pressure-- HOW SURPRISING AND AMAZING!!! BOTTOM LINE: The Governor and Attorney General backed off; California dismissed their appeal. The disability community had a tremendous VICTORY.
On the east coast, Virginia had filed a brief in support of California. On the Virginia brief were Alabama, Delaware, Hawaii, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. When the Virginia disability community recently learned that their State was leading other states AGAINST THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY, the Virginia disability community quickly mobilized, and like their brothers and sisters in California, exerted their POWER. They organized and pressured the politicos; they got great press. Results: In a March 3, 2003 letter the Governor of Virginia wrote, "I disagree with [Virginia's] Attorney General's recent brief in the Supreme Court." The Governor went on to write "the ADA has benefited thousands of Virginians with disabilities, and I do not support any effort to undermine its success." The Virginia Lieutenant Governor wrote a similar letter. Simultaneously, the disability community publicly embarrassed their Attorney General at two public meetings.
SOME LESSONS LEARNED:
Your Disability Community had BETTER be or get organized! We fully expect the same legal issue, as well as others, will come up again. But we bet it will not be from CALIFORNIA! That State learned its lesson. Building a strong and publicly visible disability community that sheds society's oppressive yoke is critical. Do not expect your good looks will get you anywhere. California and Virginia organized and flexed their strength. Winning at the state level will have enormous ripple effects and impacts well-beyond one court case. Other States have heard about California and Virginia. When your State's disability community takes on your Governors, Attorney Generals, etc., they will have heard about CA and VA.
"POWER CONCEDES NOTHING WITHOUT A STRUGGLE." We HOPE that those GREAT ADVOCATES in California and Virginia have a BIG party to celebrate their victories.
