than a person in a wheelchair.
Collectively they're pretty spectacular."
Source
How totally exciting and energizing is this?
Image descriptions: The four photos taken by Tim Wheat are part of ADAPT's coverage of the week's events here. The first is of Marca Bristo, CEO of Chicago's Access Living (the ILC) and former chairperson of the National Council on Disability, in a power wheelchair holding a Chicago Sun-Times newspaper layout of coverage from a 1992 protest where the large headline reads "Disabled take home-care protest to AMA's doorstep." She sits next to Laura Hershey, Denver writer of Crip Commentary, also in a power wheelchair outside the American Medical Association's headquarters in this 2007 protest.
The second photo is inside a building, taken from above, showing a half dozen activists blockading the entrance. Some people are sitting in power wheelchairs and scooters, many wear ADAPT t-shirts.
The third photo is outside the AMA headquarters. A woman is writing "Community Choice" on a large glass window with a red paint marker and activists are visible lining the outside of the building along the glass in the background. The Community Choice Act, Senate Bill S. 799 and House Bill H.R. 1621, seeks to break the institutional bias by using existing funding that now pays for nursing home coverage to provide the choice of community-based services instead.
The fourth photo shows a man, surrounded by other wheelchair users, chanting or hollering. In comments below, it's suggested he's also signing as he chants. Perhaps the sign for "Now."
From ABC Chicago channel 7: "Disability activists wrap up week of Chicago protests" (video at link too):
Chicago's WGN covered the week's activities in video. The three individual clips cover the protest at the headquarters of the AMA and the shutdown of the Thompson Center. Here, here and here. Those links should work (for me, each opens three windows: the main WGN page, a WGN video troubleshooting page and the actual news video in Windows Media Player, preceded by a 20-second ad). Let me know if that doesn't work for you, please.September 12, 2007 (CHICAGO) - Hundreds of activists for the disabled protested again Wednesday in downtown Chicago, demanding better housing conditions. They are angry with Illinois government officials for spending too much money sending the disabled to nursing homes.
Wednesday was the last day of what Adapt calls its fall action. The disability rights group has targeted medical and governmental agencies since Monday in its push for access to more community-based services.
Hundreds of members led a vocal call for change to the system that they say gives them only one option - care in an institution.
Members of Adapt parked their wheelchairs in front of the Chicago headquarters of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union, at 29 N. Wacker.
They blocked the entrances and crowded into the lobby in a demonstration over housing options for people with disabilities.
"Everyone deserves a choice and right now, choices don't exist," said Gary Arnold of Adapt. "It's institutions or nursing homes or nothing for thousands of people."
Adapt is fighting for the Community Choice Act, a bill introduced to Congress earlier this year. It would allow patients with disabilities to access care in and around their homes, rather than rely on care from a nursing home.
Update: I've added some info about the people in the above photos to the in-text image descriptions since commenters have helpfully identified the activists. Also, the links to WGN videos just above should now be a little easier to access, thanks to Stephen Drake of NDY (Check the Not Dead Yet blog for day-by-day coverage of the events and additional photos. Steve has been my source for all the links in this post, along with ADAPT itself.)
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