Also, the percentage of handicapped units in existing or underconstruction housing complexes is very low or nonexistent. If a disabled individual cannot afford their own home and have it adapted to their needs, they are often trapped inside their home. This creates much loneliness and depression and can be very dangerous. I know a woman who lives in a third-floor apartment building which had a fire when her husband was away at work. If the neighbors had not been aware of the fact that she was home alone, she could have died. In conclusion, I would like to address the problems of accessibility. Most of our public buildings in New Hampshire are older and do not provide access. I know a man who went to city hall to vote in one of our major cities and could not get in the building. He was forced to vote outside in his wheelchair in the middle of the winter. I know a public school teacher who, every morning, has to drag herself up the stairs on her behind to get to the top of the landing and her wheelchair. Disabled people depend greatly on provided handicap parking spaces. But every day I see spaces filled by cars without handicap plates or stickers. If a disabled person cannot park their car, they can't get out. [The prepared statement of Rima Sutton follows:] NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY 50 Bridge St, Manchester, NH 03101 Subcommittee on Select Education Washington, DC 20515 Dear Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like to introduce myself; my name is Rima Sutton. I am the Services Coordinator for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's, New Hampshire Chapter. I help people with MS obtain services, provide information and referrals and help with problems that they face. Many of their problems are caused by discrimination. Discrimination towards the handicapped takes many forms but I will focus on four: employment, insurance (health & life), housing and accessibility. no In many At this time when an individual in NB becomes disabled they can be fired from their job if they are physically unable to do it; accomodations of any kind are required of the employer by law. cases disabled people are able to continue working with minimum modifications. Unfortunately, most employers will not consider these simple and easy options. I know a woman who was required to climb a spiral staircase to get to her desk when her legs could hardly support her. It would have been quite simple to move her down to the first floor so that she could continue working her desk job. I know a man who used to work in a hospital in which he was required to be on his feet for eight to ten hours a day; he began falling. When he asked to be reassigned to more sedentary work he was told that either he accept forced retirement or work in the laundry! People with Multiple Sclerosis cannot tolerate heat or humidity! It is a waste of these people's potential to completely shut them out of the workplace and creates great economic hardship for them and their families. One woman I know applied for Social Security Disability after being fired from her job; she waited approximately six months for a decision and was denied, in the meantime no money was coming in at all. She has the right to appeal but this process often takes as long as a year. Another major problem disabled people face is an inability to obtain health or life insurance. Insurance companies refuse to sell them policies under the pre-existing clause condition. I know a man that wanted to buy life insurance for his family of six but could not find one carrier in the whole state of New Hampshire to offer him a policy. Multiple Sclerosis is not a fatal disease nor are many other disabilities! An even uglier form of discrimination is insurance companies that cancel existing health insurance policies when they find out an individual is disabled. I know a woman who worked for a company for ten years before she was diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis; not only was she fired from her job but both her short term and long term disability was cancelled. After paying for this insurance for ten years she is denied her right to use it now that she needs it. Disabled people need health insurance; there medical costs are high and they are willing to pay high premiums for it. In New Hampshire we have a great need for more handicapped housing. I know of one family in New Hampshire that searched all summer for a handicapped-accessible apartment for their family of four. They were finally forced to move into a one room motel efficiency apartment while the local housing authority continued looking. The State of New Hampshire does not have a central office that maintains listings of available handicapped units; often when a handicapped unit finally becomes available it gets rented to a non-handicapped person. As of October 1st this family still has not founnd an apartment. Also the percentage of handicapped units in existing or under construction housing complexes is very low or non-existent. If a disabled individual cannot afford their own home and have it adapted to their needs, they are often trapped inside their home; this creates much loneliness and depression and can be very dangerous. I know a woman who lives in a third floor apartment building which had a fire when her husband was away at work; if the neighbors had not been aware of the fact that she was home alone; she could have died. In conclusion I would like to address the problems of accessibility. Most of our public buildings in New Hampshire are older and do not provide access. I know of a man who went to City Hall to vote in one of our major cities and could not get in the building. He was forced to vote outside in his wheelchair in the middle of the winter! I know a public school teacher who every morning has to drag herself up the stairs on her behind to get to the top of the landing and her wheelchair! Disabled people depend greatly on provided handicapped parking spaces but every day I see spaces filled by cars without handicap plates or stickers. If a disabled person can't park their car in an accessible spot they can't get out of there car. Parking tickets do not seem to work; perhaps towing the cars would! As for going out for dinner, going grocery shopping or going to a movie, these simple pleasures are denied the disabled person. At this time there is no legislation in New Hampshire that requires businesses to provide access to the disabled. We need the Disabilities Act of 1988. The fact of the matter is that any one of us could become disabled at anytime due to disease, illness or injury. The passage of the Disabilities Act of 1988 would protect all of our rights and allow our disabled citizens to continue participating in our society. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, ملكة Rima Sutton Chapter Services Coordinator Mr. OWENS. Thank you, Ms. Marshall. I am sorry. Ms. Sutton. Ms. MARSHALL. I am Ms. Marshall. Mr. OWENS. Ms. Marshall is next. Cathie Marshall. STATEMENT OF CATHIE MARSHALL, NASHUA, NH Ms. MARSHALL. Right. Many people assume or believe that handicapped people are content to live their lives at the expense of the Government, happy to have few responsibilities, lucky not to have to work for a living. This is a fallacy. Most of us are not content, not happy, and definitely not lucky. Most of us want and need something constructive to do, the satisfaction of financial independence, to live as normally as possible. Unfortunately, it is not our bodies that prevent us from achieving our goals, but rather the inadequacy of society and the governmental agencies that fail to make it possible for thousands of handicapped people to become taxpayers instead of tax takers, to achieve our maximum potential. Most handicapped people who want an education or a job must deal with vocational rehabilitation. To start with, you have to have a physical to determine if you are eligible. If you are, your problems really start because you must be in touch with your assigned counselor. Fully, 75 percent of the time, he or she is in conference, unavailable, on another line, out sick or on vacation. When you leave a message, you very rarely get your call returned. When you do get in touch, then you have to deal with being told what you can and cannot do, what kind of work you are capable of, what kind of courses you may take in college, what kind of medical equipment is best for you-usually the cheapest and most ineffective and how little money is available. If you try to tell your counselor what your needs are, what you can do and what you would like to accomplish, you are told what is best for you, to be a realist, and then you are ignored. In July 1982, my counselor told me that I was unsalvageable and that I would no longer receive the funds to finish my college education, nor would I receive any help to go to work. Finally, after 18 months of arguing and a final threat of court action, I was put into a work assessment program that led to a real job. My work record was excellent, better than a nonhandicapped worker and had it not been for an accident that redisabled me, I would still be with the company. From May 1987 until June 3, 1988 when I testified at a hearing held by Justin Dart in Concord, NH, my counselor was again talking about my multiple medical problems as though I was not worth the investment of time and money. All my requests for help are consistently delayed with excuses and almost all were denied. Suddenly, after the hearing, all my requests have been approved. My wheelchair was repaired, physical therapy granted and a new wheelchair cushion was immediately approved. I am now in the process of trying to regain my college funding. Another benefit of my testimony was an invitation to become a member of the Consumer Advisory Committee. I accepted and have become an active member. Good for me. But what of the hundreds of clients who either cannot or will not advocate for themselves? What happens to these clients who have problems with vocational rehabilitation? What if like me they are not made aware of the client assistance program or are unable to understand how it works? Anyone who is successful in dealing with vocational rehabilitation, myself included, should be canonized. [Laughter.] What, if through an accident or an illness, you are unlucky enough to become redisabled? If a person thinks he had problems while on Government aid, they are nothing compared to what you are now facing. All those lovely benefits you were so careful to get to ensure your financial security now create a hell on Earth. Six months after losing your job, your medical insurance is no longer covered by your company. You must now pay for it out of your own pocket. And because you are now on an individual plan, your coverage is seriously inadequate. Now, most likely, you will have no coverage for blood tests, x rays, CT scans, MRI's, medication, physical therapy, emergency room care, doctor's fees, dental fees, psychiatric care, medical equipment and repairs, and in-home care. This inadequate insurance will cost you in the area of $550 every 3 months. If you think you are lucky to be getting long-term disability through your company, think again. You only get 60 percent of your income with no cost-of-living increases. It is hardly enough to make ends meet. And when you add on the cost of the medical expenses not covered by your inadequate insurance, it could leave you with less to live on than someone on Government aid. However, because your income is higher than qualifying income for assistance, door after door will be shut in your face. This brings me to Medicaid and food stamps. You can apply and probably get accepted for Medicaid on a spend down program. This means that you have to cough up the difference between your income and the income of someone on Government aid every 6 months before Medicaid kicks in. In my case, I have to come up with $1,324 every 6 months. And food stamps? Well, if your medical bills were incurred before your application, they do not qualify as a deduction from your income. This is also true of Medicaid. Although I pay out fully half of my income for existing medical bills, my application for food stamps has been denied three times. My income is considered too high. And, yet, most months, I have only $30 left for food. Sometimes less. Recently, I have been turned down for city welfare, food stamps, Social Security, Medicaid, SSI, and necessary medical care because I cannot pay up front. I believe that there is a solution to these problems. First, there should be a more efficient way of dealing with voc rehab so that months are not wasted trying to get approval for one thing. Counselors should be more objective and allow that handicapped people generally know more about what they are capable of and what their needs and goals are. Also, counselors should verbally tell clients and/or guardians of the client assistance program and any other recourse the client may have in case of problems. And, further, should be sure that the client and/or guardian fully understands. Too often, counselors become bureaucratized and it is the client who suffers. |