pressed because after I work all day, fight the barriers to get to work, fight the barriers to do things all Americans do, like shop-I have meetings and phone calls and letters and other things I have to do to fight for my equal rights as an American with disability. I am tired of being tired, fighting angry, and depressed every day fighting for my rights. And now I am writing a stupid diary until 2 in the morning to prove that discrimination exists, to my Congress. Why does Congress think so many Americans are fighting this battle if discrimination does not exist? Does Congress think we enjoy or prefer to fight for equal rights before we eat or sleep. I would like Congress to know that I would like to watch the Cosby show with slippers on my feet and time on my hands like other Americans. Please enact the ADA quickly. I am missing a lot of episodes and I am missing a lot of life. I do not want to be Rose Parks, I just want to be Cindy Miller. And I have some petitions that I would like to submit. [The prepared statement of Cynthia L. Miller follows:] Friday, 9/9/88 (617) 731-6228...... As I write this, I am exhausted. My day started Lat 5:30 am with my roommate getting me out of bed... Because of the Personal Care Assistant rates of pay it is impossible to attract qualified Personal Care. Attendants to work as overnight attendants and to require them to come early enough to get me out of bed for work. Consequently, I have to offer free.. _rent as an incentive It is not my choice to live _with_a_coommate; but, it is my survival with in a health care system. that does not provide decent working-wages for _ _Personal Care Attendants. It does not provide decent working wages because it __doesn't_value_the_ people for whom the work is. being done -- it doesn't value Americans with ._disabilities--it doesn't value _me. The health. -care system also does not value _the_contributions to society that are gained by the indanond.... ADA DIARY ..of Americans with disabilities. It does_not_value the.. concept. of Independent Living as a right in a free society. It concerns itself only with whether the costs.of.subsidizing Personal Care Assistance is less than the costs of improsoning me in an institution. As I write this, I am frightened. I live in constant fear that the economic_arguement will.be.___ 'lost and_I_will_be_institutionalized. Because independent Living is not a right to freedom for Americans with disabilities, this is a realistic ... fear... _But, it will not be my choice... As...a.. rehabilitation counselor, I have seen these institutions The_smell of_human waste and detergent_has_stuck_ throat, I have looked into the vegatative... eyes of its inmates in their sterile environments.. in my I have heard of the premature death rates_and__ prevalence of pneumonia and necrotic decubitis, -Literally allowing them to rot in their beds, these. Living dead, our imprisoned Americans with clisabilities. I have witnessed their jailors rationalize taking away their wheelchairs as a form of "punishment"-- as if that is _different than.... punishing prisoners by breaking their legs. I have. witnessed their jailors taking away their food --as ADA DIARY as...a...form.. of punishment -- as if that is different. than starvation.. I have witnessed their_jailors. talk about them in the third person and leave them... naked to the public- as if this doesn't strip them_of___ their human dignity. We have laws to protect. animals from these conditions, disabilities continue to suffer. while " Americans with... As I write this, I am tired. I left_my_house_at... 7:30 am to be at work at 9:00 am. It is a 20.. minute bus ride, but I have to leave an hour and a half early because the bus Lifts are not maintained, all the buses don't have lifts. _(sometimes I wait for seven buses before a bus with a Lift comes), or sometimes, like this morning, the bus with the lift_cloesn't_stop_for_me. The transportation_authorities in America does not provide _accessible transit because it doesn't value. people with disabilities--it doesn't value me. The DOT_ __doesn't value _the_contributions to society that are gained by Americans with disabilities being able to. _get_to_work, rote, medical appointments. or cultural _events. It doesn't value the concept_of_equal, accessible_public_transit in a free society. It concerns itself only with providing transportation I ADA DIARY •within a 3% _cap_of an authorities_operating. _budget and gives_each_authority "local option "... to decide what kind of transportation is provided. pay taxes. Are blacks, or jews, or hispanics, Or American Indians, or Asians, or women,.or___... children, or criminals on furloughs, or aliens, or... tax evaders, or... anyone else who touches American _.soil... besides_Americans with disabilities, Limited to 3% or a specific kind of __transportation? Wasn't it "local _option" that allowed slavery. in.. states? - __As I write this, I am frightened. I live in _constant_fear that what accessible public transportation does exist will disappear. Because accessible public_transportation is not a right of freedom. for Americans with disabilities, this is a realistic fear. In fact, the accessible bus route that I use to get to work is being replaced. _by_inaccessible trolleys. This means that I will have to use the DOT's "local option "--paratransit. Paratransit is segregated and unequal. It's. Nigger bus. On the Nigger bus, I am denied.. trips, I have to request trips 9 days in advance I am consistently late for work, I have been し |