March 15, 1979
Page 5286
A RAMP IS A STEP AHEAD
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, Lisa Flanagan, a junior at Deering High School in Portland, Maine, has won the 16th annual "Ability Counts" contest in Maine sponsored by the Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. I am sure that most of my colleagues are familiar with this annual contest, which culminates in a national competition sponsored by the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. Awards include a trip to Washington, scheduled this year for May 3 and 4.
Lisa's essay uses ramps as a symbol not only of the removal of physical barriers, but of the barriers of loneliness, the ignorance of others, and the occasional inattention of the government.
She concludes:
A ramp is a step ahead for the disabled person in his quest for independence and a place in society. This ramp may be legislation, new attitudes, or even an inclined plane making a building accessible. No matter what shape it takes, it is a step ahead.
I know our colleague, the distinguished chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, JENNINGS RANDOLPH, has been a leader in this body in assuring better access for the physically handicapped. His accomplishments in this field ought to be a source of special satisfaction for him. They have certainly earned our appreciation and thanks.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the winning essay by Ms. Lisa Flanagan be reprinted in the RECORD at this point.
The essay follows:
A RAMP IS A STEP AHEAD
(By Lisa Flanagan)
A ramp is truly a step ahead for the handicapped in an effort to achieve independence and full acceptance in today's society. This ramp is oftentimes more than a cement incline or a curb that has been made accessible. A ramp may be in the form of a visiting health care agency, an advocacy group for the handicapped, or a modified public transportation service. All of these "ramps" make life for the handicapped more like that which they are entitled to.
Accessibility is often the key to success for the handicapped individual, and here the ramp plays a vital role. Within Southern Maine, an extremely well organized and influential group for the handicapped has a barriers committee for the expressed purpose of investigating, and hopefully eliminating, physical restrictions of free movement. Considering access, the Barrier Committee of the Southern Maine Association for Handicapped Persons (SMAHP) makes recommendations for modifications to the business involved or, if necessary, introduces litigation. The Maine Coalition for Children with Special Needs and the Human Resources Development Corporation (HRDC) have filed a complaint withthe Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) because Maine schools are not meeting the standards of accessibility. Stephen Barren, HRDC student and child advocacy program coordinator, said that an investigation by the HEW is currently taking place but has yet to yield results. In the Portland school system, a school at each level has been designated accessible. Currently, Riverton Elementary and Lyman Moore Junior High are totally accessible; however, the long awaited elevator at Deering High School has yet to materialize.
The new Rainbow Mall was praised by a SMAHP report for its accessibility and cross section of business operations. In this complex is a store selling the products of the Maine Institution of the Blind exclusively. The American Optician Company in Portland has made the hiring of the handicapped a success. Not all businesses are as aware and receptive as these. A suit was recently brought against the Maine Mall Cinemas of South Portland by an area woman for its failure to be accessible. A ramp was later installed.
Public services have not overlooked those who are disabled physically. The Portland Parks and Recreation Department has allotted time for the use of city swimming pools for the exclusive use of the handicapped. The Cumberland County Civic Center is totally accessible. A shut-in book delivery service is currently operated by the Portland Public Library enabling the handicapped library privileges they are entitled to. Homemakers are available through the Holy Innocents' Homemaker Services to eligible citizens throughout York and Cumberland Counties.
The YWCA was made accessible at the request of a disabled person wanting to use the services offered, says Nancy H. Payne, a member of the board. This physical access for the disabled person to schools, business, and services is a step ahead for them as individuals.
Another "ramp" takes the shape of legislation and government. An articulate handicapped student at Deering High School, Lance Gridley, related to me the need for unity and cooperation among bureaus that he has to deal with because of his disability. Bounced between the Social Security Office and the Department of Human Service, he sees a definite void. Lance also sees an acute need for a lobbying group with the handicapped as its special interest. He finds trying to obtain services he is entitled to a discouraging game. A succesful insurance man, and president of the SMAHP, is Herbert S. Merrill who, breathing with the aid of an iron lung, spoke of the need for an adjustment or modification of medicare for the handicapped. The problem arises when the rehabilitated handicapped person secures a job. The worker must now have an attendant to escort him to and from work at his own expense. Because he has a job, his social security and medicare have been eliminated, thus it is often economically wiser for him not to work. The Consumer Advocate Referral Center for the SMAHP was recently established in Portland. This office is designed to aid the handicapped and is a coordinating center for the SMAHP. This legislative "ramp" has a great deal of affirmative power; however, it must be modified so that it suits the needs of the handicapped in a better fashion.
Perhaps the most important "ramp" is moving the handicapped out of the closet in the minds of able bodied people. Mark Harmon, administrative coordinator of the Consumer Advocate Referral Center for the SMAHP, Vice President of the SMAHP, and editor of Coping newsletter, summarized some of the goals and projects of the SMAHP. Besides the study of architectural accessibility, housing, and public transportation, the group will work on public relations and awareness. Coping newsletter, published by SMAHP, is an important link to rural areas of Southern Maine, to all other members of the SMAHP, and a great number of able-bodied people in the area.
Mainstreaming the handicapped child into public schools with able bodied students is designed to give the disabled child the services he is entitled to in the least restrictive environment possible, said Mr. Barren. Because of the mainstreaming, a new awareness of the handicapped has grown in the students attending school with the disabled child. Growing up with this attitude, able bodied people will be much more aware of the handicapped needs and be more receptive to them. This ramp of recognition can lead only to more services and from these to an independence of each handicapped person.
A ramp is a step ahead for the disabled person in his quest for independence and a place in society. This ramp may be legislation, new attitudes, or even an inclined plane making a building accessible. No matter what shape it takes, it is a step ahead.