viewpoint
BY MARK ROBERTS
Living
Independently
The struggle continues for a
basic civil right
BY MARK ROBERTS
I
write on July 4th, Independence Day.
About 200 years after we declared
our freedom from the oppression
of British rule and became the United
States of America, the most far-reaching,
biggest, civil rights movement began to
exert profound infl uence. I say biggest
because, unlike any other oppressed
populace I can think of, YOU could become a
member at any moment (you have an almost
90 percent likelihood to become a member
before you die).
For millennia people with disabilities have been
oppressed. Historically disempowered through segregation and driven by
fear, millions have been relegated to back rooms or institutions, denied
access to civil life or choice in the conduct of their households.
One milestone of this modern civil rights thrust is the Disability Rights/
Independent Living movement which began with the admission of my older
brother, Ed Roberts, to the University of California at Berkeley. (Google his
name to learn more of his infl uence and accomplishments).
Polio had left him paralyzed and unable to breathe without a respirator
(the Iron Lung). He applied for, and gained admission to Cal. The headline of
the Daily Californian read “Helpless Cripple Attends Cal.”
He did attend, graduate and teach political science at UC Berkeley but he
turned out the opposite of helpless. His personal charisma, organizational
skill, political power and world travel directly infl uenced and aided a billion
potential clients, and as I mentioned, every one of us, probably.
He and the “helpless cripples” who quickly followed and who then
graduated into the Berkeley community secured freedom to move freely
about through the citywide program of curb-cuts and access for wheelchairs
and others to public transportation.
They established the fi rst Center for Independent Living, a peer-run
advocacy organization that supports every client in addressing their
personal need for choice in living a maximally free and productive life.
There are 400 such centers in the U.S. now and many more internationally.
The movement grows: Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) was a major achievement after nationwide nonviolent actions and sit-
ins at federal institutions. The next barrier to equality for “helpless cripples”
is the most formidable and we could use your effort to help overcome, and
dismantle this wall of discrimination.
I’m on the board of directors for LILA, our Lane Independent Living
Alliance. We are preparing a push to expand our already broad services
and to better educate the public (especially our youngest students), in the
knowledge, attitudes, language and etiquette of disability.
We are also preparing to expand our outreach to returning disabled
veterans of war. If you have other ideas for programs to address needs call
us at 541-607-7020.
Would you consider being on the Board of Directors of LILA? If so or
not you are all invited to attend our “Celebration of Independent Living”
from 11 am to 2 pm Saturday, July 23, at 990 Oak St. (two blocks from
Saturday Market). There will be food, door prizes, a short (noon to 12:30
pm) presentation about LILA, and karaoke from 1 to 2 pm.
We will have applications to join the board if you’d like to serve in that
way. If we don’t see you there, put Jan. 23, 2012 on your calendar. That day
has been declared “Ed Roberts Day” by Congress and on that day we will
be hosting educational events in the schools and for the public about my
brother Ed and the Independent Living movement .
Mark Roberts is president of the board of Lane Independent Living Alliance, with offices at 99 W. 10th Ave. in
Eugene. Visit www.lilaoregon.org or call 345-7021.
4 JULY 21, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
letters
TO THE EDITOR
THE MAN IN APARTMENT 6
CODE 3 IS RARE
Patrick Atkinson died today (7/11). He
passed on after a long, hard battle with
cancer, which chewed away at his body
and spirit for many years until he could
fi ght it no more. I don’t know how old he
was (79), where he was born or what his
favorite color was.
I knew that he was an electrical
engineer and worked as a private
contractor in the aerospace and aviation
industry for years, traveling from project
to project, and probably helped save lives
along the way. I knew he loved Hershey
candy bars, the ones without nuts, and
action movies. I knew he loved his
Burgundy 1987 Toyota pickup, as he spent
a lot of time buffi ng and waxing it in the
parking lot of our apartments. We spoke
briefl y about politics, cars and the weather,
short conversations in passing when he
felt like talking. Other times we would
just acknowledge each other’s presence,
as I could feel the pain he was suffering
through his eyes. He was never married,
had no children and very few friends.
His family was an estranged brother who
lived in Alaska. Probably his best friend in
Eugene was his neighbor, Larry, who tried
to get him to eat, tried to keep his spirits
up and supplied him with chocolate bars
until the end of his days.
I probably spent a total of three hours
with him in a span of four years and knew
him as intelligent, alone and waging a
war with the cancer and himself. And yet
I grieve. I wished I paid more attention.
I grieved that he was so angry and in
so much pain with no one but his own
thoughts to share this anger. And I grieve
that he has become another statistic without
a celebration of the importance of his life.
So I ask that we celebrate today the
life of Patrick Atkinson, of the many
accomplishments and contributions he made
to society, of his thoughtful intelligence and
expressions, of his pioneer spirit and love for
the open road and sea. Patrick, you will be
missed, and you passed on from this world
with dignity and the gratitude of the world
around you. You are now fi nally at peace,
the Man in Apartment 6.
William Kasper
Eugene
Thanks your cover story about
CAHOOTS (6/30). As a CAHOOTS
worker, I appreciate your interest in our
often ignored and misunderstood work.
Inevitably, there are some inaccuracies
in the story, and some points deserving
elaboration or clarifi cation.
In the section of the article titled “Code
3 & other urgencies,” Dante Zuñiga-
West writes, “When violence becomes
a legitimate threat to the safety of a
CAHOOTS team, they call in for police
coverage with ‘Code 3,’ meaning the
need is immediate.” Unfortunately, there
are some dangerous circumstances that
require “Code 3” emergency assistance.
However, these circumstances are rare.
CAHOOTS works very well with EPD,
but CAHOOTS workers rely primarily
on their own rapport-building and
de-escalation skills to resolve tense
situations. When that doesn’t work, police
might be called in for help. Additionally,
when CAHOOTS does request help from
police, it is rarely in self-defense but rather
because an uncooperative client is unable
to provide their own self-care due to a
mental health or substance abuse problem.
In the section “Requiem for a box,”
the author writes — regarding the HIV
Alliance’s needle drop-boxes — “Though
the drop boxes sound like a great idea, they
do pose a particular problem.” He goes on
telling the story of one addict who broke
into the drop-box outside of White Bird
Clinic, hoping to fi nd needles with residual
drugs, implying the drop-boxes may do
more harm than good. Hopefully, this isn’t
interpreted as CAHOOTS’ disapproval of
these drop-boxes. Speaking for myself, I
totally support the HIV Alliance and their
many “harm-reduction” projects.
It is also unfortunate the article does
not give more credit to the many agencies
CAHOOTS collaborates with on a regular
basis. CAHOOTS is largely only viable
because of other community services, such
as Willamette Family’s Buckley Center,
Shelter Care’s Royal Avenue Program,
Looking Glass’s Station 7 and New Roads
programs, and FOOD for Lane County’s
Dining Room, to name a few.
Lastly, there’s a tendency when
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