9
Tribal menmlber Mairches foir CM
in - Washington, D.C.
DECEMBER 1, 2000
I Rights
By Chris Mercier
If somebody ever invents the American Couples
Hall of Fame, then Tim and Nancy Holmes will
have their handprints cast in the walkway. Theirs
is a life so active, the Clintons would be envious.
Tim serves on 13 boards and committees, among
them, the Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Committee, the
Oregon State Independent Living Council, the Or
egon State Rehabilitation Council and the Blanche
Fischer Foundation. He even ran for Tribal Coun
cil and plans to run again.
Nancy has earned a Bachelor's degree in En
glish from the University of Oregon. She worked
with the Oregon Commission for the Blind in Port
land, and now works for the Tribe as a Housing
Services Assistant.
Tim and Nancy made a trip to Washington, D.C.
in early October to protest the potential ruling in
a landmark Supreme Court case.
Nobody could ever accuse the Holmes of not be
ing efficient with time, and their growing list of
accomplishments and activities is made all the more
amazing by one simple fact Tim and Nancy are
both legally blind.
Neither was born with their condition. Tim de
veloped retinitus pigmentosa as a young boy,
a disease that causes the deterioration of the
retina, and as a result lost his eyesight by the age
of 15. Nancy had diabetic retinopathy, and lost
the bulk of her vision by age 36.
Ironically, what is normally a disability for most
was a stepping stone for both.
"Well, I was angry at first, and lost," said Tim.
"But I learned j;p, accept it and moved on.", , ...
"The limitations exist just in the mind," he added.
Nancy agrees.
"Tim is testament that this can be seen not as a
disability, but as a challenge," she said. "As for
me, this was one of the big blessings in my life
because if I hadn't never gone blind I would have
never met Tim."
The two of them met in 1992, when both were
working in Portland for the Oregon Commission
for the Blind, helping other similarly afflicted
people. They were together for six months before
deciding to get married. The Holmes have since
then gone on to build a cozy life together in Grand
Meadows, living with their 8-year-old son Joey.
Tim is the son of Elmer Holmes and Karen Merrill,
the stepson of Norris Merrill and the grandson of
Abraham and Mildred Holmes. Nancy is the
daughter of Lester and Myrtle Welle and has two
grown children from a previous marriage Tony
Qualman and Shannon Qualman. Nancy also has
two grandchildren Anthony and McKenzie.
Life, however, has never quite been the same
for either since they lost their sight. Tim in par
ticular recalls a phase of his life when he was some
what bitter about circumstances, but quickly out
grew that. And he discovered a new vocation:
advocacy for disabled persons.
"We can contribute just as equally to society as
anybody else," he says.
Tim doesn't remember any special moment in
his life that put him on this path. Instead, it was
the cumulative effects if the new lifestyle learn
ing that facilities for disabled people are inad
equate, being offered constant special treatment,
and in particular, realizing the niche (or lack
thereof) that he had in the job market.
"I applied for this one job, and was called in for
an interview," Tim says. "During the interview
the guy told me I should just go home, collect dis
ability, and be satisfied with that."
Such a mentality, Tim said, is what saddens him
most. Many disabled people find jobs or are given
them readily. The drawback Tim said is that they
are stuck in "special" jobs -r- that is, simple jobs,
not exactly desired by most people, which don't
offer much opportunity for advancement, and more
importantly, aren't exactly talent-based.
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Grand Ronde Tribal member Tim Holmes (right) with his wife Nancy and son Joey pictured in their home
in Grand Ronde. Tim and Nancy recently marched in the nation's capitol on behalf of people with
disabilities. Tim was also recently honored with the Paul G. Hearne award from the American Associa
tion of People with Disabilities. He will return to Washington D.C. on December 8 to receive his presti
gious award.
"Yeah, there are a lot of programs that will put you
up with a job," he said. "But it's a niche, usually."
In a nutshell, Tim said, while many people who
qualify as disabled may need certain facilities on
the job site to help accommodate them, that in no
way affects their performance, or potential. Yet
few people seem to realize that. Naturally, many
disabled people are denied genuine opportunities.
The State of Oregon, as well as the Tribe itself,
Tim said, have been overall "very understanding"
of the needs of disabled workers, and in regard to
general outlook, "more progressive" than most
places.
And most places may soon become more places
depending on how the Supreme Court rules in the
case University of Alabama v. Garrett.
Such was the driving force behind Tim and
Nancy's recent sojourn to Washington, D.C.
There they joined a crowd of nearly 7,000 people
October 3 in the March for Justice. The March
was a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and a pro
test of the impending Supreme Court decision in
the Alabama case.
The ADA was signed into legislation July 26,
1990, with the intent of making America more
accessible to people with disabilities. The act re
quires more businesses and public services to pro
vide reasonable accommodations to individuals
with disabilities. Likewise more buildings and res
taurants, as well as parks, hotels and stores are to
improve their accessibility to disabled individuals.
The March for Justice also drew its fair share of
names. Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King
III and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D - R.I.) all showed
up. Also present was Justin Dart considered
the grandfather of the ADA.
Tim and Nancy went as representatives of the
Oregon State Independent Living Council, and
were part of a group of 15 people from Oregon.
They got to meet with Ted Kennedy among others
and also found time to talk with Oregon Senator
Ron Wyden. Wyden signed a letter pledging sup
port to the ADA.
"We had to go," Tim says. "This may be the most
important decision affecting Americans with dis
abilities ever."
The Alabama v. Garrett case involves a nurse
who was fired from the University of Alabama
medical center after she developed breast cancer.
The heart of the case hinges upon how the Con
stitutionality of the ADA is interpreted.
According to the 14th Amendment, Congress can
enact civil rights legislation as a way to "correct a
history of bias or unconstitutional acts." However,
the fundamental question is whether that over
rides the State's rights behind the 11th Amend
ment to have their own power, particularly over
an issue not specifically drawn up in the Consti
tution itself. Proponents of Alabama have argued
that there may not be enough evidence of discrimi
nation to require states to even comply with the
ADA. Thus adhering to the ADA could become
voluntary.
"I believe that this case is not just about the
rights of disabled people," Tim says. "This is about
civil rights."
Tim currently serves on the1 board for the Blanche
Fischer Foundation, on organization established
in 1981 by the late Blanche Fischer of Lincoln City.
The foundation and its members are dedicated to
providing financial assistance to Oregon citizens
who have physical disabilities.
On November 16, the American Association of
People with Disabilities recognized Tim's ef
forts by giving him one of its annual Paul G.
HearneAAPD Leadership Awards. Tim will make
a return to D.C. on Dec. 8 to accept his award.
But through all this, Tim still remains a humble
man, and for the most part very unlikely to ever
rest on his laurels.
"Until we can look at a person in a wheelchair
and not see the wheelchair, we've got a long ways
to go," Tim said.