Go to the Back of the Bus

The actual bus Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in 1955 in
Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The bus now sits at
the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. (Picture courtesy of WikiMedia Commons)

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Segregation. Seclusion. Isolation. Physical restraint. Exclusion. These are words that often bring to mind an unhappy segment of our past. Segregation is a lamentable piece of American history, something from a by-gone era. The idea of an entire group of citizens excluded from the rights, protections, and liberties afforded by the U.S. Constitution is something most people today would find aberrant   

Fast-forward to last week at the Indiana General Assembly. Senate Bill 345 is amended and passed out of the Senate Education Committee. The bill proposes the creation of commission that would develop a model policy for schools regarding the use of restraint and seclusion of students. School corporations would be required to have a restraint and seclusion plan designed to protect all students. This week there will be further discussion on amending this bill. Hopefully it will not die or be watered down to a powerless and meaningless law that has no teeth. 

Last month in Fredrick, Maryland, Robert Ethan Saylor, a young man with Down syndrome, died while in police custody. He was accused of refusing to leave a movie theater. The police were called, and he died from asphyxia after being cuffed and restrained. The death has been ruled a homicide by the Fredrick's County Sheriff's Department.  

In 2012, the Ohio State Dept. of Education re-convened a task force created in 2009 to examine how schools use restraint and 'seclusion rooms' after the discovery of their inappropriate use were made public by news media.  The Columbus Dispatch wrote a series of news articles last summer exposing the routine misuse of seclusion rooms and physical restraint of students in Ohio public schools.  

Many years ago I started out working in my field of occupation at a nursing facility for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in East-Central Indiana. The folks I worked with lived together in a two-wing building with the typical sanitized atmosphere and usual assortment of smells of a nursing facility. They were mostly isolated from their neighbors and community. When we would venture into the community, it was readily apparent the guys I worked with were not 'accepted' by the rest of the town. Most people would stare, but would never engage in conversation or typical small-town niceties with them. 

Much to my embarrassment now, I remember one particular incident in which I took a small group from the facility to Sunday services at a local church. The group I brought were regular attendees, although this was the first time I had taken them. I remember the members of the church were affluent and services were orderly, structured and well-orchestrated.  There was little to no interaction between my group and church members. When we had first entered the church,  I was advised by the usher that our group had reserved seating. In the last row of seats, in the balcony. 

Today, as one who helps advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, I still observe occasions in which people with disabilities are marginalized, segregated, ridiculed, and often excluded from having meaningful participation in their neighborhoods, schools, communities, places of employment, and sometimes even within their own families. 

I want to think that today, ALL people in our country are believed to be created equal and have access to the same rights (and treated with the same respect) as anyone else. We once excluded an entire race of people from the privileges and rights entitled only to people with white skin. All of our fellow citizens should be free from discrimination. However, it is obvious there is still a segment of our population who are not always provided the same respect, dignity, common courtesy and full range of rights that people without disabilities are typically given.

Yes, there are still folks in 2013 who are told (metaphorically) to 'go to the back of the bus.'  We need to advocate for progress and encourage our society to be big enough to allow everyone the right to pursue meaningful lives and participation in their communities without being excluded, disrespected, unnecessarily secluded, and forcefully restrained (or worse).  We are better than that. 

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For more information, please visit the following links:

http://blog.thearc.org/2013/02/21/the-arc-responds-to-the-death-of-maryland-man-with-down-syndrome/

http://www.capwiz.com/thearc/in/issues/alert/?alertid=62435966#.USevkNsQnWU.facebook

Link to text of SB 345 

Wordless Wednesday: Just Hanging Around

Wordless Wednesday: Hoosier Sunset--Promise of Warmer Days Ahead

Wordless Wednesday: Pink Elephant!

"If I Were the Devil..." by Paul Harvey

"If I Were the Devil" 

by Paul Harvey

This was on the air 48 years ago, in 1965. 

State of Indiana Public Court Records

Need to find out when you had that last speeding ticket? Want to review important court info? You used to have to pay for a subscription to an on-line database (e.g. Doxpop, etc.) to obtain this info. Now, the State of Indiana provides free on-line access to most Indiana court records, through Odyessey Case Management Systems. 

You will choose between two main categories: Criminal & Citations Case Records, and Civil, Family & Probate Records. There is also a drop down menu from which you can select specific Indiana counties to search.  

You can access this free search site by clicking the link below:            

State of Indiana Court Public Records Inquiry

Wordless Wednesday: Glimpse of Wabash

I took this shot several months ago, and had forgotten about it. It seemed to capture an era from long ago.  

The Hope of Christmas

We are living in times of much uncertainty. One can easily compile a depressing list of events demonstrating the uneasy state of our economy--from the housing market collapse, bank bailouts, high unemployment rate, to the current acrimonious partisan debates involving the 'fiscal cliff.' I would argue that for the first time in a couple of generations our country is seriously questioning the legitimacy and realistic attainment of the "American Dream." People are questioning their future, and whether their children will be better off than themselves. 

Then there a moments that happen that seem to rattle our collective consciousness. Paducah. Columbine. Tuscon. Aurora.  The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut a few days ago caused many folks to question what we've become as a society. The Newtown shooting was different, and would give many of us pause. The unimaginable massacre of so many innocent children, just days before Christmas, is horrifying and inexplicable. Cable news programs spent many hours and days analyzing the incident. Heated debates ensued about gun control, the 2nd Amendment, the NRA, and questions about why our culture has become so violent. 

In the aftermath of September 11th, 2001, our nation grieved deeply and sought answers. We sought comfort. In times of great loss and grief, people look for reassurance that humanity still has hope and meaning. It's as if, in the midst of our every day distractions, we are suddenly jolted back to reality. We are reminded of the fragile nature of life. And the reality of what's really important when faced with death and tragedy. 

I watched President Obama's speech at the prayer vigil in Newtown. He read scriptures from the Bible, and encouraged the families to "...find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory. May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in His heavenly place. May He grace those we still have with His holy comfort, and may He bless and watch over this community and the United States of America." Undoubtedly reassuring, comforting, and appropriate. 

In desperate times people look for reassurance, encouragement, and comfort. Christians view Christmas as the reminder of 'hope' for a lost and fallen world. There are, undoubtedly, times that we all question what we've become as a society. We really do live in troubling times. There may be fear, despondency, and trepidation of what tomorrow may bring. People worry about their future, and about their children's safety and well-being.  But for those who know their Redeemer liveth, there is hope. And the promise of a better time and place in which evil does not reign. A Savior was born, died, and was resurrected. He is the ultimate gift for humanity. Truly, the hope of Christmas.              

  

Advance Indiana blog post: Ponzi Schemer Tim Durham Being Held At County Detention Facility In Kentucky

What I find fascinating about this story is Tim Durham requesting a public defender.  From billionaire to alleged impoverishment. Wonder how many PD's will clamor to get his case? And would he get the typical representation afforded by a public defender? Pardon my cynicism. 

Click below to read Advance Indiana's Blog Durham post. 

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2012/12/durham-being-held-at-county-detention.html

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Wall Street Journal Article on the Link Between Food and Headaches

As a chronic headache sufferer, I sympathize for those who have severe headaches. Most of the time mine are not severe, and fortunately, migraines are rare for me. I do get them, and they seem to come in multiples. And they can be intense. I remember a time back in college just before final's week in which I was in bed for three days with a persistent migraine. I hugged a pillow over my face & head. With each beat of my heart I could feel pain pulsating through my cranium. Light was particularly intolerable, and I would say, cruel.

Nowadays the headaches I get are typically not migraines, and usually resolved by gulping a few ibuprofen and a large mug of strong coffee. Or it seems to keep them at bay enough so I can function. I have noticed certain foods do trigger headaches. Unfortunately, these are foods I tend to really like.

In an article this week The Wall Street Journal examines the controversy on the link between foods, headaches and what some experts believe about possible vascular responses due to certain substances (e.g. tyramine) in some foods.

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Wordless Wednesday: Hoosier Autumn Along the River

Update: Annual Salaries of Indiana State Employees

I've had recent requests to provide updates to my previous post, "Annual Salaries of Indiana State Employees." The Indy Star link is good. However, it doesn't consistently work, and the information is somewhat outdated.

I recently found the Indiana Transparency Portal at IN.gov. This is an excellent resource, and it breaks down the numbers of state employees by agency/department, and even graphs the total number of employees by year. (And you might find it interesting that under Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration there was a significant decline in Indiana State employees--the lowest in 30 years).

Click below to learn more!
Annual Salaries of Indiana State Employees

Newtown, Connecticut

The horrifying tragedy that unfolded this past week in Newtown, Connecticut is hard to comprehend. Twenty young elementary children and six others, including the principal and teachers, were shot to death. As a dad it is difficult for me think about losing my children. Especially in such a terrifying act of violence. I can't begin to imagine what these families are going through. Our nation grieves for these families and their loss. This senseless act of violence against the most innocent is heartbreaking. I cannot wrap my mind around it. The agony that the parents & families must be experiencing is truly soul-wrenching. The massacre of these young children, their teachers and principal is virtually impossible to put in terms of the explainable. 

News outlets have said the killer had disabilities, and was on the autism spectrum. He also may have had a previous mental illness diagnosis. The media have, in some instances, been careless in their reporting by suggesting that autism and this man's premeditated violence are linked. Unfortunately, this kind of stereotyping perpetuates myths and falsehoods, and alienates a whole segment of society based one one individual's actions. 

There are approximately 1.5 million people in America who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The majority of people with autism are not violent. It's true that some folks with autism do have difficulties with aggression. But so does a certain percentage of the neuro-typical population. To make generalizations and to further stigmatize people with disabilities is wrong and needs to be challenged.

In the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting, we all want answers. We seek explanations as to why this man behaved as he did. Unfortunately, we may never quite know the full picture of what went on in his mind. In times of emotionally charged events it is tempting to assign blame and advocate measures that would seemingly help prevent future tragedies like this. Society often demands instant solutions to problems that usually aren't that simple. 

Take a cursory glance at Facebook posts or the comments sections in any of the on-line news stories relating to the Newtown school shooting, and you will find heated political exchanges about gun control, the 2nd Amendment, and lots of conjecture as to why this man committed mass murder. Already, politicians and lobbyists organizations are arguing for one measure or another in response to the Newtown shooting.   

Unfortunately, what's not being said enough is that our country is facing a serious crisis in social services. Funding for people with disabilities is constantly in question. Mental health services are woefully inadequate and often fail to reach those who need them most. And until we are willing to have a deliberate, sincere and earnest dialogue about these issues, it's likely that unthinkable things will continue to happen with alarming frequency. 

Wordless Wednesday: Haircut & Ammo

Maybe not so 'wordless.' But it is funny!

Wordless Wednesday: Lincoln Sighting in Indy