Return to 2018 Fall Action Reports
By Liam Dougherty
Philadelphia ADAPT
Liam Dougherty
Today ADAPT lined up at 9am. I ate a quick breakfast and went to the Walgreens down the street for some snacks, because I knew it was going to be a long day.
We first walked over to the regional Housing and Urban Development office, where several of our members went to meet with some officials and most of us waited outside. We chanted loudly about the lack of accessible, affordable, integrated housing and demanded an increase in HUD funding. Without accessible housing, it is impossible to transition out of a nursing home into the community-many of our people are unable to leave because of this lack of housing on the outside. We also chartered an airplane to fly around government offices with a huge banner demanding support for our causes.
Next we went over to the Medicaid office in the state department building to discuss Money Follows the Person. Many people in our community believe this legislation this legislation does not prioritize consumer choice. We quickly snuck into the building and flooded the elevators and hallways. We could all feel the power of ADAPT.
After a successful meeting we went to the office of senator Cory Gardener. It was getting cold and late, but our energy was still high. We chanted outside of his building to demand that he sign on to the Disability Integration Act, which would make it easier for people with disabilities to live in the community. We projected our demands onto the building across the street to be sure everyone in his office could see.
We returned to the hotel at 7pm, after a very successful day.