War Eagle, Arkansas--The Movie

Yesterday I received word that an independent film called War Eagle, Arkansas will be shown in Birmingham this weekend. This movie is about two friends, one with a disability. I went to their website (www.wareaglearkansas.com), to read more about the movie and the story. While reading the story synopsis, I was disappointed to see the language was not Person First. In describing the young man with a disability, the story synopsis stated, " He has been confined to a wheelchair since early childhood,"I have contacted the movie's publicist, Theba Lolley, stating my disappointment with the language used in describing the young man with a disability. I explained to her the importance of using person first language and the proper statement would be, "He has used a wheelchair for mobility since early childhood."I would encourage each of you to contact Ms. Lolley at 501-246-1964 or tlolley@sbcglobal.net and explain to her the importance of person first language.

19th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

With the 19th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coming up on Sunday, July 26th, I would like to reflect upon the importance of advocacy that was involved in getting this legislation passed. The ADA did not just happen, people with and without disabilities had to advocate a long time before this legislation was brought up then passed. Justin Dart was the lead advocate and is now considered the "Father of the ADA". After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Mr. Dart, along with with many others, saw the need for a Civil Rights Act for people with disabilities. Many people advocated for the ADA and it was passed. Advocacy is still important today, especially with the Community Choice Act and the CLASS Act being debated in Congress. Help continue working for rights of people with disabilities. BE AN ADVOCATE!

Action Alert: Obama Administration Continues Institutional Bias in Healthcare Reform

Take action to eliminate the institutional bias!

1. Contact the Obama Administration with this message: http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=13699476.

2. Please use the links below to send a personal message to the senior White House staff that they must eliminate the institutional bias as a part of healthcare reform.

· Jeffrey Crowley: Jeffrey_S._Crowley@who.eop.gov

· Kareem Dale: Kareem_A._Dale@who.eop.gov

3. Forward the alert to grassroots members in your groups asking them to take action to eliminate the institutional bias.

For more information and an update on the Community Choice Act go to the IL Resouces website at: http://www.ilrgb.org/news.php