Disability Perspective: 1970's Thinking in Proposed Charter AmendmentBob Plantholdbyline‚ Jan. 16‚ 2008Tomorrow, there is scheduled a Rules Committee hearing on a proposed Charter Amendment. This was introduced right before Thanksgiving and sat quietly through the "Holiday Season" awaiting a hearing -- a time when the attention of many, even at City Hall, isn't quite so focussed. This would require consideration of women and minorities for appointment to city commissions, task forces, advisory bodies, and such. So what's the "disability perspective" on this attempt at responding to, if not improving, diversity? Bluntly, it reflects the political values and LAWS of the 1970s, while ignoring what has happened in the 1980s [passage of the Older Americans Act] and the 1990s [passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.] |