DON'T FORGET THE NON-MILITARY DISABLED

Target:

Congress & The Senate

Sponsored by:

It warms my heart every time I see the progress being made in assistance to our wounded warriors who return from Iraq and Afghanistan disabled. I marvel at the advanced technology incorporated into prosthetics they are fitted for, the modern wheelchairs and other updated aids to daily living. A few days ago I saw a house donated to a wounded vet that had been constructed by his neighbors, equipped with the latest adaptive equipment and totally accessible for his electric wheelchair.
It did make me wonder though. Is this technology going to reach those disabled who are not vets? Will there be approvals forthcoming for this equipment? Is it now going to become easier for non-military disabled to get the same quality of care and assistance? Are attitudes toward the disabled changing for the better? Will the public support us now? Will our quality of life improve?
The fight for rights of the disabled has been a long, hard-fought struggle that continues to this day. In spite of the fact that accessibility has benefitted not only the disabled, but the general public (ex. mothers pushing baby strollers using curb cuts, automatic doors, etc.) the struggle of the disabled for affordable accessible housing, the right to work for those of us who are willing and able, modern prosthetics, medicare approvals, accessible transportation, home aides (I could go on and on) is by no means over.
We must continue our struggle to be recognized and not treated as second-class citizens, and not forced to live in abject poverty as most of us do.
I have an aide who suffers from lupus. After she leaves my apartment she goes home and collapses in her bed. A divorcee, raising 3 children, she does not get enough alimony to make ends meet so trying to stay off of welfare she works for me. However, the government - state and federal- monitor her earnings like a hawk. Although she is allowed to work 700 hours a month and only works 24, she is being threatened with losing her health care or having her benefits cut.
Another former aide, a divorcee as well who is single-handedly raising 8 children was forced to quit after receiving a notice that her health care coverage would be taken away because she was working 12 hours a week.
In order for the disabled who are not able to work to receive state or federal assistance we must stay 300% below the poverty line. These income limitations are stifling and forcing us to live hand-to-mouth on extremely tight budgets depending on relatives and friends for anything extra such as getting a tooth filled, a movie, a magazine subscription, a dinner out or other such "luxuries". Preventive health care is not allowed and even physical therapy is limited. Many communities have no public transportation, leaving many of us house-bound.
In order for us to get what we require we must continue our fight for a decent quality of life. Just give us what we need and we will take care of ourselves. We want the freedom to be independent.

We the undersigned urge you to include the non-military disabled in the progress of and new technology incorporated in the treatment of our wounded veterans. As it is now the majority live far below the poverty line and most have no access to the quality of care given to returning veterans. Our wounded deserve the best and we are only requesting that all disabled be treated equally.
The rights of the disabled has been a long, hard-fought struggle that continues to this day. Our wounded veterans have shown that the disabled can work, raise a family and be independent just like any able-bodied person in America once they are equipped with what they need to do the job.
n order for the disabled who are not able to work to receive state or federal assistance we must stay 300% below the poverty line. These income limitations are stifling and forcing us to live hand-to-mouth on extremely tight budgets depending on relatives and friends for anything extra such as getting a tooth filled, a movie, a magazine subscription, a dinner out or other such "luxuries". �Preventive health care is not allowed and even physical therapy is limited. Many communities have no public transportation, leaving many of us house-bound.

All the disabled want is�a decent quality of life. Just give us what we need and we will take care of ourselves. We want the freedom to be independent.�
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

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We signed the "DON'T FORGET THE NON-MILITARY DISABLED" petition!

# 56:

11:08 am PST, Feb 27, Tarequl Islam Munna, Bangladesh

# 55:

9:33 am PST, Feb 6, Timmie Harrington, New York
disabled myself now for 18+ years i see the strugle firsthand and feel with my heart the things mentioned in the note above ,i am poor my bills are many my drugs the same evry thing cost money i have non and have been recently turned down for any supplement from ssa to help me fix my home it needs a roof badly come spring when it rains ill be wet the floors wet the furniture wet every thing damp and wet ill be sick with a cold and feel like crap but yet i have no money im poor disabled and in need of a new roof ,my truck a pickup has 250,000 miles on it and its my only way to see the doctor for my condition and to get injections in my low back of pain medications every 3-4 months wow the pain but agaion im broke no money and need a new roof yet i make to much with my social security disability monthly payment its way to much to have any help with medicare premimums or any other cash assistence , ill have to find a roofer who does it for free and provides materials too woulndt that be nice ha not in these united states unless you are a MEXICAN then you can have a pocket full of money support food shelter and healthcare all paid for by americans who fought for the right to support a mexican through their own hard times and drug abuse problems shut the door close the gates to mexican hell preform the right choices close the borders tight and help our own first then help our own get home

this issue is and should be the most important issue in todays news but it has for so many years fallen thru the cracks in the rich full wallets of government officials that just dont care about disabilities people from all walks of life suffer with and the hard times that go hand and hand with those disabilitys over half of them being faked by thugs who try and try to find a free wealth within the system as republicans do for a way of life give the non vet disabled a voice i never heard one word of talk thru the whole presidental campaign for the last 2 years nothing about the disabled at all no protections and now its their pensions and that of the elderly that have been stolen and played in the stock markets and eventually lost there by some high pocket ,well i say tax alcohol and ciggarettes a little more booze should be taxed high enough to discourage teen drinking get it out of their price range keep it cheap only shows what policy makers think of their voters they dont care nothing about highway deaths or innocents killed by DRUNKEN DRIVING BUT DONT TAX IT ANY MORE WHY THE HELL NOT it would be a start to increase capitol in a state that says its broke((((( fix it with common sense not with thirst for the scotch in your office)))

# 54:

6:35 am PST, Jan 16, Mark Watson, New York

# 53:

6:24 am PST, Jan 16, Michele Howard, New York

# 52:

3:50 am PST, Jan 16, Katrina Howard, New York
A Single Payer healthcare system such as HR676, or medicare for all, would provide high quality healthcare with equal access for all.

# 51:

3:15 pm PST, Jan 10, Darlene Matthews, California
I SUGGEST there should be and OFFICE OF DIVERSITY POILICY in the White House. All peoples of all Types and and Abilities get to come together to make sure ALL peoples of all groups have an equal voice. MAKE SURE a Modified Version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is used to determine priority in a difficult times. NOT WHO IS MOST WELL LOBBIED or PC. NO MORE DIVIDE AND CONQUER! LETS MAKE AMERICA and AS MANY AMERICANS AS POSSIBLE STRoNG AND ABLE! Together we can BE THE CHANGE!

Why is this issue important? Diversified, Stronger, more Able Americans makes a stronger, more able and diversified UNITED States of America. We need TO RE-GROW Government and others to be open, accountable, responsible and successful.

# 50:

5:37 am PST, Jan 10, Brenda Dasno, New York
i believe in equal rights for non vets and im having trouble geting services for my newly amputee husband because he is not in the military and has never been in the service ofg any kind this is not fair we need the same kind of surport as our service men and women get

we need the same things as the vets get we also need to acknowledge that not only are our vets coming home disabled but thier are many non vets that are disabled

# 49:

2:55 pm PST, Jan 7, Name not displayed, Delaware
because there are more disables pelple who need assistance, some can not even get any assistance when they have been determined as being disabled

# 48:

2:55 pm PST, Jan 7, Name not displayed, Delaware
because there are more disables pelple who need assistance, some can not even get any assistance when they have been determined as being disabled

# 47:

8:00 am PST, Jan 6, Shelley Knight, South Carolina
I'm a non-military disabled individual who shares these same comcerns. It stands very true. Why is that we get less than those on welfare?! Most of us worked and had careers before our disabilities and now we barely see anything that resembles our pay from the jobs we had. It takes so much just to get approved and then once we are, it is a disgrace!! I'm a single person who had already bought my home previous to my disability and it's a struggle to keep my bills caught up. Please consider this and help us in what we need. Once you become disabled your needs change from our wants. Wants usually become meaningless. We just need to have assistance with daily life activities that have now become struggles. Help us have the adaptive equipment we need to just exist as well as with medical finances.

It effects so many people who are struggling to stay afloat and try to adapt to a lifestyle that is a astruggle when having a disability. Why wouldn'y tou do all you could for someone in true need

# 46:

7:52 am PST, Jan 6, Name not displayed, South Carolina
When I think about the fact that we can support able bodied women to sit at home and have babies, I have to ask why my friend who is completely disabled due to physical injuries has to exhaust herself by working and doesn't get more help just to survive.

# 45:

6:18 pm PST, Jan 4, Constance White, Florida
I too am disabled. I would appreciate easier access to medical care, housing and dental, just to name a few. I never gave it much thought until I became disabled. Now, it seems like common sense to make these things available. Disabled housing is only available to people with good credit. That's basically impossible to do. You're lucky if you can afford to pay rent for an entire month out of your check. I get no food assistance and medicaid is not even by the state anymore. I'm confused. So please try to help us a bit better. Thank you.

# 44:

6:53 pm PST, Dec 31, Tania Morse, California

# 43:

6:03 am PST, Dec 21, Kathleen Ostic, Michigan
Although my mother is wheel-chair bound, she is unable to find anyone or organization to put a wheel-chair ramp onto her home for the sole reason that she isn't a senior citizen yet. Needless to say, she is on a fixed income; in other words, cannot afford the costs of labor & supplies to hire someone.

Please treat others as you'd like to be treated. What if YOU become disabled someday? It is not unimaginable. It can happen to ANYONE.

# 42:

6:15 am PST, Dec 19, Name not displayed, Mississippi
It is a shame the disabled of this "powerful" country live as if in third world country. I thought the disabled received help. WRONG, they get no help on housing, food, prescription etc... Out of my SSD I have to pay $350.00 a month in insurance and I still have to go without one prescription! Housing is the number one issue, why can we not buy a home so we can have stability? Fireman/Police?Military get help with buying a home. Why can't we? Offer us a break on buying a home and we can do more for ourselves! Help with college tuition? Forget it!

We are suffering. And we will shine a light on the ones putting us in this position. With todays housing crises offer us homes at a discount so we can do more for ourselves and contribute to our community!

# 41:

1:42 am PST, Dec 19, Can Atik, Turkey

# 40:

5:58 am PST, Dec 9, Diane L, West Virginia

# 39:

5:45 am PST, Dec 8, Dreama Runyon, Florida

# 38:

9:45 pm PST, Dec 7, AJ Redford, Kansas

# 37:

9:10 am PST, Dec 6, Believe In Your Dreams, Iowa

# 36:

8:56 am PST, Dec 4, Barbara Tomlinson, Washington
We need universal health care in this country; just like every other industrialized country has, only the U.S. is lacking it. For years, the Right Wingers have SCARED people by calling universal health care for all citizens, by the boogeyman name of "Socialism". Well, if health justice for all is "Socialism", then so be it.

Health care should be a Human Right; not the privilege for only those able to pay!

# 35:

8:41 pm PST, Dec 2, Denise Lytle, New Jersey

# 34:

3:08 pm PST, Dec 1, Angel Halloran, Virginia

# 33:

6:53 pm PST, Nov 29, Judy Coleman, Nebraska
We who are among the poorest of the poor, living on SSI @ $637/mo. did not get the last stimulus payment. I hope we don't get excluded if there is another one. We cannot help being unable to work, and we pay other taxes.

I would be working if I possibly could.

# 32:

11:38 am PST, Nov 29, Michelle Bunting, New Hampshire

# 31:

8:41 am PST, Nov 29, Darlene Duran, Texas

# 30:

1:27 pm PST, Nov 28, Adele Michelsen, New York

# 29:

1:00 pm PST, Nov 28, Jill Pearson, Georgia
Make attendant care available for those who work. Stop sttealing homes from the disabled just because most disabled, or even most Americans, don't make the salaries that part time Congressman make. Stop Medicaid Estate Recovery Program!!!! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-congress-from-stealing-your-home

# 28:

11:17 am PST, Nov 28, Patti Habowski, Ohio

# 27:

8:46 am PST, Nov 28, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
This letter is a starting point, an eloquent plea for access to services. You can answer this plea in the immediate future by ensuring that funding for Medicaid and Medicare is secure and sufficient, and by supporting legislation requiring that private insurers cover necessary medical equipment and supplies for the disabled. In the long term, please support universal public health care, not dependent on private for-profit insurers, that will guarantee every American access to needed health services.

# 26:

8:45 am PST, Nov 28, Helena Dworeck, Finland

# 25:

8:32 am PST, Nov 28, Name not displayed, Ohio

# 24:

8:03 am PST, Nov 28, C C Activist, North Carolina

# 23:

7:42 am PST, Nov 28, Chris S, Brazil

# 22:

6:55 am PST, Nov 28, Kristi Knotts, California

# 21:

10:13 pm PST, Nov 27, Tereza Koucoulidis, Australia

# 20:

10:00 pm PST, Nov 27, Maria Butler, Washington

# 19:

9:16 pm PST, Nov 27, Gerry Carter, Texas

# 18:

9:02 pm PST, Nov 27, Mary Jo Eshelman, Ohio
I am disabled, trying to gain independence through working at home. The obstacles to self-sufficiency should not be so hard to overcome as they are. Their should be better programs to help people who want to make the transition. Instead it seems we're punished every time that we try.

# 17:

9:00 pm PST, Nov 27, CHIEF DUBIE, Missouri
disability is state sponsored poverty

I am disabled, and I have been poverty stricken for years, there is just no help or representation, or understanding, only extreme persecution!!!

# 16:

6:15 pm PST, Nov 27, Ed Stewart, Pennsylvania
I am disabled and have not been in the Military!

It is dang hard getting by on the SS I am receiving at present. Others with military background are receiving 3 times what I get after working 30 some years..

# 15:

6:14 pm PST, Nov 27, Becky Raymond, South Carolina
I'm a disabled non-military American on Medicaid and I have heard the word "denied" many times.

# 14:

5:28 pm PST, Nov 27, Aletta Kraan, Canada

# 13:

8:11 am PST, Nov 23, Jennifer Gardner, Florida

# 12:

11:11 am PST, Nov 20, Bernarda Gyorkos, Slovenia

# 11:

12:34 am PST, Nov 20, Franziska Eber, Germany

# 10:

1:53 pm PST, Nov 19, Paul Bruce-joy, United Kingdom

# 9:

8:32 am PST, Nov 19, Name not displayed, New York

# 8:

4:21 am PST, Nov 19, Name not displayed, United Kingdom

# 7:

2:44 am PST, Nov 19, Bill Craig, Germany

# 6:

2:33 am PST, Nov 19, David Dunkleberger, Pennsylvania

# 5:

1:25 am PST, Nov 19, Mieke Bernaards, Belgium

# 4:

12:21 am PST, Nov 19, Sigrid De Ruyck, Belgium

# 3:

10:07 pm PST, Nov 18, Pam Boland, Georgia

# 2:

5:55 pm PST, Nov 18, Tashia Mccarty, Maryland

# 1:

5:50 pm PST, Nov 18, Steve Dale, Australia
Feel free to add your personal comments

Why is this issue important?

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