Congressional Disability Caucus Starts Work

[Leo]

I received this update and thought if we're going to have a Disabiliy Caucus, CURE and research funding should be an issue I defanitly want
on the table and holding a pretty high priority. Am I right? Now if I'm not way off base we should write up a letter stating so and ask Steven to do his vodo so we can let them know. I'll try my hand at this letter if know one else wants to give it a shot? Opinions?


Congressional Disability Caucus Starts Work - A caucus on disability issues has been created in the House of Representatives by Reps. Langevin (D-RI)and Morella (R-MD) to "find ways to fully integrate people with disabilities into the workforce, educational settings and society as a whole." The caucus will develop issue briefings for congressional staff, the first of which was held on Feb. 13 on the reauthorization of IDEA. A second briefing, scheduled for April, will cover congressional web site accessibility. The Report on Disability Programs reports that later
briefings may focus on vocational rehabilitation and still more special education issues. Other members are: Reps. Baldwin (D-WS), Doggett (D-TX), Green (D-TX), Hinchley (D-NY) Murtha (D-PA), Owens (D-NY), Ranstad (R-MN), Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Schakiwsky (D-IL), Shows (D-MS) and Young (R-FL).

Leo

[Leo]

Here's an email I sent to Reps. Langevin (D-RI)and Morella (R-MD) No news from them except that they received it.

Dear Representative Langevin,

I commend you for taking part in the initiative on creating and serving on this caucus group. It is much needed and I'm very excited with the
potential this caucus holds in furthering the causes the disabled community faces. The established goals of the group are all great and
needed and I fully support them. However there is an issue I didn't see mentioned in the brief update I received on the goals of this caucus.
That would be the need for increased funding for research leading towards the cure and treatments that people from disabilities suffer from. As for myself I am disabled because of paralysis and am very optimistic that a treatment could be available very soon given the proper funding. We are in the beginning of a very exciting and
promising time in scientific research. The time is at hand to spend money on the front end of these problems at a much greater rate. The
benefits in suffering saved not to mention money is so great I would fail in trying to come up with a dollar figure. I would very much appreciate hearing from you regarding getting this issue as a priority in this caucus group.

Sincerely, Leo

Be sure to include your address if you hope to get a reply.

[Sue Pendleton]

It certainly can't hurt to try, Leo. Langevin is the freshman Representative from RI that is also a quadriplegic. Congresswoman Constance Morella (R)was one of the two congresswomen who pulled together the press conference on stem cells last summer when Senator Orrin Hatch jumped on board the stem cell ship.

IDEA though is the act that funded inclusion of children with disabilities in to the public school system. Try asking for more money from NIDRR at the Department of Education for cure directed research for all neurological diseases. They are at least funding some of the supported anbulation studies. Normally they study how best to study integration of PWDs (that us gimps) into society and schools. But they do fund the model systems SCI centers so don't blast them. Just say the time is like NOW to push forward with all the horsepower we got.