Last month, John Tschida gave the big overview of the goings-on from the legislative session that had just ended. Now that there has been a little time to digest and make sense out of what happened, Anne Henry from the Disability Law Center has given us a more detailed picture of many of the changes that will affect people with disabilities. The first installment of her analysis appears this month, and is a must read for those of you on the MA-EPD programs. Also, Margot Imdieke Cross reports on a victory for accessible housing in the state of Minnesota.
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Well, Jerry Lewis is still at it—talking about “his kids” on his annual Labor Day telethon. Wendy Brower writes eloquently on the subject on page 6 this month.
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Pete Feigal, who writes the wonderful column “On Mental Illness/Brain Disorders,” called in sick right around deadline time, so you won’t see his column this month. Pete has been struggling with some serious heart problems, and has been in and out of the hospital recently. As much as we will miss his voice, the top priority is for Pete to take as much time as he needs to take care of his health. As soon as you’re feeling OK again, Pete, we’ll be very happy to see your byline in Access Press once again. Be well!
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“What I Did on My Summer Vacation,” which appears on page 12, is not like the essays we used to write in grade school. Mike Chevrette takes a more practical approach to vacationing in his article, telling what is accessible—and what is not—for people with disabilities planning a trip to
the North Shore.
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It sure seems like there has been a lot of loss in the community lately. First Leah Welch died, then we lost Charlie Smith. Again this month we have to run an obituary for an important fighter for human rights, Jay Johnson. A listing of Jay’s accomplishments appears, but Jay was more than the things he “did,” so we also offer Pat Danielson’s personal reflection on this remarkable man this month. Let’s hope we don’t have to report for a long time on any more of our leaders passing away.
