Statewide Independent LivingCouncil of Illinois
Statewide Independent LivingBy John M. Eckert
In the summer of 1982, I earned the right to call myself a Quadriplegic. Just like that, I went from my 10-speed bike and compact Mazda to a power wheelchair and a full-size van with a lift. Now my colleague and buddy Pete Roberts thinks I'm pretty grounded and view my life from a "before and after" perspective. I agree: I view that body-surfing accident merely as one of the many events in my life, a bump in the road, so to speak.
However, after having to take an extended medical leave relating to my disability B and the fact that the cause was related to sitting in a wheelchair for 19 years B I've begun to begin thinking more and more about aging and disability. And I'm not alone. As I talk to many of the other "old timers" in our disability community, they too are beginning to discuss the effects of aging as it relates to their disability.
The question arises, is Illinois prepared for an aging population of people with disabilities?
For example, medical advocates have significantly increased the life expectancy of people with developmental disabilities. Many parents who have kept their children out of institutions are themselves getting to the point that they need assistance themselves. They are scared to death that community-based housing, programs and services for their daughters and sons are too scarce. They are scared that their older adult daughters and sons - who were able to live independently with their assistance - may now face the prospect of a nursing home or other institutional setting.
Similarly, medical advances have increased life expectancies for people with all types of disabilities and more and more older Illinoisans are experiencing "disabling conditions" without there being any real increases in community-based housing, programs and services. As discussed extensively throughout this newsletter, the Olmstead decision mandates each state to develop a "comprehensive effective working plan" to prevent the unnecessary institutionalization of people with disabilities. As advocates, we've got a lot of work to do! We must educate the general public, our local governments and our General Assembly about the need for more community-based housing, programs and services. What else do we have to do?
The National Coalition on Disability and Aging recommends developing better ties between our colleagues in the Aging community and those of us in the Disability community. Specifically, they recommend that those new ties center on:
educating ourselves on the needs of an aging population with disabilities or people "aging into disabilities",
articulating a clear vision of life-styles grounded in choice and self-direction for persons of all ages, and by
minimizing our differences by focusing on common interests surrounding assistive technology, personal assistant services, and health and long-term care issues.
We have our work cut out for us!
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