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| Book Cover: In Search of Freedom |
Below is a copy of a message left on the
Obama/Biden People With Disabilities Dashboard message board. I will not post her name because I
have not spoke with her directly, but this is horrendous! It is so hard
to read this and usually I would apologize for the length of a post, but this time I refuse to do so. It is important that you hear the anguish of this woman, someone who has volunteered her time and given unselfishly to this campaign. Also, I will not shorten it, because I hear it over and over again; how someone with a
disabilities is disrespected and treated so hatefully. And in this case,
by team members of the Democratic Party, who were supposed to represent
the most "open and accessible" administration in history.
I am appalled at her treatment, and I ask the people of Florida and this
campaign office to answer to these allegations! I ask you to apologize
to the people along with this woman who were treated this way. I demand
that someone with a disability or proper disability training be a part
of future event planning and logistics. And, this office owes all those people
an apology!
Just last week, I got the chance to meet with Patrick Kennedy during the Disability Caucus at the DNC in Charlotte, NC, and he talked about how the Disability Vote was growing and how important it was to this election. If you are going to represent the President, represent him
right...to everyone!
Message on People with Disabilities
Obama/Biden DASHBOARD Message Board
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I
am a Data Captain, Team Member for X19 Clearwater, FL. Campaign
Office. I was so thankful to the staff at the office when they gave me 2
extra tickets so I could take my 2 teenage boys to the speech with me.
I was told BLUE meant I had (Priority Tickets) It was supposed to
have been a very exciting, chance of a lifetime that my boys could tell
their future grandchildren about. Instead it was a horrifying disaster
for them and for me. Single, Disabled Mother of Two, Full-Time
Student.
I have volunteered almost all of my free time to the campaign. Sometimes 12 hours a day.
The
planners for these events do not seem to consider or think about the
obstacles and or limitations of the handicap. They did not designate
parking for the handicap at the charter bus area. I and other handicap
in wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches had to walk all the way around a
very large shopping mall to get to where the buses were picking up the
attendee's. Walking that alone was very painful and I struggled. Then
we had to STAND and wait for the special (handicap accessible) bus to
come. That may be fine for people in wheelchairs. It was not fine for
people like ME. Anyone with a cane, walker, crutches, were struggling
to stand. Once we finally got on the bus. The trip was fast and easy.
We all thought the hardest part was behind us. We were very wrong!
Once
we were off the bus we were told where to go by what colors our
tickets were. My tickets were blue. I was being directed towards a very
long line. Up and over curbs! Curbs! How are people with wheelchairs
and walkers supposed to be able to handle this if they don’t have anyone
with them to help? There were plenty of volunteers! But, not one of
them was willing to help any of the handicaps through this “impossible
obstacle course” we had to go through to get to the back of the line.
This line seemed to have more people without a handicap that people that
did.
I was in pain and really struggling to get
to the back of the line. I found a fellow volunteer in the line and
asked him if my kids and I could cut in line with them. I was verbally
and almost physically attacked by a non-handicap older female in the
line screaming “ Line Cutter!” I was then being screamed at by the
entire crowd around me. So I got moving toward the back of the line
which was so far away. I needed to go through hilly grass, more curbs,
as I am trying to get to the back of the line. More buses are dropping
off more Non-handicaps who can move much faster than I can. So the back
of the line was continuing to become further and further away. I
couldn’t take anymore I needed to rest.
I saw a volunteer
I knew from my Clearwater office. I told them I needed help! She went
down the line to find someone she knew to see if they minded us cutting
in line with them. She did! I was able to get a chair to sit on. We
were in line for over 2 hours. How are the handicap/elderly, which
can’t stand or walk at all or for very long supposed to handle this?
Some handicap didn’t! They left in ambulances because of the whole
ordeal!
It was hot and they were passing out water. I
can’t drink the water! I am in line and have no access to a handicap
bathroom! Since it took 2 hours for each handicap person to get inside,
I am glad I didn’t drink anything!
Now I am inside but they are
still directing the handicap up impossible curbs and grassy hills! My
knees and legs are shaking like wet noodles. I can barely keep standing
never mind walking up the hill.
I am now crying trying to
struggle and not make a scene. I don’t want to worry or embarrass
myself or my children. After a few moments I fell to the ground. My
legs couldn’t carry my weight anymore. I sat on the grass trying to
figure out how I was going to make it the rest of the way. After about
20 minutes a golf cart came by and asked if I needed help. I thought to
myself. This is a godsend for me BUT! What about the other handicap
and elderly? He put my walker in the back and brought me to the
handicap section of the event. I thought…. Finally the worst is over!
But, when I looked around the handicap section, I felt so let down.
The
scene was like something from the 1960’s. I imagined that this is
where the Black’s would have been seated, hidden, out of the way as not
to be seen by cameras. Behind a line of trees and bushes that made it
impossible to see the podium where the president would speak. I felt
insulted.
I felt like a second class citizen. Planners had
placed plywood on the grass to make sure the wheelchairs and walkers
etc. would have a flat surface. The handicap section was over crowded
with non-handicap people. So the area of plywood was all taken by the
time I got there. They gave us folding chairs but, they ran out of them
quickly and asked the non-handicap people to please give up their
chairs for the handicap and elderly.
Most refused saying
they deserve better than to sit on the ground. Doesn’t the handicap and
elderly deserve better as well? I was given a chair that if I had sat
in it the legs of the chair would just go all the way into the ground.
Instead, I sat on my walker and gave the chair to my children to take
turns sitting on. One child sitting on the wet ground, the other in a
chair that’s legs were half in the ground. Looking around at this area
was disgraceful. We all talked about how this could be possible in this
day and age. Especially from someone who is looking for our vote. Some
of the crowd knew I was a Team Member. We couldn’t believe their
volunteers and supporters were being treated so horribly. It was a very
depressing sight!
I sat there waiting for the
event to begin. I had to time 5 minutes for my teenagers to take turns
on the chair so they didn’t fight about it. I then saw one of my Field
Organizers in a blocked off area. I walked over there to try to yell to
her to come to the fence line to speak with me. I explained to her the
insufficient and deplorable situation. She apologized and tried to
explain why we were segregated from the rest of the public. She didn’t
say anything that justified the placement or treatment we were
enduring. I told her that I didn’t work hard for the campaign to be
treated like trash. If the campaign thinks it’s ok to treat people like
this they do not only lose the support I have been giving them but
they will lose my vote.
I walked back to the handicap
area, I looked toward the podium and realized not only could we not see
the president. If the trees weren’t there we would still only see the
back of the president’s head!
As I timed the 5 minutes for
my kids, someone was speaking at the podium but none of us could hear
what they were saying. We began to yell. “We Can’t Hear You!” But it
seemed useless. We asked the volunteers to let them know we couldn’t
hear. We were actually told to “Shut Up!” by two different volunteers
assigned to the area.
The way I saw these volunteers treat
the elderly and handicap was deplorable! Our section that was closed
off visually from the event also couldn’t hear the event either. We all
sat there disgusted! Who planned this event? Who thought so less of us
that they thought this kind of treatment to the disabled were
acceptable? I sent my son to go in front of the trees with my camera.
He came back saying a lady grabbed his phone, closed it and handed it
back to him and told him to go sit back down in a very mean way. I was
beyond angry! You treat me like trash and you now dare to treat my son
that way? We can’t see or hear the President. You won’t even allow us
to take pictures like the other guests? At one point my other son
worked his way past the trees and got a few pictures. The elderly and
other handicap were now begging my son to take their phones and video
cameras down there so he could take pictures for them! I felt so sad
for all of them that I began to cry. Why were we being treated like we
are trash? Why are we not equal to the rest of the guests? My son did
his best to take as many pictures has he could for the other handicap
while being screamed at by the volunteers to go back to his place. (His
Place) as in the hidden section! It was awful!
I tried to text
anyone I knew at the Clearwater office. 2 Field Officers to let them
know we couldn’t hear the people speaking. It was no use I didn’t
receive a reply to 1 the other, not until after the event. We all just
gave up and just sat there talking amongst ourselves at what a sad
situation this was. Many of them came to this event full supporters of
the President but, left with mental and emotional scars that the Man
they supported did not treat them as equals as he has said in many
speeches and policies. We were obviously 2nd class. We left knowing we
were now NOT voting for Obama. How could we when we were just treated
so horrendously.
We then had to fight to receive the free”
FORWARD” signs that were being handed out. Yet another insult to us,
it seemed we didn’t deserve those either. We at this point all felt so
defeated that we just didn’t have enough energy or self-worth to try
to fight another battle. We were all trying to prepare for the
impossible struggle of the obstacle course again to get to the bus’s
and then walking that far walk to our cars.
The speech is
now over, we didn’t hear a word Obama said. I tell my kids we will
sit and wait a while and not try to fight through the huge crowds. I
sat there trying to prepare myself and my legs for this horrible
journey to the buses.
I ran into a Field Organizer from my office.
She had obviously heard what I had said to the other Organizer
earlier. She tried to apologize that I had a bad experience. I tried to
explain it wasn’t just me! It was how they treated all of us as a
group! I told her a handicap person needs to be part of the planning
process for these events! It seems that only a handicap person can see
the obstacles and struggles that healthy people obviously DO NOT SEE!
She
asked me to wait a moment so she could find a golf cart to take me the
rest of the way to the buses. I waited for 10 minutes and they still
couldn’t find one so I said never mind and I walked away. I then ran
into my Field Organizer for my Team. When I turned around I could see
that the other Field Organizer was following me. I told My Org, that
She wants to talk to him and I walked past him. I began crying, so hurt
I was treated this way. How could they treat me this way after the
hours of work I put into the campaign? As I walked up a bit of a hill I
could feel my tendon clinch and I couldn’t put any wait on it anymore. I
was in so much pain and had so much further to walk to those buses. I
had to make it there! I was about to collapse! I sat on my walker in
the middle of the parking lot. My children having to see me like this
was very traumatic for me and for the. They were worried how they were
going to get their mother to the buses then to the car to drive them
home. My children were traumatized!!! They will never be the same! I
won’t either but, for different reasons.
After about 20
minutes a golf cart came along and they had to almost lift me into the
cart. My legs had nothing left in them to get me anywhere. I got off
the cart the rest of the elderly and handicap waited in the sun for
about 45 minutes waiting for a handicap accessible bus to come. I sat
there embarrassed balling my eyes out. Everyone was asking me if I’m
ok. Well…… everyone except the actual volunteers and bus drivers. When a
bus finally came everyone was asking if we could get me on the bus
right away. They told them no, that it was wheelchairs first etc. The
people in the wheelchairs started yelling and swearing at the
volunteers to GET AMIEE ON THE FUZCKING BUS! They fought and fought
them. Finally they got me on the bus. I sat there in the bus seat
crying and crying. They were filling the bus. My children telling them
that their mom is on the bus and they need to get on this one. They were
told it was only for the handicap. The Bus driver got in his seat and
was closing the door. I got up from the seat yelling and screaming
about my children and telling them if they don’t let my children on to
get me off!
I then fell in the bus isle and down part of the stairs. That is when he finally let my 2 children on the bus.
When
we got off the bus Members of the Largo Office, Diane and Milly, told
me to stay there, they would get their car, pick us up and take me to
my car so I wouldn’t have to walk to it. What wonderful people Diane
and Milly are! Thank you again!
No apology is enough for
the trauma and deplorable treatment I went thru on Aug 8,2012. I can’t
continue to support a campaign that treats the disabled and elderly in
this way.
WE ARE NOT 2ND CLASS! WE DESERVE TO BE TREATED
WITH RESPECT! NO CONSIDERATION WAS GIVEN TO OUR LIMITATIONS ETC. I
DIDN’T DONATE HRS AND HRS OF MY TIME TO BE THEN TREATED LIKE TRASH! NO
HUMAN BEING SHOULD BE TREATED HOW WE WERE! SET ASIDE, HIDDEN AWAY, NOT
TO BE SEEN. HORRENDOUS!
