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In Murray Forum on Disability Panelists Urge Educating Community

Matt Markgraf, WKMS

Issues ranging from accessibility to employment emerged as topics of concern Thursday evening in a disability forum in Murray. The Center for Accessible Living hosted an event to give voice to a topic event organizer and Independent Living Advocate John Eads says people just generally aren't aware about. 

Peggy Pittman-Munke was one of the panelists and agreed that education is essential. "We need to educate the whole community so that everybody knows and understands what the Americans with Disabilities Act asks us to do, which is simply to make it a level playing field so that everybody in the community can be served," she said.

It's not only politicians and business owners that need to be in compliance, Munke said, it's also educating others with disabilities as to their rights. Munke says appealing to people's kindness and sense of justice can get issues handled quickly, from accessible sidewalks to job security.

Munke said the stigma surrounding people with disabilities should also be addressed, "Once we begin to understand and unmask stigma and we accept people for the uniqueness that they bring and that their abilities and disabilities are part of that then people will feel more comfortable revealing their true self and what they truly need from us." One of the sticking points was the media portrayal of people with disabilities as an "inspiration" for doing ordinary tasks like going to work or brushing your teeth. This was one of the topics that emerged in the discussion.

Carrissa Johnson was one of the panelists and a parent of a ten-month old son. She said while she was with him in a daycare the other day and a woman approached her. "I'm carrying him in his car seat and she just shook her head and she says 'that must be so difficult for you I just don't know how you do it, you're great.' I'm one mother of many and there's like ten other mothers in the same class, what's the difference?"

Johnson is an Independent Living Specialist at CAL. She says the forum was 'just the tip of the iceberg' for community members with disabilities to voice some of their issues and concerns. Some of the more emotional concerns addressed in the forum involved employment issues and a fear or "rocking the boat" when it comes to housing, "...reporting if there's a problem with access or a problem with employment, we get those phone calls all the time about what i do to report it," Johnson said.

She said people with disabilities are reluctant to file complaints with Housing and Urban Development because they don't want to lose their home or the equal opportunity office in fear of losing their jobs. While the Human Rights Commission can help with some of these issues, she says, there are only three people working at the Murray CAL.

John Eads is one of those three and moderated the discussion. He noted that he initially planned to split the conversation between broad topics like "What does disability mean" and specific issues in the community, but conceded more time to the first half since there was so much discussion.

He said he felt people had a lot to say about issues who never had the opportunity to have a forum discussion before. "I think, generally speaking, people just generally aren't aware of these issues," he said, "We do all have something to say and contribute. You don't have to have a disability to see these issues in the community and to care about it."

Other points that came up during the forum involved concern over people with hidden disabilities - that may not be physically noticeable, politically correct terminology, apathy within the disability community and the desire or lack thereof in taking a stand for rights, a need to be an advocate and educating others and issues with businesses that aren't compliant with ADA laws. The CAL says they plan to host another meeting within the month with more community members in attendance.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was a wide-ranging civil rights law passed 26 years ago this month, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.

There are two other Centers for Accessible Living in Kentucky: a branch in Louisville and in Covington.

More about the Center for Accessible Living

Matt Markgraf joined the WKMS team as a student in January 2007. He's served in a variety of roles over the years: as News Director March 2016-September 2019 and previously as the New Media & Promotions Coordinator beginning in 2011. Prior to that, he was a graduate and undergraduate assistant. He is currently the host of the international music show Imported on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
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