Disabled Residents Rally for Awareness

THELMA GUERRERO
Statesman Journal
March 3, 2007
Most days are a joy for Virginia Hill. Other days, it's a struggle to get past labels and other challenges she encounters in the community.
"I want to learn to read better," Hill, 26, said recently while taking a break from her job at Mount Angel Training Center. "But when I talked to different colleges about taking a reading class, they told me they didn't offer that for people like me."
So Hill, a 2002 graduate of Woodburn High School, decided to become a self-advocate for her disability, mental retardation.
On Friday, she and other people like her who rely on state social programs such as developmental services, foster care and mental-health services shared their stories during a rally on the steps of the state Capitol.
They were there to tell lawmakers that they are capable of making independent decisions, living on their own and to demand their voices be included in public policies that affect their lives.
"It's really important for self-advocates to tell their stories because it gives them a sense of empowerment," said Shelley Joyce, a spokeswoman for Victory Alliance, the organizer of Friday's rally
The presence of lawmakers at Friday's rally is an indication that attitudes among some policymakers are gradually shifting, advocates say.
State representatives Brian Clem, D-Salem, and Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, spoke about measures they're sponsoring aimed at improving access to education, employment and transportation for the developmentally disabled.
Clinically, developmental disability refers to any lifetime handicapping condition that occurs before age 18 that significantly impairs learning, language skills, mobility and the ability for some to live independently. It includes mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and neurological disorders.
Decades ago, services for the developmentally disabled were concentrated in state-run institutions. Today, many disabled people are able to live on their own, attend school and hold jobs.
Self-advocates, such as Hill, say that far more people deemed developmentally disabled can assume a level of responsibility for decisions than is generally thought.
After being labeled mentally retarded, Hill attended special-education classes throughout school. She lived with her grandmother until several years ago, when the elderly woman passed away.
"I am independent," she said in abbreviated statements. "I don't feel different. I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."
tguerrero@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-681