Exceptional People, Exceptional Lifestyles  

Cherie Boyd, founder of the organization, 2nd Chance Fund, shares her experiences about having to go to Poland to help her son with cerebral palsy, because the same services were not available here in the U.S.

As is the case with the rest of our nation, I will never forget September 11, turning on the TV to watch the morning news (which I never really do--too depressing a way to start the day), and watching the horror of what was taking place before my very eyes.

I am from New York, and the Wall Street district was always one of my favorite places in which to hang out--great restaurants and great shopping! In fact, I was a college intern for four summers at the Federal Reserve Bank. Back then, and even for years after, I am ashamed to admit, people with disabilities were not exactly high on my radar screen. Fast forward ten years later, my daughter, Sierra was born with cerebral palsy and my whole perspective changed.

Watching with horror the buildings crumbling, I couldn't help but think, what about the people with disabilities, those who were blind, or in wheelchairs or maybe deaf, how were they going to get out? With the elevators not working and everyone rushing to escape with their lives, would anyone care enough to see to their safety? I still grieve for all the families devastated by that experience and the loss of their loved ones that day, in the name of I still don't know what.

Then, it was a few years later that I saw a movie trying to recreate and pay tribute to the 911 experience. It gave glimpses into the selfishness of some, but mostly highlighted the brotherly love, courage and bravery of those who made it out helping others, and those who didn't.  Although I was crying throughout the whole thing, two story lines really struck me.  One was about a group of people who helped a woman who couldn't walk down to safety, carrying her down hundreds of flights of stairs.

Another storyline was where one man refused to leave anyone behind and after helping so many to safety (and seeing so many run past him offering no help), he came back for another man who was desperately gasping for breath after coming down so many stairs, and didn't seem to want to fight for his life and get out. I guess in his own way, he was mentally and physically challenged. So the other compassionate and caring man also refused to leave and held his hand knowing he would die too.  After praying, the building came down on them and they died together. It still brings tears to my eyes when thinking about it, because even though it was a horrible day and even though we think we may know every story, God had sent many angels to rescue many people, especially the ones who couldn't rescue themselves--even those with disabilities and when I think about that, I can't help but smile.
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Did you know that the disability community is the largest minority population in the country with 56 million people?  Or that the 2005 aggregate income of people with disabilities in the U.S. was estimated at $1 trillion…yes, you read correctly--$1 trillion! How about the fact that the South has the largest population with disabilities in the country -- over 26 million or about 30.8 percent. 
 

Well, these a just a few facts that the U.S. Census has compiled on the disability community and for corporate America, marketers and potential employers, these statistics are nothing to sneeze at.  Millions (49.7) of Americans with disabilities can work and approximately 21.3 million are of working age, but hundreds of thousands don’t have jobs.  In addition, this community is a major consumer of products and services and almost one-third of all families are impacted by a disability. But is anyone really paying attention?

 

Not really.  Although they think they are, the government, corporate America, even religious institutions need to recognize the void in services and outreach programs for families with special needs children or adult family members.  These families, in many cases as in the case of children and adult diapers, purchase products for a much longer period of time than the typical family. In addition, special services such as estate planning, and other life financial planning products are critical for these families. 

Corporate America needs to recognize the major contributions this emerging and increasingly vocal community and its family network makes towards the U.S. economy. Even as it has now come to recognize and maximize the benefits of reaching out to other cultures, including the African American, Latino, Asian, Gay and Lesbian communities, etc.,  they still have far to go. The disability community is the largest minority population in the nation and is comprised of these and other consumer segments--a truly multicultural community--so what are they waiting for?    

The same manner in which corporate America is seeing the profitability and sales benefits of marketing to the African American, Hispanic and Asian communities, they also need to begin developing and executing targeted outreach programs for the disability community.  What they need to recognize is that in addition to those with actual disabilities or special needs, the family network of this community (primary caregivers, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, etc.,) is huge—adding millions on top of the 56 million people who make up this population.

 

This network of family members is paying keen attention to companies that support families who may be care givers and loved ones of children or adults with mental and/or physical challenges, by including the culture in marketing efforts.  This includes providing additional outreach programs in various areas that are pertinent to the community…in addition to Special Olympics.  

 

It took corporate America more than 40 years to begin seeing the profit-building opportunities of marketing to African Americans, the largest consumer of products and services in the nation, and the largest segment of the disability community (37 %), yet some are still refusing to accept the business building facts surrounding that community.  I can only hope it doesn’t take as long for major businesses to recognize the disability community as the untapped, affluent emerging consumer market that it is. We're ready to see it happen, and those companies with marketing vision and savvy will make sure that it does. 

After securing research on how the issues surrounding the disability community play into the legislative platforms of  the  upcoming presidential elections, it was clear to me who I needed to vote for. I am not necessarily politically-savvy, not have been particularly interested in election campaigning until this one. However, since this is one of the most important and telling elections of our time,  and since I am a disability advocate with a daughter with mental and physical challenges, I'm delving into the issues like never before.

I understand that a Republican principle is to keep government out of the lives of the people,  to ensure that people step up, and not rely on government financial assistance for too much, because it becomes a burden on the nation's budget. But does that mean that parents of those of special needs family members who can not fend for themselves financially,  be left out in the cold?  Does that mean that issues such as the Community Choice Act of 2007 shouldn't be supported? This proposed legislation would provide equal access and resources for community services for persons eligible for institutional care, but who choose to remain in their homes and communities. Isn't the whole idea to stop certain situations from being a drain and the fiscal budget and to pursue independence?  Well, how is funding institutions in which to place our family members who may have some level of physical and/or mental independence saving the government money, rather than allowing them to stay in their own homes and communities?  Could it possibly be because it is big business to build these institutions as it is  with building jails (a criminal institution) for black men, assuming they will end up there before they hit adulthood anyway?  Is it possible that wealthy Republican businessmen could benefit from such opportunities? Oh, by the way, the Community Choice Act is a proposed legislation for which Sen. McCain voted not to support and which Sen. Obama co-sponsored.

Families with children and/or adults with special needs would like nothing better than the government to stay out of our business, because I've witnessed some incidences where it is more of an intrusion and hurt more than helped. However, in most cases we don't come from wealthy families and need financial help.  Most of us with family members with special needs are hard-working "regular" people, who may not live in a small town, but who are willing to pull up our sleeves and do what's necessary to enhance the quality of life for our special needs children and ourselves. Yet, many of us can't work because there's not adequate and qualified day care for our children.  And what about healthcare, among the many issues in this area that need addressing, one is that many of us have our own health challenges which disabling and are living without insurance.  This is because the waiting period for Medicare coverage is a minimum of two years for persons who become disabled and qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance.  Oh, by the way, McCain had no position on this and Obama co-sponsored this initiative. 

And what about the issue of education?  Once our children become young adults like every other parent we want to see their education continue, because although they might learn a little slower, they are still learning. Well, McCain chose not to vote on the Higher Education Act (S.1642) to expand opportunities and assistance to individuals with disabilities on post secondary and higher education. Again, this is a proposal that was co-sponsored by Obama.

I could go on, but you get the picture. McCain has repeatedly stressed how under his leadership things are going to change, that he would upset the status quo and wouldn not do things the way Bush did them.  Also, I know what was said during her very eloquent speech in which one sentence was devoted to families with special needs, most of her speech was focused on bashing Sen. Obama.  As a result, I am even more dissuaded that the Republican party has my famiy's interest at heart.  I'm also not convinced that because the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has a child with Downs Syndrome, that if they were to win not too much will change--as promised.  I was curious about how the candidates were going to handle and show support of the disability community, and although I was leaning his way anyway, I'm definitely an Obama supporter now.