Mother reminds us to stand together for the disabled

By David Bainbridge

Kendallville News Sun: September 17, 2000

When you look at the big picture, at everything that life could hand you, most
of us have it easy.

We don't like to think so, but we often live in a closed, subjective, personally
oriented world. It's easy to forget the definition of we when hearing a phrase
like "When we all stand together, nothing can stand in our way."

A slogan like that might conjure up images of mighty armies, militant
governments or even a strong workers' union. It's something a sports team
might say before a game; but actually it's a motto of The Indiana Governor's
Planning Council for People with Disabilities. Amy Sutton of LaGrange
taught at Parkside Elementary School for 10 years before leaving in 1998 to
take care of her three children, including one son who was born with Down
Syndrome. "I don't think I ever discriminated against the disabled segment
of our population before Benjamin was born, "Sutton said. "But I didn't really
notice them either. I didn't really pay attention to that part of our community. I
never stopped to think about their needs being met."

Sutton found out last week that she has been accepted into the Governor's
Planning Council's "Partners in Policymaking Academy,"a nine-month
program which teaches the parents of disabled children and adults with
disabilities the skills to play leadership roles in policy development and
advocacy for the disabled within their communities. Each year, a group of
35 disabled adults and parents of the disabled are selected in a program
which actively seeks out and encourages individuals of a varied ethnic,
regional and socioeconomic background to apply.

"This is very exciting to me because the academy only takes 150
applications each year, and only 17 or 18 parents of disabled children are
accepted," Sutton said. "I thought I might have to apply for at least a couple
years before I was chosen, so I am very honored to be accepted into the
academy the first year I applied."

Brenda Wade of the Governoršs Planning Council said, "Indiana graduates
have become the school board members, state or local agency commission
and council members, mayors and legislative appointees who make the
decisions that affect us all. Other graduates have started new independent
living centers and parent groups, or have become active members of local
and statewide advocacy organizations." "Partners have worked with
legislators and other advocates to introduce and pass new laws, with their
mayors to implement access policies, and with state officials to improve
policies and programs," Wade said. School principals, school boards, city
councils, mayors, county and state legislators and federal legislators and
agencies are just some of the policymakers Partner graduates influence.
"Partners are known for their tenacity and enthusiasm ‹ and, most of all, for
making a difference" Wade said.

Sutton said her greatest motivation for becoming a Partner is that she
doesn't feel her son is being offered the best possible educational benefits.
"I know ARC and other groups are working really hard and doing a great job.
It seems our (disabled) adults are included pretty well into our community,
but I feel LaGrange County is in some ways behind in terms of public
education (for the disabled). I think there are other alternatives for the mildly
handicapped that need to be explored, especially in the younger grades."
While improved public education was her main incentive, Sutton said she
plans to be an advocate for the disabled of all ages. "I want to work all the
way up to adulthood. My goal is to assess how our community is doing as a
whole, and see how I can help. There are already a lot of good things going
on locally. I simply want to be of assistance. I want to be one more person
who can help."

Disability statistics vary according to the definition of "disabled." Going by
the definition of "limitation" in activity due to physical or mental impairment,
about 36.1 million Americans, nearly 15 percent of the population, are
disabled, according to the federally funded Disability Statistics Abstract
Program. Other surveys with less rigorous definitions put the number as high
as 43 million, or just under 20 percent. That's a lot of people for us to not
really notice. Be thankful it only takes one person, one advocate, to remind
us that "When we all stand together, nothing can stand in our way."