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OFFICE OF HANDICAPPED CONCERNS
WILL'S CORNER, OKLAHOMA
(Serving the Disability Community of Oklahoma)
Volume 6, Issue 2
April, 2005
SOCIAL SECURITY AND YOUR FUTURE
I have received several emails recently on the subject of Social
Security which is said to be the most successful domestic
program in the history of the United States. I have also been
fortunate to have an interview with Larry Jones who is a Public
Affairs Specialist for the Social Security Administration in the
Oklahoma City District Office. Larry, in turn, has given me two
booklets published by the Social Security Administration called
The Future of Social Security and Understanding the Benefits.
Information in this article is taken from all these sources. You
may consult other information at the Social Security website at
www.socialsecurity.gov. Let’s talk a little about this social
experiment which is almost seventy years old.
Social Security is a work in progress which began in the
Depression Era America of Franklin Roosevelt and has evolved
into the program we know today. The program began in 1935 as a
retirement insurance program. In 1939 survivors’ benefits were
added to the program to help families which lost a bread winner.
Disability benefits were added in 1956 followed by the Medicare
program in 1965 and SSI (Supplemental Security Income) in 1972.
Payroll taxes from American workers fund these benefits, and in
the last 70 years these payroll taxes have been raised 20 times.
These are some examples of the changes in Social Security which
have occurred to meet our needs. In 1983 a coalition of
Democrats and Republicans under President Reagan made changes in
Social Security to strengthen the program. Some Americans say
that we need to make changes again to Social Security to meet
the needs of Americans. Let’s look at some statistics which may
give you a better grasp of the subject.
More than 47 million Americans receive retirement, survivors and
disability benefits from Social Security. Eight million people
receive disability benefits (SSDI) and five million receive
Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These last two programs are
a major source of income for people with disabilities in the
United States.
For retirees, the average monthly Social Security check is
$914.30. That same check is $898.10 for the person with
disabilities in the SSDI program. (SSI beneficiaries’ typically
draw less.) In 2002 $5.7 billion flowed into our state economy
in Social Security benefits. 22% of adults in our state receive
Social Security benefits in one form or another, and a total of
604,000 of all Oklahomans receive a monthly check. Social
Security payments make the difference between being above or
below the poverty line in Oklahoma. When we talk about changing
Social Security, we must realize that we are looking at the
needs of the elderly and disabled in our midst who are
vulnerable in every sense.
Many people think that the Social Security taxes they pay are
held in interest-bearing accounts earmarked for their own future
retirement needs. The fact is that Social Security is a
pay-as-you-go retirement system. That is, the Social Security
taxes paid by today’s workers and their employers are used to
pay the benefits for today’s retirees and other beneficiaries.
Younger workers are paying for their elders’ benefits, not their
own as many people think. This would not be an issue if it were
not for the fact that there are fewer workers per beneficiary
today than there were in the past.
In 1960 there were 5.1 workers for every beneficiary of Social
Security. That figure dropped to 3.3 workers per beneficiary in
2004, and it is projected there will be only 2.1 workers per
beneficiary in 2031. (This fact must be tempered by the
increasing real wages Americans are receiving on which their
Social Security payroll taxes are based.) To put it simply,
Americans are having fewer children, and this has an impact on
the long-term demographics.
Social Security is in excellent financial shape at this time.
Today we have roughly $450 billion worth of liabilities and $600
billion to cover those liabilities. However, those figures will
change as the Baby Boomers begin retiring in a few short years.
It is estimated that in the year 2017 that Social Security will
begin paying out more money than it takes in. However, it will
not be until the year 2041 that the Social Security Trust Fund
is completely exhausted. At that point, Social Security could
still meet 73% of its obligations with existing monies being
paid into the system. Is there an immediate problem? Well, maybe
not. Is there a long-term problem? Probably.
Choices Lie Ahead
Some people think that benefits should be reduced, or at least
their future growth should be slowed. One way of doing this
would be to increase the retirement age for full Social Security
benefits. They say that Americans are living longer and
healthier lives than ever before and that people are spending an
increasing number of years in retirement. Critics of the
proposal to further raise the retirement age say most Americans
now choose to retire early, and that it would be hard for some
people to work past the current retirement age because of their
health or because their jobs are just too demanding.
Some people believe that Social Security taxes should be raised
so that all future benefits could be paid. They want to increase
the current combined payroll tax rate, which is now 12.4
percent. Critics argue that payroll taxes are already very high
and that most workers already pay more in payroll taxes than
they do in income taxes.
Other people suggest personal accounts—allowing younger workers
to pre-fund their own benefits by investing in stocks and bonds.
They argue that workers could have more say in the management of
their benefits this way and stock market performance has been
good. Private accounts could even be passed on to heirs and used
by succeeding generations. Detractors point out that personal
retirement accounts mean higher risks for workers. It would be
possible for a worker to be invested in a poorly-performing
stock and be forced to change retirement plans because of this.
Another version of the previous argument is to allow the
government itself to invest Social Security reserves in stocks
and bonds in order to harvest higher potential returns. The
problem remains on what to do with poor-performing investments.
Critics also say the government should not invest in private
companies because the government could end up being the largest
stockholder in a company.
Another proposal to solve the Social Security long-term
shortfall has a political angle. These people argue that we have
millions of illegal aliens working in this country who do not
pay Social Security payroll taxes. Legalize these aliens or set
up some kind of program where they may be taxed on their
earnings in this country to strengthen the Social Security
system. This could change the ratio of workers to retirees in a
favorable way. However, many people strongly believe that
immigration policies must remain strong, especially during times
that our national security is threatened.
Social Security Personal Accounts and Disability
People with disabilities typically pay less into the Social
Security system than they receive in benefits. Private accounts
provide benefits based on good investment and the amount
invested by each person. What happens to people with
disabilities in this scenario? If they have a shorter work
history, they will have less money to invest in private accounts
and presumably less benefits as well? What about people who have
never paid into the Social Security system at all and are
currently drawing SSI (Supplemental Security Income)? How will
these benefits be affected by changes in the Social Security
system?
Social Security reform has become a hot domestic topic in recent
months. The national debate continues in the halls of Congress
and over a cup of coffee at the local convenience store. The
issue is cross generational concerning young people who will be
entering the system, middle-aged workers paying into the system,
and beneficiaries of the program. We want a system in America
which is fair to all and meets all our needs for our lifetimes.
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OHC web site:
www.ohc.state.ok.us
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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
In the January issue of Will's Corner, Oklahoma we shared with
you the efforts of people with disabilities, city emergency
personnel, and employees of the Ford Center in Oklahoma City to
prepare for an emergency. In November, 2004 they conducted a
practice evacuation of the 20,000 seat arena using about 300
volunteers with various disabilities. People with disabilities
are increasingly getting out into the public. They are attending
football games, going to church, and visiting friends in the
local hospital—all places where large numbers of people are
congregated in a small area. People with disabilities have
special needs, and those needs must be considered in any civic
planning for an emergency. The World Trade Center in New York is
a prime example on all of our minds.
There were heroic stories of volunteers carrying people who were
not ambulatory down ninety flights of stairs to safety before
the towers collapsed in a burning inferno. This is a very
dramatic example, but let’s look at a scenario closer to home.
Are tornado shelters in your city accessible to someone in a
wheelchair? Does your church have a plan of evacuation for all
its parishioners including those with disabilities in the event
of an emergency? If a fire occurred during a high school
basketball game, have local officials planned how to safely
evacuate the building? I have recently come across a document
called An ADA Guide for Local Governments put out by the U.S.
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights
Section. I also have received some information about a court
decision by Judge John W. Debelius III of the Circuit Court for
Montgomery County, Maryland which is a precedent-setting
decision on emergency evacuations for people with disabilities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) has always
been understood to help get people with disabilities into places
of public accommodation. Judge Debelius’ December 28, 2004
decision expands the responsibility of public places to include
getting people out of those public places in the event of a
fire, terrorist attack, or other emergency. Katie Savage of
Washington, D.C. became trapped during an emergency evacuation
in a local shopping mall that had no accessible exits for
persons with disabilities. Abandoned by store employees and
trapped, Ms. Savage resolved to use her terrifying ordeal as a
vehicle for ensuring that fellow citizens with disabilities
would not be similarly victimized in an emergency evacuation.
The court declared, “It is certain that Title III of the ADA
does apply to this situation.” The Opinion of the Court was also
significant for refusing to allow a tenant at the Mall to
abdicate its responsibility to patrons with disabilities by
merely placing them outside a store’s entrance in an emergency
evacuation situation and leaving actual evacuation to a shopping
mall’s owners.
It is important that community emergency preparedness and
response programs be accessible to people with disabilities.
Government has a role to protect all its citizens and public
places have a role to protect their patrons—some of whom have
disabilities. These people may be in wheelchairs or using an
electric scooter for mobility. They may be unable to see or hear
emergency alarms. People with disabilities are especially
vulnerable in an emergency situation, and it is important that
planning reflect this reality. Let's look at a few possible
components of that emergency planning.
Include people with disabilities:
If you are responsible for your community's emergency planning
or response activities, you should involve people with
disabilities in identifying needs and evaluating effective
emergency management practices. Issues that have the greatest
impact on people with disabilities include notification,
evacuation, emergency transportation, sheltering, access to
medical care and medications, access to their mobility devices
or service animals while in transit or at shelters, and access
to information.
Notification
People who are deaf or hard of hearing cannot hear radio,
television, sirens, or other audible alerts. Those who are blind
or have low vision may not see flashing lights. Consider how to
notify these disability groups of an emergency.
Evacuation
People with a mobility disability may need assistance leaving a
building without a working elevator. Individuals who are blind
may no longer be able to independently use traditional
orientation and navigation methods. Procedures should be in
place to ensure that people with disabilities can evacuate the
physical area in a variety of conditions and with or without
assistance.
Sheltering
When disasters occur, people are often provided safe refuge in
temporary shelters. It is important that these shelters are
accessible to people with disabilities. People using a
wheelchair or scooter have often been able somehow to get to the
shelter, only to find no accessible entrance, accessible toilet,
or accessible shelter area. Many shelters allow "no pets" not
considering the needs of people with disabilities who use
service animals to function. Shelters should have back-up
generators to keep medications cool and to provide electricity
for individuals who may be on oxygen.
Admittedly we have a long ways to go in preparing for an
emergency for all our citizens. It is time to begin planning. If
you have responsibility in preparing for an emergency in your
community, why not contact some people with disabilities. No one
knows the needs of people with disabilities better than the
people themselves.
The Office of Handicapped Concerns has a publication entitled
Emergency Evacuation Preparedness. If you would like a copy,
call 800-522-8224.
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State of Oklahoma
www.ok.gov
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PREVENTION
The materials for this article are based on information taken
from the Oklahoma Department of Health website at
www.health.state.ok.us. For the last seven years, the Health
Department has prepared a State of the State’s Health report. As
an Oklahoma citizen of almost 45 years, I find information about
our collective health challenging.
The United Health Foundation 2003 State Health Rankings show
that Oklahoma ranked 45th of the 50 states in health. This
compares with our ranking of 46th in 2002. We were the only
state in the nation whose health became worse during the 1990’s.
While it appears that we are improving on a number of items on
which our health ratings are based, this is not cause to lessen
our efforts.
Our age-adjusted death rates based on the year 2000 population
broadly followed the national rate from 1980-1989 where we began
to exceed the national rate and in 2000 exceeded it by about
11.5%. Without question, a greater priority on prevention is a
key to improving the health of all Oklahomans. Let’s look at a
few things which are preventing us from achieving the health
which we all so highly covet.
Alcohol abuse accounts for significant disability, starting with
the teenage years and lasting through the lifespan. Of
particular concern is alcohol use among the younger age groups.
Twenty percent of all alcohol is consumed by teenagers. When
combined with other risk-taking behaviors common among teens and
young adults, the use of alcohol becomes deadly. The leading
cause of death in teenagers is automobile accidents, often
related to drinking alcohol.
High usage of tobacco compared with the rest of the United
States continues to affect the state of our health. However,
there are signs that prevention efforts are beginning to pay off
in a survey which showed tobacco use declined from 42.1% of
Oklahoma high school students in 1999 to 31.9% in the year 2002.
Those areas in the state that had the greatest number of tobacco
use prevention activities also had significantly lower rates of
tobacco use. With comprehensive funding to reach even larger
numbers, such prevention activities will literally save
thousands from the long-term detrimental consequences of
nicotine addiction. Adolescents who begin smoking and continue
through the remainder of their life shorten their life span on
average by 14 years.
The Report Card on Health asks, “Are we eating right?” 14.4% of
Oklahomans are eating five or more fruits and vegetables daily
compared with 22.6% of Americans as a whole. 55% of the American
population is overweight. We are the heaviest nation in the
world with Germany following us as #2. Overeating (sometimes
called calorie addiction) results in the over-time development
of high blood pressure and diabetes—the latter of which is at
epidemic levels in this country. Couple overeating with lack of
exercise, and you have a guaranteed prescription of poor health.
For our children and youth, cancellation of recess and physical
education in our schools does not help. But lack of exercise is
not just a problem of our children. Oklahoma reports 30.6% of
its adults have no physical activity as compared to 24.4% on the
national level. Our percentage of adults with no physical
activity earned Oklahoma the rank of 47 of the 50 states and a
grade of F on our health report card. There are things which we
can do to improve this indicator.
Oklahoma falls behind the rest of the nation in childhood
immunizations, percentage of mothers starting prenatal care in
their first trimester of pregnancy, and seatbelt use. Becoming
aware of our health status is a beginning for us. We are worth
the effort it takes to become healthier and achieve a higher
quality of life. Efforts in the public sector as well as
individually are important in making us healthier.
Fluoridation of drinking water is known to lessen dental decay.
The first Oklahoma community fluoridated its public water system
in 1953. As much as a 40% reduction in tooth decay can be
expected per person per year simply by treating the water with
this substance. Scientific evidence is overwhelming supporting
the effectiveness and safety of this important preventative
measure. Also dental, medical, and public health organizations
solidly support it. In the year 2000, 74.6% of Oklahoma water
departments fluoridated. This is significantly improved since
1992.
Lack of health care coverage contributes to poor health status
by discouraging people from seeking early, preventive care.
Oklahoma is one of the states with a high rate of the
uninsured—18.3% reporting not having health care coverage in
2001 compared to the 14.6% of the country as a whole. This
translates to 620,000 Oklahomans without health care coverage.
It is estimated that the number of deaths which can be
attributed to a lack of health coverage is greater than those
deaths resulting from AIDS.
There are things we can do on both the personal and collective
level to improve our health and overall quality of life. We have
the power to make a real difference. It costs less money to
prevent poor health than to fix it. Our efforts can reduce our
suffering and result in a higher quality of life for all.
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Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.
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REFLECTIONS ON HISSOM
Jim Nicholson is the Director of the Developmental Disabilities
Services Division (DDSD) of the Oklahoma Department of Human
Services. DDSD serves children and adults with a primary
diagnosis of mental retardation across Oklahoma. State services
include two state schools for the mentally retarded at Enid and
Pauls Valey plus the delivery of services in the community
offered by Oklahoma’s Medicaid waivers. Hissom State School in
Sand Springs was closed as a result of a class-action lawsuit
filed on May 5, 1985. The federal court of the northern district
of Oklahoma maintained strict oversight of the delivery of
services to class members until February 1, 2005 when the court
ended active supervision of the class and effectively closed the
court’s involvement. Mr. Nicholson reflects about the court’s
twenty year involvement in the service delivery system for
people with mental retardation and the changes which have
happened as a result.
Jim Nicholson
The Hissom lawsuit was filed against the State of Oklahoma
because a group of parents felt their children were not getting
quality services at one of our then three schools for the
mentally retarded. Hissom State School opened its doors in Sand
Springs in 1964 and was finally shut down through order of the
court 30 years later. The court ruled that the magnitude of the
problems at Hissom was such that they could not be repaired in
that setting, and Judge Ellison ordered that class members
receive the services they needed in a community setting rather
than the institutional model which we had used since statehood.
Back in 1985, a parent had to decide between sending their
children to a state institution where all costs were paid or
keeping their child at home where they were responsible for all
costs. This could be a very hard decision to make. The Hissom
lawsuit offered a third option—services in the home and in the
community where the individual lived. This was a dramatic shift
from the past. We changed our way of doing business in Oklahoma.
The class consisted of all those who resided at Hissom at the
time of the filing of the suit or had resided at Hissom in the
previous five years. It included 1049 people, and the court set
up a monitoring system to make sure class members received high
quality services in the community in which they chose to live.
Now you must keep in mind that many of these 1049 people had
severe disabilities, some with profound mental retardation and
secondary physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy or
epilepsy. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and
direct-care workers in the community did not at first know how
to serve these people. The learning curve was steep, but in the
process we built a service-delivery system which meets people’s
needs in a setting which allows them more independence and
freedom of choice. The Hissom lawsuit affected all Oklahomans
with mental retardation and their families because it demanded
high-quality services in the community and maintained court
involvement until this became a reality.
We at DDSD were faced with a monumental task. We had to hire
case managers, contract with providers, and train direct care
staff in a relatively short period of time. We had to ask for
matching Medicaid money from our state Legislature to pay for
the new services we were offering all over Oklahoma. Finally, we
had to meet deadlines set up by the Court Review Panel in its
ongoing oversight of this new, budding service-delivery system.
The court wanted real assurances that Oklahoma provided
high-quality services to this population with high needs.
These ideas were new back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
People didn’t really believe that people with disabilities could
live and function well in the community in those early years. We
have proven that those naysayers were wrong. We have proven that
people with disabilities—even severe disabilities—can have a
higher quality of life than was ever dreamed before and can
begin to make some real decisions on their own. It has been a
wonderful thing as director of this agency to see the massive
changes which have occurred in this state in a short period of
time. At the same time, there is no doubt that we have more to
do.
I would like to see our agency (DDSD) collaborate with other
state agencies such as the State Department of Education who
also work with people with mental retardation. Through
collaboration, we can better serve the needs of people with
disabilities. We want to learn better how to support families
who are so impacted by the needs of their family member with
disabilities. We at DDSD want to work with Sooner Start to
provide ongoing services from infancy into childhood. We want to
provide intense services in early intervention to enable the
individual to acquire early on the skills they will need to live
a productive life in the community.
More than anything, I would like to provide services to people
in a timely manner and do away with our waiting list. This is
not always an easy thing to do because good services only come
through effort and an unfailing public commitment to serve
people with disabilities and their families. Good services come
through education of the community on the benefits which people
with disabilities can contribute to society if they are only
given the chance. People with mental retardation can enrich all
of us if we are willing to invest in them and give them the
skills they will need to be successful in this world. The Hissom
lawsuit jolted our consciousness to look at those in our midst
who had long been forgotten and to view them as people just like
all the rest of us—people who want a chance to live in a family
and pursue their dreams. Isn’t that really what we all want?
We want to thank Jim Nicholson for his reflections on the
closing of the monumental Hissom court case in Oklahoma. If you
are interested in knowing more about community services for
people with mental retardation in Oklahoma, call 800-522-1086 in
Pauls Valley if you live in the southern half of Oklahoma. Call
800-522-1075 in Tulsa if you live in northeastern Oklahoma or
call 800-522-1064 in Oklahoma City if you live in the
northwestern quadrant of our state. Ask to speak with an intake
case manager.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April 18, 2005 Community forum on developmental disabilities in
Durant, Oklahoma from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Robert L. Williams
Public Library, Utterback Room, 323 W. Beech. Call Vyonda Martin
at 800-627-6827 for more information.
April 19, 2005 Community forum on developmental disabilities in
Atoka, Oklahoma from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Kiamichi Tech
Center, Room-Industrial, 1301 W. Liberty Road. Call Vyonda
Martin at 800-627-6827 for more information.
April 20, 2005 Reverse Job and Technology Fair from 10 a.m.-4
p.m. at DRS Career Planning Center 5813 South Robinson in
Oklahoma City. Contact Glenn Hatter for registration at
800-523-0288.
April 27-29, 2005 Children’s Mental Health Conference at the
Reed Conference Center in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Contact
Shannon Manning at 405-522-8300 for more information.
May 3-5, 2005 State Conference on Aging, Reed Conference Center
in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Call 800-426-2747 for more
information.
May 5-6, 2005 NAMI (National Association for the Mentally Ill)
Conference at Clarion Meridian Conference Center in Oklahoma
City. Contact Andrea Volk at 405-230-1900 for more information.
May 11-13, 2005 Special Olympics State Games on the campus of
Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Call
800-722-9004 for more information.
June 9-12, 2005 National Endeavor Games held at the University
of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. Sports competition for
people with disabilities. Contact Katrina Shaklee for more
information at 405-974-3144.
June 20-24-2005 Second annual Youth Leadership Forum to develop
leadership skills for students with disabilities. The Forum will
be held at the University of Arts and Sciences in Chickasha,
Oklahoma. Call 800-836-4470 for more information.
If you have an event coming up relating to disability, let us
know at 800-522-8224 and we’ll help you publicize.
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