Boston: the torch goes on

American Association of People With Disabilities Logo

Relay Visits Historic Boston

By Jacqueline Kravetz

Boston, MA (August 3, 2000) - The Spirit of ADA Torch Relay touched down in Boston for a whirl wind tour of seven of that city's many historic sites to highlight the link between American history, disability rights and models of access.

The Relay began in the North End at the Old North Church, made famous for its role on April 18, 1775 when two lanterns were hung in its steeple to warn the colonials that the British were arriving by sea, and then followed a historic trail to Faneuil Hall, the central assembling point for the political life of Boston and the nation for over 250 years.

The Relay then wove its way through downtown Boston to the Common and then on to South End for a brief stop at the Harriet Tubman Park and Settlement House, named for the Underground Railroad pioneer and former slave who helped free over 300 slaves during her reign as conductor. From there, the caravan traveled several miles to WGBH-TV, the birthplace of captioning for television, and then went via hand cyclist to Charlestown for a stop at the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

From Charlestown, the torch was carried via boat to the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester for the closing ceremony.

10th Anniversary of Descriptive Video Service for Blind and Visually Impaired

The relay stop at WGBH-TV, home to the Media Access Group, WGBH Educational Foundation, was perhaps the one along the Boston route most directly related to the disability rights movement of the last two decades.

The Media Access Group makes television, film and digital media more accessible to 34 million Americans with sensory disabilities, using information technology and universal design principles to create greater opportunity in schools, the workplace, the home and the community.

Larry Goldberg, Director of the Media Access Group/WGBH explained the organization's involvement in making media accessible, "Back in 1971 the federal government was looking for someone who would be willing to put captions on their television shows so given the relationship with federal funding of public broadcasting, they asked us if Julia Child's French Chef was the first program to have captions."

In addition to beginning a captioning program in 1971, Goldberg said WGBH started its Descriptive Video Services area in the late 80s and developed the service in 1990 to provide description of television programs to people who are blind or visually impaired. Today the service is available on broadcast and cable television, on over 200 major home video titles, and in movie theaters.

Brian Charlson, Vice President of the American Council of the Blind, a 25,000 member national organization, said in his remarks at WGBH, "For us in the blindness community this is an anniversary in two ways. Descriptive Video and the Americans with Disabilities Act will always be seen by the blind community as going hand in hand. The opportunity to access information in a visual medium and be able to share that experience with our families and co-workers is a spectacular experienced. This is what inclusion is all about."

Closing Ceremony

Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, in his speech to the over 300 gathered at the John F. Kennedy Library for the closing ceremony acknowledged that the nation still faces many challenges in fighting for the rights of the disability community.

Kennedy specifically called for improved Medicaid benefits and policies, and community based assistance for people with disabilities, describing the later as "the challenge of the next decade."

Kennedy's latest piece of legislation, the Grassly-Kennedy Children's Health Bill, would improve health coverage of children with special needs by giving families raising children with disabilities the right to buy into Medicaid.

The bill would give disabled children and their families across the country help in achieving their dreams off participating fully in the social and economic mainstream of our country, Kennedy said.

Currently, families with children who have special health care needs must strictly limit their income to qualify their children for both Medicaid and federal disability benefits. This can result in parents refusing jobs, pay rises and overtime to preserve access to Medicaid.

Kennedy also stated that the Grassly-Kennedy Bill has seventy co-sponsors in the senate and over 100 in the house. He said the passage of the bill would make a major difference in the lives of tens of thousands of parents and their children.

In addition to Senator Kennedy, speakers participating in the Boston relay included, among others: U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Lorraine Greiff from the Massachusetts Office on Disability, Len Alkin President of the Boston National Association of the Advancement of Colored People and Paul Miller, Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Paralympian Sara Will was also on hand to speak with the crowds at the USS Constitution and traveled with the caravan along the relay route.

Mayor Thomas Menino said in an interview following the relay that access is still one of the major issues facing the disability community in Boston.

"We've made a lot of gains over the last few years but still there are some places that are still inaccessible, discrimination against people who have disabilities that's another piece of it. We've come a long way but still there are some barriers to accessibility for everyone," Menino said.