The Ragged Edge

One of my favorite disability rights websites is The Ragged Edge. (Another favorite is Not Dead Yet.)  The Ragged Edge site currently features two articles presenting the infrequently-aired perspectives of the disability rights community on two issues often discussed on MOJ:  New Urbanism and single issue voting.

On New Urbanism, Ragged Edge reports about disability rights activists' complaints that these communities are not typically accessible: 

The contradiction is that, by and large, the homes constructed in these "ideal" communities are neither livable nor visitable by people with mobility impairments-- and not a wise choice for temporarily able-bodied older people, either. New Urbanists have been the chief designers who, beginning in the 1980's, brought back the "classic" multi-stepped houses with front porches high above grade -- houses that are worse for disabled and older people than the typical house styles of 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's -- this at a time when the aging of the population is a widely reported trend, and younger disabled people are surviving longer than ever before.

On single-issue voting, the Ragged Edge report on the midterm election urges:   

"advocates should examine each campaign individually, on a non-partisan basis. There are Republicans and Independents who are supportive of our goals. We need to avoid simplistic and reflexive actions such as reaching out only to Democrats."

Lisa