"According to the polls, Mr. Bush needs all the votes he can get," said Bob Kafka, national ADAPT Organizer from Bush's home state of Texas. "He has yet to meet with any national organization controlled by and representing people with disabilities despite the fact that there are 54 million of us in the United States. That's quite a voting block, and with this year's strong emphasis on getting our community registered, and to the polls on election day, there's no question that we have the power to decide this election."

ADAPT, along with allies from other organizations who were in Washington for the "March for Justice" rally and march to the Supreme Court, took on the Republicans and Bush for spouting disability policy and putting forth a disability agenda without having first consulted the disability community. "We want Bush and the Republican Party to know that we will not tolerate anyone's patronizing us by deciding in a vacuum what's in our 'best interest'". Said Marva Ways, ADAPT Organizer from Detroit, Michigan. "The bottom line is 'Nothing About Us Without Us'!"

Earlier in the Presidential race, the disability community faulted the Bush Campaign for having an inaccessible website. To date Bush hasn't even publicly endorsed the ADA, which his father fought for, signed into law, and continues to support, as indicated by his participation in a pro-ADA amicus brief in the Garrett case which is being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on October 11.

Meanwhile Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, in consultation with persons with disabilities has issued a widely touted disability position paper, and the Gore campaign has endorsed the ADA and continues to meet with disability organizations. "Bush better smarten up and ask us to the table to hear what's important to us, or our votes will most assuredly beat him in the 2000 election," promised Kafka.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) Please visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/

For direct inquiries regarding this press release please use the contact information at the beginning of this message or Email adaptpr@adapt.org