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56 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 23, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 8, 2003 Odessey, a seeing eye dog, waits patiently while Nathan and Rhea Jacobi address a meeting of DUDE. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Disabled band together By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Nathan and Rhea Jacobi want to give disabled people a voice that will be heard. The Jacobis learned more than they ever wanted to know about Oregon’s dwindling support for the disabled when Rhea lost her benefits back in September. Their experience prompted them to organize a support group for those who have lost their benefits and to increase public awareness of the plight of the disabled. "Our case is just the tip of the iceberg," Nathan Jacobi said during the first formal meeting of DUDE — Disabled United in Distressing Environments. The retired scientist recalled his wife’s story to about 10 people who gathered in a chilly downstairs dining room at La Casa del Pueblo. Although she is confined to a wheelchair and has the use of only her left arm, Rhea, 57, was declared ineligible for benefits when a case worker determined that she could feed herself. The Jacobis appealed the ruling, and Rhea’s benefits were restored (albeit at a lower level). The case worker who initially evaluated her apparently neglected to note her reduced mobility level in the first evaluation. Advertisement "We had the Jewish chutzpah to do this (appeal)," Nathan Jacobi said. "Most disabled people don’t have that. They end up falling between the cracks. It’s time to be much more aggressive. That’s why we started this support group to supply a voice for the disabled community." Thousands of Oregon residents with disabilities lost some or all of their benefits last February when the Oregon Legislature cut back funding to balance the budget. In Jackson and Josephine counties alone, general assistance was cut for 281 people, and 914 in the "medically needy" category lost support. Benefits have been restored to a few people because their health has since deteriorated to a level where they once again qualified for state assistance. How the vast majority have fared is largely unknown because state confidentiality requirements prevent their identities from being disclosed. Most of them are unwilling to tell their stories in public, said Don Bruland, who supervises senior and disabled services locally for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. "Most people do not want to let others know they have problems and need help," Bruland said. "I’m here now myself only because I feel threatened," said Michael Koester of Ashland, who uses a wheelchair. "At one time (during the legislative session), my benefits were threatened," Koester said. "At one time the way they were figuring things I would have been out." Koester said the Legislature cut disabled benefits because "people don’t understand (what it means to be disabled). We need to get them to understand who we are and what it’s like to be disabled." Koester noted that Oregon’s policy of providing in-home care for people with disabilities rather than warehousing them in nursing homes makes them harder to find. It also makes them invisible to the general public. "Sometimes I think we need a ‘Pentagon Papers’ kind of thing," he said, alluding to classified documents that were leaked during the war in Vietnam. "Somebody needs to release the names of the people who get in-home care. We need to see if there’s a way to make these people known." For more information about DUDE, call 488-5639.Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail bkettler@mailtribune. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times