* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. WELCOME TO FOCUS [00:00:01] ON ABILITIES, A PROGRAM ABOUT ISSUES AFFECTING [Focus on Abilities (#187): "Family Attorney Jack Emmott"] THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. MY NAME IS LEX FRIEDEN. I'LL BE YOUR HOST FOR TODAY'S PROGRAM. I'M PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, AND I DIRECT THE INDEPENDENT LIVING RESEARCH UTILIZATION PROGRAM AT TIER MEMORIAL HERMANN. WE HAVE A GREAT SHOW FOR YOU TODAY. IN FACT, I'M GONNA ASK YOU A QUESTION NOW. ONE WILL ANSWER BEFORE THE END OF TODAY'S PROGRAM. WHAT HOUSTON PHYSICIAN TREATED MORE PEOPLE WITH POLIO THAN PERHAPS ANY OTHER PHYSICIAN IN THE UNITED STATES? WE'LL GET TO THAT BEFORE THE END OF TODAY'S PROGRAM. RIGHT NOW WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK. COME BACK. I'LL INTRODUCE OUR GUEST. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS SPONSORED BY ILRU SOUTHWEST, A DA CENTER PROMOTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THIS IS FOCUS ON ABILITIES. I'M LEX FRIEDEN. OUR GUEST TODAY IS MR. JACK AMME. JACK, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY. HOW ARE YOU? I'M DOING GREAT, AND THANK YOU LES, FOR, FOR A ASKING ME TO COME AND TALK TODAY. SO JACK, I MEAN, I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR A LONG TIME. YOU'RE AN ATTORNEY. UH, YOU'RE KIND OF A PHILOSOPHER, UH, YOU'RE HISTORIAN AT THIS POINT IN OUR LIVES. I GUESS WE'RE BOTH HISTORIANS. UM, JACK, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER, UM, YOUR, YOUR MAJOR OCCUPATION TODAY? WELL, IT'S BEING A COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE ATTORNEY, BUT, UH, MY OCCUPATION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF OTHER PEOPLE TO HELP 'EM THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES. BUT MY CALLING ADDITIONALLY IS TO TRY TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE AND TOUCH THEM AND HELP THEM ALONG THE JOURNEY. THE BIGGER JOURNEY IN LIFE, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT LATER. YOU HAVE, UM, OBVIOUSLY USE A WHEELCHAIR. I KNOW YOU HAD POLIO. WHAT? I, I CAN'T RELATE TO THAT. MY NECK WAS BROKEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT. UH, YOU WERE WHAT AGE WHEN YOU GOT POLIO? I WAS SIX AND IT WAS, IT WAS 1954, BACK IN THE 19 HUNDREDS SLS. AND, UH, A THERE WAS A LOT OF, UH, FEAR, UH, THAT WAS SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS EXPERIENCED IN COVID. BUT BACK IN THE 1950S AND EARLIER, THERE WASN'T REALLY A KNOWN CAUSE FOR POLIO. AND SO A LOT OF PEOPLE DID THINGS TO TAKE PROTECTION TO KEEP THEIR KIDS FROM GETTING POLIO, SHUTTING DOWN THE POOLS, MAKING SURE YOU HAD A MANDATORY NAP IN THE AFTERNOON, CHECKING THE WATER, WHICH MY FAMILY DID RELIGIOUSLY. BUT THERE WAS A FLOOD AND, UH, AUGUST OF 54, AND I GOT SOME OF THE BIO WATER IN MY MOUTH, I SUPPOSE. AND I FOUND MYSELF TWO WEEKS AFTER MY SIXTH BIRTHDAY AT HITCHCOCK HOSPITAL HERE ON MONTROSE, UH, PARALYZED FROM THE NECK DOWN. SO I KNOW YOU HAD PARALYSIS FROM A SUDDEN EVENT. AND I HAD ONE THAT WAS SUDDEN, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A PERIOD OF ABOUT FIVE OR SIX DAYS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULDN'T SIT, I COULDN'T WALK, I COULDN'T GET ON MY KNEES. AND INSTEAD OF GOING TO FIRST GRADE, UH, IN THE SOUTH FAIR SCHOOL DISTRICT, I WENT TO CROT HOSPITAL AND I WAS IN, UH, IN ISOLATION AWAY FROM MY FAMILY. AND, UH, AND THEN I WAS THERE FOR ABOUT A YEAR. SO IT'S A YEAR? YES. IN ISOLATION? NO, IN ISOLATION, PROBABLY FOR TWO WEEKS. OKAY. BUT BACK THEN AT THE HOSPITAL, YOUR PARENTS COULD ONLY VISIT YOU FOR 20 MINUTES A DAY AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY OTHER VISITORS. SO THAT WAS KIND OF A LONELY EXPERIENCE. SO YOU SPENT A YEAR IN A HOSPITAL, SIX YEARS OLD? YEAH. JUST LOOKING AT THE CEILING. YEAH. WE DIDN'T HAVE A TV. WE DIDN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE. I COULDN'T GRAB A PHONE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY. AND FOR A LONG TIME, MY THUMBS WERE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO EVEN PUSH A BUTTON TO CALL A NURSE. NOW, AS I RECALL, BACK THEN, MOST PATIENTS WERE IN WARDS WITH, UH, MULTIPLE PATIENTS IN THE SAME ROOM. WAS THAT THE CASE THEN? YES. I HAD ABOUT 10 PATIENTS IN MY ROOM FROM ME. I THINK I WAS THE YOUNGEST UP TO MIDDLE AGED PEOPLE, BUT IT PRIMARILY STRUCK THE [00:05:01] YOUNGER PEOPLE. AND THE ONLY OTHER DOWNSIDE OF ME BEING IN THE HOSPITAL WAS HE USED TO DO SPINAL TAPS TO CHECK TO SEE WHETHER YOU HAD POLIO OR NOT. FORTUNATELY, MY DOCTOR STERLING DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS NECESSARY. HE JUST LOOKED AT ME AND KNEW I HAD POLIO. BUT THE ROOM WHERE THEY DID THE SPINAL TAPS WAS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO OUR WARD. SO I GOT TO LISTEN TO THAT. DURING THE DAYS WHEN THEY BRING OTHER PATIENTS IN, DID THEY ANESTHETIZE THOSE PATIENTS OR PUT 'EM NO, THEY DIDN'T PUT 'EM TO SLEEP BEFORE THEY DID A PINE SPINAL TAP. NO, THEY, THEY JUST DID IT. I CANNOT IMAGINE. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY PUT 'EM TO SLEEP NOW, BECAUSE THEY DO SPINAL TAPS NOW. RIGHT. FOR OTHER DISEASES. BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROCEDURE IS NOW, BUT I KNEW IT. I KNOW IT'S NOT FUN AND GAMES. IT IS PAINFUL. WOW. I'VE HAD A LOT OF PAIN IN MY LIFE JUST LIKE YOU. BUT THAT WAS ONE I I MISSED OUT ON THANKFULLY. THE, UH, TIME IN THOSE, IN, IN THE NIGHTS AS A CHILD WITH OLDER ADULTS IN THE ROOM. MM-HMM . ALL MALE? NO, THEY WERE MALE AND FEMALE IN THE SAME WARD. YES. DID YOU CHAT AMONG ONE ANOTHER? NEVER. DID THEY HAVE, UM, UH, RESPIRATORY, THE BIG TANKS? WELL, WHAT THEY DID IS I HAD WHAT WAS, UH, CALLED A MONAGHAN RESPIRATOR. AND SINCE I WAS AFFECTED IN THE RESPIRATORY AREA, IT LOOKS LIKE A TORTOISE SHELL. IT'S, IT'S ON YOUR FRONT WITH A STRAP HOLDING IT TO YOU IN THE BACK, AND IT'S HOOKED UP TO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE A BIG WASHING MACHINE OR A BIG, BIG VACUUM MACHINE. AND IT'LL ACTUALLY BREATHE FOR YOU THE, UH, THE NEGATIVE PRESSURE IN THE CHEST. MM-HMM . INSIDE THE SHELL WOULD MAKE YOUR CHEST CAVITY RAISE AND LOWER AND GIVE YOU THAT BREATH OF LIFE THAT YOU NEED TO KINDA KEEP YOU ON LIFE SUPPORT TO YOUR OWN ABILITIES TO COME BACK. HOPEFULLY SOME PEOPLE NEVER, NEVER CAME BACK AND THEY WERE IN THE IRON LUNG FOR BASICALLY THEIR WHOLE LIVES. AND OTHER PEOPLE WERE LIKE ME. IT MADE A LEVEL OF RECOVERY AND A LEVEL OF FUNCTION. SO THE ONE THING THAT I CAN SAY IS WITH ALL THE HELP IN THE POLIO RESOURCES I GOT AND THE LOVE, JUST LIKE YOU, WE ALL HAVE POTENTIAL NO MATTER WHAT OUR CONDITION IS. THEN YOU'RE A BIGGEST EXAMPLE TO ME, LEX, OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITH WHAT IS LEFT. AND MAYBE YOU'VE ACHIEVED MUCH MORE IN LIFE THAN YOU WOULD'VE ACHIEVED IF YOU HADN'T HAD A SPINAL INJURY. AND MAYBE IN SOME WAY, WHAT I LOST OF POLIO GAVE ME SO MUCH MORE, UH, THAN I WOULD'VE OTHERWISE HAD. I DO THINK I'M A DEEPER, MORE WELL DEVELOPED SOUL BECAUSE OF WHAT I WENT THROUGH. BUT WOULD I WANT TO GO THROUGH IT AGAIN? NO, BUT THAT'S THE LIFE I HAVE, AND THAT'S THE ONE I'M GONNA LIVE. SO JACK, YOU SAID ONE THING A MINUTE AGO THAT YOU, YOU FORTUNATELY HAD RECOVERED SOME, I MEAN, YOU CONSIDER THAT WHEN YOU WERE IN THE, UH, IN THE HOSPITAL THERE, YOU WERE TOTALLY DISABLED. I MEAN, YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO MOVE ANYTHING FOR A WHILE. I WAS NOT. BUT THEN THERE WAS THERAPIES THERE. ONE IS THEY WOULD TAKE MY CLOTHES OFF IN THE MORNING AND WRAP ME IN A HOT WHEEL AND BLANKET. THAT WAS CALLED THE SISTER KENNY METHOD. THEN AFTER THAT, I WOULD, UM, GO DOWN FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY AND THEY WOULD HOOK UP DIODES ON MY BODY OR ELECTRODES AT CERTAIN POINTS TO CAUSE MY MUSCLES TO JUMP TO INNERVATE, TO KEEP THE MUSCLES ALIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE NERVES TO GROW BACK OR TO ATTACH TO 'EM WAS LEFT. AND THEN I WAS ON A STANDING BED, UM, TO KEEP MY BONES STRONG. THEN WE HAD AQUATIC THERAPY, THEN WE HAD PLAY THERAPY WHERE WE WORKED WITH CERAMICS AND, AND LOOMS. SO IT WASN'T FUN AND GAME. BUT THEY DID HAVE, YOU WERE OCCUPIED A WAY TO KEEP ME BUSY. THAT'S, THAT'S INTERESTING. YES. WELL, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT. WHEN WE COME BACK FROM THIS BREAK. WE WILL, WE WILL, JACK, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. AND I'D LIKE FOR ALL OF YOU TO STAY TUNED. WE'LL BE BACK WITH JACK ETT IN MORE FOCUS ON ABILITIES IN JUST A MINUTE. THERE ARE ALMOST 6 MILLION MILITARY AND VETERAN CAREGIVERS ACROSS THE NATION. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF CAREGIVING IS TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. VISIT ARP.ORG/CAREGIVING FOR A FREE MILITARY VETERAN'S GUIDE TO NAVIGATE YOUR CAREGIVING JOURNEY. WHERE DID THE TIME GO? I DUNNO. HOW [00:10:04] YOU'VE DONE THE HARD PART. YOU QUIT SMOKING. NOW DO THE EASY PART AND GET SCANNED FOR LUNG CANCER. IF YOU SMOKED, YOU MAY STILL BE AT RISK, BUT EARLY DETECTION COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR AND LEARN MORE AT SAVED BY THE SCAN.ORG TO SOPHIA AND GABRIELLE, EVEN THOUGH THESE OLD KNEES CAN'T FOLLOW ON YOUR ADVENTURE TO THE FOREST TODAY. THESE FLOWERS REPRESENT MY LOVE, THESE STITCHES AND THREADS. JOIN US TOGETHER AND WHEREVER YOU SEE A FLOWER, A BIRD, A BEAUTIFUL TREE. KNOW THAT MY LOVE IS WITH YOU. MAKE THE FOREST PART OF YOUR STORY AT A PARK NEAR YOU. FIND1@DISCOVERTHEFOREST.ORG. IF YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO FEEL OKAY TO DRIVE, YOU'RE NOT OKAY TO DRIVE. DON'T DRIVE BUSED. THIS IS THE LEX FRIEDEN, UM, FOCUS ON ABILITIES ON HTV. OUR GUEST TODAY IS JACK AMME. AND, UH, JACK, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU GOT IN A WHEELCHAIR YES. HOW YOU BECAME DISABLED. BUT THAT WAS HOW MANY YEARS AGO? WELL, YOU CAN DO THE MATH, BASICALLY. I'M 74 NOW. ALL RIGHT. YOU WERE SIX YEARS OLD THEN. SO YOU'VE BEEN AROUND IN HOUSTON FOR A WHILE. YES. UM, BACK THEN, WHEN YOU GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, YOU'RE IN A WHEELCHAIR. YOUR FAMILY TOOK YOU PLACES. UH, WERE THERE PLACES YOU COULD NOT GO BECAUSE YOU WERE IN A WHEELCHAIR? YEAH, THERE WERE PLENTY OF THEM. YOU COULD NOW, WHEN YOU WERE LIGHT, YOU KNOW, MY DAD COULD DRAG ME UP STEPS OR WHATEVER. BUT BASICALLY YOU WERE REALLY LIMITED ABOUT WHERE YOU COULD GO. UH, MY PARENTS DID A REAL GOOD JOB OF TAKING ME PLACES THAT I COULD GET INTO, PUBLIC EVENTS I COULD GET INTO. AND THEN WE HAD JUST THE NORMAL EXPERIENCES YOU WOULD HAVE DOING THINGS AS A FAMILY, GOING TO CHURCH. MY MOM AND DAD WOULD, UH, FOR A WHILE I WAS ON HOME BOUND TEACHING WHERE A TEACHER WOULD COME IN AND TEACH ME FIVE DAYS A WEEK AT HOME. AND HER NAME WAS DOROTHY CARLTON OF THE DOROTHY CARLTON CENTER. AND HER CLASSROOM WENT FROM THE NINE BAR RANCH UP NEAR WHERE THE OUTLET MALLS ARE, TO BINGLE, TO CLAY ROAD, ALL THE WAY NORTH TO CHAMPIONS. AND SHE WOULD ACTUALLY DO THE HOME BOUND THING. BUT ON FRIDAYS, UH, I WOULD GO UP TO SCHOOL AND I WOULD ATTEND CLASSES THAT ONE DAY JUST TO GET ME INVOLVED. OH. AND THEN IF I WENT TO, AFTER FIVE YEARS, I WENT TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FULL TIME AND THEY, THEY WOULD BUILD RAMPS FOR ME TO GET INTO THE CLASSROOMS, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING SUCH AS, UH, MODIFIED RESTROOMS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT THEY DID BUILD RAMPS, UH, WAY BACK IN, UH, WHAT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN THE 1960S. YEAH. BUT IT WAS LIKE, UH, A PARENT MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPAL AND THERE WOULD BE A RAMP PUT IN BY THE BACK DOOR AT THE SCHOOL. IT WASN'T A WOODEN RAMP, IT WASN'T ANY TYPE OF MAINSTREAMING. NO, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING, AND I'LL TELL YOU, THERE WERE A LOT OF SCHOOLS THEN THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. YES. EVEN IF THE NEED WERE EXPRESSED TO THEM. SO KUDOS TO THAT PRINCIPAL AT THE SCHOOL THAT THAT DECIDED WAS OKAY TO PUT A WOODEN RAMP ON THE BACK DOOR. YOU KNOW, THAT SAME SENTIMENT. UH, IRONICALLY, A MONTH AGO I WENT TO THE UT LAW SCHOOL WITH A FRIEND OF MINE. WE'RE TRYING TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP FOR ONE OF MY, UM, FOR THE ASSISTANT DEAN OF STUDENTS AT UT LAW, DEAN GIBSON, WHO'S NO LONGER WITH US, BUT THERE WAS NO RAMP TO GET INTO THE LAW SCHOOL BUILDING IN 1972. AND, UH, DEAN GIBSON PUT A RAMP THERE FOR ME, MADE OF CONCRETE. IT'S VERY SMALL, BUT IT GOT ME IN THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL. AND HERE IT IS, UH, 50 YEARS LATER ALMOST. I WAS UP THERE A MONTH AGO, AND THE RAMP IS STILL SITTING THERE IN THE FRONT OF THE LAW SCHOOL. AND I JOKE WITH DEAN CHESKY, THIS OUGHT TO BE THE JACK HM AT MEMORIAL RAMP. IT SHOULD BE. AND YOU GOT A BIG KICK OUT OF THAT. YEAH. WELL, NEXT TIME YOU GO, MAYBE THERE'LL BE A, A SIGN ON THE RAMP. JACK. THE, UH, UH, THE COMMUNITY REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO [00:15:01] REACT TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, IN THE 1950S AND 1960S. EVEN THE 1970S, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, I MOVED TO HOUSTON IN 1972 AND, UH, UH, IT WAS A FOREIGN PLACE. I MEAN, AS YOU SAID, COULDN'T GET INTO RESTAURANTS. IF YOU WENT TO THE MOVIE, YOU'D SIT IN THE AISLE AND YOU'D HAVE TO SIT WHERE YOU WERE FACING DOWN. THE CHAIR WAS NOT ON THE LEVEL. AND IF, UH, THE FIRE MARSHAL CAME BY, THEY'D KICK YOU OUT OF THE MOVIE. 'CAUSE YOU'RE BLOCKING THE AISLE. UM, YES. THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WAS VERY ACCESSIBLE, HOWEVER, AND THAT WAS DUE TO ONE FACULTY MEMBER WHO, UH, DECIDED IT'D BE AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT TO PUT RAMPS ON THE BUILDING NEXT TO THE STEPS AND SEE WHETHER PEOPLE CHOSE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY HAD A NEED FOR THE RAMP PER SE, WHICH THEY WOULD CHOOSE TO WALK ON. AND THAT, THAT WAS SOME OF THE EARLY STUDIES ON ACCESSIBILITY PEOPLE, THE STUDENTS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T NEED THE RAMP PER SE, USED THE RAMP AS MUCH AS THEY DID THE STEPS. SO THAT WAS, WELL, YOU HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE I DID. PROBABLY WHEN YOU WANT TO GO OUT TO DINNER IN THE SIXTIES AND THE SEVENTIES, YOU WOULD GO TO A RESTAURANT, THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO GET IN. RIGHT. SOMEBODY HAVE TO CARRY YOU UP THE STEPS. I REMEMBER. OR GO THROUGH THE KITCHEN. THE KITCHEN TRIP WAS A GOOD ONE. YEAH. IN FACT, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF RESTAURANTS IN HOUSTON NOW, WHICH KIND OF PUSH YOU TOWARD THE KITCHEN IN ORDER TO GET UP ON THE SECOND FLOOR. I CAN, THERE'S, WE COULD TALK AFTERWARDS, JACK. YEAH. THE, UH, THE ACCESSIBILITY HAS IMPROVED IMMENSELY. NOW. THERE'S VERY FEW PLACES YOU CAN'T GET IN A WHEELCHAIR THAT DON'T ACCOMMODATE YOU. AND MOSTLY WHAT HAPPENS NOW IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ACCESSIBILITY. SO IN A RESTAURANT, THEY PILE THE BABY, UH, CHAIRS, UH, IN THE, IN THE AISLEWAY TO THE BATHROOM, OR THEY STACK THE, UH, BEER CASES IN THE HALLWAY TO THE BACK BATHROOM. AND YOU, THE SPACE BECOMES TOO NARROW TO DRIVE THE WHEELCHAIR THROUGH. THAT'S HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE MANY TIMES. YEAH. AND THEN YOU'LL MENTION IT, THEY'LL MOVE THEM FOR YOU, BUT IT'S KIND OF EMBARRASSING. YEAH. AND KIND OF AWKWARD FOR SURE. WELL, IF YOU GOTTA GO TO THE BATHROOM, THOUGH, I DON'T MIND BEING EMBARRASSED A LITTLE BIT TO GET THERE. AND THEY REALLY SHOULD UNDERSTAND WHY THOSE, UH, HALLWAYS ARE BUILT THE WAY THEY WERE AND AS WHITE AS THEY ARE. ONE RECENT EXAMPLE IN HOUSTON, A RESTAURANT DID A REMODELING JOB AND THEY HUNG THE DOOR ON THE MEN'S ROOM BACKWARDS. SO YOU, RATHER THAN PUSHING IN TO GO IN, YOU HAD TO PULL OUT TO GO IN AND, UH, MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO GET IN FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING TO HELP THEMSELVES. WELL, WHEN I WAS AT UT, UH, I WAS HEAD OF THE DISABLED STUDENTS ORGANIZATION AND IT WAS CALLED MIGHT, IT WAS MOBILITY IMPAIRED GRAPPLING HURDLES TOGETHER. YEAH. AND WE SURVEYED EVERY BUILDING ON THE UT CAMPUS. AND REMARKABLY, WE FOUND A VERY CURIOUS THING. THERE WAS ONE BUILDING THAT WAS, UM, HAD THE MODIFIED RESTROOMS, THE FOUNTAINS, THE DOORS, BUT THERE WERE A FLIGHTED STAIRS GOING UP TO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING. IT WAS COMPLETELY BARRIER FREE INSIDE IF YOU GET INTO IT. AND, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THEY DID NOT HAVE ANYONE THAT WAS DISABLED ON THE PLANNING COMMITTEE. YEAH. AND IT WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT AND OVERSIGHT THAT WAS CORRECTED VERY QUICKLY. YEAH. THEY JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME SIM SEAMLESS OVERSIGHT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE, THAT, THAT SPEAKS TO ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE WORK ON ALL THE TIME. AND THAT IS, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, AND, UH, SO MANY PEOPLE SEE ERRORS IN ACCESSIBILITY AND THEY DON'T MENTION TO ANYBODY, AND THEY DON'T GET IT FIXED THAT WAY. AND, AND I THINK IT'S NOT INCUMBENT ON ENTIRELY ON THOSE OF US WHO NEED IT. MM-HMM . I THINK OTHER PEOPLE WHO SEE, WELL, THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. OUGHT TO SAY THAT. WELL, THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT'S IF A BUILDING'S ACCESSIBLE YEAH. FOR THE DISABLED, THEY'RE ACCESSIBLE FOR THE NON-DISABLED. EXACTLY. AND I KNOW THAT I WENT TO, UH, A STARBUCKS IN SAN FRANCISCO THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, AND THEY HAD THE SENSOR YOU COULD WAVE AT TO OPEN THE DOOR, BUT THEY ALSO HAD ONE THAT YOU COULD WAVE YOUR FOOT IN FRONT OF. OH, COOL. SO IF YOU WERE, UH, MO IF YOU WEREN'T MOBILITY IMPAIRED YEAH. YOU COULDN'T MOVE YOUR ARMS, YOU WEREN'T STRONG ENOUGH, YOU CAN WAVE YOUR FOOT. OR I COULD GET IN FRONT OF THERE AND TURN MY CHAIR ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. GOOD ON THAT. AND ACTIVATE. AND THEN EVEN IN AN EMPLOYMENT NOW, L UH, YOU SEE SO MANY THINGS LIKE IN OUR LAW FIRM, GR REED. YEAH. WE HAVE SENSORS ON OUR DOORS TO GO IN AND OUT, BATHROOMS THAT ARE MODIFIED. [00:20:01] AND WHEN I WAS A BABY LAWYER, I'M SURE I WASN'T HIRED BY A FEW LAW FIRMS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW I WAS GONNA GET AROUND. YEAH. WHAT KIND OF BURDEN I WAS GONNA BE, YEAH. HOW WOULD I BE ABLE TO PERFORM. YEAH. I'M SURE. JACK, I WANT TO COME BACK AND TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT, WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE ARE GONNA TAKE ANOTHER BREAK. I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WATCHING. THIS IS FOCUS ON ABILITIES. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. METRO IS HERE FOR YOU EVERY DAY, PROVIDING SAFE, RELIABLE TRAVEL OPTIONS. WE TAKE YOU TO CELEBRATIONS AND HELP DURING EMERGENCIES. WE'RE ALWAYS LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE MANAGE TAXPAYER DOLLARS RESPONSIBLY. AND THANKS TO OVERWHELMING VOTER APPROVAL, WE'RE BUILDING TRANSIT FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW SO THAT YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE. HI, YOU'RE WATCHING. FOCUS ON ABILITIES. JACK EMMETT'S OUR GUEST TODAY. AND, UH, JACK HAS SPENT A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT DISABILITY OVER THE LAST YAY MANY DECADES, THAT HE HAS BEEN A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY. UM, FOR MANY OF US, WE HAVE TO LIVE OUR LIVES, UH, WITH OUR DISABILITIES AND LEARN TO COPE. AND, UH, JACK, YOU'VE HAD A LOT OF, UM, REFLECTIONS ON WHAT, UH, HARDSHIPS YOU'VE FACED, CHALLENGES YOU'VE FACED MUST HAVE BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING AT TIMES. WELL, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, YOU FIRST, WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS LIKE THAT, YOU'RE COMPLETELY BEWILDERED AND CONFUSED, AND YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GO, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU. BUT AFTER A WHILE, YOU RECOGNIZE THAT THINGS AREN'T GONNA CHANGE. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN CHANGE IS YOU AND HOW YOU DEAL AND ACCEPT WHAT YOU HAVE. AND SO INSTEAD OF BEING A VICTIM, YOU'RE NOT A VICTIM. NEVER HAVE BEEN. I'VE NEVER HAVE BEEN. BUT INSTEAD OF FEELING LIKE SOMETHING'S BEEN DONE WRONG TO YOU, IT'S BETTER TO SAY, WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM THIS? UH, I'VE GOT SOME GIFTS. I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO RUN TO JUMP PLAY GOLF, DO THOSE THINGS I'D LOVE TO DO. BUT WHAT I DO IS I HAVE SOME OTHER GIFTS THAT GOD GAVE ME. AND THEN MY CHALLENGE IS TO DEVELOP THOSE TO THE EXTENT I CAN. AND THE THINGS THAT REALLY CAUSE THE THINGS TO BE DEVELOPED IS CLEARLY HARD WORK, BUT IT'S ALSO HOPE. IT'S THE BELIEF THAT WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND THAT WE CAN INSPIRE OTHERS IN OUR ACHIEVEMENTS, AND WE CAN SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL TO OTHERS OF WHAT YOU CAN DO TO OVERCOME YOUR LOSSES. I USED TO RUN WHEN I WAS GOD IN MY WAY, AND IT TOOK FROM HOME, AND I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT, UH, IN MY WORK, IN ALL AREAS OF MY LIFE. IT'S LIKE, WHAT ARE THE LESSONS THAT I'VE LEARNED THAT I HAVEN'T LOST, I'VE LEARNED? AND HOW CAN I RISE UP FROM THIS AND DO SOMETHING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE? SO JACK, I MEAN, THOSE ARE, THAT HAS KIND OF A SPIRITUAL FIELD TO IT AND IT VERY MOVING AND, AND I THINK IT CHALLENGED OTHER PEOPLE TO FOLLOW YOUR, UH, YOUR LEAD ON THAT. UM, BUT I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SORT OF FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING'S LINED UP AGAINST THEM, AND DESPITE THEIR BEST EFFORTS MM-HMM . UH, THEY WIND UP HITTING A WALL. UM, YES. [00:25:01] I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE, WE AREN'T ALONE IN THIS, THAT WE HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS. UM, AND SOMETIMES WE NEED TO DEPEND AND RELY ON THOSE FAMILY AND FRIENDS. UH, WE NEED TO RELY ON THEM. AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS KIND OF LUCKY 'CAUSE GOD, IF GOD PICKED OUT A MOTHER FOR A CHILD WITH A DISABILITY, WITH POLIO, I GOT THE BEST. AND SO I THINK THAT WHAT REALLY YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET CURED FROM A SPINAL INJURY, I WOULD LIKE TO GET CURED FROM POLIO, BUT REALLY WHAT GOT ME IS I GOT HEALED INSTEAD. AND SO I'M AS WHOLE AS I CAN BE INSIDE. EVEN THOUGH OUTSIDE I'M CLEARLY NOT. WELL, I, YOU'VE RAISED AN INTERESTING ISSUE. SOMEBODY DID ASK ME, YOU KNOW, IF YOU COULD GET, UH, UH, HEALED, WOULD YOU DO IT? AT THIS POINT? I'M NOT SURE I WOULD, BECAUSE I'VE SPENT THE LAST, UH, 50 YEARS LEARNING HOW TO LIVE IN A WHEELCHAIR WITH THE CONDITION THAT I HAVE. AND I'M GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE I'M NOT SURE I WANNA START OVER AGAIN LEARNING THE DIFFERENT, UH, DIFFERENT TRICKS. SO I, IT'S NOT AS, UH, SIMPLE AND, AND AS, UH, GOOD AS IT MIGHT SEEM WHEN IT COMES TO THAT SORT OF DISCUSSION. I MEAN, WE DO, I THINK PEOPLE DO ADAPT TO THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES IF THEY DO, AS YOU SAY. AND THAT IS, TREAT THEIR EXPERIENCES AS A LESSON, LEARN FROM THEM, TRY TO ADAPT AND TRY TO, TO BE BETTER GROW AND, UH, AND, UH, AND COPE, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF DOING THAT AND USE THE, UH, UH, THE SERVICES, THE COUNSELING, THE, THE GOODWILL, UH, AND THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT THAT'S AVAILABLE. AND WE NEED AS MUCH OF THAT AND MORE THAN WE REALLY HAVE. YEAH. YOU KNOW, I DID FOR A WHILE VOLUNTEERING AT TEAR, AND I GOT A LOT OF KICK OUT OF WEARING A VOLUNTEER UNIFORM. AND I WOULD ACTUALLY MEET WITH PATIENTS THAT HAVE GOTTEN SPINAL CORD INJURIES. I REMEMBER ONE PERSON THAT BROKE HIS NECK ON HIS LAST GAME IN HIS SENIOR YEAR, AND HE WAS GONNA GO TO COLLEGE. AND FOR WEEKS AFTER WEEKS, I'D GO OUT AND VISIT WITH HIM, BUT HE NEVER ASKED ME WHAT MY PROFESSION WAS. AND HE WAS SO ELOQUENT. I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT GUY? YOU NEED TO BE AN ATTORNEY. AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, NOBODY WOULD HIRE ME, UH, BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M DISABLED. I CAN'T STAND UP IN FRONT OF THE JUDGE IN COURT AND SO FORTH. SO I JUST KIND OF PLAYED ALONG WITH IT. AT THE END OF OUR CONVERSATION, HE SAID, WELL, WHAT IS YOUR OCCUPATION, ? AND I TOLD HIM HE SHOULD SEEM TO LOOK ON HIS FACE. HE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT TWICE, DIDN'T HE? SO I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE UNIQUE THINGS THAT TIER YEAH. THAT WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE. IT SHOWS WHAT YOU CAN, BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE. JACK, UH, YOU RAISED THE, UH, YOU, YOU BROUGHT ME TO THE ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT I ASKED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM. AND THAT IS WHAT, UH, PHYSICIAN IN HOUSTON PROBABLY TREATED MORE PATIENTS WITH POLIO THAN ANY OTHER PHYSICIAN IN THE UNITED STATES. AND WE WERE SO LUCKY TO HAVE THIS, UH, SPANISH BORN, UH, EDUCATED PHYSICIAN. UM, YOU NAME HIM. YEAH. HIS NAME IS CARLOS VALONA. CARLOS VALONA WAS HERE IN HOUSTON AND THE 1950S AND TREATED PATIENTS. MM-HMM. SOUTHWEST POLIOMYELITIS CENTER BEFORE TEAR MEMORIAL HERMANN BEGAN TO TREAT, UH, THE POLIO PATIENTS. AND, UH, AND THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE, HE'S PASSED NOW. BUT THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE, UH, THERE WASN'T A BETTER ADVOCATE OR FRIEND NO. UH, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. AND CARLOS BUONA, HE SAVED MY LIFE AT LEAST TWICE. WELL, THERE'S A, THERE'S A THUMBS UP TO HIM. WHAT? YEAH. JACK, THANK YOU, UH, FOR BEING ON OUR SHOW TODAY. AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THIS HAS BEEN DELIGHTFUL. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, L APPRECIATE IT. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WATCHING FOCUS ON ABILITIES. THIS IS A PROGRAM PRODUCED BY HTV AND WE ARE MORE THAN PRIVILEGED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YOU VIA THIS MEANS. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR WATCHING. JOIN US NEXT TIME FOR MORE FOCUS ON ABILITIES. IT'S VAN. YOU SEE THE, SOME PEOPLE, I'M NOT THOSE PEOPLE, THEY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.