JFActivist

Lawsuits Test Association Provision of ADA

From the Wall Street Journal (June 3):

Lawsuits Test Disabilities Act
By Jane Zhang

Two lawsuits now pending could open the door to many more claims under a little-known provision of the Americans With Disabilities Act that protects the jobs of relatives and other caregivers of disabled people.

In the most prominent case, says she was fired in 2005 by Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Ill., as a result of her disabled husband's extensive medical bills. In the other case, a couple from Wyoming employed by the same company, PacifiCorp, alleges that the utility company fired them to avoid the costs of treating their son's brain tumor. Both lawsuits argue that the plaintiffs faced "association discrimination" based on a worker's association with a disabled person...


...Read more.

Employability of Vets with Disabilities an Obstacle

From the Star-Telegram (May 4):

Disabled vets face several challenges
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Star-Telegram staff writer

Tamara Rodriguez-Uhrich has never had a more fulfilling job than working with the young men who return from war severely disabled.

Neither has she had a more frustrating one.

"Ninety-nine percent of them want to do something," said Rodriguez-Uhrich, who works for the Army Wounded Warrior program in North Texas. "They want to find purpose in their lives. They're so young, so young. Our job is get them back to being contributing members of society."

The single biggest obstacle is not their disability. It is their employability...

...Read more.

Paterson Adjusts to New Role as NY Governor

From The New York Times (April 21):

A Blind Governor Adjusts, and So Does Albany
By JEREMY W. PETERS

ALBANY — It is a phone number that just a handful of the governor’s senior aides know.

At the end of each day they call in and record briefings, laying out what he needs to know about the following day.

They recite his schedule, read talking points and explain the intricacies of issues likely to come up. They read memos from staff members and relate biographical details about the people he is likely to meet.

Lots of governors rely on thick briefing books and helpful e-mail notes from their staffs. New York’s governor, David A. Paterson, who is legally blind, has his ears and what his aides call his Batphone...

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Senator Urges Agencies, Congress to Hire More People with Disabilities

From GovernmentExecutive.com (April 14):

Senator urges agencies, Congress to hire more disabled employees

By Alyssa Rosenberg

The federal government must hire more people with disabilities to meet its obligation as a model employer, said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., in a Monday lecture at New York Law School.

"We should show employers by example why it makes good sense to hire and promote people with disabilities," he told students and professors during the fourth annual Tony Coelho Lecture in Disability Employment Law and Policy in New York.

Durbin cited a January 2008 report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on the federal employment of people with disabilities....   

...Read more.

Virginia Governor Announces Federal Approval for Personal Assistance to Employees with Disabilities

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Office of the Governor
Timothy M. Kaine                                        

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2008

Contact:
Gordon Hickey                  Jack Quigley, DMAS
(804) 225-4260                 (804) 786-1300                        
(804) 291-8977 cell
Internet:               
www.governor.virginia.gov         www.dmas.virginia.gov

GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES FEDERAL APPROVAL TO PROVIDE PERSONAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES TO WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Virginia has received approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand services available to workers with disabilities who are enrolled in Virginia’s MEDICAID WORKS program.

“With the approval of this alternative benefits package, we can further extend opportunities for Virginians with disabilities to work and achieve greater self-reliance,” Governor Kaine said. “As we continue efforts in workforce development for the Commonwealth, it is important to include this often untapped pool of potential workers so that they, too, have access to meaningful career opportunities.”

In late 2007, the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services sought authorization to establish an “alternative benefits package” for program enrollees that will include personal assistance services, in addition to the standard health care services available through Medicaid.  Personal assistance services, sometimes called attendant care, provide individuals with disabilities non-medical support in the home or the workplace so that they may continue to live at home, maintain employment and participate in community activities.

“The addition of personal assistance services to the MEDICAID WORKS program will have a tremendous impact on enhancing the lives of people with significant disabilities,” said Jim Rothrock, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. “It not only gives people with disabilities greater choice in how to care for their needs both in the home and at work, but more importantly, prevents the entry into nursing facilities or other institutional settings unless absolutely necessary.”

MEDICAID WORKS is Virginia’s Medicaid Buy-In program, a work incentive opportunity developed with funding from a federal Medicaid Infrastructure Grant.  Established in January 2007, this voluntary plan enables workers with disabilities to earn higher income and retain more in savings than is typically allowed by Medicaid while ensuring continued health care coverage.

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Danish IT Company Uses People with Autism to Test Software

Specialisterne finds a place in workforce for people with autism (ComputerWeekly.com, Feb 8) -
A Danish IT consultancy is using the special skills of people with autism to improve the quality of its software testing.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects half a million people in the UK, and sufferers are usually unable to find regular employment. Carol Evans, director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said, "Only 6% of people with autism are in full-time employment, yet they tend to be highly qualified."

In Denmark, a commercial IT services business called Specialisterne has been set up to offer people with autism the chance to enter the workforce... (Read more)

Hollywood's doors opening for actors with disabilities

Hollywood's doors opening for actors with disabilities (Los Angeles Times, April 7)
NICK DALEY, 28, has Prader-Willi Syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by short stature, low muscle tone and mild retardation. He's also been in 17 films and 11 television shows, including a guest-starring role in last season's TNT series "Saving Grace."

"If I were a star, I would be on all over the world," he says. "I would be mobbed by fans. People would see my name and get my autograph."

Blair Williamson, 28, is an actor with Down syndrome. He has been in clothing commercials for Macy's, was once murdered in a "CSI" episode and had a nose job on a "Nip/Tuck" episode...

...Read more.

Rabbi Landsberg in Chicago Tribune: Time is NOW for ADA Restoration

From The Chicago Tribune (March 31):

Now is the time to act to protect the disabled

By Lynne Landsberg

I've been told that in my former life, I was an effortless multitasker, a fast-talker and a quick thinker. I had speaking engagements across the country and composed my most powerful speeches in airplanes and taxis. In my former life, I was Rabbi Lynne Landsberg. And although I am still Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, the rest has changed.

In 1999, I sustained a traumatic brain injury when my SUV skidded on a patch of black ice and wrapped around a tree.

When I slowly awoke from a six-week coma, I was unable to remember how to live. Through years of intensive rehabilitation, I relearned how to walk, talk, concentrate and more. Now I walk with a cane, speak slowly and require assistance with minor tasks.

Before my brain injury, I belonged to one minority that was strong and articulate—the American Jewish community. Now, I belong to a second minority that is daily the victim of discrimination yet remains powerless and barely heard—people with disabilities...

...Read more.

 

Bush Announces Nominees to NCD

From the White House:

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 20, 2008

Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate individuals to serve in his Administration.

The President intends to nominate the following individuals to be Members of the National Council on Disability:  John R. Vaughn, of Florida, and upon appointment re-designate Chairperson, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/10; Victoria Ray Carlson, of Iowa, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/10; Chad Colley, of Florida, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/10; Kristen Cox, of Utah, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/09; Marvin G. Fifield, of Utah, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/08 and an additional three-year term expiring 09/17/11; John H. Hager, of Virginia, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/09; Lisa Mattheiss, of Tennessee, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/10; Katherine O. McCary, of Virginia, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/09; Ann Rader, of Virginia, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/10; Renee L. Tyree, of Arizona, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/09; Tony J. Williams, of Washington, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/17/09.

Performance of Workers with Disabilities Same as Co-Workers

From The Chicago Tribune (January 28):

Performance of workers with disabilities as good as co-workers

By Barbara Rose

A DePaul University study found workers with disabilities performed as well as other workers while requiring about the same amount of supervision and minimal accommodations.

The three-year study, scheduled for release Monday, was commissioned by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce's Disabilityworks initiative with state and city money...

...Read more.