JFActivist

Revamped ADA Restoration on Fast Track

From National Public Radio (June 18):

Morning Edition
Revamped Disabilities Rights Bill on Fast Track

by Joseph Shapiro

Washington is expected to see a highly unusual outbreak of cooperation Wednesday, as two longtime opponents agree on a law that would extend civil rights protection to millions of Americans.

Two groups that have been at odds — people with disabilities and American businesses — have put aside their differences to design a bill that now seems on an improbable fast track through Congress.

Advocates for people with disabilities say that recent court rulings have made the employment protections of the disability civil rights law almost meaningless, especially to people with diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, and mental illness. Last year, a court even ruled that a man with mental retardation was not considered disabled under the law...

...Read more.

Legislation for Tax-Free Savings Accounts for People with Disabilities

EDITORIAL from The Washington Post (June 13):

Equity for the Disabled
Tax-free savings accounts shouldn't be reserved for children with college in their future.

PARENTS WHO want help saving for their children's college education enjoy generous tax breaks. Parents of disabled children, including children who have little or no hope of going to college, receive no such benefit to help defray the enormous extra costs their children may incur.

Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in Congress to create tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities. In the Senate, one version is sponsored by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and another by Sens. Robert P. Casey (D-Pa.) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). A version similar to the Casey-Hatch bill was introduced in the House last month by Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.).

Although they differ in some details, these measures would allow parents, other family members or those with disabilities themselves to put money into special accounts; the savings would grow tax free and would not be taxed when withdrawn to pay for qualified expenses...

...Read more.

Business and Disability Communities Work Together on Legislation as New Regs Come Out

From The Wall Street Journal (June 17):

Businesses Face Push to Expand Disabled Access
Advocates Worry Bid to Clarify Rules May Spur Backlash

By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON and KRIS MAHER


The U.S. is moving on two fronts this week to expand businesses' obligations to accommodate disabled people, in a legislative and regulatory push that risks a backlash from millions of businesses worried about costs.

On Wednesday, two House committees will finish crafting a bill that broadens the population entitled to employment rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, reversing Supreme Court decisions narrowing it. The bill could come to a vote before the July 4 recess, if lawmakers reach agreement. Also this week, the Bush administration will begin seeking public comment on 1,000 pages of proposed rules -- covering issues from hotel-room doors to theater seating -- clarifying existing regulations on physical access for disabled people....

...Read more.

Columnist: Court decision for blind re: currency goes too far

Columnist Roy Exum for the Chattanoogan (TN) wrote today that the court ruling referenced above, which could force the Treasury Department to make major changes to currency in the United States, is "ludicrous."

Exum writes:

...The ruling, in my mind, is ludicrous. Understand, I am a huge advocate of those who are disabled, handicapped, challenged or any other word you care to use. But while I am sorry for anyone who must shoulder an additional burden, I am also so tired of the stupid stuff we do at the frivolous expense of the vast majority.

I believe I could make a case that electric extension cords, sleeping cats and toilet seats that are left counter to the next person’s needs are also, in the legal sense, detrimental to the blind, but, my goodness, enough is enough...

...Read his entire column.

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REACT!

• Tell Roy Exum what you think of his column.
• Tell the Chattanoogan what you think by writing a letter to the editor.

President Bush Signs Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Law!

From the Genetics &  Public Policy Center (May 21):

President Bush signs long-awaited Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

Washington, DC - May 21, 2008 - President Bush today signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), providing vital protection for Americans against the misuse of genetic test results by heath insurers and employers.

“Americans have been waiting a long time for this bill, but the wait has been worth it,” said Center Director Kathy Hudson. “Our challenge now is to make sure that doctors and patients are aware of these new protections so that fear of discrimination never again stands in the way of a decision to take a potentially life-saving genetic test.” The Center has compiled a table showing what GINA does and does not do.

Until now, individuals’ genetic information has been protected only by a largely untested patchwork of state and federal regulations. According to a poll conducted last year by the Center, 92 percent of Americans are concerned that results of a genetic test could be used in ways that are harmful to them. GINA’s passage should allay public fears of genetic discrimination, allowing individuals to take advantage of the genetic tests that are now clinically available for approximately 1500 diseases.

GINA prevents health insurers from denying coverage, adjusting premiums on the basis of genetic information, or...

...Read the rest and learn more about the new law!

COLUMN: President Should Sign Bill Outlawing Genetic Discrimination

From The Sacramento Bee (May 7):

KATHI WOLFE: President should sign bill outlawing genetic discrimination

On May 1, Congress did something admirable. It passed the first civil rights law of the 21st century: the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

The bill, which President Bush is expected to sign soon, will prohibit employers and insurance companies from engaging in discrimination based on genetic testing.

As someone who is legally blind and encounters disability-related bias, I applaud this legislation.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are 54 million Americans with disabilities. Many of us are denied jobs or health insurance because of our disabilities.

Until fairly recently, most able-bodied people have not worried that they, too, might run up against such bias. But with the mapping of the human genome...

...Read more.

Congress Launches New Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2008

McMorris Rodgers Announces New Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus

(Washington, D.C.) Today, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and other members of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus held their first briefing. Today’s briefing marks the first official event of the bipartisan caucus since its launch last week.

McMorris Rodgers co-chairs the caucus. She and her husband Brian have a one-year-old son, Cole, who has Down syndrome.

“The news of Cole’s Down syndrome was at first difficult to get our arms around and we were eager to learn all we could,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I’m often asked how being a mother has changed my life and changed my priorities, and I can assure you that it’s all been for the better. I have a new passion and a new energy for everything that I do. We have every intention of doing everything possible to ensure Cole has every opportunity to reach his full potential. I believe the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus will be a vehicle to help bring this information to the forefront so all families of children and adults with Down syndrome can lead happy lives.”

There are more than 350,000 people with Down syndrome in the U.S., but past and current funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is disproportionately low when it comes to finding treatments and increasing understanding of secondary disorders that often afflict people with Down syndrome, like Alzheimer’s disease and atherosclerosis.

Today, the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus held its first briefing on what research is being done at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH updated us on its 10-year research plan which calls for increased research on the medical, cognitive, and behavioral conditions that occur in people with Down syndrome.

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From the website of McMorris Rodgers:

Mission of Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus

The mission of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus is to educate members of Congress and their staff about Down syndrome. The Caucus will support legislative activities that would improve Down syndrome research, education and treatment and promote public policies that would enhance the quality of life for those with Down syndrome.

The Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus will:

• Urge relevant authorizing committees to support Down syndrome programs and patient care through letters and testimony.
• Hold informational events for Members and staff here in DC to increase awareness of the disorder among Members.
• Ensure Down syndrome is adequately addressed in all relevant legislation and regulations.
• Continue to build House Congressional Down syndrome Caucus into a sustainable, dynamic political force and informational clearinghouse by increasing membership and activities.
• Work with National and Local Down syndrome groups to develop leading edge educational, medical and work related initiatives that support individuals with Down syndrome.
• Identify and strike down barriers in the law for person’s with mental disabilities.
• Expand opportunities for the Down syndrome population in education, the workplace and society at large.

Goals of Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus

• To raise expectations and improve outcomes in education.
• To eliminate barriers to economic opportunity in employment and in programs that promotes savings and investment.
• To promote and fund research that accelerates the development of effective treatments and therapies.
• Promote the translation of Down syndrome research into effective new treatments through interdisciplinary cooperation among the various NIH institutes, the FDA, the CDC and privately funded scientists and clinicians.
• To promote inclusiveness for people with Down syndrome.
• To help provide family support services and a community of care model.
• Advocate for the rights of those with Down syndrome and make sure those rights are being enforced.
  

House Roll Call on Medicaid Moratoria Bill

From the Associated Press (April 23):

House Roll Call: Medicaid Bill

By The Associated Press – 17 hours ago

The 349-62 roll call Wednesday by which the House passed the legislation to delay for a year the implementation of regulations affecting Medicaid programs.

A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill.

Voting yes were 221 Democrats and 128 Republicans.

Voting no were 0 Democrats and 62 Republicans.

X denotes those not voting.

There are 3 vacancies in the 435-member House...

...Read the rest of the article and view the roll call.

Hybrid Cars Cause Concern to Blind

From ScrippsNews (April 15):

Hybrids good for environment, but not for the blind
By NANETTE LIGHT

WASHINGTON -- The sound of the stopped car's combustible engine purrs at the four-lane intersection in Baltimore. This is Devon Jones's cue that all is clear to cross.

As Jones describes it, that's when her white, metal-tipped cane raps across the cement of the intersection as she walks to school at the Blind Industries and Services of Maryland.

With failed vision since birth, Jones, 25, a student, relies on her other senses to steer her through traffic.

But the new silent-running, hybrid car technology, while better for the environment, adds more difficulty to those who rely on sounds as cues for safely navigating the world...

...Read more.

Kennedy, Hatch Commend House Passage of TBI Legislation

From the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS:

April 8, 2008                                                 

Melissa Wagoner (Kennedy) (202) 224-2633
Mark Eddington (Hatch) 202-224-5252

KENNEDY, HATCH COMMEND HOUSE PASSAGE OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Orrin Hatch released the following statement today commending the House of Representatives for passing the Traumatic Brain Injury Act Reauthorization.  The bill is very similar to the measure passed by the Senate in December, and the Senate is expected to take up the House Bill very soon and send it to the President for his signature.

"Today, we're a giant step closer to giving our nation's military, veterans, children, and other citizens with traumatic brain injuries the best rehabilitation services we can provide.  Over 5 million Americans are now living with permanent disabilities because of these injuries, and 1.5 million more suffer and survive such injuries every year.  Modern medicine is now providing real hope for rehabilitation, and our goal in this legislation is to make it widely available to this vulnerable population. They deserve no less," said Senators Kennedy and Hatch.

The legislation will extend and improve funding for a range of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation programs, such as assistance in returning to work, finding a place to live, and obtaining needed support and appropriate rehabilitation services.  It also funds an important CDC program to prevent such injuries. 

The bill will be of major assistance to soldiers with such injuries from combat, and to children, who tend to have a higher incidence of the injuries.

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READ MORE:

• Read Chairman Kennedy's press release on the passage of the TBI bill.
• Read Ranking Member Enzi's press release on the passage of the TBI bill.