Disability Rights Advocates’ Post

Loved seeing #MSwarrior and #DisabilityAdvocate Selma Blair with President Joe Biden this week bringing awareness to legislation protecting the rights of disabled people. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prevents discrimination against disabled people on everything from employment to voting. Even with these policies in place, disabled Americans are still three times less likely to be employed and they often earn less for the same work someone else is doing if they are not disabled. It's critical that we raise awareness about these disparities and continue to fight for equality. #NationalDisabilityEmploymentAwarenessMonth #Disability #Inclusion #Diversity #Equity

Blitz Blog – The Olmstead Decision & Americans with Disabilities rights Welcome back to the Blitz Blog. Once again, a colleague, Debra Hanley, gave me permission to post info that she wrote. On 6/22/1999, the Supreme Court established the right for people with developmental disabilities (DD) to live and receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate through the passing of the Olmstead Decision. The Olmstead Decision Explained - Disability Rights Washington: Activists in the independent living movement organized to demand an end to segregation for Americans with DD, who were denied basic rights, like attending schools, holding jobs, or choosing homes. This led to the Olmstead decision. Like Brown v. Board of Education, the decision that ended racial segregation in public schools, Olmstead affirmed the idea that nobody can be separated from society and denied the right to make decisions for themselves. But it wasn't always this way. For decades, Americans with DD were housed in facilities like nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, or in DD institutions, where residents had to follow rules about when and what they could eat, when they could go outside, and who they were allowed to date or marry. Society had an institutional bias, leaving few alternatives for people with DD. Disability activists fought back; in the 1960s-'80s, activists staged protests and demonstrations, cases moved through the courts, and new legislation was passed, expanding access to housing, education, employment, and health care. In 1990, a sweeping civil rights bill, the ADA, passed. Despite this progress, there were still gaps. People with DD could still be institutionalized. In 1999, the Supreme Court heard Olmstead v. Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson. In the Olmstead decision, the court concluded that people with DD have a right to receive state-funded supports in the community, rather than in facilities. Having these choices is, in fact, less expensive. In 2009, the National Council on Disability found the annual cost of institutional care was more than community-based supports in every state, $188,000/person in a facility versus only about $42,000 for comparable services in the community. Later, cases based on Olmstead pushed states to create plans to reduce their institutionalized populations. Yet, progress has been slow. According to the 2010 US Census, >2 million people were housed in a facility. But community living isn't just a preference, it's a civil right. That's the legacy of the Olmstead decision. You have the right to choose your community and the right to access supports you may need in your home, rather than in a facility. Happy reading and learning! #olmsteadrights

I often ask myself why I #TeachDisabilityHistory because it's MEANINGFUL (at least to me and several other disabled activists who are still advocating for #DisabilityRights to this day. Join Disability Rights Icon Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins and myself for an in depth discussion of the #CapitolCrawl this Tuesday on the #Anniversary on Instagram at 1pmcst/2pmest/ 11ampst https://lnkd.in/g7RrCgXN [Video Description: A clip of the Capitol of 1990 from the Oscar-Nominated Documentary #CripCamp This video covers part of the Wheels of Justice rally and then the Capitol Crawl that took place on the west (Mall) side steps of the US Capitol March 12, 1990. This action, in which hundreds of people with disabilities took part, was done to push the Congress to move forward on the landmark civil rights bill, the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. The ADA had stalled in Congress and the disability community rose up to say enough is enough. It was part of a several day action by ADAPT to move Congress to act. It was also the culmination of a massive national grassroots effort by organizations and individuals from every state and territory in the nation to call for an end to discrimination based on disability. It symbolized the struggle people with disabilities faced in dealing with the society's discrimination, and the strength and perseverance of people with disabilities in facing these obstacles. It features Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins as an 8 year old disabled girl with an FDR bandana and several other disabled activists climbing the Capitol steps along with a video of Erin CEO and Founder of Claiming Disability with pink and blonde hair and Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins and her mother Cynthia now discussing the Capitol Crawl of 1990 there's red texts that says the The Capitol Crawl of 1990 with blue and white texts that reads Join Erin Noon Kay Claiming Disability and Disability Rights Icon Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins on March 12th] Anniversary #CapitolCrawl #DisabilityRights #TeachDisabilityHistory #CripCamp #CerebralPalsyAwarenessMonth #InternationalWomensDay

Great insights from Sheri Byrne-Haber (disabled) on the intersection of accessibility, disability, and politics in an article she authored honoring this 34th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Here is an excerpt from her linked article below. It's a quick read, and brilliant! 💡 "You can’t talk about accessibility without talking about disability because accessibility is inherently tied to the experiences and needs of people with disabilities. When we explore accessibility for people with disabilities, we are talking about physical access to buildings as well as digital access to information, technology, education, employment, and every facet of life. Accessibility is a fundamental issue of civil rights and social justice." #Accessibility #CivilRights #SocialJustice #HumanCenteredDesign

I often ask myself why I #TeachDisabilityHistory because it's MEANINGFUL (at least to me and several other disabled activists who are still advocating for #DisabilityRights to this day. Join Disability Rights Icon Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins and myself for an in depth discussion of the #CapitolCrawl this Tuesday on the #Anniversary on Instagram at 1pmcst/2pmest/ 11ampst https://lnkd.in/gTBPsbp7 [Video Description: A clip of the Capitol of 1990 from the Oscar-Nominated Documentary #CripCamp This video covers part of the Wheels of Justice rally and then the Capitol Crawl that took place on the west (Mall) side steps of the US Capitol March 12, 1990. This action, in which hundreds of people with disabilities took part, was done to push the Congress to move forward on the landmark civil rights bill, the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. The ADA had stalled in Congress and the disability community rose up to say enough is enough. It was part of a several day action by ADAPT to move Congress to act. It was also the culmination of a massive national grassroots effort by organizations and individuals from every state and territory in the nation to call for an end to discrimination based on disability. It symbolized the struggle people with disabilities faced in dealing with the society's discrimination, and the strength and perseverance of people with disabilities in facing these obstacles. It features Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins as an 8 year old disabled girl with an FDR bandana and several other disabled activists climbing the Capitol steps along with a video of Erin CEO and Founder of Claiming Disability with pink and blonde hair and Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins and her mother Cynthia now discussing the Capitol Crawl of 1990 there's red texts that says the The Capitol Crawl of 1990 with blue and white texts that reads Join Erin Noon Kay Claiming Disability and Disability Rights Icon Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins on March 12th] Anniversary #CapitolCrawl #DisabilityRights #TeachDisabilityHistory #CripCamp #CerebralPalsyAwarenessMonth #InternationalWomensDay

Disability Rights are Human Rights! Across society, it is people’s lack of awareness, lack of knowledge, their attitudes and behaviours towards the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, that creates the greatest barrier to access, to equal participation, and to living a dignified, fulfilled and meaningful life. Our objective is to educate and advocate for change. We Believe that Together, We Can Enable Inclusive, Equitable and Dignified Access for all. Your Voice Matters. Support DiSA. Support Inclusive Access. Visit disabilityinfosa.co.za to find out what you can do. #DisabilityRightsAwareness #DisabilityRightsAreHumanRights #disabilityinfosa #disa #disabilityrights #disabilityservices #disabilityresources #disabilitysupport #RightToAccess #righttoinclusion Martin Mabitsela Nomfundo Molemohi Thys Walters Wynand Haywood Annelise de Bruin Bouwer, Renette Cindy Wiggett-Barnard Image Description: At the top of the page, white text on primary blue: You have the Right! Below that, white text on a dark blue stripe: Vote Yes To Access Full width image of a young boy in a wheelchair, back to the camera, looking towards a playground, where kids are playing. On the image, black text on a gold stripe: If this was your child. Would you fight for their rights? Below that, white text on dark blue stripe, Disability Rights Are Human Rights! I am a Human First! At the bottom of the page, large white text on dark blue, Vote Disability Rights.  

Survey: Amplifying Young Voices in #Disability #Rights #Advocacy This survey is part of a research project for the Year of Youth 2023 to 2024 being carried out by the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network, Include Me TOO, the Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities and The Commonwealth The purpose of this survey is to learn and share more about young people with disabilities aged between 13 to 35 years and their experiences and access to #participation #representation and #leadership in Disability Rights Advocacy Spaces and Public Decision-Making Processes. Young People with disabilities Voice Matters! ♿️ Share personal experiences in participating in disability rights advocacy spaces and in decision-making processes. ♿️ Being heard and included on the issues important to young people with disabilities and any challenges in participating and advocating. Survey Link https://lnkd.in/eT8Jq9T7? 📆 Closing date to send your responses: 28th June 2024 at 11:59pm GMT. The findings aim to inform and improve the experiences, capacity and access of young people with disabilities participation, representation and leadership, in their roles as disability rights advocates and their inclusion in decisions that affect their lives. If you have any questions you can email CCYDN@includemetoo.org.uk #YearOfYouth #ParticpationMatters #DisabilityMatters #YouthLeadership #YouthAdvocacy #YouthDisabilityRights Jonathan Andrews MUniv Puneet Singh Singhal Neha Arora Suren Warshamana Gayani Dissanayake Jahirul Islam Innocent Habimfura Legassu Leulseged Rejaul Siddiquee Gopal Mitra Vibhu Sharma Anne Wafula Strike MBE, PLY Elham Youssefian Sania H. Shrutilata Singh Celia Chartres-Aris (née Hensman) Sabina Moce Isaac Harvey MBE Kamran Mallick Sylvain OBEDI K Maitri Shah Janith Ittapana Martina Orsander Sebastian M Flores A. Elizabeth Jessop CA Bernard Chiira Image description: Orange background with title of survey, aim of survey and link to complete online. On right side a illustrated image of disabled persons coming together in a community with a backdrop of buildings.

Fellow disabled attorneys, #BeCounted! Really delighted that the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights has set up this anonymous survey for attorneys to self-identify. To use the Commission’s own words,the visibility of disabled attorneys is absolutely critical: “It’s important for disabled lawyers to put themselves on the map,” says Katz, who notes that the commission is not asking for any personally identifying information. “It’s also really important for prospective lawyers, law students, recent graduates to see others like them in the profession because so few self-identify.” If they can see it, they can be it!! To that end, if you identify as a disabled attorney, please fill out this short (anonymous) form: https://lnkd.in/enUR8nVf https://lnkd.in/eD6MAf6Y #disability #disabilitypride #disabledattorneys

Access the vote In this week’s episode I sat down with Rebecca Cokley. Rebecca is the program officer for the Ford Foundation’s first-ever U.S. Disability Rights program, which is focused on strengthening the field, building a pipeline of diverse leadership, promoting disability pride, and mobilizing resources toward disability rights work. Prior to joining the foundation Rebecca was the co-founder of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress and is a three-time presidential appointee under President Obama. With 2024 being a pivotal election year we discuss: ▫️The disability rights and disability justice issues on the ballot ▫️Ways in which the disability community can get involved, highlighting the work that is being done by individuals and organizations ▫️The fact that visibility is often confused for impact when it doesn’t have to be… ▫️And much, much more. Links to listen below (transcription coming soon). Please rate, review and subscribe so you never miss an episode Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SKwoIt Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/484FIeR #alwayslookingup #accessibility #inclusion #disability #disabilityawareness #disabilityinclusion #disabilityjustice #dwarfism #dwarfismawareness #littlebutfierce #representationmatters #advocate #advocacy #activist #activism

Powerful idea! Advocate for pedestrian safety improvements by submitting a video of your walk audit.