Disability Advocates Press Case for ABLE with Congress
February 16, 2012 Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks joined with advocates from the nation’s other leading disability organizations today to make the case before Congress for ABLE—a bill that would allow families raising children with disabilities to save tax-free for their future needs. The briefing was organized by Reps. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) all cosponsors of HR.3423, the House version of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. A panel of disability experts, including Stuart Spielman, senior policy counsel with Autism Speaks, addressed the briefing.
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Disabled America
Slate | February 22, 2012 By Matthew Yglesias
The U.S. government has two main programs that give money to nonelderly, nonworking adults. One is unemployment insurance, which you only get if you’re actively seeking a job, and the other is disability insurance, which you only get if you’re physically or mentally unable to work. In theory those should be hermetically sealed populations.
Read the blog: Disabled America
Sheltered Workshops Offer Little Benefit, Studies Find
Disability Scoop | February 21, 2012 By Michelle Diament
Sheltered workshops are significantly more costly, yet no more effective than supported, competitive employment at ensuring job prospects for individuals with disabilities, new research suggests.
Read the article: Sheltered Workshops Offer Little Benefit, Studies Find
UT Named One of America’s Most Disability-Friendly Colleges By Rose Cahalan in 40 Acres, Special on February 22, 2012 at 3:53 pm
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Minorities Show More Severe Signs Of Autism By Michelle Diament
Disability Scoop – February 23, 2012
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Book by Fred Pelka offers history of disability rights movement
By STEVE PFARRER Staff Writer – The Amherst Bulletin Friday, February 24, 2012
Today, most people don’t think twice about the accommodations that give people with disabilities greater access to the public sphere. Wheelchair lifts on buses and vans. Ramps and railings outside buildings and curb cuts on streets. Sign language interpreters in courtrooms. Children with physical or developmental disabilities in regular classrooms.
But 50 and 60 years ago – or even more recently – that was hardly the case. There were separate schools for children with disabilities, with grim, Dickensian names like Boston’s Industrial School for Crippled Children. People with mental illness were locked up in facilities more like jails than medical institutions. Using a wheelchair restricted access to most public buildings and transportation.
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Motor Impairments Core Feature Of Autism By Shaun Heasley
Disability Scoop – February 21, 2012
Kids with autism often have difficulty with everyday activities like running and writing. Now, researchers say they’ve linked these motor skills troubles with the presence of autism itself. The finding reported in the journal Autism offers firm evidence that motor skills difficulty is related to autism, not something that simply runs in families, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis said.
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AAPD News February 21, 2012
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AAPD News – February 24, 2012
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Ed Labor Insider – 2.23.2012
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ePolicyWorks – This Week in the News
February 23, 2012
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ODEP News Brief – February 24, 2012
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Governor Rick Scott Proclaims The Month of March as Disabilities Awareness Month
The following is what is written on the document that was signed by Governor Rick Scott on February 20th 2012
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
WHEREAS, people born with developmental disabilities are a part of every community, socioeconomic class, religion and country; and
WHEREAS, developmental disabilities are natural parts of the human experience that should not diminish the rights of individuals to live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to communities, and experience the economic, political, social, cultural and educational mainstreams of society; and
WHEREAS, more than 40 million Americans have developmental disabilities, resulting in substantial limitations in self care, communications, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency; and
WHEREAS, the State of Florida supports more than 50,00 citizens with developmental disabilities through services provided by state agencies, including the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Division of Blind Services and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; and
WHEREAS, the State of Florida also works with dozens of partner organizations and thousands of private-sector and community providers to support those with developmental disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Florida provides citizens with developmental disabilities the opportunities and support to make informed choices, live in their communities, exercise their rights, pursue productive lives, contribute to their city, state and nation, and achieve full inclusion in society.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Rick Scott, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby extend greetings and the beast wishes to all observing March 2012 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
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Lead On Update 