Author Archives: Imp Orter
Welcome Lisa Goodman to DIG!
DIG is pleased to introduce Lisa Goodman, as our new Staff Attorney. Lisa graduated Cum Laude from the University of Miami School Of Law in May 2015, and was hired once she passed the Florida Bar Exam. During law school, Lisa was awarded the C.A.L.I. Excellence for the Future Award from her work in… Read More »
Subsidies for SGA
Are you a SSDI beneficiary working or wanting to work over the Substantial Gainful Activity ($1090 in 2015)? Are you receiving support from your employer? You can use Subsidies for SGA purposes A few things to consider first: During an SGA determination, SSA looks at gross wages when they were earned, not when they… Read More »
One Way of Hanging out with Friends
By: Danielle Fine I know from personal experience, that it’s not easy living with any kind of disability, whether easily seen or an invisible disability. Though I won’t go into much specifics or detail as to the type of disability I have, I can say that one of the things I suffer from is… Read More »
Litigation: When the denial of a reasonable accommodation leads to tragedy
By: Matthew Dietz Most times when a person requests a reasonable accommodation or a modification because of a disability, the accommodation or modification assists a person to live independently or lessens the effect of a disability. This includes a closer parking space, grab bars in the bathroom, or an assistance animal. However, there are… Read More »
Litigation: When the denial of a reasonable accommodation leads to tragedy
By: Matthew Dietz Most times when a person requests a reasonable accommodation or a modification because of a disability, the accommodation or modification assists a person to live independently or lessens the effect of a disability. This includes a closer parking space, grab bars in the bathroom, or an assistance animal. However, there are… Read More »
Can Judges from the Florida Supreme Court get a Reasonable Accommodation for a Disability?
For Supreme Court Justices, or any other lawyer, with cancer, continuing to work should be dependent on the person’s health, and not limited by logistical or technological details.
Karen Peterson and Dancers
Exercise is an important aspect of health that benefits one’s physical and mental fitness. The key to exercising effectively is simply being active. However, people with limited physical abilities may find it difficult to find a mode of exercise that is possible to practice actively. In order to create a mode of physical exercise… Read More »
Disability: The Market You’re Missing Part III
By: Rachel Goldstein For the last part of my series I am going to address how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to service animals and the responsibilities of businesses to allow service animals into their facilities. The ADA defines “service animal” as limited to a dog that is individually trained to do… Read More »
“High functing” people (or the insane) cannot drink hooch in Texas!
By: Matthew Dietz “We are more than happy to have you all with us to experance a bit of TEXAS. Unfortunately the Law in Texas does not allow us to serve alcohol drinks to high functing individuals.” Kelly @ Stampede Houston Becky Dowling runs a program in the Metro Atlanta area called “Just” People,… Read More »
Paralympic Sports in Rio
By: Danielle Fine With the 2016 Paralympic Games, happening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next year in September, it makes one wonder about what the athletes of the Paralympics will be doing in the meantime before the Games start. One obvious assumption that can be made is that each of the Paralympic athletes will… Read More »
My Experience as a Summer Intern
By: Royal Newman, III Working with Disability Independence Group Inc. (DIG) this summer exposed me to entirely new communities. Not only was I given the chance to see and participate in the internal workings of a law firm as they prepared for court, I was also able to interact with clients and partake in… Read More »
FEMA Releases PSA to Help People with Disabilities Prepare for Emergencies
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Ad Council have released a new public service advertisement announcement (PSA) to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. “We Prepare Every Day” is the first in a series of videos that show people with disabilities taking steps to prepare themselves and their… Read More »
Yoga
By: Rachel Goldstein Close your eyes (not while reading my article, of course!), imagine you are in a quiet room with soft music streaming, you are focused on your breathing (instead of your endless to-do list) and an instructor is calmly directing you on where to place your hands and feet. You are in… Read More »
aT4 Program: A Glance at the Past and Present
By: Claudia Luna This summer, I had an incredible opportunity to spend a month abroad in Berlin, Germany. As such a historically significant city, I made it a priority to tour as many museums and monuments as possible. While planning for the trip, I did a lot of research about the various memorials and… Read More »
Memorial Healthcare System Adaptive Sports Program
Sports and exercise are not activities that can only be enjoyed by athletes. They are also activities that help those with physical health impairments and conditions to become active and healthy. Memorial Healthcare System is striving to promote and spread this message by creating their own Adaptive Sports Program to provide recreational and athletic… Read More »
Work incentives Protecting Health Coverage for People with Disabilities
By: Claudia Luna Extended Medicare Coverage for Working People with Disabilities For beneficiaries receiving SSDI As long as your disabling condition still meets our rules, you can keep your Medicare coverage for at least 8 ½ years after you return to work. (The 8 ½ years includes your nine month trial work Period) Your… Read More »
Fired Because of Cancer
By: Matthew Dietz Gregorio Reyes was hired in October 2007, as the Regional Sales Manager for the Caribbean for IDEX in the Fluid and Metering Segment. IDEX is a three billion dollar corporation that specializes in fluid and metering technologies, health and science technologies, dispensing equipment, and fire, safety and other diversified products. Since… Read More »
Kids Crusaders Corner
Welcome to this month’s edition of Kids Crusaders. It is so hard to believe that August is coming to a close. I’d like to open this month’s article by saying that in the beginning of 2014 when I was asked to write for the monthly newsletter for DIG, I was honored. This would be… Read More »
A Note from Matt
Back to School – This graphic is the symbol of accessibility at Florida State University. It reflects the importance of a free and equal education for all persons with disabilities, which is essential to ensure that there are persons with disabilities who are leaders in society, including, lawyers, doctors, teachers, politicians, and every single… Read More »
My experience interning at DIG
By: Marlon Velez My experience interning at DIG is probably one of the more interesting experiences anyone from my law school class had this summer. From cases involving a sheep as an emotional support animal to cases involving young runaways trapped in the system, the ordinary daily routine at the DIG office is anything… Read More »
