Tag Archives: DIG
Ms. Wheelchair FL Update
On April 4th and 5th I had the pleasure of participating in the Ms. Wheelchair Florida competition. Ms. Wheelchair Florida, Inc. advocates for all people with disabilities and strives to bring awareness to all people with disabilities and the importance of inclusion in communities, employment, education, and housing. I decided to compete because I felt… Read More »
DIG Internship Progam
DIG has established a successful internship program for both undergraduate students and law students at our local universities. This past semester we hosted two interns. Tiffany Blackmon, from FIU College of Law, assisted with federal litigation, helped us establish our ADA Mediation Project. We file complaints on behalf of persons with disabilities who have… Read More »
The Miami Heat Game
DIG staff attorneys, Rachel Goldstein and Stephanie Woodward, along with local attorneys, Skyler Hill and Angelica Gentile, attended the Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers game and had the opportunity to meet Syracuse Alumni and player for the 76ers, Michael Carter Williams, after the game.
Ben & Jerry’s Visit
On April 16th, we had a surprise visit from the Ben and Jerry’s Truck.
The View from a DIG Intern
As a law student interning with DIG, I spoke with a client recently and I was frustrated to learn that there are attorneys who disregard their duty to communicate with clients who are deaf. When someone is already in a difficult situation, it’s hard to believe that a lawyer would make the situation even… Read More »
CONGRATULATIONS SHARON
On March 2, 2014, Sharon Langer was one of eight recipients to receive the 2014 Women of Impact Award. This award is presented by the Women’s History Coalition of Miami-Dade County. Sharon was given a beautiful sculpture in the image of Julia Tuttle, the founder of the City of Miami. For more information on this organization, please… Read More »
Americans with Disabilities Act Lawsuits – Frequently Asked Questions
By: Matt Dietz Every year, across the United States, thousands of lawsuits are filed that compel compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, most to ensure that persons with mobility disabilities could have equal use and enjoyment of businesses in our community. While these lawsuits are often the key to community access for persons… Read More »
A six year old’s fight to have his seizure dog at school.
Disability Independence Group filed a federal lawsuit against the Broward School Board, alleging the district discriminated against Anthony Merchante, a first grader, for imposing too many barriers to bringing his service dog to his elementary school. Anthony Marchante lives with cerebral palsy and is highly prone to seizures. His medium-sized terrier service dog,… Read More »
Guardianship – by Sharon Langer
Do I need to file for a Guardianship for my 18 year old child who suffers from a disability??? That is an important question and one that troubles many parents and caregivers. A GUARDIANSHIP is a legal proceeding where a guardian is appointed by a COURT to exercise some or all the legal rights… Read More »
Julie’s Kids Crusader’s Corner
Welcome back to the Kids Crusaders corner. This year has been off to a wild and crazy start. Depending on where you live, if you are anything like me, you are probably already contemplating 1001 ways to (humanely) terminate the groundhog for seeing his shadow. Another 6 weeks of winter. I am SO… Read More »
Philadthropy
This month, Disability Independence Group was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in the University of Miami’s PhilADthropy event. Run through the School of Communication, PhilADthropy is a 25 hour event where undergraduate students work together in groups under the direction of a team leader from the community in order to provide… Read More »
Introducing Animal Partners –
A core individual freedom is a one’s natural right to make decisions affecting his or her health or body. This freedom is an integral part of the dignity and control for persons with disabilities as well. One of the major goals of the Disability Rights movement is that each person with a disability has… Read More »
Kids Crusaders Corner by Julie
Happy New Year, and welcome to the Kids Crusaders corner of the Disability Independence Group, otherwise known as DIG. I am honored to be a part of such an amazing organization and will be writing for Kids Crusaders from the perspective on being the parent of a child with special needs. This will be… Read More »
Deaf Fair Housing Video Project
This year DIG worked with the National Fair Housing Alliance on a joint project, funded by HUD, to create videos in America Sign Language (ASL). We developed, wrote, filmed, and produced twelve videos on various fair housing and fair lending topics. The videos are in ASL and have captioning. Each video starts with a… Read More »
Balloons and Tunes Party!
On Friday, December 13, 2013, Disability Independence Group held its first annual ‘Balloons and Tunes’ Holiday Party at Broward Children’s Center. To make the holidays special for the children who live at Broward Children’s Center, DIG staff met with the children and gave each a shiny Mylar balloon, with balloons ranging from SpongeBob Squarepants… Read More »
Why
“Why?” is the most common question asked when I said that I was going to change my practice into a non-profit disability rights advocacy center. My reasons are each and every person with a disability that I have represented over the past eighteen years. With every single person, the issue was not about money,… Read More »