Tag Archives: disabilities
“He will never go to a ‘normal’ school.”
By: Michael Kranzler When I was in early elementary school, an educational therapist offered that grim assessment to my parents. I had just been diagnosed with extremely severe ADHD, helping us bridge the gap between my high aptitude and low performance. Every week, I would swear to my mom that I had turned in… Read More »
Step Up For Students
Did you know Step Up For Students helps administer TWO scholarships for Florida children? The Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts (PLSA) helps families personalize educational plans for their children with certain special needs. Students age 3 through 12th grade may be eligible if they are diagnosed with one of the following: Autism Spectrum Disorder, including… Read More »
Are Doctors Required to Provide Interpreters for Deaf Patients?
By: Matthew Dietz I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug. Modern Hippocratic Oath At least once per week, I receive a call from a Deaf person complaining that their doctor will not provide… 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 »
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 »
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 »
“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 »
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 »
DIG Litigation Update – $625,000 settlement to ensure accessibility in Section 8 project based housing developments.
On April 17, 2015, Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, Inc. (HOPE) and six residents of two developments in Miami Gardens and Opa-Locka, Florida settled a lawsuit with Charter Management and Miami Property Group, and obtained significant changes in the policies and procedures of their housing development to ensure that all residents are able to… Read More »
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Projects
By: Lesly Quin WIPA projects are community-based organizations that receive grants from SSA to provide all Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries (including transition-to-work aged youth) with free access to work incentives planning and assistance. Each WIPA project has counselors called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC) who: Provide work incentives planning and assistance to… Read More »
Livescribe computerized pen helps students with disabilities
By: Sharon Langer The UC Berkeley Disabled Students Program did a pilot test of a computerized pen using its students with learning disabilities. The goal of the study was to see if use of the pen would eliminate the need for note takers in the classroom. Forty students with a variety of physical and… Read More »
Classroom Accommodations
By: Anastasia Gaertner Children who have a learning disability and may be struggling to reach their full potential in the classroom could require an accommodation or a modification to help them thrive. An accommodation is a change in the way that a student takes in information or communicates their knowledge back to the teacher,… Read More »
Kids Crusaders Corner – Nick’s Adventure in Disney World – Part 3
Welcome back to the March edition of Kids Crusaders Corner. This month I will wrap up the last of my 3 part story that began in January regarding a solo trip that I took my son Nick on for his 16th birthday. (If you haven’t read the first two parts, please do, as it… Read More »
