Tag Archives: disabilities
Medical Marijuana and Epilepsy…. The Wait Continues for Medically Needy Children and Other Qualified Patients
By: Seth A. Hyman I’ve learned from being the parent of nine year old medically complex Rebecca “Becca”, that for one reason or another, it always seems that children and individuals with disabilities are too often the ones who are neglected and end up with the short end of the stick. My story sheds… Read More »
Litigation Update: Anthony gets to keep Stevie in School!
By: Matthew Dietz On February 10, 2014, United States District Court Judge Beth Bloom ruled that Broward County School District violated Anthony Merchante’s rights, as a child with a disability, by denying his right to have a seizure alert animal accompany him at his elementary school. Anthony’s mother, Monica, requested that the school allow… Read More »
Cruising with your Service dog
Dogs have long been the companion of our U.S. Navy Sailors on vessels for their ability to build morale. In the early days, dogs often served a more practical function by leading patrols onto foreign shores to search for food and warn of any dangers lurking out of eyesight. Now, most cruise ships allow service animals on board their ships…. Read More »
Traveling with a Disability
By: Anastasia Gaertner Traveling with a disability or with a person who is disabled can be a hassle and can create stress for what should be a fun experience. There are many different ways to minimize the hassle that can arise from planning a trip and accounting for a disability. The Transportation Security Administration… Read More »
Dog Friendly Hotels
Like all other public accommodations, hotels are required to allow persons with service animals in any room in the hotel, and provide equal accommodations to its guests with service animals. However, many hotels have realized that all dogs, not only service dogs, are part of the family, and vacations would not be the same… Read More »
Disney World*****My Holiday vacation
By: Sharon Langer Now that I am an active member of the DIG legal team, I view the world through a different lens. I find that I cannot visit a restaurant, a hotel or even Disney World without looking around to see if those places are universally accessible to all. My trip over the… Read More »
Kids Crusaders Corner
By Julie Fioravanti This is Part 1 of Julie’s story. Stay tuned for more in the next newsetter. Happy New Year everyone! We are off to a chilly start here in upstate New York with temperatures hovering at -8 degrees (not counting the wind chills). So to warm things up a little, I thought I… Read More »
A Mother of an Adult with Down Syndrome’s Worst Nightmare
A Mother of an Adult with Down Syndrome’s Worst Nightmare Mr. Dietz, I have just found a note hanging on my door that Reflections will not be renewing my lease. my worse fear, Karl has been hiding in his room since this has all began. the officer had told the Manager that this was… Read More »
ABLE Act of 2013: Update
By: Aaron Carter Bates On Friday, September 19th, Federal lawmakers announced that a deal was reached to permit The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013 (S. 313/H.R.647) to move forward in Congress. The ABLE Act was introduced in 2013 and, with a model based on IRC 529 college savings plans, aims… Read More »
WWII Veteran Receives His Purple Heart After 70 Years
By: Chris Arroyo Robert C Bohm was born October 8, 1920 in Lorraine, Ohio. He lived in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa growing up and graduated from Muscatine High School in Iowa. On October 29, 1940, he signed up for the US Army. His first tour was in North Africa and his job was a… Read More »
Deaf Mom-to-be gives Birth in the Wrong Hospital?
“Hello this is Byron, Cheylla needs your help…” As a lawyer practicing civil law, you rarely receive a cry for help at 8:45 in the evening from a client. I knew that it was happening again – another client who is Deaf that could not get an interpreter for medical care. I represent Cheylla… Read More »
Litigation: Accommodations for High Stakes Testing
By: Matthew Dietz Academic success is often measured by a score on a test. A test score can make the difference in being accepted into a desired school or in obtaining a professional license. However, a learning disability of a mental illness or disorder, or other disability, can derail a person’s career or learning… Read More »
Update on the Settlement between the Department of Justice and the Law School Admission Council
By: Rachel Goldstein In Volume 5 of DIG’s newsletter, Litigation Director Matthew Dietz, discussed the Department of Justice’s May 2014 announcement of a settlement with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the administrators of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act for denying disability accommodations for test… Read More »
Domestic Violence and the Deaf
By: Sharon Langer The deaf and hard of hearing world is unique because of the difficulty in communicating with others. The world of the victim of domestic violence is also one of isolation and lack of access to the outside world. A batterer typically isolates their victim to instill dependency. When you combine… Read More »
My Summer at DIG
By: MacKenzie Ruroede As a legal intern for Disability Independence Group (DIG), I was introduced to many legal issues that are incurred by individuals with hearing impairments, significant illnesses, and service and emotional support animals. I also worked on cases of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. Many of the issues faced… Read More »
Litigation: Treatment Alternatives
By: Matthew Dietz Treatment Alternatives – The importance of having sober houses in residential areas – “I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God eluded me. I sought my brother and I found all three …”Martin Luther King Jr. Alcoholism and drug addiction are… Read More »
A Spotlight on the Exceptional Theater Company
By: Rachel Goldstein Lights! Camera! Action! The spotlight is on the Exceptional Theater Company , (ETC) a unique 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, designed to teach theatre to individuals of all ages with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. The Exceptional Theater Company continues to grow throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, with over 20 drama classes… Read More »
In Memory of Dr. Robin Parker
By: Lester Langer Dr. Robin Parker recently passed away at age 50 from pancreatic cancer. She was a leader in unlocking the mysteries of autism. I did not know Dr. Parker, but I wish that I had met her. Her work in designing apps that allow children and young adults to merge into mainstream… Read More »
Shark Tank Update
By: Debbie Dietz We are finalizing the details of our first video. Stay tuned for more details next month. You can order your own wallet card for free on our website at: /wallet-cards/. Just fill out the online form and we will have them mailed to you within a week. If you want to… Read More »
A Service Animal…What Does Florida Say?
By: Sharon Langer Florida actually has a little known statute that defines a service animal differently than the Federal ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) does. While the ADA limits service animals to dogs and, in a special separate provision, miniature horses, the Florida law seems to be broader using the words “SERVICE ANIMALS”…not… Read More »
