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disability issues information for journalists -- A communications clearinghouse providing journalists credible information and quotable sources on national disability policy and independent living issues.

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  Friday, Mar 29, 2024

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Actors with disabilities face job discrimination Performers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in the entertainment industry "and often reluctant to ask producers for even the most minor accommodations," says a study from the Screen Actors Guild released on July 26, the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. More.

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Foreign cruise ships subject to U.S. disabilities act, Supreme Court says The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 6, 2005 that foreign cruise ships can be sued under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. More.

Oscar nominees stir protest from disability rights advocates The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 17, 2004 that states are not immune from requirements to make their courthouses accessible under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act More.

Independent living for a million adults jeopardized by a shortfall of a few hours of help More than 3 million people in the U.S. need help from another person to live independently and many of them face going hungry, falling or other problems that increase the risk of institutionalization and death, according to a new study by researchers at the Disability Statistics Center at the University of California at San Francisco. More.

Disability groups sue CA officials over vote access Disability rights groups have filed suit against the California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley and the counties of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Barbara for violating the rights of voters with disabilities. More.

Across the nation, Social Security Determination offices face problems The state-operated offices that determine whether applicants are eligible for disability benefits have significant problems, says a report issued last month by the General Accounting Office. More.

Universal Design guru Elaine Ostroff honored with Sir Misha Black Medal Elaine Ostroff, founder of Adaptive Environments, has been awarded the Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education. She serves as an advisor to the Center for An Accessible Society. More.

Nursing home data can help with providing community alternatives, says attorney There are at least 267,691 disabled people living in nursing homes who want to move out, says national disability rights attorney Steve Gold. Gold explains where to find -- and how to use -- the data. More.

David Pfeiffer, disability scholar and advocate remembered Friends and colleagues of Dr. David Pfeiffer gathered for a memorial honoring his life and work. Dr. Pfeiffer died at his home in Honolulu on Dec. 17. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for an Accessible Society. More.

Nation's first "visitability" law withstands court challenge Efforts by Tucson builders to void Pima County's Inclusive Home Design Ordinance failed when the AZ Court of Appeals ruled the county had a right to pass a law requiring wheelchair access in new homes. More.

Nursing home reimbusement steady despite other state cuts Despite cuts in in-home services such as those proposed in California, nursing home reimbursement rates have remained steady in most cases, according to a report by the General Accounting Office More.

Abuse of seniors under-reported, says study Because state laws vary, reporting of instances of "elder abuse" vary widely and are under-reported, says a new study from University of Iowa researchers. More.

Center to study disability community views on Human Genome Project The National Human Genome Research Institute has awarded University of Kansas researchers $915,000 to learn how people with disabilities view the ethical, legal and social implications of the Human Genome Project. More.

P&A deinstitutionalization suits 'appropriate,' says GAO State agencies which file lawsuits intended to get individuals out of institutions have been operating appropriately and within their legal mandate, says a GAO study. More.

Asian nations to develop universal design standards Japan, China and South Korea are planning to develop a set of universal design standards for all three nations, with the aim of eventually having the standards adopted worldwide. More.

State VR Agencies Expand Self-Employment Opportunities Over the last decade, state vocational rehabilitation agencies' policies and procedures for helping disabled individuals become self-employed have grown tremendously. More.

National disability groups file brief in support of web access Ten national disability rights groups have filed a friend-of-the-court brief to ensure that the World Wide Web is accessible to persons with disabilities. More.

Fact sheet from EEOC tells disabled job applicants their rights The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a new fact sheet to educate job applicants. More.

Government websites still have access problems, says report The fourth annual survey of federal and state websites by Brown University's Taubman Center for Public Policy finds that fewer than half the federal websites meet World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards on web access; less than a fourth meet federal requirements for access under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. More.

Report looks at effects of health promotion marketing in rural areas The University of Montana Rural Institute's Research Progress Report "Marketing Health Promotion for People with Disabilities" compares the relative effectiveness of active and passiveÊtechniques forÊmarketing an exercise program to people with disabilities.Ê More.

Students with disabilities' outcomes need study, says report "Students with disabilities, who now are estimated to represent nearly 10 percent of all college students, currently experience outcomes far inferior to those of their non-disabled peers," says the National Council on Disability. More.

Advocates on 144-mile 'free our people' march on Congress: Want to live 'at home, not in nursing homes' One hundred and sixty disability rights advocates from nearly 20 states made a 14-day, 144-mile march from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to Washington, DC to press Congress to pass the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act. More.

Webcast to explore disaster mitigation and people with disabilities A free webcast explores the issue of disaster mitigation and persons with disabilities, in an effort to involve people with disabilities in the dialogue. More.

Olmstead implementation spotty, says report The National Council on Disability's analysis of federal and state implementation of the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision says community-based services work, but more needs to be done. More.

Disabilities Act covers Web, says NCD Does the Americans with Disabilities Act apply to commercial and private websites? Yes, says the National Council on Disability in a paper released last week. More.

Medicaid waivers need oversight, says report The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services does not adequately monitor Medicaid state waiver programs which provide in-home services to 700,000 people nationwide, the GAO said in a report issued Monday. A leading disability activist calls the report "paternalism." More.

'Inclusive Home Design' bill enters Congress
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D.-Ill.) has introduced H.R. 2353 to require all single family homes receiving federal funds be built with a no-step entrance, "32" clearance doorways on the main level, and one wheelchair accessible bathroom. More.

Older Americans want independence, control, says report Older people -- the nation's fastest-growing demographic segment -- want to remain independent and in their own homes, and services are woefully out of step with this priority,says a new report. More.

Study validates superiority of 'consumer control' "Having intimate care, such as help with bathing and dressing, performed by a person of one's own choosing is much more satisfying that having it performed by a stranger," says a new study that validates what the independent living movement has been saying. More.

Disabled least likely to use Internet, says study
Almost three quarters of Americans who report having a disability also do not use the Internet, says a new study from The Pew Internet & American Life Project. More.

National Group on "Righting the ADA"
The National Council on Disability, in the wake Supreme Court rulings limiting the Americans with Disabilities Act, has issued a series of policy documents dealing with implications of the rulings, and on the law's future. More

Job discrimination not uncommon in years following ADA passage, say researchers
The ADA was no silver bullet against job discrimination, say researchers Jae Kennedy and Marjorie Olney. More

Reading newsprint hard for many
Of the one in 5working-age adults who reports having a disability, 16 percent have trouble seeing the words in newsprint, says the Centers for Disease Control. MORE.

Companies firing disabled workers in record numbers A survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found that 27 percent of companies dismiss workers as soon as they go on long-term disability. More.

Study: Disabled Lose Nearly All Employment Cases Over 9 out of 10 times, employers prevail in disability discrimination lawsuits against them, says the current issue of the American Bar Association's Mental & Physical Disability Law Reporter. More.

Employers know little about tax credits, says human resource society Human resource professionals in the nation's top companies know little about the tax incentives available to businesses for hiring persons with disabilities. They also fear lawsuits over lack of compliance. More.

Tax credits have had limited effect on employment of people with disabilities
Existing tax incentives designed to encourage businesses to employ and accommodate workers with disabilities have had limited effect, says a GAO study. More

Survey: employers reluctant to hire workers with disabilities
Only one in four companies in the U.S. employs workers who are known to have disabilities, says a new report. More.

Employees can make use of ADA Fact Sheet
People who have a disability and believe they have been treated unfairly by an employer because of their disability can make use of a fact sheet produced by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill More.

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