According to an article published in the New York Times on August 28, the lawsuit accuses Stanford of “discriminating against students with mental health issues by coercing them into taking leaves of absences.” The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal cases challenging mental health leave policies at schools like Princeton, George Washington University, Quinnipiac, and Hunter College. Read the New York Times story by Anemona Hartocollis here.
Acclaimed national journalist Alice Wong penned an enlightening commentary for The Center for Media Justice about the importance of Net Neutrality to disability rights communicators like herself. The controversy around Net Neutrality gained traction this week after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai proposed deregulating internet service providers (ISPs). Pai’s announcement says deregulating ISPs will “Restore Internet Freedom And Eliminate Heavy-Handed Internet Regulations” but advocates of Net Neutrality fear deregulation could empower ISPs to become gatekeepers of content by controlling the price of how information flows across the Internet.
The UK’s planned withdrawal from the European Union, commonly known as ‘Brexit,’ could result in a reduction of legal protections for people with disabilities and their relatives. Learn more in this explainer article in The Guardian.
The Supreme Court rules that the state of Texas cannot rely on a dated definition of intellectual disability in deciding who receives the death penalty. In the opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, “Adjudications of intellectual disability should be ‘informed by the views of medical experts.” Read more
A new Supreme Court decision could make a major impact on services for students with disabilities. Read more
Supreme Court nominee Neil Gursuch drew criticism from a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for his perceived views on education and students with disabilities. Read more
In the case of a now-13-year-old Michigan dog battling in court over her right to bring a service dog to school, the Supreme Court has ruled that her family should be allowed to forego a bureaucratic process in lower courts.Read more
The Denver Post reports that getting rid of Colorado’s waitlist for services for adults with disabilities would cost $190 million a year until 2021. Read more
David Perry examines the defense an attorney used in the case of a disabled black man attacked in his high school locker room. Read more
Disability Scoop reports that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is accusing retail giant Walmart of Americans with Disabilities Act violations after a woman with Down Syndrome was fired from a store in Wisconsin. Read more
