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Disability News Archive
May 30, 2011
Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Broward files its first emotional disability pet lawsuit
The senior citizen in Deerfield Beach’s Century Village is so incensed over her condo’s refusal to honor her doctor’s “prescription’’ that she live with her dog, Sweetie, for emotional support, and the retaliation she says she suffered over her request, she’s made a federal case out of it, literally. Broward County government has taken her cause to the courthouse, and the public is paying for it.
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Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Broward files its first emotional disability pet lawsuit
The senior citizen in Deerfield Beach’s Century Village is so incensed over her condo’s refusal to honor her doctor’s “prescription’’ that she live with her dog, Sweetie, for emotional support, and the retaliation she says she suffered over her request, she’s made a federal case out of it, literally. Broward County government has taken her cause to the courthouse, and the public is paying for it.
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Filed Under: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hidden disability, housing, public policy
May 30, 2011
The Oklahoman
Sen. Tom Coburn worries disability program being used for unemployment benefits
Sen. Tom Coburn wants a meeting with the top Social Security Administration investigator to discuss the increase in people receiving disability payments, saying he's concerned that some may be using the program as “an extension of unemployment benefits.”
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The Oklahoman
Sen. Tom Coburn worries disability program being used for unemployment benefits
Sen. Tom Coburn wants a meeting with the top Social Security Administration investigator to discuss the increase in people receiving disability payments, saying he's concerned that some may be using the program as “an extension of unemployment benefits.”
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Filed Under: public policy, Social Security
May 29, 2011
The Boston Globe
Mislabeling kids as ADHD? Investigate federal rules
GOOD INTENTIONS have gone awry in the federal program that gives cash benefits to families of disabled children, and a comprehensive assessment of the program’s weaknesses is the first step toward fixing it. Given the strong possibility that children are being misclassified as disabled to make their families eligible for checks of up to $700 a month, Congress should happily pay the $10 million or so needed to fund a study of the program by the well-regarded Institute of Medicine. And then it should quickly implement any changes based on the institute’s findings before more children are misclassified.
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The Boston Globe
Mislabeling kids as ADHD? Investigate federal rules
GOOD INTENTIONS have gone awry in the federal program that gives cash benefits to families of disabled children, and a comprehensive assessment of the program’s weaknesses is the first step toward fixing it. Given the strong possibility that children are being misclassified as disabled to make their families eligible for checks of up to $700 a month, Congress should happily pay the $10 million or so needed to fund a study of the program by the well-regarded Institute of Medicine. And then it should quickly implement any changes based on the institute’s findings before more children are misclassified.
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Filed Under: learning disability, public policy, Social Security
May 29, 2011
KULR-TV (Billings, Mont.)
West grad does not let disability slow him down
West High School graduate Christian Johnson was born with Cerebral Palsy. It's a condition caused by brain injuries usually within the womb. While the severity varies, Johnson has had limited use of his legs for most of his life.
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KULR-TV (Billings, Mont.)
West grad does not let disability slow him down
West High School graduate Christian Johnson was born with Cerebral Palsy. It's a condition caused by brain injuries usually within the womb. While the severity varies, Johnson has had limited use of his legs for most of his life.
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Filed Under: education, K-12, physical disability, profile
May 27, 2011
The Arizona Republic
Firefighters rally behind colleague with prosthesis
The 4-foot fall from a rock-climbing wall in 2005 shattered Mase Mattingly's right ankle, which bent at a 90-degree angle.
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The Arizona Republic
Firefighters rally behind colleague with prosthesis
The 4-foot fall from a rock-climbing wall in 2005 shattered Mase Mattingly's right ankle, which bent at a 90-degree angle.
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Filed Under: employment, physical disability
May 27, 2011
MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, Mass.)
Activists seek more from Americans with Disabilities Act
For Karen Foran Dempsey, efforts to provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities have not slowed since last year's 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, Mass.)
Activists seek more from Americans with Disabilities Act
For Karen Foran Dempsey, efforts to provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities have not slowed since last year's 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Filed Under: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), disability awareness, public policy
May 25, 2011
Orlando Sentinel
EEOC: Hearing-impaired teacher's rights violated
A federal investigator has concluded that Lake County schools violated the rights of a hearing-impaired teacher who lost his job after the district refused to provide him the equipment he needed to compensate for his disability
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Orlando Sentinel
EEOC: Hearing-impaired teacher's rights violated
A federal investigator has concluded that Lake County schools violated the rights of a hearing-impaired teacher who lost his job after the district refused to provide him the equipment he needed to compensate for his disability
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Filed Under: employment, hearing impaired
May 24, 2011
Psych Central
Disaster Plans Should Include Those with Mental Illness
When disaster strikes — whether a deadly supercell tornado, a flood, or man-made catastrophe — it is not just those with physical injuries and trauma-related disorders who suffer.
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Psych Central
Disaster Plans Should Include Those with Mental Illness
When disaster strikes — whether a deadly supercell tornado, a flood, or man-made catastrophe — it is not just those with physical injuries and trauma-related disorders who suffer.
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Filed Under: disaster planning, psychiatric disability, public policy, public safety
May 24, 2011
The New York Times
Wheelchair Access in Taxis Is Focus of U.S. Investigation
The United States attorney’s office in Manhattan has opened an investigation into whether the lack of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs in New York City amounts to a violation of parts of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
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The New York Times
Wheelchair Access in Taxis Is Focus of U.S. Investigation
The United States attorney’s office in Manhattan has opened an investigation into whether the lack of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs in New York City amounts to a violation of parts of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
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Filed Under: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), public policy, transportation
May 23, 2011
Reynolds Center
Are there judges in your area who rarely deny disability claims?
Economic policy reporter Damian Paletta had a front-page story in The Wall Street Journal last week that quickly stirred outrage and prompted investigations. He reported on a Huntington, W.Va., judge who has approved Social Security disability benefits in 100 percent of the 729 cases appealed to him in the first six months of fiscal 2011. In the previous fiscal year, he decided 1,284 cases and awarded benefits in all but four.
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Reynolds Center
Are there judges in your area who rarely deny disability claims?
Economic policy reporter Damian Paletta had a front-page story in The Wall Street Journal last week that quickly stirred outrage and prompted investigations. He reported on a Huntington, W.Va., judge who has approved Social Security disability benefits in 100 percent of the 729 cases appealed to him in the first six months of fiscal 2011. In the previous fiscal year, he decided 1,284 cases and awarded benefits in all but four.
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Filed Under: public policy, Social Security
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