In smaller communities in Washington, the Seattle Times reports that it can take more than a year for people with disabilities to find a job. Read more
Journalists might find story ideas in three new sets of guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, which provide assistance in interpreting federal civil rights laws governing students with disabilities. Read more
A report on disability from UCLA outlines areas of improvement in disability inclusion and human rights violations across the world. The report found major gaps in global disability response. Read more
A new “smart toy” is helping children with autism learn and communicate. The device can be controlled by the child or a caregiver, and can act as an intermediary for children with barriers in communication. Read more
Denouncing the President-Elect, Meryl Streep revived controversy over Donald Trump’s mocking of a disabled New York Times reporter, an act which Trump denies. Read more
The attack and kidnapping of a man with mental disabilities in Chicago—the act streamed over Facebook Live—has spurred a host of new media reports on violence and disability over the past week.
Here’s some of the reporting:
CNN: Facebook video reminder of violence faced by disabled Americans “But while the nature of the remarks on the video have unsurprisingly sparked much discussion about race, Trump and the live streaming of crimes, something important risks being overlooked: the chilling, everyday, truth that to be disabled in America is to be at greater risk of violence.” Read more
AP: Hate-crime charges filed in attack on mentally disabled man
“Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said investigators initially concluded that the 18-year-old man was singled out because he has “special needs,” not because he was white. But authorities later said the charges resulted from both the suspects’ use of racial slurs and their references to the victim’s disability.” Read more
Perkins School for the Blind lists moments of representation in pop culture last year, dissecting different characters and prominent figures. Read more