Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Pope’s Embrace Of Boy With Special Needs Goes Viral

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

 

Court says employer not burdened by contraception mandate

Excerpt from: McKnight's (click for full article)

 

A federal trial court has declined to grant an injunction in a case over the Affordable Care Act's “contraceptive mandate,” finding against companies that said the requirement goes against their religious beliefs.

 

Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. and Mardel Inc., both of which are owned by the Green family, told the court that the requirement to cover contraception, sterilization and emergency contraceptives within their employee health insurance plan violated their rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit did not concur, agreeing with the lower court that the “contraception mandate” doesn't pose a substantial burden to the rights of the corporations. It declined to give a preliminary injunction.

Employers' Duties When Injury Affects Ability to Perform Discussed

Excerpt from: Bloomberg BNA (click for full article)

 

The Americans with Disabilities Act is an “inadvertent leave law” so employers considering workers' leave requests must be aware that a qualified employee with a disability may be entitled to leave as a reasonable accommodation after exhausting Family and Medical Leave Act leave, EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum told an American Bar Association meeting Nov. 2.

Speaking at the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law's annual conference, Feldblum said “reasonable accommodation” originally developed under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act when a job requirement conflicted with an employee's religious beliefs. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled an employer must reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs absent “undue hardship” to the employer, but the court set the undue hardship bar relatively low in the religious discrimination context, Feldblum said.

She sent me on a journey – Dr. Michael Beates on his disabled daughter’s impact on his life

Excerpt from: The Works of God (click for full post)

 

This week Key Ministry is conducting their second annual web disability summit: Inclusion Fusion.

Their theme this year is close to my heart: why church ministries should include people with disabilities.

All of their videos, live-chats and tweet chats are free; simply register and you will have access to videos from more than 30 different speakers.

I was particularly excited to see that Michael Beates, author of Disability and the Gospel, would be participating.  I have read everything I could find that Dr. Beates has published, but had never heard him speak.

There are other friends who are participating, and some folks who are new to me.

I was happy to provide a short presentation on why churches should want families like mine, particularly directed at leaders.

Please pray that God would use this web summit to make much of his name, give courage to churches thinking about this issue, and encourage families like ours!