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

Virgin Atlantic announces accessible inflight entertainment for customers with sight loss

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Disability Activists Protesting HR 620 Arrested for Disrupting Congress

http://notdeadyet.org/2018/02/disability-activists-protesting-hr-620-arrested-for-disrupting-congress.html

NAELA Urges House to Vote No on Bill to Undermine Civil Rights of People with Disabilities

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/02/prweb15189439.htm

National Health Law Program: Health Care's Seven "Dirty" Words

Health Care's Seven "Dirty" Words

On December 16, 2017, participants in a meeting at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that an administration official had told them not to use any of these seven words: transgender, vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, fetus, evidence-based and science-based. Later, a spokesperson for the administration said that CDC was only told not to use those words in its budget documents, which, obviously determine the work the CDC has funding to do.  Earlier this week, the National Health Law Program's Executive Director Elizabeth G. Taylor delivered the 2018 Frank Porter Graham Lecture at the University of North Carolina, which focused on these seven words and how meaningful public health policy cannot be made without them. Watch the lecture or read the entire transcript at www.healthlaw.org/blog.

 http://www.healthlaw.org/blog/703-healthcares-seven-dirty-words

Resources Added to Our Website this Week, 2/16/2018

We would like to highlight two recourses that have been added to our website this week. The first is the "Report to the President and Congress: The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration", is a 2017 report focusing on Medicaid spending trends that came out of the Department of Health and Human Services. The second is an online database tool that gives disabled individuals a voice in accessibility and ableism information at concert venues across the US. You can find the links to these great resources below:

Half Access Database

Report to the President and Congress: The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration

United Cerebral Palsy QuickRamps for Kids

UCP-Detroit QuickRamp for Kids Documentary

United Cerebral Palsy has worked tirelessly to increase standard of living for those with Cerebral Palsy. We would like to share this first video done to demonstrate the immense possibilities for those living with CP, it is titled UCP Obstacles.

As a member of the UCP-Detroit board, Patti Kefalas Dudek, would also like to share the latest video series done by our Detroit chapter that highlights the importance of QuickRamps for ease in getting and moving through daily activities in the lives of children living with CP. QuickRamps are lightweight portable wheelchair ramps that can make a drastic difference in the ease of the lives of families with children living with Cerebral Palsy. This video is called, United Cerebral Palsy QuickRamps for Kids Documentary and can be found here.  

We have added a new Special Education Resource: Surviving Special Education

Surviving Special Education is a blog and podcast series created by a special needs father turned special education attorney. His goal is to help as many children and families survive and thrive in special education as possible through his first had and professional experience with the system. 

 

Link to homepage where you can read and find the podcasts: http://survivingspecialeducation.com/ 

URGENT ACTION! Don't Let Congress Chip Away at the ADA!

 

 

 

URGETNT ACTION! Don't Let Congress Chip Away at the ADA! UPDATE: February 12, 2018   HR 620 is expected to come to a vote on the House floor this Thursday (2/15)! We need all hands on deck to educate Members of Congress on why this bill will harm people with disabilities. Please join us in participating in the following days of action:   Monday, February 12 Email Representatives urging them to VOTE NO on HR 620 Save the ADA Call-In Day – Call your Representative Tuesday, February 13 Social media opposition to HR 620 – #StopHR620 #HandsOffMyADA Continue calling and emailing Members, urging them to vote no Wednesday, February 14 Call your Representatives Tweet your Representatives Attend rallies and protests (if you are in the DC area) Thursday, February 15 (HR 620 scheduled for a vote) Call your Representatives Tweet your Representatives   Messages and counter messages: H.R. 620 removes the civil rights of all citizens with disabilities; it causes people with disabilities to wait for their right to access and service that all citizens have access to immediately. H.R. 620 asks people with disabilities to wait months, and in some cases, years, to be able to enter a restaurant, hotel, store, theater, or to shop on-line. This would never be asked of any other group. If businesses are concerned about bad actor lawyers, then stop the bad behavior of the lawyers; don't eliminate the rights of over 50 million Americans because there are a handful of dispicable attorneys. If the civil rights of 50 million Americans can be eliminated, then the civil rights of other groups can as well. Vote no on H.R. 620.   CCD HR 620 Toolkit In addition to the resources listed in the full alert below, you can utilize this HR 620 Toolkit developed by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD). In this Toolkit, you will find: Sample email/letter template Sample call script Sample social media posts Thank you for your efforts to protect the ADA and to block passage of this bill. The ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 620) was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last year, clearing the way for a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, which is expected sometime next week (February 12-16, 2018). This bill would seriously weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by delaying requirements that businesses be accessible to people with disabilities. The proposed legislation requires a person with a disability to provide inaccessible businesses with a written notice of the barrier, after which the business has 60 days to even acknowledge there is a problem, and then another 120 days to begin to fix it. No other civil rights group is forced to wait 180 days to enforce their civil rights! This bill has bipartisan support with 108 co-sponsors (97 Republicans and 12 Democrats). The House Rules Committee is likely to set the process for consideration of the bill on Tuesday, February 13th. This means a vote on the full House floor is possible by Wednesday (2/14) or Thursday (2/15). The time to act is now!   We urge you to contact your Representatives and tell them to vote no on H.R. 620!   Don't let this bill weaken the ADA and the rights of people with disabilities! Take Action All Members of the House of Representatives need to hear from the disability community. Make them aware of this ill-advised and damaging bill.   Target Representatives The Members below could be particularly influential on whether this bill passes or not: California delegation Illinois delegation Florida delegation Colorado delegation Texas delegation New Mexico delegation Arizona delegation Nevada delegation Oregon delegation   Collin Peterson (D-MN) Kurt Schrader (D-OR) Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) Jacky Rosen (D-NV) Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) Jared Polis (D-CO) Dwight Evans (D-PA) Mike Doyle (D-PA) Democratic cosponsors: Kathleen Rice (D-NY) Terri Sewell (D-AL) Bill Foster (D-IL) Jim Costa (D-CA) Jackie Speier (D-CA) Ami Bera (D-CA) Luis Correa (D-CA) Pete Aguilar (D-CA) Scott Peters (D-CA) Henry Cuellar (D-TX) Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)   Message / Talking Points Vote “NO” on H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017. The ADA Education and Reform Act would seriously weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act and would turn people with disabilities into second-class citizens. H.R. 620 would require a person with a disability who encounters an access barrier to send an exactly written notice and gives the business owner 60 days to even acknowledge that there is a problem – and then another 120 days to begin to fix it. No other civil rights group is forced to wait 180 days to enforce their civil rights. The ADA is already very carefully crafted to take the needs of business owners into account. Compliance is simply not burdensome – existing businesses are only required to provide access when doing so is readily achievable. But this bill would remove any reason for businesses to comply. Instead, they can take a “wait and see” attitude, and do nothing until they happen to be sued or sent a notice letter. This shifts the burden of enforcing the ADA onto individuals with disabilities. Title III regulations of the ADA went into effect in 1992, providing accessibility standards for private businesses (also known as public accommodations). Businesses have had over 25 years to comply with these regulations. H.R. 620 calls for education by the Department of Justice (DOJ). But there are already extensive federal efforts to educate business owners about their ADA obligations, including the in-depth DOJ ADA website (ADA.gov), which received 30 million visits in 2016 and 2017, the DOJ ADA hotline, which received over 97,000 calls, extensive DOJ technical assistance materials, etc., and by the 10 federally-funded regional ADA Centers (ADATA.org) that provide in-depth resources and training in every state. Proponents of this bill have raised concerns about monetary damage awards. But that has nothing to do with the ADA, since the ADA does not allow money damages. Such damages are only available under a handful of state laws. This bill will do nothing to prevent damage awards under state laws. It is troubling that this bill blames people with disabilities for public accommodations’ failure to comply with the ADA. Why should disabled people pay the price of an inaccessible environment, where we cannot live our lives like everyone else?   Meet with your Representatives You can arrange a meeting in Washington, DC or in your home state, depending on when Congress is in session. Contacting Congress allows you to request a meeting with your Member of Congress. You can also check the Town Hall Project for congressional events in your area. Civic Engagement Toolbox for Self-Advocates – Autistic Self Advocacy Network How to Set up a Meeting with your Member of Congress – Families USA   Call your Representatives Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative.   Email your Representatives Contacting Congress provides unique links to email your Representative directly.   Tweet your Representatives Twitter has become a powerful tool to communicate with elected officials directly. Find your Representative on Twitter and tell them to oppose this bill. Use the hashtags #StopHR620 and #HandsOffMyADA. Some sample tweets are included below: Tell Congress to stop chipping away at the #ADA - Vote "NO" on #HR620. #StopHR620 #HandsOffMyADA https://goo.gl/3SdLHc #HR620 would force people w/ disabilities to wait 180 days to enforce their civil rights - Vote "NO" on H.R. 620. #StopHR620 #HandsOffMyADA https://goo.gl/3SdLHc Businesses have had nearly 3 decades to comply with the #ADA - no more excuses! Vote "NO" on #HR620. #StopHR620 #HandsOffMyADA https://goo.gl/3SdLHc #HR620 won't stop "drive by" #ADA lawsuits, but it will strip civil rights from people with disabilities. #StopHR620 #HandsOffMyADA https://goo.gl/3SdLHc [insert Representative handle] protect the #ADA and the rights of people with disabilities - Vote "NO" on #HR620! #StopHR620 #HandsOffMyADA https://goo.gl/3SdLHc Additional Resources Myths and Truths About the “ADA Education and Reform Act” (H.R. 620)– Paralyzed Veterans of America, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and American Civil Liberties Union Overview of concerns with H.R. 620 – Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund ADA Notification Legislation – Paralyzed Veterans of America Save The ADA: Resources to Combat ADA Notification Bills – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Comments on H.R. 620 – US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division H.R. 620 – Congress.gov Save the ADA webpage – National Disability Rights Network Letter of Opposition to H.R. 620 – National Disability Leadership Alliance Letter of Opposition to H.R. 620 – National Council on Independent Living   We cannot allow Congress to chip away at the ADA and deny the civil rights of people with disabilities – tell your Representative to vote NO on HR 620.   Nothing about us, without us!

!! SAVE THE ADA - STOP H.R. 620 !!

 

 

!! SAVE THE ADA -  STOP H.R. 620 !! Congress is about to vote on HR 620 - a bill designed to weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 1 out of 5 people in the US has a disability, and the ADA provides us with the fundamental civil right to use public accommodations, go to stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses just like our non-disabled friends, family members, colleagues and peers. Your representative in Congress needs to know that they can’t get away with watering down the most powerful civil rights legislation of the last 30 years. That’s why people across the country are taking to social media to send the message #HandsOffMyADA. It’s up to us to show Congress and the rest of America that the ADA is worth protecting because disability is part of life and nobody should be left out or forced to wait outside. Any bill that tries to change that like HR 620 must be stopped. Use the hashtag #HandsOffMyADA to share your story about what you can do because of the ADA. Visit rootedinrights.org/HandsOffMyADA to print out the sign. Finish the sentence “Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I...” Some examples: Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I... can spend money at your business. Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I... can get into the building to go to work. Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I... can use the bathroom when I go out with friends. Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I... know that my rights are human rights! Take a picture of yourself holding your sign and share it everywhere! Justice delayed is justice denied. Use every platform you can to share your message loudly and proudly. And be sure to tag your representative so that they know to keep their #HandsOffMyADA! Catch this video: #HandsOffMyADA! | Tell Congress to #StopHR620

AMC Sensory Friendly Screenings

We wanted to share a great find in the long search for sensory friendly activities! AMC Theaters has a great resource on their website to help find sensory friendly screenings of today's blockbuster hits!  https://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films#movies