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

Casey, Schmitt Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Savings Accounts for People with Disabilities | Senator Bob Casey

Casey created the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program in 2014 to allow people with disabilities to save money without losing eligibility for critical federal programs

Three ABLE provisions that make the program more accessible and expansive are set to expire in 2025

The bipartisan ENABLE Act would enshrine those provisions in law permanently

via www.casey.senate.gov

Adults With Disabilities Asked To Make Way For Foster Kids - Disability Scoop

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The letter from the state’s disability agency landed like a bombshell.

The state-run homes in which Kenneth and Kathy Lamar’s adult daughter with severe disabilities has lived for seven years will be “decommissioned” to make room for kids needing foster care, it said.

“We will work with you and your loved one to review the options” read the form letter from the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD).

via disabilityscoop.us10.list-manage.com

Quiet Zones, Fidgets And Ear Muffs: Parades And Festivals Add Sensory Accommodations - Disability Scoop

MINNEAPOLIS — Roving sensory support teams with backpacks full of fidget toys and earplugs will make their way through next weekend’s Twin Cities Pride Festival, and a quiet, cool tent near Loring Pond will offer an “escape space” with stress balls, weighted lap pads and an inflatable hammock.

More Minnesota celebrations — from Pride to the State Fair to local parades — are offering some respite to event-goers with sensory issues. So have a growing number of sports venues, museums and theaters.

The crowds, bright lights, strong smells and loud sounds of parades and fairs can overwhelm those with sensory sensitivities, including people with autism and ADHD.

via disabilityscoop.us10.list-manage.com

Special Education Enrollment Hits All-Time High - Disability Scoop

There are a record number of students with disabilities in the nation’s schools.

New data shows that there were 7.5 million children ages 3 to 21 served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act during the 2022-2023 school year, accounting for 15% of all students. That’s a jump from 7.3 million the year prior and represents the highest number ever.

The figures come from an annual report known as the “Condition of Education,” which was released recently by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. The document provides a rundown of data on education in America.

via disabilityscoop.us10.list-manage.com

Justice Department Cites States For Disability Rights Violations - Disability Scoop

A quarter century after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming the rights of people with disabilities to live in the community, federal officials are cracking down on Americans with Disabilities Act violations in multiple states.

The Department of Justice announced in recent days that investigations found that both Utah and Missouri are unnecessarily segregating people with disabilities. In addition, the agency took actions in Alaska, Ohio and Alabama to uphold the rights of voters with disabilities.

The moves come as the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the high court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. In the case, the Supreme Court found that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities is discriminatory under the ADA. The court ruled that states must provide services in the community when appropriate to individuals with disabilities if they do not oppose it and if community-based services can be “reasonably accommodated.”

via disabilityscoop.us10.list-manage.com

https://www.penbaypilot.com/node/187724&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTM2MDE1ODE0MzY2NjYwNjQ4NjEyGmZmMDFhNTFiYzdlYjQ1Njk6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw1PqGNQiY7y5jbBcEqPx3ZV

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/aba-therapy-provider-make-changes-comply-americans-disabilities-act

Gov. Kay Ivey supports Alabamians living with disabilities

via www.youtube.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/24/social-security-disability-benefits-jobs-list-outdated/

https://dredf.org/2024/06/24/settlement-targets-discrimination-against-marginalized-students/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoUMTIzNDY2ODI3NzUzNTc0NDUxMjAyGmVlMTY0ZDJmNzc2NjNkYmU6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw10WgNpct_GIMcUbbXnUUnO