Toy Giant Lego is Becoming More Diverse and Inclusive: Unveils Its First Figure with a Disability

A fan video posted on YouTube Wednesday featured a Lego City set with a figure of a boy that uses a wheelchair. The minifigure, who wears a cap and a hoodie, was also showcased on German fan blog Promobricks, which called the move “long overdue.” The figurine was first spotted at a toy fair in Nuremburg, Germany.

A Lego spokesperson confirmed the news in an email to NBC Owned Television Stations. It's the first time the company has made a figure that uses a wheelchair.

“We are introducing a Lego City set later this year that features a minifigure scale wheelchair. It will be available starting in June,” the email said.

To read more on this story, click here: Toy Giant Lego is Becoming More Diverse and Inclusive: Unveils Its First Figure with a Disability

FOLLOW US!

Report: Nearly 1 In 3 With Disabilities In Poverty

January is Nation Poverty Awareness Month. This is an issue that is highly relivent in the disability community!

Report: Nearly 1 In 3 With Disabilities In Poverty

A confluence of factors ranging from prejudice to the complexity of support systems are leaving people with disabilities disproportionately impoverished, a congressional report finds.

More than two decades after the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the nation has made significant progress in ensuring that places are physically accessible, but an investigation by the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee finds that major social and economic barriers remain.

The committee solicited feedback from more than 400 Americans with all types of disabilities over the summer. What they learned was that this population is struggling to find work, maintain needed supports and access basic infrastructure like transportation.

To read more on this story, click here: Report: Nearly 1 In 3 With Disabilities In Poverty

FOLLOW US!

RCM of Washington January 2016 Newsletter

See what RCM has been up to this January! And if you'd like to join our mailing list, please send us a private message with your email address. To send your email, click HERE. 

FOLLOW US!

The Touching Moment a Father Carries His Disabled Son Outside Just So He Could Feel Rain on His Skin

A shirtless father has been hailed 'man of the year' after he was filmed carrying his disabled son outside so he could feel rain.

In the footage, the unnamed man can be seen wearing just swimming shorts and flip-flops as he lifts up his son and walks into their garden during a downpour.

The son smiles at the camera in the video, which has been viewed more than 300,000 times since being uploaded to YouTube by Marcos Vinícius Petri, from Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Wearing just black swimming shorts, the muscular father - whose actions have been praised on social media - and son can't stop laughing as the rain pours down over them.

The son appears to be enjoying himself despite getting drenched. 

The poignant 50-second clip is entitled 'Dad being dad' and has inspired many comments from emotional YouTube users.

To read more on this story, click here: The Touching Moment a Father Carries His Disabled Son Outside Just So He Could Feel Rain on His Skin

FOLLOW US!

How to Report Unplowed Streets

Washington, DC  — Here are the phone numbers and websites to report unplowed streets.

For more information, click here: How to Report Unplowed Streets

FOLLOW US!

RCM of Washington 2015 - Year in Review

RCM of Washington 2015 - Year in Review

FOLLOW US!

Side-by-Side DC: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Celebration 2016

Speaker and Artist Nomination Form

March 2016 marks the 29th year of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! In DC, one way DDS will be commemorating this is with an event that will bring people together in celebration of how DC residents with and without disabilities live, work, and play side-by-side in our communities. DDS is collecting nominations for speakers and artists and are looking for people who have a developmental disability or a connection to the disability community and have a great story, art pieces, or a performance to share. This could be related to employment, community integration, changing attitudes, relationships, activism or any other aspect of life. If you or someone you know has a story or art to share, please fill out the nomination form below and return it to Alison Whyte at alison.whyte@dc.gov by Monday, February 8th.

To get a copy of the form, right click on the form and choose 'save as'. Once you have saved it, you can then print it out.

FOLLOW US!

Judge Approves Shift Away From Sheltered Workshops

A settlement in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit is set to reshape a state-run employment program for people with disabilities that has been heavily dependent on sheltered workshops.

Under an agreement finalized just before the new year, 1,115 Oregon residents with disabilities who are employed in sheltered workshops will receive jobs in the community that pay at least minimum wage over the next seven years.

An additional 7,000 individuals with disabilities in the state – including 4,900 between the ages of 14 and 24 – will receive employment services so that they will have an opportunity to obtain traditional jobs.

To read more on this story, click here: Judge ApprovesShift Away From Sheltered Workshops

FOLLOW US!

Professional Makeup Artist, Born with Arthrogryposis Creates Stunning Looks

Jessica Ruiz may not be what most people imagine when they picture a professional makeup artist, but sometimes different is better. The 27-year-old from Philadelphia was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital muscle disorder. The condition has affected all four of her limbs and motor skills, making it difficult for Jessica to hold every makeup artist’s magic wand: a brush. Her entire life, Jessica was told she can’t, still something inside of her always knew that she could.

“They told me that cosmetology was not in, you know, the best efforts for myself because of the way that I did makeup with my mouth. They said that it wasn’t sanitary,” she told CBS’ Natasha Brown. “It motivated me to the fullest.”

Jessica began watching beauty videos online and is entirely self-taught. She uses her makeup tools by holding them in her mouth. The technique, because she is so close to her client’s face, is even more precise than most other cosmetologists.

To read more on this story, click here: Professional Makeup Artist, Born with Arthrogryposis Creates Stunning Looks. 

FOLLOW US!

IDS Cancellation for January 22, 2016

We hope you’re somewhere warm reading this post. Due to the predicted snow storm and our desire to maintain safety during community inclusion, we have elected to CANCEL IDS for tomorrow January 22, 2016.   Please note if you are in ATP or any employment services you are still required to begin your day tomorrow. Please follow up with direct supports for confirmation. We look forward to reuniting Monday but please check back here Sunday evening for updates! FOLLOW US!

Autism, Airplanes and One Mom's Argument

When former ABC News producer Caren Zucker's son Mickey was diagnosed with autism in 1996 at two-and-a-half years old, the news changed her life forever and fueled a new aspect of her reporting. Zucker partnered with correspondent John Donvan in 1999 and set out to help inform and better educate the world about autism.

More than 15 years later, their work has culminated in a new book, "In a Different Key: The Story of Autism," which explores the case of the first child diagnosed with autism and the millions of children who followed, sharing the stories of hundreds of parents, children, and adults living with autism today, and the common misunderstandings that persist.

As a parent of a child with autism, Zucker recounts an incident when her son was confronted at airline check-in for not making eye contact. This story, in her own words in the video above, was developed and first performed at Story District in Washington, D.C. and is reprinted here with permission.

To read more on this story, click here: Autism, Airplanes and One Mom's Argument 

FOLLOW US!

Teacher Fired After Mocking Student with Learning Disability on Facebook

A Georgia teacher has been fired after making derogatory statements on her Facebook page about a student who allegedly has a learning disability.

The teacher, Jennifer Lynch, resigned on Monday after meeting with the human resources department for Fulton County Schools.

The posts were made on the last day before the holiday break, on December 18, about an unnamed student who stayed late after school to finish a test.

“Thanks a lot, kid, for finally coming to finish your effin’ final more than THREE HOURS after school let out,” she said.

She called him names, then wrote, “He has some (expletive) disorder: one of those ‘we don’t know what his disorder is and we don’t want him to be labeled, so we are not going to find out, but we want academic accommodations anyway’ disorders.”

To read more on this story, click here: Teacher Fired AfterMocking Student with Learning Disability on Facebook

FOLLOW US!