‘People will die waiting’: America’s system for the disabled is nearing collapse

Providers for intellectually and developmentally disabled struggle to recruit and retain staff amid soaring inflation, pandemic burnout.

Private agencies that provide services for the intellectually and developmentally disabled have long warned that, without fresh state and federal funding, they would be unable to provide housing and staff support to the growing number of Americans who need care.

Over the last 12 months, the Covid-19 pandemic’s lingering effects and once-in-a-generation inflation have turned dire predictions into sobering truths, and agency directors, who for years hobbled along on shoestring budgets, have done in 2022 what not long ago would have been unthinkable: closed their doors.

To read more on this story, click here: ‘People will die waiting’: America’s system for the disabled is nearing collapse

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Lyft Argues that it’s Not a Transportation Company and Has ‘No Obligations’ To Provide Wheelchair Access

Disability rights groups battle Lyft for wheelchair accessible vehicles — again

Lyft officials said the company is exempt from the Americans with Disabilities Act and doesn’t have to cater to people with nonfolding wheelchairs.

In 2018, Ansel Lurio found himself trapped in a snowstorm after leaving a dentist appointment in Westchester County, New York. Lurio usually rode home in his motorized wheelchair, but this time the snow made it impossible. He said the buses weren’t running and there were no paratransit vans around, so he turned to Lyft.

To read more on this story, click here: Lyft Argues that it’s Not a Transportation Company and Has ‘No Obligations’ To Provide Wheelchair Access

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The LEAD Center Will Host a Webinar on Direct Support Professional Careers for People with Disabilities

 

The LEAD Center will host a Webinar on Direct Support Professional Careers for People with Disabilities on Wednesday, August 31, 2:30-4:00 P.M. ET. 

Register to learn about our innovative DSP Academy that trains people with disabilities to work as DSPs. RCM of Washington Chief Executive Officer Amy Brooks and Chief Innovation Officer Susan Brooks will describe RCM’s approach to training and employment placement. Two DSP Academy graduates, Carlos Hilton Zacarias and Tinesha Gray, will share their experiences participating in the training, applying their skills as DSPs, and excelling in a job that is inclusive and tailored to their abilities.

To register, click here, then click on the “Respond” button : https://www.addevent.com/event/Kn14423854

To launch meeting, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84508363845?pwd=SWhQUitTVWl4VTZEaFhySnliYjJmdz09#success

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DISCLOSING A DISABILITY BEFORE AN ACCOMMODATION IS NEEDED

Can an employee later request an accommodation if they didn't when they first disclosed their disability? Yes! Read “Disclosing a Disability Before an Accommodation is Needed”

In our experience at the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), most individuals disclose their disabilities to their employers when they need an accommodation. However, there are other reasons an individual might disclose a disability to an employer such as affirmative action hiring, explaining an unusual circumstance, or just personal preference and comfort in bringing their whole selves to work. One of the questions we often get from individuals who have disclosed without needing an accommodation is what happens if later they do need an accommodation? Are employers on notice and is it then up to them to recognize that an accommodation is needed?

To read more on this story, click here: DISCLOSING A DISABILITY BEFORE AN ACCOMMODATION IS NEEDED

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Selma Blair Is Helping Redefine Makeup Design in Her New Job as Creative Director of Guide Beauty

 

"I’ve seen what beauty can do for an emotional spirit and sometimes that can be everything,” says Selma Blair over Zoom. “There’s many other facets to show yourself besides makeup but it can be an amazing tool of expression or confidence or armor—or, for me, character. Mood is no small thing.” Blair, who has openly shared her diagnosis and struggles with multiple sclerosis—including in a 2021 documentary Introducing, Selma Blair and her recent memoir, Mean Baby—is sitting next to Terri Bryant, a makeup artist and the founder of Guide Beauty. Bryant, who has Parkinson’s disease, launched the ergonomic makeup line in 2020 with dexterity and fine motor challenges top of mind. Today, Blair has been announced as Chief Creative Officer of Guide Beauty. “The products are a game changer,” says Blair. The line is designed with curves and rings that make gripping the handles secure, graceful, and “like an extension of my hand,” Blair explains.

To read more on this story, click here: Selma Blair Is Helping Redefine Makeup Design in Her New Job as Creative Director of Guide Beauty

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How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropes

Disability can be difficult to talk about sensitively because of how embedded ableism is in our language, biases and perceptions of disability.

Conversations about disability are slowly increasing, especially when it comes to ableist language and how disabled people are represented in the media.

Disability advocate Talila A. Lewis' working definition of ableism is a "system that places value on people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence and excellence."

To read more on this story, click here: How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropes

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Beyoncé Changing Lyrics Over Disability Concerns

Thank you Beyonce! People are listening and learning!

Little more than a month after Lizzo agreed to change her song lyrics after facing backlash from people with disabilities, another major star says she will do the same.

Beyoncé will alter the language in her song “Heated” days after it was released as part of her new album “Renaissance.”

The track contained references to “spaz” and “spazzin,” terms that derive from “spastic” and are often used as slurs toward people with disabilities, particularly in the United Kingdom.

To read more on this story, click here: Beyoncé Changing Lyrics Over Disability Concerns

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New Push Underway To Train Doctors, Dentists On Developmental Disabilities

Groups representing the nation’s doctors and dentists are committing to better prepare students in their fields to treat those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a move that could lead to major improvements in care for people in this population.

The presidents of the American Medical Association and the American Dental Association said that they would work to expand disability training for medical and dental students during an appearance earlier this summer at the American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry’s One Voice Conference in Orlando, Fla.

To read more on this story, click here: New Push Underway To Train Doctors, Dentists On Developmental Disabilities

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Monkeypox, What You Need To Know

Sharing from Bread for the City:

There has been a lot of conversation surrounding what monkeypox is and is not.

Bread for the City's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Randi Abramson breaks down what you need to know about it and how to protect yourself in this fact sheet:

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