Friday Roundup
From the Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California, July 9, 2009 - Twenty people were arrested this morning in a $4.6-million Medi-Cal fraud scheme that allegedly used unlicensed individuals to provide in-home nursing care for disabled patients. According to the United States Attorney's office, about 75 patients, many of them children with cerebral palsy or developmental disabilities, were treated at home or at school by the unlicensed individuals who stole identities to pose as licensed nurses.
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in Seattle, Washington, July 8, 2009 - A disability watchdog organization has filed a law suit against Washington state, claiming that hasty budget cuts threaten to push some 900 adults with disabilities into nursing homes. The law suit seeks to delay funding cuts to a nursing care program that allows adults with disabilities to live in a state-run group home and still receive Medicaid-supported health care services.
Press release from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, July 8, 2009 - A coalition of disability advocacy organizations has sent a letter of support for Supreme Court candidate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The letter is signed by more than twenty disability rights organizations, including the Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the United Spinal Association, and cites Sotomayor's "extensive experience in, and careful approach to, deciding disability rights cases," as well as her life experience managing diabetes.
From BBC News, July 7, 2009 - According to a report by the cerebral palsy charity Scope, hate crimes against people with disabilities in Wales (UK) are unreported or unrecognised for what they are. While police recorded 132 such crimes last year, charities and campaigners said the true figures were much higher. According to Scope, of 50 serious assaults against disabled people, only one was recorded as a hate crime.
From Newsday and the Associated Press, July 7, 2009 - At the annual Little People of America (LPA) conference, the organization called for the Federal Communications Commission to ban the word “midget” from broadcast TV. The group said it had filed an official complaint with the FCC. The request was prompted by an episode of Donald Trump’s NBC reality show, “Celebrity Apprentice,” in which contestants created a detergent ad called “Jesse James Dirty with Midgets.” Contestants, including Joan Rivers, used sexual innuendo in talking about little people actors and suggested that they be hung up to dry.
From CBC in Canada, July 6, 2009 - Four Winnipeggers will be sentenced next Monday July 13) for their part in abusing a 23-year-old woman with developmental disabilities in early 2006. According to the report, the woman was subjected to beatings, pushed down a flight of stairs, and starved to the point of emaciation. She was also repeatedly burned with lighters, cigarettes and even a kitchen tool heated red hot on a stove. Thelma Hendricks, 63, and Amanda O'Malley, 21, have pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of assault causing bodily harm and are seeking conditional sentences that will keep them out of jail. Dale Hendricks, 34, faces 6 years in prison for his part in the abuse, and April Armstrong, 33, between four to five years.
Showing posts with label frida links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frida links. Show all posts
Friday, July 03, 2009
Friday round-up
From the Baltimore Sun in Baltimore, Maryland, July 2, 2009 - The Rosewood Center, a Maryland institution that was founded in 1888 as an asylum for the “feeble-minded,” closed its doors for good this week after decades of criticism for substandard care and conditions. "It is a great thing for Maryland that this institution is closed," said Nancy Pineles, an attorney with the Maryland Disability Law Center, a watchdog group that promotes the civil rights of people with disabilities.
From the Boston Globe in Boston, Massachusetts, July 1, 2009 - The old Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation has adopted a new name for the start of the fiscal year: The Department of Developmental Services. The change marks a victory for people with disabilities and their supporters who lobbied for years against a word they perceived as offensive. Only five or six states still have the words “mental retardation’’ in the names of agencies serving the developmentally disabled, said Elin M. Howe, commissioner of the department.
From WAToday.com in Christchurch, New Zealand, July 1, 2009 - New Zealand police have shot and killed a male wheelchair user after he injured two people in a shooting spree in Christchurch. Shayne Sime, 42, was shot and killed late June 28, after he fired more than 100 shots indiscriminately from a shotgun and rifle in his quiet suburban street, police said.
From the Baltimore Sun in Baltimore, Maryland, July 2, 2009 - The Rosewood Center, a Maryland institution that was founded in 1888 as an asylum for the “feeble-minded,” closed its doors for good this week after decades of criticism for substandard care and conditions. "It is a great thing for Maryland that this institution is closed," said Nancy Pineles, an attorney with the Maryland Disability Law Center, a watchdog group that promotes the civil rights of people with disabilities.
From the Boston Globe in Boston, Massachusetts, July 1, 2009 - The old Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation has adopted a new name for the start of the fiscal year: The Department of Developmental Services. The change marks a victory for people with disabilities and their supporters who lobbied for years against a word they perceived as offensive. Only five or six states still have the words “mental retardation’’ in the names of agencies serving the developmentally disabled, said Elin M. Howe, commissioner of the department.
From WAToday.com in Christchurch, New Zealand, July 1, 2009 - New Zealand police have shot and killed a male wheelchair user after he injured two people in a shooting spree in Christchurch. Shayne Sime, 42, was shot and killed late June 28, after he fired more than 100 shots indiscriminately from a shotgun and rifle in his quiet suburban street, police said.
From an American Association of People with Disabilities press release, June 30, 2009 - A study by Profs. Lisa Schur and Douglas Kruse at Rutgers University has found that voter turnout among people with disabilities rose significantly in the 2008 presidential election. According to the study, 14.7 million Americans with disabilities voted in the 2008 election, compared to 10.9 million in the 2000 presidential election. Among the eligible voting population, 57.3 percent of people with disabilities voted, compared to 64.5 percent of people without disabilities. “While the voting numbers among people with disabilities in 2008 indicates that they continue to face barriers in registration and voting, the fact that 14.7 million people with disabilities voted shows that they play an important role in the political process,” said Schur.
From the Asheville [NC] Citizen-Times, North Carolina, June 30, 2009 - An editorial says it’s time for North Carolina to compensate victims of a historic state-sponsored eugenics programs. Under the program, some 7,600 people with disabilities and others who were deemed “unfit” to reproduce were sterilized. (h/t to Patricia E Bauer)
From the Lexington [KY] Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky, June 30, 2009 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a civil rights investigation into Kentucky’s Medicaid program after a family complained about a reduction in home care services for a man with multiple disabilities. Creasa Reed, who is herself disabled, filed the complaint after Medicaid cut her son’s budget for in-home care by 40 hours each week. The Reeds say their son is in danger of being sent to an institution if home care services are not restored.
From WHYY Radio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 30, 2009 - A Pennsylvania advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the state’s department of Public Welfare that claims they are not providing the community-based care mandated by the law. The suit was filed by the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania on behalf of the over 1200 people still living in state-run institutions. It states that community based care provides better choices for people with disabilities, and is more cost-effective.
From the Boston Globe in Boston, Massachusetts, June 27, 2009 - Following complaints about inadequate equipment and ill-prepared medical workers, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hopital, both affiliated with Harvard University, have voluntarily agreed to spend millions of dollars to improve accessibility for patients with disabilities.
From the Seattle Times, June 27, 2009 - The families of three children with Down syndrome have sued in federal court to stop the state from cutting the hours of in-home care they receive. The families say budget problems cannot be used to justify cutting back on services the children are legally entitled to receive.
From JFActivist, June 26, 2009 - Kathy Martinez was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, June 25 as ODEP (Office of Disability Employment Policy) Assistant Secretary. Blind since birth, Martinez, who has worked as executive director of the World Institute on Disability (WID) since 2005, has worked in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, and diversity and gender issues in her work at WID.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday round-up
From the AAP, Australia (July 25, 2009) - The mother of a 7-year-old autistic girl who died of starvation on November 3, 2007, has been found guilty of her murder by a NSW Supreme Court jury. The same jury found the child's father guilty of manslaughter after a week of deliberations. The girl weighed just 9kg at the time of her death and had the bone development of a five-year-old.
From the Journal News, White Plains, New York (June 24, 2009) - In an opinion-editorial, Esther Gueft says people with disabilities constitute one of the nation’s largest minority groups, yet their needs are consistently overlooked.
From The Independent in the United Kingdom (June 23, 2009) - Cari Loder, a multiple scleroris sufferer who pioneered a treatment for the disease, has committed suicide in her home near Godalming, Surrey, using a "helium based suicide kit." In the days before her death, Ms Loder, aged 48, researched ways to kill herself as her health rapidly deteriorated, leaving her permanently housebound and unable to travel to a euthanasia clinic abroad.
From the Associated Press and the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina (June 23, 2009) - North Carolina unveiled a roadside marker yesterday representing the state’s decades-long eugenics program, which was intended to keep thousands of people considered mentally disabled or otherwise genetically inferior from having children.
From the Contra Costa Times in Contra Costa, California (June 23, 2009) - Columnist Kate Scannell says Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to cut services to people with disabilities will only create bigger and more costly problems.
From the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press (June 22, 2009) - In a 6-3 ruling decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a family who argued that their child’s special education costs should be paid by their local school district even though he had not first received special education services in public school.
From ProPublica/St. Louis Post-Dispatch (June 22, 2009) - Ten years after the Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling intended to help people with disabilities move out of institutions, hundreds of thousands of people who want to leave institutions to live on their own are still waiting to be released from nursing homes, rehab centers and state hospitals.
From the AAP, Australia (July 25, 2009) - The mother of a 7-year-old autistic girl who died of starvation on November 3, 2007, has been found guilty of her murder by a NSW Supreme Court jury. The same jury found the child's father guilty of manslaughter after a week of deliberations. The girl weighed just 9kg at the time of her death and had the bone development of a five-year-old.
From the Journal News, White Plains, New York (June 24, 2009) - In an opinion-editorial, Esther Gueft says people with disabilities constitute one of the nation’s largest minority groups, yet their needs are consistently overlooked.
From The Independent in the United Kingdom (June 23, 2009) - Cari Loder, a multiple scleroris sufferer who pioneered a treatment for the disease, has committed suicide in her home near Godalming, Surrey, using a "helium based suicide kit." In the days before her death, Ms Loder, aged 48, researched ways to kill herself as her health rapidly deteriorated, leaving her permanently housebound and unable to travel to a euthanasia clinic abroad.
From the Associated Press and the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina (June 23, 2009) - North Carolina unveiled a roadside marker yesterday representing the state’s decades-long eugenics program, which was intended to keep thousands of people considered mentally disabled or otherwise genetically inferior from having children.
From the Contra Costa Times in Contra Costa, California (June 23, 2009) - Columnist Kate Scannell says Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to cut services to people with disabilities will only create bigger and more costly problems.
From the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press (June 22, 2009) - In a 6-3 ruling decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a family who argued that their child’s special education costs should be paid by their local school district even though he had not first received special education services in public school.
From ProPublica/St. Louis Post-Dispatch (June 22, 2009) - Ten years after the Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling intended to help people with disabilities move out of institutions, hundreds of thousands of people who want to leave institutions to live on their own are still waiting to be released from nursing homes, rehab centers and state hospitals.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday round-up
Update (June 12) - The Associated Press reports that William Cozzie was sentenced yesterday to more than three years in federal prison. From the Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2009 - A Chicago police officer, William Cozzi, faces up to 8 years in prison when he is sentenced on Thursday afternoon for the videotaped beating of a man handcuffed and shackled to a wheelchair in 2005. William Cozzi pleaded guilty in January to using excessive force when he struck Randy Miles, a hospital patient, about a dozen times with a sap, a leather spatula-shaped object.
From the Associated Press, June 11, 2009 - A report from the Government Accountability Office has found that nearly one-third of the nation’s polling places failed to provide access to voters in wheelchairs in last November’s election. The study found that 23 percent of polling places denied privacy to voters with disabilities, and 73 percent had physical features that could impede access to people with disabilities. Hundreds of millions of federal dollars have been given to states to make polling places more accessible since the 2002 passage of the Help America Vote Act.
From the Miami Herald in Miami, Florida, June 11, 2009 - "A Miami man caring for a severely disabled daughter is suing Medicaid for its refusal to pay for her diapers." The man, who is widowed and unemployed, says he can't afford the diapers and other necessities for his family, and has asked Medicaid, the state's insurance program for the needy, to help. Medicaid administrators have refused to pay. They haven't explained why they won't pay, other than say the items aren't in the state's plan, say the man's attorneys. Two other states had excluded diapers from their Medicaid plans, Arizona and Louisiana, said one of the man's lawyers with Legal Services of Greater Miami. Both states lost court challenges. "Diapers may not appear to be medical equipment or devices," said another attorney who works with Florida Legal Services. But ''there is a whole other world of children who are so disabled that they are incontinent,'' she added.
From the Associated Press in Paris, Texas, June 11, 2009 - An 18-year-old teenager with severe intellectual disabilities was sentenced to 100 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his 6-year-old neighbor. Aaron Hart of Paris pleaded guilty to five counts, including aggravated sexual assault and indecency by contact. According to the report, the judge decided to stack the sentences against Hart after jurors settled on two five-year terms and three 30-year terms. The judge said neither he nor jurors liked the idea of prison for Hart but they felt there was no other option.
From the Fresno Bee in Fresno, California, June 10, 2009 - The mother of a California teenager with Down syndrome said she is frustrated that her son and 10 other students in his special education class were left out of the 2009 Madera High School yearbook. The district blamed the oversight on new software that weeded out photos of students whose identification numbers were not in the school system since the Madera County Office of Education, not the high school, runs the special-education class.
From the Mid Hudson News, Rockland County, New York, June 9, 2009 - A Congers woman, who cared for a disabled man, has been arrested and charged with stealing thousands of dollars from him. Debra Ann Mills, 53, was charged with grand larceny in the third degree. It is alleged that Ms Mills stole over $3,000 from a trust fund for the benefit of the man over a 13 month period. She had access to the fund set up for him by his late mother.
From Housing Wire, June 9, 2009 - An annual congressional report by the US Department of Housing in Urban Development says consumers filed a record 10,552 fair housing discrimination complaints in fiscal year 2008. Discrimination based on disability accounted for 44% of the complaints while 35% of complaints alleged discrimination based on race. Complaints were filed on the basis of alleged discrimination in terms, conditions, privileges, services, or facilities involved in the sale or rental of housing.
From The Washington Post, June 9, 2009 - The growing population of elderly and disabled people in the Washington area is threatening to overwhelm the door-to-door regional paratransit service that Metro operates for those who are unable to ride the subway or bus, according to officials.
From 24dash.com: More than half of British society sees disabled people as "inferior", according to research published June 8. Disability charity Scope said it found 53% viewed disabled people "in a negative way". The equality rights campaigners said an online survey also found 38% of respondents thought the disabled were a "drain on resources". However, the findings showed a strong public backing for action in favour of disabled people's equality. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the New York Times, June 9, 2009 - A national survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare, a division of the United Health Group, finds that the economic crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the estimated 44 million Americans who care for an aging or disabled relative or spouse. According to the survey, one in six caregivers said they had lost a job during the downturn. Some 21 percent said they had to share housing with family members to save money. At the same time, government and non-profit organizations that usually provide relief are being cut in the downturn.
From the Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2009 - The federal government sued United Airlines on Thursday, saying the carrier made it too hard for workers who became disabled to switch to other jobs they could perform. The lawsuit accuses United of "malicious and reckless conduct" and seeks lost wages and punitive damages for victims and an order that United stop discriminating against disabled workers.
Update (June 12) - The Associated Press reports that William Cozzie was sentenced yesterday to more than three years in federal prison. From the Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2009 - A Chicago police officer, William Cozzi, faces up to 8 years in prison when he is sentenced on Thursday afternoon for the videotaped beating of a man handcuffed and shackled to a wheelchair in 2005. William Cozzi pleaded guilty in January to using excessive force when he struck Randy Miles, a hospital patient, about a dozen times with a sap, a leather spatula-shaped object.
From the Associated Press, June 11, 2009 - A report from the Government Accountability Office has found that nearly one-third of the nation’s polling places failed to provide access to voters in wheelchairs in last November’s election. The study found that 23 percent of polling places denied privacy to voters with disabilities, and 73 percent had physical features that could impede access to people with disabilities. Hundreds of millions of federal dollars have been given to states to make polling places more accessible since the 2002 passage of the Help America Vote Act.
From the Miami Herald in Miami, Florida, June 11, 2009 - "A Miami man caring for a severely disabled daughter is suing Medicaid for its refusal to pay for her diapers." The man, who is widowed and unemployed, says he can't afford the diapers and other necessities for his family, and has asked Medicaid, the state's insurance program for the needy, to help. Medicaid administrators have refused to pay. They haven't explained why they won't pay, other than say the items aren't in the state's plan, say the man's attorneys. Two other states had excluded diapers from their Medicaid plans, Arizona and Louisiana, said one of the man's lawyers with Legal Services of Greater Miami. Both states lost court challenges. "Diapers may not appear to be medical equipment or devices," said another attorney who works with Florida Legal Services. But ''there is a whole other world of children who are so disabled that they are incontinent,'' she added.
From the Associated Press in Paris, Texas, June 11, 2009 - An 18-year-old teenager with severe intellectual disabilities was sentenced to 100 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his 6-year-old neighbor. Aaron Hart of Paris pleaded guilty to five counts, including aggravated sexual assault and indecency by contact. According to the report, the judge decided to stack the sentences against Hart after jurors settled on two five-year terms and three 30-year terms. The judge said neither he nor jurors liked the idea of prison for Hart but they felt there was no other option.
From the Fresno Bee in Fresno, California, June 10, 2009 - The mother of a California teenager with Down syndrome said she is frustrated that her son and 10 other students in his special education class were left out of the 2009 Madera High School yearbook. The district blamed the oversight on new software that weeded out photos of students whose identification numbers were not in the school system since the Madera County Office of Education, not the high school, runs the special-education class.
From the Mid Hudson News, Rockland County, New York, June 9, 2009 - A Congers woman, who cared for a disabled man, has been arrested and charged with stealing thousands of dollars from him. Debra Ann Mills, 53, was charged with grand larceny in the third degree. It is alleged that Ms Mills stole over $3,000 from a trust fund for the benefit of the man over a 13 month period. She had access to the fund set up for him by his late mother.
From Housing Wire, June 9, 2009 - An annual congressional report by the US Department of Housing in Urban Development says consumers filed a record 10,552 fair housing discrimination complaints in fiscal year 2008. Discrimination based on disability accounted for 44% of the complaints while 35% of complaints alleged discrimination based on race. Complaints were filed on the basis of alleged discrimination in terms, conditions, privileges, services, or facilities involved in the sale or rental of housing.
From The Washington Post, June 9, 2009 - The growing population of elderly and disabled people in the Washington area is threatening to overwhelm the door-to-door regional paratransit service that Metro operates for those who are unable to ride the subway or bus, according to officials.
From 24dash.com: More than half of British society sees disabled people as "inferior", according to research published June 8. Disability charity Scope said it found 53% viewed disabled people "in a negative way". The equality rights campaigners said an online survey also found 38% of respondents thought the disabled were a "drain on resources". However, the findings showed a strong public backing for action in favour of disabled people's equality. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the New York Times, June 9, 2009 - A national survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare, a division of the United Health Group, finds that the economic crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the estimated 44 million Americans who care for an aging or disabled relative or spouse. According to the survey, one in six caregivers said they had lost a job during the downturn. Some 21 percent said they had to share housing with family members to save money. At the same time, government and non-profit organizations that usually provide relief are being cut in the downturn.
From the Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2009 - The federal government sued United Airlines on Thursday, saying the carrier made it too hard for workers who became disabled to switch to other jobs they could perform. The lawsuit accuses United of "malicious and reckless conduct" and seeks lost wages and punitive damages for victims and an order that United stop discriminating against disabled workers.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Friday round-up
From the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia (June 4, 2004) - Damages of $750,000 have been awarded against the owner of Dote de Neige Home for Adults, an assisted living facility in Newport News, after charges were brought against a former staffer who is accused of sexually assaulting a 55-year-old intellectually disabled man. The case against the assisted living facility and its owner, Rose Daniels Potter, was brought by the sister of the man who was a resident at the home. The lawsuit claimed the home and Potter failed in their duty to exercise "reasonable care" when they hired Junious Boyd Batten, 40, of Newport News, as a certified nursing assistant, despite his previous criminal record.
From the Providence Journal (June 4, 2004) - About 2,000 people rallied outside the Rhode Island State House this week to protest possible cuts in services for people with developmental disabilities in a time of economic uncertainty. The protest was organized in response to recent comments by the chairman of the House Finance Committee saying that budget-weary lawmakers had not ruled out sweeping cuts to human-service programs for elderly people and those with disabilities.
From the Associated Press in Orlando, Florida (June 4, 2009) - Activists for people with disabilities brought their Segways into a federal court June 3 to urge a judge to reject a settlement between Walt Disney World and three visitors restricting the use of the personal transporters at the resort. Two-dozen activists parked Segways in the back of the courtroom where U.S. District Judge George Presnell is considering whether to approve the settlement between Disney and three visitors who were prohibited from bringing the vehicles into the theme parks.
From the On Call blog for the Palm Beach Post in Florida (June 4, 2009) - A West Palm Beach nursing home has been fined $16,000 by state regulators after a patient was found injured on the floor with maggots crawling out of his leg cast. The Azalea Court nursing home was faulted for failing to have a comprehensive care plan for the resident that included caring for his broken leg. “The 120-bed facility failed to provide the necessary care and services to a resident with the cast and wound of lower leg, resulting in an infestation of maggots,” stated the state inspection report dated August 2008. (h/t to Media dis&dat)
From BBC News in the United Kingdom (June 3, 2009) - Debbie Purdy, a British woman who has multiple sclerosis, has asked the House of Lords to clarify its law on assisted suicide. Ms Purdy plans to go abroad to Swiss clinic Dignitas to end her life, but fears her husband may be prosecuted if he helps. Ms Purdy has already lost High and Appeal court cases and if she loses this challenge the only option open to her would be to go to the European Court of Human Rights. Lord Pannick QC, who is representing Ms Purdy, said she and her husband wanted to know whether he was likely to be prosecuted and what criteria the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) takes into account when deciding whether to bring a charge under the Suicide Act.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (June 2, 2009) - A group of disabled people rallied against a state Senate-passed budget proposal May 31, saying that deep cuts to key programs would force more disabled people out of their homes and into nursing homes.
From the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, (June 2, 2009) - Disability advocate David Robar died of pneumonia on Sunday. He was 44. After recovering from a motorcycle accidentthat left him paralyzed below the chest at age 26, Robar became an advocate in Concord and Washington, D.C., for people with disabilities, "winning over lawmakers as he explained how various bills would give people like him the rights assumed by other Americans."
From the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia (June 4, 2004) - Damages of $750,000 have been awarded against the owner of Dote de Neige Home for Adults, an assisted living facility in Newport News, after charges were brought against a former staffer who is accused of sexually assaulting a 55-year-old intellectually disabled man. The case against the assisted living facility and its owner, Rose Daniels Potter, was brought by the sister of the man who was a resident at the home. The lawsuit claimed the home and Potter failed in their duty to exercise "reasonable care" when they hired Junious Boyd Batten, 40, of Newport News, as a certified nursing assistant, despite his previous criminal record.
From the Providence Journal (June 4, 2004) - About 2,000 people rallied outside the Rhode Island State House this week to protest possible cuts in services for people with developmental disabilities in a time of economic uncertainty. The protest was organized in response to recent comments by the chairman of the House Finance Committee saying that budget-weary lawmakers had not ruled out sweeping cuts to human-service programs for elderly people and those with disabilities.
From the Associated Press in Orlando, Florida (June 4, 2009) - Activists for people with disabilities brought their Segways into a federal court June 3 to urge a judge to reject a settlement between Walt Disney World and three visitors restricting the use of the personal transporters at the resort. Two-dozen activists parked Segways in the back of the courtroom where U.S. District Judge George Presnell is considering whether to approve the settlement between Disney and three visitors who were prohibited from bringing the vehicles into the theme parks.
From the On Call blog for the Palm Beach Post in Florida (June 4, 2009) - A West Palm Beach nursing home has been fined $16,000 by state regulators after a patient was found injured on the floor with maggots crawling out of his leg cast. The Azalea Court nursing home was faulted for failing to have a comprehensive care plan for the resident that included caring for his broken leg. “The 120-bed facility failed to provide the necessary care and services to a resident with the cast and wound of lower leg, resulting in an infestation of maggots,” stated the state inspection report dated August 2008. (h/t to Media dis&dat)
From BBC News in the United Kingdom (June 3, 2009) - Debbie Purdy, a British woman who has multiple sclerosis, has asked the House of Lords to clarify its law on assisted suicide. Ms Purdy plans to go abroad to Swiss clinic Dignitas to end her life, but fears her husband may be prosecuted if he helps. Ms Purdy has already lost High and Appeal court cases and if she loses this challenge the only option open to her would be to go to the European Court of Human Rights. Lord Pannick QC, who is representing Ms Purdy, said she and her husband wanted to know whether he was likely to be prosecuted and what criteria the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) takes into account when deciding whether to bring a charge under the Suicide Act.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (June 2, 2009) - A group of disabled people rallied against a state Senate-passed budget proposal May 31, saying that deep cuts to key programs would force more disabled people out of their homes and into nursing homes.
From the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, (June 2, 2009) - Disability advocate David Robar died of pneumonia on Sunday. He was 44. After recovering from a motorcycle accidentthat left him paralyzed below the chest at age 26, Robar became an advocate in Concord and Washington, D.C., for people with disabilities, "winning over lawmakers as he explained how various bills would give people like him the rights assumed by other Americans."
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday round-up
From the New York Daily News in New York (May 29) - A 54-year-old woman died on Wednesday while trying to get her disabled daughter out of their 10th-floor apartment at Carlton Manor while it was ablaze, officials said. The fire has prompted local officials to call for changes to public housing laws that would allow disabled residentes to live near the ground floor.
From the Associated Press, Bay, Arkansas (May 28, 2009) - According to police, five people were killed and five more were hurt when a car traveling in the wrong lane collided with a van carrying adults with developmental disabilities at about 2.15pm on Wednesday. Authorities say the van involved was owned by Focus Inc., which provides services for developmentally disabled adults. The accident occurred when the driver of the car was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of U.S. 63 between Bay and Jonesboro, about 5 miles southeast of Jonesboro.
From BBC News (May 28, 2009) - At least eight people have been arrested in Burundi in connection with a trade in human body parts from people with albinism.Those detained had fresh body parts in their possession, police say. Witchdoctors in the region tell clients that potions made with albino body parts will bring them luck in love, life and business. At least 10 albino people have been killed in Burundi in recent months and more than 40 in neighbouring Tanzania, according to the report. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the AP/Houston Chronicle (May 28, 2009) - The Texas State Senate has approved a settlement with the federal Department of Justice to improve living conditions and medical care at the state’s troubled institutions for people with intellectual disabilities. The settlement still needs House approval. The plan calls for spending $112 million over five years, hiring more than 1,000 additional care workers, and improving investigations into abuse and neglect claims.
From the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Arizona (May 28, 2009) - Five employees of the Tucson Unified School District have received warnings after an investigation found that a high school student with disabilities was routinely left tethered to a fence so he "wouldn't fall over or wander away while he waited for his escort." The student’s name was not disclosed.
From The Nation's the beat blog (May 27, 2009) - Sonia Sotomayor’s lifetime of managing Type 1 diabetes is a “big deal” that adds to her value as a potential Supreme Court justice - and not just as a role model, says John Nichols. Her experience is particularly important, he says, to a court that will be addressing a growing number of cases that focus on health-care access and medical research.
From the Times Union in Merchanicville, New York, US (May 27, 2009) - A judge today acquitted an O.D. Heck Developmental Center aide of endangering a severely disabled woman in her care. City Court Judge Joseph Sheehan found Christina Brandon, 47, of Troy not guilty of punching the woman for spilling Brandon's lunch salad. He deliveredhis verdict a day after a one-day bench trial.
From Disability Scoop (May 27, 2009) - Disability advocates are encouraged by President Barack Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, saying that the current appeals court judge’s rulings show an understanding of disability and the rights of people who have disabilities. Obama announced his nomination of Sotomayor Tuesday to replace Justice David Souter who plans to retire at the end of the court’s current session. Sotomayor now must be confirmed by the Senate, and if confirmed, will become the first Latino member of the court.
From AFP (May 26, 2009) - Disabled pedestrians in Jakarata, Indonesia are required to wear signs identifying them as handicapped under new traffic regulations passed unanimously by Indonesia's parliament on May 26.
From KABC in Los Angeles (May 26, 2009) - An investigation of the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) by ABC7 Eyewitness News has uncovered widespread disregard for the rights of disabled bus riders. It's a violation of federal law - the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - not to provide equal access to public transportation for people with disabilities. That means all Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) buses must be equipped with working equipment to secure wheelchairs, and MTA drivers must be trained in how to use the securements.
From the Los Angeles Times ‘LA Now’ blog (May 23) - Three thousand state workers and advocates gathered in downtown Los Angeles yesterday to protest California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to the state home-care program. The state plans to cut wages for state workers from $12.35 to $8 per hour and reduce the number of hours. Parents of children with disabilities said the pay cut would force caregivers out of the profession.
From the New York Daily News in New York (May 29) - A 54-year-old woman died on Wednesday while trying to get her disabled daughter out of their 10th-floor apartment at Carlton Manor while it was ablaze, officials said. The fire has prompted local officials to call for changes to public housing laws that would allow disabled residentes to live near the ground floor.
From the Associated Press, Bay, Arkansas (May 28, 2009) - According to police, five people were killed and five more were hurt when a car traveling in the wrong lane collided with a van carrying adults with developmental disabilities at about 2.15pm on Wednesday. Authorities say the van involved was owned by Focus Inc., which provides services for developmentally disabled adults. The accident occurred when the driver of the car was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of U.S. 63 between Bay and Jonesboro, about 5 miles southeast of Jonesboro.
From BBC News (May 28, 2009) - At least eight people have been arrested in Burundi in connection with a trade in human body parts from people with albinism.Those detained had fresh body parts in their possession, police say. Witchdoctors in the region tell clients that potions made with albino body parts will bring them luck in love, life and business. At least 10 albino people have been killed in Burundi in recent months and more than 40 in neighbouring Tanzania, according to the report. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the AP/Houston Chronicle (May 28, 2009) - The Texas State Senate has approved a settlement with the federal Department of Justice to improve living conditions and medical care at the state’s troubled institutions for people with intellectual disabilities. The settlement still needs House approval. The plan calls for spending $112 million over five years, hiring more than 1,000 additional care workers, and improving investigations into abuse and neglect claims.
From the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Arizona (May 28, 2009) - Five employees of the Tucson Unified School District have received warnings after an investigation found that a high school student with disabilities was routinely left tethered to a fence so he "wouldn't fall over or wander away while he waited for his escort." The student’s name was not disclosed.
From The Nation's the beat blog (May 27, 2009) - Sonia Sotomayor’s lifetime of managing Type 1 diabetes is a “big deal” that adds to her value as a potential Supreme Court justice - and not just as a role model, says John Nichols. Her experience is particularly important, he says, to a court that will be addressing a growing number of cases that focus on health-care access and medical research.
From the Times Union in Merchanicville, New York, US (May 27, 2009) - A judge today acquitted an O.D. Heck Developmental Center aide of endangering a severely disabled woman in her care. City Court Judge Joseph Sheehan found Christina Brandon, 47, of Troy not guilty of punching the woman for spilling Brandon's lunch salad. He deliveredhis verdict a day after a one-day bench trial.
From Disability Scoop (May 27, 2009) - Disability advocates are encouraged by President Barack Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, saying that the current appeals court judge’s rulings show an understanding of disability and the rights of people who have disabilities. Obama announced his nomination of Sotomayor Tuesday to replace Justice David Souter who plans to retire at the end of the court’s current session. Sotomayor now must be confirmed by the Senate, and if confirmed, will become the first Latino member of the court.
From AFP (May 26, 2009) - Disabled pedestrians in Jakarata, Indonesia are required to wear signs identifying them as handicapped under new traffic regulations passed unanimously by Indonesia's parliament on May 26.
From KABC in Los Angeles (May 26, 2009) - An investigation of the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) by ABC7 Eyewitness News has uncovered widespread disregard for the rights of disabled bus riders. It's a violation of federal law - the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - not to provide equal access to public transportation for people with disabilities. That means all Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) buses must be equipped with working equipment to secure wheelchairs, and MTA drivers must be trained in how to use the securements.
From the Los Angeles Times ‘LA Now’ blog (May 23) - Three thousand state workers and advocates gathered in downtown Los Angeles yesterday to protest California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to the state home-care program. The state plans to cut wages for state workers from $12.35 to $8 per hour and reduce the number of hours. Parents of children with disabilities said the pay cut would force caregivers out of the profession.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday round-up
From the Auburn Journal in Sacramento, California (May 21) - Approximately 2000 people with disabilities and their allies will be at the Capitol on May 27 for the 6th Annual Disability Capitol Action Day from 10am-3pm. The theme of this year’s event is based on the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead Decision which requires all states, including California, to implement an Olmstead plan that provides services which allow people with disabilities the choice of living in the community as opposed to institutions. For more information contact Christina Mills at Christina@cfilc.org, or http://www.disabilityactioncoalition.org/, 916-325-1690 ext. 333. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the Associated Press in Muskegon, Michigan (May 20) - Timothy Andrew Carl, a 27-year-old nurse’s aide who authorities say abused an elderly couple by urinating in the woman’s hair and pouring liquid soap on her husband’s head in February 2008 has been sentenced to one year in prison. He was also ordered to spend five years on probation and continue mental health treatment. Carl apologized in court to the victims’ family for “betraying their trust.”
From the Gwinnet Daily Post in Gwinnet, Georgia (May 20) - Marshae Brooks and Demarcus Crawford have been indicted as part of an alleged four-person robbing crew accused of killing 51-year old Tedla Lemma in a home-invasion in March last year. According to prosecutors say Brooks and Crawford allegedly beat, gagged and hog-tied the victim and left him for dead. Unable to breathe through the gag, Mr Lemma suffocated. Brooks and Crawford face counts of murder, felony murder, burglary and false imprisonment. Brooks is also charged with armed robbery, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault stemming from three other incidents. Last month, a jury convicted Quincy Jackson, of murder and related charges in Mr Lemma's death. A key witness in Jackson's trial, Lorna Araya, is accused of masterminding the home invasion.
From the Washington Times (May 20) - A Government Accountability Office report shows that the use of seclusion and physical restraint in schools disproportionately impacts students with disabilities and has resulted in hundreds of possible abuse cases and at least 20 deaths. According to House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, who requested the report and held a committee hearing on Tuesday to highlight the findings, “This behavior, in some instances, looks like torture. The current situation is unacceptable and cannot continue.”
From the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Associated Press (May 19) - Five former employees of the Corpus Christi State School have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from cellphone videos of fights staged between residents with intellectual disabilities at the Texas institution. Each of the five men are charged with causing injury to a disabled person. A sixth person, Stephanie Garza, is accused of failing to intervene and will be arraigned later this month. According to police, eleven employees organized the fights, which took place over the past two years.
From the Dallas Morning News (May 19) - According to state records, dozens of employees at Texas institutions were fired for serious abuse and neglect, such as whipping a resident in the mouth with a belt, during the same two-year period as the late night “fight clubs.”
From the Houston Chronicle (May 18) - Hundreds of abuse complaints involving the mentally disabled residents of Texas state schools are made to local police each year but rarely do they result in criminal charges, largely because the cases are too difficult to prove, according to a three-year snapshot of data obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
From Canwest News Service in Canada (May 18) - A major new study by Yale University scientists shows bias against obese people is growing. The scientists, who searched through medical studies on weight bias published between January 2000 and May 2008 found that more than half of 620 doctors surveyed view obese patients as "awkward,'' "unattractive,'' "ugly'' and "non-compliant.'' A third went further, painting the obese as weak-willed, sloppy and lazy. Even dietitians, personal trainers and doctors who specialize in treating obesity exhibit fat phobia.
From the Times-Union in Jacksonsville, Florida (May 18) - Local authorities say the number of people with disabilities being denied housing or the right to make reasonable modifications is on the rise. People with disabilities are covered under the federal Fair Housing Act, which also prohibits housing discrimination based on race, sex or family status.
From the Auburn Journal in Sacramento, California (May 21) - Approximately 2000 people with disabilities and their allies will be at the Capitol on May 27 for the 6th Annual Disability Capitol Action Day from 10am-3pm. The theme of this year’s event is based on the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead Decision which requires all states, including California, to implement an Olmstead plan that provides services which allow people with disabilities the choice of living in the community as opposed to institutions. For more information contact Christina Mills at Christina@cfilc.org, or http://www.disabilityactioncoalition.org/, 916-325-1690 ext. 333. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the Associated Press in Muskegon, Michigan (May 20) - Timothy Andrew Carl, a 27-year-old nurse’s aide who authorities say abused an elderly couple by urinating in the woman’s hair and pouring liquid soap on her husband’s head in February 2008 has been sentenced to one year in prison. He was also ordered to spend five years on probation and continue mental health treatment. Carl apologized in court to the victims’ family for “betraying their trust.”
From the Gwinnet Daily Post in Gwinnet, Georgia (May 20) - Marshae Brooks and Demarcus Crawford have been indicted as part of an alleged four-person robbing crew accused of killing 51-year old Tedla Lemma in a home-invasion in March last year. According to prosecutors say Brooks and Crawford allegedly beat, gagged and hog-tied the victim and left him for dead. Unable to breathe through the gag, Mr Lemma suffocated. Brooks and Crawford face counts of murder, felony murder, burglary and false imprisonment. Brooks is also charged with armed robbery, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault stemming from three other incidents. Last month, a jury convicted Quincy Jackson, of murder and related charges in Mr Lemma's death. A key witness in Jackson's trial, Lorna Araya, is accused of masterminding the home invasion.
From the Washington Times (May 20) - A Government Accountability Office report shows that the use of seclusion and physical restraint in schools disproportionately impacts students with disabilities and has resulted in hundreds of possible abuse cases and at least 20 deaths. According to House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, who requested the report and held a committee hearing on Tuesday to highlight the findings, “This behavior, in some instances, looks like torture. The current situation is unacceptable and cannot continue.”
From the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Associated Press (May 19) - Five former employees of the Corpus Christi State School have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from cellphone videos of fights staged between residents with intellectual disabilities at the Texas institution. Each of the five men are charged with causing injury to a disabled person. A sixth person, Stephanie Garza, is accused of failing to intervene and will be arraigned later this month. According to police, eleven employees organized the fights, which took place over the past two years.
From the Dallas Morning News (May 19) - According to state records, dozens of employees at Texas institutions were fired for serious abuse and neglect, such as whipping a resident in the mouth with a belt, during the same two-year period as the late night “fight clubs.”
From the Houston Chronicle (May 18) - Hundreds of abuse complaints involving the mentally disabled residents of Texas state schools are made to local police each year but rarely do they result in criminal charges, largely because the cases are too difficult to prove, according to a three-year snapshot of data obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
From Canwest News Service in Canada (May 18) - A major new study by Yale University scientists shows bias against obese people is growing. The scientists, who searched through medical studies on weight bias published between January 2000 and May 2008 found that more than half of 620 doctors surveyed view obese patients as "awkward,'' "unattractive,'' "ugly'' and "non-compliant.'' A third went further, painting the obese as weak-willed, sloppy and lazy. Even dietitians, personal trainers and doctors who specialize in treating obesity exhibit fat phobia.
From the Times-Union in Jacksonsville, Florida (May 18) - Local authorities say the number of people with disabilities being denied housing or the right to make reasonable modifications is on the rise. People with disabilities are covered under the federal Fair Housing Act, which also prohibits housing discrimination based on race, sex or family status.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Friday round-up
From The Associated Press, Trenton, New Jersey (May 13) - Disabled New Jerseyans are planning to protest Gov. Jon S. Corzine's proposed budget outside the Statehouse May 14. The budget calls for cutting $125,000 from five of the state's 12 Centers for Independent Living.
From AP/Houston Chronicle (May 13) - About two dozen disability activists from three advocacy groups unfurled banners and protested at the Texas state Capitol yesterday, alleging the state legislature is “failing the disability community.”
From FOX News in Box Elder County, Utah (May 13) - A Box Elder County school bus driver is on suspension after a five-year-old autistic boy fell asleep on her bus and was later found wandering the streets. The boy, Dylan Snow, has autism spectrum disorder and dozed off as he was going to the early learning center preschool in Corinne. According to the Box Elder County superintendent's office, when the kids were dropped off at the school, neither the bus driver or aide checked to see if everyone got off.
From the Portland Oregonian (May 12) - 47-year-old Margie Tisdale been sentenced to a year in jail for stealing $5,000 from the bank accounts of the adults with disabilities she had been hired to assist. Ms Tisdale was employed by the nonprofit United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon and Southwest Washington. According to prosecutors, she stole money from five people and spent it on manicures, lattes and her rent.
From the San Jose Mercury News (May 12 - Mental health advocates are protesting against the recently opened Psycho Donuts store in Campbell, California, saying it encourages stigma against people with mental illness.
From the Philadelphia News (May 12) - Nicola Cantisani, a blind professional translator en route on a US Airways flight from Philadephia to Belgium was arrested, dragged off the plane and accused of faking his blindness after he stood up and questioned why his was delayed nearly two hours. Mr Cantisani, of Brussels, Belgium, who has been blind since birth, was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, police said.
From The Coloradoan (May 12) - Activists in Fort Collins, Colarado, are seeking a change in a city ordinance that would permit wheelchairs in bike lanes on city streets. The current ordinance requires wheelchair users, who are defined as pedestrians, to use sidewalks when they are available. When there is no sidewalk, a pedestrian may use the street but is instructed to stay as far to the right shoulder as possible. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the San Jose Mercury News in Santa Clara, California (May 11) - A federal investigation has found that Millikin School in Santa Clara, the fifth-highest scoring elementary school in California, illegally discriminated against students with disabilities by discouraging them from attending. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said the Santa Clara Unified School District has been forcing students in special education who need a resource aide to choose between getting an aide or attending Millikin because the school does not routinely provide that service.
From Caller.com in Corpus Christi, Texas (May 7) - A grand jury indicted six former state school employees on felony charges, accusing them of staging fight club-style brawls between residents. D’Angelo Riley, 22; Jesse Salazar, 25; Guadalupe Delarosa Jr., 22; Vincent Johnson, 22; and Timothy Dixon, 30; all were indicted Thursday on injury to a disabled person, a third-degree felony. Stephanie Garza, 21, faces the same charge but as a state jail felony.
From The Associated Press, Trenton, New Jersey (May 13) - Disabled New Jerseyans are planning to protest Gov. Jon S. Corzine's proposed budget outside the Statehouse May 14. The budget calls for cutting $125,000 from five of the state's 12 Centers for Independent Living.
From AP/Houston Chronicle (May 13) - About two dozen disability activists from three advocacy groups unfurled banners and protested at the Texas state Capitol yesterday, alleging the state legislature is “failing the disability community.”
From FOX News in Box Elder County, Utah (May 13) - A Box Elder County school bus driver is on suspension after a five-year-old autistic boy fell asleep on her bus and was later found wandering the streets. The boy, Dylan Snow, has autism spectrum disorder and dozed off as he was going to the early learning center preschool in Corinne. According to the Box Elder County superintendent's office, when the kids were dropped off at the school, neither the bus driver or aide checked to see if everyone got off.
From the Portland Oregonian (May 12) - 47-year-old Margie Tisdale been sentenced to a year in jail for stealing $5,000 from the bank accounts of the adults with disabilities she had been hired to assist. Ms Tisdale was employed by the nonprofit United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon and Southwest Washington. According to prosecutors, she stole money from five people and spent it on manicures, lattes and her rent.
From the San Jose Mercury News (May 12 - Mental health advocates are protesting against the recently opened Psycho Donuts store in Campbell, California, saying it encourages stigma against people with mental illness.
From the Philadelphia News (May 12) - Nicola Cantisani, a blind professional translator en route on a US Airways flight from Philadephia to Belgium was arrested, dragged off the plane and accused of faking his blindness after he stood up and questioned why his was delayed nearly two hours. Mr Cantisani, of Brussels, Belgium, who has been blind since birth, was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, police said.
From The Coloradoan (May 12) - Activists in Fort Collins, Colarado, are seeking a change in a city ordinance that would permit wheelchairs in bike lanes on city streets. The current ordinance requires wheelchair users, who are defined as pedestrians, to use sidewalks when they are available. When there is no sidewalk, a pedestrian may use the street but is instructed to stay as far to the right shoulder as possible. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the San Jose Mercury News in Santa Clara, California (May 11) - A federal investigation has found that Millikin School in Santa Clara, the fifth-highest scoring elementary school in California, illegally discriminated against students with disabilities by discouraging them from attending. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said the Santa Clara Unified School District has been forcing students in special education who need a resource aide to choose between getting an aide or attending Millikin because the school does not routinely provide that service.
From Caller.com in Corpus Christi, Texas (May 7) - A grand jury indicted six former state school employees on felony charges, accusing them of staging fight club-style brawls between residents. D’Angelo Riley, 22; Jesse Salazar, 25; Guadalupe Delarosa Jr., 22; Vincent Johnson, 22; and Timothy Dixon, 30; all were indicted Thursday on injury to a disabled person, a third-degree felony. Stephanie Garza, 21, faces the same charge but as a state jail felony.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Friday round-up
From The Associated Press (May 7) - In an appearance on NBC's "Today" program, 46-year-old Connie Culp, the nation's first face transplant recipient, said she wants to help foster acceptance of those who have suffered burns and other disfiguring injuries."When somebody has a disfigurement and don't look as pretty as you do, don't judge them, because you never know what happened to them," she said. "Don't judge people who don't look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away."
From The Shelby Star in Lattimore, North Carolina, (May 7) - Martha Mason, 72, who lived in an iron lung for 61 years, died early May 4 at her home in Lattimore. Ms Mason told an ABC News reporter just before her 71st birthday, "My story's been one of joy, one of wonderful experiences. It has not been perfect. But that's what people need to understand - that I have had a good life."
From the Boston Globe (May 5) - A controversy is growing over the use of physical restraints in schools, triggered by a surge in the number of students of who have behavioral issues and a teacher population that is nervous about increasing school violence. Lack of teacher training and budget-driven staffing shortages have compounded the problem, critics say. Advocates say students in special education are especially vulnerable to mistreatment.
From Reuters (May 4) - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 1 in 5 Americans have a disability and that will increase as baby boomers age. The number of Americans with a disability rose 7.7 percent, or by 3.4 million people, to nearly 48 million between 1999 and 2005, the report says.
From the Austin American-Statesman (May 4) - Owners of an Austin-area clinic which treats children with autism using controversial techniques say the center is facing a financial crisis in the wake of investigations by three major insurers. The Texas Medical Board is also investigating the clinic’s medical director. Among charges disputed by insurers is the clinic’s use of chelation, which is not approved by the FDA for treating autism. Doctors say it is risky and has not been proven effective.
From Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio (May 4) - Columnist Connie Schultz commends Ohio for moving toward banning the word “retardation” from state and county agencies that serve those with developmental disabilities. Ohio’s bill has already passed the state senate. Forty other states have approved the change.
From The Hindu in New Delhi, India (May 3) - The advocacy of an Indian women with disabilities who uses a wheelchair has led to great accessibily for wheelchair users in New Delhi's Central Park. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the Guardian in the United Kingdom (May 2) - According to a report by the UK Equalities and Human Rights Commission, people with disabilities are more than four times likely to be victims of physcial and verbal abuse and urgent action is needed if a “hidden catastrophe” of violence and hostility towards disabled people is to be tackled. The report paints a bleak picture of disabled people’s experience of physical and verbal abuse and reinforces persistent warnings from disability campaigners that the problem has not been taken seriously enough.
From The Associated Press (May 7) - In an appearance on NBC's "Today" program, 46-year-old Connie Culp, the nation's first face transplant recipient, said she wants to help foster acceptance of those who have suffered burns and other disfiguring injuries."When somebody has a disfigurement and don't look as pretty as you do, don't judge them, because you never know what happened to them," she said. "Don't judge people who don't look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away."
From The Shelby Star in Lattimore, North Carolina, (May 7) - Martha Mason, 72, who lived in an iron lung for 61 years, died early May 4 at her home in Lattimore. Ms Mason told an ABC News reporter just before her 71st birthday, "My story's been one of joy, one of wonderful experiences. It has not been perfect. But that's what people need to understand - that I have had a good life."
From the Boston Globe (May 5) - A controversy is growing over the use of physical restraints in schools, triggered by a surge in the number of students of who have behavioral issues and a teacher population that is nervous about increasing school violence. Lack of teacher training and budget-driven staffing shortages have compounded the problem, critics say. Advocates say students in special education are especially vulnerable to mistreatment.
From Reuters (May 4) - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 1 in 5 Americans have a disability and that will increase as baby boomers age. The number of Americans with a disability rose 7.7 percent, or by 3.4 million people, to nearly 48 million between 1999 and 2005, the report says.
From the Austin American-Statesman (May 4) - Owners of an Austin-area clinic which treats children with autism using controversial techniques say the center is facing a financial crisis in the wake of investigations by three major insurers. The Texas Medical Board is also investigating the clinic’s medical director. Among charges disputed by insurers is the clinic’s use of chelation, which is not approved by the FDA for treating autism. Doctors say it is risky and has not been proven effective.
From Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio (May 4) - Columnist Connie Schultz commends Ohio for moving toward banning the word “retardation” from state and county agencies that serve those with developmental disabilities. Ohio’s bill has already passed the state senate. Forty other states have approved the change.
From The Hindu in New Delhi, India (May 3) - The advocacy of an Indian women with disabilities who uses a wheelchair has led to great accessibily for wheelchair users in New Delhi's Central Park. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the Guardian in the United Kingdom (May 2) - According to a report by the UK Equalities and Human Rights Commission, people with disabilities are more than four times likely to be victims of physcial and verbal abuse and urgent action is needed if a “hidden catastrophe” of violence and hostility towards disabled people is to be tackled. The report paints a bleak picture of disabled people’s experience of physical and verbal abuse and reinforces persistent warnings from disability campaigners that the problem has not been taken seriously enough.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday round-up
From The Guardian in the UK (April 20) - A British teenager who was refused a place at his local school because he has Asperger's syndrome has won a conditional offer to study engineering at Cambridge.
From the Los Angeles Times (April 18) - LA County prosecutors have filed murder charges against a 30-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair accusing her of fatally stabbing a teenage girl earlier this week. Her 54-year-old mother and codefendant faces one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
From Chicago Breaking News (April 24) - Former Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckwort was confirmed by the Senate for a post in the Obama administration as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Veterans AffairsDepartment. Duckworth, a veteran of the Iraq War who was injured when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade, will be Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. Duckworth lost her left leg and her right leg has since been amputated due to injuries she sustained in the attack. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the St. John's Telegram in Canada (April 23) - A Newfoundland woman has lodged a complaint with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary after her 18-year-old autistic son was arrested by police officers who thought he was drunk. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the Union Leader in Concord, New Hampshire (April 22) - A 67-year-old local woman has been charged with stealing $49,000 in Social Security disability payments intended for the benefit of her child. The indictment alleges she converted the money to her own use. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000.
From KPLC TV in Lake Charles, LA (April 22) - A 68-year-old man who uses a motorized wheelchair has been arrested for burglary and theft. According to deputies, several witnesses say they saw the man making several trips into a house in Moss Bluff, that's been unoccupied since 2005, and taking items out. Numerous items from the house have been found inside the man's home.
From The New York Times (April 22) - The city’s public housing agency is violating the rights of tenants with disabilities and other health problems by failing to properly maintain its elevators, leaving them stranded for hours during frequent breakdowns, according to a federal class-action lawsuit to be filed April 21.
From the Times-Union in New York (April 22) - Last month's fire which killed four disabled people in an Adirondack group residence has prompted a state senator to propose legislation that would give local building inspectors more say in the structures.
From the Austin [Texas] American-Statesman (April 21) - The Texas legislature is considering a bill that would ban variations of the word “retarded,” inculding "mental retardation" in official state business. The bill, promoted by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), would replace the terms with variations of the phrase “intellectual disabilities.”
From the New York Times (April 21) - Clark Hoyt, public editor of the New York Times says the organization’s style manual now decrees that the word “dwarf” — not “midget” — should be used to refer to people with a genetic condition resulting in unusually short stature (h/t Patricia E Bauer).From The Guardian in the UK (April 20) - A British teenager who was refused a place at his local school because he has Asperger's syndrome has won a conditional offer to study engineering at Cambridge.
From the Los Angeles Times (April 18) - LA County prosecutors have filed murder charges against a 30-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair accusing her of fatally stabbing a teenage girl earlier this week. Her 54-year-old mother and codefendant faces one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday round-up
From ITN in the UK (April 16) (h/t to Media dis&dat) - Five-year-old amputee Ellie Challis, who lost her arms and legs to meningitis at 16 months of age, has become the youngest person ever to be given prosthetic blades.
From the Toronto [Ontario] Star, (April 15) - The parents of Annie Farlow, an infant with Down syndrome who died at an Toronto hospital in 2005, are pressing a claim before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal alleging that their daughter received inadequate care because the hospital withholds life-saving treatment from infants with disabilities. According to Barbara and Tim Farlow, Annie was admitted to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children with breathing problems but did not receive proper care because a “do not resuscitate” order was issued without their knowledge or consent.
From The Daily Mirror in the UK (April 15) - Paralympic gold-medalist Oscar Pistorius has told how a boating accident shattered his face and threatened his life - but will not stop him competing at next month's BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.
From WCBS-TV in New York (April 15) - A group of New York City police officers have been accused of beating a man with a mental illness. The NYPD says the incident was a case of self-defense, but the man's family says it went beyond that.
From The Daily Mail in the UK (April 15) - An 18-year-old man with cerebral palsy claims he was refused entry to a pub and verbally abused when bouncers mistook his disability for drunkenness.
From WABC-TV in New York city (April 14) - A 59-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair is is being sued by a man she shot in the elbow after he allegedly tried to steal from her. Margaret Johnson was slapped with a lawsuit by Deron Johnson, who she shot with a .357 Magnum. She accused Johnson of choking her for her gold chains and trying to mug her as she rode her scooter.
From the Des Moines Register in Iowa (April 13) - Federal, state and county investigators are advancing their probe into Henry’s Turkey Service, the company that is suspected of exploiting and neglecting workers with intellectual disabilities in Atalissa, Iowa.
From Times Union in New York (April 12) - TUPPER LAKE, N.Y. - Eleven developmentally disabled adults were evacuated from a group home in Tupper Lake, NY, on April 9 when a frayed electrical wire on an air mattress started a fire in a bedroom, state officials said. No one was injured in the blaze, which came less than two weeks after four residents died in a fire at the Riverview group home in Wells.
From the New York Times (April 11) - In the midst of deepening and widespread budget deficits, more than 34 states have cut programs for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
From the Cape Cod Times (April 10) - Local police are investigating the alleged abuse of a special needs student on a school bus, according to school district administrators and Mashpee parents. Video tapes recorded on a Cape Cod Collaborative school bus appear to show evidence that a bus driver and bus monitor verbally, and possibly physically, abused the unidentified student, who has social and emotional disabilities.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Friday round-up
From The Oregonian (April 3) - Telephone surveys of former students in every Oregon school district found that only about 1,150 of the 4,200 special education students who finished their high school education in 2006-07 spent the next year without getting a job that paid minimum wage or any post-secondary education.
From the Legal Intelligencer/www.law.com (April 3) - In what some say is the first decision of its kind, a federal judge has ruled that a sperm bank may be sued under product liability laws for failing to detect that a sperm donor had a genetic mutation. (h/t Patricia E Bauer)
From the Globe and Mail and CBS News in Toronto, Canada (April 9) - (CBS) A heart transplant between two baby girls in Canada had to be abandoned because one of the baby's continued to breath on her own after being removed from life support. Kaylee Wallace, 2 months, has a rare brain called Joubert Syndrome that affects motor functions and the ability to breathe. Believing their child would soon die, her parents decided to donate her heart to another little girl in need. But when they took her off life support, Kaylee continued to breathe on her own, despite warnings from doctors that she would not be able to survive without the help of a respirator. To read Not Dead Yet's analysis and response of this case, see here.
From the Los Angeles Times (April 9) - Blind pianist and singer Scott MacIntyre was eliminated from "American Idol" tonight. He received the lowest number of votes after Anoop Desai, and the four judges, although they said they had a 2-2 tie on whether to save MacIntyre, voted not to save him, which would have allowed him to remain on the show.
From the NY Daily News, (April 8) - A bus matron charged with leaving a severely disabled man on a freezing bus at a Brooklyn depot faces three years' probation, prosecutors said April 6. Linda Hockaday, 51, who pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count in the case, also faces 100 hours of community service when she is sentenced April 22. An earlier story is here.
From CanWest News Service, (April 8) - Air Canada is challenging a deaf and blind man's contention that he should be allowed to fly without an attendant.The airline will argue in Federal Court that not allowing Burnaby resident Eddy Morten to fly alone is justified discrimination. Morten counters that he has a system for safe air travel with his service dog, he has been self-sufficient all his life, and that he has made many past trips on planes, trains and buses.
From the Chicago Tribune (April 8) - A Paris, Texas judge has refused to re-consider the 100-year prison sentence he gave to an 18-year-old teenager with an an IQ of 47 after he pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old boy.
From the Dallas Morning News, (April 7) - An investigation of personnel records by the Dallas Morning News has found that the 11 Corpus Christi State School employees accused of staging “fight club” brawls between residents with intellectual disabilities were hired despite limited work experience, limited education and poor work histories.
From the Caller-Times in Corpus Christi, Texas, (April 4) - The sixth person charged in suspicion of staging fight-club style brawls between patients at Corpus Christi State School was arrested April 3 in South Carolina. US. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested D’Angelo Riley, 22, on a warrant for injury to a disabled person. Riley was taken into custody at 5:45 a.m. at a relative’s home in Charleston, S.C.
From the Examiner in Aurora, Colorado (April 3) - A lawsuit claims a developmentally disabled 5-year-old was regularly strapped into a chair in an Aurora school and that a teacher once refused to release her because she "had not been broken yet." Her family's attorney, Jack Robinson, says the girl has epilepsy and other impairments and didn't need to be restrained. Robinson says the girl, now 8 years old, Robinson says the girl, now 8 years old, is doing well in the Cherry Creek School District.From The Oregonian (April 3) - Telephone surveys of former students in every Oregon school district found that only about 1,150 of the 4,200 special education students who finished their high school education in 2006-07 spent the next year without getting a job that paid minimum wage or any post-secondary education.
From the Legal Intelligencer/www.law.com (April 3) - In what some say is the first decision of its kind, a federal judge has ruled that a sperm bank may be sued under product liability laws for failing to detect that a sperm donor had a genetic mutation. (h/t Patricia E Bauer)
Friday, April 03, 2009
Friday round-up
From The AP, Port Lucie, Florida (April 2) - A teacher who held a vote to kick a 5-year-old autistic student from his kindergarten classroom lost her appeal for reinstatement. On March 31, an administrative law judge upheld the St. Lucie School Board's decision to suspend Wendy Portillo for a year without pay and remove her tenure.
From the Boston Globe (April 2) - Massachusetts officials say reports of fraud, abuse and neglect by personal health care attendants in the state have tripled over the past few years, just as the state’s Medicaid program has significantly increased the amount of money it spends on the workers.
From the Tennessean in Nashville, Tennessee (April 1) - The recent handcuffing and arrest of a twelve-year-old boy with autism has fueled an ongoing debate in Tennessee about how school officials should handle behavioral outbursts by students with developmental disabilities.
From the National Council on Disability (April 1) - The number of people with disabilities employed in the federal workforce is less than one percent and has been steadily shrinking, according to a report released this week by the National Council on Disability. The nine conditions targeted for coverage in the report are: “deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, convulsive disorders, mental retardation, mental illness, and distortion of limb and/or spine.” (h/t Patricia E Bauer)
From CBS 5 TV in San Francisco (April 1) - A year-long CBS 5 investigation that uncovered numerous incidents of locking school children up in closet like "quiet rooms" for misbehaving is going national.
From the Associated Press (March 31) - The Special Olympics campaign to ban the R word goes nationwide. Among those who endorsed the campaign were governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Brad Henry of Oklahoma and Chet Culver of Iowa.
From the News Times in Norwich, Connecticut (March 31) - Police say a 61-year-old Connecticut man tricked a 54-year intellectually impaired co-worker into handing over hundreds of dollars a week for a bogus lottery, a theft that added up to $45,000 over eight years. Sixty-six-year-old George Flynn of Stonington was arraigned on a first-degree larceny charge Monday in Norwich Superior Court and is being held on $150,000 bond.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday round-up
From the Associated Press in Mancester, England (March 26) - Natalie du Toit, the first female amputee swimmer to qualify for the Olympics, will compete in the Paralympic World Cup and against able-bodied swimmers at the World Championships.
From the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio (March 26) - A 41-year-old man and his 65-year-old mother are under investigation for attempted murder for allegedly trying to remove life support (turning off the oxygen and removed the oxygen tubing) from an 89-year-old Cleveland Clinic patient who is the grandma and mother of the suspects. (h/t Medical Futility)
From the [UK] Guardian (March 25) - A UK investigation into six deaths has found that the national health system failed to protect patients with intellectual disabilities and left families who complained about the health care “drained and demoralized.”Among those who died was Martin Ryan, a 43-year-old man with Down syndrome, who was admitted to a hospital following a stroke and went without food for 26 days. By the time the mistake was recognized, he was too weak to be helped. According to the report, Ryan’s death could have been avoided had “the care and treatment provided not fallen so far below the relevant standard.”
From the AP/Houston Chronicle (March 24) - The family of Hasib Chishty is seeking permission to sue the state of Texas for a 2002 attack at the Denton State School that left the 34-year-old developmentally disabled man paralyzed. Chishty’s attacker went to prison and his family has been seeking to sue the state for years, but has been blocked by the Texas sovereign immunity statute. (h/t PatriciaEBauer)
From the Associated Press/Houston Chronicle (March 23) - Nine more employees at Corpus Christi State School are under investigation for allegedly failing to intervene in new fights between residents last Wednesday and Thursday. As noted in an earlier post, authorities had issued six arrest warrants earlier this month for current and former state workers accused of staging “flight-club” style brawls among residents with intellectual disabilities.
From DiversityInc. Magazine (March 23) - Internationally recognized disability-rights leader Kathy Martinez was nominated for assistant secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) by President Barack Obama on March 20. Martinez, who has been blind since birth, specializes in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, and diversity and gender issues from her work as executive director of the World Institute on Disability (WID). (h/t Media dis&dat)
From the Sacramento Bee in California (March 22) - A former Davis resident has been convicted of stealing from her disabled adult daughter and using the funds to buy antiques.
From the New York Times, Boston Globe (March 20) - Melvin D. Levine, a pediatrician and best-selling author of books about learning disabilities, has surrendered his medical license amid charges of sexually abusing as many as 50 boys in his care. Levine signed an agreement with the medical board of North Carolina that bars him from ever again practicing medicine anywhere in the world.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday roundup
From the BBC, Britain, UK (March 19) - A new law widening the definition of hate crimes to include attacks on gay or disabled people has been passed in principle. MSPs voted unanimously in favour of making them aggravated offences that can be more severely punished.
From the AP/Seattle Times (March 19) - North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue has proposed spending $250,000 from her budget to set up a foundation aimed at providing justice and compensation for the victims of the state’s eugenic sterilization program. North Carolina was one of more than two dozen states that ran programs of forced eugenic sterilization. The programs targeted women who were considered — sometimes inaccurately — to be mentally deficient or genetically inferior. From 1929 until 1974, more than 7,600 people were forcibly sterilized under North Carolina’s program. (h/t Patricia E Bauer)
From CNN (March 19): Oscar Pistorius will compete at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, England, in May after recovering from a boating accident in South Africa. (h/t Media dis&dat)
From AP/Seattle Times and the Chicago Tribune (March 18) - Kurt Perry, 26, a Chicago man diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), whose February 26 assisted suicide plans were put on hold after the Final Exit Network arrests last month, says he has found a new reason to live: defending the right-to-die movement. CMT is described as a painful inherited neurological disorder that weakens his limbs and breathing. According to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, the condition usually isn’t life-threatening.
From National Public Radio: The arrests over the alleged “human cockfights” at the Corpus Christi State School are only the latest in a long history of abuse in Texas institutions for people with intellectual disabilities. Just last Friday, a 53-year-old woman died of a head injury after being hit by another resident in a hallway collision at a facility in Denton. State officials say it was an accident. A county coroner ruled it a homicide. The Justice Department found there had been 450 cases of abuse over just the previous year. And in four years, more than 800 state employees had been suspended or fired.
From The Daily Mail in the UK (March 17) - British mother, Lucy Baxter, is appealing for help in finding a sexual partner for her 21-year-old son, Otto, who has Down sydnrome. She says she is prepared to pay for a prostitute for Otto.
From the [Canadian] National Post and CBC (March 16) - A Quebec couple is suing Montreal Children’s Hospital for $3.5 million for putting their daughter back on life support without their permission. According to the couple's lawyer, had withdrawn life supports from their infant daughter at the recommendation of doctors. He said the hospital’s ethics committee overruled their decision and resumed her feeding without consulting them. The little girl is described as “severely disabled.” (See also this post by Thaddeus Mason Pope over at Medical Futility)
From The AP, Coos BAY, Oregon (March 15) - A Coos County teenager with severe autism has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a 59-year-old woman who lived with his father.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday round-up
From the Associated Press, McAllen, Texas (March 12) - Police issued arrest warrants for six employees of a Corpus Christi state home accused of staging or failing to report after-hours fights between intellectually disabled residents. All six are charged with causing injury to a disabled person. As conveyed in an earlier post, police learned of the fights after someone gave an off-duty officer videos that show intellectually disabled male residents fighting each other while the employees watch. Gov. Rick Perry has ordered a moratorium on new admissions to the Corpus Christi facility and demanding the installation of security cameras. See also this report in the Dallas News which says that allegations of staff members forcing intellectually disabled residents to fight each other have been confirmed in at least two other Texas institutions.
From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), (March 11) - Former students of a now-closed school for the deaf have filed a class action lawsuit against the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, alleging they were sexually and physically abused by employees at the government-funded residential school and other students. According to their lawyer, they were unable to report the abuse because the school had complete control over their lives.
From an ADAPT press release at the AAPD Justice for All blog (March 11) - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) will introduce the Community Choice Act (CCA) in both houses of Congress on March 24. The CCA will allow people with disabilities and older people to choose to stay in their own homes and communities with attendant care instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions by the current institutional bias in Medicaid. Both President Obama and Vice President Biden were CCA co-sponsors during their years in the Senate.
From The Times of India in Chennai, India (March 11) - According to a survey released on International Women's Day on March 8, less than 50% of women with disabilities hold jobs. Of the employed disabled women, nearly 40% are in craft-based and sheltered workshops (h/t Media dis&dat)
From The AP, Big Stone Gap, Virginia (March 11) - Federal officials say Advance Auto Parts Inc. will pay $50,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit that claimed the company refused to hire a man because he has cerebral palsy.The lawsuit said Jeffrey Scott Sanders completed a sales internship at the company's store in Staunton. But the company wouldn't hire Sanders for a part-time sales job at the Norton store in September 2004. According to the lawsuit, at least one other person less qualified than Sanders was hired.
From WZTV, Frankfort, Kentucky (March 10) - A worker at a home that cares for people with disabilities has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of an intellectually disabled patient in 2007. In addition, Matthew Bortles of Soldier also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and knowing abuse of a vulnerable adult. Another caregiver at the home, Branden Starostka, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and wanton abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult.Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bortles will serve eight years in prison and Starostka five.
From Canwest News Service in Canada (March 10) - Canada's two largest airlines must give disabled and morbidly obese passengers an extra free seat on domestic flights, beginning in January, after the Supreme Court refused yesterday to consider the carriers' appeal of a federal order.
From Dallas News, San Antonio, Dallas, Texas (March 9) - The death of a 54-year-old woman with schizophrenia and mild intellectual disabilities has spurred criticism of San Antonia State Hospital's release policy. The woman, who was dropped off by a worker at a downtown greyhound station just before Christmas after workers decided to send her home, was found dead three days later in brackish water in a concrete ditch in San Antonio.
From the Associated Press, McAllen, Texas (March 12) - Police issued arrest warrants for six employees of a Corpus Christi state home accused of staging or failing to report after-hours fights between intellectually disabled residents. All six are charged with causing injury to a disabled person. As conveyed in an earlier post, police learned of the fights after someone gave an off-duty officer videos that show intellectually disabled male residents fighting each other while the employees watch. Gov. Rick Perry has ordered a moratorium on new admissions to the Corpus Christi facility and demanding the installation of security cameras. See also this report in the Dallas News which says that allegations of staff members forcing intellectually disabled residents to fight each other have been confirmed in at least two other Texas institutions.
From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), (March 11) - Former students of a now-closed school for the deaf have filed a class action lawsuit against the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, alleging they were sexually and physically abused by employees at the government-funded residential school and other students. According to their lawyer, they were unable to report the abuse because the school had complete control over their lives.
From an ADAPT press release at the AAPD Justice for All blog (March 11) - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) will introduce the Community Choice Act (CCA) in both houses of Congress on March 24. The CCA will allow people with disabilities and older people to choose to stay in their own homes and communities with attendant care instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions by the current institutional bias in Medicaid. Both President Obama and Vice President Biden were CCA co-sponsors during their years in the Senate.
From The Times of India in Chennai, India (March 11) - According to a survey released on International Women's Day on March 8, less than 50% of women with disabilities hold jobs. Of the employed disabled women, nearly 40% are in craft-based and sheltered workshops (h/t Media dis&dat)
From The AP, Big Stone Gap, Virginia (March 11) - Federal officials say Advance Auto Parts Inc. will pay $50,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit that claimed the company refused to hire a man because he has cerebral palsy.The lawsuit said Jeffrey Scott Sanders completed a sales internship at the company's store in Staunton. But the company wouldn't hire Sanders for a part-time sales job at the Norton store in September 2004. According to the lawsuit, at least one other person less qualified than Sanders was hired.
From WZTV, Frankfort, Kentucky (March 10) - A worker at a home that cares for people with disabilities has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of an intellectually disabled patient in 2007. In addition, Matthew Bortles of Soldier also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and knowing abuse of a vulnerable adult. Another caregiver at the home, Branden Starostka, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and wanton abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult.Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bortles will serve eight years in prison and Starostka five.
From Canwest News Service in Canada (March 10) - Canada's two largest airlines must give disabled and morbidly obese passengers an extra free seat on domestic flights, beginning in January, after the Supreme Court refused yesterday to consider the carriers' appeal of a federal order.
From Dallas News, San Antonio, Dallas, Texas (March 9) - The death of a 54-year-old woman with schizophrenia and mild intellectual disabilities has spurred criticism of San Antonia State Hospital's release policy. The woman, who was dropped off by a worker at a downtown greyhound station just before Christmas after workers decided to send her home, was found dead three days later in brackish water in a concrete ditch in San Antonio.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Friday roundup
From WACH-TV in South Carolina (March 5): Hundreds of disability advocates rallied at the statehouse on March 4 protesting budget cuts over the last six months that have resulted in drastic service cuts. Among them, a small summer camp for young people with disabilities that advocates say is too important to lose.
From CBS 12 in Florida (March 5): A Palm Beach Gardens mother of twin boys with autism has started her own school for children with autism.
From The Star in Shelby, North Carolina (February 5): A 77 year-old man died the day after two men two men entered his home, robbed him and beat him with what police believe may have been his own cane. The man, who used a cane and sometimes an electric scooter, appears to have survived the attack but was found dead the next day.
From MSNBC (March 4): A report released by the Canadian corrections ombudsman into the death of 19-year-old Ashley Smith has found that her death was due to a break down and lack of coordination and cohesiveness of mental health care servicies.
Via the UK Guardian (March 2): A 68 year-old man has been arrested in connection with the killing of a 62-year-old disabled woman in Harlow, Essex. The woman was found by police in the driving seat of her car on Saturday suffering from multiple stab wounds and died from her injuries a short time later.
From the [UK] Daily Mail (March 2): Cerrie Burnell, a co-host on the BBC children's television channel CBeebies, says she is pleased she has sparked a national debate about people with disabilities on television, but wishes it hadn’t been necessary. As noted in an earlier FRIDA post, the BBC has received complaints and scores of emails from parents who oppose Burnell, saying she is frightening children. Ms Burnell was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow.
From WVEC in Chesapeake, VA (March 2): According to police, Constance Stepney, 55, gave her 19-year-old grandson, Terrel Stepny, who was autistic, a fatal dose of medicine before taking a fatal dose of her own. See also Kristina Chew's post What Terrell Stepney Liked (h/t ICAD)
From The AP (March 2): The term "mental retardation" will no longer be used in new Washington state laws, under a bill that has passed the state House. Under the measure, the phrase "intellectual disability" will be used in all future state laws in place of "mental retardation". Supporters say the term "mental retardation" is an outdated and insulting way of referring to people with intellectual disabilities. (h/t Media-dis-n-dat)
From the Savannah Morning News and Dawsonville [GA] Times.com (March 1): More than a thousand disability rights advocates rallied on the steps of the Georgia Capitol this week, insisting that legislators improve state funding to help people with disabilities live in their own homes instead of institutions. (h/t Patricia E Bauer)
From WACH-TV in South Carolina (March 5): Hundreds of disability advocates rallied at the statehouse on March 4 protesting budget cuts over the last six months that have resulted in drastic service cuts. Among them, a small summer camp for young people with disabilities that advocates say is too important to lose.
From CBS 12 in Florida (March 5): A Palm Beach Gardens mother of twin boys with autism has started her own school for children with autism.
From The Star in Shelby, North Carolina (February 5): A 77 year-old man died the day after two men two men entered his home, robbed him and beat him with what police believe may have been his own cane. The man, who used a cane and sometimes an electric scooter, appears to have survived the attack but was found dead the next day.
From MSNBC (March 4): A report released by the Canadian corrections ombudsman into the death of 19-year-old Ashley Smith has found that her death was due to a break down and lack of coordination and cohesiveness of mental health care servicies.
Via the UK Guardian (March 2): A 68 year-old man has been arrested in connection with the killing of a 62-year-old disabled woman in Harlow, Essex. The woman was found by police in the driving seat of her car on Saturday suffering from multiple stab wounds and died from her injuries a short time later.
From the [UK] Daily Mail (March 2): Cerrie Burnell, a co-host on the BBC children's television channel CBeebies, says she is pleased she has sparked a national debate about people with disabilities on television, but wishes it hadn’t been necessary. As noted in an earlier FRIDA post, the BBC has received complaints and scores of emails from parents who oppose Burnell, saying she is frightening children. Ms Burnell was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow.
From WVEC in Chesapeake, VA (March 2): According to police, Constance Stepney, 55, gave her 19-year-old grandson, Terrel Stepny, who was autistic, a fatal dose of medicine before taking a fatal dose of her own. See also Kristina Chew's post What Terrell Stepney Liked (h/t ICAD)
From The AP (March 2): The term "mental retardation" will no longer be used in new Washington state laws, under a bill that has passed the state House. Under the measure, the phrase "intellectual disability" will be used in all future state laws in place of "mental retardation". Supporters say the term "mental retardation" is an outdated and insulting way of referring to people with intellectual disabilities. (h/t Media-dis-n-dat)
From the Savannah Morning News and Dawsonville [GA] Times.com (March 1): More than a thousand disability rights advocates rallied on the steps of the Georgia Capitol this week, insisting that legislators improve state funding to help people with disabilities live in their own homes instead of institutions. (h/t Patricia E Bauer)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday roundup
From MSNBC, Broward County, South Florida (February 26) - A 44 year-old woman employed by United Cerebral Paly in Sunrise has been charged with exploiting four disabled residents of a South Florida care facility. According to investigators, the woman, who had access to the accounts of the four disabled adults, began using their credit and debit cards to remove funds from their accounts in September 2008. She also fraudulently used a credit card issued to the United Cerebral Palsy at three local Walmart Stores in November 2008. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
From MSNBC, Baltimore, Atlanta (February 26) - A doctor was arrested as part of an investigation into assisted suicide in Georgia. The investigation concerns the death of a 58-year-old man in Georgia last year and an organization called the Final Exit Network. Four people face charges. As is the case in most states, assisted suicide is illegal in Georgia. Investigators said the Final Exit Network used helium inhalation as its methods.
From WOWT-TV in Omaha, Nebraska (February 25) - Cherie Harbour has been found guilty of abuse of a vulnerable adult resulting in the death of her disabled daughter, Tawnisha Harbor. As conveyed in an earlier FRIDA posts, Ms Harbour was charged with locking 23-year-old Tawnisha in a room when their house caught fire in June 2007. Tawnisha, who used a wheelchair, died days later from burns she suffered in the fire. According to police, the bedroom door was shut and tied with a sheet and there was no inside door knob. Ms Harbour wiill be sentenced on May 5th and faces up to five years in prison. According to her defense attorney, an appeal will be filed.
From the Associated Press/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Atalissa, Iowa (February 25) - Iowa’s social service agency acknowledged on Tuesday that it looked into Henry's Turkey Service's treatment of its disabled workers twice, once in the 1970s and again in 1997, but did not act, because, officials, they lacked jurisdiction or sufficient evidence to proceed. As conveyed in an earlier FRIDA post, twenty-one men with intellectual disabilities were evacuated from a battered and padlocked bunkhouse at Henry's Turkey Service near the town of Atalissa earlier this month after a fire marshal concluded it was unsafe. State officials say the men had been living there for decades and were paid little for their work. An investigation is continuing.
From WTNH in Wilton, Connecticut (February 23) - Two women with developmental disabilities fied in a fire on Saturday morning at a Wilton condominium complex. Cynthia Timmins, 54, and Dana Conley, 57, both died from smoke inhalation. They were both clients of STAR Inc., a non-profit group that supports people with developmental disabilities. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
From BND.com, Belleville, Illinois (February 23) - A metro-east attorney appointed as a pubic guardian has been accused of using $6,300 of a disabled adult ward's money on himself.
From the Union Leader in Concord, N.H. (February 22) - A Concord woman was charged with felony theft after taking more than $6,000-worth of goods over a five year period from an senior person with disabilities she was hired to take care of.
From The Associated Press (February 22) - South African double-amputee sprinter and Paralympian Oscar Pistorius sustained head and facial injuries in a boat accident on Saturday, but according to his manager will be back on the track soon. Pistorius had surgery on Sunday and was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Johannesburg hospital where he was airlifted after the accident.
Friday, February 20, 2009
A roundup
From KETV (February 19) - The trial has begun in Omaho, Nebraska, for Cherie Harbor who has been accused of causing the death of her disabled daughter, Tawnisha Harbour. As conveyed in an earlier FRIDA post, Ms Harbour is charged with locking 23-year-old Tawnisha in a room when their house caught fire in June 2007. Tawnisha, who used a wheelchair, died days later from burns she suffered in the fire. According to police, the bedroom door was shut and tied with a sheet and there was no inside door knob.
From The Guardian (UK) (February 19) - A British woman with multiple sclerosis lost her court of appeal case to have the law on assisted suicide clarified. Debbie Purdy, 45, wanted to know if her husband, Omar Puente, would be prosecuted if he helped her travel to die in a country where it is legal. Under British law, aiding and abetting suicide is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
From The New York Times (February 18) - Peter Ash, a Canadian man with albinism is working to stop the killing of albinos in Tanzania for their body parts - more than 40 albinos have been killed since 2007 by gangs of men who hack off their legs, heads or genitals and run away with them.
From the Des Moines Register (February 16) - Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is planning congressional hearings over the alleged exploitation of 21 workers with intellectual disabilities for decades at a meat processing plant in Iowa. The scandal began last week when it was reported that Henry’s Turkey Service, a Texas company, was paying the men as little as 44 cents an hour to work at the plant, and was housing them in a 106-year-old bunkhouse with windows that were boarded up to keep out the cold. (h/t to Patricia E Bauer)
From KPTV (February 14) - A former special education teacher's aide in Vancouver resigned recently amid an investigation into whether she sent a string of sexually suggestive MySpace messages to a 13 year-old male student with Asperger's syndrome.
From MSNBC (February 12) - The siblings of Amelia Ramirez were convicted of forcing her to live in a backyard shed without electricity and stealing her government checks for years. As reported earlier by FRIDA, 58-year-old Ms Ramirez, who is developmentally disabled, was found freezing and nearly naked in their Redwood City, CA backyard in November. Her siblings, Lozano and Cano Ramirez allegedly told her there was no room for her in the house — but let their seven pit-bull terriers share the residence. Sentencing for the siblings is set for April 8.
Lancaster OnLine (February 11) - A nurse in charge of a 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy and elipesy appeared in court yesterday in connection with his death from a lethal dose of morphine.
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