Recent Blog Posts
The Next Step: Introducing Dislaw Consulting
Dislaw Consulting is the next step in bringing all that work together: protecting rights, strengthening cases, supporting other lawyers, advising organizations, and helping ensure that people with disabilities receive both effective advocacy and meaningful access to justice.
A New Adventure: Real Estate and Livability
The phrase Thoughtful Living for Real Life captures what I hope to build. I believe people are the experts in their own lives and should have the information and support they need to understand their options and choose their own path.
Accessibility Shouldn’t Be Rare
Overall, accessibility in the beauty space shouldn’t be rare, it should be the standard. Everyone deserves products that are thoughtfully designed, easy to use, and high quality.
Inclusion Aboard Icon of the Seas
By: Andrea Chavarriaga My name is Andrea Chavarriaga, and I am a high school sophomore sharing my experience aboard Icon of the Seas and how accessibility helps create a more inclusive travel experience for everyone. When I recently went on a cruise on the Icon of the Seas, I noticed how much cruise ships… Read More »
Get Ready to Vote: The Florida Primary Election
Florida’s Primary Election is happening this month! Election Day is Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Even if you do not have a party primary race on your ballot, you may still have important nonpartisan races or local questions to vote on.
Building Assets Through Work: How WIPA Help? (26-08)
Working and building financial security should go hand-in-hand. That’s where the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program comes in. Through WIPA, we help you understand how working can help you build lasting savings without putting your critical cash benefits or Medicaid coverage on the line.
Celebrating the ADA: Then & Now
The ADA is more than a law. It represents the voices of advocates who refused to accept barriers and believed that disability should never limit opportunity.
Your Vote Starts with an Informed Conversation
Get information directly from the candidates on the issues that matter most to our community, including housing affordability, transportation, economic opportunity, public safety, and quality of life, before casting your ballot in the August 18 Primary Election.
2026 Miami-Dade County Voting Information
A particularly important priority is ensuring that voters with disabilities can cast their ballots independently, confidently, and with dignity.
Representation in Musicals + My Recommendations
More than anything, this class taught me to look beyond whether disability is simply present in a story and instead ask how it is represented.
A Playground for Everyone
That is why accessible playgrounds are so important. They are made so that more kids can play together. Some have ramps instead of stairs, swings with extra support, sensory toys, and smoother ground. These changes help more kids join in, instead of being left out.
36 Years of the ADA: Why It Still Matters
As we recognize this anniversary, we should also remember that the ADA only works when it is understood, respected, enforced, and upheld. Its protections affect real people in real ways every day. The ADA establishes the minimum standards required by law, but our goal should never be to do the bare minimum.
Benefits 26-07
Public benefit programs for people with disabilities, especially Supplemental Security Income (SSI), are not aimed at increasing assets and independence for people with disabilities, as a result individuals with disabilities often have very limited income and few, if any, assets. The intent of asset building initiatives is that as individuals develop assets, they will be able to move out of poverty and remain out of poverty. Many asset building services for people with disabilities will NOT cause loss of critical SSI disability cash payments and essential health insurance such as Medicaid and Medicaid waivers.
Get Ready to Vote: Check Your Registration for Florida’s Primary Election
Even if you have voted before, it is a good idea to check your registration information now. If you moved, changed your name, or need to update your signature, taking care of it before the deadline can help prevent problems later.
The View From Here (26-06)
Behind the Wheel – Part 1 By: Justine Chichester “The road to success is always under construction.” – Lily Tomlin For many people, getting behind the wheel of their car is something they hardly think about. They grab their keys, start the car and head off to work, the grocery store or dinner with… Read More »
Hurricane Season: Prepare Before the Storm
For people with disabilities, emergencies can affect more than shelter and supplies. Power outages, transportation changes, communication barriers, service interruptions, and limited access to medication or medical equipment can all impede staying safe and accessing needed support. Planning ahead can help reduce stress and make emergencies easier to manage.
Preparation does not need to happen all at once. Start by thinking about the things you use every day and what you would need if you had to leave quickly or stay home for several days.
Get Ready to Vote: Check Your Registration and Signature
Many people register once and do not think about it again, but information can change over time. If you moved, changed your name, or your signature looks different than when you first registered, it is a good idea to update your information now.
Your signature is especially important. In some situations, election officials compare the signature on voting forms to the signature they have on file. If your signature has changed because of age, disability, illness, injury, or simply signing differently over time, updating it now may help you avoid problems later.
Benefits 26-06
Social Security Disability Insurance or Title II, Disability Benefits SSDI: pays benefits to people with disabilities and certain members of their family if the beneficiary is “insured,” meaning that he/she worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes.
Supplemental Security Income SSI or Title XVI pays benefits to people with disabilities based on financial need.
What Do You Have to Lose?
I didn’t get everything done correctly, but I exceeded my expectations and I met some amazing ladies in the cast, who I now call my angels. I am grateful to Phillip Church and his team, who brought us all together to bring Rebekah Taussig’s book to the theater.
More Than a Role: Finding Strength on Stage
All I knew was, there was a part for a woman who used a wheelchair. Imagine that! The thought that there was an interest to recruit someone with a disability, specifically a woman with a disability!
