Recent Blog Posts
Employment Support for People with Disabilities
If you are disabled and you are pursuing employment, you are not alone. You can find many agencies providing employment support that will help you reach your vocational goal. Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Centers for Independent Living Employment Networks Disability Program Navigator Initiative Disability Rights Florida The Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
At The Intersection of Disability and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault
By: Sharon Langer We have renamed my column THE INTERSECTION. The column will still explore the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault but will focus on the extraordinary impact those issues have on persons with disabilities. Since the theme this month is presidential candidates and where they stand on the issue of Disability… Read More »
IS HEALTH CARE ONLY FOR THE “ABLE BODIED”?
People with disabilities tend to be in poorer health and to use health care at a significantly higher rate than people who do not have disabilities. Larry McDowell is not a statistic, but instead a blatant example of an issue which needs to be addressed. Equality in health care is not a benefit, but a basic right.
The Legal Profession’s Mental Health Issue is a Suppressed Epidemic
As a new lawyer, the emphasis is to focus on career development, and the life tenet of “Work Hard, Play Hard” is taken to heart. A balanced life is only considered for later in life, and wellness is not good for advancement to partner. Twenty years later, balance is not achieved, and anxiety as well as management of that anxiety is a way of life.
Fear should not be a barrier to full community integration
By: Matthew Dietz On August 18, 2015, Carl Starke, an Autistic man, was shot by three teenagers who were casing the Wal-Mart parking lot for cars to steal; they spotted Carl in the parking lot, and followed him home. They somehow noticed that he had a disability – he was marked as a “soft… Read More »
KARL HUNT – SUPERHERO OF FAIR HOUSING
Karl Hunt- SUPERHERO of Fair Housing. Karl stood up for his rights and held firm despite the hardship in doing so. He paved the way for many other persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities to live in their homes, and not to get bullied or evicted because of their disabilities.
Deaf Woman Denied Career Choice at Keiser University
Katy Daniel-Rivera would like the opportunity to succeed in her chosen career and earn a license to be a Radiologic Technologist. With appropriate auxiliary aids and services, a person who is Deaf can perform any job. To deny a person that opportunity is discrimination.
Autistic Man Fired from Cargill because of stereotypes about Diabetes
People with diabetes face unfair stereotypes and discrimination at work, at school, and elsewhere in their lives
Welcome to The Magic City! Miami, Florida — on Wheels
Tropical weather, palm trees on every corner, and delicious Cuban coffee. Welcome to Miami! The city whose heart beats to the sounds of a Latin drum, where beaches and nightlife never end.
Facts on Domestic violence and the workplace
By Sharon Langer On average, four or five women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends each day and women experience two million incidents of intimate partner violence each year. It only makes sense that domestic violence spills over into the workplace. It can be in-person harassment or phone calls, absenteeism because of injuries… Read More »
Asset Building for Individuals with Disabilities
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… Read More »
Resource for Employees with Disabilities – ASKJAN.ORG
By: Lisa Goodman Have you ever had any questions about workplace accommodations or the Americans with Disability Act (ADA)? Some of those questions might include: What accommodations could you, as an employee, ask for/be entitled to at your job What accommodations should I ask for given my Disability? What accommodations are you as… Read More »
It’s not my fault – protections for autistic persons under the Fair Housing Act
At Disability Independence Group, we focus on providing people on the autism spectrum the tools needed to advocate for themselves. The availability to live where one chooses is a cornerstone of community integration and self-determination for a person with any disability. The relatively simple act of disability disclosure, when necessary, and request for accommodation is a free tool to ensure housing opportunity.
The Key to my Independence
In my life, I define independent living simply as living my life my way. I knew at a young age that I wanted to move out of my parent’s home and get my own place. My goal was not to always depend on my mother to provide me care, but instead to live independently by finding a way to acquire long-term care coverage that would pay for personal care assistants to help me on a daily basis.
Kids Crusaders Corner – How my wish to become a full time caregiver was fulfilled
I often go many hours without sleep because after working all night outside the home, there is so much that still needs to be done inside the home, including caring for my son. As of April 1, 2016 I will be able to step down from my “career” as a nurse and step into my role as a Mom…which is how it should have been all along.
Roseline Joseph receives a Christmas Gift from the Coral Gables Police Department to welcome her medically fragile grandchild home
Jocelyne Joseph was just granted custody of her grandson, who is a medically-fragile three year old with a disability, and received a gift from the Coral Gables Police Department to assist her in the holiday season.
Kiddle Ordinance passes in Hallandale Beach
By: Michele Lazarow, Hallandale Beach Commissioner I have always wanted to fight for those who could not fight for themselves. Once I realized that putting an official title in front of my name would be the best way to impact change, I ran for political office. I am now a Hallandale Beach City Commissioner…. Read More »
Sharon Langer Recognized with the Anti-Defamation League Miami Jurisprudence Award
On November 19, 2015, Sharon Langer, Development Director of Disability Independence Group, and Alan Dimond of Greenberg Traurig were both recognized with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Miami Jurisprudence Award. Sharon Langer’s remarks included the following For the past 100 years, the Anti-Defamation League has stood up against anti-Semitism, bigotry, and other pernicious stereotypes in our… Read More »
Samuel Rony is Awarded the Caribbean Bar Association Award
Each year, the Caribbean Bar Association (CBA) awards various Judicial and Legal Services Internship opportunities to law students. In the summer of 2015, the CBA awarded three law students in South Florida with either an eight-week Judicial Internship in South Florida, or an eight-week Legal Services Internship with Legal Services of Greater Miami. In… Read More »
Gratitude is the Healthiest of all Human Emotions
By: Lorinda Gonzalez Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for. Zig Ziglar A short cool breeze, early sunset, and pumpkins galore. It’s November! One month before the holiday madness begins, and only… Read More »
