Recent Blog Posts
Law Day – May 1, 2015 Picture by: THEO KARANTSALIS Over 100 students from Miami Central and Hialeah High Schools met with U.S. District Court Judge Laurel M. Isicoff, and several attorneys, at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building for a five-hour Law Day program that included watching court in session. Students… Read More »
AIDS Walk – April 26, 2015 Debbie and Matt joined Richard Milstein and Eric Hankin to walk in the 27th Annual AIDS Walk on Miami Beach. This event is Miami’s largest HIV/AIDS awareness fundraiser and continues to attract thousands of participants to support Care Resource and Food For Life Network food bank and its work… Read More »
julie Kids Crusaders Corner
By: Julie Fioravanti Welcome friends to this month’s edition of Kids Crusaders. My goal is to introduce you to an amazing organization, give you just a few of the stories and introduce you to a few of the many people that make up this “family” and encourage you to consider joining, or referring someone… Read More »
Hui Yu – Life as an intern at Disability Independence Group
Here at DIG, I can really see how the work being done can actually make an impact on people’s lives.
DIG Litigation Update – $625,000 settlement to ensure accessibility in Section 8 project based housing developments.
On April 17, 2015, Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, Inc. (HOPE) and six residents of two developments in Miami Gardens and Opa-Locka, Florida settled a lawsuit with Charter Management and Miami Property Group, and obtained significant changes in the policies and procedures of their housing development to ensure that all residents are able to… Read More »
Mediation Corner with Lester – How do you prepare for Mediation
by Lester Langer, Retired Circuit Judge Certified Mediator Building on the first two articles, you are now at mediation. How do you prepare? First, if you do not have a lawyer, at least speak to one for a consult. While you can learn a lot on the internet about a particular issue, it is… Read More »
Happy Fair Housing Month
April is Fair Housing Month and the time to celebrate the anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act. Many of you may be asking- “what exactly is the Fair Housing Act, and what are my fair housing rights?”- so here is a brief overview of the Fair Housing Act and some of… Read More »
Fair Housing for Persons with Disabilities….What can a housing provider ask you?
By: Sharon Langer At Disability Independence Group, we receive many inquiries from tenants or persons who live in condominiums or neighborhood associations about overly intrusive questions about disabilities, and why the person would need an accommodation because of his or her disability. The underlying rule is that a person with a disability or… Read More »
Owning an Accessible Home
Owning your home can give you a sense of security and the ability to create a sanctuary. It allows you to have control and freedom. If done right a person with a disability should feel the least disabled in their own home.
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Projects
By: Lesly Quin WIPA projects are community-based organizations that receive grants from SSA to provide all Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries (including transition-to-work aged youth) with free access to work incentives planning and assistance. Each WIPA project has counselors called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC) who: Provide work incentives planning and assistance to… Read More »
Livescribe computerized pen helps students with disabilities
By: Sharon Langer The UC Berkeley Disabled Students Program did a pilot test of a computerized pen using its students with learning disabilities. The goal of the study was to see if use of the pen would eliminate the need for note takers in the classroom. Forty students with a variety of physical and… Read More »
Classroom Accommodations
By: Anastasia Gaertner Children who have a learning disability and may be struggling to reach their full potential in the classroom could require an accommodation or a modification to help them thrive. An accommodation is a change in the way that a student takes in information or communicates their knowledge back to the teacher,… Read More »
Kids Crusaders Corner – Nick’s Adventure in Disney World – Part 3
Welcome back to the March edition of Kids Crusaders Corner. This month I will wrap up the last of my 3 part story that began in January regarding a solo trip that I took my son Nick on for his 16th birthday. (If you haven’t read the first two parts, please do, as it… Read More »
#GetYourMindOut Campaign
I write to separate my mind from my body. My readers can hear my drunken diction only if I want them to hear it. They only see my skewed body when I want them to see it. My ability is only defied by the limitations that lay between my machine and me. The #GetYourMindOut… Read More »
Medical Marijuana and Epilepsy…. The Wait Continues for Medically Needy Children and Other Qualified Patients
By: Seth A. Hyman I’ve learned from being the parent of nine year old medically complex Rebecca “Becca”, that for one reason or another, it always seems that children and individuals with disabilities are too often the ones who are neglected and end up with the short end of the stick. My story sheds… Read More »
Are Deaf Women entitled to Reproductive Choice?
Disability Independence Group files suit against Planned Parenthood for failing to provide sign language interpreters or programs for Deaf Girls and Women On August 2, 2013, Maura Mena went into a Planned Parenthood location in Miami, Florida. As a pregnant woman, Maura did not know what her options were at that point and was… Read More »
Litigation Update: Anthony gets to keep Stevie in School!
By: Matthew Dietz On February 10, 2014, United States District Court Judge Beth Bloom ruled that Broward County School District violated Anthony Merchante’s rights, as a child with a disability, by denying his right to have a seizure alert animal accompany him at his elementary school. Anthony’s mother, Monica, requested that the school allow… Read More »
Mediation
By: Lester Langer Over the next few months this column will explain a process known as Alternative Dispute Resolution commonly called ADR. ADR is not new. It has been around for thousands of years in one form or another. Rather than the parties fighting it out, think of the two gun fighters facing each… Read More »
The Benefits of Exercise
By: Rachel Goldstein When there is ‘so much to do and so little time’ for many of us making time for exercise is often hard to do. When you also have anxiety or depression, exercise is often the last thing you feel like doing. However, physical activity and exercise can make a big difference… Read More »
HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTION: Can it prevent disease?
By: Sharon Langer In the past 20 years there have been many studies conducted that measured the therapeutic value of human-animal interaction. A companion animal may reduce anxiety, loneliness, and depression and thus delay the onset, decrease severity, or even slow the progression of stress-related conditions. Pets can stimulate someone to exercise, provide social… Read More »
