Recent Blog Posts
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 »
Kids Crusaders Corner
By Julie Fioravanti This is Part 2 of Julie’s story. Stay tuned for more in the next newsetter. Welcome back Crusaders! Greetings from Upstate New York where we are currently a balmy -2 degrees with expected wind chills to hit all-time lows in the (negative) – 20’s tomorrow. Needless to say, we are buried under… Read More »
Alternative Forms of Therapy
By: Anastasia Gaertner Alternative forms of therapy can be a beneficial supplement or substitute for treating a variety of physical and psychological diseases and symptoms. Alternative therapy refers to any treatment that is used in place of traditional medical or therapeutic care, while complementary therapy refers to any form of treatment that is… Read More »
Litigation: Pledger v. SAS Transportation
By: Matthew Dietz Litigation – Pledger v. SAS Transportation Jeff and Suzanne Pledger love to go on cruises. Jeff is blind and he uses a guide dog named Joelle. As an advocate for persons with visual impairment, Jeff is the past President of Verizon’s Disabilities Issues Awareness Leaders (DIAL), which provides support and resources… Read More »
Flying with your Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal
All Air Carriers are legally required to allow both emotional support animals and service animals on flights without charge. However, it is always good to review the requirements for service animals for your particular airline, and whether there are any conditions that need to be met. In addition, some international destinations and Hawaii provide… Read More »
Air Travel with a Disability
By: Aaron Carter Bates, Esq. Speaking from personal experience, one of the most difficult situations I regularly encounter, as both an attorney and an individual with a disability, is air travel. Unbeknownst to most, air travel is one of the least accessible day-to-day accommodations encountered by individuals with disabilities. As such, one of the… Read More »
Cruising with your Service dog
Dogs have long been the companion of our U.S. Navy Sailors on vessels for their ability to build morale. In the early days, dogs often served a more practical function by leading patrols onto foreign shores to search for food and warn of any dangers lurking out of eyesight. Now, most cruise ships allow service animals on board their ships…. Read More »
Shark Tank Update…
By: Debbie Dietz Our video is done! We are so excited to share it with you. You can watch the video on or website or at: https://vimeo.com/117175394 You can order your own wallet card for free on our website at: /wallet-cards/. Just fill out the online form and we will have them mailed to you within a… Read More »
