Recent Blog Posts
Medical Model v. Social Model of Disability
By: Aaron Carter Bates, Esq. A big issue in the disability rights community is self-determination and representation within key community stakeholders. In the disability arena there are two models organizations follow: the medical model and social models of disability. An organization that ascribes to the medical model compares a disability to a fatal disease… Read More »
Disability History and Awareness Weeks
Disability History and Awareness Weeks By: Rachel Goldstein On June 13, 2008, in large part due to the advocacy efforts of Florida Youth Council, Governor Crist signed into law Senate Bill 856, creating section 1003.4205 of the Florida Statutes, entitled “Disability History and Awareness Instruction”. This law requires school districts to designate the first… Read More »
The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial
By: Jonathan Cohn The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was just opened in Washington D.C. The Memorial, which sits at the corner of Washington Ave. and 2nd Street, is the first of its kind in the nation’s capital to honor both living and deceased disabled war heroes. The project was initially proposed in 1998… Read More »
Shark Tank Update…
By: Debbie Dietz We have finished filming the video and we are now in the editing stage. The video looks amazing! We want to thank all of our actors. They did an amazing job. Coming soon: our wallet card commercial. You can order your own wallet card for free on our website at: /wallet-cards/…. Read More »
VISITABILITY
By: Sharon Langer I LOVE THIS WORD, “VISITABILITY,” and I am hoping that it will become the next buzz word for the idea that universal design of buildings is not just good, but great. There is a growing (slowly growing but still growing) trend in this country to change construction practices so that virtually… Read More »
Paws in the Court
Paws in the Court 11th Judicial Circuit of FL and Children’s Courthouse & Juvenile Justice Ctr This project is a collaboration between the Humane Society, Volunteers, Court Teams and Administrative Office of the Courts. This project will provide victims and witnesses comfort and reassurance during court appearances including depositions and trials. Research has shown that… Read More »
Art and More
By: Chris Stein Chris has started his own blog! Next month we will have the link so that you can follow Chris.
Kids Crusaders Corner
By Julie Fioravanti One of the greatest joys I have learned on my journey of raising a child with special needs is the magic of “paying things forward.” The act of doing something for someone who least expects it, without expecting anything in return. Often on this journey there is great joy in knowing… Read More »
Accessibility Features of the iPhone 6 and iOS 8
By: Rachel Goldstein Apple just put its two new iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, on the market and introduced the Apple Watch, which is set to be released in early 2015. Built-in accessibility features and the ability to download thousands of specialized apps have made the iPhone a popular smartphone… Read More »
Know Your Legal Rights
By: Matthew Dietz On Saturday, September 20th, I had the opportunity to put on my professor hat and teach Criminal Procedure 101 to a very eager class of persons at the University of Miami. No, not for law students at the Law School, but instead for a class teens and young adults who have… Read More »
Shark Tank Update…
By: Debbie Dietz We have finished filming the video and we are now in the editing stage. The video looks amazing! We want to thank all of our actors. They did an amazing job. You can order your own wallet card for free on our website at: /wallet-cards/. Just fill out the online… Read More »
ABLE Act of 2013: Update
By: Aaron Carter Bates On Friday, September 19th, Federal lawmakers announced that a deal was reached to permit The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013 (S. 313/H.R.647) to move forward in Congress. The ABLE Act was introduced in 2013 and, with a model based on IRC 529 college savings plans, aims… Read More »
Autism CARES Act Renewed
By: Deborah Dietz President Obama signed the Autism CARES Act last month. The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2014, or Autism CARES Act, will reauthorize the Combating Autism Act for the next five years. The law will allow for $260 million annually for autism research, prevalence tracking, screening, professional training… Read More »
Kids Crusaders Corner
By Julie Fioravanti Stay tuned next month for another article by Julie. She is going to discuss her summer vacation and random acts of kindness and paying it forward.
WWII Veteran Receives His Purple Heart After 70 Years
By: Chris Arroyo Robert C Bohm was born October 8, 1920 in Lorraine, Ohio. He lived in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa growing up and graduated from Muscatine High School in Iowa. On October 29, 1940, he signed up for the US Army. His first tour was in North Africa and his job was a… Read More »
GIVE MIAMI DAY 2014
DIG is excited to announce that we will be participating in TheMiami Foundation’s Give Miami Day 2014! Give Miami Day is an online giving event that encourages people to donate to nonprofits in Miami. This is our first year participating, and we couldn’t be more excited. The competition will take place from midnight on… Read More »
Deaf Mom-to-be gives Birth in the Wrong Hospital?
“Hello this is Byron, Cheylla needs your help…” As a lawyer practicing civil law, you rarely receive a cry for help at 8:45 in the evening from a client. I knew that it was happening again – another client who is Deaf that could not get an interpreter for medical care. I represent Cheylla… Read More »
Litigation: Accommodations for High Stakes Testing
By: Matthew Dietz Academic success is often measured by a score on a test. A test score can make the difference in being accepted into a desired school or in obtaining a professional license. However, a learning disability of a mental illness or disorder, or other disability, can derail a person’s career or learning… Read More »
I read an interesting story in the Miami Herald the other day. It was about Matt Cottle.
By: Lester Langer Matt has autism. He was bagging groceries and pushing carts for the past 6 years before he started Stuttering King Bakery. He is now an entrepreneur turning out cookies, brownies and scones for cafes, businesses, and groups that need catering. Matt’s old boss told him he could do nothing but bag… Read More »
Update on the Settlement between the Department of Justice and the Law School Admission Council
By: Rachel Goldstein In Volume 5 of DIG’s newsletter, Litigation Director Matthew Dietz, discussed the Department of Justice’s May 2014 announcement of a settlement with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the administrators of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act for denying disability accommodations for test… Read More »
