Category Archives: activism

screenshot of the miami herald article that is highlighted yellow

Miami Herald 5/19/23 Op-Ed–Take Steps

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

An adequate trans­portation system that provides equal access is an essential component to ensuring persons with disabilities can live inde­pendently.

justine using her walker and getting help with her therapist who is standing and has her wheelchair behind him

The View From Here (23-05)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

Since my spinal cord injury in 2014, I’ve really come to admire those of us who live every day with a disability and share the struggles we face, as well as the milestones. Someone very dear to me said recently, “When you win, you always celebrate the victory, but when you don’t win, you learn from the loss.” That’s what I’ve taken from sharing my challenges, and what I’ve learned from my fellow spinal cord injury survivors who share theirs. We can often learn more from our struggles than from our triumphs. And we can certainly help others along the way, just by doing so.

let people vote with a check mark

A win for Dominion is a win for the disability community.

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

One of the fundamental rights of our democracy is the right to independently and privately mark, cast, and verify a ballot. Several laws have been passed to ensure that people with disabilities have these same voting rights. However, many voters with disabilities still do not have equal access and choice for the voting method that they prefer.

Purple and blue logo for the Miami Inclusion Alliance

The Miami Inclusion Alliance (23-04)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, otherwise known as SAAM. Sexual assault is an issue that affects our entire community. The goal of SAAM is to raise awareness about sexual violence. During this month, people across the United States raise awareness about sexual violence, how to prevent it, and how to support those who are affected by it.

a selfie with sabrina and the other special olympics athletes

Martin Richard, Recreational Sports, and Community Building

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

I have played sports all my life, and they have allowed me to make some of my best friends. Recreational sports are such a great community building outlet which is why I wanted to remain involved once I entered college. At the University of Miami, I now play on a Special Olympics Unified team and compete against other schools playing alongside individuals from my community that I would have never met otherwise. It has truly been such a great experience, and it is all thanks to my hometown.

Purple and blue logo for the Miami Inclusion Alliance

Miami Inclusion Alliance (23-03)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

We have come a long way over the last 100 plus years but there is still much to be done to ensure a fully inclusive system of care for battered women. We still need the Battered Women’s Movement. We still have work to do.

justine sitting in her car smiling wearing a black dress

The View From Here (23-02)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

Balancing our work and finding time for family and friends…and, most importantly, finding time for ourselves. It doesn’t have to take a person who is recovering from a disability to experience that. We all struggle with finding a work and life balance.

black background with 2023 february is balck history month in red, yellow, and green

Black History Through the Lens of Disabilities

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

As we have seen, there is a large intersectionality between being Black and having a disability. These two identities are not separate, rather overlapping entities that can help to raise awareness and equality for one another.

Purple and blue logo for the Miami Inclusion Alliance

The under-reporting of sexual assault

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

The crime of sexual assault is under-reported.  This is particularly true if you are a victim with a disability.

Purple and blue logo for the Miami Inclusion Alliance

The Importance of making a Safety Plan

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

One of the most important things for any victim of abuse to consider is their safety and the safety of their children and pets. That is why it is important to make a safety plan.

justine sitting in her car smiling wearing a black dress

The View From Here (23-01)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

I bring all of this up to hopefully highlight the obstacles we, as people living with disabilities, face every single day. Not just the obstacles, or the excess costs, but the sheer frustration of having to retrofit our lives just so that we can be independent.

Do I still have a claim? – Effects of Cummings v. Premier Rehab on the future of claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

By Matthew W. Dietz .pdf version On April 28, 2022, the United States Supreme Court, in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, P.L.L.C., 142 S. Ct. 1562 (2022), found that damages are unavailable for discrimination without a physical injury in all federal disability laws (such as the ADA and Section 504), and some sex and… Read More »

Shawn Cheshire in arizona with her bike helmet blue shirt and red reflective sunglasses with the reflection of her taking a selfie. Shawn is smiling and in the background is the tire from her vehicel with a sign that says Caution Blind Cyclists Ahead. the desert is in the background.

Paralympian Shawn Cheshire Wins Gold When Fighting for her Rights to go to LA Fitness and Work Out Independently

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

It is always an honor to work for a person whos talent and dedication is world-class.  this year, I had the opportunity to work for Shawn Cheshire to vindicate her rights to be able to work out independently at an LA Fitness by her home in Florida.  Shawn is a Paralympic cyclist who raced… Read More »

Photograph of the Florida Capitol Building

New Florida Statute Requiring Resource and Benefit Information for Individuals with Disabilities

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

On June 16th, Governor DeSantis signed a bill into law requiring more information to be provided to persons with disabilities for services that are available.  The purpose of the law is to provide information for services available for persons with disabilities other than services on the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver. Currently, there are 35,000 individuals receiving waiver services through iBudget Florida, and as of December 1, 2020, 22,718 eligible persons with disabilities are on the waiting list to receive waiver funding and services.

People waiting on a long line to get a vaccine

Last in Line – COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution has Failed Seniors with Disabilities.

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

There is no excuse why we are not providing equal access to the vaccine program for seniors with disabilities.  By having a first come/first served regimen to vaccinate, and denying accommodations to the most vulnerable, this places persons with disabilities last.

law students protesting in front of the supreme court with signs that says our profession needs us and I would rather be taking the bar exam

October 2020 Bar Exam takers – Welcome to the Bar: Time to Change the Florida Bar Admission Process from a Hazing Ritual into Collaborative Process.

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

If the Florida Bar Exam moves forward on October 13th, (which I hope that all the pieces fall together, and it is successful), I would like to welcome you into our exclusive club of Florida Lawyers. But I would like to apologize for the period of hazing that you have undergone because of our… Read More »

National Suicide Awareness Month – For Bar Applicants and New Lawyers

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

This year has been a year of unprecedented stress for students in law school, graduates, and new lawyers.  If you feel overwhelmed and would like help, but afraid of repercussions to your license or your career, send me an email at mdietz@justdigit.org, or call me at (305) 669-2822. No judgment – just free advice from a disability rights lawyer with over 20 years of experience in assisting people to be treated fairly and without stigma.

Braille Purple Keyboard with hands on it for Voting

Accessible Voting for the Blind Certified in Florida

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

After years of advocacy, the Florida Council of the Blind and their members have fought for the right to independently cast a secret ballot through the vote-by-mail process in Florida.  Today, they have finally won this right. While over a third of Floridians currently vote by mail, this year the numbers are expected to… Read More »

black and white pictures of persons in wheelchairs in an institutional setting

Valuing and Devaluing the Disabled Human Life in Florida

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

The response to this outbreak is far from the empathetic “American Way,” but instead, we have lapsed into the Hobbesian ethic, where we deny essential testing to the most vulnerable, deny scarce life-saving equipment, rationalize the denial by claiming that the old and disabled would have died in any event.  Then to place insult onto the injury, Florida may immunize those who deny care from total immunity.  Even in the event we are overreacting to this pandemic, it still should be a clear signal that disability discrimination may be the only tenet that will be alive and well in our society.

text of picture of man in white KKK robes infront of three burning crosses, with "I wonder who is in this robe? in a text above the picture

City of Tampa Files Race and Gender Discrimination in Housing Case

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

Ms. Washington was targeted by a housing provider who felt emboldened to prey on a vulnerable resident who could not move to a new location because of the lack of affordable housing options. For months, Ms. Washington was subject to racial and sexual harassment, false reports to authorities so she would have her children removed or housing vouchers revoked, harassment of her guests because of their color, and a wrongful eviction.