Category Archives: Americans with Disabilities

hurricane warning flag

DID YOU KNOW?: HURRICANE SEASON (prescription medications)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

In Florida the “Emergency Prescription Refill” law was passed allowing you to refill prescribed medications for 30 days during a disaster if there is a hurricane warning or an announced state of emergency.

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.

miami inclusion alliance institute logo

The Miami Inclusion Alliance (23-05)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

We must train all of those who may interface with children with disabilities on this topic and give them the resources they need to recognize abuse and stop it.

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.

hurricane warning flag

Did You Know? Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program (EEAP)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

The Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program (EEAP) provides free transportation and evacuation assistance for those who have access or functional needs. Specifically, the EEAP provides specialized transportation, safe shelter, medical monitoring, and wellness checks for those who may have extra medical needs.

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.

Jennifer stilling on a bench with two of her children and Blake standing behind her holding their third child

Chasing Autism Acceptance

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

I have a dream where I move my with my children and my husband to an island. The world is tiny and easy. I am always with my five favorite people with no societal judgement. Then, I realize that humans crave connection with other humans. I crave connection. My husband craves connection. My children crave connection. It would be unfair to limit my kids’ connection, because humans are hard-wired to enjoy the company of other humans. We just have to figure out novels ways to get that connection.

Jordan in his wheelchair with his dog outside on the patio next to a pool

How life can change in the blink of an eye.

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

Today, I’m still finding ways to stay involved with my passion for sports. Since I can no longer physically play baseball the way I used to, I have been focusing on sharing my story and giving motivational speeches to teams and athletes.

Purple and blue logo for the Miami Inclusion Alliance

Miami Inclusion Alliance (23-02)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

According to the last U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking In Persons Report, persons with disabilities are one of the groups most at risk of being trafficked.

clip art of a laptop, drafting tools, and architectural plans

Accessibility & Awareness in Architectural Design

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

Provisions for accessible elements should not just stem from mandates, but precisely be the result of careful thought and awareness. Only then will that stylish, hip restaurant recognize accessibility as a positive and incorporate its elements not simply as an afterthought … but as a jeweled accent in its overall brand design.

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 hidden nightmare of sexual violence on and at the borders (23-01)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

This is a time to speak up and out for these women.

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.

Justine Chichester with a red orchid in her hair

The View From Here (19-09)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

I never realized how little I knew about Cancer until I was told I had it.

Justine Chichester with a red orchid in her hair

The View from Here (19-11)

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

I think it’s important to share my story to encourage other women to stop putting off your screenings.

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 »

a child dressed in a captain america uniform with a shield.

What happened to the COVID-19 case about immunocompromised children with disabilities in public schools in Florida?

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

In this matter, the development of vaccines and boosters are winning the race against the mutations of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, next time, science may lose to the application of bleach, horse medicine, and ultraviolet light treatments, and our schools and state would be willing to sacrifice children and persons with disabilities in a pyrrhic victory for parental rights to avoid inconvenience for their child.

Black and white picture of boys, ages 10 to 18, in military dress in front of a building

Reclaiming my Deaf Lineage

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

It is important to recognize and understand our ancestors and the struggles that they may have had as being part of a minority population that has been stigmatized and hidden in the shadows of family trees. By reclaiming and retelling our family stories and including, and being proud, of what they had to go through, whether they were queer, disabled or otherwise marginalized, like putting a stone on their headstone, it honors their lives and blesses their memory.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2021 – “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion”

By Disability Independence Group, Inc. |

As a disability rights lawyer who represented persons with disabilities for the past 25 years, I am often asked by persons with both visible and invisible disabilities about best practices in attempting to find a job and to keep a job. So, for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, I will share my top 10 points.

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 »