Tag Archives: disability
Medical Marijuana – Effects on Your Home and Job
By: Matthew Dietz On November 8th, over 71% of Florida voters approved Amendment 2, which explicitly allowed medical marijuana to be provided as a treatment for patients with the following disabilities: “cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),… Read More »
What is Substantial gainful Activity or SGA according to The Social Security Administration?
By: Lesly Lopez To be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA). A person who is earning more than a certain monthly amount (net of impairment related work expenses) is ordinarily considered to be engaging in SGA. The amount of monthly earnings considered as SGA… Read More »
Happiness
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn By: Lorinda Gonzalez Being happy seems so simple, yet can be a daily challenge if you seek it in the wrong places. Our society teaches us that to be happy you have to work… Read More »
A Landlord Cannot Force you to Declaw your Emotional Support Cat or Charge you a Cleaning Deposit for your Emotional Support Dog!
For a person with depression and anxiety, an emotional support animal provides the impetus to wake up in the morning and go to school or work. For Austin Cline, a student at Hillsborough Community College, Luna, his dog, gives him the ability to leave his parents house, go to college and then go… Read More »
No Wheelchair Users Allowed in a Miami Beach Condo!
Turns out that the least of Abbot House Condominium’s worries should have been whether Rachel Siler would not be able to get around in her wheelchair and would injure herself. Maybe instead of assuming she was an invalid who sleeps with her personal assistant, the Condominium Board should have started with the premise that she had a job, a life, and a passion for helping others. The real liability was the failure to acknowledge Rachel Siler as the die-hard disability advocate who works to help others destroy attitudinal barriers and harmful stereotypes.
Annual Family Cafe Cooks Up Feast of Fun and Facts
By: Andrew Sagona The Family Café is a free conference for Floridians of all ages with disabilities and their families to learn about the latest developments in the Florida disability community and to attend the annual Florida “Governor’s Summit on Disabilities.” I have been attending Family Café for over ten years, and I still… Read More »
Stereotypes & Misconceptions about Disability
By: Lorinda Gonzalez “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov Deaf people can’t dance. Blind people don’t like art. People in wheelchairs can’t have sex. These are just a few of the stereotypes and misconceptions that… Read More »
Litigation: Is Your Child A Runner?
Some children with autism, developmental or intellectual disabilities may wander off without any comprehension of possible danger. This might include running off from adults at school or in the community, leaving the classroom without permission, or leaving the house when the family is not looking. While most children are drawn to water, many autistic… Read More »
He’s Got the Moves
By: Lisa Goodman He’s got the moves! Nyle DiMarco is without doubt a “triple threat.” His website even describes him as such,“Nyle DiMarco is an actor, model and spokesman.” No offense to whoever wrote his website, but they dropped the ball when they failed to include dancer, which makes him a quadruple threat. Currently,… Read More »
Summer Fun and Discrimination against Kids (with or without disabilities)!
Happy Summertime! The Summer should be a time where all kids, kids with disabilities and kids without disabilities, should be able to have fun. Discrimination about kids in the Summer is not fun, and here are some tips on how kids can avoid discrimination in the Summer.
The Key to my Independence
In my life, I define independent living simply as living my life my way. I knew at a young age that I wanted to move out of my parent’s home and get my own place. My goal was not to always depend on my mother to provide me care, but instead to live independently by finding a way to acquire long-term care coverage that would pay for personal care assistants to help me on a daily basis.
One Way of Hanging out with Friends
By: Danielle Fine I know from personal experience, that it’s not easy living with any kind of disability, whether easily seen or an invisible disability. Though I won’t go into much specifics or detail as to the type of disability I have, I can say that one of the things I suffer from is… Read More »
Litigation: When the denial of a reasonable accommodation leads to tragedy
By: Matthew Dietz Most times when a person requests a reasonable accommodation or a modification because of a disability, the accommodation or modification assists a person to live independently or lessens the effect of a disability. This includes a closer parking space, grab bars in the bathroom, or an assistance animal. However, there are… Read More »
Florida’s New Service Animal Statute — Section 413.08
By: Matthew Dietz This legislative term, Florida Representative Jimmie T. Smith, from Citrus and part of Hernando Counties, sponsored one of the most progressive service animal bills in the United States, Florida Statute 413.08 (2015). As a veteran, Rep. Smith has become a leader for the Florida House when it comes to issues dealing… Read More »
What is Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) according to the Social Security Administration?
By: Lesly Lopez To be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA). A person who is earning more than a certain monthly amount (net of impairment-related work expenses) is ordinarily considered to be engaging in SGA. The amount of monthly earnings considered as SGA… Read More »
Disability: The Market You’re Missing: Incentives for Business
By: Rachel Goldstein Recently the Small Business Committee of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce presented a seminar ‘Disability: The Market You’re Missing’. I was one of several panelists at the seminar who explained to small businesses how to best serve customers, clients and employees with disabilities. As an attorney, most of the questions… 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 »
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.
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 »
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 »
