Posted on October 13, 2015
Now that the ballyhoo behind the silver anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act has died down, please allow me (with considerable regret – believe me) to voice this uncomfortable truth: The ADA, landmark legislation though it is, capable at any turn of protecting the rights of people with disabilities, continues to spawn negative consequences.
As Dr. Ronald Meinert and Francis K. O. Yuen noted in their book, “Controversies and Disputes in Disability and Rehabilitation,” the ADA trivializes real
This entry was posted in accessibility, Americans with Disabilities Act, civil rights, community living, employment, inclusion, people with disabilities, transportation, Uncategorized and tagged ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, Bragdon v. Abbott, challenging disabilities, Dr. Ronald Meinert, Francis K. O. Yuen, invisible disabilities, marginal disabilities, non-competitive jobs, U.S. Supreme Court, vocational rehabilitation.
Posted on October 9, 2015
A colleague and I were left waiting for his DART paratransit bus, yet again, last week. It would arrive a full hour and 15 minutes after his scheduled pick-up, giving us abundant time in the hot sun to grouse about and consider the ever-late paratransit bus in Delaware. I’ve worked in the disability sector in Delaware for more than 15 years; the late pick-ups and drop-offs were a problem then and they continue today. We brainstormed how we could
Posted on October 1, 2015
Here’s the amazing thing about Artfest, the annual community event that the Center for Disabilities Studies and Art Therapy Express hosted in Newport on Saturday.
It’s not the wondrous art that was created in two hours by people with disabilities. It’s not that every imaginable adaptive art tool and every available University of Delaware student volunteer seemed to be there to assist in the creative process. And no, it wasn’t that the largest turnout in Artfest’s history happened the day
This entry was posted in accessibility, Center for Disability Studies, inclusion, people with disabilities, The Arts, Uncategorized and tagged accessibility, adaptive art tools, Art Therapy Express, Artfest, autism, Center for Disabilities Studies, CLSC, community, Down syndrome, inclusion, Junior Partners in Policymaking, the arts, University of Delaware, volunteerism.
Posted on September 29, 2015
The biography at the bottom of this blog post indicates that I am a self-advocate. Many of you may be wondering what it means to be a self-advocate.
Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), whose mission is to enrich and improve lives of persons and families experiencing disabilities, suggests self-advocates are people who are empowered to speak up for themselves and others about life decisions without the control of others (Human Services Research Institute, 2015). An article about self-advocacy on
Posted on August 31, 2015
I’m concerned about an epidemic which has the potential to impact every single person in Delaware: distracted driving, or, more precisely, texting and driving. A current commercial is particularly powerful. A mom is busy checking how many “likes” her daughter’s Facebook post has received … when she crashes. The message is “it can wait.”
It truly can. I’m frightened by the number of drivers I’ve seen who aren’t watching the road at any given moment. If one looks up
