Google Maps adds a wheelchair icon to spotlight accessible entrances, why remote work doesn’t solve the challenges faced by workers who are family caregivers, an intriguing autism study on early intervention, and more news for the week ending May 27, 2023.
For Caregivers, Remote Work Is Good but Still Not Enough A good look at a profound problem: “About one-fifth of U.S. workers are family caregivers and nearly one-third have quit a job because of their caregiving responsibilities. While remote work offers more flexibility, it’s no substitute for long-term care policy solutions.” (governing.com)
Google Displaying Accessibility Information More Prominently The technology giant has updated Google Maps to display a wheelchair icon by default on a location’s entry if the place has a wheelchair-accessible entrance. (Disabilityscoop.com)
Idaho will pay $1.2M and let disability rights group monitor care at state-run facility The agreement ends four years of litigation between the state and six families of vulnerable Idahoans who were abused, neglected or died at the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center in Nampa. (idahocapitalsun.com)
Oklahomans with disabilities face long waitlists for home and community-based services It’s a familiar story: More than half a million Americans are on waiting lists to receive long-term care in their homes. (pbs.org)
Former Castle Rock hotel eyed as housing facility for people with intellectual, developmental disabilities In repurposing a former La Quinta Inn, this Colorado town is taking an interesting approach to housing. (Denver7.com)
Federal, state law permit disability discrimination in Wisconsin voucher schools Private schools participating in any of the state’s four voucher programs may legally expel students with disabilities if staff determines they cannot accommodate their needs with minor adjustments or deem their behavior too disruptive. (wisconsinwatch.org)
Advocates Call On FDA To Reissue Ban On Shock Devices For Those With Disabilities More than 100 disability advocacy groups have written to the Food and Drug Administration to ask that a new regulation be issued to bar electrical stimulation devices. (DisabilityScoop)
Closing the Opportunity Gap for Young Children A new report recommends federal, state, and community-level policy changes to reduce opportunity gaps and resulting achievement gaps for young children across the U.S., including equitable access to services for children with disabilities. (nap.nationalacademies.org)
NIH Urged to Improve Health Outcomes for People With Disabilities Researchers at the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University are calling on the National Institutes of Health to take “bold steps” to overcome the grave health disparities faced by people with disabilities. (newsroom.uvahealth.com)
Autism intervention before age 2 may aid social, language skills Autistic toddlers who receive a personalized intervention at about 18 months of age show greater gains in expressive language, social communication and daily living skills than do autistic children who start the therapy at 27 months, according to a new study. (spectrumnews.org)
What Does Disability Support Look Like in College? A look at the differences between the support a student who is neurodiverse and/or has learning differences (LDs) receives in high school versus what most postsecondary programs provide. (Pscyhologytoday.com)
In Albany, bills and resolutions are humming along — some might say they’re being crammed in — before the State legislature adjourns on June 8. One bill deserves your immediate attention: Direct Support Wage Enhancement.
New York’s 2023-24 budget utterly failed nonprofit Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and, in response, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and state Senator John Mannion introduced a bill to raise wages an extra $4,000 per year in income.
To show your assembly member and senator you support it, click this link to the CP New York advocacy page. (Thanks to New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities for posting this on Facebook.) It’s fast, it’s easy, do it now.
A bill reintroduced in the New York state legislature, “Andre’s Law,” that would prohibit New York State from sending children to a Massachusetts institution that uses electro-shock and other aversive therapies is still hoping to pass before the end of the 2023 legislative session on June 8, reported the New York Post.
Andre’s Law would stop government agencies from sending any more children to the Judge Rothenberg Education Center in Canton, Mass., reportedly the only institution in the country to use such devices for behavior modification on students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). More of the JRC’s residents come from New York than any other state, notes the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Read the NYP for the details, including how the Judge Rothenberg Center is fighting the law.
Given how recently the budget passed, I wanted to share these efficient highlights of what’s included courtesy of OPWDD.
Counties throughout New York State are “blowing past legal deadlines to process SNAP applications,” reports nyfocus.com, and “the delays may be about to get even worse.”
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have applied or reapplied for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, “have had their benefits delayed for more than 30 days, in violation of federal law,” documents obtained by New York Focus show.
In fiscal year 2022, 2,839,300 New York residents, or 14% of the state population (1 in 7) received SNAP benefits, and more than 48% are in families with members who are older adults or are disabled, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Read more about the delays, including their causes, the dramatic divergences in performance between counties, and more in the full report.
Image: Unsplash
A new, small-sample study in Israel found that the IQ of adults with mild intellectual disability (ID) improved after studying in a university-based program, reports the Jerusalem Post.
The study, led by Hefziba Lifshitz at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, examined the impact of 4.5 years of participation in postsecondary education (PSE) on students with mild ID compared to adults with ID who did not participate. The findings showed “significant” IQ improvement among the 12 adults in the study.
Despite the small sample size, the study’s authors note, they indicate “that time extension and mediation strategies enable adults with mild ID to achieve academic goals.”
Learn more about Lifshitz, who along with her BIU colleagues say they’ve determined that intelligence in ID individuals reaches its peak at around 40 to 45 years old, in the Jerusalem Post.
The study was published in the European Journal of Special Needs Education.
Apple has previewed new iPhone and iPad software, coming later this year, for people with cognitive disabilities. They’re part of the company’s Assistive Access suite of features and aim to “lighten the cognitive load,” according to the company.
For instance, the iPhone and FaceTime have been combined into a single Calls app. Also, the interface has high-contrast buttons and large text labels, as well as tools to help those with disabilities and their caregivers to tailor their experience.
Additionally, for users who prefer communicating visually, Messages includes an emoji-only keyboard and the option to record a video message. Users and trusted supporters can also choose between a more visual, grid-based layout for their Home Screen and apps or a row-based layout for users who prefer text.
The preview also included the introduction of features for people with speech impairments or who are unable to speak, and for those who are blind or have low vision.
Read more about the new features in the Apple press release.
Disability advocacy groups are calling on the federal government to stop issuing certificates authorizing subminimum wages for people with disabilities, reports Disability Scoop.
In a letter to acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, the organizations cite a report showing that the number of workers with disabilities nationally earning subminimum wage has dropped drastically, which indicates there’s “no compelling reason” to continue issuing the certificates.
RELATED NEWS: NY Chosen by Dept. of Labor to Participate in New Competitive Integrated Employment Strategy
In related news, a bill to end the subminimum wage for people with disabilities was reintroduced on Feb. 27, 2023, in Congress, reported Austic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). The bill, called the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA), was first introduced in 2014.
The bipartisan legislation would provide states and employers with the resources to transition workers with disabilities who are in “sheltered workshops” into fully integrated and competitive jobs (known as competitive integrated employment), which includes earning at least the minimum wage alongside individuals without disabilities while phasing out the subminimum wage for individuals with disabilities.
Sheltered workshops, long considered problematic by many, are supposed to provide work skills opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. In addition to the controversial but legal practice of paying subminimum wages, critics say they segregate people with disabilities from the larger community and fail to provide skills that can be applied elsewhere.
Photo: Creative Commons
I don’t have too much information on this, but! The Yonkers Riverfront Library, one of three Yonkers branches, has opened a Sensory Room for people with processing challenges.
It can help calm, focus or stimulate individuals with sensory processing challenges, the library says. The furniture, equipment and lighting will provide support to assist with self-regulation through a calming sensory experience.
Everything in the room is meant to assist with self-regulation, and the space also includes a play area called “the cove,” according to the Billingsgazette.com.
The Library is located downtown at 1 Larkin Center.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
This graphic op-ed by A. Andrews in the Washington Post is a perspective on how he feels as a visibly disabled person. It seems extremely pertinent to the way our loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities might sometimes feel out in the community.
Andrews writes, “It’s the way others see me and my disabled body that is hardest for me to accept. When I looked past the eyes and down the halls of disability history, I saw reflections of my experience as an object of public fascination, and I wanted to examine this precedent to reflect on the implications of staring in our day-to-day lives.”
Check out his wonderful graphic perspective here.
Photo: Pexels
A police reform bill to protect people with disabilities, the U.S. government funds efforts to boost the employment of disabled youth, a new streaming service will launch devoted to disability-related films, and more news for the week ending May 20, 2023.
Medicaid, Disability Programs Could Face Cuts In Debt Ceiling Negotiations “The future of Medicaid and other programs critical to people with disabilities are on the line amid a Washington standoff over the nation’s debt ceiling, advocates say.” There’s no getting around how scary this is. (Disabilityscoop.com)
ReelAbilities Set To Launch Streaming Service Dedicated To Disability-Related Films ReelAbilities, the organizer of the largest film festival in the U.S. devoted to celebrating the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities, has announced that it will be launching a brand-new streaming service. A soft launch is planned for July, 2023. (Forbes.com)
Pa.’s Casey sponsors police reform bill to protect people with disabilities, mental illness U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., unveiled a suite of police reform legislation aimed at avoiding violence between law enforcement and people living with mental illness and disabilities. (penncapital-star.com)
The wait for government disability services can last years. Some states are trying to change that “There are currently 37 states … that maintain waitlists for waivers that grant funding for Medicaid home and community-based services as an alternative to institutional residential facilities.” (PBS.org)
Free All-Terrain Chairs Are Making the Great Outdoors Even Better The Boost wrote about Westchester’s adaptive hiking programs and their all-terrain chairs, and this article takes a broader look at how public parks nationwide are offering the “rugged technology for visitors.” (Wired.com)
Cruising Altitude: Progress for disabled travelers is not coming fast enough Last week The Boost reported on a recently introduced bipartisan bill to help disabled travelers with mobility devices, and this article says it’s not nearly enough. (usatoday.com)
US Department of Labor Announces $1.5M Funding Availability to Support Policy Development to Expand Employment of Disabled Youth Administered by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, the funding will continue the work of the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth. (US Dept. of Labor news release)
NEW YORK STATE
Obituary: Esta-Ann Baitler, champion for people with developmental disabilities, community Esta-Ann Baitler, a Rockland County resident who demonstrated daily the value and contributions of people with developmental disabilities, has died. (lohud.com)
For Manhattanites with Disabilities, Trek to Prove Access-A-Ride Worthiness Gets Worse “While Access-A-Ride’s assessment requirements have long been a sore point for paratransit users — many with limited mobility — there are now fewer location options for screenings, and none in Manhattan.” (thecity.nyc)
Colorado is pouring more money into schools for kids with behavioral health issues and disabilities, but are they helping? Some are questioning whether maintaining separate schools for children who act out aggressively, including those with intellectual needs, are holding centers for kids with behavior problems. (Chalkbeat.com)
Virginia to study Maryland program after backlash over disability caregiving change The Maryland program allows certain family members to be paid for caregiving services for people with disabilities. (Virginiamercury.com)
First cohort of students with intellectual disabilities completes UMatter Program The first set of students have graduated from the Eileen Hoffman Hafer UMatter Program in St. Petersburg, Fla., which provides young adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to experience higher education and campus life, and which launched in 2020. (stpetersburg.usf.edu)
In an exciting move for athletes with intellectual disabilities, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) now allows individuals to participate in intercollegiate athletics (Division III) while enrolled in a non-degree-seeking program specifically structured for students with ID.
There are “specific qualifications” schools have to satisfy, an NCAA spokesperson wrote to The Boost in an email, but if they “satisfy the specific criteria listed, then it does not have to file a formal legislative relief waiver request.”
According to CBS News, the change was put in motion by a student at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn., a “nontraditional student-athlete” (shot put and discus) who attends a non-degree program for students with intellectual disabilities. Bethel applied to the NCAA for a waiver, the NCAA gave it, and then “did them one better.”