Mark Your Calendars for The Arkansas Disability Policy Consortium August 24! National Speakers and an Advocacy “Boot Camp”
Join Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA) and other advocacy organizations for the 2016 Arkansas Disability Policy Consortium, which will feature Aaron Bishop, Commissioner of the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD), and an advocacy boot camp! “Turn Up The HEAT” August 24, 2016 Comfort Inn & Suites Presidential, Little Rock, AR 707 Interstate 30. For room […]
Have Prisons and Jails Simply Replaced Institutions in Warehousing People with Mental Illness and Cognitive Disabilities?
In what was widely regarded as a positive development in the United States, the number of individuals residing in institutions plunged from nearly 560,000 in 1955 to approximately 70,000 in 1994. Unfortunately, this move was not followed by sufficient community resources to meet the needs of this population. Some subsequently ended up being routed to the […]
Having a Disability Doesn’t Mean You Cannot Vote
The right to vote is a fundamental right in the United States, although some groups (women, African-Americans) have had to fight for this right in our past. Are people with disabilities the last disenfranchised group in this country? While some states may limit the right to vote through certain guardianship statutes, the mere fact that […]
The Latest on the Caregiver Wage Rule
The U. S. Supreme Court recently indicated that it would not hear a case disputing the U. S. Department of Labor’s regulation requiring minimum wage and overtime pay for in-home care workers, a regulation that was issued in 2013 and has been a subject of concern in the disability community. What does this mean? It […]
What Not to Say to People Who Use Wheelchairs
Most of us are familiar with some form of the saying, “I really put my foot in my mouth” or, “open mouth, insert foot”. It means to (accidentally) say something stupid or offensive. Which everyone is capable of doing at least occasionally. It’s embarrassing. So, what to do about it? Well, you either learn from […]