Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Friday, July 31, 2009
US signs disabled rights treaty
UNITED NATIONS — The United States on Thursday signed a U.N. treaty enshrining the rights of the world's 650 million disabled people, saying it symbolized President Barack Obama's commitment to upholding human rights through international agreements.
The signing by U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice marked a dramatic shift from the Bush administration, which refused to take part in negotiations on the treaty, arguing that it would dilute protections for U.S. citizens under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Obama marked last week's 19th anniversary of the U.S. law barring discrimination against the disabled with the announcement that the U.S. would become the 141st signatory to the convention. "Disability rights aren't just civil rights to be enforced here at home. They are universal rights to be recognized and promoted around the world," the president said.
Rice said Obama will soon submit the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification. Once it is ratified, the United States will be bound by its provisions.
"It symbolizes that the United States is recommitting itself to upholding human rights through multilateral institutions," Rice said. "It is symbolic of the president's determination to adhere universally to those principles that he has championed and that the United States stands for domestically."
The treaty is the first new human rights convention of the 21st century. It was approved by the U.N. General Assembly in December 2006 and came into force in May 2008 after 20 countries ratified it.
The 32-page convention is a blueprint aimed at ending discrimination and exclusion of the physically and mentally impaired in education, jobs, and everyday life. It requires countries to guarantee freedom from exploitation and abuse for the disabled, while protecting rights they already have — such as ensuring voting rights for the blind and providing wheelchair-accessible buildings.
It says disabled persons must also enjoy the same right to life, to inherit, to control their financial affairs, and to privacy as the able-bodied. It also advocates keeping the disabled in their communities rather than removing them and educating them separately as many countries do.
According to the U.N., about 10 percent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability and the number is increasing with population growth. The disabled constitute the world's largest minority, and 80 percent live in developing countries, many in poverty.
"We all still have a great deal more to do at home and abroad," Rice said. "As president Obama has noted, people with disabilities far too often lack the choice to live in communities of their own choosing; their unemployment rate is much higher than those without disabilities; they are much more likely to live in poverty; health care is out of reach for far too many; and too many children with disabilities are denied a world class education."
White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, who also attended the signing ceremony, announced the creation of a new senior-level post in the State Department to promote the rights of people with disabilities internationally and coordinate government efforts to ratify the treaty.
Several U.S. campaigners for the disabled — two in wheelchairs — attended the signing ceremony in a conference room on the 38th floor of U.N. headquarters and applauded loudly after Rice wrote her name in the treaty book.
Marca Bristo, president and CEO of Access Living, who chairs the U.S. International Council on Disabilities, said the council would be coordinating civil society efforts to ratify the treaty.
William Kennedy Smith, president and founder of the Center for International Rehabilitation, who helped organize activists from around the world to work on drafting the convention, recalled how disappointed U.S. campaigners for the disabled were that the Bush administration refused to participate.
"With the signing today, the U.S. rejoins the arena where they have traditionally set the benchmark in disability rights internationally and I think it's a huge step for people with disabilities and a huge step for our country," he said.
"I think that it represents a profound difference in how the two administrations view international cooperation, international engagement," Smith said.
-The Associated Press
The signing by U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice marked a dramatic shift from the Bush administration, which refused to take part in negotiations on the treaty, arguing that it would dilute protections for U.S. citizens under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Obama marked last week's 19th anniversary of the U.S. law barring discrimination against the disabled with the announcement that the U.S. would become the 141st signatory to the convention. "Disability rights aren't just civil rights to be enforced here at home. They are universal rights to be recognized and promoted around the world," the president said.
Rice said Obama will soon submit the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification. Once it is ratified, the United States will be bound by its provisions.
"It symbolizes that the United States is recommitting itself to upholding human rights through multilateral institutions," Rice said. "It is symbolic of the president's determination to adhere universally to those principles that he has championed and that the United States stands for domestically."
The treaty is the first new human rights convention of the 21st century. It was approved by the U.N. General Assembly in December 2006 and came into force in May 2008 after 20 countries ratified it.
The 32-page convention is a blueprint aimed at ending discrimination and exclusion of the physically and mentally impaired in education, jobs, and everyday life. It requires countries to guarantee freedom from exploitation and abuse for the disabled, while protecting rights they already have — such as ensuring voting rights for the blind and providing wheelchair-accessible buildings.
It says disabled persons must also enjoy the same right to life, to inherit, to control their financial affairs, and to privacy as the able-bodied. It also advocates keeping the disabled in their communities rather than removing them and educating them separately as many countries do.
According to the U.N., about 10 percent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability and the number is increasing with population growth. The disabled constitute the world's largest minority, and 80 percent live in developing countries, many in poverty.
"We all still have a great deal more to do at home and abroad," Rice said. "As president Obama has noted, people with disabilities far too often lack the choice to live in communities of their own choosing; their unemployment rate is much higher than those without disabilities; they are much more likely to live in poverty; health care is out of reach for far too many; and too many children with disabilities are denied a world class education."
White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, who also attended the signing ceremony, announced the creation of a new senior-level post in the State Department to promote the rights of people with disabilities internationally and coordinate government efforts to ratify the treaty.
Several U.S. campaigners for the disabled — two in wheelchairs — attended the signing ceremony in a conference room on the 38th floor of U.N. headquarters and applauded loudly after Rice wrote her name in the treaty book.
Marca Bristo, president and CEO of Access Living, who chairs the U.S. International Council on Disabilities, said the council would be coordinating civil society efforts to ratify the treaty.
William Kennedy Smith, president and founder of the Center for International Rehabilitation, who helped organize activists from around the world to work on drafting the convention, recalled how disappointed U.S. campaigners for the disabled were that the Bush administration refused to participate.
"With the signing today, the U.S. rejoins the arena where they have traditionally set the benchmark in disability rights internationally and I think it's a huge step for people with disabilities and a huge step for our country," he said.
"I think that it represents a profound difference in how the two administrations view international cooperation, international engagement," Smith said.
-The Associated Press
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Disabled grandmother shoved, locked out of her house
A disabled 68-year-old woman was shoved to the ground by her grandson, who later came back, confronted her, physically removed her from her home and locked her out, Bossier City police say.
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Martin Dewayne Brown, 32, of the 1200 block of Estelle Street in Bossier City, is charged with one count each of cruelty to the infirm and simple battery. He is being held in Bossier Minimum Security Facility, where his bond has been set at $25,500.
Brown is accused of shoving his grandmother, who uses a walker due to a physical disability, when she tried to intervene during a fight between him and his adult brother at her home, where Brown’s brother lives, according to Mark Natale, a Bossier City spokesman. She called police; her grandsons fled before they arrived, Natale said.
Bossier City Fire Department personnel treated the woman on the scene.
Brown returned after police left, Natale said. The woman again called authorities after being removed from her house and locked out. Brown was arrested at the residence.
-shreveporttimes.com
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Martin Dewayne Brown, 32, of the 1200 block of Estelle Street in Bossier City, is charged with one count each of cruelty to the infirm and simple battery. He is being held in Bossier Minimum Security Facility, where his bond has been set at $25,500.
Brown is accused of shoving his grandmother, who uses a walker due to a physical disability, when she tried to intervene during a fight between him and his adult brother at her home, where Brown’s brother lives, according to Mark Natale, a Bossier City spokesman. She called police; her grandsons fled before they arrived, Natale said.
Bossier City Fire Department personnel treated the woman on the scene.
Brown returned after police left, Natale said. The woman again called authorities after being removed from her house and locked out. Brown was arrested at the residence.
-shreveporttimes.com
Disabled man may have case against NJ restaurant
TRENTON, N.J. - An Essex County restaurant that refused to seat a disabled man and his guide dog in its main dining room may have violated New Jersey's law against discrimination.
The Division on Civil Rights has made a probable cause finding against 88 Cafe in Livingston and its owner, Johnny Wong. That means there is evidence of a civil rights violation, though the case is ongoing.
Clifford Aaron sought to be seated in the main restaurant with his wife, daughter and golden retriever, Alto, a certified guide dog. The Civil Rights Division says Wong instead offered the family a table near the kitchen, fearing other patrons would object to the presence of the dog.
A woman who answered the phone at 88 Cafe says Wong is off and no one else was available to comment.
-The Associated Press
The Division on Civil Rights has made a probable cause finding against 88 Cafe in Livingston and its owner, Johnny Wong. That means there is evidence of a civil rights violation, though the case is ongoing.
Clifford Aaron sought to be seated in the main restaurant with his wife, daughter and golden retriever, Alto, a certified guide dog. The Civil Rights Division says Wong instead offered the family a table near the kitchen, fearing other patrons would object to the presence of the dog.
A woman who answered the phone at 88 Cafe says Wong is off and no one else was available to comment.
-The Associated Press
Alaska police: Taser use on disabled man justified
MOBILE, Ala. — Officers who used pepper spray and a Taser to remove a man from a store bathroom found out only later he was deaf and mentally disabled and didn't understand they wanted him to open the door, police said Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Mobile Police Department said the officers' actions were justified because the man was armed with a potential weapon — an umbrella.
But relatives of Antonio Love, 37, have asked for a formal investigation and said they plan to sue both the police and the store.
"I want justice," Love's mother, Phyllis Love, said Tuesday.
The woman said her son hears only faintly, has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old and didn't realize that it was the police who were trying enter the bathroom.
"He thought the devil was out there trying to get in to get him," she said.
Antonio Love, in a written statement and in a television interview given in sign language about the confrontation, said he had a badly upset stomach last Friday and went into a Dollar General store to use the restroom.
Police spokesman Christopher Levy said Tuesday store workers called officers complaining that a man had been in the bathroom for more than an hour with the door locked. Officers knocked on the door and identified themselves, but the person didn't respond.
Officers used a tire iron to open the door, but the man pushed back to keep it shut. Officers saw the umbrella and sprayed pepper spray through a crack trying to subdue the man, Levy said. They shot the man with a Taser when they finally got inside, he said.
Officers didn't realize Love was deaf or had mental problems until he showed them a card he carries in his wallet, Levy said. He was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct, but officers released him and took him home after a magistrate refused to issue a warrant.
Levy said officers were justified in using force against Love since he had an umbrella.
"The officers really worked within the limits of our level-of-force policy," he said. "We had no information about who this guy was."
Phyllis Love said her son, who has worked in the garden department at a Lowe's store for several years, was scared when he realized someone was trying to get into the bathroom with him. He put water on his face and on the floor after being hit with pepper spray, she said.
"He didn't know it was a policeman until they busted the door in on him," she said. "He had a knot on his head from where it hit him."
Levy said police wish the confrontation had never occurred. The internal investigation will include a review of Love's complaints that officers laughed at him after realizing he was deaf, he said.
"We'll make whatever efforts we can to resolve this situation, hopefully so this man will be able to trust police in the future so we can help him. Obviously, it's going to be a rough road," he said.
The Associated Press.
A spokesman for the Mobile Police Department said the officers' actions were justified because the man was armed with a potential weapon — an umbrella.
But relatives of Antonio Love, 37, have asked for a formal investigation and said they plan to sue both the police and the store.
"I want justice," Love's mother, Phyllis Love, said Tuesday.
The woman said her son hears only faintly, has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old and didn't realize that it was the police who were trying enter the bathroom.
"He thought the devil was out there trying to get in to get him," she said.
Antonio Love, in a written statement and in a television interview given in sign language about the confrontation, said he had a badly upset stomach last Friday and went into a Dollar General store to use the restroom.
Police spokesman Christopher Levy said Tuesday store workers called officers complaining that a man had been in the bathroom for more than an hour with the door locked. Officers knocked on the door and identified themselves, but the person didn't respond.
Officers used a tire iron to open the door, but the man pushed back to keep it shut. Officers saw the umbrella and sprayed pepper spray through a crack trying to subdue the man, Levy said. They shot the man with a Taser when they finally got inside, he said.
Officers didn't realize Love was deaf or had mental problems until he showed them a card he carries in his wallet, Levy said. He was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct, but officers released him and took him home after a magistrate refused to issue a warrant.
Levy said officers were justified in using force against Love since he had an umbrella.
"The officers really worked within the limits of our level-of-force policy," he said. "We had no information about who this guy was."
Phyllis Love said her son, who has worked in the garden department at a Lowe's store for several years, was scared when he realized someone was trying to get into the bathroom with him. He put water on his face and on the floor after being hit with pepper spray, she said.
"He didn't know it was a policeman until they busted the door in on him," she said. "He had a knot on his head from where it hit him."
Levy said police wish the confrontation had never occurred. The internal investigation will include a review of Love's complaints that officers laughed at him after realizing he was deaf, he said.
"We'll make whatever efforts we can to resolve this situation, hopefully so this man will be able to trust police in the future so we can help him. Obviously, it's going to be a rough road," he said.
The Associated Press.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Mentally disabled home's workers fired after death
LUBBOCK, Texas — A Texas state official says six employees at a state-run home for the mentally disabled were fired for their involvement in the June death of a resident.
Laura Albrecht, spokeswoman for the Department of Aging and Disability Services, says the workers were involved in the "physical abuse and neglect of the patient" at the Lubbock State School. Albrecht told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the employees worked with mentally disabled residents and were involved in direct patient care.
The school, recently renamed the Lubbock State Supported Living Center, houses about 300 mentally disabled patients. Widespread problems within the 13-school system prompted state lawmakers earlier this year to pass legislation that will increase oversight and security at the facilities.
Lubbock police were called to the school to investigate the death of a 46-year-old male resident who fell in his room after a struggle with staff on June 6. Officials said emergency responders were unable to revive him at the school.
Sgt. Jimmy Pachall said a criminal investigation was closed after the Lubbock County medical examiner concluded the victim did not receive a fatal injury during the struggle.
Pachall said the investigation was turned over to the Texas Attorney General's Office, where officials don't say whether they're looking into cases.- AP Texas News
Laura Albrecht, spokeswoman for the Department of Aging and Disability Services, says the workers were involved in the "physical abuse and neglect of the patient" at the Lubbock State School. Albrecht told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the employees worked with mentally disabled residents and were involved in direct patient care.
The school, recently renamed the Lubbock State Supported Living Center, houses about 300 mentally disabled patients. Widespread problems within the 13-school system prompted state lawmakers earlier this year to pass legislation that will increase oversight and security at the facilities.
Lubbock police were called to the school to investigate the death of a 46-year-old male resident who fell in his room after a struggle with staff on June 6. Officials said emergency responders were unable to revive him at the school.
Sgt. Jimmy Pachall said a criminal investigation was closed after the Lubbock County medical examiner concluded the victim did not receive a fatal injury during the struggle.
Pachall said the investigation was turned over to the Texas Attorney General's Office, where officials don't say whether they're looking into cases.- AP Texas News
Disabled, impoverished: For some, losing the $261 a month will be devastating
More than 800 disabled, impoverished Utahns will lose their monthly state benefits over the next six months, pushing some into homelessness, advocates fear.
They are among the state's most vulnerable: typically unable to work beyond a small number of hours and waiting for Social Security benefits.
Their $261 monthly checks from the General Assistance program, which help them pay rent and afford medication, is often their only income.
"So you're going to have people with severe medical problems in the shelter or on the street," said Bill Tibbitts, an advocate at Crossroads Urban Center.
A coalition of anti-poverty leaders submitted a letter to the outgoing and incoming governors this week protesting changes that will go into effect on Aug. 1. The cuts are a result of a $3 million budget cut made by the Legislature in the past year.
Critics believe changes to the program, which serves about 1,500 disabled people, are too harsh and will have an even larger effect than predicted by Department of Workforce Services officials.
The state concedes that the full consequences of the changes are unclear, particularly how stricter eligibility requirements will affect the number of new participants.
"Until it occurs we don't know," said Helen Thatcher, an assistant director at Department of Workforce Services. "We don't intend to hurt people more than they're already being hurt."
New rules will limit the amount of time someone can receive General Assistance to 12 months instead of two years.
That limit will automatically kick hundreds off the program before they have secured Social Security benefits, advocates worry. But officials say new systems are expected to speed up the Social Security application process.
Tibbitts questions why more than half of the current recipients will lose their benefits -- many on Aug. 1, others in subsequent months -- when the budget was not cut in half. Anti-poverty leaders also are upset that a public comment period and public hearing has not yet taken place.
"Consequently, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to undo the harm caused to hundreds of homeless and near homeless people if the impacts of these rules are as great as we fear they will be," the letter to the governors states.
The state does plan to monitor the effects of General Assistance cuts. "We don't want to be so strict -- we don't want money left over," Thatcher said.
Madeline Wesson, 58, who lived at the downtown Salt Lake City homeless shelter for 17 months and has struggled with mental illness, relies on a General Assistance check to buy the basics that food stamps don't cover.
"What am I going to do if I don't have toilet tissue?" she said.
For residents like her at Grace Mary Manor, an apartment complex for the formerly homeless, losing their monthly General Assistance checks will typically reduce their rent to $25 per month. With no other income or savings, people often turn to panhandling or plasma donation to come up with the cash. - The Salt Lake Tribune
They are among the state's most vulnerable: typically unable to work beyond a small number of hours and waiting for Social Security benefits.
Their $261 monthly checks from the General Assistance program, which help them pay rent and afford medication, is often their only income.
"So you're going to have people with severe medical problems in the shelter or on the street," said Bill Tibbitts, an advocate at Crossroads Urban Center.
A coalition of anti-poverty leaders submitted a letter to the outgoing and incoming governors this week protesting changes that will go into effect on Aug. 1. The cuts are a result of a $3 million budget cut made by the Legislature in the past year.
Critics believe changes to the program, which serves about 1,500 disabled people, are too harsh and will have an even larger effect than predicted by Department of Workforce Services officials.
The state concedes that the full consequences of the changes are unclear, particularly how stricter eligibility requirements will affect the number of new participants.
"Until it occurs we don't know," said Helen Thatcher, an assistant director at Department of Workforce Services. "We don't intend to hurt people more than they're already being hurt."
New rules will limit the amount of time someone can receive General Assistance to 12 months instead of two years.
That limit will automatically kick hundreds off the program before they have secured Social Security benefits, advocates worry. But officials say new systems are expected to speed up the Social Security application process.
Tibbitts questions why more than half of the current recipients will lose their benefits -- many on Aug. 1, others in subsequent months -- when the budget was not cut in half. Anti-poverty leaders also are upset that a public comment period and public hearing has not yet taken place.
"Consequently, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to undo the harm caused to hundreds of homeless and near homeless people if the impacts of these rules are as great as we fear they will be," the letter to the governors states.
The state does plan to monitor the effects of General Assistance cuts. "We don't want to be so strict -- we don't want money left over," Thatcher said.
Madeline Wesson, 58, who lived at the downtown Salt Lake City homeless shelter for 17 months and has struggled with mental illness, relies on a General Assistance check to buy the basics that food stamps don't cover.
"What am I going to do if I don't have toilet tissue?" she said.
For residents like her at Grace Mary Manor, an apartment complex for the formerly homeless, losing their monthly General Assistance checks will typically reduce their rent to $25 per month. With no other income or savings, people often turn to panhandling or plasma donation to come up with the cash. - The Salt Lake Tribune
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Advocates for disabled unhappy with Texas state school settlement
AUSTIN – A settlement Texas officials signed with the U.S. Justice Department to improve conditions at the state schools for the mentally disabled doesn't do enough to move people out of institutions and into the community, advocates for the disabled said Thursday.
The advocates, complaining that they were left out of the negotiations, are asking Gov. Rick Perry to ensure they play a role in the agreement's implementation and monitoring.
"We're not here to impede this settlement," said Dennis Borel, executive director for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. "But we are interested in ensuring nobody stays in an institution who is able and wants to get out."
The five-year, $112 million agreement, signed this spring after a four-year federal investigation into civil rights violations at Texas' 13 state schools for the disabled, calls for hiring more than 1,000 new workers, and drastically improving living conditions at the facilities.
It's a response to years of media reports about abuse and neglect inside the facilities, culminating with news this winter that employees orchestrated a "fight club" at the Corpus Christi State School.
But the advocates for the disabled say the measure simply pours millions of dollars into a system that is broken, and will do little to move institutionalized people into more integrated settings.
Officials with the Department of Aging and Disability Services, who oversee the state schools and helped craft the settlement agreement, say advocacy groups had ample time to play a role in the process.
"There were legislative hearings, interim committee hearings, public meetings where input was welcomed and considered," said Laura Albrecht, spokeswoman for the agency.
And they say the agency continues to try to move people who want to live in the community out of the state schools, reporting the facilities' population has dropped by nearly 80 people since February.
But advocates say that pumping more than $100 million into the state schools through the settlement agreement merely delays emptying out the facilities all together.
"We are talking about more than money and bricks and mortar," said Tanya Winters, director of the Texas Advocates Peer To Peer project, which trains people with disabilities to be their own advocates. "We're talking about peoples' lives and happiness." - Dallas Morning News
The advocates, complaining that they were left out of the negotiations, are asking Gov. Rick Perry to ensure they play a role in the agreement's implementation and monitoring.
"We're not here to impede this settlement," said Dennis Borel, executive director for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. "But we are interested in ensuring nobody stays in an institution who is able and wants to get out."
The five-year, $112 million agreement, signed this spring after a four-year federal investigation into civil rights violations at Texas' 13 state schools for the disabled, calls for hiring more than 1,000 new workers, and drastically improving living conditions at the facilities.
It's a response to years of media reports about abuse and neglect inside the facilities, culminating with news this winter that employees orchestrated a "fight club" at the Corpus Christi State School.
But the advocates for the disabled say the measure simply pours millions of dollars into a system that is broken, and will do little to move institutionalized people into more integrated settings.
Officials with the Department of Aging and Disability Services, who oversee the state schools and helped craft the settlement agreement, say advocacy groups had ample time to play a role in the process.
"There were legislative hearings, interim committee hearings, public meetings where input was welcomed and considered," said Laura Albrecht, spokeswoman for the agency.
And they say the agency continues to try to move people who want to live in the community out of the state schools, reporting the facilities' population has dropped by nearly 80 people since February.
But advocates say that pumping more than $100 million into the state schools through the settlement agreement merely delays emptying out the facilities all together.
"We are talking about more than money and bricks and mortar," said Tanya Winters, director of the Texas Advocates Peer To Peer project, which trains people with disabilities to be their own advocates. "We're talking about peoples' lives and happiness." - Dallas Morning News
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Iowa bill requires disabled housing registration
An Iowa House committee on Tuesday approved a measure that would require registration for houses that shelter disabled workers.
The measure is in response to a dilapidated house in Atalissa where 21 mentally disabled Texas men lived while they worked at a nearby turkey processing plant operated by Texas-based Henry's Turkey Service.
The package was recommended by a task force created by Gov. Chet Culver after the men were found living in the run-down house.
Under the measure approved by the committee, other facilities would have to register with the state and subject to inspection.
Officials said the measure will give them a better handle on the number of facilities in the state and who is being housed in them.
"Does it solve all of the problems and close all of the gaps? No," said Rep. Vicky Lensing, D-Iowa City, head of the House Oversight Committee. "This is a first step."
The measure must still be approved by the House Appropriations Committee.
Though the Legislature is getting close to ending this year's session, the measure is likely to emerge because of the discovery of the disabled workers living at the house in eastern Iowa.
The men were employed since the 1970s by Henry's Turkey Service, which contracted for them to work at the meatpacker. They lived in a boarded-up house with only space heaters until a call to a state abuse hot line prompted an investigation and decision by the state to close the house in February and move the men to centers in Waterloo.
Allegations have since surfaced that the men saw little of their earnings and that most had almost no savings despite years of work.
John McCalley, director of the Department of Elder Affairs and chairman of the task force, told the committee that the package takes a series of steps to begin dealing with the issue.
"This bill represents a delicate balancing act," McCalley said.
Other recommended steps in the measure include:
_ Department of Human Services officials conducting assessments of conditions at the facilities.
_ Creating a multi-agency team that would oversee the care and treatment of dependent adults in the state.
_ Tighter scrutiny of special permits that are issued allowing workers with disabilities to take jobs.
Critics said the measure approved Tuesday would do little in the face of a bureaucracy that didn't rise to the occasion.
"For 34 years, 22 agencies have dropped the ball and now we're reacting," said Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield.
Similar legislation is moving through the Senate, and a criminal investigation in the case is continuing.
Source: Associated Press
The measure is in response to a dilapidated house in Atalissa where 21 mentally disabled Texas men lived while they worked at a nearby turkey processing plant operated by Texas-based Henry's Turkey Service.
The package was recommended by a task force created by Gov. Chet Culver after the men were found living in the run-down house.
Under the measure approved by the committee, other facilities would have to register with the state and subject to inspection.
Officials said the measure will give them a better handle on the number of facilities in the state and who is being housed in them.
"Does it solve all of the problems and close all of the gaps? No," said Rep. Vicky Lensing, D-Iowa City, head of the House Oversight Committee. "This is a first step."
The measure must still be approved by the House Appropriations Committee.
Though the Legislature is getting close to ending this year's session, the measure is likely to emerge because of the discovery of the disabled workers living at the house in eastern Iowa.
The men were employed since the 1970s by Henry's Turkey Service, which contracted for them to work at the meatpacker. They lived in a boarded-up house with only space heaters until a call to a state abuse hot line prompted an investigation and decision by the state to close the house in February and move the men to centers in Waterloo.
Allegations have since surfaced that the men saw little of their earnings and that most had almost no savings despite years of work.
John McCalley, director of the Department of Elder Affairs and chairman of the task force, told the committee that the package takes a series of steps to begin dealing with the issue.
"This bill represents a delicate balancing act," McCalley said.
Other recommended steps in the measure include:
_ Department of Human Services officials conducting assessments of conditions at the facilities.
_ Creating a multi-agency team that would oversee the care and treatment of dependent adults in the state.
_ Tighter scrutiny of special permits that are issued allowing workers with disabilities to take jobs.
Critics said the measure approved Tuesday would do little in the face of a bureaucracy that didn't rise to the occasion.
"For 34 years, 22 agencies have dropped the ball and now we're reacting," said Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield.
Similar legislation is moving through the Senate, and a criminal investigation in the case is continuing.
Source: Associated Press
Sunday, April 12, 2009
How does receiving Disability affect my Social Security benefits later in life?
Question from: Suzjoy
I started getting Disability in my 50s, and am now 61. I receive just Disability (not SSI), and am wondering what happens at age 65? Do I start receiving regular SS, and does it end earlier than if I hadnever gotten Disability?? Thanks.
Answer from : Little78
If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits when you reach full retirement age, those benefits will be converted to retirement benefits.
Source(s):
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10035...
To add to the above answer, there is no "ending" to Social Security. You get it as long as you live.
Source: Yahoo Answers
I started getting Disability in my 50s, and am now 61. I receive just Disability (not SSI), and am wondering what happens at age 65? Do I start receiving regular SS, and does it end earlier than if I hadnever gotten Disability?? Thanks.
Answer from : Little78
If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits when you reach full retirement age, those benefits will be converted to retirement benefits.
Source(s):
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10035...
To add to the above answer, there is no "ending" to Social Security. You get it as long as you live.
Source: Yahoo Answers
What steps does it take to qualify for disability from the state because of anxiety and depression?
Question from: Mel
I'm on my second leave of absence in the past year....I've worked maybe 3 months in the past year. The disability payments from work will only last so long and I'm not sure if I can go back to work at all after that....everytime I think about it...I get sick (nausea, vomiting, pounding heart, and crying). I know that my employers think that I'm lying which of course makes it worse and I think actually led me wind up going on sick leave the second time. I'm frustrated because I am used to taking care of myself and my kids, but now I feel helpless. All this worrying is not good for me and I know it, but as we all know money makes the world go round and without it we're lost. I feel like I'm turning into a recluse and that's very scary, especially since I have kids...the youngest of which, has no relationship with her father...so of course he's no help at all. I have suffered from anxiety my entire life, but it's gotten progressively worse over the past 10 years.
I'm not looking for a hand-out...I'm looking for help. If I can't out of bed to go to work...what am I supposed to do. Perhaps you think suicide would be a better option...wouldn't want to be a problem for you or society.
Of course I've tried doctors and medication...eventually they stop working and when they do work it's not perfect, otherwise I would be at work.
Your very ignorant to think I want a hand out...I'd rather be working...making a real check like I always have in the past. Yeah I'm real happy since I can't work...ooo hoo free time to sit at home and be miserable, with no one who understands. I sit at home every day...I'm not out partying, meeting with friends or having any fun at all....I'm sick, not lazy. People always invite me out, but they don't get it....my anxiety has me like a prisoner in my own body. I wonder when it will end or just be as bad it was before...at least I could still function.
You can judge me if you like, but I just wanted some help
Answer from: Zen
Please don't give up! Are you on antidepressents? If you are, theyr'e not the right ones for you! I waited till I was in my late forties to even go see a doctor, only then because my days had become so dark, I literally wanted to die rather than live this way. I was so anxious at times, I wanted to drink and just stay in the house with the blinds closed. I had to work, but just the drive had me fighting panic attacks the whole way there. I became so neurotic that I started counting things,.OCD. I lost weight, wanted to sleep all day, couldn't stay asleep at night. I trid meditation, self-help books and tapes, herbal vitamins, shots of Nyquil, u-name-it! I could tell you stories...like getting paranoid at bank & stores, leaving a full grocery cart behind. I had an attack years ago in an intersection in left lane, sooooo..I avoided most ALL left hand turns. I cried, got mad, withdrew, didn't find pleasure in ANYTHING!!!!!.....Then, there came a little med called Paxil. I tried two or three other ones, but they didn't work as well. 6 months later, I have NO panic attacks, my depressed moments are just normal moments. I don't count everything in sight...and I hated math!!!! I rarely cry and haven't thrown a dish across the room in months. You may need a little xanax until the meds "kick in", which takes a couple weeks...But, you'll be so glad you did!!!!!!!!!!ps..u can always e mail me! Hugs to you! oooooooooo oh, And I also considered looking into dissability as the last resort!
Last note from: Mel
Thanks so much for the support. I'm feeling a little better today. I'll see my doc on Tuesday, hopefully we can figure something else out. By the way, I been through most of the things you've been through. It's funny we always feel alone and so many of us are going through the same things.
Source: Yahoo Answers
I'm on my second leave of absence in the past year....I've worked maybe 3 months in the past year. The disability payments from work will only last so long and I'm not sure if I can go back to work at all after that....everytime I think about it...I get sick (nausea, vomiting, pounding heart, and crying). I know that my employers think that I'm lying which of course makes it worse and I think actually led me wind up going on sick leave the second time. I'm frustrated because I am used to taking care of myself and my kids, but now I feel helpless. All this worrying is not good for me and I know it, but as we all know money makes the world go round and without it we're lost. I feel like I'm turning into a recluse and that's very scary, especially since I have kids...the youngest of which, has no relationship with her father...so of course he's no help at all. I have suffered from anxiety my entire life, but it's gotten progressively worse over the past 10 years.
I'm not looking for a hand-out...I'm looking for help. If I can't out of bed to go to work...what am I supposed to do. Perhaps you think suicide would be a better option...wouldn't want to be a problem for you or society.
Of course I've tried doctors and medication...eventually they stop working and when they do work it's not perfect, otherwise I would be at work.
Your very ignorant to think I want a hand out...I'd rather be working...making a real check like I always have in the past. Yeah I'm real happy since I can't work...ooo hoo free time to sit at home and be miserable, with no one who understands. I sit at home every day...I'm not out partying, meeting with friends or having any fun at all....I'm sick, not lazy. People always invite me out, but they don't get it....my anxiety has me like a prisoner in my own body. I wonder when it will end or just be as bad it was before...at least I could still function.
You can judge me if you like, but I just wanted some help
Answer from: Zen
Please don't give up! Are you on antidepressents? If you are, theyr'e not the right ones for you! I waited till I was in my late forties to even go see a doctor, only then because my days had become so dark, I literally wanted to die rather than live this way. I was so anxious at times, I wanted to drink and just stay in the house with the blinds closed. I had to work, but just the drive had me fighting panic attacks the whole way there. I became so neurotic that I started counting things,.OCD. I lost weight, wanted to sleep all day, couldn't stay asleep at night. I trid meditation, self-help books and tapes, herbal vitamins, shots of Nyquil, u-name-it! I could tell you stories...like getting paranoid at bank & stores, leaving a full grocery cart behind. I had an attack years ago in an intersection in left lane, sooooo..I avoided most ALL left hand turns. I cried, got mad, withdrew, didn't find pleasure in ANYTHING!!!!!.....Then, there came a little med called Paxil. I tried two or three other ones, but they didn't work as well. 6 months later, I have NO panic attacks, my depressed moments are just normal moments. I don't count everything in sight...and I hated math!!!! I rarely cry and haven't thrown a dish across the room in months. You may need a little xanax until the meds "kick in", which takes a couple weeks...But, you'll be so glad you did!!!!!!!!!!ps..u can always e mail me! Hugs to you! oooooooooo oh, And I also considered looking into dissability as the last resort!
Last note from: Mel
Thanks so much for the support. I'm feeling a little better today. I'll see my doc on Tuesday, hopefully we can figure something else out. By the way, I been through most of the things you've been through. It's funny we always feel alone and so many of us are going through the same things.
Source: Yahoo Answers
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Looking for toilets
The search for a model disabled-friendly rest room yielded some interesting results.
I was involved in an unusual assignment a week ago. Together with another gentleman in a wheelchair, accompanied by a team of experts from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), our montley crew went out as “roving investigator” in Petaling Jaya.
We went to look at, of all things, toilet. And we were only interested in loos that were user-friendly for disabled and elderly individuals.
The purpose of our trip was a well-known hotel. We oozed and aahed at most of the outfit’s disabled-friendly designs. The most impressive was the entry/exit door of the loo, which was an electronic one.
All a patron in a wheelchair needed to do was press a button with one finger and presto: it would open for him. Once inside he has only to push another button. The door closes, offering him all the privacy he needs.
If only all other hotels in the country would follow the good example of the hotel we visited and provide electronics doors as well, it would make the lives of disabled and elderly persons much easier when they visit such outfits.
Even though posh hotels may have disabled-friendly loos little attention is given to he doors. The doors are often so heavy that we have a hard time trying to open them.
Not everything was smooth sailing during our assignment. Together with the good came the not-so-good.
We had a lesson on how important it was to train everyone to handle an emergency.
When we tried to get into the loo for the first time it suddenly got locked and refused to open untill 20 minutes later. None of the staff knew how to open the door.
They claimed the person in charge was not around. Fortunately, this was not real emergency. We dreaded to think of what could happened if disabled person had fallen inside the loo and needed help.
It was disappointing too that the five-star hotel had a steep ramp at its entrance which disabled guests were forced to use to access the building.
The reserved parking lot for disabled was located far from the entrance to the building.
The management promised to rectify the situation soonest possible.
Our journey also took us to Ikea and Ikano shopping centers in Mutiara Damansara.
No sooner had we arrived when we were greeted by smiling security guards at the generously-size parking lots for the disabled. These people are so serious about their car parks for the handicapped that they clamp any unauthorized cars and make them pay a fine for abusing the facilities.
The money collected is donated to a local charity for disabled.
I was shocked to hear about the reactions of some people who misuse the disabled parking bays. One or two of them even resorted to violence when their cars were clamped, I was told.
The majority, however, apologetic when they realized the errors of their ways.
As for the toilets, especially Ikea’s, I think they have close to the perfect one I’ve seen so far.
The toilet is spacious enough for a helper to accompany a disabled person. There’s an alarm bell (panic button) in case of emergency and a face mirror that leans slightly downwards from a strategic height to allow a wheelchair-user to view his upper body.
We were all touched by the willingness of these two shopping centers to improve on what they were providing for shoppers.
(Articles written by Anthony Thanasayan - athanasayan[at]yahoo.com)
I was involved in an unusual assignment a week ago. Together with another gentleman in a wheelchair, accompanied by a team of experts from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), our montley crew went out as “roving investigator” in Petaling Jaya.
We went to look at, of all things, toilet. And we were only interested in loos that were user-friendly for disabled and elderly individuals.
The purpose of our trip was a well-known hotel. We oozed and aahed at most of the outfit’s disabled-friendly designs. The most impressive was the entry/exit door of the loo, which was an electronic one.
All a patron in a wheelchair needed to do was press a button with one finger and presto: it would open for him. Once inside he has only to push another button. The door closes, offering him all the privacy he needs.
If only all other hotels in the country would follow the good example of the hotel we visited and provide electronics doors as well, it would make the lives of disabled and elderly persons much easier when they visit such outfits.
Even though posh hotels may have disabled-friendly loos little attention is given to he doors. The doors are often so heavy that we have a hard time trying to open them.
Not everything was smooth sailing during our assignment. Together with the good came the not-so-good.
We had a lesson on how important it was to train everyone to handle an emergency.
When we tried to get into the loo for the first time it suddenly got locked and refused to open untill 20 minutes later. None of the staff knew how to open the door.
They claimed the person in charge was not around. Fortunately, this was not real emergency. We dreaded to think of what could happened if disabled person had fallen inside the loo and needed help.
It was disappointing too that the five-star hotel had a steep ramp at its entrance which disabled guests were forced to use to access the building.
The reserved parking lot for disabled was located far from the entrance to the building.
The management promised to rectify the situation soonest possible.
Our journey also took us to Ikea and Ikano shopping centers in Mutiara Damansara.
No sooner had we arrived when we were greeted by smiling security guards at the generously-size parking lots for the disabled. These people are so serious about their car parks for the handicapped that they clamp any unauthorized cars and make them pay a fine for abusing the facilities.
The money collected is donated to a local charity for disabled.
I was shocked to hear about the reactions of some people who misuse the disabled parking bays. One or two of them even resorted to violence when their cars were clamped, I was told.
The majority, however, apologetic when they realized the errors of their ways.
As for the toilets, especially Ikea’s, I think they have close to the perfect one I’ve seen so far.
The toilet is spacious enough for a helper to accompany a disabled person. There’s an alarm bell (panic button) in case of emergency and a face mirror that leans slightly downwards from a strategic height to allow a wheelchair-user to view his upper body.
We were all touched by the willingness of these two shopping centers to improve on what they were providing for shoppers.
(Articles written by Anthony Thanasayan - athanasayan[at]yahoo.com)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
She had her tubes tied so that she could care for disabled child
THE baby's brain is only 1mm wide.
 |
| DEVOTED: Madam Yang and Yurong. PICTURE: GUANG MING DAILY |
But her mother's love for her is immeasurable.
Huang Yurong, a 6-month-old Malaysian baby, suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid accumulates in the cavities of the brain.
Because of this, her brain has shrunk, and her head has ballooned to the size of a football.
Guang Ming Daily reported that she was also born with spinal deformities and her nerves are exposed. The baby also can't move the lower part of her body.
When her mother, Madam Yang Shu Jun, 38, was five months pregnant, she was told that her baby would develop spinal deformities and would be disabled for life.
She was then asked if she wanted to abort the child.
Madam Yang calmly replied: 'I want to keep her. I must give birth to her. Who can abandon their own flesh and blood?'
'I understood what I have to face if I went ahead. But I couldn't give her up. I told myself that it was a trial from heaven which I must accept.'
After Yurong was born, Madam Yang and her husband approached all the private hospitals in Penang to treat Yurong.
But they turned her down.
Eventually a hospital said yes, and it has now become Yurong's second home.
Madam Yang said Yurong, her third child, had already gone through a brain operation, which reduced the size of her head. It was about two times bigger before the surgery.
Yurong frequently waves her little arms to attract her mother's attention. But because she has kidney problems, Madam Yang has to drop by the hospital five times a day to collect her urine through a catheter, often in the middle of the night.
When asked if she was tired from taking care of Yurong, Madam Yang said: 'She's lovely, she never throws any tantrums. She is my child, I have no reason and no right to complain.'
She remembered quarrelling with a doctor after giving birth to Yurong.
She had asked for her Fallopian tubes to be cut, a process called ligation.
'I told the doctor that I wanted the operation so that I couldn't have any more children. I wanted to give Yurong and my two other girls my complete love and care.'
The doctor refused, but eventually gave in.
'I realised my daughter was a fighter. She has a strong will to live and is no normal child. I think my decision to give birth to her was the right one.'
Source: Guang Ming Daily
Disabled worker fails in discrimination plea
A father-of-four did not face discrimination by bosses at a Bradford job centre because of his disability, an employment tribunal has ruled today.
David Lambert, who uses a wheelchair and is often in severe pain following an industrial accident in 1996, claimed his managers should have taken his disability into account before verbally warning him for missing too many days off work at JobCentre Plus in Bradford.
Mr Lambert, 34, of Walden Drive, Heaton, Bradford, also should have been allowed to work from home occasionally because of sickness caused by a daily dose of painkillers, he told the Leeds Tribunal today.
He said: “All I can do is my best to get into work on a daily basis and what I would expect, especially from a Government department like JobCentre Plus, is that it takes my medical condition into account.”
But giving evidence the centre’s customer operations manager, Tim Dibb, said managers were justified in disciplining Mr Lambert in March, 2008, after he took more than 28 days sick leave in a year.
Because of Mr Lambert’s unpredictable condition, he would often call up the same morning saying he could not come to work, leaving about ten colleagues to deal with 50 extra compulsory interview appointments to find jobs for benefits claimants, he said.
And, if there were already too few staff in the office, job-seekers would have their interviews cancelled and simply turn up to sign on. Mr Lambert had been allowed to start work late when he was feeling ill, had been given a higher desk for his wheelchair and had been found a back office job when he found it difficult to interview job-seekers, Mr Dibb said.
And he told the tribunal there would be a “serious security risk” should Mr Lambert be allowed to take home his work – sensitive documents containing job-seekers’ personal details.
Tribunal judge David Burton sympathised with Mr Lambert but ruled JobCentre Plus managers had taken reasonable steps to account for his disability.
He said: “While this tribunal has considerable admiration for the claimant (Mr Lambert) for the efforts he makes to keep in work, we do not think that his claim is well-grounded and it is as a consequence of that that it is dismissed.”
Source: Bradford Telegraph Argus
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Families of disabled children go without food as credit crunch takes its toll
Northern Ireland families with disabled children have become the latest victims of the credit crunch, with many forced to live without basic food and heating.
The worrying news comes after an investigation undertaken by local charity, Contact a Family, found that the soaring cost of life’s essentials has all but pushed some vulnerable households over the edge.
Chief among the findings of the study, entitled Counting the Costs, was that one in six disabled children lives in a household struggling to afford food and heating.
The survey also revealed that almost half of families have borrowed money from friends and family, with one in five using the cash to pay their heating bill. And, perhaps even more unsettling, the statistics showed that one in 14 children with a disability or medical condition is living under threat of losing their home.
Contact a Family surveyed almost 800 parent carers in the UK about their financial situation in the current economic crisis in order to determine the impact it is having on survival.
Frances Murphy, director of Contact a Family Northern Ireland, said the study has highlighted some unpleasant truths about the the effects of the current economic downturn.
“Our survey findings paint a shocking picture of what these often vulnerable families are experiencing,” he said.
Paula McManus from Dunmurry, mum to Gary who has cerebral palsy and Rachel who has a heart condition, said the spiralling cost of commodities is proving difficult to accommodate.
“My children are often sick in the night because of their conditions, so we have the washing machine on three or four times a day,” she said.
“Gary can’t walk or move around much so doesn’t generate his own heat which means we have the heating on up to 12 hours a day. I’ve noticed a big jump in gas and electricity bills which is difficult to afford.”
As the housing market slumps 18% of families with a disabled child said they are struggling with mortgage and rent payments and have been in arrears in the last 12 months.
To make ends meet a quarter of families have approached charities for financial help and one in four has taken out a loan.
Families concerned about their finances should telephone the Contact a Family national freephone helpline 0808 808 3555.
-Belfast Telegraph, United Kingdom
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Support Grows for Disabled Job Seekers
Image via WikipediaLucy Shi, a job seeker who has a genetic condition that causes short stature, says she's happy to be singled out as a disability candidate as she hunts for a position in New York.
A graduate of New York University, Ms. Shi, 25, recently interviewed with several Wall Street firms at a recruiting event geared toward people with disabilities who aim to develop professional business careers. "It's hard to have a disability that's so visible, and it's just nice to be able to talk to recruiters without competing with the rest of the world," says Ms. Shi, who believes many interviewers view her as a child because of her height.
There are 22 million working-age Americans with disabilities who have come of age under the Americans With Disabilities Act -- passed 16 years ago this month -- which helps to prevent job discrimination against qualified disabled individuals. But only 38% of the nation's working-age disabled have a job, compared with 78% of able-bodied people.Over the past few years, companies have begun taking bigger steps to bring more of the disabled into the professional work force. The latest effort is partly due to the efforts of Rich Donovan, a former Merrill Lynch trader who has cerebral palsy, a disability that limits his speech and movement.
Mr. Donovan recalls the resistance he met from many recruiters who weren't sure he was nimble enough to perform the physical aspects of a busy trader's job. Even his mentors at Columbia University's business school tried to talk him out of it, saying he'd make a "fine risk manager." He was hired at Merrill and quickly hatched a plan to get more disabled people hired at the firm.
Mr. Donovan's idea was based on the premise that corporate America should recruit and give qualified people with disabilities the same sort of opportunities that his firm -- and most big companies -- already had in place for minorities and women.
Merrill agreed to give it a try, and in 2006 Mr. Donovan founded LimeConnect, with the company as its first partner. Today, the organization matches disabled college-level and professional candidates through private recruiting efforts led by its four major partners: Merrill, Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo and Google. Last fall, Lime helped its partners source more than 300 disabled internship candidates from two dozen universities, including Harvard, M.I.T., Princeton and Georgetown. In May, Lime invited 60 candidates for job interviews in New York; at least a dozen have been invited back for further interviews.
It isn't just a goodwill gesture, say Lime's partner companies. "There's a business case for hiring people with disabilities. This is a market we need to, and want to, tap into as much as we can," says Ron Parker, chief diversity and inclusion officer at PepsiCo.
Corporations are casting a wider net for good reasons. With the labor pool shrinking, U.S. employers will face a shortage of 20 million workers by 2020 as baby boomers retire. What's more, one out of every 10 consumers is a person with a disability, representing $200 billion in annual buying power, according to the National Organization on Disability in Washington.
"We want to be an organization that reflects the globally diverse audience that our search engine and tools serve," says Jordan Bookey, Google's global-diversity and inclusion programs manager, who used Lime to find applicants for its new diversity summer internship program.
Building a disability candidate pipeline isn't easy, as many companies still lack a centralized talent pool from which to draw. Still, companies can join corporate partnerships, such as Lime, or become members of one of several nonprofit organizations geared toward linking disabled professionals with corporations.
One group, the National Business & Disability Council, runs a diversity-internship program called Emerging Leaders. The program was founded by consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. and now has more than 30 corporate members, including AIG, KPMG, Liz Claiborne and Procter & Gamble. It has placed 75 students in summer internships since 2005.
Booz Allen's efforts to hire people with disabilities began at the top: Its chairman and CEO, Ralph Shrader, has a son with disabilities. "Finding a job -- and gaining the significant benefits that come with employment -- is difficult, but when the right opportunity comes together, the rewards for the employee and the company are extraordinary," Dr. Shrader says.
The group also hosts an annual invitation-only Wall Street job fair for candidates seeking jobs at financial-services firms, including Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. Last fall, Merrill also hosted a Wall Street consortium with business and government leaders to explore strategies for recruiting and retaining people with disabilities.
"We're making an intellectual-capital decision," says Elizabeth Wamai, head of global campus recruiting at Merrill. "To continue to win in this business, we need the creative eclectic approaches that different people bring."
Companies like KPMG say they also work to attract candidates by changing their workplace to include more professionals with disabilities. Creating an employee network for the disabled, establishing disabled-specific mentoring programs, or changing benefits to allow for time off for medical issues can make a difference.
KPMG recently launched a disabilities network, and this year, Eastman Kodak, IBM and Pepsi all landed on DiversityInc's Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities list in part because they run employee networks geared toward disabilities. PepsiCo's EnAble network gained fame when it sponsored a Super Bowl commercial featuring two deaf employees.
By SUZANNE ROBITAILLE- Wall Street Journal
New EU legislation to give more rights to disabled air passengers
Image via Wikipedia
New EU legislation has been introduced to give disabled travellers more rights. Disabled air passengers will receive more help when using EU airports.
Disabled travellers are to benefit from the new EU legislation that states all passengers with a disability or suffering from reduced mobility must be given suitable help throughout the whole airport process, reports leading charity Leonard Cheshire Disability.
Airports must give disabled passengers assistance from checking in to boarding the plane. This responsibility previously fell to both airlines and airports. To ensure that the holiday continues in the same vein, holidaylettings.co.uk offers wheelchair-adapted holiday homes for holidaymakers set to benefit from the new legislation.
The new EU legislation for disabled passengers has been welcomed by Leonard Cheshire Disability, which has been campaigning for greater rights for disabled passengers through its Now Boarding campaign. Katie Turner from the charity said: "Disabled people are still facing barriers when using air travel, when they should enjoy the same opportunities that most of us take for granted.
"We want to see air travel providers take this new directive seriously and equip their staff with the skills and understanding to support disabled customers."
A recent survey by the charity revealed that 61 per cent of respondents had experienced difficulties when boarding a plane. Disabled passengers will now be able to voice their concerns with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure that the new legislation is properly enforced.
This story was brought to you by holidaylettingsco.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Health Tips For Old Age - Get A Long And Healthy Life
Everyone wants to be healthy and vigorous throughout their life. But more so being healthy in old age is just like a boon. Since, old age brings with itself many health problems and if you are not taking complete care of yourself then these diseases becomes hard to cure and manage in old age. Here are given some useful health tips for old age:
Drink enough water:
It cleanses your body machinery and helps your heart in functioning well. Drinking of enough water will keep away chances of kidney stone and urine problem. It will also keep you looking young and active along with natural glow on your face.
Exercise regularly:
Inclusion of regular exercise in your daily life is the best health tips for old age. Exercising will not only help in promoting brain regeneration but also obviate decline in body parts. Practice any form on exercise depending on what you and your body can manage. Talk to you health care provider on what exercise you should undertake in your old age. Seniors can also use yoga which generates flexibility and balance in their body.
Well balanced diet:
Well balanced diet plays a very important part in keeping you healthy in old age. Avoid taking rich food like sweets, high stuffed and fried. As it will leave impact on your lever and may result in damaging it. You should add calcium rich diet as it will strengthen your bones. In old age teeth becomes week and so diet should also be soft cooked so that it intake is easy. Add fruits, vegetables and greens in your daily diet to maintain your health in old age. Proper nutritional food keeps many diseases away and also save you from common problems of aging. Addition of nutrition food can save from problem like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis as these are generally prevalent nutrition related health problems which occur in old age.
Be happy and engage in recreational activities:
During old age, Factors like social isolation, low income and depression affect health in old age. Loneliness is a common problem in old age and leads to related problems. During this time, it becomes all the more important for seniors to take on some activity which occupy their time. Take part in social activities and indulge in pursuing your hobbies in spare time. Make friends and make use of their company to keep yourself active and happy.
Be happy and visit your doctor regularly:
During old age, seniors should take deep care of their health. This includes a regular visit to a health care professional. You should visit and consult your doctor regularly and try to implement all the suggestions and precautions given by your doctor.
Health in old age is not that hard to have and maintain. All you need is to follow some simple steps which can be easily included in your daily life without much effort. Most likely you are to know them already but now is the time to get started.
Good health is not a struggle, nor it is an extraordinary feat. Healthy living is about understanding what your body needs and what is good for it. Re-discover good health in a simple way with Tania Hackner and make good health a way of living!.For more information and advice on Health tips for old age Please visit us at http://www.whatyouneedtoknow.co.in
Drink enough water:
It cleanses your body machinery and helps your heart in functioning well. Drinking of enough water will keep away chances of kidney stone and urine problem. It will also keep you looking young and active along with natural glow on your face.
Exercise regularly:
Inclusion of regular exercise in your daily life is the best health tips for old age. Exercising will not only help in promoting brain regeneration but also obviate decline in body parts. Practice any form on exercise depending on what you and your body can manage. Talk to you health care provider on what exercise you should undertake in your old age. Seniors can also use yoga which generates flexibility and balance in their body.
Well balanced diet:
Well balanced diet plays a very important part in keeping you healthy in old age. Avoid taking rich food like sweets, high stuffed and fried. As it will leave impact on your lever and may result in damaging it. You should add calcium rich diet as it will strengthen your bones. In old age teeth becomes week and so diet should also be soft cooked so that it intake is easy. Add fruits, vegetables and greens in your daily diet to maintain your health in old age. Proper nutritional food keeps many diseases away and also save you from common problems of aging. Addition of nutrition food can save from problem like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis as these are generally prevalent nutrition related health problems which occur in old age.
Be happy and engage in recreational activities:
During old age, Factors like social isolation, low income and depression affect health in old age. Loneliness is a common problem in old age and leads to related problems. During this time, it becomes all the more important for seniors to take on some activity which occupy their time. Take part in social activities and indulge in pursuing your hobbies in spare time. Make friends and make use of their company to keep yourself active and happy.
Be happy and visit your doctor regularly:
During old age, seniors should take deep care of their health. This includes a regular visit to a health care professional. You should visit and consult your doctor regularly and try to implement all the suggestions and precautions given by your doctor.
Health in old age is not that hard to have and maintain. All you need is to follow some simple steps which can be easily included in your daily life without much effort. Most likely you are to know them already but now is the time to get started.
Good health is not a struggle, nor it is an extraordinary feat. Healthy living is about understanding what your body needs and what is good for it. Re-discover good health in a simple way with Tania Hackner and make good health a way of living!.For more information and advice on Health tips for old age Please visit us at http://www.whatyouneedtoknow.co.in
Social Security Disability - Not So Easy For Someone With a Mental Illness
My experience with Social Security has been a rough one. In the beginning, my family and I did not want to consider it because we thought it would be easy for me to get a job. However, it was not so easy. The first time I went to their office I had to wait a long time for the clerk to give me an application. The long lines were terrible and so overcrowded.
After I finished with the application, I sent it to Social Security and within weeks received an answer. It stated that although I have difficulty in stressful situations; based on my age and education I could have done a job with simple tasks. What Social Security does not comprehend is that there is a need for accommodations in order to get a job and keep it depending on the severity of a person's mental illness. They do not realize how stressful job interviews are, why disclosure is so difficult, and how hard it is to maintain a job with today's technology.
After the first rejection, I filed another application form for reconsideration. This time Social Security realized that I have Bipolar Disorder, which has given me difficulty concentrating and relating to people, and they still felt that I could work doing simple tasks. How could they say this to me when they know I have a serious mental illness? How can a person work when there are issues and problems that the mentally ill are facing? For instance, stigma, discrimination, etc.
I thought my battle with Social Security was a lost cause until I was advised to see a lawyer. The first thing I had to do was to fill out a request for a hearing, so a judge could decide my case. When I saw the judge, he could see how nervous I was, and at the hearing the judge agreed that I should get my Social Security Disability benefits.
I feel this whole system is ridiculous and unfair to those who suffer from a disability. To go through this struggle every time Social Security reviews your case can damage a person's mental health even more.
If I had a book that would have helped me at that time, I probably would have received it the second time around, if not the first. I probably would not have to get a lawyer either. However, the book was not available at that time.
Today, there is a book on how to help people with Bipolar Disorder or other mental illnesses to win Social Security Disability Benefits. The book is called "Bipolar's Guide to Winning Social Security Disability". Although it is a specifically geared toward people with Bipolar Disorder it can be used for other mental illnesses too. It is an excellent book to get and I wish they had such a book in my time, it would have made things a whole lot easier.
For those of you who have Bipolar Disorder or any other mental illness, I strongly recommend that you buy this book, especially if you are applying for Disability. Do not worry how much this book will cost, it is for your benefit if you have not found a job yet and will help you get some income for yourself and be more productive and independent in your life.
My name is Linda Baron Katz and I have Bipolar Disorder and as you see from my experience with Social Security, it is not an easy process, so buy the book and it will tell you everything you need to know about getting Social Security and the incentives that you need to know once you have your benefits. To visit my blog go to: http://bipolardisorder-march21.blogspot.com/2008/02/getting-social-security-disability.html
After I finished with the application, I sent it to Social Security and within weeks received an answer. It stated that although I have difficulty in stressful situations; based on my age and education I could have done a job with simple tasks. What Social Security does not comprehend is that there is a need for accommodations in order to get a job and keep it depending on the severity of a person's mental illness. They do not realize how stressful job interviews are, why disclosure is so difficult, and how hard it is to maintain a job with today's technology.
After the first rejection, I filed another application form for reconsideration. This time Social Security realized that I have Bipolar Disorder, which has given me difficulty concentrating and relating to people, and they still felt that I could work doing simple tasks. How could they say this to me when they know I have a serious mental illness? How can a person work when there are issues and problems that the mentally ill are facing? For instance, stigma, discrimination, etc.
I thought my battle with Social Security was a lost cause until I was advised to see a lawyer. The first thing I had to do was to fill out a request for a hearing, so a judge could decide my case. When I saw the judge, he could see how nervous I was, and at the hearing the judge agreed that I should get my Social Security Disability benefits.
I feel this whole system is ridiculous and unfair to those who suffer from a disability. To go through this struggle every time Social Security reviews your case can damage a person's mental health even more.
If I had a book that would have helped me at that time, I probably would have received it the second time around, if not the first. I probably would not have to get a lawyer either. However, the book was not available at that time.
Today, there is a book on how to help people with Bipolar Disorder or other mental illnesses to win Social Security Disability Benefits. The book is called "Bipolar's Guide to Winning Social Security Disability". Although it is a specifically geared toward people with Bipolar Disorder it can be used for other mental illnesses too. It is an excellent book to get and I wish they had such a book in my time, it would have made things a whole lot easier.
For those of you who have Bipolar Disorder or any other mental illness, I strongly recommend that you buy this book, especially if you are applying for Disability. Do not worry how much this book will cost, it is for your benefit if you have not found a job yet and will help you get some income for yourself and be more productive and independent in your life.
My name is Linda Baron Katz and I have Bipolar Disorder and as you see from my experience with Social Security, it is not an easy process, so buy the book and it will tell you everything you need to know about getting Social Security and the incentives that you need to know once you have your benefits. To visit my blog go to: http://bipolardisorder-march21.blogspot.com/2008/02/getting-social-security-disability.html
The Rules Of Etiquette with Wheelchair Users
As a group, the wheelchair users are always receiving long stares or funny type looks. Usually those unfamiliar with wheelchairs will begin to act weird or funny when around those who use wheelchairs.
To avoid such occurrences from happening people should generally learn the particular rules for etiquette when they interact with those people confined in a wheelchair. To locate this information you merely have to perform an internet search to discover everything you may want to know concerning the subject.
The initial rule concerning etiquette when you're interacting with these people in a wheelchair or a power chair is to keep in mind not to focus upon their disability. Focus instead on the person themselves. An additional rule concerning etiquette is during the process of shaking their hands. In the event the wheelchair person has limited use of his limbs, this simple gesture will create a leisure tone for the social interaction which will provide a feeling of ease.
An important rule to consider is that you should never rock the wheelchair nor lean on it. An electric or manual chair may appear as an inanimate object only but the truth of the matter is their chair is just as much a part of them as your arm or your leg is to you.
Remember to speak to the wheelchair user as you would anyone else. They are no different then any other person. Other rules may apply and these include permitting children to ask a question concerning people in a wheelchair. Since curiosity is a normal occurrence in children this open communications will assist in avoiding fear and getting the wrong attitude.
It's not difficult to hold a conversation with someone who is confined in a wheelchair. Often those people who aren't confined in a wheelchair have questions or issues concerning the interaction with someone in the wheelchair. There are certain rules of etiquette which do exist. Simply by completing a search of the internet one can discover all that is needed to know concerning how to interact with anyone who may be using a motorized or manual wheelchair. As in other interactions in life etiquette represents a great skill when interacting with handicapped people.
Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.wordwriter.info
To avoid such occurrences from happening people should generally learn the particular rules for etiquette when they interact with those people confined in a wheelchair. To locate this information you merely have to perform an internet search to discover everything you may want to know concerning the subject.
The initial rule concerning etiquette when you're interacting with these people in a wheelchair or a power chair is to keep in mind not to focus upon their disability. Focus instead on the person themselves. An additional rule concerning etiquette is during the process of shaking their hands. In the event the wheelchair person has limited use of his limbs, this simple gesture will create a leisure tone for the social interaction which will provide a feeling of ease.
An important rule to consider is that you should never rock the wheelchair nor lean on it. An electric or manual chair may appear as an inanimate object only but the truth of the matter is their chair is just as much a part of them as your arm or your leg is to you.
Remember to speak to the wheelchair user as you would anyone else. They are no different then any other person. Other rules may apply and these include permitting children to ask a question concerning people in a wheelchair. Since curiosity is a normal occurrence in children this open communications will assist in avoiding fear and getting the wrong attitude.
It's not difficult to hold a conversation with someone who is confined in a wheelchair. Often those people who aren't confined in a wheelchair have questions or issues concerning the interaction with someone in the wheelchair. There are certain rules of etiquette which do exist. Simply by completing a search of the internet one can discover all that is needed to know concerning how to interact with anyone who may be using a motorized or manual wheelchair. As in other interactions in life etiquette represents a great skill when interacting with handicapped people.
Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.wordwriter.info
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