Social Security Income (SSI) is an income supplement program for people who are aged, blind, or disabled, and have little to no income. The funds supplement basic needs, such as clothing, food, and shelter. Unfortunately, as it stands, SSI benefits change when people marry. Because it is based on income, the funds will then be…
NPR Michigan Radio’s Clare Lombardo reported in December that roughly 365,000 student loan borrowers were identified as possibly being eligible for loan discharge as a result of permanent disabilities that keep them from employment (1). These borrowers, however, have not gotten their due loan relief. This most often happens because they aren’t aware they could…
Rebekah “Moani” Daniel was a labor and delivery nurse at the Naval Hospital Bremerton. When it came time to give birth herself, she arranged to do so at that same military hospital. Shockingly, the 33-year-old servicemember bled to death shortly after delivering her daughter, Victoria. Her husband, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Walter Daniel, believed…
In May, senators introduced a bill called Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower, or the RISE Act, S.1585, which would benefit students with disabilities who are attending college (1). The RISE Act is an amendment to the Higher Education Act (HEA) (2). At present, the documentation of a disability that served students in secondary school does…
In the United States, public schools are required to pay for a variety of special education services in order to ensure that all students receive a “free and appropriate public education.” Among other things, these services may include the help of a paraprofessional, accessible transportation, occupational therapy, or even private school tuition (in cases where…
Related Reading Timeline Of Disability Rights In The U.S. U.S. Disability Rights Advances and Setbacks: 2017 Year in Review Sexual Abuse of People with Intellectual Disabilities Involuntary Sterilization Of Disabled Americans: An Historical Overview Michigan Is The Only State That Needs Intervention In Special Education, According To Recent Federal Report Sources: Feds: Students With Disabilities…
Thousands of Americans with disabilities have undergone sterilization procedures without providing informed consent. Beginning in the early 1900s, supporters of the eugenics movement sought to sterilize those with cognitive impairments in order to “cleanse” the human gene pool of “undesirable” traits. This was sanctioned by many state governments, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court…
Learn about some major changes to disability rights in the United States. Please note that this list is FAR from complete; rather, it is just meant to give our readers a brief overview of legislative changes that have impacted people with disabilities. If you think we left out an especially important event, please let us…
On Monday, July 9th, President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy (1). Because Justice Kennedy was often a swing vote in cases involving civil rights, many have noted that his replacement could greatly impact future rulings related to minority groups. Since Kavanaugh’s nomination, several major disability organizations…
There are 102,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. Children with special circumstances (whether they are older children, are siblings, have disabilities, or they have complex medical needs) have an average wait of nearly 4 years in the foster care system. We are going to focus on those children with…
