“The Story” on Disability Employment Awareness Month

Posted by Beth Finke on October 13th, 2009

It’s Disability Employment Awareness Month, and An NPR show called The Story contacted me last week to record an interview. If you’ve never heard The Story, here’s a description of the show from their Web site:

At a time when “celebrity rules” and the only “ordinary” people we see are faces in the crowd, The Story reminds listeners that their …Read More » »

School fights family over autism assistance dog

Posted by Beth Finke on September 17th, 2009

The Associated Press reports that an Illinois family wants their 6-year-old son, who has autism, to be able to bring his dog along to school this year. The family said the dog would help with the transition to a new place and would also help keep him safe from traffic and other dangers. Service dogs are allowed in the …Read More » »

Horses and monkeys out, autism assistance dogs in?

Posted by Beth Finke on January 22nd, 2009

The New York Times featured an article about service animals in their Sunday Magazine on January 4. After the article was published, the writer (Rebecca Skloot) received documents that were leaked from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The leaked documents outlined some changes the DOJ is proposing to redefine service animals — all part of a major …Read More » »

President signs ADA Amendments Act!

Posted by Beth Finke on September 25th, 2008

I’m afraid that with all the economic upheaval in the news, something important might go largely unnoticed this morning. President Bush just signed the ADA Amendments Act into law! The requirements of the new law will become effective January 1, 2009.

In-between its stories of the bail-out package and questions of whether or not the presidential debate is really going to …Read More » »

Tell DOJ what you think about autism service dogs

Posted by Beth Finke on August 13th, 2008

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) that will expand the definition of “service animal.”

The new rules are meant to clarify what qualifies as a service animal — and to avoid confusion — when it comes to implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). …Read More » »

Restoring the rights of Americans with disabilities

Posted by Beth Finke on November 16th, 2007

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Denise Rozell, Assistant Vice President of State Government Relations at Easter Seals’ Office of Public Affairs, to our blog community. The following is her report from yesterday’s Senate hearing on the ADA Restoration Act.
– Beth Finke

Restoring the rights of Americans with disabilities
by Denise Rozell

Room 430 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building overflowed with people …Read More » »

Employment, autism and the ADA Restoration Act

Posted by Beth Finke on September 18th, 2007

All the blog comments we’re receiving about health coverage and employment for people with autism prompts me to write again about the importance of restoring the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A National Council on Disability (NCD) report called “Righting the ADA” shows that when it comes to employment discrimination against …Read More » »

Are people with autism “disabled enough” for the ADA?

Posted by Katy Beh Neas on August 30th, 2007

An article on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at govtech.com points out the confusion about who is “disabled enough” to qualify for ADA rights and why the ADA needs restoration.

The article reports millions of citizens have been left vulnerable to a narrow interpretation of the law, and that people with other disorders and disabilities …Read More » »

The ADA: past, present, and future

Posted by Patricia Wright on July 30th, 2007

Last Thursday I attended the National Council on Disability (NCD) press conference marking the 17th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). As mentioned in a previous post, …Read More » »

New reports on the ADA: I’m all ears

Posted by Beth Finke on July 24th, 2007

I lost my sight in 1985. Up until then I had been working as an advisor at a major University, counseling students who wanted to study abroad. Undergraduates would come in, we’d talk, I’d get on the phone and make sure their credits would transfer. It’s a job a person without sight could do. But the …Read More » »