Monroe County’s Cancellation of CDR’s Contact is an Assault on a Hard Won Victory of the Disability Rights Movement to Establish the Right to Control Our Services and Our Lives.

Posted on July 29, 2010

By Diane Coleman, Director of Advocacy

I first became involved in advocacy for consumer directed services in 1982 in Los Angeles.  Like many people with significant disabilities, I wanted to limit medical control and intrusion into my personal life.  Nurses and social workers can really  mess up your love life, and other freedoms most people take for granted.

By the 1990s, many policy makers began to see consumer controlled services as a best practice to be emulated.  As the executive director of an Independent Living Center in Cook County, Illinois, I ran one of a dozen research and demonstration projects about consumer direction, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the late 1990s.  Support for the concept grew.  More and more states adopted the model as an option for people with disabilities and seniors who could manage their own home care. Read more

Public Accommodations Built Before the ADA Must Make Readily Achievable Access Improvements

Posted on July 22, 2010

By Kyle Glozier

The twentieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is July 26, 2010.  But even 20 years after passage of our landmark civil rights law, some businesses and building owners still say that “we are ‘grandfathered in’ so we don’t have to do anything to make our buildings accessible.”  They are mistaken.  They may do less than what’s required for a newly constructed or significantly renovated building, but they are still required to do something.   Read more

Testing Accommodations and Pre-Employment Exams

Posted on July 20, 2010

By: Sara Furguson

How has the ADA equalized employment prospects for those with varying levels of disability?

The Americans with Disabilities Act has brought epic change to the rights of people with disabilities in achieving testing accommodations. While it is common to hear of testing accommodations in education and standardized testing, the ability to have accommodations for pre-employment exams is also lawful under the ADA. Accordingly, the language of the ADA states that “appropriate adjustment or modifications of examinations” is a form of accommodation that disabled applicants may request. www.ada.gov Further, there are certain restrictions on pre-employment tests that shield applicants with disabilities. Read more

Partnering with the LGBT Community

Posted on July 15, 2010

By Anita Cameron, Systems Advocate

Recently, the Center for Disability Rights embarked on a new initiative – reaching out to, and partnering with our local LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered) community.

Rochester has a large and vibrant LGBT community, a significant number of whom are people with disabilities. In the effort to make CDR a more welcoming place to our LGBT staff, consumers, and visitors, it was only natural that we would include the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley (GAGV) and other LGBT organizations in the greater Rochester area. Read more

Understanding the FMAP Problem

Posted on July 9, 2010

by Lara Kassel, Coordinator, Medicaid Matters New York

If you’ve been following discussion or listening to the news on the state of the state budget lately, you’ve probably been hearing the acronym “FMAP” a lot.  FMAP stands for Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, which is the rate that determines the amount of federal Medicaid money each state gets.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more commonly referred to as the Federal stimulus bill, enacted an enhanced FMAP for some states, including New York.  This meant that New York would get an increase in Federal Medicaid funding during the period of the enhanced FMAP rate.  This enhancement in funding is set to expire at the end of this year. Read more

Introducing CDR’s Newest Advocacy Intern

Posted on July 1, 2010

By Kyle Glozier, Advocacy Intern

Hello my name is Kyle J. Glozier.  I’m a senior at California University of Pennsylvania in California, PA.  I have been involved with disability rights since I was eight years old   when I visited Atlantis Community, a center for independent living in Denver.    I knew from that time that my driving force was disability rights.

I was always included in regular education from the time I was a five-year-old all the way through high school.  I graduated in 2004 and then enrolled in Cal U where I am a political science major with concentration in pre-law.  As I was in school, I saw my peer group with disabilities get behind as I excelled.   Read more

A Short History of Justin Dart, Jr., “Father” of the ADA

Posted on June 28, 2010

By Stephanie Woodward, Transportation Systems Advocate

We’re approaching the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and it seems only fitting to consider some of its history.

Justin Dart, Jr., who is widely thought of as the “father” of the ADA, was born in 1930 to a very wealthy, prominent family. Growing up, Justin was very misbehaved, attending seven high schools, but never graduating. He later described himself as a “super-loser,” admitting that he didn’t like himself. In 1948 Justin contracted polio and was given three days to live. It was at this point in his life that Justin changed directions. Justin felt loved and was given affection by those around him and liked the feeling. In turn, he began to treat people with respect and love. Read more

Unnecessary Institutionalization is Discrimination

Posted on June 21, 2010

Unnecessary Institutionalization is Discrimination: The Olmstead Decision
By: Anita Cameron

“Unnecessary institutionalization of people with disabilities is discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act”. These few words summarized the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court when it handed down its decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C. on June 22, 1999. The Supreme Court further stated that people with disabilities have the right to receive services in the “most integrated setting”, a provision of the ADA known as the “inclusion mandate”. Read more

Senate Passes Critical Disability Legislation

Posted on June 18, 2010

By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst

The NYS Senate has been very busy these past few days.  No, I’m not referring to the weekly budget extenders – although both houses have been busy here.  I am referring to the list of disability legislation that will impact each and every one of us!

On Thursday, June 10, CDR joined several other Independent Living Centers from around the State at the Capitol to watch this important package of bills pass and show our support for the Senators who voted “aye.” Read more

America’s Future is ADAPT – A Message Delivered to Speaker Pelosi

Posted on June 15, 2010

By Stephanie Miller, Service Coordinator

Margaret Mead once wrote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  I was reminded of this notion last Tuesday, June 8^th, when twenty-five members of ADAPT interrupted a speech by Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.  For one brief moment, these two dozen activists held the eyes of the nation as they demanded Pelosi’s sponsorship of the Community Choice Act.

This was my first ADAPT action in over 15 years.  For the first time in a very long time, I had the opportunity to witness grassroots civil rights advocacy directly from the front line. Read more

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