
Disability Rights California - Organización para los derechos de Personas con Discapacidad en California
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Hot Topics in Disability News
Sacramento, March 17 & 18: important public meetings on IHSS, OlmsteadAmong numerous public meetings and hearings on the budget taking place in Sacramento duing the week of the Ides of March are:
Read many other details in this CDCAN News Release. |
Learn about the U.S. Census: Children Count Too! campaign and Easy to Read Flyers
Children Count Too! is a new campaign about the importance of counting infants and young children in the 2010 Census. Watch the video, read about it in English or Spanish, and find out more about the census here. Spread the word about Easy to Read Flyers in English and Spanish that were developed for people with developmental disabilities. They were developed by the California Department of Developmental Services and explain the importance of completing the census questionnaire. For assistance with the questionnaire, Please call the U.S. Census toll free at 1-866-872-6868 or visit the U. S. Census web site for more information. |
Children with mental health disabilities get lost in the systemMaggie Roberts, a Disability Rights California Associate Managing Attorney, reacts to an investigation by the California Department of Education which "found [that] several Monterey County agencies are violating state and federal laws in their handling of students with mental health problems." Read the Herald article here... |
House passes bill to prevent restraint & seclusion in schools; now, focus is on SenateOn March 3, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Keeping All Students Safe Act (H.R. 4247) to ban dangerous practices of physically restraining students or secluding them in isolated or locked rooms. The bill was passed quickly, following 2009 Congressional hearings on these extreme techniques which have caused deaths in the schools, and national studies by the General Accounting Office and the National Disability Rights Network. Read about the legislation in the NDRN press release, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. |
Another court decision blocks cuts of In-Home Supportive Service worker wagesOn March 3, the U.S. 9th District Court of Appeals rejected arguments of the Schwarzenegger Administration and affirmed earlier findings that reducing wages of In Home Supportive Service workers would be likely to cause irreparable harm. Due to the budget crisis, the State proposed to cut its contribution to IHSS worker wages. The State claimed it was exempt from having to study the extent of harm caused by these cuts because it would be "virtually impossible" to obtain cost studies . Therefore, for now, Judge Claudia Wilken's injunction against reducing these wages remains in effect. Details about the case, Dominguez v. Schwarzenegger (formerly Martinez), can be found on the website, www.AltshulerBerzon.com, the firm that defended the IHSS workers, and in this ruling of Judge Milan D. Smith. |
Contest on "What equality means to me" invites youth ages 14-18 to submit artistic or written entries by April 12Disability rights is one of several areas for creative expression selected by the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights: see details here.
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Judge stops governor's cuts to adult day health care for 15,000 CaliforniansLate afternoon on February 24, the anxiously awaited decision of Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong was emailed to Disability Rights California and other disability advocates and social justice groups. The order for the injunction of the cuts to Adult Day Health Care spelled out the judge's agreement with Harry Cota and other plaintiffs that their ADHC services were critical to avoid institutionalization. The court found that the new restrictive criteria for access to ADHC would likely violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The court rejected the Administration's argument that they are "entitled to cut services at will to accommodate...budgetary constraints." See press release for details. |
Court Orders Reinstatement of Treatment for Children With AutismThe Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday issued a preliminary injunction in the class action lawsuit filed on behalf of children with autism against the Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center (ELARC) for unlawfully terminating the most effective treatment for their condition. Read the PR Newswire article here... |
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Recommended Viewing2 disability-related films up for OscarsRead the ABC7 article here. |
EventsUnited Nations's Universal Periodic Review Process - March 26, 2010 from 9am-5pm at Mclaren Conference Center, University of San FranciscoAttend this FREE event that will assist the United Nations Human Rights Council to determine the extent to which the United States complies with legally-binding obligations under Human Rights treaties that it has signed and ratified as well as under the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Visit uprconsultationsf.eventbrite.com to register and for more information. Capitol Action Day Resource Fair - May 26, 2010For more information, visit the website. Reserve your booth at the information fair now. Find hundreds of events, trainings and conferences on our Meetings & Trainings pages, in English ... y también varios eventos, reuniones y entrenamientos en español |
Recommended reading
Court: Vaccines Don't Cause Autism, NPR, 3/12/10 UN sets up human rights group to look into situation of Haiti’s disabled, UN News Center, 3/5/10 Beyond Women’s Day, Kathmandu Post, 3/7/10 Summary of 3 recent legal setbacks for Schwarzenegger administration, benefiting disability population, CDCAN, 3/3/10 Federal appeals court rules against governor on cuts, Sacramento Bee, 3/3/10
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Hot topics and Recommended reading archives
Disability Rights California is a nonprofit disability rights organization, working since 1978 to advance human and legal rights of Californians with disabilities. We strive to create a barrier-free, inclusive society that values diversity and each individual. Our services are available throughout the state and we assist tens of thousands of people with disabilities each year. Click here for links to our offices. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of Californians with disabilities and their families benefit from our legislative advocacy, class-action court suits and collaboration with other groups.
We have more than 200 staff and Board members with a wide array of legal and advocacy expertise. They have developed innovative programs for Californians with developmental, psychiatric, sensory, learning and physical disabilities. We collaborate on the state and federal levels with other advocacy groups throughout the U.S.
Link here to see the 10 services we provide free of charge.
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