Fulton v. City of Philadelphia

/in , , , , /by Pam Katz

State: Pennsylvania

Filed: August 20, 2020

Court: U.S. Supreme Court

Overview: Amicus brief in support of City of Philadelphia’s argument that government contractors are prohibited from discrimination. The brief argues that allowing government contractors to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation by asserting a religious justification for doing so would cause significant harm to people with disabilities and older adults, including those who are LGBTQ.

Excerpt: “Older adults and people with disabilities—including those who identify as LGBTQ—need non-discriminatory access to social services in order to live in the community with dignity and respect. These individuals are particularly reliant on services and supports from government contractors, which provide community-based programming, healthcare, meals, transportation, housing, and other resources…Should the Court rule otherwise, organizations providing important services to older adults and people with disabilities would be given free rein to refuse care, to disrupt services and supports, and to otherwise discriminate based on their religious views, causing severe physical, emotional, and psychological harm to disabled people and older adults.”

Case Documents

Amicus brief

Staying Connected During COVID-19: Tech Resources for Providing Support at a Distance

/in , , , , /by Pam Katz

In this panel-led webinar, learn about different solutions available to chapters who look to connect and provide supports remotely to the individuals they serve. The 70-minute webinar includes information on technology platforms, best practices in virtual supports, and other vital insights.

 

Presenters

Abe Rafi, Rafi@TheArc.org
Senior Director, Technology Strategy & Programs, The Arc

Topics: Free and low-cost technology | Online Coaching Services

View The Arc’s Online Coaching Service document here.

 

Doug Meeker, doug.meeker@3rbehavioralsolutions.com

CEO, LifeSherpa

Topic: Overview of the LifeSherpa app, which uses video calling, notifications, reminders, and step by step routines that provide effective, secure solutions to managing remote teams and supporting people clients virtually

View LifeSherpa’s presentation here.

 

Maulik Trivedi, MD, maulik.trivedi@stationmd.com

Chief Strategy Officer, StationMD

Topic: Leveraging telehealth technologies to connect remotely to individuals in need of in-home medical care

View StationMD’s presentation here.

 

Byran Dai, hello@daivergent.com

Co-Founder & CEO, Daivergent, Inc.

Topic: Using remote technology to engage people, tap into remote work interfaces, hosting training and delivering curriculum for people during stay at home orders

View Daivergent’s presentation here.

 

If you have questions about these programs, please contact Stephane Leblois at Leblois@TheArc.org.

 

Alternative Day Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

/in , , , , /by Pam Katz

Hear from five chapters of The Arc as they describe their steps for redesigning their in-person day programs to virtual learning platforms. This 90-minute webinar includes information on technology platforms, curriculum, staffing, and funding.

Interested in having your own copy of the presentation and documents it mentions? You can download it here.

 

Presenters

Tyler Frazee, tfrazee@stonebelt.org, Lifelong Learning Coordinator
Stone Belt Arc, Indiana
Topic: Facebook Live events

Gabrielle Szarek, gszarek@slarc.org, Director of Transition Services St.
Louis Arc, Missouri
Topic: Inspiring, Engaging and Motivating Virtually

Amber Nelson, anelson@arcofthecapitalarea.org, Director of Art and Education
The Arc of the Capital Area, Texas
Topic: Virtual Education during COVID-19

Joshua Weidenhamer, jweidenhamer@minutemanarc.org, Director of Day Habilitation
Minute Man Arc, Massachusetts
Topic: Who’s Zooming Who? Providing Remote Services Which Keep People Active and Engaged

Susannah Eaton-Ryan, Seaton-ryan@thearcofdelaware.org, Director of Employment and Outreach
The Arc of Delaware, Delaware
Topic: Supported Employment in the Time of Coronavirus

If you have questions about this program, please contact Karen Wolf-Branigin at  wolf-branigin@thearc.org

Haga Que Su Comunidad Sea Contada: Una Guía Para Organizaciones

/in , , , , , /by Pam Katz

Las organizaciones tendrán que estar preparadas para apoyar a sus comunidades en que sean contadas. Aprenda los conceptos básicos del censo, por qué es importante para las personas con discapacidades, y cómo puede participar.

El documento también es disponible en formato Word (descarga directa).

Tu Cuentas! Se Contado.

/in , , , , , /by Pam Katz

Un documento de lenguaje claro para ayudar a entender lo que es el censo, por qué es importante para las personas con discapacidades, y cómo completarlo.

El documento también es disponible en formato Word (descarga directa).

Get Your Community Counted: A Guide for Organizations

/in , /by Pam Katz

Organizations need to be prepared to support the communities they serve to get counted! Learn the basics about the census, why it matters to people with disabilities, and how to get involved.

Also available as a word document (direct download).

Achieving Healthier Futures One Step at a Time

/in , , , , /by Pam Katz

The purpose of this toolkit is to familiarize the user with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It provides communication techniques so you can successfully include people with IDD in community programs and activities, including a healthy living program. These are suggested techniques particularly helpful for those who don’t have any experience working with individuals who have IDD.

Doe v. Trump

/in , , , , /by Pam Katz

State: Oregon

Filed: February 6, 2020

Court: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Overview: This brief supports the preliminary injunction of the Presidential Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System as discriminatory against people with disabilities. The brief argues that the Proclamation attempts to replace the multi-factor public charge test provided by Congress with a single-factor test based exclusively on whether a visa applicant has “approved” health insurance to determine if they will be a “financial burden.”

Excerpt: “The Proclamation would re-impose these discriminatory barriers, requiring immigrants to provide proof of health insurance coverage through ‘approved’ plans that are not accessible for most people with disabilities due to medical underwriting, pre-existing condition exclusions, and other requirements. The purported goal of the Proclamation is to reduce the costs of uncompensated care, yet it excludes health insurance options available to individuals with disabilities that have been shown to reduce these costs, including subsidized Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) marketplace health plans and Medicaid. The Proclamation thus acts as a de facto bar to entry for immigrants with disabilities without any rational link to its alleged purpose.”

Case Documents

Amicus Brief

In the Matter of Marian T.

/in , , , , /by Pam Katz

State: New York

Filed: December 31, 2019

Court: New York Court of Appeals

Overview: This brief argues that New York’s adoption statute requires the informed consent of adult adoptees. The lower court held that the consent of the adult adoptee is properly dispensed with where adoption would further the person’s best interests.

Excerpt: “In dispensing with Marian’s consent to her own adoption, the lower courts embraced the outdated-and discriminatory-view that adults with intellectual disability may be treated as perpetual children under the law. Despite changes in law, policy, and societal attitudes regarding the treatment of adults with intellectual disability, outmoded stereotypes of adults with intellectual disability as lacking personhood and the ability to exercise self-determination linger. The lower courts’ decisions reflect those outdated views and threaten a dangerous reversal of advances made by people with intellectual disability.”

Case Documents

Amicus Brief

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

/in , , , , , /by Pam Katz

State: Montana

Filed: November 15, 2019

Court: U.S. Supreme Court

Overview: The brief argues that voucher and tax-credit programs like Montana’s redirect public funds to private entities largely unbound by the federal laws that for generations have guarded the rights and futures of students with disabilities. Allowing such programs to proliferate would significantly harm students with disabilities.

Excerpt: “For nearly fifty years, children with disabilities have relied on key federal laws to ensure that they receive the education to which they are entitled and are protected from discrimination and segregation in public schools. School voucher and tax-credit programs, including the Montana program at issue in this case, risk eroding these decades of progress. They redirect public money to private schools, which often fail to offer appropriate or integrated education to students with disabilities and commonly exclude them outright. And they deplete funding for public schools, which remain bound to comply with the comprehensive federal laws ensuring that students with disabilities are properly served. In the process, more and more students with disabilities will be excluded, neglected, and segregated—precisely the harms that Congress has repeatedly acted to stop.”

Case Documents

Amicus Brief 

Related Media

Press Release: Advocacy Groups File U.S. Supreme Court Brief Warning That School Vouchers Harm Students With Disabilities