Breaking Barriers: The Disability Rights Movement in Russia

When I first crossed the doorstep of an American high school as a 17-year-old new immigrant from Russia, my jaw dropped – kids in wheelchairs were playing tag in the wide hall, a cute teen-age couple was communicating animatedly in what appeared to be sign language; a blind boy was walking next to a classmate laughing at some kind of a joke. I turned to my American cousin and asked in still rudimentary English, “Immigrants here sent to special handicapped school?”

He stared at me uncomprehending, not realizing that in my 10 years of Moscow schooling I never had classmates with disabilities. In fact, until I went to the United States in the early 90’s I hadn’t seen many people with disabilities. Back home they were next to invisible, confined to special institutions or their homes, as the concept of an inclusive society didn’t exist.

Read more of  Tanya Lokshina's Human Rights Watch article HERE.

Court Upends 9-Year Fight on Housing Mentally Ill

By Mosi Secret from The New York Times

A federal appeals court, ruling on procedural grounds, struck down on Friday a judge’s order that New York State transfer thousands of mentally ill adults in New York City from institutional group homes into their own homes and apartments. In doing so, the court brought a nine-year legal battle to an abrupt end without resolving the underlying issues of how the state cares for such patients.

Read more HERE.

Claim: Girl Denied Transplant Because She’s ‘Mentally Retarded’

By Michelle Diament from disabilityscoop

A Philadelphia hospital is taking heat after reportedly telling one mom her daughter would not be able to receive a kidney transplant because the 3-year-old has an intellectual disability.

Chrissy Rivera wrote about her daughter’s experience at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in a blog post last week. Since then, more than 18,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the hospital to reverse course.

Rivera’s daughter, Amelia, has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a chromosomal disorder affecting about 1 in 50,000 people that’s marked by the presence of intellectual disability, developmental delay, seizures and distinct facial characteristics.

In the posting, Rivera wrote that a doctor told her that the children’s hospital would not perform a much-needed kidney transplant because Amelia is “mentally retarded.” The doctor emphasized concerns about the girl’s quality of life given her limited cognitive abilities, according to Rivera’s account.

Read complete article HERE.

Myths and Stereotypes About Mental Disabilities Greatest Barrier to Employment

“We want job seekers, workers, and employers to understand the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and be well equipped to comply with them,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. More on this article read U.S. Equal Employment

Concord Police investigate teens’ assault of man with a disability

By Robert Salonga from Contra Costa Times eEdition

CONCORD -- Police are investigating an assault by a group of youths Sunday evening that may have been motivated by the victim's mental disability.

Read complete article HERE.