With all that our nation has been facing these days, we are glad to have some good news to share. This July 26 marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilties Act – the ADA. The purpose of the groundbreaking legislation is ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as… Continue reading Celebrating the ADA 30th Anniversary – Texas Style
by Kerri Carr, DRTx Outreach Director As the Outreach Manager it is my job to stay updated on many things including the census. I’m happy to report that as of June 12, 2020, over 90 million households have responded to the 2020 Census. Four out of every five households responded online. Because of the COVID-19… Continue reading Be Counted…By Text!
DRTx Mental Illness Advisory Council Now Taking Volunteer Applications Who would have guessed what we would be facing in the months to come as the clock struck midnight and ushered in 2020? This pandemic has changed life as we know it, for now and the foreseeable future – most likely until a vaccine is discovered…. Continue reading Masks, Mitigation, and the Urgent Need for Mental Health Advocacy
Apply Now Due to Limited Funding In recent weeks, many college students have found themselves struggling to deal with changes to their education and financial situation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have had to deal with the stress of transitioning to online learning, the closure of university residences, and the cancellation of… Continue reading College Students Eligible for Federal Financial Aid to Cover COVID-19 Related Expenses
People with Disabilities Anticipating Hospitalization Should Consider Preparing Supported Decision Making Agreement By Richard LaVallo, DRTx Legal Director On April 17, 2020, DRTx sent a letter to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) requesting that its “Guidance to Hospitals to Prevent Spread of COVID-19” be clarified to allow a support person to be… Continue reading Governor responds to DRTx letter about support for hospitalized people with disabilities
COVID-19 has changed most everything about the way we live. At least it has for the next several months. While we are currently most concerned about things that impact our daily lives – hand sanitizer, face masks, schooling our children at home, virtual work meetings, job loss, and more – we are just now beginning… Continue reading How COVID-19 is Changing Elections in Texas, and What it Means for Voters with Disabilities
For more than 580,000 Texas students with disabilities, public school closures in the wake of COVID-19 have caused substantial delays in special education and early childhood intervention (ECI) services. State agencies have notified education providers that this lag in modifying individualized accommodations will require compensation for students in the weeks and months to come. But… Continue reading Federal COVID-19 Emergency Education Funding Must Prioritize Texas Youth with Disabilities
Just last week, the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) issued an announcement, “New Nursing Homes COVID-19 Transparency Effort.” Disability Rights Texas strongly supports the measures that CMS is taking to ensure transparency and information about infections and deaths in nursing homes. These critical steps include: Requiring nursing homes to inform residents, their families,… Continue reading As Texas Reopens, Nursing Homes and Other Facilities Still A Concern
Most people must face a hospital visit for COVID-19 without support from a family member or friend due to state guidance to hospitals on preventing spread. But what about a person with a disability who requires support and assistance with communication while hospitalized because of the nature of her disability? Though current state guidance allows… Continue reading People Hospitalized for COVID-19 Face It Alone, But What About People with Disabilities?
If you are facing disability discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic, you already know Disability Rights Texas is your place to go for legal help. But what about other issues not related to your disability? As the coronavirus pandemic shakes the lives of Texans, causing uncertainty about their healthcare and economic futures, the state’s legal service… Continue reading DRTx helps with COVID-19 disability rights issues, State Bar with other legal problems