May is Mental Health Month, a great time to raise awareness about mental illness and the importance of mental health. This is also a great time to raise awareness about how Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) protects the rights of people with mental illness and how you can get help or get involved. It’s Everywhere In… Continue reading “Advocating for People with Mental Illness: It’s What We Do”
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. People with disabilities are victimized by crime at higher rates than the rest of the population, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Sexual assault and abuse of people with disabilities often goes unreported. If you or someone you care about has a disability and has been sexually assaulted… Continue reading “Sexual Assault and People with Disabilities”
March is Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Month, a great time to focus on learning more about what you can do to create a community where people with DD are included in all aspects of life and are treated with dignity and respect. What is DD? A DD is a lifelong condition that shows up during… Continue reading “Creating a Community Where All Are Respected and Included”
DRTx, joined by several other organizations, filed a friend-of-the-court Brief in the United States Supreme Court in a case where jailors placed a man they knew to be suicidal in a cell with a 30-inch telephone cord that the inmate proceeded to use to die by suicide. The Brief discusses the well-known and well-documented risks… Continue reading “DRTx Files Brief Involving Suicide of Inmate with Mental Illness”
In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri devastated many parts of Texas and severely impacted the lives of many people with disabilities. The winter storm ushered in extremely cold temperatures and a lot of snow, leaving many people stranded without access to power and water for days on end. Winter is here once again, and it… Continue reading “Winter Preparedness Tips for Texans with Disabilities”
Have you ever seen a news title that got your attention, so you read the article and realize the headline had little to do with the full story? Sometimes news and social media posts may contain partial truths, misleading headlines, or the limited experience of a few people. When it comes to making decisions about… Continue reading “Click bait or the real deal? What’s really true about the COVID-19 vaccine”
USCA Order: Attorney General Paxton’s emergency motion is GRANTED, and the district court’s injunction prohibiting the enforcement of GA-38 in Texas public schools is hereby STAYED pending appeal. (lt) Response from Dustin Rynders, Supervising Attorney at Disability Rights Texas: “We are disappointed by the 5th Circuit’s decision allowing Texas to continue enforcing the ban on… Continue reading “Statement on 5th Circuit Court decision on stay in mask mandate ban lawsuit”
There are some days ahead that you know are going to come. You ready your mind for that day. But then it comes and no matter how you much you think you have prepared, you aren’t. That day is here for Disability Rights Texas. After an almost 37-year career with our organization, the last 20… Continue reading “DRTx Executive Director Retires After Nearly 37 Years”
October is National Disability Awareness Month. This year we have some exciting things planned, including a webinar and legal clinic on October 28, 2021 – “Asking for Workplace Accommodations: It Doesn’t Have to Be Spooky.” We’ll also be posting on social media helpful information such as employer toolkits, Know Your Disability Employment Rights resources for… Continue reading “Hiring People with Disabilities: It’s Good for Business”
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage month, which kicks off today and runs through October 15th, we wanted to share about some of the Hispanic disability advocates who are doing great things in the community for disability rights. Andrea Lausell Andrea was born with Spina Bifida lipomyelomeningocele, one of the least common forms of Spina… Continue reading “National Hispanic Heritage Month”