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Newsletter - Volume #4 April 2016
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A Note from Matt ...
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People with disabilities make up 20 percent of the U.S. population and, if people with disabilities register and vote at the same rate as the rest of the nation, between five and 10 million more votes will be cast in the next presidential election. Being responsive to the needs of the disability issues should be a priority to candidates, and persons with disabilities should vote to have their voices and needs heard. #CripTheVote is a nonpartisan campaign to engage both voters and politicians to learn more about the right to vote and disability issues for voters. There are some great resources to learn more, including in this newsletter and visiting
http://disabilitythinking.com/election-2016-cripthevote/
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 The Presidential Candidates and Disability
By: Victoria Chiippari
Historically speaking, presidential candidates have rarely put focus on disability rights as a part of their platforms. According to the U.S Census Bureau (2012), it is estimated that nearly 1 in 5 Americans have a disability. That means there are over 56 million individuals with disabilities in the United States capable of making an educated vote during this upcoming presidential election. According to a Research Alliance for Accessible Voting survey report (2013), only 15.6 million individuals with disabilities voted in the last election, a number that will hopefully increase with proper resources and educational information regarding each presidential candidate's take on disabilities. While candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have included disabilities in their official platforms, the rest of the candidates have not released official plans or statements that address the disability community as a whole. We have put together a brief overview of the candidates running in the 2016 presidential election, focusing specifically on their take on disabilities, including past experiences and documented quotes. We hope this will be a useful resource for you in order to make an educated vote in the upcoming election. With each vote, we can work one step closer to ensuring that individuals with disabilities are no longer neglected in the political platforms of our nation's future leaders.
Citation:
https://newrepublic.com/article/128546/2016-candidates-need-stop-ignoring-disability-vote
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Out and About with DIG
4-28-16
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Florida Fair Housing Summit ABC's of Emotional Support Animals, Orlando, FL |
4-29-16 |
Florida GAL Conference, Orlando, FL |
May 2016 |
FHA 1st Design & Construction Training, Miami, FL
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6-3-16 |
Small Business ADA Summit,
Hallandale Beach, FL
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6-4-16 |
Guardianship Training, Miami, FL |
6-17-16 |
FL Bar Animal Law Committee, Orlando, FL |
June 2016 |
NFHA Conference, Washington, DC |
July 2016 |
47th Annual Autism Society Conference, New Orleans, LA |
Sept. 2016 |
Child Protection Summit, Orlando, FL |
9-9-16 |
ABC's of Emotional Support Animals, Tallahassee, FL |
10-20-16
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2016 DRBA West Coast Conference, Los Angeles, CA
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Pictures
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Matthew Dietz, Marc Charmatz, Clara Smit, and Sharon Casserta at 2016 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
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Susan Rubio Rivera, Sharon Langer, Ana Lorenzo Vega, Debbie Dietz, and Liese Brown (Brenda Rivera not pictured) at a working meeting on the intersection of disability and domestic violence-sexual assault. |
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Oral Arguements at the3rd DCA. With HOPE staff and FCHR.
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Victoria and Nardo. DIG Spring Interns
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 Litigation: Is Healthcare only for the "Able Bodied"?
By:
Matthew Dietz
When Larry McDowell went to Affordable Dentures in West Palm Beach, Florida, to have a dental procedure on March 17th, there was no reason that he could possibly believe that he wouldn't be able to get the same services as anybody else. But once Mr. McDowell reached the front desk, he was directed to follow someone to the examination room. Mr. McDowell then said, "I'm blind, could you help to where I'm going?" The employee at the desk said nothing. Once a member of the office staff arrived, Mr. McDowell asked for assistance to the examination room - Mr. McDowell asked to hold her elbow.
She said, "No. We can't help you unless you have someone to help you. We can't treat you unless you bring someone to assist you." Mr. McDowell then asked to speak to the dentist. When Mr. McDowell asked where the dentist was, the employee replied that he was in surgery and would be there for the next two hours.
A patient who was watching the interaction told Mr. McDowell, "No he's not. He's standing right there." After the patient's remark, the employee said to Mr. McDowell, "The dentist doesn't want to speak to you today."
Click here to read more
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Kids Crusaders Corner By: Julie Fioravanti
Happy 25th Birthday Nick!
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 At The Intersection of Disability and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault
We have renamed my column THE INTERSECTION. The column will still explore the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault but will focus on the extraordinary impact those issues have on persons with disabilities.
Since the theme this month is presidential candidates and where they stand on the issue of Disability Rights, I researched the platforms of all the still standing candidates. Only two have any position at all on their official websites that address disability rights and no candidate has any official information or position on domestic violence or sexual assault except Hillary Clinton who has a position against sexual assault on college campuses. Their positions are below:
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Support our Partners
MUJER
Click the picture to watch a video.
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 The Wallet Card Project
The wallet card is a tool for young adults to use when they come into contact with law enforcement; either as a victim, a witness, or as a potential suspect.
The wallet card will help to clarify any interaction with law enforcement so that the behavior of the person with a disability is not misinterpreted as suspicious or as criminal behavior.
Click here to sign up for a wallet card
The Wallet Card Project is a collaboration with DIG, CGPD, and UM-NSU CARD.
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Wallet Card Update:
From July to December 2015, DIG made a total of 550 wallet cards. 74 cards were made in the West, 30 in the Southwest, 83 in the Midwest, 98 in the Northeast, 256 in the Southeast, and even 9 from outside the United States. We sent 2 to Australia, 1 to Puerto Rico, 2 to the United Kingdom, and 4 to Canada. You can find out more about our Wallet Card Project at
http://www.justdigit.org/wallet-cards/
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Employment support for people with disabilities
If you are disabled and you are pursuing employment, you are not alone. You can find many agencies providing employment support that will help you reach your vocational goal.
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 Article He's Got the Moves
Nyle DiMarco is without doubt a "triple threat." His website even describes him as such, "Nyle DiMarco is an actor, model and spokesman." No offense to whoever wrote his website but they dropped the ball when they failed to include dancer, which makes him a quadruple threat. Currently, Nyle DiMarco is a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and he is a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor. DiMarco's celebrity status, which landed him a spot on the show, is attributed to his acting career and winning season 22 of America's Next Top Model.
Click here to read more
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Your Upward Journey
In a nutshell, Your Upward Journey: It Is Easier Than You Think!, is a three-part project (book, self-help seminars and merchandise sale). I intend to promote the book through self-help seminars and sale of merchandise, such as mugs, journals etc.
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A Parcel of Penguins
A PARCEL OF PENGUINS: an Animal Counting Book
IS A CHILDREN'S BOOK THAT TEACHES UNUSUAL NAMES OF GROUPS OF ANIMALS. THE BOOK IS ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE FOR ALL AGES!
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For more information about DIG and to find out how you can be involved, please call or email our executive director, Debbie Dietz at
305-669-2822 or
debbie@justdigit.org.
Disability Independence Group, Inc.
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Thank you to the organizations that support our projects.
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