Posted on October 21, 2011 by Megan Burke
This past week has been confusing for advocates following the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program. Is the program dead? Can it be revived? If CLASS is repealed, what does that mean for the Affordable Care Act?
Read MorePosted on October 19, 2011 by Megan Burke
The disability community has a proud, rich history full of leaders and advocates who have fought for the civil rights of people with disabilities. It's Our Story is a project started a few years ago to collect stories sharing disability history.
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Posted on October 14, 2011 by Megan Burke
Access to long-term services and supports can be challenging due to cost and our system of funding long-term services and supports. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS)Program was developed to address the long-term services and supports needs of people with disabilities while providing for independence and choice.
Read MorePosted on October 11, 2011 by Megan Burke
A couple of weeks ago we began a discussion about teaching oralism vs. ASL in deaf schools as well as the experiences of deaf students in deaf schools vs. mainstream schools. In conversations since, I have found that a person’s view point on the issue varies depending on their life experience. Just like any community, the Deaf community is quite diverse which lends to varying perspectives.
Read MorePosted on October 07, 2011 by Megan Burke
There has been a lot of inaccurate information distributed when it comes to Missouri deciding whether or not to develop a health insurance exchange. It is almost reminiscent of inaccurate messaging that circulated during the passage of the Affordable Care Act (there never were death panels).
Read MorePosted on October 03, 2011 by guest blogger Jacqueline Lukitsch, Director of Advocacy, Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI St. Louis
On August 25, the Missouri Housing Development Commission approved a special needs set aside for low income housing tax credits (LIHTC), which could yield as many as 400 new housing units in Missouri. A few weeks later, the MO Senate voted to sunset these tax credits as part of a larger deal.
Read MorePosted on September 30, 2011 by Kirsten Dunham
What do you think of when you hear “Super Committee”? Chances are that by now you know it’s a joint Congressional committee – not a new Saturday morning cartoon that you missed. These 12 members are charged with coming up with a plan to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income and other programs important to people with disabilities are on the table. Thousands of disability rights advocates made their voices heard in Washington D.C. last week to say MY MEDICAID MATTERS.
Read MorePosted on September 14, 2011 by Willie Kimbrough, Jr.
If you have ever stepped, or rolled, out your front door only to be confronted with physical barriers and community members who are not well-versed in the ADA accessibility requirements, our Community Advocates know exactly how you feel. We are a volunteer group that meets weekly to train in self-advocacy and disability rights and promote enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We visit public places to survey their accessibility and assess their willingness to provide reasonable accommodation.
Read MorePosted on September 10, 2011 by Megan Burke
The Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) began work in their first meeting on September 8, 2011. This committee will have great influence over the future of disability related programs. The Super Committee is charged with identifying $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years. This includes review of funding for programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security in addition to housing, education, and employment programs.
Read MorePosted on September 07, 2011 by Tom Green
On July 31rst, the New York Times published an article, “Do States Need Schools for the Deaf?” The article covers a long time debate about deaf schools (signing) vs. mainstream schools (spoken language approach). I have been keeping track of this debate and it has been like this for years. My life experience as a person who is deaf informs some of my thoughts on this issue. Working for a CIL, I have thought about how the independent living philosophy might relate.
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