Posted on May 24, 2012 by Amanda Beals
As Missouri’s 2012 Legislative Session wrapped up last week, advocates across our great state celebrated a major victory as the legislature failed to pass any restrictive voter photo ID legislation. Despite multiple attempts to enact legislation which would strip hundreds of thousands of eligible Missouri voters of their right to vote, the will of the people prevailed.
Read MorePosted on May 16, 2012 by Kim Lackey
On April 19th, Saint Louis University School of Law hosted Chai Feldblum. Chai Feldblum is the Commissioner of the EEOC. She played a leading role in drafting and negotiating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. In her talk, Commissioner Feldblum stressed that full employment of people with disabilities was key to attaining true individual freedom.
Read MorePosted on May 15, 2012 by Thomas Green
Accessible Mental Health services are coming to Missouri for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People. After two long years of working through the issues, Missouri Department of Mental Health and Missouri Association of the Deaf, Inc have settled the court case about inaccessibility to services provided by the Department of Mental Health.
Read MorePosted on May 04, 2012 by Megan Burke & Rachele King
On May 1, advocates from across Missouri joined together for a rally to encourage the Missouri legislature to support HB 1278 which includes several “charitable” or “contribution” tax credits including the Residential Dwelling Accessibility Tax Credit. The purpose of the Residential Dwelling Accessibility Tax Credit is to make home modifications more affordable.
Read MorePosted on May 04, 2012 by Amanda Beals
Cole County Circuit Court Judge Patricia S. Joyce has ruled that the ballot language of Missouri's proposed voter ID constitutional amendment was deceptive and misleading and must be taken off the ballot. However, there is already another effort to impose restrictive voter identification laws in Missouri.
Read MorePosted on April 27, 2012 by Thomas Green
Did you know that accessible voting machines are not required for state and local elections? Only federal elections are required to provide accessible voting machines. We are working to change this in MO.
Read MorePosted on April 26, 2012 by Peter Lasarov
In April, Paraquad had the pleasure of hosting Peter Lazarov, a Citizen’s Legislative Advocacy in Minority Communities Fellow from Bulgaria. Peter is a Chief Coordinator on issues relevant to assisting people with phyisical disabilities. He is also a Health Expert on Public Health and Health Policy to the Movement for National Unity and Salvation.
Read MorePosted on April 25, 2012 by Danica Neale
A good volunteer program provides a connection between people and a meaningful job that improves our community. A great volunteer program is one that includes people with disabilities in doing these important jobs. Sometimes when people can’t stand, see, hear, grip a pencil or use a keyboard, they are perceived as lacking valuable job skills. This is not true! Having a disability does not mean that a person lacks job skills or other specialized training. Many people with disabilities serve as a vital part of volunteer programs, with our without modifications to their work environment.
Read MorePosted on April 20, 2012 by Amanda Beals
Congress is currently considering two bills (H.R. 4200 and H.R. 4256) which will prevent the Department of Justice from enforcing regulations for the accessibility of public pools as required by the ADA.
The issue of accessibility of public pools is a personal issue for me. I grew up in a family where I had multiple family members who had a disability. One thing I realized very quickly is that people with disabilities do not have the same opportunity to interact with or socialize with their peers as people who do not have a disability. This is especially true for children and young adults.
Read MorePosted on April 17, 2012 by Kirsten Dunham
Today is tax day. 9-9-9, flat tax, mega sales tax, the Buffett rule, and other tax plan phrases are all over the air waves this election year. And it’s not just a hot topic this year but has been a topic of debate over the course of human history. We know why we pay taxes (perhaps) but the struggle comes in deciding who pays, how much and what for. Even though these are tough questions, I believe it is worthwhile to get past the spin and have a civil conversation about the public structures we need to keep our Missouri communities strong and our families safe and healthy.
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