By Disabled World - 2008-11-01
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More than 90 percent of Montgomery County police officers who applied for disability retirement benefits in the past decade received them.
This included one officer who qualified based on a finger injury, according to county records released this week. The troubled program, discussed at a County Council hearing yesterday, is drawing interest from federal law enforcement officials, who this week subpoenaed the records of Gaithersburg Police Chief John King, who retired from the Montgomery police on disability last year.
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Whether a person is disabled, raising a child with a disability, providing care to an elderly relative or just getting older, most Americans are or will someday be affected by disability.
Because the presidential campaigns have significant differences in their disability policies, the Disability Rights & Concerns Committee of United University Professions believes voters need to be informed. The Obama-Biden “Plan to Empower People with Disabilities” addresses many critical issues.
The McCain-Palin platform does not have disability listed among its issues, nor has its campaign responded to a questionnaire from the American Association of People with Disabilities. The McCain-Palin educational platform does not mention children with special needs, it emphasizes parental choice of schools and a plan to allow educational service providers to market directly to parents of children who do not meet state standards.
The National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) pushed back against the McCain-Palin campaign for ridiculing the legal rights of people with disabilities. News reports describe McCain-Palin campaign representative Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), joining Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin at a rally in Rush Limbaugh's hometown of Cape Girardeau, mocking Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama for stating that he's looking to nominate judges who empathize with "the disabled."
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A New Jersey man claims in lawsuits against 10 Atlantic City casinos that the gaming halls are violating the law by not making their properties sufficiently accessible to those with disabilities.
The suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Trenton within the last week by C. Lee Dempsey, name Harrah's Atlantic City; Bally's Park Place; Resorts International Hotel and Casino; Tropicana Casino and Resorts; Trump Marina, Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal; Showboat Atlantic City; Caesars Palace and Hilton. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa was not sued by Dempsey.
Dempsey does not specify his disability in the suits, but describes himself as having a "qualified disability" under the ADA and using a wheelchair for mobility. He claims numerous violations at the casinos.
The litigation charges the casinos with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and state discrimination laws. Spokespeople for Tropicana and Trump Entertainment, which operates the three Trump casinos, said the companies wouldn't comment because the litigation was pending.
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A conservative thinktank reports that West Virginia has one of the highest disability rates in the nation.
This is a problem partially caused by the state's lack of access to newer prescription drugs. The Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute this week released a report titled
"Alive and Working: How Access to New Drugs has slowed the Growth in America's Disability Rates." West Virginia was among the states with access to the least amount of newer drugs, and has one of the greatest increases in its disability rolls, says the study.
News for Seniors:
Seniors in Wisconsin Rapids are using a unique fundraiser - selling a "Bare Because We Care" calendar to make up for funding cuts that threaten their programs. The calendar being released by the women and men from the center features photos that are revealing but tastefully done.
Each highlights one of the activities available at the center, which offers bingo, exercise classes and various other programs.
Events
The University of Arizona Disability Resource Center's Adaptive Athletics Program is inviting the UA and Tucson community to several campus events in recognition of Disability History Week.
Activities begin Wednesday with an event to honor the UA athletics that competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. The event takes place Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Gallagher Theater at the UA Student Union Memorial Center. Brown said the teams also recruit players from all over the world, including Australia and Spain. "I'd like to say that they come here just because of the UA wheelchair basketball program, but it really is due to a combination of academics and the program," he added.
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