“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

When we started Disability Independence Group in 2002, the goal that Matt and I had was to create new and expanded opportunities for persons with disabilities in all aspects of community life. We started with assisting the Florida Bar in surveying the status of lawyers with disabilities who were members of the Bar, and it has continued to dozens of interns, hundreds of cases, thousands of trainings, and over ten thousand Wallet Cards. After 20 years, while we have been bending the moral universe towards justice, there is still a desperate need for more for the disability community – more housing, more jobs, more health care, more transportation, and especially, more advocacy.

However, after 20 years, it is also a time to reflect on the past and the future. It’s a time for self-reflection and concentrating on values, assessing strengths and failures, and imagining where you want life to take you. So, we all decided to wind down Disability Independence Group and start a new adventure.

The best part of my job was the Wallet Card and being able to train groups about the importance of independence and safety for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. I am proud of the ten thousand cards that we made without charge and the hundreds of emails that I received from persons with disabilities who benefited from the Wallet Card. But that was only a small part of my job, and most of the job was behind a desk, devoted to running DIG - everything from billing and grant writing to ensuing that the grass was cut, and the toilets were clean. 

I am staying at DIG to ensure that DIG’s obligations are fulfilled, and Sharon Langer is going to assist me. Sharon will continue to be the project director of the Miami Inclusion Alliance, which looks at the intersection of disability and abuse, until the project ends in December of 2023.

I am so happy for Matt, as he is able to achieve one of his dreams and goals. He is now in a position where he can directly impact and change the lives of law students so they can be effective legal advocates for the disability community. He was hired as the Clinical Director of the Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Clinic at Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale. At the AIDD Clinic, he will be providing advice and limited representation to persons of any disability to address all aspects of integration into community life, from guardian advocacy, denial of effective communication, to employment and housing discrimination. In most cases the students will directly provide representation to clients under his supervision and the supervision of his two new colleagues, Talhia Rangel, and Leigh Markowitz. All the services will be provided entirely without payment of any attorney’s fees. Professor Dietz’s new email is mdietz@nova.edu, and the clinic is located at the Shepard Broad College of Law at 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314-7796. The phone number of the clinic is 954-262-6063.



Stephanie Langer has reopened Langer Law, P.A. to focus her practice on education and guardianship for families with children with disabilities. Launching an Education Helpline has always been a goal of Stephanie’s. She believes that every family should have access to high quality advice when navigating the school system. For more information, you can follow her on Facebook.

I am open to a new opportunities and adventures and can’t wait to discover what is next for me. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know.

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact me or Yare at our number or email, and we will be happy to assist you or direct you in the appropriate direction.

Justine will be back next month.

988 is now active across the United States.

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) and is now active across the United States.

When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

This new, shorter phone number will make it easier for people to remember and access mental health crisis services.

(Please note, the previous 1-800-273-TALK (8255) number will continue to function indefinitely.)

Click below to learn more about 988.

LEARN MORE

According to an article on FIFA’s website, at each stadium and for all matches, FIFA is providing a set number of tickets for purchase by disabled people and people limited in mobility.

There are five different types of Accessibility Tickets.

1. Wheelchair User: This is available to users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters, designed for the transportation of disabled people and people with limited mobility. Users must bring their own equipment as it will not be provided in the stadium. Spectators with this ticket will be allowed to enter the stadium with a manual or electric wheelchair/mobility scooter. They would need to meet the basic requirements of having the following specifications: 3-4 wheels; the maximum dimensions are 80cm in width and 130cm in length. The maximum turning radius is 90cm; the maximum turning width is 150cm; and the maximum speed must be 6km/h.
2. Easy Access Amenity: This type of seat is available for disabled people who do not use wheelchairs but may not be able to bend their knees or need more room to access their seat, using a walking aid or crutches. They also provide extra space for assistance dogs; these seats also have minimal step access if possible.
3. Easy Access Standard Ticket: Ticket for disabled people or people with limited mobility who do not need a wheelchair user place but need seating with minimal step access that is close to accessible amenities (e.g., accessible toilets)
4. Easy Access Extra-Width: Ticket for people (adults over 18 years of age0 with a minimum body mass index of 40kg/m.
5. Sensory Rooms: They will be available in 3 stadiums (Al Bayt Stadium, Lusail Stadium and Education City Stadium). These sensory rooms are for spectators with sensory access requirements that require a controlled sensory environment. This can benefit spectators who are intellectually disabled, autistic or who have a sensory processing disability mental health issue or dementia.

All Accessibility Ticket Applicants/Purchasers may apply online using the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ticketing portal.

This world cup would mark the first use of sensory rooms for those who need a safe space to watch the games.

To gain access to Wheelchair Tickets, Easy Access Standard or Easy Access Amenity Tickets, you need the following documents to provide proof of eligibility.

• Qatari Customers need a certificate of degree of disability or a medical certificate.
• International customers need a medical certificate or proof that is commonly and widely accepted in the customer’s country of residence.

For Easy Access Extra-Width Tickets, only the following proof of eligibility will be accepted.

• Qatari and international customers need a signed doctor’s note stating the customer’s BMI.

For Sensory Rooms the following document providing the following proof of eligibility is accepted

• Qatari and International customers need a doctor’s note, medical certificate, or letter from another healthcare professional.

The Miami Inclusion Alliance is focused on the intersection of abuse and disability. In our work we don’t often discuss the effects of domestic violence on children, so I want to begin that discussion in this article.

This is an important issue because more than 3 million children are affected by domestic violence each year.

The Childhood Domestic Violence Foundation has conducted research and has found the following alarming facts: https://cdv.org/2011/06/10-alarming-domestic-violence-statistics/

More than half of school age children in domestic violence shelters show clinical levels of anxiety and PTSD.

• 63% of all boys, age 11 to 20, who commit murder kill the man who was abusing their mother

• 75% of boys who are present when their mothers are abused were later identified as having behavior problems

• Children from homes experiencing domestic violence are 5 to 7 times more likely to experience significant psychological problems than general population

• Children exposed to domestic violence are 4 times more likely to visit a school nurse

• Researchers have linked exposure to chronic domestic violence to lowered IQ scores, poorer language skills and problems with retention and memory

• Witnessing violence as a child is associated with adult reports of depression, trauma related symptoms, and low self esteem

• Children in homes where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate 1500% higher than the national average in the general population

Sharing these facts is step one in looking into the issue of children who witness and often experience domestic violence. There is little discussion on the special needs of these children and how we can incorporate services for them into our system of care. We will explore this topic in future articles. If you want to discuss, you can reach me at Sharon@justdigit.org

The wallet card is a tool to be used by a teenager or an adult with a disability.

Currently, we have developed cards for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or intellectual disabilities. 

We have finished our new caregiver card.

You can start ordering them online on our website.

Check out our new Facebook page for The Wallet Card Project.

Since 1971, Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated in the United States on August 26.

This day, set into motion by Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY), commemorates the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the states and federal government from denying the right to vote (suffrage) to citizens of the U.S. on the basis of sex.

According to the National Women’s History Alliance, “The observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.”

The 19th Amendment needs to not only recognize women’s successful movement to win the vote, but it needs to call out for equality on all fronts.

The August 23, 2022, Primary and November 8, 2022, General Elections are fast approaching. Miami-Dade County is informing the public that Miami-Dade County now offers voters with a qualified disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the option to receive an accessible vote by mail ballot by email. This may further allow voters to cast their ballot independently without the assistance of another person.

How?

• This is a PDF fillable form that will need to be filled in, printed, signed and returned to us.

• Or, the voter can go to https://miamidade.electionsfl.org/vrservices/mbrs# and follow the instructions.

Then What?

• Once the request has been processed, voters will receive an email with a link to the accessible ballot. https://sites.omniballot.us/12086/app/home

 

Voters are required to print your selections from the site and return the ballot by mail. Voters participating in the program will still receive a paper Vote-by-Mail packet. The paper ballot sent with this Vote-by-Mail packet, will serve as a back-up to their electronic ballot, if the voter should have an issue in printing their electronic ballot or envelope.

*NOTE: Requesting the accessible ballot will prompt the paper and electronic portions to be sent to the voter.

Either way, the voter is required to enclose their ballot in the certificate envelope, sign it, and return to the Supervisor of Elections Office by no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

The voter CANNOT electronically return their ballot to the Elections Office, under Florida State Law. The voter can have somebody of their choosing return their Vote-by-Mail Ballot to the Elections Office or drop off at a Secure Intake Station at any Early Voting Site.

Community Partners, please contact the Miami-Dade County Election’s Department at soedade@miamidade.gov or 305.499.8509 with any questions you might have regarding this program.

Voters who have questions should email votebymail@miamidade.gov or call 305.499.8444.

Access The Vote Florida (ATVFL) is a state chapter of AAPD’s REVUP Campaign. REV UP stands for: Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!

We will be meeting by Zoom every Friday at 11am. The first Friday of the month will be a full chapter meeting and the other weeks will be committee meetings.

Email Olivia at oliviab@drflorida.org to get on our mailing list.

The chapter is a statewide coalition of organizations and self-advocates that are working to raise awareness about issues that impact persons with disabilities, encourage people with disabilities to participate in the voting process, and educate elected officials on issues important to persons with disabilities.

The video below was created as a virtual presentation for the 2021 Family Cafe.

The video will explain who ATVFL is, what we have done so far, and what we plan to do in the future.

The presentation will encourage self-advocates to join and become involved.

Accessible voting is the law. Accessible voting machines must be available to you in order to exercise your right to vote privately and independently.

We are so proud to share our video project: Florida's Accessible Voting Machines! These videos explain how 2 accessible voting machines work, discuss your rights as a voter with a disability, and emphasize the importance of the disability vote.

These videos are vital to our efforts to minimize disability discrimination at the polls and empower the disability community in their right to vote. Please share these videos far and wide so they reach ever disabled voter in Florida who could benefit from them.

For more information about voting with a disability, visit our website at AccessTheVote.org.

This Supper Social Club is on hold until it is safe to meeting in person again.

However, if you are looking for something fun to do, you should check out My Squad.

A new program sponsored by the City of Coral Gables.

You can text (305) 978-1196 (text preferred) for more information.

August 31, 2022, Fishing and Trash Art

September 28, 2022, Movie in the Park

Tickets are $5.00 and available at www.playgables.com.

Select “Event Calendar” if accessing from a cellphone, the dates will be stacked vertically, keep scrolling down to the date of the event.