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  A Note from Matt.....
So on a sunny day 25 years ago ... President George H.W. Bush stood on the South Lawn and declared a new American Independence Day. "With today's signing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act," he said, "every man, woman and child with a disability can now pass through once-closed doors into a bright new era of equality, freedom and independence." Twenty-five years later, we come together to celebrate that groundbreaking law and all that the law has made possible. Thanks to the ADA, the places that comprise our shared American life -- schools, workplaces, movie theaters, courthouses, buses, baseball stadiums, national parks -- they truly belong to everyone. Millions of Americans with disabilities have had the chance to develop their talents and make their unique contributions to the world. And thanks to them, America is stronger and more vibrant; it is a better country because of the ADA. That's what this law has achieved. Remarks of President Barak Obama on the 25th Anniversary of the ADA, July 20, 2015.    |
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  Wrigley Field complying with ADA Accessibility
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all public facilities be accessible to people with disabilities. This applies to sports facilities, arenas, and stadiums as well. The Wrigley Field is a great example of a sports field that has made an effort to comply with ADA building regulations despite its old age. Wrigley Field was built in 1914, which means that it has different requirements regarding ADA compliance, as well as not a great deal of accessibility considerations as seen in newer buildings. However, Wrigley Field has made itself more physically accessible through two methods. First, concrete ramps were poured over existing stairs in order to accommodate people in wheelchairs. Secondly, customer service has been implemented in order to make it easier for a physically impaired person to get to their chair. Customer service representatives accompany people in wheelchairs to make sure they get to their seat easily and comfortably. The combination of these two accommodations ensures both ADA compliance and customer satisfaction.
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Kids Crusaders Corner 
Welcome to this month's edition of Kids Crusaders as we celebrate the ADA, a law that went into effect 25 years ago on July 26, 1990. My son was born in April of 1991. While we knew from the day he was born we were going to be faced with challenges, we had no diagnosis and no idea what his limitations would be. It wasn't until he was 4 years old that the ADA even remotely entered my mind. Nick was diagnosed at 10 months of age with Cerebral Palsy and the first few years were spent all consumed with therapies and early intervention programs. (click here to read more)
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|  The City of Coral Gables' Granada Golf Course
By: Sharon Langer I love to walk on Saturdays on our city of Coral Gables public golf course. It has been a destination for walkers, runners and joggers for as long as it has been built for the last 50 years. The City of Coral Gables recreational programs or activities, such as those offered at the golf course, play an important part in the life of our community. Through years and years of the footsteps of joggers, runners, walkers, and all types of paw-steps, a path in the grass and dirt has been worn around the golf course that allows all people to safely take your walk or run away from the traffic on the street. This past Saturday the path was filled with dogs and their owners, kids, and adults. Rather than discouraging the use of this path created by popular demand, the City of Coral Gables encourages its use by recently installed doggie pet waste stations on the path around the golf course to encourage folks to "curb their dog", planting trees around the path, and placing beautiful stone benches if you wish to sit awhile. (click here to read more)    |
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|  Guardianship Video
Recently the Disabilities Independency Group partnered with the Dade County Legal Aid Society and the Statewide GAL Office to present the training "Guardianship and Guardian Advocate Training for Attorneys." The training features a distinguished panel including the Honorable Maria M. Korvick. The presentation includes identifying developmental disabilities, everything you need to know about plenary guardianship and guardian advocates, and how to interview children with disabilities. The training was approved by the Florida Bar for 3.0 Hours of CLE credit. Watch the video on the Florida Statewide GAL Program website. http://guardianadlitem.org/training-advocacy-resources/conferences-training/ And then click the link to the video: https://youtu.be/dmD0R76Oeu8. |
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|  The Market You're Missing, Part III
By: Rachel Goldstein For the last part of my series I am going to address how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to service animals and the responsibilities of businesses to allow service animals into their facilities. The ADA defines "service animal" as limited to a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability and the tasks must be directly related to the person's disability. An important distinction from other federal law (such as the Fair Housing Act) is that the ADA defines service animals to include only dogs and the ADA does not consider emotional support, therapy, companion or comfort animals as service animals.(click here to read more) |
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 Out and About with DIG
July 25 Miami-Dade Animal Workshop, Miami, FL
July 30 Palm Beach CILO, 25th Anniversary Celebration, West Palm Beach, FL
August 10 Broward Children's Center - A Parcel of Penguins reading, Pompano Beach, FL
August FL Legal Services Webinar
Sept 24-25 Children's Legal Services (CLS) Conference, Tampa, FL
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|  The 25th Anniversary of the ADA
By: Zachary Trautenberg On July 26th the Americans with Disabilities Act will be turning 25 years old. The Americans with Disabilities Act is a law designed to make the United States accessible for persons with disabilities. Originally enacted in 1990 it has been updated over the 25 year period. The Americans with Disabilities Act is a great tool that has literally and figuratively opened many doors for persons with disabilities, but it is not perfect by any means. The biggest challenge for persons with disabilities is the fact that our abilities and inabilities are extremely unique. Each and every persons has certain strengths and weaknesses. The best accommodation for one person may not be the best accommodation for another. For example, I have recently been looking at refrigerators and many are rated accessible by the standards set in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but these refrigerators are still not accessible for me. (click here to read more) |
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|  My Experience Interning at DIG
By: Marlon Velez My experience interning at DIG is probably one of the more interesting experiences anyone from my law school class had this summer. From cases involving a sheep as an emotional support animal to cases involving young runaways trapped in the system, the ordinary daily routine at the DIG office is anything but ordinary. Because it is an advocacy group for those who have disabilities, I learned a lot about the struggles people with disabilities have and how they have to fight to get basic accommodations which seem more than reasonable; borderline necessary (i.e. an elevator for an elderly man to get to his apartment, an interpreter to translate the doctor's explanation of a medical procedure, etc.) I've seen the difference between the procedure in a federal courtroom and the procedure in a state courtroom, and began to formulate an opinion as to which one I prefer. (click here to read more) |
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|  ADA Mediation Program
By: Lester Langer OVER THE LAST SEVERAL editions of our newsletter we have discussed mediation. But did you know mediation is available under the ADA Mediation Program? This is an informal process but you have to request it after you file your complaint. Since its inception the program has mediated more than 4000 complaints with 78% being resolved successfully. Complaints under tile II (state and local government services) and title III (public accommodations) can be mediated. There is NO COST to either party and it is not necessary to have an attorney. However as we have discussed previously it would be in your best interest at least to consult with an attorney or retain one to navigate the law and the process. (click here to read more) |
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|  Casey Martin PGA Tour Accommodations
The ADA has had an overarching impact on all aspects of life, including competitive sports. Casey Martin, a professional golfer, highlighted the true impact of the ADA in the sports world in 2001 when he won his lawsuit against the PGA tour under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The PGA Tour, the main organizer of professional golf tours in the United States, required the golfers to walk between shots in the third round of competition. Martin, who has a circulatory condition which affects his right leg, was unable to adhere to this rule, and therefore requested a golf cart as an accommodation for all rounds of the game. Through the ADA's stipulations of accessibility and inclusion, the Supreme Court ruled for Martin in a 7-2 decision. This court ruling demonstrated the importance of complying to the ADA by providing reasonable accommodations for disabled athletes while still playing a fair game.
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|  The Wallet Card Project
Go to our website to watch the video and sign up for a wallet card: http://www.justdigit.org/wallet-cards/ |
| Six month update on The Wallet Card Project By: Monica Sabates We are proud to say that the Wallet Card Project has been successfully in motion for 6 months! As a progress update, we used our statistics to make charts that diagram exactly where our wallet cards have been re quested and sent to. As of June 30, 2015, we have made a total of 1,392 cards. A large portion of the wallet cards were sent to participants in Florida, however, the wallet card project has reached every state in the United States except Hawaii. Additionally, the wallet card project has gained international participation, with three wallet cards being sent to Australia and two to Canada. We are excited to see the wallet card project expand into more countries and garner continued participation in the U.S. Please send us any anecdotal stories you have about your wallet card to info@justdigit.org.  |
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What Information am I supposed to report to Social Security?
The answer depends on the type of benefits you receive. The SSI program involves a lot more reporting than the Social Security Title II disability programs like SSDI because the SSI program has strict rules about how much income and resources beneficiaries can have. Below is a chart that provides general direction about what beneficiaries need to report to Social Security. Keep in mind that for the SSI program, these reporting requirements apply not only to the SSI eligible individual, but also to the parents of SSI recipients under 18 and to the spouses of SSI eligible individuals. (click here to read more)
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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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|  Litigation: Cruise Ship Accommodations By: Matthew Dietz Twenty years ago, accessible cruising was an impossibility. Notwithstanding that a cruise ship - a resort at sea - was the ideal vacation with everything at one's fingertips -- for a person with a disability it was just impossible. There were no accessible rooms, no accessible bathrooms, public rooms on different levels without any access. To get out onto the deck, into cabins, or into any bathrooms, most cruise ships had three inch high thresholds (called combings), and the rare times when ramps were available, the ramps were too steep for a person in a wheelchair. Certain types of wheelchairs were not allowed on ships, the blind were required to have "companions", and the deaf did not get interpreters. (click here to read more) |
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DIG in the News 
