Author Archives: DREDF

Disability-Bias Hate Crimes

July 2, 2013
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) calls for the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to prosecute the murder of Alex Spourdalakis under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The federal government may prosecute a violent act as a hate crime when "the crime was committed because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person" as it was in the case of Alex Spourdalakis.

Posted in ADA

Activate June 24-27 for Justin Dart and the Disability Treaty!

June 20, 2013
On the anniversary of the passing of a great American and leader within the Disability Community let us all honor Justin's memory by calling your Senators and the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asking them to: "Release the disability treaty and hold hearings!"

Posted in Uncategorized

Apple Committed to Captioning

June 15, 2013
For more than 20 years, Apple has been committed to accessibility across its products and services. Apple has led the industry in developing tools for networks and studios to easily deliver their content with top–quality closed captioning, which works seamlessly across various devices. Nearly all new movies and TV shows in iTunes already offer closed captioning, and by March 2014 the vast majority of the iTunes catalog will offer closed captioning.

Strengthening America’s Schools Act (SASA)

June 9, 2013
SASA eliminates the 2% modified achievement standards and ensures that only students for whom the alternate assessment based on alternate academic standards (AA-AAS) is appropriate may have their progress measured by this standard. It also affirms performance targets for all students, clarifies the size of subgroups as being 15 students, requires data collection to improve school climate and measure academic growth, and ensures that schools implement multi-tier assessments and universal design for learning.

DREDF represents the American Diabetes Association in the California Supreme Court

May 28, 2013
DREDF is representing the American Diabetes Association (ADA) with co–counsel Reed Smith, LLP, as intervenor in a case of critical importance to California schoolchildren with diabetes and their rights to diabetes health related services in school and during school–sponsored activities. The case is set for hearing before the California Supreme Court on May 29, 2013, and a decision will issue within 90 days.

Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2013

May 22, 2013
Consumers, physicians and clinicians all agree that the current bidding program is disrupting the continuum of care by restricting consumers from going to their providers of choice in order to receive the appropriate items and services that they need. Enacting a market-based auction program will ensure that beneficiaries receive high-quality service and equipment that they have become accustomed to receiving and will lower health care costs by enabling beneficiaries to stay in their homes with the products and services on which they depend.

Enhance Rehabilitation Research at the National Institutes of Health

May 22, 2013
DRRC and DREDF enthusiastically support the introduction of S. 1027 because we believe the time is now to enhance the stature and visibility of rehabilitation research at the world's premier medical research agency and, by so doing, send a clear and unequivocal message that rehabilitation services and devices are critical to the health of people with disabilities, chronic conditions, illnesses and injuries. Access to rehabilitation is the key to full functioning, independent living, return to work and a high quality of life.

Keeping All Students Safe Act (reintroduced)

April 22, 2013
Efforts to reduce restraint and seclusion should be part of a strategy for school-wide safety and should include the development of district-wide policies, training for all educational staff, crisis preparation, interagency cooperation and student/parent participation. Proactive approaches need to be used, e.g., positive behavior interventions and supports that are safe, effective, and evidence-based. Research demonstrates that the use of preventative and positive approaches is a cost-saving approach that changes how schools respond to students, improving student behavior by promoting and reinforcing desired behaviors and eliminating the unintended reinforcement of and need to respond to problem behaviors.