News
According to a new report, people with disabilities still remain largely underrepresented in major movies. Just 2.5% of characters had disabilities in 2017's major movies. That's down from 2.7% in 2016. Of last year’s most popular films, 41 included no speaking characters with disabilities and only two movies portrayed people with disabilities in proportion with their actual representation.
Federal policy is often implemented with little consideration for how it will impact people with disabilities, but that could change under a new proposal. A new bill in the U.S. Senate calls for the creation of an Office of Disability Policy. This would specifically review legislative and regulatory plans the assess how they would affect people with disabilities.
DISABLED WORLD: New US CDC Statistics Reveal 1 in 4 Adults Live with Disability
By SD Network, 2018-08-21
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures show 1 in 4 US adults now live with a disability, with cognitive disability most common in younger adults and mobility disabilities most common for others. The data shows that disability is more common among women, non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives, adults with lower income, and adults living in the South Census region of the United States.
CNBC: How Google has stepped up its efforts to makes its own tech more accessible to the disabled
By SD Network, 2018-08-21
In the past few years, Google has shifted the way that it thinks about accessibility, moving from grassroots advocacy to codified systems. Beyond making all its products accessible, the next big challenge is finding ways for its technology to help disabled people navigate the wider world. While Google works to improve its own products and processes and launch into new domains, the Accessibility team has also ramped up its external focus
A lawsuit is seeking to force the nation's airlines to make major changes to better accommodate travelers with disabilities. The suit filed against the Department of Transportation accuses the agency of delaying rules aimed at adding accessible restrooms to single-aisle airlines. In 2016, Congress asked the Department to release rules on airplane restroom accessibility by 2017. The Department has yet to do this. The lawsuit asks that the court demand the Department to take action.
DISABILITY SCOOP: Incentives Floated For Treating People With Developmental Disabilities
By SD Network, 2018-08-21
Federal lawmakers are pushing to make doctors and other health care services much more available for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A bipartisan bill introduced late last month would for designate people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a “medically underserved population” and qualify this group for additional resources under more than two dozen federal programs. Health care experts think this bill would increase access to medical and dental care, reduce health disparities, and improve training for medical professionals.
With a new exhibit, the Smithsonian Institution is highlighting how athletics have helped to dramatically change the lives of people with intellectual disabilities over the last 50 years. The exhibit showcases the history of Special Olympics.. It also features stories of four well-known Special Olympians.
Citizen Network is working with the European SKILLS project to identify the extent to which self-directed support is being adopted in different countries around the world. They are now seeking to identify people around the world who would like to help us map progress on self-directed support in their own country.