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Welcome to the Weekly Reading Roundup! Stay informed with our latest selection of accessibility news highlights, curated for you!
LOCAL NEWS
ROLL CALL: ADA drop-off zones set for completion this year at the Capitol
Two new drop-off and pick-up zones intended for visitors to the Capitol with disabilities are nearing completion and could be ready by the time lawmakers return after the November election, Architect of the Capitol staff said.
Members of the House Administration Committee and disability advocates got a briefing on the project Thursday, gathering near a trapezoidal cutout of concrete and gravel on First Street SE, across from the Library of Congress. The other zone, servicing the Senate side, will be located just north on First Street NE, across from the Supreme Court at the intersection of Maryland Avenue NE.
DISABILITY SCOOP: Senators Push Back On Potential Changes To Subminimum Wage Program
With federal officials expected to propose a new rule that could end a government program allowing people with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage, some lawmakers are already raising red flags.
The U.S. Department of Labor is planning to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking related to Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The law, which dates back to 1938, allows employers to obtain special certificates from the Labor Department authorizing them to pay people with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
USA NEWS
Laws in three states have enacted tougher restrictions for people who help voters with disabilities, language or other issues cast their ballots. Latino groups who have sued Texas, Arkansas and Missouri over these laws are warning that those who need help to vote in November’s elections may not get the assistance they need.
“Many Latino voters have disabilities or English is not their first language. They also don’t know how to use the voting computers and get very nervous, so they ask for someone to help them validate their vote,” said Tania Chavez Camacho, executive director of the Texas-based nonprofit community organization La Unión del Pueblo Entero, known as LUPE.
DEVER POST: Disabled music fans in Colorado are still fighting venues for equal access
Kirstin Kurlander Garcia loves going to concerts, from Planet Bluegrass shows in Lyons to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. She’s also a big sports fan, and has seen games at Ball Arena, where her beloved Colorado Mammoth play lacrosse.
But as a deaf person, she often has to fight for basic information. At the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest at Planet Bluegrass in 2019, for example, it took 20 minutes “and the intervention of a band member’s wife” to tape off an area where an American Sign Language interpreter could be seen. At Ball Arena, there was no way for her to learn about penalties or injuries on the stadium’s screens.
GLOBAL NEWS
ABC NEWS: Adaptive musical instruments open up the world for people with disabilities and injuries
Despite the enormous benefits of playing musical instruments, people with disabilities and injuries often miss out because they can't play the standard instruments on offer. Some of the movements required for playing traditional instruments can be challenging for people with mobility restrictions, or sensory or intellectual impairments. But this doesn't mean they should be excluded.
Adapting or modifying how instruments are played can open up the musical world for people with disabilities and those living with injuries, allowing them to enjoy the benefits many take for granted. New or adapted instruments can even lead to brand new ways to make music.
THE NATION: The long road ahead for Thailand if it wants to host the Paralympics
The Paralympic Games is a series of international sport events for athletes with disabilities. Since the “One Bid, One City” agreement between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 2001 to forge a close relationship between the two organizations, many Olympics host cities have also organized the Paralympics, the two mega-events separated by only a few weeks.
The Paralympics offers a competition platform for athletes with different types of disabilities. They can be divided into 10 categories: impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment, and intellectual impairment. And these also are divided into subcategories.
What if Thailand wanted to host the Paralympics? Hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world requires many considerations, but in this article, we will focus on one key aspect: accessibility.
CULTURE NEWS
LA TIMES: Funny, it isn’t hard to make a comedy show that autistic adults can enjoy too
But its goal was a lofty one: Make the raucous world of stand-up comedy a welcoming place for people whose brains work differently. This show was playing out before a crowd full of autistic adults and other neurodivergent people, many joined by their neurotypical family and friends.
The tweaks to a typical show were small ones: A “chill-out space” for anyone who needed to step out for a break. Lowering the volume on the music playing inside and avoiding any sudden, noisy changes in music between acts. Letting the comedians know to lay off if someone jumped up or blurted something out.
Funnily enough, making a comedy show inclusive for neurodivergent people is “not a big adjustment at all — it’s just something that no one’s thought to do,” said Rob Kutner, a comedy writer and co-producer of the Wednesday show.
NJ.COM: N.J. couple could lose everything if they get married. New film reveals painful journey
Patrice Jetter and Garry Wickham settle down for a steak dinner and some wine. They raise their glasses for a toast. They treasure their life together, and have for many years — they perform as an ice skating duo, dance and relax in the pool. But it isn’t long before Wickham has to return to his own home.
He’d rather stay. He wants to marry Jetter, and she wants to marry him. But they can’t risk looking like they’re living together. Because if they did, they’d face a devastating penalty — losing their health insurance.
Jetter, who lives in Hamilton Township, and Wickham, who lives in Princeton, are just one of many couples who have disabilities and can’t get married or live together because they depend on Medicaid and government benefits. Jetter and Wickham tell their story in “Patrice: The Movie.”
