June - Disability News Roundup
Here's what you missed in disability in the media this month.
At the end of each month, I will be sharing some of my favorite disability articles that I’ve read, some written by leading disability reporters in the U.S.
Texas is illegally keeping people with disabilities in nursing homes, federal judge rules
Texas Tribute reporter Stephen Simpson wrote about legal action led by disability rights groups alleging that the state was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act for its failure to provide appropriate treatment to Texans with disabilities in nursing homes, including by denying federally-required services within the community.
Airlines and Trump Administration Backpedal on Protections for Travelers With Wheelchairs
The New York Times reporter Christine Chung wrote about how the Transportation Department has delayed the enforcement of a landmark rule that would expand support for disabled passengers, enhance training for employees who assist them, and require carriers to replace wheelchairs that were lost or damaged and offer loaners promptly. The delayed enforcement happened shortly after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, and airlines have now decided to challenge a provision in the rule.
The promise unkept: How Congress failed America’s disabled students
In an investigative piece, Boston Globe reporters Mandy McLaren and Craig F. Walker spoke to more than two dozens of parents of disabled students to unveil the ways Congress has failed to support students with disabilities in several states across the country, resulting in them being forced to stay at home instead of attending school. Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, the government is required to provide federal funding, specifically 40%, to public schools to ensure disabled students have the resources they need access to education, but Congress only provides 10% today.
The Hechinger Report writers Meredith Kolodner and Marina Villeneuve wrote about how in New Jersey, students with disabilities spend the most time in separate classrooms than their non-disabled peers than any other state, despite federal law requiring integration to the maximum extend possible. In these classrooms, parents say they receive little to no general curriculum, which violated their civil rights.