Aging Parents’ Loneliness: The Other Pandemic | Forbes
There is one thing about the current pandemic about which there is no controversy—seniors are most vulnerable. With every warning and every description of preventive measures telling seniors to self-isolate, stay home, and avoid others, there is an inevitable consequence: loneliness. Loneliness among elders was problematic before Covid-19. Now it is worse. And lip service is paid to what we can do about it. Not enough attention is given to measures to address this hidden pandemic among isolated seniors. As a former public health nurse myself, I have witnessed aging folks’ loneliness firsthand and on a broad scale. Thousands of home visits to hundreds of elders showed me the truth: too many aging adults even back then did not have enough social interactions to maintain optimum mental health. Sometimes my weekly visit to a client was the only in-person contact the elder had all week long! It was heartbreaking.
Protecting the Rights of Those With Disabilities | They New York Times
Readers discuss a series of articles about the impact of the Americans With Disabilities Act, passed 30 years ago.
Recognizing the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act | NAB
Throughout July, we have celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the first civil rights law that specifically protects individuals with disabilities. We expected to recognize it as a momentous occasion, with the excitement reserved for big anniversaries. The unexpected events of 2020 altered those plans, but we adapted and commemorated the ADA with Americans with disabilities and allies across the country through virtual platforms. As we focus on the pandemic and the much-needed conversations about equity in the workplace that the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated, we are reminded that the ADA was designed for difficult situations like this. The ADA obliges us to create a society that equips all Americans with the tools they need to surmount the obstacles they encounter, especially when those obstacles loom large. The pandemic presents us with the opportunity to truly understand and embrace those principles.
A must-read thread shows how assistance programs keep disabled people in poverty | Upworthy
An eye-opening Tumblr thread posted to Reddit shows how federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs designed to help disabled people actually help keep them in poverty. Reddit user iDogeYT posted this thread that explains how people with disabilities are not allowed to have more than $2,000 to their name or the benefits they depend on are automatically shut off.
Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation | New York Times
Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. The last words of Rep. John Lewis
National Intern Day | NAB
Anthem is pleased to have Courtney Felle join us as the 2020 Lex Frieden intern. We are so incredibly fortunate to have Courtney join our Disability Policy Engagement team in Federal Affairs, which includes supporting the work of the NAB. In addition to her work with us, Courtney is a member of the 2020 Disability Advocacy Certificate Program organized by the American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD). She wrote this blog post in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the ADA, and it can also be found on AAPD’s social media channels.
Mindset Matters: The New Wave Of Disability Culture Beyond The Americans With Disabilities Act | Forbes
The next wave of disability advocates does not solely lie in the political arena, but rather in the realm of the artistic minds of there creators. Film and television are becoming the next platform for the evolution of disability culture. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the community is faced with a new set of challenges, and that is a way to amplify the many voices and narratives that shape the disability experience. Using the medium of film and television as a tool for inspiration to influence and take ownership of one’s narrative is essential to the growth and development for a stronger sense of identity within the larger chronicle of American life. As the anthropologist, Clifford Geertz wrote “It may be in the cultural particularities of people — in their oddities — that some of the most instructive revelations of what it is to be generically human are to be found.” It this very premise of why seeing people with disabilities and hearing their stories is so important. For a community that is 1 out of every 4 Americans and globally larger than the size of China, the varied nature of the disability experience should be intimately connected to the essence of the human experience. This simple truth is the role of the artist is fundamental in expressing that shared reality.
Multinationals Must Ensure Policy, Not Geography Drives Disability Inclusion | Forbes
There is often a certain pride associated with working for a multinational corporation or global brand. This is, perhaps, even more the case for disabled staff, who may face additional barriers to entering the workforce in the first place.
After Covid-19: A Health Care Forecast For Older Americans | Next Avenue for Forbes
Once the coronavirus pandemic fades — whenever that happens — two health trends for America’s older adults seem nearly unquestionable. Medical appointments through telehealth will be common, especially for those on Medicare. And the need for geriatricians will be great.
Maximizing Food Security For Unauthorized Immigrants During COVID-19 | Health Affairs
Many immigration advocates are calling for the release of detainees under US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody amidst concerns of COVID-19 outbreaks in detention centers. From March to May, ICE only reduced its detainee population by about 7,000 (in 2018, a daily average of 42,000 immigrants were held in detention), but a court order is expected to result in the release of more detainees at high risk of COVID-19
A Disability-Rights Consultant and Social Worker Explains How to Check Your Ableism Every Day |PopSugar
Licensed social worker and disability consultant Vilissa Thompson, LMSW, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare group of disorders better known as brittle bone disease. Those with brittle bone disease have a defect in the production of collagen, causing bone deformities, broken bones, bowed limbs, abnormal curvature of the spine, and other symptoms.
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