August 15, 2006
www.newstandardnews.net

Disabled People 'Left Behind' in Emergency Planning

During Hurricane Katrina, Benilda Caixeta, a New Orleans resident with quadriplegia, tried for two days to seek refuge at the Superdome. Despite repeated phone calls to authorities, help never arrived for Caixeta. Days later, she was found dead in her apartment, floating next to her wheelchair. "Benilda need not have drowned," testified Marcie Roth before the US House of Representatives Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus in November 2005. Roth, executive director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, had personally placed calls to prompt Caixeta’s evacuation. "People with disabilities are not in good hands," Roth said.
 

August 3, 2006
www.usnewswire.com

National Council on Disability Makes Recommendations to Improve Emergency Preparedness, Response Plans for People With Disabilities

The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released "The Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on People with Disabilities: A Look Back and Remaining Challenges," a guide for the President, Congress and other emergency planners to develop inclusive emergency preparedness and response plans. According to NCD Chairperson Lex Frieden, "Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the lives of many people who lived in the Gulf Coast region. Fortunately, millions of Americans opened their homes and their hearts to hurricane survivors while local, state, and federal government employees worked around the clock to evacuate and rescue people. With almost a year since the Hurricanes made landfall and wreaked havoc on the lives of many, we now have a clearer understanding of what went right, as well as what went wrong, with the response and recovery efforts."
 

June 8, 2006
www.todaysthv.com

Study: Schools Not Prepared Enough For Emergencies

A new study shows when it comes to emergencies, a large number of schools across the country, including Arkansas schools, are unprepared. The study by UAMS and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute says many public school districts fall short in their emergency response plans. Researchers talked to more than 3,600 school superintendents across the country and found that about 86 percent of the school districts surveyed do have a mass casualty response plan. However, researchers also wanted to know what schools are doing to prevent disaster, and only 57.2 percent have a written plan for that. An estimated 53 million children in the U.S. are in schools each weekday. Dr. James Graham says they aren't as safe as they could be.
 

May 23, 2006
www.usnewswire.com

AARP Report Highlights Ways to Protect Older Americans in Disasters; 13 Million Americans Over 50 Anticipate Needing Evacuation Assistance

About 18 percent of Americans in 2002 said they had a disability, and 12 percent had a severe disability, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Among people with disabilities, more than half of those 21 to 64 years old had a job, more than 4-in-10 of those ages 15 to 64 used a computer at home and a quarter of those age 25 to 64 had a college degree. "The demographic snapshots contained in this report help planners and decision-makers assess the needs of this important segment of our population," said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. Americans with Disabilities: 2002 was compiled from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Approximately 51.2 million people said they had a disability; for 32.5 million of them, the disability was severe.
 

March 14, 2006
www.jfanow.org

Kmart Settles Suit Over Access

Kmart Corp. agreed Monday to pay $13 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the retailer of ignoring federal regulations that govern access for disabled customers.The settlement, if it wins a judge's approval, would be the largest ever under terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Kmart also agreed to spend as much as $70 million in the next eight years to bring stores around the country into compliance with federal standards for merchandise placement, counters, restrooms, fitting rooms and parking lots.
 

February 7, 2006
The Irish Times/National Organization on Disability

Talks bring international disability treaty closer

The first international treaty on rights for people with disabilities has come a step closer following a series of crucial talks at the UN in New York which involved the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
 

February 5, 2006
CNN.com

Supreme Court rules disabled prisoners can sue under ADA

In a major victory for disabled Americans, the Supreme Court Monday ruled they deserve equal access and accommodation at government buildings, such as courthouses and schools, in all states.
 

February 04, 2006
The Seattle Post Intelligencer

Critics balk at bills for troubled adults developmentally disabled's rights neglected

Advocates are pressing to toughen proposed legislation safeguarding the civil rights of troubled developmentally disabled adults in the state-funded Community Protection Program. Support for the bill eroded when a second draft failed to include a state ombudsman for developmentally disabled citizens, dropped fines for private contractors that provide substandard care and did not provide legal or other expert help for clients who want to fight placement in the restrictive program. "We're very disappointed," said David Carlson, an attorney with the federally funded Washington Protection and Advocacy System in Seattle.
 

January 11, 2006
United States Department of Justice

Federal court orders AMC movie theater chain to improve wheelchair seating at AMC Theaters nationwide

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require the holding companies for AMC Entertainment and Loews Cineplex Entertainment Marquee Holdings Inc. and LCE Holdings Inc., respectively-- to divest certain movie theater assets in order to proceed with their proposed multi-billion dollar merger. The Department said that the transaction, as originally proposed, would have eliminated head-to-head competition between AMC and Loews and likely would have resulted in higher prices for tickets to first-run, commercial movies in sections of five major American cities: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Seattle.
 

December 29 , 2005
National Organization on Disability Survey

Workplace Preparedness of People with Disabilities Down - Personal Preparedness on the Rise

This new survey goes on to report a marked decrease in workplace preparedness for people with disabilities. Survey results reveal that 57% of people with disabilities indicate that they have a workplace plan, a figure that is down from 68% in 2003. “This may not be as bad as it appears” stated Hilary Styron, Director of N.O.D.’s EPI, “Immediately after 9/11 there was a major focus on development of workplace emergency plans for all employees. The decrease we see now may be attributed to fewer training opportunities provided in the workplace, limited-focus planning or lack of communication among emergency planners or task forces within a facility. Workplace emergency planning, just like community emergency planning is an on-going process that must include the active participation of people with disabilities.”