Disability Rights Connection

Local to global, interesting happenings, issues, news, and resources on disability.

Check out our updated Special Education Guide!

The update reflects changes to the law regarding the use of restraint and seclusion in schools and special education services for transition-age students who have not earned a regular diploma.

UPDATED HANDBOOK-Restraint & Seclusion: When Behavior Interferes with Learning

The update reflects changes to the law regarding the use of restraint and seclusion in schools brought about by passage of House Bill (HB) 2939, which went into effect in July 2012, and the regulations at the state level that are now in place.

DRO and YRJ Sign Agreement with PPS to Provide Full School Days to Transition-Aged Students with Disabilities

On September 18, 2012, Portland Public Schools (PPS), Oregon’s largest school district, signed an agreement with Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) and Youth, Rights, and Justice (YRJ), another nonprofit law firm, regarding the district’s Community Transition Program (CTP). The agreement will end CTP’s practice of providing school programs of 12-15 hours per week to students with disabilities in violation of state and federal laws that require 990 hours of educational and transition services per year. The agreement requires PPS to provide full day programs of 990 hours per year to all 18-21 year old students with disabilities who are able and want to attend full-time but have not earned a regular diploma.

2012 National Forum on Disability Issues (NFDI)

This non-partisan forum on September 28, 2012 from 12:30p–3:30p EST offers the 2012 presidential candidates (and candidates for the U.S. Senate seat from Ohio) a platform to present their policy positions on disability issues directly to the disability community. This is an important event for the candidates as the disability community continues to grow at a rapid pace (e.g., veterans, aging boomers), thus, increasing its influence on elections. Anyone can register as an attendee or as a viewer of the webcast at www.nfdi.org.

NCD Calls for the Phase-Out of Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities

The independent federal agency National Council on Disability (NCD) has released a report calling for the phase-out of a provision in the Fair Labor Standards Act, known as 14(c), that allows employers who receive a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor, to pay less than federal minimum wage to workers with disabilities for work performed.

“Branch Out” - Connecting Communities Coalition (CCC) 2012 (Lloyd Center DoubleTree Hotel, from Oct 23, 2012 05:00 PM to Oct 23, 2012 07:30 PM)

October 23, 2012 | 5-7:30p | Lloyd Center DoubleTree Hotel | FREE ADMISSION

8th Annual Walk, Roll ‘n’ Run (Springwater Corridor & Eastbank Esplanade & McCall Waterfront, from Sep 08, 2012 08:00 AM to Sep 08, 2012 01:30 PM)

September 8, 2012 | 5K and 8K run along the Springwater Corridor and a 2.5 mile walk/roll along the Eastbank Esplanade & McCall Waterfront. For United Cerebral Palsy Association of Oregon and SW Washington.

A Roll in the Park 2012 (1839 NE Couch St, Portland, OR 97232, from Sep 21, 2012 11:00 AM to Sep 21, 2012 02:00 PM)

September 21, 2012 | 11a – 2p | 1839 NE Couch St, Portland, OR 97232 | Join this festive celebration of entertainment, food, arts & crafts, art show, and informational booths! Presented by Independent Living Resources (ILR).

Cooling Centers in Multnomah County

Seniors and people with disabilities: find some relief from the heat at four area cooling centers open through Friday.

Check out our updated Mental Health Law in Oregon Guide!

Includes updates to the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) jurisdiction chapter, as well as new chapters on State Hospital Review Panel (SHRP) jurisdiction, and involuntary treatment at Oregon State Hospital (OSH).

Lane v. Kitzhaber Certified as a Class Action

On August 6, 2012, Judge Janice Stewart certified Lane v. Kitzhaber, the supported employment case brought by DRO, as a class action. While the original case was filed with eight named individuals and United Cerebral Palsy of Washington/Oregon, the judge's order means that the lawsuit now covers “all individuals in Oregon with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are in, or who have been referred to, sheltered workshops” and “who are qualified for supported employment services.”

The Incarceration of D.S. - An Investigative Report

In response to reports in The Oregonian newspaper during 2011, Disability Rights Oregon investigated how a man with significant psychiatric disabilities (D.S.) came to be held in Washington County Jail for months without treatment and then was committed to the state hospital without legal authority even though the legal means existed.

Letter of Findings Regarding Oregon's Employment Services for Workers with Disabilities

The US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division recently found that Oregon's system of employment and vocational services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities fails to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) following a nine-month investigation into Oregon's compliance with Title II of the ADA as interpreted by Olmstead v. L.C., which requires services, programs, and activities provided by public entities, including states, be delivered in the most integrated setting.

Disability Rights Advocates Laud Health Care Ruling

Reforms a lifeline to many people with disabilities

Justice Department Commemorates Olmstead Anniversary with “Faces of Olmstead” Stories

This week marks the thirteenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., where the Supreme Court recognized that the civil rights of people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are violated when they are unnecessarily segregated from the rest of society.

Oregon Court Rules that the ADA Integration Mandate Applies to Employment Services

On May 17, 2012, United States Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart issued a ruling in the case of Lane v. Kitzhaber. This case alleges that Oregon is violating the ADA by not providing employment services to individuals with disabilities in the most integrated settings appropriate.

2012 Oregon Disability MegaConference (Salem Conference Center, from Oct 25, 2012 12:00 AM to Oct 27, 2012 12:00 AM)

October 25-27, 2012 | Salem Conference Center

NEW Publication - Involuntary Medication Hearing Handbook

This Handbook provides general information about the involuntary medication hearing process to individuals at any Oregon State Hospital campus for treatment of a mental health condition.

Second Annual Rethinking Psychiatry Symposium (The First Unitarian Church 1101 SW 12th Ave Portland, OR, from May 11, 2012 07:00 PM to May 12, 2012 05:00 PM)

May 11-12, 2012 | The First Unitarian Church 1101 SW 12th Ave Portland, OR

Tri-County Medicaid Collaborative Public Meeting (Clackamas Community College, Gregory Forum, 19600 Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon 97045, from May 22, 2012 06:00 PM to May 22, 2012 08:00 PM)

May 22, 2012 | 6-8p | Clackamas Community College, Gregory Forum, 19600 Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon 97045 | The event is free and open to all members of the public.