Disability Issues

After a successful effort by the 14-year-old brother of a girl with intellectual disabilities to remove the word "retarded" from Maryland law, US Senator Barbara Mikulski has proposed a bill that would do the same thing in all federal programs.

Called "the most important new antidiscrimination law in two decades," the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) began to take effect on November 21, 2009.

A proposal to establish a new national long-term care insurance program for those with disabilities is under attack by the insurance industry.

A federal court in New York recently ruled that the state discriminated against people with mental illnesses by housing approximately 4,300 New York City residents in "adult homes."...

Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mike Johanns (R-NE) recently introduced legislation that would greatly expand affordable housing options under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 811 program for people with disabilities.

In a recent article, several professors advocate for greater funding for programs that have shown great success in quickly placing people with mental illness in jobs they like and are able to keep.

One of the programs on the cutting edge of community mental health is called "supportive housing," and it incorporates not only housing but social services and medical care as well.

In an apparent violation of federal law, states are increasingly using nursing homes to house young and middle-age people with mental illnesses.

The IRS reports that more than 5 million retirees, people with disabilities and disabled veterans who are eligible to receive a tax rebate under the $152 billion economic stimulus package have failed to take the steps necessary to get their...