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ADA30
30 Years After the Americans with Disabilities Act, There’s Still Work to Be Done Jennifer McLelland December 2, 2022 As an abled parent of a disabled child, I’m learning to help my son manage accessibility burdens because our communities and institutions aren’t designed with him in mind. We can do better for children with disabilities by building more accessible, more inclusive communities and by teaching them how to assert their rights in situations that aren’t in compliance with the law. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990 and forms the foundation of disability integration into employment and public spaces. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis…
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What We Lost in the War on COVID
Daniel Dal Monte August 22, 2024 The news cycle moves so quickly these days that we can forget to dwell on major events. But tyranny thrives on a short attention span. Just a couple of years ago, we witnessed government dictates turn the entire world into a highly regimented military encampment. A Military Response: The Role of the National Security Council Ongoing research has revealed that the response to COVID-19 shifted early on from the public health authorities to the military. For instance, the then deputy national security advisor, Matthew Pottinger, in November 2019, appointed Deborah Birx to spearhead the COVID response. Pottinger had no experience in public health but knew…
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Trump Assassination Attempt
A Wake-Up Call for America Walker Larson July 16, 2024 Few actions manifest division and hatred more than an assassination attempt, such as the one targeting Donald Trump that took place last Saturday. Such an incident proclaims to the universe, “I hate this person and what he represents so much that I believe he must be stopped at all costs, including the cost of blood.” The tragic and harrowing events at the Trump rally do not bode well when it comes to the health of our Republic because they are emblematic of a deep divide in our society. The fact that we’re witnessing political violence shows how polarized we’ve become.…
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Democratic Party’s choice of Harris was undemocratic
− and the latest evidence of party leaders distrusting party voters Daniel Klinghard Could the primary system – a feature of presidential politics for more than 50 years – be weakened by the Democrats’ choice to elevate Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket without a competitive nominating process? That may seem unthinkable to voters who have grown up with a democratic primary system, but party nominating contests have, in the past, similarly cut voters out of the process. Primaries have an inconsistent history in the U.S., as I learned in my research on political parties. When party leaders have seen it as being in their interest to give voters…
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What Happened to American Civics?
Charles Krblich August 12, 2024 My son’s school assigned a civics project for summer vacation. The project’s scope is expansive and spans from explaining the history and functions of the three branches of government to creating a flip book of landmark Supreme Court cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v Board of Education. One of the tasks is a minor level of civic participation, either through community service or writing a letter to his Congressman. My assistance has often been required, and I’ve been given a chance to revisit my own civics education against the anti-democratic themes of the recent world, including pandemic lockdowns and political coronations. The civics project starts with…
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‘Diversity’ Doesn’t Include Disabled Veterans Like Me
Matthew Winans September 11, 2024 At college campuses nationwide, the newest students are starting class, but I’m not among them. Many medical schools rejected my application, and when I asked why, several told me that my service in our nation’s armed forces didn’t matter, and that I should have spent more time proving my commitment to “diversity” and “equity.” I served in the United States Army from 2012 to 2017. During my service, I intended to apply to the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, the military’s medical school, but health-related issues and a service-related disability cut my career short. After being honorably discharged, I set my sights on attending…
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Writing Disabled Voices
Journalists often struggle to cover disabled people. Here’s what experts say about getting the story right. Bonus: A primer on correcting the media when they get it wrong. By Ryan Prior October 6, 2022 We all want—need, really—to have our stories told. And it takes wise storytellers to do it, especially if we become unable to fully do it ourselves.As human beings, many of us, if not all, will be disabled at some point in our life. As journalists, our profession must take that fact into account, with stories portraying disabled people in ways that are dignified, accurate, and forward-thinking. One in four American adults lives with a disability of some sort,…
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Bureaucracy Doesn’t Allow Courage
May 27, 2022 Annie Holmquist The tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, has shifted dramatically in the last few days from the horror of young lives needlessly snuffed out by a gunman, to the horror of why more wasn’t done to save them. Finger-pointing and blaming abound, particularly toward the police who responded to the shooting. Video footage and firsthand accounts have left many wondering why officials were so slow to respond and save the teachers and children who eventually died at the hands of the shooter. We can rant and rave and shout “coward” or “defund the police” as many on Twitter are doing in the face of such a tragedy.…
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3 Missteps of the Education System According to Mike Rowe
Annie Holmquist October 24, 2023 Everybody loves Mike Rowe. His matter-of-fact sense of humor, his humility, and his willingness to get involved in the many work sites featured on his “Dirty Jobs” show make him an endearing figure. But Rowe is also very intelligent. He has his finger on the pulse and problems of America in a way that many others often don’t recognize. Take the recent interview he did with Nick Gillespie of Reason in which he discussed how the missteps of the education system produced a generation of entitled young people who turn up their noses at blue collar or low-paying work. The absence of shop class is the first misstep Rowe…
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Judy Heumann
1947-2023 Disability rights advocate Judy Heumann transformed my sons’ lives — and mine Michelle Buzgon March 7, 2023 The ‘mother of the disabilities rights movement’ profoundly impacted my family My kids lost one of their greatest champions this week. Though a world-traveler renowned and revered for her trailblazing disability rights activism, the inimitable Judy Heumann took an intimate interest in the lives of so many people — our family included. I have my 20-year-old disabled son, Judah, to thank for my friendship with Judy. Judah has an extremely rare genetic mutation that science didn’t even identify until 2015, and wasn’t diagnosed in Judah until 2018, at age 16. Because of…
