February 23, 2021
If you blinked, you might have missed it.
At the end of 2020, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals published an important decision in Waskul, et al. v. Washtenaw County Community Mental Health. In the case, five people with developmental disabilities sued the state of Michigan and Washtenaw County after the county was allowed to implement a new budget methodology for their services and health care. The state tried to stop the case from moving to trial, but the Sixth Circuit decided that the plaintiffs’ facts were compelling enough for their arguments to be heard. Their decision offers some important language and potential tips for other advocates. [...]
I’d Rather…The IDEA
December 1, 2020
This is a personal story about how IDEA – the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – has affected our family. And the nation.
by Meriah Nichols, Unpacking Disability, and DREDF Board Member
On Labels, Telling Our Own Stories, and “Special” Education
June 29, 2020
In the sense I had a 504 plan and received accommodations from the beginning, I had the "special education" label from preschool through high school.
The phrase means different things to different people, often depending on the context. But when I personally think of the label, the first image that pops into my head is of a big wooden chair with SPED in big black letters written across the back from seventh grade. It was one of my classroom chairs, but I picture it in an isolated room where I dictated my tests.
“Kids Would Bully Me. I Would Always Go Into The Library. And Do Really Nothing.”
Making Restorative Justice Inclusive for Students with Disabilities
The use of restorative justice programs in school settings is relatively new. According to an article in Edutopia published in 2015, "Restorative justice empowers students to resolve conflicts on their own and in small groups, and it's a growing practice at schools around the country. Essentially, the idea is to bring students together in peer-mediated small groups to talk, ask questions, and air their grievances."
Voices from the Past Remain Relevant as Groundbreaking Guide for Disabled Girls and Women is Reissued Online
March 7, 2019
DREDF's No More Stares, a groundbreaking guide for disabled girls and women, now Available on the Internet in Celebration of International Women's Day 37 Years After its Historic Release.
Originally published by Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) in 1982, No More Stares is now available on DREDF's website for the first time in celebration of International Women's Day!