Weekly News (August 23 - August 27)

The Americans with Disabilities Act: 20 Years Later (AARP Prime Time Radio, August 10, 2010)
On AARP Prime Time Radio, Lex Frieden, one of the authors of the ADA, discusses what the ADA has accomplished and what work remains.

More disabled workers file discrimination claims in 2009 (USA TODAY, August 20, 2010)
More people with disabilities are filing discrimination claims against their employers. Nearly 21,500 claims were filed last year, largely due to a new amendment to the ADA which broadens the definition of what it means to be disabled.

New Plans For Uninsured Off To Slow Start (Kaiser Health News, August 19, 2010)
A new federally subsidized program for uninsured people with health problems is off to a slow start…few people are signing up.  Some say while the program is better than anything in the private market, it still may be unaffordable to many people.

State pushing for tougher caregiver standards (San Francisco Chronicle, August 19, 2010)
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is attempting to bar anyone who’s been convicted of a felony (and some misdemeanors) from providing in-home care to 430,000 low-income Californians and people with disabilities.

N.J. updates terms for people with disabilities (philly.com, August 17, 2010)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a new law making it illegal to use offensive references to people with disabilities.  The law also encourages “person-first” language, such as saying “people with disabilities” rather than “disabled people.”

New Department of Justice’s ADA regulations narrow definition of service animals (Ann Arbor.com, August 23, 2010)
The Department of Justice has narrowed the definition of service animals…only dogs qualify.