Archives - Disability Rights Arkansas

Dec 16 2021

Speak Up Arkansas: The Year in Review

DRA is Arkansas’s protection and advocacy organization. We help people with disabilities. Sometimes they need legal representation, or information, or referral to another agency for services. We provide information about voting rights, self-advocacy, and laws and policies that affect the lives of people with disabilities. We can intervene in cases of abuse or neglect. We monitor facilities to ensure that they are accessible, and that they are providing appropriate services.

But one of the most important things that we do is to advocate for their civil and legal rights both in the courts, in the legislature, and sometimes, in the media. 2021 was a very eventful year in disability rights in Arkansas. We had the pandemic, of course, and the response to it, as well as working to ensure that people with disabilities knew their rights regarding the vaccine and how to access it. The PASSE went through some things this year, and that’s still playing out. We continued to work on guardianship issues, not only providing support and resources about guardianship, but continuing to advance alternatives to guardianship that would allow those with disabilities to make their own decisions about their own lives, with support as needed.

We worked to ensure that people with disabilities had access to resources that help folks gain and keep competitive and integrated employment. We continued to stand in the gap so that all children have equal access to free and appropriate public education, and we continued to monitor facilities to make sure that the people housed there are safe and receiving the services they and their families were promised. And tragically, that wasn’t the case for many people receiving services in facilities.

And this year saw a regular session of the 93rd Arkansas General Assembly. DRA was there, advocating to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities were not forgotten by the legislature. There were a couple of wins for people with disabilities, but for the most part, civil rights took a hit as legislators concerned themselves more with assaulting the civil rights and limiting the voting rights of Arkansans. But advocates stood together and stood up.

To listen to our Year in Review show for disability law and policy in Arkansas, tune in tonight at 5:00 p.m. to KABF 88.3-FM, or livestream on kabf.org. And as always, after the show airs, you’ll find it on our website at https://k4q.c18.myftpupload.com/speak-up-arkansas. And check out the videocast on our YouTube channel, too!

SHOW NOTES

For information on how to access the COVID-19 vaccine, call DRA at 800-482-1174.

Download a copy of DRA’s guardianship resource packet: https://k4q.c18.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Guardianship-Resources-Booklet-V.3.pdf

Psychiatric Residential Treatment Center (PRTF) database: https://k4q.c18.myftpupload.com/prtf

Speak Up Arkansas #17, May 19, 2021: Legislative Wrap-Up show here – https://k4q.c18.myftpupload.com/speakupararchive/

Nov 22 2021

Governor’s proposed tax cuts: A bad deal for Arkansans with disabilities

wooden alphabet blocks spelling T-A-X, calculator, pen on 1040 tax form background

Governor Hutchinson is planning to call a special session of the state legislature to reduce the top individual tax rate in Arkansas. While lower taxes might sound great, the Governor’s proposed tax cuts are a bad deal for Arkansans with disabilities. Here’s why.

Good for the wealthiest Arkansans, not so good for people with disabilities

People with disabilities in Arkansas are almost twice as likely to be living in poverty as non-disabled Arkansans. They are much less likely to see any financial benefits under this plan. Under the Governor’s proposed tax plan, Arkansans who make under $22,000 per year, which is 20% of the state, would see no benefit. The top 20% of earners in the state would receive 70% of the benefits of the tax cut.

Less money means fewer services

A reduction in tax revenue for the state means less money for programs and services in the state budget. People with all types of disabilities rely on state funded programs for help in many aspects of their daily lives. These include education, transportation, housing, food, and employment services. For people who rely on those programs, any cuts can have a major impact on their ability to live independently in our communities.

A longer wait for those on the HCBS waiting list

In Arkansas, around 4,800 people with disabilities are receiving home and community-based services. Another 3,000 families remain on a waiting list to receive those services. Many of those families have been on that waiting list for years. A reduction in the amount of money in the state budget will make it even harder for them to receive the services that they have been waiting for.

The Governor’s proposed tax cuts would take money away from programs and services that help Arkansans with disabilities. And most people with disabilities won’t see any tax benefit. Only the wealthiest Arkansans will get a break. Instead of giving yet another tax break to those in our state who need it the least, we should invest that money into community services which will allow people with disabilities to live in their communities with independence and dignity.

Nov 17 2021

SPEAK UP ARKANSAS: Disability Visibility in Public Policy airs TONIGHT on KABF 88.3

The Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy is a new program of Disability Rights Arkansas, aimed at increasing disability visibility in public policy. The Alliance educates and empowers disability advocates, increases community awareness and support of disability-related issues, and fosters collaboration between advocacy programs to give self-advocates, peer advocates, parent advocates, and legislative leaders the tools they need to be active and effective within the disability advocacy movement.

On this month’s episode of Speak Up Arkansas, host Kerri Michael speaks to Alliance Director Ally Thomlinson, along with Self-Advocate Network Development coordinator Michael Thornton and Ashley Simmons, a parent advocate and mom of two young boys. Topics include: How to get involved in public policy as a self-advocate, what makes a successful self-advocate, the importance of being able to make your own decisions, why it’s important to make sure policymakers understand what people with disabilities actually deal with, and more!

As always, you can tune in tonight at 5:00 p.m. on KABF 88.3 FM, livestream at kabf.org, listen anytime on our website, and now, you can watch as well as listen by visiting DRA’s YouTube channel! We’ll be posting our shows there after they air from now on, so be sure to like and SUBSCRIBE to our channel. (We post a lot of great content on our YouTube page, so if you’re not already a subscriber, get on it. You won’t want to miss a thing!)

SHOW NOTES

The Arkansas Alliance for Disability Advocacy provides oversight, administrative support, and technical assistance to three existing advocacy groups:

Self-Advocates Network Development (SAND), which provides advocacy training and leadership development to people with disabilities across Arkansas;
Community of Champions, which educates high school and college students and faculty on the need for disability advocacy and how to be active in advocacy activities; and
Partners in Policymaking, which educates participants on effective ways to develop relationships with elected officials in order to directly influence public policy impacting people with disabilities.

The Alliance is funded through a grant from the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. To get involved, visit DisabilityRightsAR.org/AADA or call (501) 804-8258.

Oct 22 2021

An Open Letter to HR Departments…

Hello there! I see your signs in the windows and ads online that you are looking for people to fill open positions within your business. I figure it must be hard to find someone with the right qualifications for the work required – and I understand. Ability to perform a job well is very important for anyone to succeed in work. However, many employers overlook one very important pool of talent – people with disabilities.

They believe that because the applicant looks, walks, acts, talks, or hears differently than others in the organization that they cannot perform the job for which they are applying. That is untrue. Sadly, many workers with disabilities to learn to mask (hide) the fact that they are indeed disabled and could use some accommodations for fears of discrimination. Also, many people with disabilities may be forced to work in positions that are not within the qualifications they have, just to be able to work at all.

Another thing that some employers do is not accept life experiences in the place of a formal education. Many people with disabilities experience barriers to attending colleges or trade schools due to lack of accessibility. They may need someone to help them to and from classes – or to help them take notes, or they may need alternative ways of learning or extra time for testing. Some things that are required to do a position can never be learned in a classroom. If a degree is necessary, maybe you can support the employee in earning that degree while still working for you.

One more thing that some employers believe is that it will cost too much to adapt their work environment to the needs of the person with a disability. How fast did workplaces adapt to the needs of the business during the pandemic, when we all worked from home? It may not always be possible to adapt your office to the needs of a person with the disability, but that person might be able to work very efficiently, and with the right accommodations, from home.

So, to the HR Departments out there, please do not overlook the next applicant with a disability just because they are disabled. They may just be the next best leader in your organization.

Oct 20 2021

NEW SPEAK UP ARKANSAS EPISODE: Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month. On this week’s episode of Speak Up Arkansas, we have two of our favorite guests, DRA’s Jen Goodwin and Mollie Hernandez, back with us.

Jen, a staff attorney, and Mollie, a rehabilitation counselor, work together every day to help people with disabilities find and maintain competitive, integrated employment. They help people access the education, skills, tools and resources they need to live and work independently. They conduct trainings, speak at conferences, and provide hours of legal and technical assistance – all with the goal of helping people with disabilities find and keep real work, for competitive pay.

Jen and Mollie are experts in the field. But in this episode of Speak Up Arkansas, they share with us their personal experience – both women acquired disabilities in adulthood, and had to rethink and restart their lives and careers.

Jen and Mollie share what it was like for them to start over after a disability – and where to find help if you need it. Because as they remind us, anyone can become a person with a disability.

This month’s episode will air tonight at 5:30 p.m., CST on KABF 88.3 FM, livestream the show at kabf.org – and you can find the recording on our website tomorrow!

SHOW NOTES

Jen and Mollie, and all of us at DRA, are here to help you reach your goals! Give us a call toll-free at 800-482-1174 or visit us online at DisabilityRightsAR.org to learn more about how we can help you get the tools you need to succeed.

Make sure to catch the recording of their webinar session – Let’s Get to Work (coming soon to our YouTube channel).