Featured - Page 5 of 36 - Disability Rights Arkansas

Oct 01 2020

DRA Board, Advisory Council welcome new additions

Disability Rights Arkansas is pleased to announce that Raysha Clark has joined our Board of Directors, and that James Mason was recently elected as chair of the Advisory Council for the Protection and Advocacy of Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI).

Raysha Clark is a licensed mental health counselor here in the state of Arkansas. Her private practice takes her across the state working with infants, adolescents, and adults who are struggling to adjust to life’s demands. As an Army combat veteran and mother to children visible and unseen disabilities, Raysha understands the importance of advocacy work to ensure all voices – big and small – have a chance to be heard.

James Mason begins his term as Chair of the PAIMI Council this month. After a career in sales and customer service, James has for the past eight years devoted his time and energy to advocating for Arkansans with disabilities, primarily within the LGBTQ disabled community. James began his tenure as a member of the PAIMI Council in 2017.

Thanks so much for your service, Raysha and James! We are proud to have you serving our state’s disability community alongside us.

Sep 16 2020

Disability voters, ASSEMBLE. Tonight on KABF-FM 88.3

Voters with disabilities represent a large, diverse community. Like every other voter, people with disabilities care most about the policies that affect their everyday lives. And perhaps more than any other time in our lifetimes, we can draw a bright line between elections and their implications on our daily lives. Health care, the economy, education, and our civil rights – all of these issues hang in the balance this election season. With fewer than 50 days until Election Day, and with the pandemic still in full force, voters are not only thinking about which candidates they will support, but how they will cast their vote to make sure it counts.

Tune in tonight, Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. We’ll tell you all you need to know about when and how to register to vote; how you can cast your ballot early; how absentee voting works; staying safe (and keeping your cool) on Election Day; and how to make sure your vote is counted.

You can listen live on KABF-FM 88.3, livestream the show at kabf.org, or you can listen anytime on our website – we always post a recording of the show at disabilityrightsAR.org/speak-up-arkansas. Listen in – and MAKE YOUR VOTING PLAN TODAY!

Tonight’s guests include:

Christian Adcock is an advocate with DRA. He has been with us since November of 2013 and has worked in a variety of issue areas for the agency. He is currently focused on voting rights issues and outreach efforts related to the 2020 census.

Loriee Evans is a full-time volunteer for Indivisible Little Rock and Central Arkansas, organizing their work registering, educating and mobilizing voters, and then holding elected officials accountable to those voters. Loriee collaborates with social justice and voting rights advocates in Arkansas to work toward a government that will represent all voters.

Barry Jefferson represents the 10^th District on the Pulaski County Quorum Court. Mr. Jefferson was first elected to the Pulaski County Quorum Court in 2019 and is serving his 1st term as Justice of the Peace. Mr. Jefferson is Managing Partner/ Jefferson Consulting, LLC., in Jacksonville, Arkansas and gives his time to a number of worthy organizations and causes, not least the Jacksonville NAACP.

Susan Inman was Director of Elections for a former Arkansas Secretary of State, former member of the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, founder and first president of the Arkansas County Election Commissions Association. She has volunteered with the US Department of State as an international election observer, observing over a dozen elections in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus and most recently in Ukraine observing their presidential elections in 2019. As a voting rights advocate, Susan volunteers by speaking to groups about voting and the voting process.

SHOW NOTES:

Our guests gave us several websites so that you have all the info you need at your fingertips! Here they are:

vipvoter.org A nonpartisan voter outreach campaign by Indivisible Little Rock and Central Arkansas. Contains information on how and where to register and vote; information on the various races, candidates and issues; and ways to get involved in your community.

#VoteSafeAR is also run by Indivisible LR/Central Arkansas, and is dedicated to helping people obtain and cast an absentee ballot to ensure that you can cast your ballot safely during the pandemic. Find them at vipvoter.org/VoteSafeAR

Already registered? Look up your voter registration at https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView to make sure your registration is on file and there are no issues. (You don’t want any surprises on Election Day!)

GoVoteAR.org is another great place to find important information such as registration deadlines; early voting dates and links to your County Clerk’s office to get early voting location; links to request an absentee ballot, and more!

Check out the NAACP-Jacksonville’s website at https://www.naacpjvark.org/ for Get Out the Vote and other election-related activities.

In addition to Presidential, Senate and Congressional races, there are a number of state house seats, judicial races, school board elections, and more up for grabs on Election Day. There are also some important ballot initiatives you’ll want to get smart about before heading to the polls. Check out the VERY excellent resources at https://www.uaex.edu/business-communities/voter-education/ – there you can read up on the candidates, learn more about the ballot initiatives you’re being asked to vote on, and even take a look at the ballot you’ll be completing when you vote. PRO TIP – print it out, study up, mark your choices on your printed ballot, and take it to the polls so you can use it to help you vote.

And last but CERTAINLY not least, your pals here at Disability Rights Arkansas have put together some resources for you, including videos about registering to vote, early voting, voting absentee, AND what to do it you run into a problem at the polls. (Hint: take two phone numbers with you when you vote: your County Clerk’s, and DRA – 800-482-1174). Check it out at DisabilityRightsAR.org/voting-rights.

It’s go time, Arkansas! Make a plan, cast your vote, and let your voice be heard this Election Day! As our guest Susan Inman says, “Vote like your life depends on it – because it DOES.”

Aug 27 2020

Back-to-School: Resources for Special Education

A new school year is upon us, and while it looks different under a pandemic, schools are still required to make and honor IEPs for students. We have a few resources that may be helpful to you as you and your children embark on a new school year.

We hope you find these helpful! And remember – we are here if you need guidance or if your child’s IEP isn’t being respected, you can call us toll-free at 800-482-1174.

VIDEO: DRA Advocate Debbie New on what parents need to know as this school year gets underway.

PUBLICATIONS: DRA has published some very helpful resources for parents. The “Blue Book” (published in English and Spanish) is a reference guide for parents who wish to learn more about special education law. A Parent’s Guide to Special Education is our most popular resource, and can be very helpful to any parent of a child receiving special education services.

“Blue Book ” (English version)

“Blue Book” (Spanish version)

A Parent’s Guide to Special Education

Wishing everyone a safe and successful school year!

Aug 19 2020

Lawyers, formerly incarcerated people and their families speak out

Earlier this year, Disability Rights Arkansas joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU of Arkansas, and the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs to file a lawsuit against Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas Department of Corrections officials on behalf of Arkansas state prisoners over the inadequate measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the prisons. The virus has spread illness and caused numerous deaths at state correctional facilities. Prisoners, including the plaintiffs in this case, are disproportionately Black and have significantly higher rates of serious medical conditions, like heart disease, respiratory illness, and diabetes that make them especially vulnerable to severe illness or death from the virus. The lawsuit alleges that the outbreak in the prisons was made exponentially worse by the failure of state officials to conduct adequate testing and to adhere to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control – failing to provide masks and other personal protective equipment, access to soap and sanitizer, and cleaning products. This, combined with the inability of inmates to socially distance, has been a recipe for disaster in Arkansas prisons.

Tonight on Speak Up Arkansas, we will be speaking to the lawyers who are fighting to protect the civil rights of Arkansas prisoners, and we’ll be joined by some of the families who have been personally impacted by the outbreak. The show will air tonight at 5:00 p.m. on KABF 88.3 FM. You can livestream the program at kabf.org. And as always, you’ll find the recording of the show on our website at disabilityrightsAR.org/Speak-Up-Arkansas. This is Show #9.

Tonight’s guests include DRA attorney Cristy Park; Omavi Shukur, attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF); and Sarah Everett, attorney with the ACLU of Arkansas.

We also have with us several former inmates and family members who were gracious enough to join us to tell their stories: Randi Harper, whose father Randy Hobbs is currently incarcerated in the Medical Unit at the Ouachita River Unit in Malvern; Michael Wiggins, who was recently released from the East Arkansas Correctional Unit; Audrey Brown, whose son Damion Brown is currently incarcerated at Cummins; Austin Mitchell, who was incarcerated at the Central Arkansas Community Correctional Facility; and Dana and Shana Wilson, family members of inmates Arthur and Lamarr Brown. We are deeply grateful to all of these guests for coming on this evening to speak with us.

SHOW NOTES:

If you are a family member with information about a loved one who is incarcerated, and need to speak with someone about this case, you can contact NAACP-LDF toll-free 1-833-523-0354. You’ll be prompted to leave certain information about the incarcerated individual, and a volunteer with LDF will call you back.

The petition for the clemency of Arthur and Lamarr Davis, referenced by Dana and Shana Wilson during tonight’s show, can be found here: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/justicefordavisbrothers-governor-asa-hutchinson-must-grant-time-cut-clemency-now?source=facebook-share-button&time=1591062780&utm_source=facebook&share=7fdabcd9-9b1b-4e49-aa3c-31afc1371567&fbclid=IwAR0UWyiruvrrsWFo4JOyXXW9FX5SOgXw6tshSYReEZJg0_5aEaqSTy6xjSo

Jul 28 2020

Protected classes are still protected during a pandemic

There exists some confusion as to whether a business has the right to deny anyone they choose entry into their business. In fact, a business cannot exclude ANYONE from their business “for any reason.” It is illegal for a business to exclude people for their race, gender, age, disability, etc. These are termed protected classes because the law explicitly protects them from discrimination. Protected classes are STILL protected during a pandemic.

Here’s what the law says: https://k4q.c18.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Right-to-freedom-from-discrimination.pdf

We’re always here to answer your questions! Call us at 800-482-1174 or visit us at disabilityrightsAR.org.