Where we’ve failed Americans with disabilities (opinion) | Ted Kennedy via CNN

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Ed note: Connecticut Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr., (D-Branford), a healthcare lawyer and civil rights activist for people with disabilities, is board chairman of the American Association of People with Disabilities. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.

Twenty-seven years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities. I still remember standing in the Rose Garden watching President George H.W. Bush sign the bill into law.

Today, as a result, people with disabilities face far fewer barriers to mobility and communication. Thanks to innovations ranging from curb cuts and Braille on ATMs to improved access to education and healthcare, people with disabilities lead more productive lives and can contribute more to our nation’s economy.

Read the entire commentary on the CNN website here: Where we’ve failed Americans with disabilities (opinion) – CNN

Disability activist (Ted Kennedy) criticizes Trump

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Approximately 20 Yalies attended a conversation about political issues including medical insurance and disability rights with state Sen. Ted Kennedy FES ’91, D-Branford, hosted by the Yale College Democrats on Wednesday evening.

After he was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 12, Kennedy had his right leg amputated. Since then, Kennedy — the nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy — has made the rights of people with disabilities a large part of his advocacy work, campaigning against the use of the word “retarded” in schools and serving on the boards of Special Olympics International, Connecticut’s Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and the American Association of People with Disabilities. At the event in WLH 120, Kennedy expressed opposition to what he described as President Donald Trump’s anti-disability policies and encouraged students to challenge candidates’ policies on the rights of those with disabilities.

Read the whole story at Yale Daily News: Disability activist criticizes Trump

Out of Balance: Subsidized Housing, Segregation and Opportunity in Connecticut | Open Communities Alliance

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Open Communities Alliance’s September 2017 Out of Balance report shines a light on the opportunity gap in Connecticut and the role subsidized housing policy plays in generating and reinforcing it. Building on the work of historians and others who have documented the long history of government-sponsored segregation, this report maps “opportunity” by census tract and overlays the locations of government subsidized housing across a number of programs. The report concludes that the state needs continued investments in under-resourced, “lower” opportunity, areas while adjusting housing program priorities and addressing exclusionary zoning in order to bring geographic balance to subsidized housing locations.

Source: Out of Balance Report – Open Communities Alliance

State of Connecticut announces renter’s rebate program for seniors | Darien Times

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Darien senior citizens and/or disabled people who are renters may be eligible for a rent rebate from the State of Connecticut for the year 2016. The program, which is now in progress, will continue through Sept. 31, 2017 at the Darien Human Services Dept.

Eligibility requirements: One-year residency in Connecticut, age 65 as of December 31, 2016 or receives Social Security Disability. Income guidelines are: Married couple must not exceed $42,900 and unmarried not exceed $35,200

All income, including Social Security (Social Security Form SSA-1099), must be reported and documented. This includes, but not limited to: Pensions, interest on bank accounts, dividends and wages. If a 2016 Federal Income Tax Return was filed, a copy is required.

Proof of rent and utility payments is required for every month you were renting. Receipts or canceled checks are acceptable. For more information and to make an appointment call Human Services at 203-656-7328

Source: State of Connecticut announces renter’s rebate program for seniors | Darien Times

Blumenthal to convene forth emergency hearing: Testimony to be used to fight Republican repeal of the Affordable Care Act

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Friends,
 
From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 6th in the West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal will convene a fourth emergency field hearing as GOP leaders vow to continue efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip coverage from millions of Americans. This hearing will be held in the evening to afford more opportunity for individuals to speak.
 
The GOP decision to delay the vote on their cruel and costly bill was a testament to the millions of Americans who stood up and spoke out—including hundreds of people from Connecticut who packed the first two field hearings in Connecticut. Senator Blumenthal has been speaking on the Senate floor every day sharing those powerful and deeply impactful stories. Those messages have been heard around the country and made a difference.
 
But the fight is not over. We cannot be complacent. GOP Senate leadership is continuing to negotiate in secret and plans to ram through a partisan vote after the July 4 recess week.
 
Please come out to show the GOP that we are not giving up until they agree once and for all to preserve and protect our healthcare and stop these cruel efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
 
Blumenthal Emergency Field Hearing
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 6
West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium
50 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT
 
Please email Elizabeth_Benton@blumenthal.senate.gov and indicate if you are attending or wish to speak. You can also email written testimony to that address.
 
Rich Kehoe
State Director
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
90 State House Square, 10th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: (860) 258-6940
Fax: (860) 258-6958
http://blumenthal.senate.gov

Day of Service for Veterans: Free Dental Care June 24 | Aspen Dental

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Participating Aspen Dental practices will provide free dental care to local veterans in Hamden, Meriden, Waterbury, Manchester, Farmington, Torrington, Bristol, and Waterford. Please call 844-ASPEN-HMM to schedule an appointment at a participating office. Appointments are required and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Event flyer here. Article here.

When: Saturday, June 24, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM 
Where: Participating Aspen Dental practices (please call 844-ASPEN-HMM for details)

38th Annual FHACT Fair Housing Conference April 26, Rocky Hill

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38th Annual FHACT Fair Housing Conference : Shining a Light on Fair Housing Rights in 2017 April 26

This exciting conference features an Interactive Audience Participation Event on “How to Recognize and Prevent Implicit Bias”; a panel on “‘Second Chance’ Programs and How They Relate to Fair Housing”; and a panel on “Invisible Disabilities and Trauma”. If you need more information, please contact Margaret at 203-854-7820.

When: Wednesday, April 26 from 8:30 AM – 3:30 pm
Where: Sheraton Hartford South, 100 Capital Boulevard, Rocky Hill

Free Event: From Compassion to Action — The Road to Hope April 25, New Haven

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Christian Community Action, Inc. presents “From Compassion to Action: The Road to Hope”, a free and open event about strategies to address underlying and debilitating issues that affect people and families in New Haven. Dr. Matthew Desmond and Juan Salgado, both recipients of the MacArthur Foundation’s Genius Award in 2015, will share their perspectives on this topic. Dr. Desmond, Harvard University sociology professor, is the author of the NY Times bestselling book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Mr. Salgado is the President and CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino in Chicago, which seeks to assist members of low-income, Latino, or immigrant communities with achieving self-sufficiency and obtaining living wage employment. For more info, please email cca50th@ccahelping.org.
When: Tuesday, April 25 at 5:30 pm

Free dental services to be offered in New Haven

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Free: Connecticut Mission Of Mercy Dental Clinics

Connecticut Mission Of Mercy Dental Clinics are scheduled in New Haven this year. The two-day clinic will provide free dental work to the under-served and the uninsured. Some of the people being treated haven’t been to a dentist in years. This gives them a chance to go and get some much-needed work done that they otherwise couldn’t afford for a number of reasons. More here.

When: Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8 starting at 6 am.

Where: Floyd Little Athletic Center, 480 Sherman Parkway, New Haven

For more information, visit http://wtnh.com/2017/03/29/free-dental-services-to-be-announced-in-new-haven 

Connecticut’s independent living centers save money | CT Viewpoints

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A 38-year-old woman with a spinal cord injury that uses a power wheelchair is able to get health insurance, the opportunity for employment and mobility with a new and improved chair and accessible apartment that lets her get out into the community.

A widower living with a mental health disability, who had fallen behind financially after losing his wife is able to get help through the CT Housing Finance Authority and stay in his home.

With the support of an advocate for the Money Follows the Person program, a young man living in a nursing facility is able to find a wheelchair accessible apartment that allows him to live in his own home in the community.

These are just three of the thousands of individuals across Connecticut who turn to the state’s Independent Living Centers each year for services that provide living skills and support their access to housing, employment, health insurance and medical care.

Source: Connecticut’s independent living centers save money | CT Viewpoints