Blog | Tag: Education (P10)

This May Disability Rights Florida is observing our nation’s 72nd Mental Health Awareness Month. This year’s observation is especially important as we recognize how COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted individuals living with mental illness, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of millions of individuals worldwide. We begin with a week of special awareness for Tardive Dyskinesia (TD), one of the most serious and stigmatizing side effects of antipsychotic medications used to treat mental illness.

As this is the 45th Anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), I have been thinking about how this law has impacted the lives of the students with disabilities I have advocated for over the past 20+ years. I have had the pleasure of watching students who previously struggled receive the appropriate supports and services they need to progress, graduate, and move on to college, vocational training, and employment. But even with this law there is still one major barrier to overcome.

When President Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), later known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), in 1975, all children were given access to the public school system to receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. From that time forward, students with disabilities had the right to receive an education with their non-disabled peers with all the same resources, teachers, and classrooms.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Please enjoy this blog post by Ilene Greenberg, mother of Richie, as she relays his journey to employment and independence.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). We continue to recognize NDEAM with this blog post written by Julie Stern. Julie's son, Brady, is on a path to employment and we are fortunate to share his story with you.