Blog | Tag: Rights

A denial can feel like a door shutting. But in many systems, it is not the end of the story. It is the point where the process becomes clearer: there is a decision, there is a reason, and there is usually a path to ask for a second look. This post explains what denials often mean, what an appeal is, and the next steps you can take without having to become a full-time expert in paperwork.

Domestic violence (DV) is when someone uses power and control to hurt another person they know well, like a partner or family member. Abuse can show up in many forms: physical, sexual, emotional, digital, or financial. For many people with disabilities, the abuse doesn’t just target the person, it targets the support and tools that make daily life possible.

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. This law said loud and clear that people with disabilities must be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness across employment, public services, transportation, and more. It sent a message: no more hiding, no more excuses, and no more walls. Now, in 2025, that message is still important. But the ADA was never meant to be the end of the story. It was the beginning. Our job now is to ask, “What comes next?” and keep pushing for the world the ADA promised.

Disability Rights Florida staff have been very busy this 2022 Primary Election season! We want to share what we've been up to, some resources that you may find useful, and information all about your power as a voter with a disability.

Education, access, and outreach are some of our core values at Disability Rights Florida. This year, we have many public events lined up to provide services to you and receive insight from you into what matters most to the disability community. Two types of these public events are Fully Accessible COVID-19 Vaccination Events and Public Forums.

December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities! This day strives to bring awareness to the experiences of people with disabilities around the globe, promoting the disability community’s rights, dignity, safety, wellbeing, and success. It also calls attention to the treatment of people with disabilities and where there is more work left to do.

Typically, during Blindness Awareness Month, we celebrate the progress and recognize the achievements in the blind community. We provide education on subjects as varied as blindness etiquette, accommodating blindness in the workplace and in the community, Guide dogs, the white cane, and much more. But it’s 2021 and my thoughts turn to Blindness Awareness in the context of the world as it is today.

Every year since 2016 the American Association of People with Disabilities has hosted National Disability Voter Registration Week in coordination with its REV UP campaign state chapters, including Florida’s REV UP Chapter, Access the Vote Florida. An estimated 38 million people with disabilities were eligible to vote nationwide during the 2020 elections making the disability community the largest minority voting bloc in the United States. Despite these large numbers, issues that affect the disability community are not usually discussed during elections or are discussed with no mention of the implications for people with disabilities.

As parents and students prepare for the upcoming school year, many may be wondering about services and instruction that were missed during the 2020-2021 school year. Although we are starting a new school year, it is important to ensure that any gaps resulting from missed services or instruction resulting in a failure to implement a student’s individual educational plan (IEP) are addressed. You might ask yourself, “How do I know if my child has any academic gaps, and how can I fix them?”

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.