Home Depot tweaks their hiring process
to accommodate those with developmental disabilities.
Wayne County jail agrees to make changes for disabled inmates
and a high school student with a disability had to sit in
the audience and not with their class during their high school graduation.
This and much more on this episode of the disability news report.
Let's get into the news.
This is the disability news report with host Arthur Aston.
Our first story is Home Depot tweaks hiring
process to aid those with developmental disabilities.
Home Depot recently partnered with disability advocacy groups,
the arc of the United States,
the autistic self advocacy network and Chicago based equipped for equality.
The groups joined Home Depot to make changes to the company's hiring practices.
Previous hiring practices by Home Depot
may have potentially disqualified applicants with
certain intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Also known as ID D.
Home Depot is increasing staff training for their members so
that they are knowledgeable about inclusive and accessibility hiring practices.
After consulting with these disability advocacy groups,
the company agreed to use language that explains their hiring practices
and the availability of reasonable accommodations in a much easier way
by removing these barriers.
Home Depot is hopeful that they will increase the job opportunities
that are available to individuals
with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This story is important to share because Home Depot
is a major retailer that employs over 450,000 people
for them to acknowledge that changes need to be made to their hiring practices so
that they don't unintentionally exclude potential candidates
with disabilities is a really big deal.
It is a good thing to note that these changes have been made
with the input of and in collaboration with these disability advocacy groups.
We will continue to look into this story to see if the changes that have been made
resulted in any significant increase in the number
of applicants with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our next story is Wayne County Jail
agrees to make changes for inmates with disabilities
in Michigan.
The Wayne County Jail has agreed to make changes for the disabled inmates.
Complaints under the Americans with Disabilities Act have been made to
the US Attorney's Office in Detroit against the jail stating that
Wayne County did not provide key services to detainees with disabilities
and they failed to conduct medical and mental health assessments.
As part of the settlement with the US Attorney's Office in Detroit,
the jail will implement the following changes.
They will implement processes for identifying
people with disabilities when they arrive.
They will develop programs to ensure
access to treatment including access to services
such as Detox and opioid use disorder treatment for anyone with disabilities.
And they will also create programs for
making sure detainees get medication appropriately.
They will also make revisions to the jail suicide prevention program.
This story is important to share because 40% of the population in
state prisons across the United States identify as having some type of disability
under the settlement.
The jail is required to provide compliance reports for up to three years.
We were glad to see that the changes were being made to assist
those with disabilities in the Wayne County jail and are hopeful that this
story will encourage other criminal justice systems around the country to take a
closer look at how inmates including
those inmates with disabilities are being treated
and are receiving services and treatments that they are legally allowed to access.
Our next story is election law violates the rights of voters with disabilities.
In Ohio.
A rule went into effect in April of 2023 that prevents anyone who is not
an election official or mail carrier from returning
the absentee ballots of voters with disabilities.
This rule did however allow for certain family
members to return the ballots as well.
A judge ruled earlier this month that this
law violates the rights of disabled voters.
This ruling was made based on section 208 of the voters' Rights Act which allows a
disabled voter to choose the person they wish
to assist them with the voting process.
Under the Ohio rule, the voters, spouse, parents in-laws, grandparents,
siblings, adopted parents or Children,
stepparents, aunts, uncles,
nieces or nephews were considered to be authorized family members who
were legally allowed to return the ballots for the disabled voter.
However,
additional helpers like roommates, neighbors,
professional caregivers and grandchildren were not
included as authorized family members.
This judge ruling in this case highlights that like in any family,
families for disabled people can look very different.
Family does not always look the same for everyone
and this is a lesson that we all can remind ourselves of at some time.
Our next story is high school student with disability,
had to sit in audience for graduation
files lawsuit
humiliating
a student identified as Kennedy Lee in Tennessee sued her school board of Education
because she was forced to sit in the audience
and not with her class during her graduation.
The lawsuit also claims that she along with other disabled students spent most
of their school day during their junior year in a former storage closet
because their disability caused too much of a disruption to the other students.
Kennedy has postural orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome, also known as pots.
This condition according to the Cleveland Clinic causes your heart to beat
faster than normal when transitioning from sitting down to standing up.
This can cause fainting.
The lawsuit that Kennedy filed
states that
her and the other students 504 plans were not followed and that they were
separated from other students forced to spend the day in the former storage closet.
They could not participate in extracurricular activities
or electives like music and art classes.
They were also restricted from eating lunch with
their classmates and from visiting the library,
they were given an online curriculum that was different
than their peers were given in the classroom setting.
The lawsuit states that due to the fear of embarrassment if Kennedy were
to fall out in the gym while sitting with her classmates during graduation
and also for the safety of everyone,
the school principal would not allow her to sit
with her classmates during their recent high school graduation.
Kennedy and two other students were left out of a photo of
the graduating class that was posted on the school social media page
in her suit.
Kennedy is seeking attorneys fees and costs as well as compensatory damages.
She is also seeking to train school officials
and staff about the harm of segregation,
the integration mandate and the rights to reasonable accommodations,
training and knowledge of what was done wrong
and what can be done differently in the future is key when wanting to make a change.
Doctor Maya Angelou said when we know better, we do better,
we hope this all works out for Kennedy and the
other students who had to face this act of discrimination
and the violation of their rights to reasonable accommodations.
We will provide any updates to this story
in future episodes of the disability news report.
Our last story comes from the podcast how to
the episode that we are highlighting today is how to
date with a disability.
This episode of the podcast highlights the story of a caller who identifies as a 60
year old heterosexual male who was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis at the age of 30.
He shares that he has recently tried online dating apps but has been unsuccessful.
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive diagnosis where symptoms can
change and become worse as time goes on.
This has been the case for this caller.
He has experienced more symptoms in recent years that
have made him develop a limp when he walks
and requires him to sometimes use a cane.
This caller's question is about when should
he disclose his multiple sclerosis diagnosis?
Should it be listed in his online dating profile?
Does he have to wait until he meets the date in person?
When is the appropriate time?
The concern he has is if he reveals the diagnosis in his profile,
no one will match with him because of it.
He is considering including that he sometimes uses a cane in his profile
because as he states having a cane does not imply anything too serious,
but they will know they are not getting Charles Atlas,
which is a reference to an American bodybuilder.
The host of the podcast brings up an important point that
if someone he matches with online finds out about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis
and chooses not to be with him strictly based on that diagnosis.
Are they someone he really wants to be with?
We wanted to share this story because it was good
to see the topic of having someone with a disability
and dating. Be highlighted on a podcast platform.
Relationships are just one area where someone with a disability might consider,
when is it appropriate to disclose their disability?
Another area is during the job hiring process.
Do we mention our diagnosis in our resume?
Do we mention it during the initial interview
or do we wait until we meet for an in person interview?
As you may recall from our last episode, July is disability pride month
a time when people with disabilities are to show their
pride and to put away the shame of having a disability
a time when we are to show the world that disability is not a bad word.
This story highlights a real life example of the internal
dialogue that many people with disabilities have the concern,
the insecurities and sometimes the straight up
fear we have living with a disability
and that we will be judged by others for our disability diagnosis before
they have a chance to get to know us as a person.
Let us all be mindful to treat each other with respect as individuals,
acknowledging our strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and yes,
acknowledging our disabilities,
honoring that we are all human beings.
And once you get to know someone.
You will usually find out you have more in common than you have differences.
This has been the disability news report. Thanks for watching.
This is the disability news report with host Arthur Aston.