| |  | Dale Verchick, DRP’s Protection and Advocacy of Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Coordinator, recently collaborated with advocates across the state on the Employment First Annual Report. Complete with recommendations for the General Assembly and Commonwealth agencies, this report emphasizes the need to enact legislation to allow workers to maintain their Medicaid benefits for a grace period, after they no longer meet eligibility requirements, improving data collection, improving access to transportation, ensuring that students have access to benefits counseling before the completion of their schooling and more. We asked Verchick to talk about inclusion in employment and the necessity of this work for National Disability Employment Awareness Month and our October Newsletter. I believe every individual has something to contribute to another and every individual has something to receive from another, regardless of ability. Work is a vocation for everyone. This is how humans express and feel fulfilled- through meaningful work. Most people are convinced that to be satisfied and productive, their investment in time and work needs to be meaningful and hopefully of one’s choosing. This is why it is important to promote employment. It contributes towards a sense of identity and community, particularly to those most vulnerable and who often feel excluded. Despite the enthusiasm to ensure equity with the passing of several federal laws, competitive, integrated, and meaningful employment is still an unachievable goal for many people. Advocates have fought tirelessly in the past for community integration but has historically overlooked segregated work environment and sub-minimum wage legislation. This goes against the effort to bring about true inclusion. Our hope is that Employment First as law in PA will end systemic neglect and financial exploitation of those with disabilities so that every individuals’ talents and gifts are channeled into meaningful work and towards productive and independent living. Disability hardly discriminates. Anyone can be born with a disability or incur a disability. In history, as well as in more recent times, we are familiar with events that show that the disability community has been disadvantaged through acts of discrimination and inequity. If we are to see the potential in every person, we need to first eliminate the unfairness to those who experience disability. This objective drives me to advocate for disability rights. | | | | | |  | Disability Rights Pennsylvania Statement on Report about Serious Abuse at Congregate Settings for Youth with Disabilities Harrisburg, PA-- On October 14th, the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) released a new report that revealed widespread abuse and neglect at for-profit youth residential treatment facilities in 18 states. The report Desperation without Dignity, examines the history of the for-profit residential treatment industry, the private funding structure that fuels it, and discusses alternatives to residential placement that are both nurturing and provide the treatment that children and youth need. The report recommends specific solutions at the federal, state, and local level. In Pennsylvania, incidents similar to those cited in Desperation with Dignity have happened in all types of congregate settings for youth, including non-profit and state-operated facilities as well as youth in juvenile justice settings. Instead of receiving treatment, rehabilitation, and education, youth with disabilities face inhumane treatment, abuse and neglect. National statistics show that the youth in these settings are largely children with disabilities and disproportionately children of color. This level of abuse and neglect and the impact on children of color cannot be ignored. This report is issued 44 years after the creation of the Protection and Advocacy system, created by Congress to protect and advocate against this exact type of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities. As the Protection and Advocacy agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we continue to investigate, monitor, and litigate to improve conditions for youth with disabilities to ensure access to necessary support and treatment... | | | | | | | | “Reach out if you’re struggling!” “Check in with people!” We hear these words quite often when it comes to mental health. We throw them about like “hi” or “hello” and similarly don’t expect much more of a conversation than that. These phrases are so often repeated that they seem hollow to many who are struggling. In the United States, we often treat mental health crises in the moment, however, we should be addressing it through a holistic preventative lens. As a society, we tend to drop the ball and put the burden of survival on the individuals experiencing crises to know the correct steps to get help. Even while reaching out, people with disabilities and mental health needs tend to find obtaining the correct services in an accessible manor difficult. It is important to treat mental illness by increasing community support, making sure people have livable wages, services, and healthcare. Mental health support is every moment leading to crisis—not just the incident itself. It is in how we care about one another and create community with peers. It is feeling a sense of belonging and dignity. We can put meaning and work back into the phrases we’ve used so often without intent of follow through. We have the capacity to care for one another and build a more inclusive future. As we work towards that future, if you or someone you know is struggling, please visit the link in the button below for support. | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | Disability Rights Pennsylvania
301 Chestnut Street Suite 300 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
800-692-7443 | intake@disabilityrightspa.org | | | | | | | | | |
![People in voting booths and the text: Important Numbers to Protect Your Vote on Nov. 2nd :For disability-related voting issues or questions, Call DRP: 1.800.692.74431-877-375-7139 [TDD]Election Protection1.866.OURVOTE or 1.866. 687.8683](/oct2021newsletter/51bd4d94-8329-4ffa-a3e6-aa1c65c4fe3c.png)
