The Voiceless Minority

Did you know that Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is required to help out with paying for out-of-state services if similar options cannot be found within the state? That’s right, the U.S. Department of Education’s guidance shares what to do when out-of-state requests are made. This also includes requests for postsecondary programs for people with Autism and/or other developmental disabilities. The document states that if a VR recipient is seeking services that fall into their Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE), the agency should accommodate an out-of-state option if there are none available in-state.  I have not personally had any experience working with VR, so I cannot speak on that front. However, I do think that it’s important to note the importance of accessibility. If states do not have programs that fall in their IPE, are those states doing anything to create them? Having to uproot your life to access a program is not an easy thing to do - not just financially, but emot...

Hello again, yes it’s me your friendly neighborhood super advocate. A warm welcome to all of my new readers who are checking out the blog for the first time. I want to welcome you to a friendly, engaging, informative, and sometimes funny look at anything and everything that has to do with disabilities and the disability community. To all my returning readers, welcome back. No matter which group you fall into, you’ve stumbled upon the Voiceless Minority on a very special day. Yes, it has finally happened after a decade of writing this blog - today marks the 100th post for the Voiceless Minority. I could not have done it without you. I started this blog as an outlet for my anger and the hurt I was feeling after being denied the opportunity to follow what I truly believed at the time was my passion. When I started this blog, I thought I wanted to be a high school history teacher and teach theater after school. I apparently didn’t know myself as well as I thought. They say that “things hap...

Today an old industry comes into the 21 st  century. New York City is one of the busiest cities in the world. It is the center of commerce and art mecca, and it often represents cultures from many parts of the world. Although New York is a place of change, one group that was not usually able to participate in the shift may today finally be able to get their wheel in the door. As the below article states, from the New York Times, by way of the AAPD, Thursday, a landmark case was settled in New York court, allowing the disabled access to the taxi industry. While this may seem like something small, it is an excellent step in disability equality. With access to taxis now, the quiet disabled population will have easier access to a city that the world pays attention to regularly.   City Agrees on Access to Taxis for Disabled By  BENJAMIN WEISER  and  MATT FLEGENHEIMER          Ending years of acrimony, New York City has agreed ...