|
From the Arc of the US:
Tell Your Senators: Pass the Build Back Better Act
The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the Build Back Better Act, and now it’s time for the Senate to act so this bill can be signed into law!
The Build Back Better Act would improve the quality of life for millions of people with disabilities, their families, and the direct support professional workforce. It would:
- Expand access to Medicaid home and community-based services for people with disabilities on waiting lists and address the direct care workforce crisis, including raising wages.
- Create a national paid leave program. The pandemic forced millions of people to choose between their own health, the health of their families, and their livelihood. We must invest in our care infrastructure and pass a national paid leave program that guarantees paid leave to family caregivers.
- Improve and expand the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The lowest income people with disabilities who rely on SSI still receive extremely limited benefits and are limited in how much they can save for emergencies. Congress must expand SSI and include improvements to the program to lift people with disabilities out of poverty.
Contact your Senators TODAY and urge them to pass this critical bill because #CareCantWait.
From American Association of People with Disabilities:
Centering Disability in Technology Policy
Today, The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) released Centering Disability in Technology Policy, a report highlighting the ways in which technology can discriminate against disabled people – and what advocacy groups, regulators, and funders can do to change this. A plain language version of the report, linked here, was also released.
“In order for technology to create potential for equitable opportunity and improved quality of life for disabled people, technology policy must seek to understand, and meaningfully center, the disability experience,” said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. “Disability organizations and public interest technology groups working together to build shared expertise is vital to achieving this goal.”
Alexandra Reeve Givens, President and CEO of CDT, said, “We are at an important inflection point understanding the impact technology has on society – from limiting people’s privacy, to how they access information, to how inferences made about them may impact their ability to get credit, housing, or a job. The active public debate about technology must do a better job addressing the perspectives of people with disabilities. Our report highlights the opportunities for engagement, and the important work to be done.”
The report makes a number of recommendations for tech organizations, public interest groups, or anyone with an interest in using technology to meaningfully improve peoples’ lives. It covers a wide range of topics, including digital accessibility practices, equitable employment and education access, data privacy, online hate and harassment, law enforcement surveillance, algorithmic bias, and more.
Read the full report here, or the plain language version of the report here.
|
