The upcoming California State Gubernatorial Recall Election is a special election to decide: Should the Governor of the State of California, Gavin Newsom, be recalled? If so, who should replace him? Because this is an off-cycle special election, most ballots will simply have the recall question and a list of 46 candidates. (Some counties may also choose to add additional local contests, however.) And…
When Emanuel needed a replacement for his wheelchair, and his insurance wasn’t addressing the urgency of needing an immediate replacement for his mobility device, he turned to getting a loan as his only option to obtain a wheelchair. This is how he connected with the network of California’s Advocates serving people’s needs for Assistive Technology…
The Ability Tools team at the California Foundation for Independent Living (CFILC) opted to let our assistive technology (AT) advocates and the general public vote online for a new blog name. With over 50% of the votes, Where It’s AT won! When you think of an assistive technology (AT) blog – Ability Tools is Where…
By Alexa McBride The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26th, 1990. The bill was signed by then President George W. Bush. The ADA gave millions of Americans who have disabilities access to public places, transportation, education, employment and housing. I recently learned that President Bush had a sister-in-law with a disability.…
Andy Arias is on the move. He’s a Policy Advisor at US Department of Labor, a very active advocate in both the disability and the LGBTQ communities. Also, he’s known an actor whose credits can be found on IMDb, also known as Internet Movie Database. None of these roles would be possible for Andy without the…
Written By: Vilissa Thompson, LMSW, Creator of Ramp Your Voice! As someone who is proudly disabled as a wheelchair user, little woman, and who is hard of hearing (HoH), assistive technology (AT) allows me to exist and be a part of my community with fewer barriers. To not have the AT I depend on means…
Written By: Sara Moussavian, Full-time Employee & Advocate On July 30, 2009, I left California’s Youth Leadership Forum knowing more about who pioneer leaders of the disability community are and what they have done in comparison to the first day of the program. My knowledge about the Disability Rights Movement continued to expand, when I…
Written by: Emily Flynn and Megan Cowdell, Program Coordinators at The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers About #GivingTuesday Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since…
Written by: Christine Fitzgerald, Community Advocate, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center Not all situations and needs are the same, and this extends to medical needs. Without insurance coverage, many would be forced to choose between DME and basic needs, like food or housing. As it is, many people already have to make this choice between…
Written by: Christine Fitzgerald, Community Advocate, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center When I think of what life might be like without access to Durable Medical Equipment (DME), it makes me think of living in earlier times. Not too long ago many of us would have been forced to live in institutions where we would most…