Disability Rights Rhode Island

On this #MLKDay, we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reflecting on the ongoing fight for equality and justice. Dr. King’s vision of a world where all people are valued and free from discrimination continues to inspire the disability rights movement. Let’s commit to building a more inclusive society, where every voice is heard, and every person has the opportunity to thrive. #DisabilityRights #JusticeForAll #MLKLegacy

December is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month. If you get the “Winter Blues,” you may be experiencing SAD. SAD is a type of depression that causes significant mood changes with the seasons. Typically, people have symptoms of SAD during the fall and winter months, but it can affect some people during the spring and summer months. SAD is different from other types of depression because people stop having symptoms when the season changes. SAD is also different because people usually oversleep and overeat more than other types of depression. Some people may not realize that they have SAD. There are many ways to treat SAD, from light therapy and outside exercise to talk therapy and medications. If you are concerned that you have SAD, talk to your healthcare provider. If you need help finding a local provider, you can get confidential assistance and referrals by calling 988. You can also get information and referrals by calling the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or visiting FindTreatment.gov.

In this article, DRRI Executive Director Morna Murray and ACLU of RI Executive Director Steven Brown discuss the urgent need for improved behavioral health services for children in Rhode Island, emphasizing the delays and obstacles families face in securing timely care. They explain how these challenges are at the heart of our ongoing class action lawsuit, which seeks to address these systemic issues. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e2HqPqGs

November is Assistive Technology Awareness Month! Assistive Technologies (AT) are devices and equipment that help people with disabilities to be more independent in the community and in their own homes. Examples of AT include hearing aids, wheelchairs, bathroom grab bars, communication devices, and computer software. The Rhode Island Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS) manages the Assistive Technology Access Partnership (ATAP). The groups that make up ATAP can demonstrate AT in your home, community, and schools. They can help with the devices and equipment you already have. Some groups can loan telephone equipment to people with hearing or speech disabilities. And they can help you find and get the devices or equipment to be more independent. For more information about the ATAP partner’s and how to contact them, please visit ORS’s website at https://lnkd.in/ebn8mRBt. For more information on Assistive Technology and your rights, please visit the Fact Sheets on our website at https://lnkd.in/ef_cAPbz.

It’s a terrible cycle: For years, Rhode Island kids requiring mental and behavioral health services have been unnecessarily hospitalized and institutionalized in restrictive settings. Not only do our youth suffer from being separated from their families and friends, but many of the psychiatric residential facilities they are sent to are marked by abuse, and even death. In some cases, this has taken away years of their childhood. Simultaneously, their parents are stuck tirelessly advocating for their kids, as they try to navigate complex health care systems and long waitlist for the appropriate level of care. That’s why we filed a class-action suit on behalf of Medicaid-eligible youth who deserve — and are legally entitled to — the services to help them thrive in their own homes and communities, instead of being caught in an unrelenting cycle to get care.

FILED: We just filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Medicaid-eligible youth under 21 years old whose behavioral health needs require intensive home and community-based services. These services are essential for helping them live successfully at home with their families or caregivers. Without these critical services, children are routinely segregated from their communities and unnecessarily placed in institutions that do far more harm than good. We're holding Rhode Island accountable for its obligation to provide children with the legally required and medically necessary behavioral health services they need—services that must be delivered in their homes and within their communities. Filed with Children's Rights + the ACLU of RI. Read more about the case at https://lnkd.in/d3vrPNU4.

The Board of Elections must receive your mail ballot by 8 p.m. today! All polling places also have a receptacle in which you can deposit your SEALED ballot.

Today is Election Day! Find your polling place at https://t.co/bvjXB9TMOL.

Contact Disability Rights Rhode Island (DRRI) at 401-831-3150 or 1-800-733-5332 if you're encountering voting barriers on Election Day.

Tune in tonight at 7:30pm on Cox 13 and Verizon 32 to watch DRRI Senior Attorney, Kate Bowden, on the Jim Vincent Show!