Disability Rights

11.30.20

Protecting The Rights Of People With HIV/AIDS: How the ACLU of Ohio Set a Precedent in 1994

By Sarah Khan-Williamson

When Fred L. Charon and his partner, Bruce Howe, turned off the Ohio Turnpike in desperation in April 1992, they could not have anticipated they would trigger a precedent-setting case for the rights of people with AIDS. Aided by the ACLU, their case became the first in which people with AIDS (PWAs) won protection from discrimination in public accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

02.16.18

Down syndrome Abortion Ban – A Parent’s Perspective

By Celina Coming

My name is Emily Chesnut and this my daughter Nora, who will be seven at the end of the month. I am here to speak on behalf of my family and many friends who also love someone with Down syndrome. I am especially thankful to Dr.

07.18.17

A “How-To” Guide for Activists Registering Jailed Voters

By Katrice Williams

Many Ohioans are misinformed about Ohio’s voting laws including who is eligible to vote with a criminal record. These myths are most common among jail officials, local election authorities and in communities with a high population of persons returning from prison.

07.17.17

National Disability Voter Registration Week, July 17-21

By Katrice Williams

Every year thousands of Ohioans with disabilities are turned away from polling precincts or dismissed at voter registration drives. Often, this is a result of stereotypes regarding their competence or intelligence.

Anyone who meets the eligibility requirements for voting can cast a ballot.

09.21.16

ACLU Announces New Webpage for Deaf Voters

By Katrice Williams

Imagine showing up to your local polling place and you are not sure of the rules around how to cast your ballot. You ask for assistance from poll workers, but none of them can speak your language or communicate easily with you.

07.08.16

Locked Down, Locked Away: What’s It Like Being Released from Solitary Confinement?

By Adrienne Gavula

Mr. Kenyatta is a prisoner rights activist and businessman who was released from prison 13 years ago. He spent time in solitary confinement at both of Ohio’s maximum-security prisons and was part of the ACLU lawsuit, Austin v Wilkinson, which drastically changed prisoner classification in Ohio to ensure more humane living conditions.

06.08.16

A Family Surviving Solitary Confinement

By Adrienne Gavula

This post is part of the joint report between Disability Rights Ohio and the ACLU of Ohio – “Shining a Light on Solitary Confinement: Why Ohio Needs Reform.” Take action to reform solitary confinement in Ohio.

Justin committed a crime. He was found guilty of aggravated murder and robbery, along with two others.

02.26.16

Disability Rights Ohio calls for Enforcement of Ohio Department of Education Rule on Restraint and Seclusion

By Shakyra Diaz

Last year thousands of Ohio students were restrained or secluded in school, placing them at risk of injury and trauma. This happened despite a rule that was put in place specifically to stop this practice.

In 2013, upon the urging of Disability Rights Ohio, the ACLU of Ohio, and other advocates, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) established a rule limiting the use of restraint and seclusion in Ohio schools to situations where there is an imminent risk of physical harm.

01.04.16

Ohio is Often the Spotlight for Elections

By Lisa Wurm

Diana Mairose is a voting rights advocate who works as an Advocacy Support Advisor for Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services.

Ohio is often the spotlight on Election Day, and this year was no different. Hamilton County, in particular, gained much statewide attention—not because of hotly contested local races or ballot issues, but because of a glitch in new technology at the polls.

11.16.15

The Ohio Constitution Shouldn’t Define Anyone as an “Idiot” or “Insane Person”

By Chris Geggie

“No idiot, or insane person, shall be entitled to the privileges of an elector.” That is how Article V, Section 6 of the Ohio State Constitution currently reads, and it is the subject of the most recent meeting of the Bill of Rights and Voting Committee of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.

09.30.15

Last Chance to Register for November’s Election

By Shakyra Diaz

Ohio’s voter registration deadline is Monday, October 5—only a few days away. For those not registered to vote that’s a short amount of time to download, complete, and mail the registration application or go to a board of elections or BMV to register.

09.23.15

What Does It Mean to Vote Free of Barriers?

By Adrienne Gavula

All polling locations must be physically accessible for people with disabilities, and each polling location must have one accessible voting machine. But does accessibility only mean technology and brick and mortar?

Time to Change Attitudes

When we think about barriers for voters with disabilities, we often think of physical barriers, but there are people barriers, too.

09.07.15

Seclusion and Restraint Guidelines Now Apply to Ohio’s Charter Schools

By Shakyra Diaz

This school year, all of Ohio’s public school children now have the same rights and protections when it comes to the use of seclusion and restraints. It’s been three years in the making.

Investigative Reporting

In August 2012, The Columbus Dispatch and StateImpact Ohio, a collaborative of Ohio NPR stations WCPN, WKSU, and WOSU, launched, “Locked Away,” an investigation into restraint and seclusion practices in Ohio schools.

08.12.15

Karla M. Lortz: Advocating for Online Voter Registration in Ohio

By Lisa Wurm

Karla M. Lortz has a voice so pleasant you’d swear you smell warm apple pies on her window sill as she speaks. However, that voice also belongs to a retired director of the Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities and a leading advocate behind legislation, including the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the 2002 Help America Vote Act.

08.05.15

Making Government Work: 25 Years of the ADA

By Steve David

With the presidential campaign already underway and the Buckeye State being a favorite stop for candidates, you can expect to hear a lot said about limiting government. At the ACLU, we get that. For more than 90 years we have been working to keep the government out of people’s speech, cell phones, and personal medical decisions.

06.10.15

How One Pastor Moves Voter Registration Mountains

By Lisa Wurm

Darryl Fairchild, pastor of Bellbrook United Methodist Church, stands tall among advocates for online voter registration in Ohio, despite using a wheelchair since a 1992 bicycle accident.

Advocate for Voter Rights

Fairchild served as the community organizer for Vote Dayton, which later became Lift Greater Dayton, a non-partisan organization of churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, community centers, and unions working for justice and a better city.

06.01.15

Online for All: Katie’s Story

By Shakyra Diaz

This is the third article in the “Online for All” series.

It’s amazing what you can learn by saying hello to somebody you don’t know.

I met Katie at a crowded eatery while she waited for a table with her family.

04.27.15

Voter Registration: Ohio Needs to Join the 21st Century

By Lisa Wurm

This is the second article in the “Online for All” series.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 finds that “discriminations against individuals with disabilities” persist in critical areas, such as voting.  It stipulates that all state and local governments ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to government programs and services, as well as requires equally effective communications to these individuals.

04.17.15

Ohio Poised to Censor Crucial Guardianship Information

By Shakyra Diaz

Almost a year ago, The Columbus Dispatch began a series covering alarming gaps and abuse in Ohio’s guardianship system. It didn’t take long for lawmakers to respond and soon we had legislation to help bring reform in Ohio.

Ohio House Bill (HB) 624, sponsored by Representative Dorothy Pelanda (R-District 86) during the 2013-2014 legislative session, would have allowed for the distribution of a ward’s “bill of rights,” and to require that a guardian receive the Ohio Guardianship Guide, prepared by the Ohio Attorney General, and acknowledge its receipt.

04.13.15

“Online For All” Makes All the Sense in the World

By Lisa Wurm

This is the first article in the “Online for All” series.

Democracy will not thrive without recognizing the fundamental rights of all people.

When it comes to voter registration, without undue difficulty, that’s especially true. Making this process workable for all requires taking action on behalf of those facing obstacles.

04.03.15

Ohio’s Voting Record: Ready to Strike Out or Hit a Grand Slam?

By Lisa Wurm

It’s indisputable that voting is critical for Ohioans.

We strive to make our communities a better place to live and to ensure that our democracy works for everyone. However, to do this, all our votes are crucial—for Ohio and the entire nation.

12.15.14

The Cost of Unconstitutional and Ineffective Policing

By Shakyra Diaz

The cost of poor policing is difficult to quantify. Some costs can be measured in dollars, but other costs—loss of trust, life, or missed opportunities—are too great to measure.

Loss of Public Dollars

A recent investigative report found that Cleveland taxpayers have paid a minimum of $10.5 million between 2004 and 2014 related to police misconduct settlements.

12.01.14

Close the Loophole: Protect Charter Schoolchildren From Restraint and Seclusion

By Shakyra Diaz

Update – 12/17/2014: Ohio Senate Bill 266 was amended to House Bill 178 and passed unanimously, extending the seclusion and restraint provisions of rule 3301-35-15 to public charter schools.

Last month the Ohio Department of Education released its first analysis of the use of restraint and seclusion in Ohio schools.

11.28.14

Check Yourself: Five Tips for Becoming a Better Advocate

By Steve David

We all have biases.  It’s part of being human.

After all, we expect the world to work in certain ways and situations outside our assumptions can be jarring. Although the process may be uncomfortable, it is by recognizing and challenging our prejudices and preconceptions that we are better able to help others.

10.27.14

Shackling: Ohio Juvenile Courts Should Have Rules on Restraints

By Shakyra Diaz

This is the third in a series of posts on the topic of juvenile shackling.

This is Nate P. and I’m writing you this letter to let you know that cuffs and shackles make me feel like a criminal, not a “juvenile delinquent.”

10.02.14

Worse Than Adults: The Shackling of Youth in Juvenile Court

By Shakyra Diaz

This is the second in a series of posts on the topic of juvenile shackling.

“I have worn physical restraints while in the court room and meeting with my attorney. It doesn’t make you feel like anybody really cares about you and you are being treated like an animal.

09.30.14

Voting Rights for Ohioans with Disabilities

By Adrienne Gavula

Imagine visiting your polling place on Election Day and discovering there is no parking, the sidewalk is blocked, and the door is locked. Yet, despite all this, you manage to get into the building only to find out the poll workers do not speak your language and the voting machine is out of reach.

09.16.14

Senate Bill 349: An Attack on Civil Rights Protections

By Ellen Kubit

Have you shown up to rent an apartment, but were turned away because of the color of your skin? Or because you have a disability? The law might not be on your side anymore.

Discrimination in access to housing is unlawful.

09.06.14

What Is Shackling?

By Shakyra Diaz

This is the first in a series of posts on the topic of juvenile shackling.

‘Shackling has made me feel like an animal, and it makes me feel like I can’t express myself. It is a distraction to me because rather than focusing on what I have to say, I’m focused on what other people are thinking of me, and on avoiding body movements that are painful and uncomfortable because of the shackles.

08.07.14

The Challenge of Voting

By Steve David

Voting can be hard.  The merits of candidates, sides of issues, and conflicting messages force us to make difficult decisions at the voting booth.  We often have hard conversations with family, friends, and colleagues that examine our beliefs and challenge our thinking.