Hot off the presses, this weeks' disability news topics, thanks to Disability Scoop...
* Graduation rates for people with disabilities in high school continues to go up, according to the U.S. Department of Education.The rate is up to 64.6 % which is the fourth year of growth, up from 64.1%. Overall, high school graduation rates have increased, even for able-bodied students. The rates vary from state-to-state, but Arkansas leads the way for disabled students graduating high school at 81.9%, whereas Nevada is the lowest, only at 29%.
* CBS is launching a major casting initiative designed to discover new performers across the country especially focused on diversity. CBS has been under fire for its lack of progress on the multiculturalism front. They have been cited as having too few programs featuring minorities in leading roles. The hope is to find more diverse talent across the country, which includes people with disabilities.
* Uber is being sued over lack of accessible rides. A Chicago-based disability rights group is claiming there are not enough vehicles that can handles wheelchairs. In 2015 alone, Uber provided over 3 million rides in the Chicago area. From September 2011 to August 2015 only 14 rides were provided to motorized wheelchair users who require accessible vehicles.
The advantage of Uber over cabs is both ease of use and cost to the average consumer. These advantages don't matter for an individual in a wheelchair if Uber's vehicles are not accessible to use.
One other lawsuit was brought against Uber last year in Texas over a similar complaint of not enough accessible vehicles. That suit was settled out of court and no widely applicable policy resulted.
* The most Disability-friendly cities in America were recently ranked based on how desirable they are for people with disabilities. The top 5 cities were ranked as follows as the best places to live:
1- Overland Park, Kan.
2- Scottsdale, Az.
4- Lincoln, Neb.
4- Gilbert, Az.
5- Peoria, Az.
The ranking was based on things such as availability of doctors, employment rates for people with disabilities, accessibility, and quality of life issues. One factor which boosted Overland Park's standing was the fact the highest median earnings for people with disabilities is at $46,345.
The bottom ranked places to live in America for people with disabilities to live are Worcester, Mass., Anchorage, Alaska, and Providence, R.I.
* Children with disabilities are more likely than other kids to respond aggressively to bullying, researchers say, and they often attack not only those picking on them, but others as well.
The recent study surveyed responses from nearly 1,200 middle and high school students with disabilities. Researchers found that bullying often led these youngsters to fight or victimized other kids.
"Because students with disabilities often lack age-appropriate social and communication skills, they may act out aggressively as a response to being bullied", states Chad Rose, a specialist from the University of Missouri . The survey included students in grades 6 through 12 from 25 different schools with conditions ranging from intellectual disability to autism, emotional and behavioral disorders as well as learning disabilities.
Since kids with disabilities are more likely to respond aggressively when they are victimized, they often end up being labeled bullies themselves. But that may mean they don't get the social and communication assistance they need.
"Children with disabilities often lash out physically as a defense mechanism against bullying, "Rose said. "By intervening with these children and giving them the proper skills and tools, we can not only help prevent future bullying of these children but improve their psychosocial outcomes as well.'
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