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Como educadora, Elizabeth Morgan abogó por los estudiantes con discapacidades del desarrollo. Luego, cuando a su hijo le diagnosticaron autismo, trató de buscar investigaciones sobre familias como la suya, 'específicamente, familias de raza negra que tenían niños en el espectro del autismo', pero no pudo. Hoy, Morgan trabaja para crear conciencia sobre las disparidades en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de niños con discapacidades del desarrollo, defendiendo a niños como su hijo, Eli.

La Conferencia Afroamericana sobre Discapacidad, organizada por el Centro de Arizona para la Ley de Discapacidad y el Centro de Arizona para Recursos Afroamericanos, ofreció orientación a las familias de color sobre cómo obtener el apoyo y los servicios que necesitan. Read more»

Elizabeth Morgan poses with son, Eli, and daughter, Jael. Eli’s autism spurred Morgan to get her Ph.D. in early childhood intervention.

The African American Conference on Disability - hosted by the Arizona Center for Disability Law and the Arizona Center for African American Resources - provided a forum to share experiences and offer guidance to families of color about getting the support and services they need. Read more»

Issac Contreras

While institutions like the Arizona State Hospital are becoming a thing of the past nationwide, mental health advocates believe ASH has the potential to offer therapeutic treatment that will help some of the sickest people get better and lead meaningful lives in the community. Read more»

Charles 'Chick' Arnold, lead plaintiff in the Arnold v. Sarn class action lawsuit that claimed Maricopa County and the state of Arizona were failing people with serious mental illness, is shown at his Phoenix home on April 12, 2021.

Arnold v. Sarn -a class action lawsuit that called for services for people with serious mental illness- ended in 2014 with an agreement that largely replaced “shall” with “may,” encouraging the system to try its best. Now Charles “Chick” Arnold, the lead plaintiff, says the agreement should have been more aggressive. Read more»

The time is now for much-needed investment in our state’s system of care for vulnerable individuals. Read more»

At Catalina Foothills High School, one in 10 students have 504 plans. That rate drops to less than one in 100 students at the poorest schools in the state, like Trevor Browne High School in Phoenix, where 96% of students come from low-income families.

Federal civil rights protection currently exist that are designed to give students with disabilities who don’t qualify for special education but have conditions that still interfere with learning equal access to public education, but getting the plans in Arizona isn’t always easy or equitable. Read more»

The Americans with Disabilities Act removed many of the physical obstacles people with disabilities face every day, but it also provided legal protections as well as casting people with disabilities in a new light, advocates say.

President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990. It prohibited discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, transportation and more for the disabled community. Read more»

Individuals from certain populations are far more likely to suffer the most severe impacts of the COVID-19 virus. They also are the most likely to be viewed as expendable. Read more»

A federal appeals court upheld a contempt order and a $1.44 million fine against the Arizona Department of Corrections this week, saying the agency has been “deliberately indifferent” to health care for inmates. Read more»

Sheila Hawkins and her dog Sonny accept a service dog training certificate at the Handi-Dogs graduation ceremony in 2011.

People who rely on service dogs shouldn’t have to pay to register them as pets, a state lawmaker contends. “For the people who are disabled and on a fixed budget, they’re watching every penny and shouldn’t have to pay for the service dog they need,” said Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria. Read more»