By Marion M. Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP We all wish you a holiday season filled with peace, joy, and success. We recognize how difficult this season can be for those with disabilities or mental health challenges and for the elderly. During this time of year, especially, we remember all of those vulnerable individuals, particularly those who do not have the appropriate understanding, services, home or placement. At the same …
Many individuals with disabilities are doubly challenged: they adapt their lives to accommodate a disability while simultaneously suffering from secondary maladies brought on by a lack of physical exercise. Nearly 50 percent of adults with a disability are not physically active, compared with just 25 percent of sedentary adults with no disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A sedentary lifestyle puts the disabled population at serious …
Littman Krooks Founding Partner, Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., and this week’s guest, award-winning documentary film director and producer and a former photojournalist, Yonatan Nir, discuss My Hero Brother, a documentary and an organization dedicated to building stronger bonds between young adults with Down Syndrome and their siblings through the reward of adventure travel.
By Marion M. Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP The beginning of the school year is always a hectic time, particularly for families moving or planning to move to another school district. Parents of children with disabilities facing such a move have additional challenges. Students identified as needing special education services have a right, under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (“IDEA”), to “a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special …
By Arshi Pal, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP New York State sets 18 as the age of majority and individuals who are 18 years of age or older are deemed to be legally competent to make their own personal, medical and financial decisions. This becomes problematic for individuals with developmental disabilities who are unable to make such decisions or do not understand the consequences of their decisions. In such a scenario, …
By Marion M. Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP As the school year begins for your child with a disability, review his or her Individualized Education Program (IEP) and ensure that it is correct and that it accurately reflects your child’s needs. If you have not received a copy of the IEP, contact your district immediately. The law requires that your child have the IEP in place at the beginning of …
By Sandi Rosenbaum, Educational Advocate, Littman Krooks LLP Relocation to another state is a complex prospect for individuals with disabilities and their families. Jason DaSilva’s NY Times Op-Doc of July 24, “How Healthcare Makes Disability a Trap,” illustrates an important aspect of life for people with disabilities. Mr. DaSilva, who has multiple sclerosis and relies on round-the-clock Personal Care Attendants, funded by New York State Medicaid, explored the possibility of …
Littman Krooks Founding Partner, Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., and this week’s guest, multi award winning Producer/Director, Tom D’Angora discuss a new musical about disability, friendship and kindness, Addy & Uno: As Uno, a child with autism, faces the challenge of competing in his school’s math competition, his friends with varying disabilities – ADHD, visual, hearing and physical impairment – rally in support.
New York students returning to school this fall will find to a new health curriculum that places an increased emphasis on mental health issues. Heightened attention to students’ mental health is required by state education law changes, effective July 1, 2018, that require school officials to deliver instruction on mental health issues for students in kindergarten through grade 12. New York is the first state in the nation to mandate …
Emergency first responders often possess little more than the information contained in a 911 call and a street address. While this might suffice for most situations, when the emergency involves a resident with special needs, customary rescue operations can be traumatic for the resident and challenging for emergency personnel. To solve this problem, city officials in Yonkers, New York, recently created the First Responders Disability Registry, a voluntary database of …
