Disability Rights Mississippi

Disability rights group resumes services - Mississippi Today The organization’s leaders said they can see the available funds in the online portal and are resuming taking new cases.

The organization’s leaders said they can see the available funds in the online portal and are resuming taking new cases.

mississippitoday.org/2025/05/14/d...

www.drms.ms/news/public-...

The case that could gut disabled people's right to equal health care The notoriously conservative Fifth Circuit will rule on whether it's a civil rights violation to deny a quadriplegic man a ventilator.

You may remember Michael Hickson, a Black disabled man who was denied life-saving care in early Covid.

His estate’s case is before the conservative Fifth Circuit of Appeals, where judges could gut disability rights in healthcare. My latest for @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Mental health cuts threaten program for moms - Mississippi Today About $4.1 million of the federal funding that was cut was for Mississippi’s community mental health centers, organizations across the state that run services including the addiction treatment program...

mississippitoday.org/2025/05/07/m...

Civil Rights Advocacy Agency announces that there will be no new cases Disability Rights Mississippi is concerned that this may just be the beg

www.wlbt.com/2025/05/02/c...

Disability Rights Mississippi pauses new cases due to funding delay JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS) announced that it would have to stop taking new cases as of May 1, 2025. DRMS officials said promised federal funding for the 2025…

Disability Rights Mississippi pauses new cases due to funding delay

Disability rights organization forced to limit services - Mississippi Today A state organization tasked with advocating for and providing legal services to Mississippians with disabilities will stop taking new cases for the first time in its history, the organization announce...

mississippitoday.org/2025/05/01/d...

Read more here: www.drms.ms/news/press-r...

With deep regret, we must inform you that we will temporarily stop accepting new cases as of May 1, 2025. Due to delays in the release of our current-year funding from federal sources, DRMS must make difficult decisions to ensure we can continue serving our existing clients.

This Autism Awareness Month, we invite you to share a joyful or proud moment that you have experienced as a person with autism or as a loved one of a person with autism. Comment below!

Just because someone with autism or another disability doesn't experience the world in a "typical" way does not mean they don't belong in it. It simply means we need to work harder to include them and allow them to thrive in their own way; rhetoric that indicates otherwise is reductive and harmful.

Some individuals may require a higher level of daily care, but that does not invalidate their human experience, nor does it mean they are a burden or a harm to their family. Comments that indicate otherwise are not only misinformed, but also incredibly hurtful.

Today seems like a great time to remind everyone - and we mean everyone - that people on the autism spectrum are brilliant, vibrant, loving, and productive members of their communities and our society. They play baseball, write poems, date and get married, work, and, yes, even pay taxes.

Tell Congress: Save the Department of Education We need you to tell Congress to do their Constitutional duty and save the Department of Education for the many students with disabilities who need their rights protected!

The Department of Education plays a critical role ensuring that schools meet their legal obligations to provide public education for students with disabilities. Help save it! secure.everyaction.com/euVvWxws80KF...

What dismantling the Education Department means for kids with disabilities Trump’s education policy threatens everything from speech therapy to wheelchair access.

www.vox.com/policy/40359...

The cause of the terrible plane crash at DCA last night remains unknown. What we do know is that there is no evidence that employees at the FAA - with or without a disability - were responsible.

Holding unlicensed personal care homes accountable, Disability Rights Mississippi calls for new legislation “Close loopholes in occupancy that allow operators to avoid regulation. Next, define personal care homes clearly in our state laws to ensure all facilities fall under regulatory oversight,” said Tribble.

Holding unlicensed personal care homes accountable, Disability Rights Mississippi calls for new legislation

Employment of Workers With Disabilities Under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act) authorizes the Secretary of Labor to issue certificates allowing employers to pay productivity-based subminimum wages to workers with disabilities, but only ...

Supporters of sub minimum wage are flooding the government with comments to maintain the program that keeps people with disabilities in poverty! We need your help to fight back. Please tell the government to end the 14(c) program www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Disability Rights Mississippi has released a new public report, “Unlicensed Personal Care Homes in Mississippi: A Crisis of Neglect, Financial Exploitation, and Unsafe Living Conditions.”

Read the full press release here: www.drms.ms/news/press-r...

Our fight for disability rights -- and why we're not done yet Four decades ago, Judith Heumann helped to lead a groundbreaking protest called the Section 504 sit-in -- in which disabled-rights activists occupied a federal building for almost a month, demanding greater accessibility for all. In this personal, inspiring talk, Heumann tells the stories behind the protest -- and reminds us that, 40 years on, there's still work left to do.

Happy Birthday Judith Heumann!
Visit here to view a Ted Talk by the mother of Disability Rights:
www.ted.com/talks/ju...

FDA Under Pressure To Finalize Ban On Shock Devices For People With Developmental Disabilities With the White House set to change hands, advocates are calling on the FDA to finalize a ban on the use of devices that administer electric shocks to address behavior issues in those with disabilities...

There's no reason to delay. We know there are better treatments than this terrible practice. It's time to #StopTheShock www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/12/09/f...

There are enough barriers in the way for voters with disabilities in Mississippi, ones that we fight against every election cycle. Those are not acceptable, nor is this additional overstep.

Some Runoff Ballots Won’t Be Counted After Deadline Change Some votes in Mississippi’s judicial runoffs will not be counted after the Secretary of State shortened a deadline, civil-rights groups say.

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said the deadline for curing ballots and for circuit clerks to receive ballots from the state’s Nov. 26 runoffs would be Dec. 4, despite state offices being closed for two days for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Mail-in absentee ballots are a crucial tool for many voters, especially voters with disabilities. To shorten the time for these legally cast ballots to be counted diminishes the voting rights of Mississippians with disabilities.

Hello, Blue Sky! We're DRMS, the protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities in Mississippi. We are fighting for full inclusion for Mississippians with disabilities in home, community, education, and employment.