Rights Here, Rights Now!

Today we are joined by Karen Brimm, who wears many hats. Karen is the Community Services Manager of the Virginia Department for Deaf and Hard of Hearing and she is the acting Access and Functional Needs Officer for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Karen is working hard on advocating for information regarding COVID-19 and working hard on mitigating accessibility barriers. The pandemic has shown us many areas of inaccessibility in our daily lives and businesses and Karen has worked tirelessly over the past year to advocate for a more accessible and inclusive world. You can contact the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing here, and find out more about COVID-19 here!

As always, full transcription is available online. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.

Join us today as we speak with dLCV Attorney, John Cimino regarding the recent changes to restraint and seclusion regulations in public schools. Surprisingly to us, Virginia is not the only state who did not previously have regulations surrounding restraint and seclusion. Private schools often do, but public schools have not until recently. John shares with us the differences between restraint and seclusion and breaks down all the new regulations and how they will be implemented and enforced moving forward.

To find out more about special education, check out our Special Education resource page here: www.dlcv.org/special-education

If you would like to read the regulations for yourself, you can do so here: http://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=8093

As always, full episode transcriptions are available on our website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Join us today as our guest, Regina Chaney, joins us from Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME). Regina is the Community Engagement Specialist at HOME and shares with us all about the work HOME is doing to ensure people with disabilities have access to accessible housing options. HOME tackles systemically divisive housing practices through fair housing enforcement, research, advocacy, and statewide policy work. We also aid first-time homebuyers and those under the threat of foreclosure. Find out more at https://homeofva.org/ if you or a loved one is facing any housing discrimination. You can also contact them at 804.354.0641.

dLCV is holding a Client Assistance Program clinic on June 10th from 9-4. There are only five spots available and sign-ups are first come first serve. If you are needing to know how to access services from the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Department for Blind and Vision Impaired, or your local Center for Independent Living, or currently receiving services and have questions this clinic is for you. Find out more at https://dlcv.salsalabs.org/cap-clinic/index.html to register today.

Full episode transcription available is available on our website and find us on Twitter @DisabilityLawVA or on Facebook.

Welcome back listeners! Today we are talking about all the CHRIS (Computerized Human Rights Information System) database and what we do with it. The CHRIS database is information we receive every day from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services regarding serious injuries or incidents that occur across the state involving people with disabilities. We receive this data into a database and then have a team of reviewers and volunteers read each report and assess any need for follow up. Sometimes we use this data to inform projects for upcoming years, monitoring goals, or we open investigations based on the reports. We hope this episodes gives you a glimpse into the important work that we do and how you can get involved! We always need volunteers to help us read these important reports. You can learn more about becoming a volunteer at www.dlcv.org/volunteer.

As always, full transcriptions are available online at www.dlcv.org and you can follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.

Today we interviewed former dLCV client and tremendous self-advocate, podcaster, and TBI survivor, Jay Crandell! Jay suffered a TBI on July 4, 2006 from a stray bullet while walking down the street. Since then he has been through much rehab to regain his independence. His parents are tremendous supports and have been there every step of the way. Jay has his own podcast, which you can listen to HERE. We hope you learn from Jay as he shares his wins and struggles and what he wishes the TBI system in Virginia has. If you want to learn more about the TBI resources in Virginia you can check out the Brain Injury Association of Virginia or season 2 episode 1 where we interviewed Anne McDonnell, the Executive Director of BIAV or episode 5 where we interview Chris Miller, the Director of the Brain Injury Services Coordination Unit at DARS!

As always, full transcription available on our website, www.dlcv.org. Find us on Facebook or on Twitter!