Advocacy
Tomorrow, November 6 is Election Day. Please get out there and vote. The Disability Rights Center will have a hotline for Kansans with disabilities to call with any questions or concerns about voting rights for persons with disabilities until Tuesday, November 6th (Election Day) (TOMORROW) at 8PM. People with disabilities should call the DRC…
Read ArticleYou must show a photo ID if you are going to vote at the polls. BUT, if you apply for a permanent advance ballot, you do not have to show ID (you must have a permanent disability or illness). To vote you must be registered! Voter registration deadline is October 16, 2012 Get registered to…
Read ArticleDATE DESCRIPTION Tuesday, October 16 Last day to register to vote in general election Wednesday, October 17 Advance voting begins for general election Friday, November 2 Deadline for voters to apply for advance voting ballots to be mailed Monday, November 5 Noon deadline to cast advance voting ballots in person in office of County Election…
Read ArticleKansas has recently changed its law about requiring an ID in order to vote. (You may have seen a commercial lately about it.) DO NOT let this stop you from voting! First off, a registered voter who does not possess any of the valid ID documents may obtain a FREE nondriver’s ID from the Division…
Read ArticleThe House & Senate conference committee for the FY 2013 budget have held four rounds of negotiations thus far. Next round is scheduled for 1:30 this afternoon. Senate negotiators (Carolyn McGinn, John Vratil & Laura Kelly) have held firm on two items that are crucial to the disability community. Please take a moment and email…
Read ArticleThe Legislative Session has passed the halfway mark and our advocacy efforts are ramping up. There are so many big concerns for the disability community this time around and it is imperative that we get input to the Administration, the Legislators, and to our communities from Kansans with disabilities. The Resource Center for Independent Living,…
Read ArticleThe House Social Services Budget Committee’s report on SRS and KDOA budgets stated “…there is considerable fraud and abuse in the system of Home and Community Based Services.” It goes on to state that this fraud, by Centers for Independent Living, is responsible for the Waiting Lists. These statements seek to villify the Centers and…
Read ArticleFrom now through March 6th, we need the disability community to contact each member of the House Appropriations Committee. A complete list of names and contact information is available here. They will begin debating the budget on March 6th. As they are working on budget issues we need to make sure they know the importance…
Read ArticleIt is imperative that the disability community contacts each member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. A complete list of names and contact information is available here. They will begin debating the budget in sub-committees on March 8th. As they are working on budget issues we need to make sure they know the importance…
Read ArticleFrom now through Thursday February 16th, we need the disability community to contact each member of the House Social Services Budget Committee. A complete list of names and contact information is available here. As they are working on budget issues we need to make sure they know the importance of funding the Home and Community…
Read ArticleDear Friends & Fellow Kansans: In two days, on Wednesday, Feb 15th, we are going to the Kansas Statehouse to deliver the message that KANSANS COUNT: We Demand Democracy. Among the many issues of concern is Voter Suppression. Many of you, along with advocacy groups, and the ACLU have expressed concern about the adverse…
Read ArticleThis request for information is from the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri. They are working to protect our right to vote freely. Data shows that people with disabilities, people living in poverty, and minorities are kept from voting when laws such as the ones Kansas has passed are applied. Please review this information and…
Read ArticleOn February 1, 2012 disability advocates across the state began a concerted effort to contact the Governor’s office and SRS regarding the Waiting Lists for Home and Community Based Services. The Governor’s office and the SRS administration responded less than satisfactorily advising (after several off the wall suggestions) that the Waiting Lists for Home and…
Read ArticleDespite having a large balance in the State budget and projecting an over $400 million balance next fiscal year, the Governor has not addressed those Kansans with disabilities waiting on the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Physically Disabled (PD) waiting list. There is no mention in either the proposed budget or in the RFP…
Read ArticleThe Governor’s proposed budget has been released. We will write more about it as we have time to review it. Click here to download the full text as a PDF. Last night Governor Sam Brownback delivered his 2012 State of the State address. It was a rather brief speech but stuffed with huge plans…
Read ArticleToday at 2:00pm the Kansas House and Senate will convene to start the 2012 Legislative Session. This promises to be one of the busiest, and maybe toughest sessions in recent years. All eyes are on the Senate as it is an election year for them and the coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats that…
Read ArticleWith the new year comes a new Legislative session in Kansas. The 2012 Session starts on Monday January 9th at 2:00pm and promises to be a busy one. The disability community will be closely watching as the Administration and the Legislature take on huge items including an expected Executive Order re-organizing SRS, the Medicaid…
Read ArticleTwelve years ago, the United States Supreme Court rejected the state of Georgia’s appeal to enforce institutionalization of individuals with disabilities and affirmed the right of individuals with disabilities to live in their community in its 6-3 ruling against the state of Georgia in the case Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W. The Olmstead Decision…
Read ArticleI am a Case Manager, yet I do not manage cases, I work with people. My job is to visit people in their homes who have physical disabilities and complete an assessment to determine if they are eligible for a Medicaid program that provides long term care services to them in their own homes.…
Read ArticleThe Big Tent Coalition and Kansans for Quality Communities are teaming up to bring Town Hall meetings to towns across Kansas. The purpose is to “discuss the impact of continuing budget cuts on vital state services and the ramifications of eliminating the Kansas income tax.” The Resource Center for Independent Living is working to ensure…
Read ArticleAs we edge closer to winter, the leaves are changing and falling, the air is cooler, and the days are shorter. These are expected changes we prepare for each year. This year, Kansans with disabilities are experiencing many other changes. There is a new administration in Kansas state government and in SRS, over the last…
Read ArticleLast Friday a new advocacy group named Kansans United in Voice and Spirit held their first rally at the Statehouse. The turnout was good as far as such things go with a little over 250 people present on a cold and damp day. The group’s website states that they are “Concerned citizens of Kansas…
Read ArticleThe Resource Center for Independent Living is partnering with Centers for Independent Living(CILs) all across Kansas in a Letters to the Editor campaign coordinated by the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas(SILCK). I have drafted 9 sample letters for advocates and consumers to use as inspiration for their own letters covering a range of topics.…
Read ArticleSaturday Sept. 10th dozens of advocates gathered at the Statehouse in support of Home and Community Based Services, independent living in Kansas for people with disabilities, and (although it was unplanned) Consumer Run Organizations(CROs) for people with mental illness. The Topeka Independent Living Resource Center and Kansas ADAPT sponsored and held the rally with speakers…
Read ArticleOn Saturday, September 10th Topeka Independent Living Resource Center (TILRC) and Kansas ADAPT are teaming up to host a rally on the steps of the Statehouse from 1:00pm-2:30pm. The Rally is in support for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services. These services are imperative for Kansans with disabilities to remain in their homes and…
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