Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Teen Wins Supreme Court Case Over Disability Accommodations At School
The Washington Post: Supreme Court Makes It Easier To Sue Schools Over Disability Accommodations
The Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for students to prove their schools are not making proper accommodations for disabilities, ruling for the family of a Minnesota teen with a severe form of epilepsy who claimed her school district did not do enough to meet her instructional needs. An attorney for Ava Tharpe argued that schoolchildren had to meet an unfairly high burden to show schools are falling short under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act and other disability statutes. The high court unanimously agreed. (Jouvenal, 6/12)
In other news about disability rights —
Disability Scoop: New Disability Regulations For Airlines Won't Be Enforced
Federal officials are holding off on implementing new regulations that were hailed as the largest expansion of rights for airline passengers with disabilities in a generation. The U.S. Department of Transportation said this week that it will not enforce what’s known as the “Wheelchair Rule” until at least August. The rule, which was finalized by the Biden administration in December, requires annual training for airline staff and contractors who help people with disabilities or who handle wheelchairs. In addition, the regulations impose stronger standards for how assistance must be provided, specifying that it be “safe and dignified,” and detail the steps airlines must take if a wheelchair is damaged or delayed. (Heasley, 6/11)
KALW: Federal Court Grants Respite To Disabled Residents Of Berkeley Encampment
About a dozen residents of a homeless encampment in northwest Berkeley will be allowed to remain there while the city continues its effort to dismantle the settlement. The Berkeleyside reports the order will allow at least a dozen residents with physical and mental disabilities to remain at the site for about two months. The court gave the City of Berkeley the time to find accommodations for the disabled residents. (Khalid, 6/11)
FOX45 News: Money Trumps Safety Of Special Needs Students In Maryland Schools: Advocate
Are students with special needs safe in school? It’s a question Project Baltimore has been asking for weeks after uncovering new information following a student’s death. Now, additional special education data obtained by Fox45 News, has one advocate saying safety is not always a school’s top priority. (Papst, 6/12)
