Iowa Developmental Disability Council Chair Brady Werger of Waverly read a proclamation signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds establishing Nov. 24, 2023 as “Mia Patterson Day in Iowa.”
New York disability rights advocates are working to make polling places more accessible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds 25% of the state s population has a disability. A Brennan Center for Justice report finds 95% of polling places in New York State weren t disability accessible. .
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and one Nevada organization says about 70% of people with disabilities who would like to be employed - are not. Employers often assume they won t be able to accommodate a worker with a disability - but that is usually incorrect. Mary Evilsizer, executive director with the Southern Nevada Center for Independent Living, acknowledges there may be challenges in finding just the right job fit, but said employers are missing out on a special group of people when they don t make the effort. .
The State Historical Society of Iowa has opened a new exhibit in its Des Moines museum. "Civics in Action" focuses on Iowans who ve made significant contributions to the state and highlights people with disabilities. It s the historical society s first exhibit after a five-year museum restoration, and focuses on people who have shaped the state s history. .