The primary service offered by CIL of S. FL is systems advocacy. Systems advocacy is the heart of every CIL. Our struggle for equality focuses on bringing attention to the inequalities of our political system—a system that puts barriers up that prevent people with disabilities from accessing services that people without disabilities do not have to confront every day. Currently, we are highlighting the adverse effect of voter suppression laws on people with disabilities and the inaccessibility of polling sites and voting equipment, which prevents people with disabilities from voting; awareness of crime victimization among the disability population; lack of accessible, affordable, integrated housing for people with disabilities; inequities in the new Medicaid Managed Care system that leads to inadequate health care for people with disabilities; and high rate of unemployment for people with disabilities, which prevents them from achieving the American Dream.
Director of Advocacy Marc Dubin, Esq., head our Advocacy Department. He is a former senior trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability rights Section. As the department director, he oversees all systemic advocacy functions of the department, and he recruits, trains, and guides teams of volunteers, with and without disabilities to serve on our Disability Advocacy Council.
The Advocacy Department achieved many accomplishments in 2011.
Disability Advocacy Council
Our Disability Advocacy Council is composed of people with and without disabilities, parents of a child with a disability, care givers, employees working for service providers, disability advocates, and members of the community with an interest in disability issues. Their role is to:
* educate each other and the community about the availability of services;
* identify gaps in services that should be remedied;
* identify disability issues the center should support;
* advocate for systemic changes; and
* inform the Executive Director and Board of Directors about the concerns and issues that affect persons with disabilities in Miami-Dade County;
* serve on community coalitions, alliances, boards, and committees to influence policy and funding decisions that affect the disability community.
Anyone may serve on the Disability Advocacy Council by completing an application. Applications are available in alternative formats. Contact CILSF for an application, (voice) 305-751-8025, (TDD) 305-751-8891, (fax) 305-751-8944, or (email) mary@soflacil.org.
2011 Accomplishments:
1. After a consumer complained about the inaccessibility of the chapel at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the hospital made its chapel more accessible for people with disabilities.
2. We filed a Department of Justice Complaint against the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science in the prior year. DOJ upheld the plaintiff’s complaint and a settlement was reached this year.
3. We educated the director of Paratransit about the need to provide information sent to riders in alternative formats. He, in turn, educated his staff about their ADA obligations and riders received information in accessible formats.
4. Paratransit officials submitted a request for bids on new paratransit contract without holding public hearings. Following an outcry from the disability community, they not only agreed to public meetings but agreed to include people with disabilities on the selection committee.
5. One Disability Advocacy Council member and former consumer who learned about the ADA law regarding service animals became aware of a dispute between K-Mart customers in Loganville, Georgia where she resides. She stopped to explain that persons with disabilities are permitted to bring a service animal into places of public accommodations. The cash register operator overheard the conversation and promised to bring the law to the attention of the managers at K-Mart.
6. We created a Medicaid in Florida blog that now has 1,500 visitors and averages 50 postings per month; a Face Book page that has 1,300 people viewing postings; and a listerv that has 200 people receiving information.
7. We created a Medicaid Reform Advocates blog that now has 2,100 visitors, and a CILSF advocacy blog that has 37,000 visitors.
8. We educated 45 people with disabilities about health care access and their civil rights under the ADA.
9. The Department of Justice accepted a CILSF complaint filed against a medical clinic that consistently denied sign language interpreters to consumers who are deaf.
10. We educated several homeless shelters and other homeless service providers about the ADA obligation to serve people who are blind; they agreed to serve this population.
11. We educated several housing organizations and county commissioners regarding the lack of accessible, affordable integrated housing in the county.
12. Miami-Dade and Monroe County Emergency Management Departments agreed to provide accessible beds, transfer, eating, and toileting assistance in Red Cross shelters. The Key West Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, hospitals in Monroe County and the Key West Housing Authority purchased video remote interpreting services.
13. We trained 5 deaf consumers in the Keys about their ADA rights. They attended public meetings with the assistance of video remote interpreting and CART to make their views known
to public officials.
14. We participated in statewide meetings with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to assist them in implementing a settlement agreement on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing customers. We trained DCF workers how to enhance services for customers who are deaf and hard of hearing. We assisted DCF attorneys to better understand ADA obligations.
15. We participated in nationwide calls with the White House and assisted consumers in participating on these calls regarding disability policies.
16. We discussed with reporters the importance of the ADA in regard to community accessibility and had a letter published in the Key West Citizen.
17. We educated the director of the Miami-Dade County 311 Response Team and as a result many 311 operators were trained on the availability of emergency management and domestic violence services for people with disabilities.
18. We educated members of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Disability Issues to increase their responsiveness to the disability community.
19. We worked with Miami-Dade County mayor and commissioners to increase their awareness of disability policy concerns and how these policies affect the disability community.
20. We enhanced relationships with the Domestic Violence /Sexual Assault Council, an organization of 45 domestic violence-related service providers, and we created a committee on under served populations to increase outreach to crime victims.
21. We held discussions with FEMA officials to enhance relationships between consumers and federal officials.
22. We assisted a consumer attending the University of Miami when her service animal was refused entry to her classes. Following her complaint, the University of Miami changed is service dog policy.
23. We engage in discussions with the management of Balans Restaurant, which resulted in the removal of barriers that blocked wheelchair access to the entrance.
24. We created a Developmental Disabilities Wait List Task Force and held one meeting with families with persons on the wait the list. Thirty families were educated about what they could do to increase wait list funding.
