| Disability is a characteristic of life; it could be your | | | | opportunities are opening up for persons with learning |
| spouse, it could be your child coming home from | | | | disabilities. Parents, disabled persons and advocates |
| school getting hit by a car, you drowning, it could be the | | | | for students with disabilities have raised harassment as |
| birth of your next child, your grandchild, your niece or | | | | an important issue in recent discussions with |
| nephew. Disability is a subject you may read about in | | | | department officials and staff. Section 504 of the |
| the newspaper, but not think of as something that | | | | Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination based on |
| might actually happen to you. | | | | disability by recipients of federal financial assistance, |
| SSDI is intended to be provided until one's condition | | | | while the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
| improves, and is intended to guarantee income if the | | | | (IDEA) entitles students with disabilities to a free |
| individual's condition does not improve. SSDI is a social | | | | appropriate public education. Some disabilities are quite |
| insurance program, and benefits are only granted after | | | | visible, while others are hidden, such as emotional and |
| a lengthy determination process, whereby the applicant | | | | psychiatric conditions or cognitive disabilities. People |
| must prove that they are disabled. SSDI is contrasted | | | | with disabilities constitute our nation's largest minority |
| with Supplemental Security Income ("SSI"), a welfare | | | | group, one which any person can become a part of at |
| program administered by the Social Security | | | | any time. Did you know that the number of people with |
| Administration for people whose poverty results from | | | | disabilities (53,907,000) is greater than the population of |
| medical disability. SSDI is a wage replacement program | | | | California (33,145,121). In 1990, the Americans with |
| which will provide benefits to family members if a | | | | Disabilities Act was signed into law. The ADA, which |
| primary wage earner becomes disabled. It is based on | | | | has helped to raise the workforce of Americans with |
| prior work while SSI payments are made on the basis | | | | severe disabilities to the 800,000 level, has recently |
| of financial need. SSDI is financed with Social Security | | | | been enacted. |
| taxes paid by workers, employers, and self-employed | | | | More importantly, disability is about the extent to which |
| persons. | | | | we are prepared to make our society accessible to |
| Disabilities may include, but are not limited to chronic | | | | everyone, an environment in which everyone reaches |
| medical conditions. Most of us know people with | | | | full potential. Taking on disability is part of taking on |
| disabilities who are going about their lives, working, | | | | building a democratic society which does not, |
| supporting themselves and their families and actively | | | | apartheid-style, confine people to certain roles based |
| contributing to the diversity and vitality of our | | | | on physical characteristics. In fact, a former Senator |
| communities. No parent of a child with learning | | | | had a wonderful statement which is, "Disability is the |
| disabilities has forgotten the moment when they were | | | | only minority that maintains open enrollment 24 hours a |
| told their child has a learning disability. More and more | | | | day 365 days a year. |