High school graduation rates for students with disabilities are increasing, according to new figures released by the U.S. Education Department, but the odds of receiving a diploma vary considerably by state. In Delaware, 73 percent of students with disabilities graduated high school, five points over the national average for students with disabilities.
Isaias Cervantes, a 25-year-old man with autism and hearing loss reportedly experiencing a “mental health crisis,” was shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy after Cervantes’s sister and a behavioral therapist warned the deputy about Cervantes’s condition. While the sheriff’s department has mental health experts, none were present during the shooting.
President Joe Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, a massive pandemic relief package sending billions to special education and home- and community-based services and providing stimulus payments for many with disabilities who had not previously qualified.
Two members of the House of Representatives have called for a hearing “to examine whether Americans are unjustly trapped in conservatorships,” citing the “Free Britney Spears” movement’s advocacy against the pop star’s conservatorship. Conservatorships, sometimes used for adults with disabilities, are legal arrangements in which another party makes certain life decisions for someone who has been judged unable to do so for themselves.
Video conferencing platform Zoom announced it will make automatic closed captioning available to its free accounts to enhance accessibility. The closed captioning functionality is projected to be available in fall 2021.
