UD doctoral student Salma Al Saai won a scholarship from Fight For Sight, an organization supporting eye and vision research, to continue her research on cataracts. Al Saai is focused on the genetic causes of cataracts in children less than one year old, which are more difficult to remove than cataracts that develop in adulthood.
Despite strong bipartisan support, federal legislation that would entitle people with disabilities access to community-based services and outlaw waiting lists has not received a hearing in committee. The advocacy groups leading the push to pass the bill, called the Disability Integration Act, had targeted July 27, the ADA anniversary, for the bill signing.
A bill introduced by Rep. Kim Williams would move administrative control of the Delaware Autism Program from Christina School District to the state Department of Education. The move, which has been planned for several years, would bring Delaware into line with other states that have statewide autism programs. An Autism Delaware director says this would help the program better serve students with autism in other districts.
The Division of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is planning to expand and improve the Brandywine Creek State Park trail system. The changes would include adding new trails and resurfacing or realigning others to make them accessible to people with disabilities.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that students with disabilities are about twice as likely to be suspended as those without disabilities, and black, Latino and Native American students receive harsher punishments than their white peers. The panel recommended the Trump administration implement policies similar to those in the Obama-era guidance that was rescinded last December.
