DRM Blog

2024

Preparing for the Polls as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Voter

Posted by Riley Albair on March 01, 2024

Maine will have presidential primaries on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Voters will decide on candidates participating in the Democratic and Republican primaries. Polling places can be tricky places for communication, especially for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Polls are often set up in school gyms, cafeteria, and other large areas; they are often busy and full of noise and visual distractions. Voters arriving and leaving, poll workers talking, and everyone hustling and bustling around. Of course, voters who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing have the right to request accommodations in order to communicate effectively at the polls. This ...Read More

Winter Update: COVID-19 and Flu Resources and Support

Posted on January 19, 2024

Winter in Maine can be a long few months, especially when it comes to getting sick. Colds, flus, and respiratory illnesses are all more common, and people are indoors more often, making it easier for sickness to spread. With COVID-19, flu, and RSV all increasing in recent months, it’s more important than ever to stay up to date on vaccines. Vaccines help us not only to protect ourselves, but also to protect our family and friends. Let’s get through this winter COVID-19 and flu free! Currently, everyone six months or older should get at least one updated COVID-19 vaccine. People ...Read More

2023

What is Question 8?

Posted by Molly Thompson on October 03, 2023

Maine’s referendum election is November 7th, 2023. Voters will have the opportunity to decide on eight items: four Citizen Initiatives and four Constitutional Amendments. We are getting lots of questions here at Disability Rights Maine about Question 8. So, what is Question 8? Question 8 is an amendment to Maine’s Constitution that asks voters, “Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision prohibiting a person under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from voting for Governor, Senators and Representatives, which the United States District Court for the District of Maine found violates the United States Constitution ...Read More

Building a Youth Self-Advocacy Movement

Posted by Aydan Rudolph on September 18, 2023

Greetings! We are SO excited to roll out Disability Rights Maine’s grant-funded project, in collaboration with Speaking Up For Us, called Launching & Expanding Youth Self-Advocacy! We want to start by introducing ourselves personally, and then talk about the work we are doing, why it’s important, and how you can get involved! Left to right: Jaheim, Dan, Aydan Hello, my name is Jaheim. I am a 2022 graduate of Biddeford High School and I come to DRM as a Self-Advocate Trainer. I have a wealth of experience working with youth populations. I love working with youth because I like helping ...Read More

Disability Voting Rights Week 2023

Posted by Molly Thompson on September 11, 2023

The week of September 11th to the 15th is Disability Voting Rights Week! As the new Voting Access Advocate at Disability Rights Maine, I’m thrilled to get to work ensuring Mainers with disabilities can exercise their right to vote. The upcoming year is especially exciting, with four state wide elections taking place. People with disabilities in Maine have an excellent opportunity to practice voting before the General Presidential Election on November 5th, 2024. Voter turnout among individuals with disabilities has steadily increased in recent decades, thanks in part to federal laws. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that ...Read More

DRM Secures Continued Access to Free Counseling for Survivors of Abuse at Governor Baxter School for the Deaf

Posted by Peter M. Rice, Esq. on June 21, 2023

In early February 1982, a magazine article was published, which made public the horrific abuse experienced by former students and survivors of the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf (GBSD). The Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Human Services’ Child Protective Services (CPS) both investigated and issued reports documenting serious physical and sexual abuse of students at the school. However, no criminal charges were filed. According to the AG’s report, this was because the Department of Education had failed to act upon allegations of wrongdoing at the school as early as 1976 which meant that the statute of limitations ...Read More

SAAM 2023: Emphasis on Survivors with Disabilities

Posted by Sammy-Ellie MacKinnon, MSW on April 20, 2023

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and this year the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has made the theme of this year’s SAAM Drawing Connection: Prevention Demands Equity. As the State of Maine’s Protection & Advocacy organization (P&A) for people with disabilities, DRM is committed to lifting up the often silenced and ignored voices of disabled survivors of sexual violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, people with disabilities are survivors of violence 4 times more than people without disabilities (2021). Nationally, as many as 83% of women and 32% of men with developmental disabilities experience sexual ...Read More

Upcoming Sunsetting of Analog Telecommunication Equipment

Posted on February 15, 2023

As technology advances, both nationally and in Maine, phone companies are switching to digital services. Telephones and phone services are increasingly designed to be used over the internet. In this new reality, people who use non-internet phones, like captioned phones and TTYs, may find their devices increasingly prone to not working properly. In the near future, phone service to TTYs and analog captioned landline phones will be phased out entirely. This means equipment will cease to work or make calls. If you use one of these devices, you can plan ahead and switch to updated equipment. What types of phone ...Read More

MaineCare and the IMD Waiver: Questions & Answers

Posted by Mark C. Joyce, Esq. on January 18, 2023

Q: What is Medicaid?A: Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides free or low-cost health coverage to millions of Americans, including some low-income people, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The federal government provides a portion of the funding for Medicaid and the State provides the other portion. The guidelines for the program are set by the federal government. Medicaid programs vary from state to state and sometimes have different names. Q: Does Maine have this program, and if so, what is it called?A: Yes, Maine participates in the Medicaid program and ...Read More

2022

Register, Educate, Vote (Rev Up!).

Posted by Cathy Bustin on December 16, 2022

Register, Educate, Vote (Rev Up!). Maine people did so once again in record numbers this midterm election (a general election that takes place in a non-Presidential election year). Maine voters with disabilities were no exception, and Disability Rights Maine worked hard across the state to increase, encourage, and support the growing power of the disability community’s voice and vote. Much has changed since I was first a full-time advocate with DRM (then known as Maine Advocacy Services) in 1989 - both at the agency and in voting rights and access for Mainers with disabilities. For one thing, our current Executive ...Read More

Centering Youth Voice in Treatment

Posted by Anna Schmidt on November 17, 2022

Adults make decisions for kids all the time. What time they wake up, what they eat for breakfast, how much TV they can watch, if they can hang out with their friend after school. Almost every aspect of a child’s life is predetermined by the adults providing care for them, whether it’s their parents, teachers, or others. And for children with mental health and developmental disabilities, adults make decisions for them regarding their treatment, usually without any input from the child. Adults gather in a child’s treatment team meeting to determine the next steps for treatment (i.e residential treatment, discharge ...Read More

Public Transportation and Driving with a Disability

Posted on July 19, 2022

I learned how to drive in high school after I turned 15 and passed the test to get my learners permit in Vermont. I remember my dad taking me to the local middle school parking lot, where we would practice learning how to feel the clutch catch into gear. Learning to drive gave me the freedom of independence and felt like a stepping stone into adulthood. My license was revoked in 2016 after I had my skiing accident that left me using a wheelchair for mobility. Driving was something I always took for granted. I never considered that someday I ...Read More

New and Innovative Employment Options Called for in 2022

Posted by Lucas Cuéllar on May 27, 2022

In the wake of the series of massive and ubiquitous changes which the global COVID-19 pandemic has wrought to nearly every area of life, an opportunity for people with disabilities to enforce their right to work has emerged. The United States is facing an historic shortage of workers in the wake of the pandemic: We are in a period of worker shortage in nearly every industry, the likes of which have not been seen in recent memory.[1] Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a: “(S)eries high of 11.5 million (job openings) on the last business day ...Read More

Over-The-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids and Mainers with Hearing Loss

Posted on April 15, 2022

Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aids are in the news. It is estimated that 217 million Americans live with some degree of hearing loss. And yet, hearing aids remain vastly underutilized: only about 20% of people who could benefit use one.[1] For many, the high cost is a deterrent. The average cost for a pair of hearing aids can easily surpass $4000, and typical devices must be replaced every 5-10 years. Coverage of hearing aids by private insurers is spotty, while Medicare does not offer coverage of hearing aids at all. Others face difficulty accessing an audiologist or obtaining a prescription for ...Read More

Hospital-Based Advocates Continue Supporting People with Disabilities During the Pandemic

Posted by Caleb Baker, J.D. on March 28, 2022

Disability Rights Maine’s four hospital-based advocates have a unique role among DRM staff. We get to meet with patients of Maine’s largest psychiatric hospitals and find ways to protect their rights as recipients of mental health services. There are DRM offices inside Riverview Psychiatric Center, Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, and the Acadia Hospital staffed with advocates who are available to assist clients working to resolve rights issues, advocate for better policies, and make heard the voices of consumers and their expressed interests. And for those hospitals where DRM does not currently have embedded advocates, patients can still meet with a ...Read More

Getting Help for Your Brain Injury

Posted on February 23, 2022

Did you know that approximately 10,000 Mainers sustain an acquired or traumatic brain injury every year?[1] Acquired brain injuries include events like strokes, brain tumors or prolonged loss of consciousness. Traumatic brain injuries, on the other hand, result from things like car accidents, falls, and sports injuries. Sometimes brain injuries may even go undiagnosed for a period of time due to other health issues a person may be facing. When you have a brain injury, it can be difficult for you and your loved ones to know where to turn. Disability Rights Maine (DRM) helps Mainers with brain injury in ...Read More

2021

Questions & Answers: DRM's Community Mental Health Advocates

Posted by Mark C. Joyce, Esq. on November 08, 2021

DRM's Community Mental Health Advocates: Accessing Community Mental Health Services & the "Self-Referral" Process Q: I learned that DRM recently hired three new community mental health advocates. Do these advocates help people navigate the process of obtaining assessments for Section 17 Community Integration Services (also known as Section 17 Case Management), Behavioral Health Home Services or Assertive Community Treatment Services?A: Yes, these advocates can help people navigate this process of obtaining assessments for these mental health services. Q: Why is that important?A. It is important because many people rely on MaineCare to be able to pay for these services ...Read More

Voting Access a Work in Progress for People with Disabilities

Posted on September 21, 2021

Disability rights activist Justin Dart once said, “vote as if your life depends on it because it does.” Americans have been fighting for their right to vote since the founding of this country. From the elimination of literacy tests and poll taxes, to the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, to the 26th Amendment lowering the voting age, the battle for equality at the voting booth continues and people with disabilities still to face barriers to the electoral process. To this end, Disability Rights Maine (DRM) advocates for equal and independent voting access to people ...Read More

Now is the time to end the discriminatory use of abbreviated school days in Maine

Posted on August 31, 2021

Maine students with disabilities are routinely subjected to abbreviated school days due to disability-related behaviors. While federal law requires that schools provide supportive services when a student’s disability-related behaviors interfere with their learning or the learning of others, many schools choose instead to respond by asserting that these students actually need less services and less time in school. DRM is committed to working with others across Maine to put an end to this absurd practice. And the Kids Team at DRM will continue prioritizing these cases for representation. DRM reviewed its calls for assistance from families for the 2018-2019 and ...Read More

Personal spending and stimulus payments for individuals

Posted by Meghan Ryan on June 21, 2021

Some individuals who receive Social Security benefits are assigned a representative payee. A representative payee is an organization or an individual who has been appointed by the Social Security Administration. A representative payee manages the Social Security benefits of a person who SSA has determined is unable to manage, or direct the management of, their own benefits. Representative payees are in charge of making sure an individual’s needs are being met. These needs can include housing costs, food/groceries, clothing, and medical items/copays. This can also include personal spending money. Personal spending can be any amount of money, given to the ...Read More

The Law Court's Decision in A.S. v. LincolnHealth and Its Impact on Maine's "Blue Paper" Law (34-B M.R.S.A. § 3863)

Posted by Mark C. Joyce, Esq. on June 04, 2021

In January of this year Maine's highest state court, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, also known as the "Law Court", issued a decision called A.S. v. LincolnHealth.[1] This decision had a substantial impact on the process used to hold someone in a general hospital's emergency department under Maine's law for emergency involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital. Below is a Q&A regarding this case: What happened in the A.S. case? Law enforcement took A.S. into protective custody and brought him to an emergency department for a mental health evaluation. Maine statutes allow for a person to be involuntarily admitted to ...Read More

Expanding Employment Advocacy at DRM

Posted by Julia Endicott on April 15, 2021

After several decades with a different agency, DRM began administering the Client Assistance Program or CAP in June 2020. As we approach the one-year mark of the CAP’s return to DRM, we celebrate the expansion of employment advocacy services that DRM is able to provide. What is the CAP? The CAP is a federally-funded program that provides information, assistance, and advocacy to people with disabilities who apply for or are receiving services under the Rehabilitation Act. In Maine, most individuals receiving services under the Rehabilitation Act are those who receive services through the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, either through ...Read More

Students Ages 3 to 22 Get Access to Services After DRM Intervention

Posted on March 20, 2021

Utilizing the systemic complaint process, DRM alerted the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) to two major issues affecting students with disabilities. Decisions in both cases were issued earlier this year. First, a regional office of Child Development Services (CDS) was failing to serve all of their students ages 3-5, with statewide implications. And second, the MDOE’s position that students with IEPs aged-out of eligibility at the end of the school year in which they turned 20 was not in line with federal law. Addressing Systemic Issues within CDS After hearing from multiple families regarding a lack of services in ...Read More

Twenty Five Years After Pineland's Closure: Striving Towards a Restraint-Free Future for All Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Maine

Posted by Barrett Littlefield, Esq. on March 02, 2021

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the closing of Pineland Center. Since the Maine Legislature appropriated funds for the earliest iteration of the institution, the purpose, effect, and philosophy of Pineland changed in response to societal whims and social reforms. Reform movements, often marked by a name change or a new building, failed in their attempts to produce an institution free from abuse and neglect. Similarly, the rights of individuals receiving developmental services changed during the course of the Pineland consent decree; the rights to humane treatment and freedom from abuse and neglect existed in stark contrast to the ...Read More

Captions in a Virtual World - and Beyond!

Posted on January 15, 2021

In 2020, many meetings and conferences shifted from in-person to remote communication. For many of us, that meant using captions for equal access to these events. But what is captioning and what options are available? Captioning makes communication more accessible for individuals who are hard of hearing and deaf. Using either speech-to-text software or a live captioner, spoken word is translated into English text. Captions may, at different times, also be called ‘speech-to-text’, closed captions or subtitles. Let’s explore some different captioning resources available. CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is a paid captioning service available for events and meetings ...Read More

2020

DRM Provides Voting Information to Individuals in Hospitals, Ensuring Their Right to Participate in the 2020 Election

Posted by Mark C. Joyce, Esq. on November 18, 2020

Susan B. Anthony once said: “Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it." However, sometimes “using it” comes with its own struggles. This is certainly true for individuals with disabilities who are patients in psychiatric hospitals. One of DRM's core missions is to protect and advocate for the rights of individuals with disabilities who are patients in psychiatric hospitals. This means that we advocate for individuals to exercise their right to vote. In the month leading up to Election Day 2020, DRM distributed over 700 voting information packets to all of Maine’s psychiatric hospitals. These packets were designed to ...Read More

Protecting the Rights of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities During COVID-19

Posted by Megan Salvin, Esq. on September 08, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to adjust to a “new normal” as we go about our lives. As infection rates begin to decline in harder-hit areas, signs of recovery are emerging. Restaurants, stores and public areas are slowly reopening. Throughout the pandemic, our DD team has been staying in contact with individuals with developmental disabilities and advocating with them for their rights. One area that has been on particular concern to our clients is ensuring that they participate in the process of decision-making when it comes to accessing their communities. Services have not always been truly person-centered ...Read More

The Current Use Exception: Substance Use Disorder’s Uneasy Status as a Disability

Posted on July 26, 2020

The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) is one of the great civil rights success stories of the last half-century. Its recognition of, and reaction to systemic and individualized barriers at every level of American society serves as an example of how legislatures can remedy centuries of discrimination against a population by public and private actors. The ADA’s stated purpose is to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency” for individuals with disabilities. Despite this laudable goal, the ADA explicitly excludes a huge swath of individuals with disabilities from protection. Specifically, individuals with substance use disorders. Why ...Read More

Learn about Maine Relay Speech-to-Speech!

Posted on July 02, 2020

Are you tired of struggling to be understood over the phone?Want to be free to communicate anytime from anywhere? There is a solution. Try Speech-to-Speech (STS) Relay, a free, confidential service for people with a speech disability. Maine Relay STS provides one-on-one support for telephone calls. A specially trained STS operator simply listens to the conversation and repeats your message, whenever needed. There is no special equipment needed- STS can be used from any telephone. (Spanish language relay is also available). ...Read More

DRM Serves on Mental Health Working Group

Posted by Kevin Voyvodich, Esq. on June 18, 2020

In 2019 DRM was appointed a member of the legislatively-mandated Mental Health Working group. I had the pleasure to be the appointed member from DRM on that group. In the first legislative session of 2019 Senator Cathy Breen presented a bill in the Maine Legislature that would create this working group. In the summer of 2019 we began meeting and the attached report was completed in January of 2020. According to the bill that became law, the working group directed to “review the State's mental health system and propose a mental health plan for the State.” DRM would attend the ...Read More

Protecting the Rights of Students with Disabilities During and After the COVID-19 Educational Disruption

Posted on April 21, 2020

Whatever plans you had for April school vacation week, they have changed. We are in the middle of an unprecedented educational disruption. Families across Maine are struggling with the shift to remote learning, which has been particularly difficult for many students with disabilities. And it is now clear that students in Maine should anticipate a remote learning experience through at least the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Schools have not been uniform in their approaches. Some students are receiving daily contact with their teachers. But other students have only received packets to complete with whatever support their families can ...Read More

2019

Pulling Back the Curtain: Maine Children in Residential Placements

Posted on December 04, 2019

In July, Katrina Ringrose and I traveled to Fordyce, Arkansas, to visit a residential mental health treatment program where three Maine youth were living. In my three years at DRM, I have visited youth with disabilities in out-of-home placements across the state of Maine, from Fort Fairfield to Saco, and many places in between. I have also visited Maine children in residential facilities in New Hampshire and Vermont. We conduct these visits using our federal access authority to connect with children placed away from their families and communities. We work to ensure that their rights are protected, that they have ...Read More

DRM Death Investigation Leads to Recommendations for Increased State Oversight of Maine’s Progressive Treatment Program

Posted by Kevin Voyvodich, Esq. on September 10, 2019

Disability Rights Maine (DRM) was contacted by the mother and legal guardian of John Doe[1], a 40 year old man who had been found unresponsive in his apartment and was later declared dead. The mother stated that her son was an individual with mental illness and was living in an apartment that had been staffed by a community residential provider on a 24-hour basis. She stated that approximately a month prior to her son’s death, without warning or notification to her, the residential provider reduced this level of observation from 24 hours to every 15 minutes and then every 3 ...Read More

Issue Spotting in Rep Payee Relationships

Posted on August 27, 2019

For those who may be unfamiliar, a representative payee, or “payee”, is an individual or an organization who manages the Social Security benefits of a person who SSA has determined unable to manage, or direct the management, of their own benefits[1]. You may be wondering how and when SSA decides to appoint a payee. It depends on the situation, but SSA policy presumes that adults are capable of managing their own benefits. However, if there is evidence that an individual may need assistance in managing their finances, SSA will make a “capability determination” to decide if that person needs a ...Read More

Governor’s Budget Repeals Legal Interpreting Fund

Posted by Riley Albair on May 21, 2019

Access to justice is vitally important. Without it, individuals are unable to have their voices heard, exercise their rights, challenge discrimination, or hold decision-makers accountable. For Mainers who are deaf[1], access to justice includes the elimination of communication barriers when attempting to obtain legal services and representation. Attorneys have a responsibility to provide deaf clients with accommodations that they may need to communicate. For nearly 30 years, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has required public accommodations, including attorneys engaged in private practice, to provide equal access to their services.[2] This includes providing sign language interpreters, real-time captioning, or ...Read More

2018

Disability Rights Maine Complaints Lead to First Steps In Stopping the Criminalization of Mental Illness In the Lewiston-Auburn Area

Posted by Mark C. Joyce, Esq. on August 30, 2018

Disability Rights Maine (DRM) is the federally-mandated and State-designated nonprofit agency tasked with protecting and advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities in the State of Maine. DRM’s primary responsibilities include preventing and responding to the abuse, neglect, discrimination, and other violations of the rights of individuals with disabilities. Under both its federal and state authority DRM monitors the treatment of individuals with disabilities, including those with mental illness, to ensure that the services they receive are delivered in conformity with standards mandated by various state and federal laws and regulations. This includes individuals receiving treatment at hospitals ...Read More

2017

Bullying in Schools: Strategies for Effective Intervention

Posted on August 28, 2017

When you think of bullying, you may picture a bigger student demanding lunch money from a smaller student at the back of a bus.  Or, perhaps a demeaning comment made by one student about another’s clothing in a high school hallway.  In reality, bullying is often subtle, persistent, and online.  Maine law recognizes the many forms that bullying can take: a written, spoken, electronic, or physical action which harms, or causes a student to fear harm to their body or property.  It also includes an action that interferes with the rights of a student by creating an intimidating or hostile ...Read More

After DRM Brings Suit, DHHS Agrees to Accommodation Process for Sec. 19 Recipients Affected by 40 Hour Cap

Posted on July 31, 2017

MaineCare members who direct their own services under Section 19, the Adults with Disabilities Waiver, may be able to get some help staying in their own home as a result of a case brought by Disability Rights Maine (DRM).   MaineCare members who receive Sec. 19 services meet nursing home level of care, but are able to, and choose to, live in their own homes.  In order to stay in their homes under Sec. 19, members have help with activities of daily living, such as walking, bathing, eating, etc.  They get the help from Personal Attendants (PAs).    According to ...Read More

April is Fair Housing Month!

Posted by Mark C. Joyce, Esq. on April 18, 2017

The Fair Housing Act was signed into law as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 on April 11, 1968.  This Act is celebrated each April as Fair Housing Month. This law and its later amendments prohibit housing discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of dwellings based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin and disability. As part of the Fair Housing Month activities, I was one of three speakers on a panel that presented a three hour seminar designed for landlords and property managers. The seminar was conducted by the Maine Human Rights Commission in conjunction with ...Read More

Why the AMHI Consent Decree Matters

Posted by Kevin Voyvodich, Esq. on March 13, 2017

Recently, DRM made a presentation to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee about the history of the AMHI Consent Decree and where it stands today.  Signed in 1990, the Consent Decree is an agreement between residents of the Augusta Mental Health Institute and the State of Maine.  The Decree resulted from a lawsuit that was filed in response to problems at the state hospital, including the deaths of a number of patients in the summer of 1989, and problems with the lack of resources in community mental health system.  The agreement required the creation of a new comprehensive state ...Read More

Q&A: Guardianship, Supported Decision-Making, and Powers of Attorney in Maine

Posted by Staci K. Converse, Esq. on January 09, 2017

Some of the most frequently-asked questions of attorneys and advocates who work with adults with developmental disabilities involve decision-making.  These include questions about guardianship, supported decision-making, and other tools to assist people in making decisions about their lives. Historically, decision-making has been thought of as a linear process that relies on two conceptual flaws. That there is a right and a wrong choice to every decision. That people can either make the right decision or they cannot.  Under this paradigm, substitute decision-making was thought of as the answer for people who needed assistance with decision-making.  Frequently, this was done through the ...Read More