Legislative

October 9, 2012 — A consent decree was entered into by plaintiffs National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Western Massachusetts Association of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, and Lee Nettles and the defendant Netflix, Inc. (Netflix). The Consent Decree [Case No.

September 25, 2012—The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, the Habilitation Benefits Coalition, the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation, and the Independence Through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid Coalition, released a technical assistance document that aims to be a resource for states in designing essential health benefits packages for “rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices,” as defined by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

July 26, 2012 – President Barack Obama encouraged the Nation to celebrate the contributions of American with disabilities in his presidential proclamation on the 22^nd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Proclamations acknowledges that there is still work to be done but points out legislative progress toward inclusion such as the implementation of new standards for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which will help ensure and inclusive educational environment for children with disabilities.   [Source:  The Whitehouse]

05.17.2012 – President Barack Obama urged the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted by the United Nations on in 2006 and signed by the United States in 2009.

06.14.2012 – President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order “Accelerating Broadband Infrastructure Deployment.”  The order highlights that access to broadband is essential to the United States’ “global competitiveness in the 21st century” and has the potential to promote job creation and innovation while increasing interoperability for public safety officials.  Many areas lack adequate access to broadband; however the order states that broadband deployment within federal properties including federal lands, buildings and rights of way; federally assisted highways; and tribal lands, has the