News
Edison International, Respect-ABILITY Continue to Foster Inclusion
The Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC) will further develop its pioneering statewide alliance, the Respect-ABILITY Coalition with the help of a $150,000 grant from Edison International (EIX), SCE's parent company. The alliance, formed to foster inclusion of people with disabilities, consists of approximately 40 disability, cultural and community organizations and advocates who are dedicated to advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities.
"We envision a society where all people with disabilities can participate fully as equal citizens," says DRLC's Executive Director Eve Hill. "At the heart of our coalition's objectives is the Disability Rights Agenda, a list of proactive long-term goals in health care, employment, education, housing, community services and civil rights. The EIX grant will help realize a society without the discrimination which many people with disabilities face in their everyday lives."
The DRLC works to help people with disabilities become active members in the communities in which they live and work. The EIX grant, to be distributed to the DRLC over a three-year period, will help coalition participants collaborate to implement the following strategies:
- Address accurate and inaccurate media portrayals of the disability rights movement
- Determine accessibility and availability of health care services across the state
- Propose methods and best practices to ensure accessible and affordable housing
- Encourage employers to hire and accommodate people with disabilities
- Participate in efforts to shape regional community services to better integrate people with disabilities in their communities
- Host the bi-annual statewide Respect-ABILITY Conference