Although I live in a rural area that has three hospitals and more doctor offices than you can count, is mainly populated by senior citizens and tons of surgery centers, finding specialty health care here is often very difficult.
If fact for me finding a neurologist that knows how to treat Myasthenia Gravis correctly was impossible. I have to travel over an hour to my neurologist. I’m fortunate that he is used to working with patients who live out of town and is willing to communicate with my doctors and if need be emergency room doctors here.
But, this can take a toll on me as a patient, especially when I am having a flare up. I need to have a ride to his office even if it is for a check up because I can’t drive that distance back and forth in one day. My husband has to take a day off from work for these doctor appointments. We are fortunate because his job offers FMLA, Family Medical Leave Act, so his absence is paid for.
But going through this, makes me want to research New York movers and move to a big city so I can find a specialist close to home. For those of you who live in rural areas, does this same thing affect you?
Disabled Americans have a constitutionally protected fundamental right to vote, just like the rest of us. Beyond this constitutional protection, federal and state laws ensure access to voting places and systems. Election officials must comply with these regulations to avoid litigation. The law gives disabled voters the same opportunity to vote as able bodied citizens, even if extra assistance by election officials or poll workers is required. For example one election law expert suggested offering curb side voting for disabled voters administered by trained poll workers. In general, polling places and workers must be sensitive to the needs of the disabled and make good faith efforts to provide at least the minimum of statutorily defined accommodations at each site.
Federal laws that protect voting rights of the disabled are:
Voting Rights Act of 1965- In addition to providing sweeping protections for minority voting rights, the VRA allowed those with various disabilities to receive assistance “by a person of the voter’s choice”, as long as that person was not the disabled voter’s boss or union agent.
Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984- Mandated “handicapped and elderly” access to polling places, and provided for the creation of permanent disabled access voter registration sites.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990- Prohibited discrimination against “individuals with disabilities” and required that accommodations be made for disabled citizens at places of employment, public service, as well as private operators. The ADA was enacted to ensure that the historical exclusion of disabled Americans in numerous areas, including voting, would be scaled back significantly. Sixteen years after the passage of this landmark legislation, compliance issues remain, with suits filed against local governments to compel better and faster compliance under the law. Read about a recent case here.
If you come across any type of difficulty voting, be it gaining access to your place to vote, voting itself or discrimination from poll workers, please call the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931(voice) or 1-888-305-3228 (TTY - For those who are deaf or hard of hearing). Call right from the polling place if possible. Do not let anyone take your right away to vote! There will be poll watchers available and on call all day during Election Day, November 4th.
There are also volunteers who will be manning the phones for any type of problems at the polls so that these can be handled as soon as possible. In case your issue cannot be solved right away, you have the right to vote using a provisional ballot. But that is a last resort. So please know your rights and take action by calling if there is any problem you come across.
Here is a great video called My Voice, My Vote about your right to vote when you have a disability:
I’ve f0und some more ways to help fund research for Breast Cancer research:
A commenter wrote that you can text “Komen” to 90999 to donate $5 to Susan G. Komen For The Cure!
Email a Duck, Raise a Buck from Munchkin.com. Just create a cute duck and send out an email. Every person that opens the email, helps raises 5 cents for Susan G. Komen.
Buy your own duck for $2.99 and “Munchkin will donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure* a minimum of $0.20 or 100% of net proceeds (whichever is greater) for each pink duck sold, from May 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $10,000.”
Donate to the NBCF, National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. online.
You can also register for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk for 2009. This is not only a way to raise money but a very empowering thing for women to do.
Let’s try to remember these things all through the year and not just in October, Breast Cancer Awareness month.
I have a pretty bad stomach bug that started on Saturday night. My family and I had a great opportunity to go to the playoff game to see the Tampa Bay Rays play to Boston Rad Sox. I was feeling fine when we left for the game and even when we got there.
We ate at a nice restaurant in Tropicana Field and had time to do a few things before we went to our seats. We visited the Rays feeding tank, looked at some of the shops, and watched lots of the fans who were in all kinds of makeup, wearing Rayhawks (mohawks), ringing cowbells, etc. We felt like we were on one of our Disney vacations with all of the site we saw!
The game was great. It was well played and the score was going back and forth. It ended up being a tied game. But that time, it was past midnight and that’s when I started to feel sick. My head was pounding, my throat hurt and my stomach was upset.
I thought I was overtired and did too much yelling. The noise of cowbells and the crowd didn’t help much. But I soon learned that it was more than that. We didn’t get home until 4 AM and part of it was due to my husband having to stop for me to umm, get sick on the side of the road.
I’ve been sick since and with all of the other illnesses I have I need to get back to bed and sleep. I’m glad I got to enjoy the game and didn’t ruin it for my family.
I’ll be visiting your blogs soon and writing more in the next few days, after I’m alll better.
Dan Reinhold is a successful businessman. He is also a father of two sons, one of whom has Autism. He has worked for 12 years in Human Services and as a Home Business Consultant for a State Rehabilitation Community. Now his forte is Work at Home businesses and fundraising.
He donates 10% of his business profits to Autism Speaks, a research organization for the US, Canada and the UK. But with his Wonderful WAHumor Giveaway for Autism Research, he is donating every penny to the Greater Boston, Massachusetts Walk for Autism Research.
Edit: This giveaway ends on Saturday, October 11th Sunday Oct. 12th at 5 AM, so please head on over and make a donation.
All of this is valued at $400 and will help anyone who owns a website, blogs or sells online.
If you donate $25 more, that’s $50 total, you’ll get all of the above, plus:
You’ll be entered into a drawing for the newly released XSitePro Version 2 Website Builder worth over $300 and the XSitePro Cheat Sheet.
You’ll also be entered into a drawing for a seat at Barefoot Bootcamp for Online Profits in November
Dr. Manni’s Nine Business Reports
Here’s your chance to make a difference in the lives of people with autism and help yourself by helping your business too. Please take a look at Dan’s page to read about the details of the individual items he is giving to you when you donate.
I’ve had to go for weekly blood tests since being diagnosed with Gitelman’s Syndrome. Not only are my veins having a tough time of it, my wallet is too. Usually I have no problem with blood tests. I go in the Phlebotomist does her stuff and I’m outta there. Lately though they can’t find a vein to work. I’ve been poked and prodded so much that my arms are bruised.
Then there’s the financial part of it all. It’s bad enough that if we didn’t have good health insurance we’d meet our credit card limit. Thank goodness my husband’s insurance covers most of this. Plus I go once a month for another kidney blood test, once every two months for a CBC and once every three months for blood work for the Rhuematology issues I have.
I just got a card from the blood lab so I don’t have to show my Driver’s License and Insurance Cards any more, kind of like a frequent blood letter card!
He donates 10% of his business profits to Autism Speaks, a research organization for the US, Canada and the UK. But with his 
