While every election is important, the outcome of the November Presidential election promises to be a turning point for America. As a disabled individual, the next four years can drastically alter my participation in society. From Medicare to COVID-19 policies, any funding cuts f...

Kevin Ha, though barely out of his teens, is no stranger to activism. He, like hundreds of his former classmates in Des Moines have made 2020 a summer of social change, where a new community of activists, artists, and protesters are working to hold our city systems to account. Bl...

In the 2019 legislative session, the Iowa Legislature unanimously passed House File 610, which changes how guardianships and conservatorships in Iowa will be established and maintained. The goal of the new law is to improve protections for people who are under guardianship or are...

The Iowa Caucus is a rite of passage for young people across the state, a beloved institution that holds its own with Snookie’s, Tasty Tacos, and our world famous Butter Cow. Coming together with our neighbors to shape the future of our country is a privilege, and a responsibilit...

Nearly 30 years after the initial passing of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), navigating public spaces is still a challenge for those living with a disability. DRI has worked with the Access Earth app in order to draw attention to local businesses that are and aren’t acce...

I’m an Iowa boy. At 29, I’ve spent 24 years calling Iowa home. I grew up here, went to college here, and now I’ve settled down and chose to call this place home. But, for all that I love about Iowa, I can never shake the feeling that this state doesn’t know I exist.

Like anyone wh...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2019

Anne Matte, Communications and Voting Outreach Coordinator

Disability Rights Iowa

Address: 400 E. Court Avenue, Suite 300, Des Moines, IA, 50309

Tel: (515)278-2502 x34

Toll Free: 1-(800)-779-2502

Fax: (515)-278-0539

Relay: 711

Email: amatte@driowa.org

Web...

Introduction

   If you don’t know any high school athletes who had a concussion recently, you might not know that Iowa has new laws in effect to protect kids from getting re-injured. Getting another concussion before the first one has healed can make a concussion worse, or even le...

When is the last time you saw a romantic movie where a person with a disability was a leading character? Me Before You doesn’t count, since it framed loving someone with a disability as a burden. I’m talking joyful, sexy, they lived happily ever after love.

Just like all humans ev...

Through my work at Disability Rights Iowa, I’ve had the opportunity to meet hundreds of my disabled peers. I have meet inspiring, courageous young people with disabilities and I’ve met outright jerks. I’ve heard people with disabilities speak passionately and lovingly about their...

Heather Reimers is at ease with her sense of style. Her look is a striking contrast of classic, sweeping dresses and youthful tattoos. But her love for fashion goes beyond the aesthetic. She cares about not just what she is wearing, but who made it, how and why.

From a young age,...

As a young boy, my mother brought me to Iowa’s capitol to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ADA. It was a typical Iowa summer day, hot and humid, but the grounds were abuzz with excitement. For the first time, I saw people with disabilities of all kinds, together, reflections...

This Fourth of July, Americans will come together to celebrate our independence and the incredible patriots who made it possible. But those patriots were not just wealthy landowners in powdered wigs.  Patriots come in all shapes and sizes. They are found on our battlefields, in t...

Clowns are the worst. In a world with hairy spiders, pineapple on pizza, and the Cleveland Browns, it takes a particularly evil genius to think up something as creepy as a clown. I recognize some people love clowns. I also recognize that some people are wrong. With pale faces, re...

Since the mid-thirties, the Fair Labor Standards Act has created exceptions for people with disabilities that allowed them to be paid sub-minimum wage, often amounting to pennies on the dollar.  Arising from this system grew a network of segregated warehouses, where people with d...