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Many people with disabilities face discrimination, segregation, and rights violations in the community. OLRS works with people with disabilities to assure their rights are upheld in these situations. The following are some recent cases where OLRS worked in partnership with those individuals to resolve community living issues.
Retrieving mail from a mail box on the side of a busy street posed serious safety threats to an individual who has visual and mobility disabilities. Now her mail is delivered directly to her front door after she, with the assistance of OLRS, worked with the local postmaster general. When the postmaster refused the woman's original request to have mail delivered to her door, she contacted OLRS for assistance. She and OLRS sent a letter to the postmaster requesting hardship delivery, advising the post office of its duties under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The letter included a statement from a physician documenting her disabilities. After receipt of the letter, the postmaster agreed to the accommodation and arranged for delivery of the woman's mail to her door.
An OLRS client and her service animal are enjoying apartment living without the additional expense of a costly pet deposit. She contacted OLRS when her landlord required a $300 deposit for her cat. The cat is her support animal. OLRS, with guidance from the individual, sent a letter, with supporting documentation, to the landlord requesting an accommodation for her support animal. OLRS also informed the landlord that fair housing regulations prohibit a pet deposit for service animals. The landlord agreed to waive and refund the deposit to the woman.
An individual continues to live in her apartment and independently manage her finances after her landlord threatened eviction because she did not choose to participate in the Social Security's Representative Payee Program. The woman, who had never used a payee through the Social Security program, was required to apply for the program as a condition of her tenancy. However, she was dissatisfied with how the payee handled her money and the rate charged for this service. Also, she was never late with a rent payment, other residents in the facility do not have a payee and the payee requirement is not in the lease agreement. She cancelled the payeeship but once the payee was removed she was served an eviction notice. She decided to contact OLRS. OLRS negotiated with the landlord who rescinded the notice to vacate.
Article posted October 28, 2009