Latest news with #RehabilitationAct
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Ruth Madeley to headline Being Heumann
Actor Ruth Madeley, of Don't Take My Baby fame, will play the disability activist Judy Heumann in Apple Original Films's Being Heumann, which is an adaptation of the activist's memoir. The film is directed by the Oscar-winning CODA helmer Sian Heder. Being Heumann follows Judy Heumann as she leads more than a hundred disabled people to occupy the San Francisco Federal Building for a sit-in protest in 1977, seeking the enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, enabling accessibility to federal spaces to all. Heumann was bound to a wheelchair after being affected by polio at 18 months. Subjected to discrimination since her childhood, she turned to disability rights activism after being denied enrollment in a public school. She has led several campaigns and was instrumental in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act through her civil rights organisation Disabled in Action. She occupied leadership positions under the Clinton and Obama administrations. Having starred in The Almond and the Seahorse and the Netflix film Joy, Madeley's big break came with the 2015 BBC drama Don't Take My Baby. Madeley, known for championing disability representation in the arts, was born with spina bifida - a condition affecting the spine and spinal cord development. She'll next lead BBC's The Rapture, a five-part adaptation of Liz Jensen's bestseller.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Prison heat lawsuit gets go-ahead
A federal judge has rejected a request by Florida corrections officials to dismiss a potential class-action lawsuit alleging the state has violated inmates' rights because of hot conditions at a prison in Miami-Dade County. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Wednesday issued a 30-page ruling that said inmates at Dade Correctional Institution can pursue claims under the U.S. Constitution's 8th Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act and a disabilities-related law known as the Rehabilitation Act. The 8th Amendment bars cruel and unusual punishment. Williams' ruling described a prison with a large number of older inmates that does not have air conditioning or adequate ventilation in dormitories or in the dining area. It also detailed heat indexes that often top 100 degrees in South Florida and said inmates are 'regularly and consistently exposed to heat indexes within the NWS (National Weather Service) danger zone during the summer months.' 'Plaintiffs further allege that the issue of excessive heat at Dade CI is exacerbated by insufficient ventilation systems,' Williams wrote. 'Plaintiffs allege that the ventilation systems in the dormitories, which were installed decades ago, have not been adequately maintained and are missing critical components, such as fans and motors.' Attorneys for three inmates filed the lawsuit in October against the state Department of Corrections, Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon and Dade Correctional Institution Warden Francisco Acosta. It seeks class-action status, though Williams has not ruled on that issue. The prison has a capacity of 1,521 inmates. The named plaintiffs are Dwayne Wilson, who was described in the lawsuit as a 66-year-old inmate with hypertension, an enlarged prostate and a burn scar over much of his body that impairs his ability to sweat; Tyrone Harris, a 54-year-old inmate who has conditions such as hypertension and asthma; and Gary Wheeler, a 65-year-old inmate who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In a December motion to dismiss the case, the state's attorneys argued, in part, that the 8th Amendment argument 'fails because the facts do not give rise to a substantial risk of serious harm to plaintiffs, nor demonstrate that Secretary Dixon or Warden Acosta has been deliberately indifferent to the conditions and risks faced by these (named) plaintiffs in particular.' 'By itself, the lack of air conditioning does not pose a substantial risk of serious harm. The deprivation required to allege an Eighth Amendment claim must be objectively 'extreme' enough to deny an inmate 'the minimal civilized measure of life's necessities.' The allegations of the complaint (the lawsuit) have not 'cleared this high bar.'' the motion said, partially quoting legal precedents. But Williams wrote that the lawsuit 'alleges a wide range of heat related injuries: heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat stroke, and death. Plaintiffs also extensively detail how excessive heat can exacerbate underlying medical conditions, in a facility where over 50 percent of all prisoners are over the age of 50. Finally, plaintiffs allege that, since 2021, extreme heat has contributed to the deaths of at least four individuals at Dade CI.' She also said that attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote to Acosta in September 2023 'detailing concerns about the extreme heat, lack of ventilation, and the serious threat of medical harm posted to the inmates based on those conditions. The court finds that the allegations plaintiffs raise about the ongoing excessive heat issues at Dade CI easily support the plausible inference that defendants were subjectively aware of the risks of heat-related harms.' The Miami-based judge also cited a report published in 2023 by the KPMG consulting firm, which had received a state contract to develop a master plan for the Department of Corrections. 'The report concluded that most FDC (Florida Department of Corrections) dormitories, including those at Dade CI, require retrofitting to comply with current ventilation standards, and that over one-third of FDC facilities were assessed to be in 'critical' or 'poor' condition,' Williams wrote. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘CODA' Director Sian Heder's ‘Being Heumann' Lands Ruth Madeley as Lead
Ruth Madeley will play disability rights activist Judy Heumann in the Apple movie Being Heumann from CODA director Sian Heder. The BAFTA-nominated actress will play Heumann as she leads over a hundred disabled people to take over the San Francisco Federal Building, kicking off a 28-day sit-in. The protest led to the enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which required all federal spaces to become accessible. Heumann, known as 'the mother of the disability rights movement,' was a central architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She died in 2023 at the age of 75. More from The Hollywood Reporter Lin-Manuel Miranda and Original 'Hamilton' Cast Performing at Tony Awards John Mulaney's Fight With Three 14-Year-Olds Was a Bit of a Letdown Sydney Sweeney, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, Michelle Yeoh Films Sell Wide at Cannes The film is based on Heumann's best-selling memoir of the same name, which Heder and Rebekah Taussig adapted for the screen. Heder will also produce under her overall deal with Apple, along with David Permut and Kevin Walsh for The Walsh Company via that banner's overall deal with the studio. Heumann's managers John W. Beach and Kevin Cleary of Gravity Squared Entertainment will also serve as producers. Executive producers include a posthumous credit for Heumann, Being Heumann co-author Kristen Joiner and Diana Pokorny. 'What an unbelievable honor to play The Mother of disability rights, an icon and powerhouse to the disabled community. Judy has always been a source of inspiration for me personally, and I am so excited to share her story with the world,' said Madeley, who was born with spina bifida. Her credits include U.K. series Dr. Who and Years and Years. Madeley is repped by Curtis Brown and Tapestry London. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Judge orders City of Chicago to install accessible pedestrian signals
CHICAGO (WGN) — Kathy Austin and her guide dog, Rowen, navigate the streets of Chicago together, but it can often be a harrowing experience due to the lack of accessible pedestrian signals in the city. 'It's too difficult to cross down here with all the noise going on around us. You can hear, and it's difficult to hear the traffic,' Austin said. 'It's terrifying. I know one person who has gotten hit in a crosswalk without a signal.' Austin, a blind resident of Chicago, isn't alone in being able to recount instances when those like her were put in harm's way by not having the right assistance traversing pedestrian crosswalks. Jean Johnson, another blind resident of the city, shared similar sentiments to those expressed by her. 'I've had a lot of close calls. There are times when I know I have the white walking guy and people aren't paying attention,' Johnson said. 'I've been almost hit on several occasions just trying to cross the street.' As of Wednesday, only 3% of signalized intersections in Chicago have accessible pedestrian signals (APS), which are meant to help visually impaired pedestrians cross the road. Since there are so few intersections have APS in a city as large as Chicago, a group of blind residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the city. 'The case was brought under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is the part of the ADA that applies to public entities, state and local governments,' said Rachel Weisberg, an attorney with Disability Rights Advocates (DRA). 'We also brought this case under Section 504, of the Rehabilitation Act.' DRA attorneys were in court Wednesday, where they reviewed a judge's remedial order that will require the city to install APS devices at 71% of its signalized intersections in ten years, and get to 100% compliance in 15 years. 'We're way behind,' Weisberg said. 'And Chicago is a first-class, incredible city, and everyone who lives here deserves to be able to safely and independently navigate our pedestrian signals.' While the remedial order serves as a sign of progress in Chicago, blind residents like Austin and Johnson still expressed a blend of disappointment and optimism. 'These should be in place already,' Johnson said. 'Ten years is a nice pad for them, but I think it's too long.' 'You go to any other cities, and many of them already have every intersection already equipped with these APS signals,' Austin said. 'So, it's a long time coming. Hopefully, it will happen quickly.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu government amends rules to prohibit caste discrimination in prisons
The Tamil Nadu government has amended rules to prohibit caste-based discrimination in prisons and correctional institutions in the State. A sub-rule introduced in the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, 2024 said manual scavenging or hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank inside a prison should not be undertaken, in line with the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. At the time of admission of a prisoner, prison authorities should not enquire or obtain and record any details of the caste of the prisoner, according to the fresh sub-rule. There should be no provision or column pertaining to caste of the prisoner shall be maintained in any register or record. 'It shall be strictly ensured that there is no discrimination or classification or segregation of prisoners on the basis of their caste,' the rules said. 'It shall be strictly ensured that there is no discrimination of prisoners in allotment of any duty/work in prisons on the basis of their caste,' it said. The provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 should have a binding effect in prisons and correctional institutions. 'Manual scavenging or hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank inside a prison shall not be undertaken', the new sub-rule said. In October last, the Supreme Court had delivered a judgment directing the Union government and States to revise their respective prison manuals and rules to address caste-based discrimination in prisons. The sub-rule has been included after the rule of separation of categories in prisons. Prisoners are segregated subject to the availability of accommodation on various categories as per the TN Prison Rules, 2024. They are segregated on 'A' class prisoner from 'B' class prisoners, civil prisoners from criminal prisoners, female prisoners from male prisoners, adult prisoners from young offenders, convicted prisoners from under-trial prisoners, habitual prisoners from non-habitual prisoners, prisoners suffering from communicable diseases. Prisoners suspected to be suffering from mental disorders, homosexuals, sex perverts, drug addicts and traffickers in narcotics, inmates having suicidal tendencies, inmates exhibiting violent and aggressive tendencies, inmates having escape discipline risks and known bad characters are the other segregations, as per the rules.
