October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and one Nevada father is speaking out after his special-needs son endured a traumatic incident.

Jeremy Anderson, a board member with the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, said a year ago, his 17-year-old son was one of two male students with Down syndrome who were "corralled into a bathroom stall" by six peers and encouraged to kiss. The encounter was recorded and later shared on social media. Anderson said these events leave significant and lasting impacts. According to Stopbullying.gov, children with disabilities are at an increased risk of being bullied because certain factors leave them more vulnerable. Anderson later said his son told him he participated in the act because he wanted to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging.

"He did it because he wanted to hear them laugh, and I think that is the saddest part," Anderson said. "My son did this because he thought these kids would think that he was doing something for them at his own expense."

The event has been difficult for his son and family to grapple with, the elder Anderson said. He is calling for people to treat those with disabilities with more kindness, and added the kids who bullied his son "got a slap on the wrist." He said not only does more need to be done to hold bullies responsible, but the institutions where these incidents are happening should also be held to account.

Peter Whittingham, board chair of the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, said bullying has undergone what he calls a transformation. It is no longer just physical, he said, but also involves deeper emotional and psychological impacts, in part because of social media.

Whittingham says many who are part of the school-age population, in his words "exploit the lack of comprehension and inability to make coherent decisions" of those with disabilities. While the state of Nevada does have anti-bullying laws on the books, Whittingham and others are calling on policy makers to find better solutions to mitigate events like this from happening.

"It is time for legislation to be enacted that provides for significant consequences, not just adding in stricter sanctions, but penal consequences for individuals who bully persons from the disability community to the extent that it creates significant emotional trauma."

Whittingham added as a parallel example, there are current laws that take into account the inability for infants and children to make decisions and say "no." He argues a similar approach needs to be taken to protect those with disabilities. If you witness bullying, you can report the incident to a school administrator or at SafeVoiceNV.org, or call the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-216-7233.

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The 1990 legislation prohibits discrimination against people with physical or mental disabilities. Along with becoming a standard part of employment law, it bolsters accessibility in the public environment.

As seminal as the ADA is, said Dr. Sharon McLennon Wier, executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York, more work must be done to achieve true accessibility.

"Even though ADA has been around for many, many years," she said, "there is still ignorance regarding what is true accessibility and how new construction at times can still be put up without following the principles of ADA universal access."

Downstate New York's transportation systems lack ADA compliance. Only 31% of New York City's Subway system is accessible to people with disabilities. Funding has been allocated to make the system 95% compliant. The work would have been done by 2055, but since Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing, these plans have been put on hold indefinitely.

A New York City Comptroller report finds only 40% of the city's disabled population is employed. Statewide reports show post-pandemic employment for people with disabilities is recovering much slower than the nation.

To change this, said McLennon Wier, classroom instructional materials need to be more accessible, "having more raised line drawings, having more Braille available, having more assistive technology that can read various types of charts and diagrams."

She said she thinks certain industries are siloed, but once they open up to better comprehend universal accessibility, more people with disabilities will join them. One place this can work is in STEM fields, as only 3% of that workforce includes people with disabilities.

July is Disability Pride Month, and today is the 34th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Federal data show that more than 42 million Americans have a disability affecting their cognition, mobility, hearing, vision or ability to provide self-care or live independently.

"Studies over and over demonstrate that people with disabilities are a very solid
part of our workforce," said Joe Xavier, director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, which helps people with disabilities thrive at work. "They stay in their jobs, they're committed to the work that they do, and so there's much less turnover with people with disabilities, thereby reducing the cost and all the work associated with that."

Advocates have said companies are responsible for providing accommodation in the same way they provide chairs and technology for all their workers. They encourage companies to follow principles of universal design when building new spaces, so access is not an afterthought.

Britanny Comegna, a member of the State Rehabilitation Council, runs a company called Deaf and Disability Mediation Services and said people shouldn't be shy about direct communication with disabled people.

"When you meet a new disabled person," she said, "you have to ask, 'How do you want to identify? What do you need? And what can I learn from you?' Ask those questions because we really do appreciate that you're making that effort to connect with me and understand me as a person."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to reduce health disparities among adults with disabilities, who have higher rates of smoking, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.


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Advocates for individuals with disabilities want the state of Nevada to further embrace what is known as the "independent living" model.

Dawn Lyons, executive director of the Nevada Statewide Independent Living Council, said the philosophy is centered around people with disabilities being their own experts on their needs and the services they require. Lyons acknowledged within the state's disability community, there exists what she called "inter-conflict," leading to a lack of a unified voice and sending mixed signals to policymakers.

"Even though we have these other voices interfering, saying different things, what it comes down to is 'We don't need to fight each other,'" Lyons emphasized. "I think the reason why we end up with that inter-conflict is because we've been put down so often and we've been told that we don't matter."

Lyons has been with the council for the last eight years and pointed out progress has been made but more needs to be done. She argued education related to independent living is key to moving the needle and the council supports developing educational materials as well as consulting with a state currently employing an effective independent living approach. Lyons explained one of those states could be Colorado, which she adds even has its own independent living agency.

John Rosenlund, program director for the Nevada Assistive Technology Collaborative, said independent living boils down to empowerment. He said he recognizes the state cannot move forward with implementing a philosophy if there are those who do not agree with it or are comfortable with the status quo.

Rosenlund contends centers for independent living across the state have strayed from independent living values such as peer support, individual and systems advocacy and independent living skills training.

"Things aren't right, they've lost the meaning of what independent living is, perhaps," Rosenlund suggested. "Or they're too focused on certain things so that stability at centers for independent living is, in my mind, instrumental."

Rosenlund added the lack of awareness and adoption of independent living's core values is having real effects across the state, with some missing out on real opportunities to enhance their lives. He reminded people without any change or challenge, there will not be any growth.