Mona Kenyon News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division is working on a new Olmstead Plan in the Silver State, which mandates that public entities ensure people with disabilities are given the opportunity to live in integrated settings. The name is from the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision, which found people with disabilities have the right to receive state-funded services and support in their communities, rather than in institutions. ...

A man in Adel who is part of Iowa's community of people with disabilities has been successful in having an electronic door installed at the U.S. Post Office in town. Robert Fisher, who uses a motorized wheelchair to get around, has been able to get pretty much anywhere he wanted to go until he got to his local post office. ...

With key deadlines approaching at the Iowa statehouse, advocates are calling on lawmakers to provide better wages for direct service professionals, the health care workers who support people with disabilities in the community. At an average of about $14 an hour, the pay is poor and the work notoriously challenging, which makes it hard for providers to attract and retain workers in the field. Mona Kenyon, CEO of Iowa City-based Systems Unlimited, a health care provider, they are 98% Medicaid funded, so companies like hers are calling on the state for higher reimbursement rates. ...