PWDF Files Lawsuit Against Social Security Administration on Behalf of Mentally Disabled Beneficiaries

In The Spotlight

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the premiere issue of Focus on Mental Disabilities, the quarterly e-newsletter from People With Disabilities Foundation.

According to the 2003 report generated by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, "23% of American adults suffer from a clinically diagnosable mental illness in a given year, but less than half of them will suffer symptoms severe enough to disrupt their daily functioning."

Focus on Mental Disabilities is a forum where we can share news, insights, strategies, and best practices to create an inclusive society for people with psychiatric disabilities.  

PWDF News

PWDF Files Lawsuit Against Social Security on Behalf of Mentally Disabled Beneficiaries

As part of PWDF's ongoing mission to advocate for persons with mental disabilities, it filed a class-action suit on behalf of individuals whose Social Security benefits were being unfairly terminated without regard to their medical conditions. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 seeks to assure the opportunity for disabled individuals to participate in and benefit from the programs receiving federal assistance and from federal agencies. PWDF's complaint alleges the Social Security Administration's procedures prevent mentally-disabled beneficiaries from "meaningful access" to their program.

For further information, please read PWDF's press release.

Steven Bruce (center), Executive Director, Annie Hsia (standing), Program Manager for Advocacy, and Chinese Delegation from Shaanxi Province at PWDF office.

Chinese Delegation Visit

On April 19, PWDF welcomed 17 delegates from Shaanxi Province, China. Headed by Ms. Chaoying Zhang, Chair and Director of the General Office of the Shaanxi League of Disabled People, the group convened to learn about PWDF's programs and supporting services. A presentation by Steven Bruce was followed by numerous questions ranging from the benefits to employers that hire employees with disabilities, the U.S.'s support system for people with disabilities, to PWDF's success rate in representing our clients.

more PWDF News »

Counsel's Corner

Vocational Rehabilitation for Employees and Job Applicants with Mental Disabilities©

Steven Bruce, Esq.

October 14, 2005

* This article was published by The Rehabilitation Professional, January/February/March 2006.

Some of the most brilliant and productive figures in history and today have had psychiatric disabilities. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Lionel Aldridge[1] are among them. To have been deprived of their gifts would have done the world a great disservice. For industry to ignore and/or sideline the mentally disabled would be costly as well. continued»

[1] "People with Mental Illness Enrich our Lives: Information about famous people throughout history who have had a serious mental illness," www.NAMI.org.

Community Currents

Living the Dream

Innovative Peer Counseling

By PWDF Staff Writer

Former drug user afflicted with schizophrenia and HIV is now helping others with mental disabilities. Roy Crew, Director of Office of Self Help, talks to PWDF  about how he discovered the path to the job of his dreams.

"Whether I knew it or anybody else knows it, we've been organized in fighting a battle that, at many times, seems like we were going to lose because to others, we were just a bunch of crazy people," says Roy Crew, Director of the Office of Self Help. As a paranoid schizophrenic, an incest survivor, and a former drug user with HIV, Roy knows firsthand the battles that have been waged against people with mental disorders. continued»

PWDF Profile

Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant's disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney's fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF's educational program organizes workshops and public seminars, provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health, and produces educational materials such as videos.

Continuing Education Provider: State Bar of California MCLE, California Board of Behavioral Sciences Continuing Education, and Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.