Disability Rights Florida

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Disability Rights Florida

Providing free and confidential legal and advocacy services to people with disabilities statewide since 1977. Statewide not-for-profit corporation.

Designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities in the State of Florida. Authority and responsibility under eight federal programs.

28/05/2026

A racial slur was said on live TV. The internet argued about it for weeks.
Almost nobody talked about the people caught in the middle: people of color who have Tourette syndrome.
We sat down with Jhónelle Bean to talk about what gets missed when only one side of the story gets told.
Content note: This video discusses a public incident involving a racial slur.

26/05/2026

Some films stay with us. Some feel different when we return to them with what we now understand about ableism, caregiving, grief, and dignity.

For Jhónelle Bean’s episode of Disability Deep Dive, our Deep Cut revisits What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and looks at disability, caregiving, grief, body-shaming, dignity, and the parts of the film that feel very different now.

Watch or listen to the full episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

21/05/2026

This week on Disability Deep Dive, Keith and Jodi talk with Jhónelle Bean, a disability advocate, ASL interpreter, and person with Tourette syndrome.

We talk about Tourette syndrome, public misunderstanding, race, media responsibility, and what happens when people with disabilities are judged before they are heard.

Jhónelle helps unpack common misconceptions about Tourette syndrome, including the reality that tics can look and sound different from person to person. The conversation also looks at the added risks Black people with Tourette syndrome can face when their disability is misunderstood or disbelieved.

In the Deep Cut, Keith and Jodi revisit What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and discuss disability, caregiving, grief, body-shaming, and the parts of the film that feel very different now.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of a racial slur, Tourette syndrome, public harm, and outdated portrayals of disability.

Listen or watch wherever you get your podcasts.
Link in comments

National Disability Rights Network
Disability Rights Texas

19/05/2026

“Accessible beach” can mean a lot of different things, and not all of them answer the questions that matter most.

Before your next Florida beach day, ask:

Is there a beach access mat that reaches the water?
Do beach wheelchairs need to be reserved?
Are accessible restrooms nearby?

A little planning can help protect your time, energy, and access before you arrive.

15/05/2026

Accessible is NOT enough.
Accessible parking does not always mean there is an accessible route.
An accessible beach does not always mean the beach wheelchair is available.
An accessible event does not always mean restrooms, seating, shade, or communication supports are easy to find.

Before you go, ask the questions that protect your time, energy, and right to participate.

Save this checklist before your next Florida beach day, park visit, spring trip, festival, fair, or market.
Link in comments.

14/05/2026

"How did I get here, and how do I get out of this?"

Spencer West on writing Breaking Free: Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself.

Full conversation on episode 1 of Disability Deep Dive Season 3.

🎧 Link in bio.

National Disability Rights Network
Penguin Random House
Spencer West

12/05/2026

Stuck in a job, a relationship, a city, a version of yourself you didn't actually choose. Spencer West says he wrote his new book for everyone who's ever looked at their life and asked how they got there.

Breaking Free is out today.

We covered it on Disability Deep Dive's segment DEEP CUT. Watch or listen to the full episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

National Disability Rights Network
Spencer West
Penguin Random House

10/05/2026

PAIMI helps protect the rights and safety of people with mental health conditions in Florida.

PAIMI stands for the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act. In Florida, this program helps Disability Rights Florida address concerns like abuse, neglect, rights violations, and unsafe conditions in places where people live, learn, receive services, or are held.

Swipe to learn what PAIMI is, who it supports, and why it matters.

This post adapts resources from National Disability Rights Network and Disability Rights Oregon

07/05/2026

Season 3 of Disability Deep Dive starts now.

Episode 1 is with Spencer West, author, speaker, content creator, and a person who has spent years pushing back on the script other people tried to hand him.

His new book is called Breaking Free: Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself. We talked about what it actually takes to do that. Coming out. Therapy. Meditation. The exhaustion of being everyone's "inspiration." Why disabled people don't owe the world an education every
time we leave the house. Dating. Anxiety. Self-doubt. The small daily practices that keep him honest with himself when the internet wants him to be something else.

It's a real conversation. Funny in places, hard in others, practical throughout.

In the Deep Cut, Keith and Jodi sit with the book itself, why it works as a memoir-guide hybrid, what the prompts actually do for a reader, and why "small changes" turns out to be the whole point.

Listen, watch, or share with someone who needs to hear it.
Available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

Link in comments.
Spencer West
National Disability Rights Network
Penguin Random House

30/04/2026

Voting rights are civil rights. When protections for fair representation are weakened, the impact is felt by people and communities who have had to fight for generations to be counted, heard, and represented, including voters with disabilities, Black voters, Brown voters, rural voters, and many others.

Disability Rights Florida remains committed to protecting the rights of voters with disabilities and advancing access to the ballot. Every person deserves the opportunity to participate in our democracy with equal access, dignity, and respect.

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Disability Rights Florida 2473 Care Drive Suite 200

32308

Website

http://www.DisabilityRightsFlorida.org/

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