disabilities

Low-income people who are disabled or over 65 — or both — qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. In 2022, that included 203,000 people in Missouri and 75,000 in Kansas. A bipartisan group of lawmakers agree: the two insurance programs are failing the country's most vulnerable patients.

Missouri secluded and restrained more than 1,000 students last school year. Justyn Jefferson, an 11-year-old from Belton, is one of them. But because schools don't always report instances of seclusion and restraint, it's difficult to know if they're using the techniques legally.

Missouri only started collecting data on seclusion and restraint this year, and many schools aren't reporting how often they use the practices. A Belton mom whose son was repeatedly secluded and restrained says schools are also using those methods in inappropriate ways.

After gaining international recognition from appearing on Netflix’s “Queer Eye” in 2019, Wesley Hamilton of the Disabled But Not Really Foundation decided to open an inclusive gym in Westport.

About 18 million people with disabilities across the U.S. qualify for housing assistance, but do not receive any. This lack of accessible options is prevalent in Kansas City. Here is a list of local organizations that offer housing assistance to residents with disabilities.

Employment for workers with disabilities has reached a record high, but one Kansas City mom says it's not enough. Local groups are taking a more individualized approach to hiring, and finding ways to erase barriers.

Children with intellectual disabilities and behavioral problems sometimes have more serious problems than families can handle. And the results can be tragic.

Olivia Bloomfield, who died in 2022, was a Leawood resident and avid traveler who was born with congenital muscular dystrophy. In January, Kansas City Council officially dedicated the universal changing restrooms at KCI in her memory.

In one of the costliest cases of its kind, the district was ordered to pay a family nearly $250,000, plus ongoing private school expenses, for denying a child special education services.

Sheltered workshops are meant to employ adults with disabilities as they prepare to enter the regular workforce. But in Missouri, these subminimum-wage workers rarely "graduate" to higher-paying jobs — keeping them segregated and reliant on disability payments or family support.

A Kansas law passed in 2021 made it illegal for one person to deliver more than 10 advance voting ballots on behalf of other voters, and puts additional restrictions on handling and verifying advanced ballots.

After adjusting to her own loss of hearing, retired Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans is coming to Overland Park to help raise money for service dogs.