disabilities

During the school year, Sarah Adam is an assistant professor of occupational therapy at St. Louis University. But this summer, she’s turning her studies toward the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

A pair of noisy upstarts are out-hustling the establishment to create a space for themselves in Kansas City's jazz scene. Plus: A Platte City man with Down syndrome has built a life with a job he loves and a place of his own to call home.

Families and caregivers might feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to do after a child receives a diagnosis like autism. Children's Mercy Hospital launched a new program to increase support and guidance; helping families navigate resources and early interventions.

In the five decades Dustin Sheridan has been alive, understanding of and resources for people with Down syndrome has grown tremendously. Now, he has a job he loves and a place of his own to call home.

Disabled people face nearly double the rate of unemployment compared to those without a disability, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job coaches can be difficult to come by, but these direct support services can help people with disabilities navigate employment challenges.

The Johnson County Mental Health Center provided more than 35,000 rides last year for people with mental health and intellectual disabilities. The program helps clients get around Kansas City plus offers peer-to-peer support.

The ordinance adds new protections for victims of hate crimes in Kansas City by adding an enhancement penalty for hate-motivated municipal offenses. It is the Kansas City Council’s first major legislative action this year.

Does gender dysphoria count as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act? The question lies at the center of a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri earlier this month.

October is National Employment Disability Awareness Month, but there’s still more organizations need to do to create accessible workplaces.

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.