POGO Weekly Spotlight: July is Disability Pride Month

 

July 1, 2023

Editor’s Note: We are outraged by the Supreme Court’s streak of recent decisions stripping basic civil and human rights from millions and reversing hard-fought efforts to advance equality. The court is imposing a regressive agenda that serves a well-monied minority. It’s clear that the influence of dark money on judicial selection and the politicization of the court has contributed to this series of backward rulings. POGO is in solidarity with our staff and those throughout the country whose lives are directly impacted by these cruel decisions. This Disability Pride Month, we’re celebrating disability rights activists and honoring their pivotal achievements. The landmark Americans with Disability Act (ADA) was passed in July 1990, not without immense struggle on the part of disabled activists who fought for years to get our federal government to recognize and protect their basic rights. Our world was not built with accessibility for all in mind, and the progress we’ve made toward a more accessible and inclusive society is due in great part to the hard, unrelenting work of disabled organizers and disability rights activists. This month is also a time to reflect on how far we have to go in excising the ableism embedded in the fabric of public life. The implementation of the ADA had immense impact in some ways but fell short in others. Many businesses and institutions, including the physical and digital infrastructure of our federal government, remain inaccessible to this day. If you’d like to learn more about the latest fights for disability rights, visit the National Disability Rights Network’s resource on active proposed legislation that would advance the fight for disability justice. SAVE THE DATE The Ridenhour Prizes’ Annual Gala Join the Ridenhour Prizes and POGO as we come together to honor heroes across two decades of truthtelling on Wednesday October 25, 2023 at 6:00 PM at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. Subscribe to the Ridenhour Prizes to be alerted when tickets go on sale. INVESTIGATION Policing Gender: How Surveillance Tech Aids Enforcement of Anti-Trans Laws From student spyware to reverse search warrants, surveillance technology may be a significant enforcement tool for the barrage of new state laws targeting transgender people. Read More INVESTIGATION Missing Indigenous Deaths in Custody The Bureau of Indian Affairs has promised to reform its detention facilities, but a new POGO investigation raises questions about whether the agency’s official count of deaths in custody is reliable. Read More QUOTE OF THE WEEK “It is a shockingly high level of potential fraud and one that should have been reduced greatly.” Sean Moulton, Senior Policy Analyst, in ABC News OVERHEARD ONE LINERS “Members of Congress from both parties are missing these deadlines and not disclosing transactions when they’re supposed to according to the law, which in and of itself, from a first principle standpoint, is a really bad thing because you have lawmakers who are not following the law that they made.” Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Government Affairs Manager, in Fox News   “I don’t know if we’ll ever know the extent of the fraud enabled by Womply, but many of the companies that worked with Womply said it was significant.” Nick Schwellenbach, Senior Investigatior, in the Messenger   “Choosing to place the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection within the VA only ensured a lack of independence from agency leadership and a conflict of interest in addressing these issues meaningfully.” Joe Spielberger, Policy Counsel, in Southern California News Group   “His comments in that email are certainly worth an investigation by the agency, the agency inspector general, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Department of Justice.” Scott Amey, General Counsel, in the Intercept Enjoyed this weekend’s edition of the Weekly Spotlight? Forward to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Welcome! 👋 Subscribe here.   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO's Mark Thompson The Bridge: Wade through the jargon with Spurthi Kontham   🎧 The Continuous Action Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

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