Job outlook positive for injured, unemployed workers

by MADISON RICE Finding a job in this economy can be tough for anyone. Fresh college graduates are considered lucky to get their foot in the right door, and there’s little telling what’s available for a person with a high school diploma. Even more unsure are those unemployed with a disability. Fortunately, John Holt, 40, [...]

Changing the way we think about mental illness

by MICHELLE SCHMITT A young man was walking down a Salt Lake City street. Police spotted him and branded him a suspicious-looking character, so they pursued him. The young man ran. Officers caught up with him and took him in for resisting arrest. It turns out the young man was a diagnosed schizophrenic. This is [...]

Disabilities can create courtroom confusion

by JED LAYTON For many people, the courtroom is unfamiliar territory. The judicial process can be difficult to understand and the legal language seems foreign. Life-changing decisions are made by strangers and a significant amount of trust is put in the hands of attorneys, judges and jurors. Add in a communication barrier, and the courtroom [...]

Unsung heroes help disabled access their rights

Story and photo by MICHELLE SCHMITT Sitting in her window office at the Community Legal Center located in the minority-rich northwest quadrant of Salt Lake City, Janis Tetro sees herself as a woman on the front lines in the fight for fairness of the disabled at the Disability Law Center (DLC). A World War II [...]

Employment difficult for injured construction worker

by MADISON RICE Some of us talk about the time we broke our arm in the fifth grade, or maybe how we tore our ACL or MCL playing football or hiking. But would you be telling these glory stories if you knew John Holt? Holt, 40, an action junkie, lives in West Valley City and [...]

Communication difficulties at court disappoint woman

Story and photo by JED LAYTON Lana McKinsey left the Layton City Courthouse bewildered. She had arrived at the courthouse, not because of something she did, but because she was a victim. But when the time arose for her to tell what happened, she was not able to. McKinsey is visually impaired and has partial [...]

Organization tackles legal issues for underprivileged

by DANIELLE MURPHY More than 92,000 low-income households in Utah are affected by civil legal problems each year, including University of Utah students. One particular organization is working to help get voices heard. “…And Justice For All” is an organization encompassing three groups of civil legal services: Disability Law Center, Legal Aid Society of Salt [...]