Students Who are Disabled

STUDENTS WHO ARE DISABLED

U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) recently sent a letter to Secretary Alphonso Jackson of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, requesting that he and the Department work together to change a new Section 8 housing rule that negatively impacts students pursuing higher education that are disabled.

Creative Living in Columbus contacted Senator DeWine's offices about this new rule and explained how it directly impacts seven of their students and causes potential problems for other students with disabilities in Ohio. Creative Living is a non-profit organization, which operates two Section 8 housing projects that provide low-income housing to severely disabled individuals while they are pursuing job training or educational goals.

"I feel this rule could negatively impact people with disabilities who are pursuing higher education, and I will work to find a way to solve this problem," said Senator DeWine.

The rule was included in the FY06 Treasury, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, and was designed to exclude student athletes from receiving Section 8 rental assistance. An exemption list for this rule failed to include students with disabilities and has the potential to disqualify severely disabled higher education students under the age of 24 from Section 8 housing assistance.

Senator DeWine is also working with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to pursue legislative options for solving this problem.

"We are working to resolve the problem so that students with disabilities have access to the quality of life these housing developments provide," Senator Grassley said. "The service helps residents to live independently."

http://dewine.senate.gov/