For the first time in decades, federal officials are planning to update rules prohibiting disability discrimination in housing and they’re looking for input.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking public comment as it considers revising regulations related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Amanda Athman helped pick up the mobile chicken coop at 21 Roots Farm in Grant and move it to a fresh patch of grass just south of the farm’s apple orchard.

Athman knew just how fast to push the coop so that the squawking chickens could keep up. She then found a spot for the chickens’ “dust bath” — a blue plastic tub full of dirt. A regular dust bath, she explained, helps keep their feathers clean by controlling parasites and preventing oil buildup.

Athman, 22, of Lino Lakes, is part of a pilot program this summer at 21 Roots, a nonprofit hobby farm that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She and five other interns — all of whom have been regular attendees of programs at the farm — have been tapped to be part of a 20-week work-experience program where they are being “trained to be trainers,” said Brittany Wiitala, one of the co-founders of the farm.

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ATLANTA — Lakeya McNeal hasn’t yet taken her son Austin on an airline flight, even though she and her husband travel frequently and the 4-year-old boy loves airplanes.

“We don’t really take him because of his temperament,” she said. Austin was diagnosed last year with autism, and he struggles around loud noises, automated doors and sitting for long periods of time.

But recently, Austin got a chance to experience what it’s like being at the airport and inside an airplane cabin during a “flying rehearsal” at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities.

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Disability advocacy groups are calling on the federal government to stop issuing any new certificates authorizing employers to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage.

Under a law dating back to the 1930s, employers can obtain special certificates from the U.S. Department of Labor allowing them to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. As a result, some individuals earn just pennies per hour.

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As part of a push to diversify, a Barbie doll with Down syndrome is hitting the market.

The new doll is modified to have a shorter frame and longer torso, according to Mattel, the company behind Barbie. Her face has a rounder shape, smaller ears, a flat nose bridge and eyes that are somewhat slanted and almond shaped. In addition, Barbie’s palms have a single line, as is often the case for those with Down syndrome.

Mattel said it worked with the National Down Syndrome Society to create the new doll. Individuals with Down syndrome, siblings, parents and other stakeholders were consulted to ensure accuracy in Barbie’s representation of the chromosomal disorder. The company also indicated that a medical professional reviewed the doll’s physical features.

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BATON ROUGE, La. — Benson Capital Partners, the venture capital firm created in 2019 by New Orleans Saints and Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson, is helping to grow a New Orleans-based startup designed to make it easier for the disability community to find employment.

The startup, called Inclusively, is an online platform that matches job seekers with job openings. What’s unique about Inclusively is that it enables users with disabilities to filter for specific workplace accommodations when searching for jobs.

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After the U.S. House of Representatives passed a plan this week to slash federal spending and raise the nation’s debt ceiling, advocates say access to Medicaid and other disability programs could be imperiled.

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Federal officials are offering up big money in a bid to help young people with disabilities move more successfully from school to work.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration said that $224 million in grants is available for innovative demonstration projects “focused on the creation of systemic approaches to improve access to pre-employment transition services for children and youth with disabilities.”

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A preeminent activist who was instrumental in securing civil rights protections and reimagining life for people with disabilities has died.

Judy Heumann, known as the “mother of the disability rights movement,” passed away Saturday at the age of 75 in Washington. Information posted to her personal website did not specify the cause.

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More theme parks across the nation are implementing staff training and taking additional steps to make visits easier for people with autism and other disabilities.

Legoland said this week that all of its locations in North America will become Certified Autism Centers by the end of March.

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