- DivorceDivorce and Children with Disabilities – Unique Issues to Consider. Sponsored by the Collaborative Divorce Attorneys of Fairfield County, Darien, CT.
- GuardianshipGuardianship, at one time seen as a benign way to “protect” people with disabilities, is now seen as an intrusion into a person’s basic civil and human rights and a legal process to be avoided. Guardianship was originally used to handle and control property and property rights for individuals considered incompetent (or in the language of most statutes prior to the 50’s – “imbeciles, idiots, feebleminded, insane and cretins” – “gamblers and ner-do-wells” were sometimes also included). Guardianship of the Person was added as an afterthought to the duties of a Guardian of the Estate.
- Sexual HarassmentPossibly. Under federal law, public schools, which receive federal funds, may not discriminate on the basis of sex. Sometimes, the harassment of a gay student will be sexual harassment forbidden by this federal law, known as Title IX. Complaints can be made to your school Title IX coordinator, as well as to the federal Dept. of Education, Office of Civil Rights, in Boston. You may also consult with an attorney and go directly to Court.
- Social Security DisabilityI strive to empower self-advocates with the strategies they need to take their rightful place in our community. I am an attorney whose practice is limited to Special Education issues, Section 504 matters, Juvenile matters, Americans with Disability Act (ADA) violations, and other disability discrimination cases. I also feel privileged to represent students who are LGBTQ who are facing discrimination issues. I also have successfully appealed Social Security Disability matters for individuals with disabilities.
- Disability DiscriminationAttorney Treimanis supports the findings and purpose stated by Congress in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Attorney Treimanis is committed to insuring that this law is complied with.
- TrustsDecember 8, 2014: Focus on Guardianship and Special Needs Trusts: Helping your child live the best life possible. Panelists: Anne I. Treimanis, special education attorney; Michael Beloff, special needs financial planner. Greenwich Town Hall, Greenwich, CT 06830. Sponsored by Abilis http://www.abilis.us.
- Power of AttorneyThese efforts have resulted in the development of many alternative methods to handle decision-making that assist individuals with disabilities and their advocates. For instance, the use of durable powers of attorney are used in order to designate a person to discuss and make decisions about medical decisions, living situations, confidentiality issues and other areas of concern. In this way, family members or others who have always assisted the individual in making such decisions can continue to do so without filing a petition to become guardian and actually take away the right of the individual to make such decisions. The power of attorney allows the individual to give that power to someone, and they can also take away that power if they become unhappy with the decisions being made. Many state laws will allow for such powers of attorney and also recognize that the level of informed consent needed to execute such a document is lower than that needed for other legal arrangements under law. As an example, in Michiganthe standard for executing a medical power of attorney is that the individual must be “of sound mind”, which is the same standard as seen in the realm of Michiganwills and testaments. In order to execute a will, “average mental capacity at the time of the execution of the will is not necessary to its validity. A less degree of mind or capacity is requisite to execute a will than to make a contract covering the same subject matter.”