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The Disability DIGEST
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June 2025
When Your Body Files a Complaint
EVERYDAY TASKS, UNEXPECTED INJURIES
June is National Safety Month, which seemed like a good time to talk about injuries, especially the ones that sneak up on you. I say that because I recently managed to give myself tennis elbow using a computer mouse. That’s right. I wasn’t playing too many sports or lifting anything heavy — just clicking. It turns out that when you spend hours at a desk every day with bad ergonomics and a low-quality mouse, your body will eventually file a complaint. It’s hard to admit to it without feeling ridiculous. But it also reminded me of something important: I’m not 25 anymore. And the older I get, the more I understand just how easy it is to get hurt doing something that used to be no big deal. That goes double for my clients. Most people I work with aren’t sitting in offices all day. They’re out doing physical work, and the risk of injury is much higher than most of us realize. Understand what really causes injuries. When people think of workplace injuries, they usually imagine something dramatic, like falling off a ladder or getting run over by a forklift. These things happen, but most cases I see don’t look like that. They’re injuries caused by lifting a box that’s a little too heavy or moving office furniture when it should be left to someone else. It’s the everyday stuff that gets you.
Unfortunately, when that happens, it’s rarely met with sympathy. Instead, employers and insurance companies jump straight to, “Well, you’ve got arthritis,” or “That was probably already bothering you before.” Sure, maybe your knee wasn’t perfect before you slipped and fell, but it also wasn’t swollen and keeping you up at night. That’s where it gets tricky. You’ve got to report these injuries right away, even if you think you’ll shake it off. I’ve seen too many people tough it out on Friday and then show up on Monday only to have their claim questioned. Suddenly, it’s not about what happened — it’s about when you said something. That slight delay gives the employer and insurance company room to doubt you, and they will. Don’t let the system work against you. Once you report an injury, the next major hurdle is navigating the system. This is especially true in Georgia, where your employer provides a list of approved doctors. You must choose from that list, and not all options are created equal. Some doctors will genuinely try to help. Others? They’ll send you back to work and pretend nothing happened. That’s why I always tell people to call a lawyer early. Even if you’re not
sure you’ll need one, it helps to have someone walk you through it. Plenty of people call me just for advice, and we never file a claim. But at least they know what to watch for. The truth is that workers’ compensation is not built to protect you. It’s built to protect employers and insurance companies. If you go into it blindly, trusting it will all work out, you might lose out on benefits you’re entitled to. Even worse, you could pick the wrong doctor and never fully recover.
Stay safe and speak up. Ultimately, getting hurt on the job
doesn’t make you weak, and it doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. Injuries happen — even if you just move a filing cabinet or walk across a parking lot. So, take care of yourself, speak up early, and don’t try to tough it out. And if you need help figuring out what to do next, give me a call. That’s what I’m here for.
–Joel Thrift
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A MILESTONE RULING
Supreme Court Upholds Gun Ban for Domestic Abuser
Protecting citizens’ Second Amendment right to own a gun is vitally important to many Americans. However, domestic violence and gun ownership can be a lethal combination. Assault on a spouse or partner can easily escalate to murder when one partner has access to a gun. In an 8–1 decision in U.S. v. Rahimi, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a person can be disarmed if they pose a credible threat to another person’s physical safety. The 18-page decision overturned a lower court ruling that banning gun ownership and possession for persons under a domestic violence restraining order violates the Constitution. Advocates for domestic violence victims welcomed the decision. Battered spouses are at greatest risk after leaving a relationship, filing a police report, or petitioning for a restraining order against their partner. In a 2023 study of 25 years of data, 56% of female homicide victims were murdered by men who were former or current
judiciary by setting a strict “history and tradition” test for the constitutionality of gun laws, according to The Trace, an independent, nonprofit news organization. In the Bruen ruling, the Supreme Court upheld individuals’ right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense, reasoning that a gun regulation must have an analog in early American history in order to be constitutional. That decision called into question a large number of earlier court rulings holding that gun regulations could be evaluated in the broader context of modern research, circumstances, and technology, sparking numerous challenges to gun laws and a flood of conflicting judgments. Based on the Rahimi ruling, proponents of gun control hope the courts will also uphold other laws restricting gun ownership under exceptional circumstances, including prohibitions for felons, people with severe mental illness, and individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. Justice Clarence Thomas authored the lone dissenting opinion in the Rahimi case based on his absolutist interpretation that, at the time the Second Amendment was written, it did not regulate firearms possession by people who threaten physical harm to others. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts disagreed, reasoning that, since the nation’s founding, firearms laws have restricted citizens bent on hurting others from legal access to a gun. Those laws should not be explicitly limited to rules that existed at the nation’s
intimate partners. Other research links a domestic abuser’s access to a gun to a five-fold increase in homicide. The ruling is encouraging to proponents of gun control. It creates breathing room in the wake of the court’s February 2023 ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. The Bruen decision sent ripples throughout the
founding. Instead, he wrote, “When an individual poses a clear threat of physical violence to another, the threatening individual may be disarmed.”
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TAKE A BREAK
The Hidden Health Risks of Burnout Canary in the Coal Mine?
ADVENTURE BAREFOOT FATHER GEMINI HIKING JUNETEENTH PARK PICNIC PRIDE SANDALS SUNBURN VOLUNTEER
Does your job or housework leave you feeling burnt out? If so, you aren’t alone. Burnout is a common affliction in our technological age. An estimated 48% of employees and 53% of managers claim they’re burned out, according to a 2022 Microsoft survey of 20,000 workers, and stress levels have worsened since then. Career-driven people, overworked employees, and working people from all walks of life can experience alienation, extreme exhaustion, loss of meaning, and reduced performance, all hallmarks of burnout. The term was coined in the 1970s to denote the exhaustion often experienced by people in the helping professions. Burnout is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the professionals’ guide to diagnostic standards. However, the World Health Organization recognizes it as a factor in people’s health. Some doctors use the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a scale measuring a person’s level of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy, to diagnose burnout. Items include, “I feel emotionally drained by my work.” The symptoms of burnout can serve as the canary in the coal mine — an early warning that overload, overwork, or stress may be on the verge of harming your health. Consider an extended break from work to ease the strain. If your ennui deepens into low self-esteem, guilt, hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide, a vacation or long weekend isn’t likely to help. Clinical depression or anxiety requires different treatment by a therapist or mental health professional. The bottom line: If you’re feeling burned out, it’s time to put on the brakes, check out for a while, and tune in more closely to your overall well-being!
SIMPLE SUMMER GARDEN PASTA Inspired by TheKitchn.com
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil • 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, to taste) • 1 tsp kosher salt Ingredients Directions 1. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper and toss until well coated. 2. Cover and let the mixture sit at room temperature while the pasta cooks. 3. Add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook per package directions until al dente. 4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add to the tomato mixture. 5. Coarsely chop the basil leaves. 6. Add the pasta, Parmesan cheese, and chopped basil to the tomato mixture and toss again until combined. 7. Serving suggestion: Add cooked, chopped chicken to add protein! • 1/2 tsp black pepper • 1 lb angel hair pasta • 1 cup fresh basil • 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese • Cooked, chopped chicken for serving (optional)
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Truth About Workplace Injuries
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2
Pivotal High Court Ruling Opens Door to Limited Gun Restrictions
3
How Burnout Can Signal Depression
Simple Summer Garden Pasta
4
The House That Spite Built
TRAFFIC STOPPER A HISTORIC TINY HOME BUILT ON SPITE
Tiny homes may be all the rage for budget- conscious house hunters these days. But none has as engaging a history as the diminutive Alexandria Spite House in Virginia. Brickmaker John Hollensbury built this 7-foot-wide rowhouse nearly 200 years ago — not to live in, but to fill up the alley next to his splendid two-story brick home in what is now the Old Town district of Alexandria. Hollensbury was bothered by horse-drawn carriages trying to squeeze through the alley, scraping against the brick walls of his and his neighbor’s houses, and loiterers gathering in the area. Hollensbury decided to close the alley forever by building a house in it — not to create living space, but to block the alley — thus its name, the Spite House. The little
dwelling is squeezed in so tightly that its neighbors’ exterior walls serve as its interior. Its 25-by-7-foot area is spread over two floors, producing a total floor space of 325 square feet. The little home is comfy enough that one couple lived there for 25 years. Its most recent owner bought it in 1990 for $130,000 and used it occasionally. The Spite House at 523 Queen St. is Alexandria’s best-known tiny home, but it isn’t the only one. Three other tiny houses, all 1–3 feet wider, were also built in alleys during the 19th century. This may seem like a cheap way to build since all that is needed is a roof and rear and front walls. Nevertheless, based on the latest available sales data from 2014, one of these alley houses sold for a cool $424,000!
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