JFActivist

The Self-Defined Perspectives of Women and Girls with Disabilities

via the Center for Women Policy Studies (7.29.11):

In 2011, the Center launched an online series of new Barbara Faye Waxman Fiduccia Papers On Women and Girls with Disabilities. The 2011 Barbara Faye Waxman Fiduccia Papers will present the self-defined perspectives of women with disabilities – both in the USA and globally – on such topics as: access to health care, reproductive rights and health, violence against women and girls, women and AIDS, educational equity, family life and parenting, employment and economic development, balancing work and family, participation in Government at every level – from local to national to international.

>>>To View the Fiduccia Papers

Disability Rights: A Global Grassroots Movement

via the Gazette (7.28.11):

Disability Rights: A Global Grassroots Movement

This month marks the anniversary of an important milestone in a global movement to improve the lives of millions of people, a movement with roots in small towns in Iowa and many other places...

Over the past 21 years, the movement has continued to grow and is now utilizing innovative methods to advance the effort.

Last month, the World Health Organization and the World Bank jointly published the first World Report on Disability. It describes more than 1 billion people worldwide living with a disability....

>>>For the Full Article

Study Finds Bullying More Common Among Students with Disabilities

via DisabilityScoop (7.29.11):

Study: Bullying More Common Among Students with Disabilities

by Michelle Diament

Kids with disabilities and other special health care needs are at increased risk for bullying and generally show less motivation to succeed in school, new research indicates.

The findings come from a study published this week in the journal Pediatrics that looked at more than 1,450 students in fourth through sixth grade attending three rural school districts in Maryland and West Virginia.

Through surveys of the students and their parents, researchers found that about 1 in 3 kids in mainstream classrooms at the schools had some type of special health care need ranging from asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to emotional and behavioral disorders.

>>>For the Full Article

Streets and Roads to Become More Accessible

via AAPD (7.29.11):
 

Streets and Roads to be more Barrier-Free: Access Board Proposes New Guidelines for Public Rights-of-Way—Comments due Nov 23!

By Julia Feinberg, AAPD Policy Intern

On the 21^st Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Access Board presented new proposed guidelines for public rights-of-way.  These guidelines include new proposed regulations for Pedestrian Access Routes (sidewalks, street crossings, curb ramps), Detectable Warning Surfaces, Multi-Lane Roundabouts, Transition Stops and Shelters, Pedestrian Signals, On-Street Parking and Passenger Loading Zones, and Street Furniture and Other Elements. The proposed guidelines would only be applicable to newly constructed areas or areas undergoing alterations.

Highlights:

All Pedestrian Signals that have visual signs for when it is safe to cross the street also must have audio and tactile warnings. This will be hugely helpful for people with visual and other disabilities.  Similarly, Detectable Warning Surfaces, which alert pedestrians to street crossings and open drop-offs, would now be required.  Of great interest to those of us that drive, 4% of parking spaces would be required to be accessible, but this may vary depending on the number of total parking spaces in the area.  Street Furniture such as drinking fountains, toilet facilities, and benches must also be made accessible per the updated requirements.

Send in your comments and thoughts directly to the US Access Board by November 23^rd, 2011!

 

Other Advocacy Steps...

1. Read the proposed regulations at www.access-board.gov/prowac/nprm.htm.
2. Attend public hearings on the proposed rules if you are in Dallas TX on Sept. 12^th or Washington DC on Nov. 9^th. Visit Access Board website for the locations, at http://www.access-board.gov
3. Listen in on the Access Board webinar on August 9^th, via website www.accessibilityonline.org, to learn more about these proposed regulations.
4. Submit comments and thoughts on these proposed regulations by November 23^rd, 2011 online at http://www.regulations.gov (ID is ATBCB-2011-0004), via Email row@accessboad.gov, or via Fax 202-272-0081, or snail mail Office Of Technical and Informational Services, Access Board, 1331 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.

On ADA Anniversary, Obama Recommits to Enforcing and Protecting Civil Rights for All

via the White House (7.26.11):

On Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Obama Administration Recommits to Enforcing and Protecting the Civil Rights of All

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law.  That landmark civil rights legislation reaffirmed the idea that all our citizens, regardless of disability, are entitled to the same privileges, pursuits, and opportunities as everyone else.  As the Obama Administration marks that anniversary, there still remain many steps we must take together to ensure that the spirit and letter of that law are upheld.

“The promise of the ADA was that all Americans should have equal access and equal opportunity, including Americans with disabilities,” said President Obama.  “The ADA was about independence and the freedom to make of our lives what we will.  We celebrate that today, and we recommit ourselves to ending discrimination in all its forms”...

>>>For the Full Press Release

Presidential Proclamation -- Anniversary of the ADA

via the White House (7.26.11):

Presidential Proclamation--Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Generations of Americans with disabilities have improved our country in countless ways. Refusing to accept the world as it was, they have torn down the barriers that prohibited them from fully realizing the American dream. Their tireless efforts led to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation in our Nation's history. On this day, we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the ADA and the progress we have made, and we reaffirm our commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans.

Each day, people living with disabilities make immeasurable contributions to the diversity and vitality of our communities. Nearly one in five Americans lives with a disability. They are our family members and friends, neighbors and colleagues, and business and civic leaders. Since the passing of the ADA, persons with disabilities are leading fuller lives in neighborhoods that are more accessible and have greater access to new technologies. In our classrooms, young people with disabilities now enjoy the same educational opportunities as their peers and are gaining the tools necessary to reach their greatest potential.

>>>For the Full Press Release

Secretary Sebelius to Keynote ADA Anniversary Celebration

via AAPD (7.26.11):

Secretary Sebelius to Keynote ADA Anniversary Celebration

Senator Enzi, Senator Pryor and disability leaders to be recognized at event

WASHINGTON, DC – July 25, 2011 – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, is pleased to announce that Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will give the keynote address at AAPD’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) anniversary event and Justice For All Award celebration on July 26.

Secretary Sebelius will help celebrate the 21st anniversary of the ADA and AAPD’s Justice for All recipients for their leadership on disability issues: Senator Mike Enzi (R-WI), Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Tom Tauke, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Policy and Communications at Verizon, and Bruce Darling, National Organizer with ADAPT.  Mark Mellman, CEO of The Mellman Group, a polling and consulting firm, will receive the Thomas Paine Award, given to individuals who improve the voter participation of people with disabilities.

>>>For the Full Press Release

Tuesday, July 26th --- Call-In Day to Save the CLASS Act

via Leading Age (7.22.11):

 

The Community Living Assistance and Supportive Services (CLASS) Act, which many of you worked so hard to help create, is under threat of repeal and we need your help to save it.

On Tuesday, we'll be hosting a Call-In Day to Save CLASS.

We hope you'll participate by sending by calling 888-785-9795 on Tuesday, July 26, and telling your members of Congress 3 main reasons repealing the program would be a mistake:

1.    CLASS Helps Americans - The CLASS program provides families with an affordable way to plan for future supports and services. CLASS will allow more Americans the ability to remain in their homes while getting the care they need.

2.    CLASS Saves Money - The Congressional Budget Office said CLASS will reduce the budget deficit by $83 billion over 10 years. The program also saves federal dollars spent on Medicaid by reducing the number of people relying on the program for long-term services and supports.

3.    Americans Support CLASS - A Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard poll found that 76% of Americans support the CLASS Act program.

Twitter Campaign for CLASS

If you and your organizations are Twitter users, you can tweet the following messages:
@kaiserfamfound poll found that 76% of Americans favor #CLASSAct http://bit.ly/qw6Q1G CC: @whitehouse

Feel free to author your own tweet, but we ask that you include the #CLASSact hashtag.

The coalition supporting CLASS is strong, but your voice makes it stronger.

Let Deaf Americans Serve Their Country

via the Washington Post (7.21.11):  

by Robert Weinstock

In May 1971, near the end of my junior year in high school, I participated in Armed Forces Day activities at the U.S. Naval Academy. I was immediately enchanted by the academy and Annapolis. When I returned to school the following week, I asked my guidance counselor if I could apply to the Naval Academy. He said that he didn’t think so, “because you have to be able to hear to serve our country"...

My outlook changed in the fall of 1972, when I entered Gallaudet College (now university) as a freshman. For the first time, I lived and studied among other deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Thirty-nine years later, I know there is no limit to what a deaf person can do...

>>>For the Full Article

Agricultural Marketing Service Partners with AAPD Internship Program

via the USDA blog (7.19.11):

AMS Partners with American Association of People with Disabilities Internship Program

By Robert Keeney, AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs Deputy Director

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently became a participant in the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Internship Program, which brings students to Washington, DC, to gain valuable working experience working. This is the first year that our agency has participated in this program.

AMS is utilizing our relationship with AAPD to create a more diverse workforce, one that includes more employees with disabilities.  We understand the importance of designing employment practices that consider the needs of all employees A diverse workforce introduces everyone to unique perspectives that ultimately help us find innovative approaches to solving problems and solidifying our business model.  This is one of the ways AMS can continue to provide services that benefit everyone in the greater public.

This summer, Maya Ariel, an undergraduate student studying business administration at Rochester Institute of Technology, joined AMS as an intern for the agency’s Fruit and Vegetable Programs.  In her position, Maya, who is Deaf, helps Christopher Purdy, the program’s business development specialist, identify ways for AMS to partner with other organizations and market the program’s services.  By providing Maya with the accommodations she needs to be successful, AMS has gained a truly valuable team member.  

AMS values its partnerships with diverse organizations, such as AAPD, that enable us to identify, attract and recruit top-tier talent.  We encourage students to take advantage of the internship program so that they can become familiar with the agency and learn about other career opportunities.

We support AAPD’s belief that people with disabilities are an important and intricate part of diversity in the workforce.

AAPD recently came to USDA Headquarters to chronicle a day in the life of an intern.  Video footage of Ariel and the rest of the AAPD interns’ summer experiences will be available by visiting the AAPD Internship Program Web site in the early fall.

>>>To Read the Blog Post