JFActivist

TV Worth Watching: PBS Premieres Fred Fay Documentary Tonight

From AAPD (10.27.2011):

Tonight PBS will air the documentary “Lives Worth Living” about disability rights champion Fred Fay.   This is TV worth watching.  In an era when so much TV programming features people who are famous for being famous, we have a rare chance to learn about someone who moved mountains. 

Who was Fred Fay?  He was an architect of the disability rights movement.  He was a founder of the Justice for All web network.  He was an organizer, an innovator, and an inventor.  Working from a motorized bed he designed with three computer screens in reach, Fred Fay connected people to ideas and to each other.  Over the course of decades, he knocked down barriers for people with disabilities and helped change our landscape to be more accessible. 

Watch “Lives Worth Living” with your friends, family, congregation, classmates, or neighbors.  Launch a conversation-- what makes our lives worth living, and what would it take to fulfill our enormous potential as Fred did?  What can we invent?  Whom can we touch with our own gifts? 

For broadcast information visit:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lives-worth-living/film.html

Meet Mark! AAPD to Host Virtual Town Hall with New President & CEO

via AAPD (6.21.11):

 

What’s On Your Mind? Ask AAPD’s New President & CEO Mark Perriello!

Take the opportunity to share what’s on your mind! Join AAPD’s new President & CEO Mark Perriello for a virtual town hall at noon on Wednesday, June 29. Mark will answer your questions live about the future of AAPD, employment issues, disability, the 2012 presidential election and any other issues affecting our community.

We want to learn what’s important to YOU – our community. Our town hall is open to anyone, and there will be video, audio and live captioning

This is your chance to let us know what you’re thinking!

You can participate by tuning in to www.livestream.com/AAPD.To submit a question, please email it to communications@aapd.com.

We will be accepting questions prior to the event and live during the event.

 

Students with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities Prepared for Workforce

via the White House Office of Public Engagement (6.20.11): 

Making History for Students with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities

by Rayna Aylward

As high school seniors all across the country graduated this week, history was quietly being made in Washington, D.C. at the Department of Education for 23 D.C. public school students with developmental and intellectual disabilities. They, like their peers across the country, were graduating too. They all participated in a program called Project SEARCH. The 15-year-old program now operates in 39 states and four foreign countries, but this is the first year that the federal government has hosted the project in three agencies including the Departments of Education, Labor and Health and Human Services.

The goal of Project SEARCH is to prepare high school seniors with developmental and intellectual disabilities for employment. Instead of attending classes in a regular high school, the participating students reported to work every day in one of the federal agencies. They received vocational training from a special education teacher for part of the day, and then worked as interns in different offices, learning skills that would prepare them for paid employment in the government or private sector. Job coaches who were part of the Project SEARCH team accompanied the students to their assigned offices to teach them the specific job skills needed to fulfill each task...

>>>For the Full Article...

 

How do you feel about the expansion of Project SEARCH? Please share your thoughts in comments below.

 

Youth with Disabilities Making Art, Gaining Recognition

via DisabilityScoop (6.16.11): 

Artists With Special Needs Featured In National Exhibit

by Michelle Diament

An art exhibit featuring the work of students with disabilities from across the country kicks off this week in Washington, D.C. before heading out on a national tour.

The exhibit features 102 pieces — everything from paintings to sculptures and photographs — produced by students from each state and the District of Columbia. The artwork was selected from more than 4,700 entries from students ages 5 to 15 by a panel of judges that included artists and art educators.

Half of the winning artists have disabilities, but the work of all students — two representing each state — will be displayed side by side in an effort to support inclusion in the arts, according to organizers from VSA and CVS Caremark.

The exhibit will be on display at Union Station in Washington, D.C. until June 26. Dates and locations for other stops of the traveling exhibit are still being arranged, organizers said.

VSA — the group behind the exhibit — was started by Jean Kennedy Smith, a sister to President John F. Kennedy, and focuses on increasing opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities.

Picture above is a mixed media piece by Kory, 12, from Annapolis, Md. Kory's piece is one of the works featured in VSA's art exhibit.

>>>For the Full Article...

How can we support greater inclusion for people with disabilities in the arts? Please share your thoughts in comments below.

Call for Proposals: Promoting Health and Wellness of Women with Disabilities

via the American Psychological Association (6.10.11):

Call for Proposals

Inequity to Equity: Promoting Health and Wellness of Women with Disabilities

October 17-18, 2011 in Washington, DC

The American Psychological Association invites submissions of proposals for an interactive, interdisciplinary conference, “Inequity to Equity: Promoting Health and Wellness of Women with Disabilities”. 

We seek proposals for poster presentations, papers, and symposia regarding women with disabilities that address the following topics: Health Disparities and Equity; Access to Healthcare; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Reproductive Health and Sexual Health; Psychosocial Health; Interpersonal Violence and Violence Prevention; Disability across the Lifespan; and Legal Guidance and Public Policy. 

The conference is cosponsored with the Howard University Women’s Health Institute and Gallaudet University and will be held at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC on October 17 - 18, 2011.

By promoting the exchange of knowledge and information among psychologists, other health care providers, researchers, educators, policymakers, women with disabilities and advocates, this conference aims to foster an integrated health care agenda that will improve health outcomes for women with disabilities. 

Call for Proposals deadline is July 8, 2011.

The online submission form and guidelines for submission can be found at:

http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/disabilities-conference/index.aspx

180,000 Housing Voucher Turnovers and Transitioning People Out of Institutions

From Steve Gold's Information Bulletin (6.6.11):
 

180,000 Housing Voucher Turnovers and Transitioning People Out of Institutions

Nationally, in 2010, about 9 percent of nearly 2 million Housing Choice Vouchers (a/k/a Section 8 vouchers) are "turned over" each year.  In HUD parlance, these are classified as an"attrition rate."

Public Housing Authorities throughout the country, therefore, have "turned over" Housing Choice Vouchers available to issue to people who have previously applied for vouchers but were placed on a "waiting list."

Please be aware that some Housing Authorities may not be able to immediately reissue all vouchers as they turnover.  PHAs must manage their program with the funding that is available, which may precludethem from immediately reissuing all vouchers upon turnover.

As you know, because there are long "waiting lists" for these vouchers, many advocates understandably are discouraged with the length of time people must wait until a voucher becomes available.

However, it's very important to remember that these "waiting lists" do move nationally by about 9 percent a year. Some Housing Authorities had 20

- 40 % turnover rate.  (Please note turnover data was not available for about 25 "Moving to Work" Housing Authorities, many of which are the large Housing Authorities.)

But a 9% turnover rate means, nationally, there are at least (remember the big MTW authorities are not even included) about 180,000 vouchers potentially available to be issued to people who are on a waiting lists.

It's also important to remember that each Housing Authority may establish preferences for admission to their voucher program.  If they do so, they must list the "preferences" for their vouchers in their Section 8 Administrative Plan, which is publicly available. "Preferences" mean exactly what you think.  Some categories of people go to the top of the waiting list and others do not.

"Preferences" are supposed to reflect housing "needs" in your community.

In Information Bulletin # 329 (4/4/2011), we summarized the national HUD report entitled "Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities."

>>>To see the HUD report and To Comment...

This Worst Case report does not include persons who are institutionalized in nursing homes, ICFs or Mental Institutions.  Advocates know there are many people institutionalized solely because they cannot afford to pay for housing in the community.  The nursing home is the Poorhouse of the 21st Century.

What advocates should do:

Advocates for older and disabled Americans should use the HUD "Worst Case" report as a basis for establishing your local "Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities" in your specific county or city.

Obviously, you must include people who are institutionalized to show that persons in institutions are the Worst of the Worst Cases.

You can now approach your Housing Authorities, persuade them that institutionalized people must be give the highest Preference or at the least a certain number of new admissions each year that will be given preference.

Demand that a certain number of Housing Voucher "turn overs"/ "attrition rates" be used to transition people out of these institutions.

Remember, that annually Housing Authorities must write an Annual Plan which is then submitted as part of a Consolidated Plan.  These are supposed to reflect housing needs.

Does your Housing Authority (including the 25 MTW authorities) give a "preference" for persons with disabilities who are in institutionalized because they cannot afford to live in the community?  Does it even list these people as having a "need."?  Have you met with your Housing Authority officials to discuss revising their Voucher "preferences" so that people with disabilities in institutions become a high preference? 

Have you discussed potentially use these Vouchers so that people with disabilities could leave the institution?

What about discussing this option with your State Money Follows the Person officials?  With your Medicaid officials?  With your Governor's office which wants desperately to save general revenue funds?

-Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

 

Special Education Being Impacted by Poor Economy, CEC Calls on Congress to Protect Funding

via The Council for Exceptional Children (6.6.11): 

CEC Calls On Congress to Preserve Special Education Funding; Survey Finds Special Education Impacted by Poor Economy

A survey conducted by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) – the largest international organization of professionals who work on behalf of children and youth with disabilities and gifts and talents – in collaboration with the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), a division of CEC, reveals the poor economy is negatively impacting special education.

92% of respondents state there is – or is anticipated in the near future – an increased strain on the availability of services for students with disabilities, meaning that the poor economy is making it increasingly difficult to provide services and supports to students with disabilities...

 These survey results demonstrate that school districts across the nation are struggling to meet the needs of students with disabilities while confronting very difficult economic times…

CEC has been effectively advocating for maintaining and increasing funding for special education:

…In February, CEC and its members fended off efforts by the House of Representatives to cut IDEA Part B by over $500 million. Unfortunately, this funding was restored to IDEA by taking funding from two other important education programs: school improvement and professional development grants. CEC opposes any effort to take from one education program to fund another…

Join CEC in preserving special education funding by visiting CEC’s Legislative Action Center!

>>>To Read CEC’s Full Report…

 

How is the poor economy's impact on special education being felt in your area? Share your thoughts in comments below. 

Walgreens Wins Big with Disability Employment Program

via DCvelocity.com (6.6.11):

Walgreens wins big with unique employment program

by Peter Bradley

...Randy Lewis, senior vice president of distribution and logistics for Walgreens, was the driving force behind Walgreens' extraordinary program to employ people with disabilities at its DC in Anderson, S.C. We first wrote about that effort in October 2007. In that story, we noted that Walgreens had committed to the plan even before selecting a site for the facility. And it was never seen as a short-term initiative or social experiment. Walgreens' decision to locate in Anderson was largely driven by the area's sizeable labor pool of disabled workers and the support services needed to help them succeed. "We wanted a sustainable model," Lewis said at the time.

And sustainable it has been. Today, workers with disabilities make up 40 percent of the work force at the Anderson DC, performing the same work as their more typically abled co-workers for the same pay. Walgreens has expanded the program to other facilities, most recently to its newest DC in Connecticut. And the Walgreens example has inspired other companies, including Lowes, Best Buy, Meijer, and Sears, to make similar efforts...

>>>For the Full Article...

 

How can the Walgreen's employment program for PWD serve as a model for other companies seeking to promote inclusivity and diversity?  Share your thoughts in comments below.

A System in Disarray: Mistreatment and Mismanagement at NY Institutions for People with Developmental Disabilities

via the NY Times (6.5.11):
  

A Disabled Boy’s Death, and a System in Disarray

by Danny Hakim

...On a February afternoon in 2007, Jonathan, a skinny, autistic 13-year-old, was asphyxiated, slowly crushed to death in the back seat of a van by a state employee who had worked nearly 200 hours without a day off over 15 days. The employee, a ninth-grade dropout with a criminal conviction for selling marijuana, had been on duty during at least one previous episode of alleged abuse involving Jonathan...

In the front seat of the van, the driver, another state worker at Oswald D. Heck Developmental Center, watched through the rear-view mirror but said little. He had been fired from four different private providers of services to the developmentally disabled before the state hired him to care for the same vulnerable population.

O. D. Heck is one of nine large institutions in New York that house the developmentally disabled, those with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other conditions.

These institutions spend two and a half times as much money, per resident, as the thousands of smaller group homes that care for far more of the 135,000 developmentally disabled New Yorkers receiving services.

But the institutions are hardly a model: Those who run them have tolerated physical and psychological abuse, knowingly hired unqualified workers, ignored complaints by whistle-blowers and failed to credibly investigate cases of abuse and neglect, according to a review by The New York Times of thousands of state records and court documents, along with interviews of current and former employees...

>>>For the Full Article...

 

How can recorded accounts of these institutions' mistreatment of residents and irresponsible management of funding be used to advocate for quality living situations for people with developmental disabilities? Please share your thoughts in comments below. 

National Ranking of Disability Services Released: Where Does Your State Stand?

via DisabilityScoop.com (4.28.11):
  

Vermont Tops National Ranking Of Disability Services

Vermont offers the best Medicaid services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities while Mississippi provides the worst, according to an annual ranking released Thursday.

The 50-state analysis from United Cerebral Palsy compares services offered across the country, giving preference to states where more individuals are served in the community as opposed to institutions.

Vermont, Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire and California fare best in the ranking. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi round out the bottom of the list. (Find out where your state stands >>)...

>>>For the Full Article

How do you feel this study relates to your personal experiences in your own state? Please share your thoughts in comments below.