JFActivist

Watch AAPD's First Virtual Town Hall on YouTube

From AAPD (7.8.11):

Watch AAPD's Virtual Town Hall on YouTube

People with disabilities from across the country watched, listened to, and questioned AAPD's new President and CEO in our first ever Virtual Town Hall on June 29.  The event was also live tweeted at @AAPD.  If you were not able to participate on the day of the event, you can still watch and listen to the event which has been captioned and posted to YouTube.  Topics of discussion included voting, employment, Medicaid cuts, and more.  Viewers asked questions about getting involved in the legislative and electoral processes and how to improve educational access for kids with disabilities.  The discussion was lively and informative. Furthermore, Mark shared his vision for our organization and his plan include more town halls.  So check out this event and check back for information about the next town hall.

>>> To Watch the Virtual Town Hall

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.

10 Best Practices Schools Can Use to Help Students Living with Mental Illness

via the National Alliance on Mental Illness (6.15.11):
 

Ten Best Practices for Schools

Schools play a critical role in helping students diagnosed with mental illnesses reach their full academic and functional potential. The academic performance and behavioral functioning of students significantly improves when their mental health needs are effectively addressed. NAMI calls on schools to adopt the following ten best practices:

1. Train teachers and staff on the early warning signs of mental illnesses and how to effectively communicate with families about mental health related concerns. To learn more about NAMI’s Parents and Teachers as Allies publication and in-service education program, visit www.nami.org/caac.

2. Train school professionals in effective and research-based teaching methods and behavioral interventions, including positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS – as described at www.pbis.org).

3. Educate the entire school community about mental illnesses, including providing age-appropriate information about these conditions in the health curriculum, to help ensure a broader awareness about mental illnesses and to reduce stigma.

4. Develop and implement a plan to reduce the unacceptably high dropout and failure rates of students with mental illnesses. This includes providing a comprehensive functional behavioral assessment for students that need it and implementing effective classroom interventions. Schools cannot do this alone. NAMI stands ready to call on other community leaders to work to reduce school dropout and failure rates for these students.

5. Provide research-based and effective school-based mental health services and develop an effective link to the community mental health system for students with more intensive mental health service needs

6. Develop effective partnerships with families that recognize the value of their input about how a student’s illness impacts their academic work, peer relationships and interaction with others in the school community. These partnerships will recognize the importance of cultural competence.

7. Provide appropriate accommodations for students when they are needed , including a safe place to quiet down, additional time for completing home and school work, the assignment of a mentor, flexibility in the school day schedule and other individualized and appropriate accommodations. When appropriate, refer students for an evaluation for special education services.

8. Provide effective transition services and supports for students returning to school after receiving treatment away from school and for those transitioning between different school levels and/or into life in the community. Provide guidance for teachers and staff on effective supports for students returning to school after time away.

9. Develop effective anti-bullying policies so that students with mental illnesses are not targeted for bullying or singled out as bullies as a result of symptoms of their illness.

10. Develop effective crisis prevention and intervention services to help prevent and address psychiatric crises, youth suicide and related serious public health concerns.

NAMI applauds schools working to make a positive difference in the lives of students with mental illnesses! 

 

Would you add any other best practices to this list? Please share your ideas in comments below.

Arne Duncan to Deliver Commencement Address to Graduating Students with Disabilities

via The U.S. Department of Education (6.14.11):

Duncan to Deliver Commencement Address at the Graduation Ceremony for D.C. High-School Graduates in Project SEARCH

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan will deliver the commencement address at the graduation ceremony for D.C. high-school students who have participated in Project Search, a program that gives high-school seniors with disabilities the opportunity to learn real world skills through local employment opportunities in federal government agencies. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, in the Department’s Barnard Auditorium, 400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. Senior officials from federal agencies also will speak at the ceremony, and Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools Kaya Henderson will present students with certificates.

The 25 students in the program have spent their senior year as interns at the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services. The program is a partnership among D.C. Public Schools, D.C. Department of Disability Services, D.C. Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services. During the past school year, the interns have divided their time between classroom study and office tasks, developing job-ready skills and learning workplace etiquette. A number of the students will transition to full-time employment in the federal government and local businesses...

>>>For the Full Press Release...

TASH to Host Briefing on National Efforts to Restrict the Use of Restraint and Seclusion Practices

Via TASH (6.13.11):

TASH to Hold Congressional Briefing on National Efforts to Restrict the Use of Restraint & Seclusion Practices in Schools June 28

How you can help: 

1. Please attend if you are in the Washington, D.C., area. RSVP to Dara Baldwin at dbaldwin@tash.org 

2. Spread the word by downloading the congressional briefing flyer and sharing this important announcement with friends, family, colleagues and members of the media 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011
12-1:30 p.m. ET
B-338 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.  

TASH welcomes all congressional leaders, legislative staff, advocates, educators and families to participate in this important briefing on national efforts to restrict the use of restraint, seclusion and aversive interventions in school settings. This critically important educational briefing will be held on Tuesday, June 28, from 12-1:30 p.m. ET in Room B-338 Rayburn House Office Building. 

Children are injured and traumatized by restraint, seclusion and aversive interventions every day in schools across the United States. In January 2009, the National Disability Rights Network issued a report detailing the harmful use of these interventions in more than two-thirds of states, involving public and private school children as young as three years old. 

To learn more about the dangers of seclusion and restraint in schools, successful strategies for helping schools transition into safe schools that no longer use seclusion and restraint practices, and understand the merits of current public policy efforts to reduce the use of these dangerous practices, please join us for the upcoming congressional briefing on June 28. Since lunch will be provided, the courtesy of an RSVP is requested (please email Dara Baldwin at dbaldwin@tash.org). 

Speakers include  

Barb Trader, Executive Director, TASH
Joan Gillece, Project Manager, National Association of State Mental Health Program DirectorsMichael Remus, Director of Student Support Services, Deer Valley Unified School District
Linda Bambara, Professor, Lehigh University College of Education
Janice LeBel, Director of Program Management, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Child & Adolescent Division
Phyllis Musumeci, Founder, Families Against Restraint and Seclusion 

Co-Hosts of the Briefing include the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Down Syndrome Society, National Autism Association, and Families Against Restraint and Seclusion 

>>>For More Information on the Briefing...

>>>To Download a Flyer...

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

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.