JFActivist

Virtual Job Fair for Disabled Vets

Virtual Job Fair for Disabled Vets

From disABLEDperson Inc. (5.31.10):

Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans (JOFDAV.com) a disABLEDperson Inc. organization is proud to be part of an innovative video based virtual job fair  June 17, 2010 for Disabled American Veterans. Job Search Television (JSTN: myjstn.com) has graciously partnered with JOFDAV.com to provide their virtual job fair technology platform to disABLEDperson Inc. for this important event.

“We are extremely thankful to JSTN for partnering with us that we can connect disabled veterans with proactive employers, a service that we believe is vital for the re-acclimation of the veterans who have returned from war” says Diana Corso , disABLEDperson Inc. Executive Director.

If you are a veteran with a disability, come and register for Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans Virtual Job Fair June 17, 2010. Attend a job fair from the comfort of your home, a public service to our disabled veteran community.  Click Here to register: http://www.myjstn.com/vcf/ad/jofdav/

All members of the disabled veterans community will be provided an opportunity to create a free Video Introduction of themselves through JSTN's proprietary technology giving putting them ahead of the competition. To obtain this code, go to www.JOFDAV.com and click on the words Video Introduction Code at the top of the page. Good luck in your job search!

 

All Bank of America ATMS accessible to blind

All Bank of America ATMS Now Accessible to Blind People

On March 31, 2010, the Bank of America announced that every one of its 18,000 ATM machines in the United States is now a Talking ATM, used by people who are blind and others, to access cash and accounts independently. The 18,000 Talking ATM milestone is the result of a long collaboration between Bank of America and the blind community.

The bank was first approached in 1995 about ATM accessibility by the California Council of the Blind and several individuals. The bank agreed to engage in Structured Negotiations, and eventually signed three settlement agreements about Talking ATMs, the accessibility of its website and on-line banking platform, and alternative formats for print information. Bank of America Press Release at http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=43&item=8666.

Notice from law firm, Lainey Feingold and Linda Darderian, who negotiated the settlement, at http://lflegal.com/2010/03/bank-of-america-atms.

Health Technology Improving Emergency Assistence for PWD

From AAPD (3.29.10):

     Study on Health Information Technology Points Way to How New Technology Assists People with Disabilities in Emergencies

This lengthy report describes innovative ways that state governments and local communities can use technologies to reach vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, during public health emergency situations. The authors conclude that electronic health records (EHRs), mobile phones, and other technologies can enhance “all-hazards” preparedness and response capabilities for first responders, improve situational awareness during emergencies, and reduce response time for reaching at-risk individuals during disease outbreaks, natural disasters, or other public health emergencies.

The study, authored by Booz Allen Hamilton, and written primarily by Anne Marie Rader, a person with disabilities, is entitled “Public Health Preparedness and Response for At-Risk Populations: Harnessing the Power of Health Information and Communication Technologies” and is available on the website at or go directly to (PDF). Item provided by AAPD’s Technology Initiative.

    For more information via email to policy@aapd.com

The Census and the Disability Community - We Count!

From The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (3.17.10):

It's Time. Make Yourself Count.

Census 2010

...The census influences the distribution of more than $400 billion every year in federal funds for programs in education, health care, community services, economic development and more. In fiscal year 2007, the federal government used census information to guide the distribution of approximately $15 billion in services specifically to people with disabilities. In addition, census data are used by state and local governments and private corporations to guide investments in transportation, restaurants, shopping centers and other types of economic development.
Here are some of the ways census data are used:

• To help state and county agencies plan for eligible recipients under the Medicare, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income programs.
• To distribute funds and develop programs for people with disabilities and seniors.
• To distribute funds for housing for people with disabilities.
• To allocate funds to states and local areas for employment and job training programs for veterans.
• To ensure that comparable public transportation services are available for all segments of the population.
• To award federal grants, under the Older Americans Act, based on the number of elderly people with physical and mental disabilities.
• To allocate funds for mass transit systems to provide facilities for people with disabilities
• To provide housing assistance and supportive services for low-income individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families under the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program.
• To make available special education for children ages 3-5 through Special Education Preschool Grants.

The Census Influences Funding of Programs for People with Disabilities

According to the National Council on Disability, nearly one-third of households in America had at least one member with a disability. This statistic does not include an additional 2.1 million in nursing homes and group homes. In addition to government funding for general federal health care and education programs, the census influences a number of programs that directly serve individuals with disabilities.
Voting Access for Individuals with Disabilities -- $10.5 million
The Voting Access for Individuals with Disabilities grant program provides support to states to establish, expand, and improve access to the election process for more than 20 million individuals with disabilities who are of voting age. Grant awards have supported a range of activities including the development of training videos for election officials, poll workers, and volunteers on providing assistance to voters with visual impairments and surveying polling places to determine accessibility needs...An accurate census helps empower people with disabilities. In addition to influencing funding for programs directed toward people with disabilities, an accurate count has a huge impact on the financial health and political influence of the communities in which individuals with disabilities live.

Political Power – The census shapes voting districts, which can determine whether individuals and their communities are fairly represented in Congress, state legislatures and local governments. The census is also used to monitor whether people have access to the voting booth.

Education – Billions of dollars in education funding are distributed based on census information, including $7.7 billion in Title I spending to assist schools with high numbers or percentages of low-income students and $5.5 billion for Head Start, which provides grants for early childhood education and development programs for economically disadvantaged children and families.

Jobs – The census influences the distribution of community development block grants and is used by governments and private companies to decide where to invest in new housing, roads, and shopping centers. Census information also helps the government monitor discrimination and enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Making Sure that Individuals with Disabilities Count
The Leadership Conference Education Fund is working with its national partners and local organizations across the country to make sure that every person is counted in the 2010 census. More information is available at www.civilrights.org/census.
Organizations that serve and advocate for people with disabilities can make a big difference by helping their clients and constituents understand the importance of the census and by helping individuals who have questions or need assistance completing the census form. Census forms will be distributed to households in mid-March. Forms are available in Braille. Help on filling out the forms is available through a toll-free telephone assistance line (1-866-872-6868) and TDD (1-866-783-2010).

>>>For More Information

New Resource for Returning Veterans

From the Department of Justice (3.15.10):

A new technical assistance publication, ADA: Know Your Rights -- Returning Service Members with Disabilities, has been added, and is now available. The publication provides service members who have been seriously wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom a basic understanding of their rights under the ADA and where to turn for additional information and assistance.

"You’ve been seriously injured while serving on active duty in the U.S. Military -- perhaps you’ve lost a limb, sustained a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, sustained hearing or vision loss, or are experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- and now you’re back in the States trying to adjust to living with your injury. This publication explains your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and provides information on where to get assistance."

Access the publication on an online website!!

Access the pulication in PDF format!!

Call Now - Health Care Reform to be Decided This Week

From Disability Policy Collaboration (3.16.10):

Call Your Representative NOW!!

The House to Vote on Health Care Reform this Week
It is finally here!  After decades of waiting and over a year of negotiating, the vote to pass final health reform is now upon us. The House of Representatives will vote to pass the Senate health reform bill at the end of this week.  If that vote fails, health reform is dead for this year and likely for years to come.   We cannot let that happen. We are too close to finally passing real reform and too much is at stake for people with disabilities.  Click to Download the provisions that are most important to people with disabilities (Download Disability Policy Collaboration).
Even though the House and the Senate have both passed their versions of health care reform, the only way forward for the bill is for the House to vote on the Senate version of the bill. Some representative in the House are debating on whether to vote for or against the bill.  Even if they voted for the House bill in the past, many are still weighing their options. Your voice matters now more than ever.  Call TOLL FREE 1-800-828-0498
Check how your representative voted, if they voted for the bill, thank them and ask for their vote again.  If they didn't vote for the bill, tell them how much it matters to you.

House YES vote (HR 3962)
Thank you for your vote last November in support of health care reform.  As your constituent, I am proud to know that you have been a supporter of health reform in the past and hope that you will vote YES for the Senate bill, when it comes to a vote. Now is the time for health care reform.  People with disabilities in our community cannot wait much longer.  We need affordable, quality coverage that will not be taken away from us, even when we get sick, have a pre-existing condition, or lose our jobs. 
Thank you for all of your hard work.

Feel free to comment on your views about the Health Bill?

2010 Paralympic Games Open In Flames of Glory

From Universal Sports (3.13.10):

Vancouver Paralympic Games officially start
CEO Furlong: 'You will feel their energy and their support every minute you are here'
By Jamie Blanchard

VANCOUVER -- With glowing hearts, Canada welcomed the world's top winter Paralympic athletes Friday, as the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games kicked off with the Opening Ceremony in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 spectators.

"While thousands will cheer you on in the stadiums, you can be assured that over 33 million Canadians are living this experience with you," Vancouver Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong told the athletes. "You will feel their energy and their support every minute you are here."

An estimated 1,350 athletes, coaches and officials from 44 countries, including 50 Americans, marching second to last before Canada, entered BC Place Stadium, giving high-fives to 400 children gathered in a welcome path. Team USA was led by flag bearer Heath Calhoun (Bristol, Tenn.), an Iraq war veteran who lost his legs in Mosul while serving with the 101st Airborne Division...

>>> For the Full Article

For More Coverage of the Paralympic Games:

NBC Sports http://www.vancouver2010.com/paralympic-games/

-Saturday, March 13, 1-2PM ET, Opening Ceremony Highlights

-Saturday, April 10, 3-5PM ET, Paralympic Recap

Universal Sports http://www.UniversalSports.com

-Monday, March 15-Tuesday, March 23, 6-8PM ET(re-air at 11PM), Daily Highlights

Additionally

- http://www.UniversalSports.com will offer on-demand re-airs, plus full-length event rewinds.

- http://www.usparalympics.org will offer daily video and news highlights.

Events: http://usparalympics.org/events/2569

and http://www.vancouver2010.com/paralympic-games/

NY Is Ordered to Move People with Mental illness into Community

From The New York Times (3.01.10):

Judge Orders New York to Move Mentally Ill Out of Large, Institutional Housing

by A.G. Sulzberger

New York State must begin moving thousands of people with mental illness into their own apartments or small homes and out of large, institutional adult homes that keep them segregated from society, a federal judge ordered on Monday. The decision, by Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn, followed his ruling in September that the conditions at more than two dozen privately run adult homes in New York City violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by leaving approximately 4,300 mentally ill residents isolated in warehouselike conditions...

...Gloria Thomas, who lives in a shared room at the Queens Adult Care Center in Elmhurst, reacted to the ruling with joy. “Thank you Jesus, this is what I’ve been waiting for for the longest time,” said Ms. Thomas, 54, who has been at the home for two years. “I need to get out of here.”...“This will give adult home residents the opportunity to live the way the rest of us do,” said Jennifer Mathis, deputy legal director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, which provided legal support for the lawsuit. “In the future people should not be steered to adult homes if they don’t want it and they don’t need it.”...

>>>For More Information

Come on HUD, Free People from Nursing Homes

From Steve Gold (2.16.10):

Come on HUD, Free People from Nursing Homes.

From the "Aging and Disability in America" blog Information Bulletin # 301

by: Steve Gold

Ah, the hopes raised by a new HUD administration. Early last year, Congress provided funds for 4,000 Mainstream Vouchers for Non-Elderly People with Disabilities.  New Secretary of HUD, Shaun. L. Donovan, met with ADAPT and agreed with ADAPT that 1,000 of these vouchers should be used to help disabled people move out of nursing homes.

On June 22, 2009, HUD issued a "Proposed Notice" in the Federal Register.
Comments were due by July 14, 2009. A number of you responded with comments.

Before any of these 4,000 vouchers can be used, HUD must publish in the Federal Register a Notice of Financial Availability (NOFA) so that Public Housing Authorities and others can submit competitive bids for these vouchers. Yes, another Federal Register publication.  After that occurs, HUD must review the bids and then allocate the vouchers.

How many people will die before one voucher is used?  How many people with disabilities will develop bed sores in nursing facilities? Urinary tract and other infections in these institutions? How many people in what President Obama called "the year of community living" exist in nursing homes waiting for these vouchers?

Hmm.  Why has it taken more than SEVEN months and still NO NOFA?  Doesn't HUD understand that there are people unnecessarily institutionalized solely because they cannot afford to rent an apartment without the rental assistance of a voucher?  Doesn't HUD and the White House realize there are actual cost savings from using the vouchers and having people live in the community?  Doesn't anyone in the White House or HUD have a relative in a nursing facility who wants to get out?  Don't they understand how dangerous nursing facilities are?

Here is one excuse we've heard - approval of the NOFA is "in process at OMB."  Well, tell Secretary Donovan to at least pretend that these vouchers and ending discrimination against people with disabilities is a HUD priority.  Tell him to get his butt down to OMB and tell them he's not leaving until these vouchers get out of OMB!  If he needs company at OMB, let us know.

Send HUD an email - Shaun.L.Donovan@hud.gov to "Free Our People."

>>>For More Information

Save the Date: Federal Hiring Expo for PWD April 26

From the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Labor (2.19.10):

SAVE THE DATE for the Federal Hiring Event for People and Veterans
with Disabilities  in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2010

•  Have you explored opportunities to work for the Federal government, but were overwhelmed by the application process?
• Do you want to work in an environment that embraces diversity and inclusion and the talent you offer?
• Are you interested in a career opportunity with benefits and the potential for career progression?
•  Are you a Veteran with a disability who wants to extend your service to your Nation?

 If so, now is the time for you to begin your career of service. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U. S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy are sponsoring this day-long Federal Government-wide Hiring Event.  Representatives from many agencies will be reviewing resumes prior to the event, and inviting prospective candidates for interviews.

To help prospective candidates prepare for this event, three pre-Expo webinars will be offered on:

·         Why Work for the Federal Government?

·         Preparing a Resume’ for Federal Employment

·         Obtaining Your Schedule A Documentation

More information will be on the OPM Website after March 8, 2010.  In the meantime, SAVE THE DATE!

The Time is Now:  Begin Your Career of Service