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Annette Funicello, M.S. Advocate and Media Darling Dies at 70 — Former Mouseketeer, star of several beach movies, and one-time ABILITY Magazine cover subject, died recently from complications related to multiple sclerosis, a degenerative condition of the central nervous system. More...

Senator Harkin Pleased with Thomas Perez Nomination as US Secretary of Labor — President Obama nominates Tom Perez for Secretary of Labor: "I’m proud to nominate a leader to carry on those efforts as America’s next Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez. More...

Inauguration Ceremonies To Be The Most Accessible Ever —Chairman Charles E. Schumer, on behalf of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) announced plans to make the 57th Inaugural ceremonies the most accessible ever to individuals with disabilities. More...

Obesity Series on YouTube — On UCTV Prime's new series, The Skinny on Obesity, Robert Lustig, MD, and two of his University of California at San Francisco colleagues tease out the science behind his claim that overindulgence in sugar is not only behind America’s obesity problem, but also a dire threat to global public health. More...

Autism Called ‘An Epidemic’ — With one in 88 children, and one in 54 boys affected by autism, the world’s leading science and advocacy organization for the condition is calling upon the nation’s leaders to address what it calls a public health emergency. More...

A Letter From Afghanistan — ABILITY's Moses Degraft-Johnson, MD, shares a last piece of correspondence from his best friend, who is heading home from war. More...

New Air Standards Geared Toward Public Health — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. These national standards are intended to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution such as arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide. More...

AccuWeather Leads the Blind Though Rough Weather — AccuWeather, an online weather information service, has joined with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to provide emergency weather alerts to blind and print-disabled subscribers. NFB is the largest nationwide organization of the blind and publishes NFB-NEWSLINE. More...

Presidential Debate: Closed Captioned and Translated in 12 Languages for 80 Million Americans — Amara and PBS team up to translate the Obama-Romney presidential debate. “PBS NewsHour is determined to make the debates available to over 50 million Americans for whom English is a second language, and for over 30 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, and people watching around the world. More...

ARCHIVE

National Center on Accessibility: Upcoming Spring Training Courses More...

The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation Public Policy Fellowship Program 2011-2012 More...

Nicholas Vujicic to Talk About "Life Without Limbs" at Northland Church, March 5-7 More..

CSUN to Host 26th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference More...

If you like your PBS stations, let your congressperson know More...

Applications now available for Actors For Autism Summer Camps More...

Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans Expanding More...

3 Tips to Avoid Childhood Obesity More...

Captioned-Radio Initiative Paves Way For Deaf To Experience Radio More...

Drowsy Driving Crashes: Prevalent and Preventable More...

First Lady Michelle Obama - Remarks From The Women's Conference More...

Conversations with America: International Disability Rights More...

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Weighs in on AZ Shooting —Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona remained in critical but stable condition in a Tucson hospital as her alleged shooter briefly appeared in a Phoenix courtroom to formally hear the charges against him. The executive director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health shares his thoughts. More...

Leading Health Groups Oppose Upton's Proposal to Block EP More...

Mobility International USA (MIUSA) to launch first music video - Loud, Proud and Passionate! —Signing and singing in Arabic, Spanish and English, 54 women activists with disabilities from 43 countries celebrate the pride, achievements and solidarity of women with disabilities around the world, in this video filmed during MIUSA’s 5th Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability More...

Dec. 3rd, VSA is Marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with screenings of the groundbreaking video installation, Motion Disabled, to raise awareness of disability rights More...

San Diego State University's - College of Ed. and Autism Spectrum —To improve services and educational outcomes for children with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs recently awarded SDSU College of Education with four grants. More...

State of the Union for 80 Million Europeans with Disabilities—European Disability Forum, President Yannis Vardakastanis met President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek to examine several key disability issues More...

Remarks by President Obama - 21st Century Communications and Video Accessiblity Act will make it easier for people who are deaf, blind or live with a visual impairment to do what many of us take for granted—from navigating a TV or DVD menu to sending an email on a smart phone More...

Two Years Until London 2012 Paralympic Games and the UK Foreign Office has marked the occasion by launching a short film featuring one of the UK’s most successful Paralympians, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE.. More...

United Nations NY - Third Conference of States Parties on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities began with the election of members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and included discussions and interactive sessions—projects ranged from West Africa to Latin American to the Middle East More...

Society for Special Persons (SSP) is working for the empowerment of people with disabilities in Pakistan. While SSP supports persons with disabilities, by volunteers with disabilities, it also supports people without disabilities. The floods in Pakistan are the worst disaster in the history of the country. Many families have lost their houses, pets, property and homeland. More...

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has a summer-long search to crown the 2010 Best Dad on `Wheels via an online contest. More...

Captioned-Radio Initiative Paves Way For Deaf To Experience Radio prototype car dashboard enabling deaf and hard-of-hearing to experience or “listen” to radio. More...

The Departments of Justice and Education announced the publication of a joint 'Dear Colleague' letter reaffirming the agencies' commitment to ensuring students with disabilities have equal access to emerging technologies More...

Week Long Contest of Talent Mother Nature took center stage on the first day of the 2010 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships as rain washed out the majority of final events. Before the storms rolled in, four 800m races were More...

India is Hungry For More Inclusion To protest against the non-inclusion of people with disabilities in the Committee formed to draft India's New Disability Act 15 disability leaders to go on a Hunger Strike from 9th June in front of Shastri Bhawan. After eight months of consistent advocacy led by Disabled Rights Group (DRG), the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) finally conceded to the disability sector’s demand for a brand new law on disability reflecting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). On April 30, MSJE formed a Committee to draft a new legislation to replace the Disability Act of 1995. However, while doing so, they overlooked the basic tenet of UNCRPD and the bedrock of the disability rights movement - ‘Nothing about Us, Without Us.’ The 27 odd member Committee has only....

Benefit for Wheelchair-Using Fans Attending the World Cup All wheelchair users travelling through the ACSA Terminals of O.R. Tambo International, King Shaka International and Cape Town International airports during the 2010 World Cup will be greeted with a gift of a wheelchair repair toolkit and the Rolling Inspiration magazine. The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA), Rolling Inspiration magazine and CE Mobility have joined forces to provide this surprise package in order to keep wheelchair users mobile during the tournament. The football fans’ wheelchairs, which may not be used to the pace of life in South Africa, will probably require some small maintenance or adjustment as a result of whizzing around the country to support their favourite soccer team....

More Fiber For Better Health The Rural Nebraska Healthcare Network (RNHN), a consortium of rural hospitals and related health clinics in Nebraska, announced a pending transaction that will facilitate the deployment of a new $20M fiber optic medical network. Utilizing federal funding under the Rural Healthcare Pilot Program of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and funding by Zayo Group and Adesta, the RNHN will connect 9 primary care hospitals and dozens of affiliated clinics, creating one of the most advanced medical technology networks in Nebraska. The proposed 750 mile fiber network spans 12 counties in western Nebraska, and will connect to national research networks such as National Lambda Rail and Internet 2 in Denver, Colorado. "In 2007, the FCC established the Rural Health Care Pilot Program," stated FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "These health care networks will enable robust telemedicine services and provide high-speed highways for electronic medical records, saving lives by improving health care in....

20 Years After the ADA and Department of Justice Still Working for Access The Justice Department announced an agreement with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities. The agreement was reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). PCA was initiated to ensure that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in civic life, a fundamental part of American society. As part of the PCA initiative, Justice Department investigators, attorneys and architects survey state and local government facilities, services and programs in communities across the country to identify the modifications needed for compliance with ADA requirements. The agreements are tailored to address the steps each community must take to improve access. This agreement is the 176th under the PCA initiative....

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds to Improve Schools Education funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) create an opportunity to invest in resources that strengthen teacher quality, improve child outcomes and close the achievement gap for students with disabilities. The Institute on Disability (IOD) provides evidence-based, expert professional development and technical assistance in New Hampshire and nationally. Offering single and multi-day seminars and workshops as well as customized, on-site support for educators, students with disabilities, their families, and community teams. Professional Development and Technical Assistance Topics Include: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Transition to Employment, Developing Positive Behavioral...

3 Tips to Avoid Childhood Obesity Warning signs that a child may be in danger of becoming obese can be boiled down to three key questions: · Is my child involved in sedentary after school activities such as watching television, phone texting, playing electronic games and using computers? · Are my child’s favorite foods and drinks found in packaged boxes, snack bags and soda cans? · Is my child getting less than 30 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise each day? If your answer is “Yes” to any one of these questions, it’s time for a change. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of all children and teens in the United States alone are overweight and at risk for a host of health issues such as heart disease, high...

White House Easter Egg Roll - Healthy Activities, Performances & “Chirping eggs” for Children with No or Low Vision
On Monday, April 5th, 30,000 people from all 50 states and DC visited the South Lawn of the White House for this year’s Easter Egg Roll. This year’s activities reflect the theme, ‘Ready, Set, Go!’ which follows the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative – a national effort to combat childhood obesity. Numerous singers, entertainers, chefs and athletes participated in this year’s event – the largest annual public event held at the White House....

Social Security Helps States with Mounting Disability Claims Social Security, announced that the agency’s first Extended Service Team (EST) is open for business. The Little Rock EST will make disability decisions for state Disability Determinations Services (DDSs) that are most adversely affected by the flood of new initial disability claims resulting from the economic downturn and from counterproductive furloughs of employees at the state level. Later this year, Social Security will open additional ESTs. The ESTs are in states that have a history of high quality and productivity, as well as the capacity to hire and train significant numbers of additional employees. Centralized units have reduced the hearings backlog and improved processing times at some of the hardest-hit hearing offices. Social Security expects to receive more than 3.3 million applications for...

Paralympic Winter Games — Reported for ABILITY Magazine by Elizabeth and Paul Murray
The Victory was Sweet. America’s sled hockey team triumphed over seven world sledge hockey teams to win the Paralympic gold medal at Canada's UBC Thunderbird stadium. The full stadium roared as USA beat Japan two to zero, concluding the week long round robin tournament in which US goalie Steve Cash prevented a single goal. Paralympic officials stated, “The biggest surprise of the Paralympic games was the failure of Canada's gold-medal defending sledge-hockey.” Canada placed fourth. The USA sled hockey team is the first Paralympic team to win two gold medals....
Whistler Creekside, BC It was another day of medals for the U.S. as Stephani Victor (Park City, Utah) took gold and teammate Alana Nichols (Farmington, NM) earned bronze in the women's sit-ski. Danelle Umstead (Taos, NM) and her guide Rob Umstead also won a bronze in the visually impaired class during the super combined. Victor threw down the two fastest runs of her division, and credited a no-holds-barred attitude and perfect course conditions with her success. The super combined gold marked Victor's fifth career medal in the Paralympics, after two other silver medals in slalom and giant slalom in Vancouver, gold in slalom in 2006, and bronze in downhill in 2002....

ABILITY Magazine interview: Andrea Friedman, actress with Down syndrome, is asked about the R word
(edited from interview in April/May issue) Cooper: The other thing that’s happening right now is the controversy over what they call the R word. What is your-- Andrea: Oh, yes. I know. Cooper: What is your thought about that? Andrea: About “retarded,” the R word? I don’t really like it at all. It really affected me in many ways, because I’ve been teased a lot. I’ve been teased with that from elementary school, high school, and I didn’t like it. I was going to stand up for myself, but I didn’t have the courage. And I said something like, “Leave me alone or my sister will come after you.” (laughs).....

End the R-Word Awareness Day “Mockery in any form, purpose or directed at anyone, especially those least able to defend themselves, is neither funny nor acceptable. We must work together to bring it to a stop ”Timothy P. Shriver, Special Olympics. End the R-word Awareness Day encourages people to pledge their support at www.r-word.org with the goal of ending society's use of the word "retard(ed)" in a derogatory manner. The R-word was first recorded in 1426 as a verb meaning a “fact or action of making slower in movement or time.” It was not until 1895 that people began using the term as a noun...

US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy to continue ‘listening tour" The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), along with federal partners, continues its six-city “listening tour” in Chicago, Atlanta and Boston. The purpose of the tour is to gather information on system barriers and best practices regarding the employment of people with disabilities. The initial stops were in Dallas and Philadelphia. “The employment figures for people with disabilities are way too low,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez, whose goal is to move stakeholders from assurances to action. “I am pleased to announce that ODEP is working in tandem with other federal agencies to change this picture as we strive for good jobs for everyone, including those of us with disabilities.” ...

Social Security Adds 38 New Compassionate Allowance Conditions Will Speed Benefits Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced that the agency is adding 38 more conditions to its list of Compassionate Allowances. This is the first expansion since the original list of 50 conditions - 25 rare diseases and 25 cancers - was announced in October 2008. The new conditions range from adult brain disorders to rare diseases that primarily affect children. The complete list of the new Compassionate Allowance conditions is attached. “The addition of these new conditions expands the scope of Compassionate Allowances to a broader subgroup of conditions like early-onset Alzheimer’s disease,” Commissioner Astrue said. “The expansion we are announcing today means tens of thousands of Americans with devastating disabilities will now get approved for benefits in a matter of days rather than months and years.” ...

Fox News - Job Hunt Series Asks ABILITY Magazine
Jamie Colby of Fox News, reporting under the Job Hunt Series, asks ABILITY Magazine and ABILITY Jobs about issues surrounding the hiring of people with disabilities. Two video versions appeared on the Fox Network. The second video includes appearances with best selling author and AM writer Allen Rucker, comedian and AM humor therapy writer Jeff Charlebois, Vista member Dana Nelson, AM's Chet Cooper and Nancy Villere of Crush Photo Studios.....

Paving the Way in California - 2500 Miles of Access and More In an unprecedented settlement, two individuals with disabilities, two disability rights organizations, and the California Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”) have reached a comprehensive plan that will provide access for persons with mobility and vision disabilities to 2,500 miles of sidewalk and Park and Ride facilities across the State of California that are owned or maintained by Caltrans. The settlement resolves two hard fought class action lawsuits that spanned over several years, alleging a denial of access for persons with mobility and vision disabilities to Caltrans sidewalks and Park and Ride facilities due to barriers such as curbs without curb ramps, a lack of detectable warnings (i.e. yellow truncated domes), sidewalks that are too narrow, and sidewalks with uneven and broken pavement. This is the largest single settlement reached on the issue of architectural access for persons with disabilities nationwide. Under the settlement, Caltrans has committed to a comprehensive plan for improving access to its sidewalks and Park and Ride facilities for persons with mobility and vision disabilities. The plan includes a financial commitment of $1.1 billion for the next 30 years. Caltrans will allocate $25 million for the first five.....

Largest Recovery Ever for Hazardous Waste Clean Up - $1.79 Billion As a result of the largest environmental bankruptcy in U.S. history, $1.79 billion has been paid to fund environmental cleanup and restoration under a bankruptcy reorganization of American Smelting and Refining Company LLC (ASARCO), the Justice Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture announced today. ASARCO is a leading producer of copper and one of the largest nonferrous metal producers in the United States. It is based in Arizona and is responsible for sites around the country that are contaminated with hazardous waste. The money from environmental settlements in the bankruptcy will be used to pay for past and future costs incurred by federal and state agencies at more than 80 sites contaminated by mining operations in 19 states. Those states are.....

Oldie, but Goodie "Building Better Neighborhoods", is now on U-Tube. Though Concrete Change made the video back in 1994, it's still relevant as an advocacy tool today. But hopefully will be only of historical interest within about ten years, when the continuing work of advocates across the country will have resulted in all new houses having basic access.....

Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Senator Edward M. Kennedy's extraordinary life touched us all in so many important ways. As a Senator, his commitment to service and justice led to some of the most sweeping legislation of our time. During his nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy was a tireless champion of health, and was responsible for countless items of legislation that expanded healthcare to children, the elderly and the underprivileged. The State Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997, which paid for expanded healthcare for children through a tax increase on tobacco, and as lead sponsor of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a bill signed into law just this year that gives the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products, including how they are marketed to children. Sen. Kennedy was among the first to tackle the devastating effect tobacco use has on our nation and spearheaded many bills that have since saved millions of lives that would have been lost to tobacco related illness. He was fearless in his pursuit of anti-tobacco legislation and persevered through years of setbacks and heavy pressure from the tobacco industry and the traditionally tobacco-friendly congress.....

South African Disability Rights Leader Named UN Special Rapporteur on Disability
Shuaib Chalklen of South Africa has been appointed the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development for the period 2009-2011. The newly appointed Special Rapporteur is a prominent leader who has made extensive contributions to the advancement of persons with disabilities within both regional and global frameworks. Mr. Chalklen earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Cape Town in 1991. He also studied at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and at the Senior Executive Programme at Harvard University. His appointment brings considerable national and regional experience to the advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities in the global arena. He has assumed numerous positions in the fields of disability, governance and administration at the national, regional and global levels, including: Senior Policy Analyst in the Presidency of South Africa (2006-2007); Chief Executive Officer of the Secretariat for the African Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2006); and....

Five Things You Should Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor and Disability Rights
The Bazelon Center and other disability organizations want people to know Judge Sonia Sotomayor's background. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's first nominee to the United States Supreme Court, understands that disability rights are civil rights. As a judge on both the district court and circuit court, she has demonstrated that she recognizes the importance of Congress' role in enacting major disability rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The laws mentioned above protect the civil rights of people with disabilities by requiring that they have equal opportunities in work and at school, and that they have equal access to....

Tennis Anyone? Instructing Wheelchair Tennis Workshops Anyone?
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will present two Instructing Wheelchair Tennis Workshops this summer - one on August 28 at Oak Creek Tennis Center in Dallas, Texas, and the other at Chaplin Park Tennis Center, on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on September 13, 2009. The Instructing Wheelchair Tennis Workshop is open to all tennis teachers and recreation instructors who want to learn the nuances of teaching tennis to people using wheelchairs. Participants will....

First Lady Michelle Obama Keynoted National Conference on Volunteering and Service
The conference, June 22-24 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, co-hosted by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Institute, brought together more than 4,000 volunteers—including the opening general session featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Jon Bon Jovi, Matthew McConaughey and service leaders from across the nation for service and civic engagement. “The First Lady has made service and volunteering a life calling, and her leadership is helping to inspire a whole new generation of Americans who are making service a part of their daily lives,” said Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Her participation demonstrates the high priority the White House has placed on service as a way to help in our nation’s recovery.” The First Lady’s appearance launched United We Serve, an extended call to service challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth by engaging in sustained....

Iowa 9-1-1 Call Center First to Successfully Trial 9-1-1 Text Messaging
Black Hawk Consolidated Public Safety Communications Center has become the first 9-1-1 Call Center in the nation to successfully receive text messages sent directly to 9-1-1. A broad team of communications companies worked collaboratively to support the public safety needs of the 31 million citizens with speech and hearing issues who rely upon text messaging as a primary means of communications. Currently they must communicate with 9-1-1 operators using a relay center or a specialized communications device. This groundbreaking effort allows people with speech difficulties, deaf or hard-of-hearing to use text messaging to communicate directly with a 9-1-1 operator in an emergency. The team of companies included...

Keypoint Credit Union Sued For Discriminating Against People That Are Deaf
A class action suit filed in California state court in Alameda County charges that KeyPoint Credit Union has committed “systemic civil rights violations” by repeatedly refusing to accept telephone relay service calls from deaf customers and potential customers. The class action suit, seeking relief on behalf of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who have been denied full and equal access to KeyPoint’s services, products and information, was filed by Disability Rights Advocates, a Berkeley-based non-profit law center. The suit seeks to end discrimination against individuals who are deaf by requiring KeyPoint to accept telephone relay calls, which are commonly used by deaf people to communicate with businesses and others, just as it would accept ordinary telephone voice calls. Plaintiffs Megg R. Davis and Colin Piotrowski charge that KeyPoint, one of CA’s largest credit unions with 80,000 members and 10 branches, has as a matter of policy systematically refused to...

Families Struggling with Pediatric Cancer to Receive Non-Medical Aid
The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL) has received a $300,000 grant from the Genentech Foundation to form the centerpiece of its newly launched Everyday Needs Assistance Program. ASRL will use the funding to assist approximately 500 single parent families of children this year who face the dual tragedies of their child's diagnosis and severe finanical distress. Families who experience the crisis of their child's critical illness often meet with insurmountable expenses. While the child is struggling for survival, their parents...

President Obama Signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, expanding national service opportunities to address America's most pressing challenges. The President signed the act at the SEED School, an academically intensive public boarding school for underserved urban youth in Washington, DC. Among those attending the event were First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, former President Bill Clinton, former First Lady Rossalyn Carter, Members of Congress, nonprofit leaders and national service volunteers. At the signing ceremony, the President drew significant attention to one of the bill's architects, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), highlighting the long-standing commitment by the senator and his family to service and the country. Stressing that the act works to "connect deeds to needs," President Obama urged all Americans to...

Associations for Blind Partner to Support Wounded Veterans
National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) will work together to enhance each organization’s mission and target initiatives on the promotion of sports and employment opportunities for people who are blind and visually impaired with an emphasis on wounded warriors and veterans who are blind. Goals of this partnership include locating and identifying various professional organizations in the blindness fields and making them aware of USABA sports and NIB employment opportunities; identifying and promoting to people who are blind and visually impaired, including wounded warriors, various employment opportunities.....

President Obama Recognizes Disability Rights Leader Kathy Martinez
President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominated Kathy Martinez, for Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Department of Labor. Kathy Martinez is an internationally recognized disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity and gender issues. She was appointed Executive Director of the World Institute on Disability (WID), based in Oakland, CA, in 2005. Martinez, blind since birth, directs Proyecto Visión, WID's National Technical Assistance Center to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities in the United States, and Access to Assets, an asset-building project to help reduce poverty among people with disabilities. At WID, she also led....

Housing Bill, Inclusive Home Design Act, Requires Visitability Standards
"Universal standards for homes built with federal money are long past due," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL. "Implementing accessible features when homes are built is a simple matter of fairness, cost effectiveness, and common sense." People with mobility impairments have limited access to most homes constructed with federal assistance because there are currently no federal standards for accessibility features that these homes must include. However, new legislation introduced by Rep. Schakowsky, the Inclusive Home Design Act (HR 1408) would greatly increase the number of homes that are accessible for people with disabilities. Currently, 95 percent of new single-family homes and townhouses built with federal assistance fail to....

Memorial Service Held to Honor Millard Fuller's Life and Work
The Fuller Center for Housing held memorial service to honor Millard's life and work from Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., where the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once co-pastored with his father. The service opened by current senior pastor of Ebenezer, Rev. Raphael G. Warnock. Millard’s longtime friend and supporter, former Habitat for Humanity board member and fellow world-renowned charismatic speaker, Dr. Tony Campolo, will be the keynote spokesperson for the celebration. Former President Jimmy Carter – as well as Habitat and Fuller Center homeowners — spoke about Millard’s work and influence on their lives....

Shafallah Chairman invites abstracts for the 4th Annual International Shafallah Forum in Doha, Qatar
Dear Distinguished Colleagues—On behalf of the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, I would like to extend a warm invitation for you to submit abstracts for the 4th Annual International Shafallah Forum in Doha, Qatar from April 20th – April 22nd, 2009. For the past three years our Center has been delighted to welcome more than 250 experts in the field and Wives of Heads of State from all over the world to our Forum and we anticipate that this year’s Forum will be no exception. The 4th Annual International Forum will bring together advocates, family members, scholars, members of government, and professionals from a variety of perspectives to explore the theme of Achieving Independence. Together we will explore how to overcome factors that perpetuate disability marginalization, including widespread poverty due to lack of...

National Mentoring Month “Expand Your Universe: Mentor a Child”
President George W. Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, and General Colin L. Powell will headline the Eighth Annual National Mentoring Month volunteer recruitment drive. Held each January, the campaign mobilizes community volunteers to help young people achieve their full potential. January marks the eighth annual National Mentoring Month, a large-scale public service campaign held each year to recruit volunteer mentors to help young people achieve their full potential. The theme for National Mentoring Month 2009 is “Expand Your Universe: Mentor a Child.” To help people learn more about mentoring and join in activities, the campaign’s chief sponsors—the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, and the Corporation for National and Community Service—recently...

2009 College Scholarships for Students with Parents with Disabilities Announcement
Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families are pleased to announce new scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who have parents with disabilities. These scholarships are part of Through the Looking Glass’ new federal grant (New National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families). There are two separate scholarship awards, and each has separate eligibility requirements:...

New National Center For Parents with Disability
A new National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families has been established in Berkeley, California under the auspices of Through the Looking Glass, a non-profit organization founded in 1982. The Center will oversee several national research studies concerning parents with disabilities and their families, as well as provide consultations, trainings and publications to parents, family members and professionals. The research and resources of the Center will address the nearly 9 million U.S. parents with disabilities – 15% of all American families. Parents with disabilities include mothers and fathers in all disability categories – such as parents with physical disabilities, deaf parents, blind parents, parents with psychiatric or cognitive disabilities...

Disability Rights Fund Makes Grants to 33 Organizations in 7 Countries
The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) – a new collaborative to support the human rights of people with disabilities around the world announced funding decisions from its first request for proposals. A total of $800,000 will be gifted to 33 organizations in seven countries. The grants will support work to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities, build coalitions and networks, and develop advocacy and monitoring activities, in connection with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities...

Medicare's Online Tools Will Help Beneficiaries With Prescription Drug and Health Plan Choices For 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that beneficiaries, their caregivers, and family members can begin to review 2009 Medicare prescription drug plan and health plan information online through the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options online. “This year it is especially important, now and throughout the upcoming open enrollment period, for beneficiaries to use our online tools to compare their current drug and health plan coverage to the options available for 2009 and take action to choose a plan that best meets their needs,” said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems...

Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act is Signed
President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. The ADAAA ensures that the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act will once again be available to the many people with mental or phyical disabilities who need them. Enacted after lengthy negotiations, the ADAAA overturns several Supreme Court decisions that had made it difficult for people with disabilities to qualify for protection under the ADA. As a result of these decisions, federal courts have held that many people with conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, muscular dystrophy and other disabilities were not covered by the ADA...

1st Annual NY Disabilities Film Festival
Award winning actress, Sigourney Weaver attending festival. Weaver made her film debut as the iconic Officer Ripley in Ridley Scott's "Alien". Since then she has captivated audiences with a succession of leading and supporting roles in film and theater, winning enthusiastic reviews in comedy and drama. In the last two years her work has ranged from playing a woman with autism in the comedy "Snow Cake" with Alan Rickman...

Two Ways to Follow the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games
NBC Universal and ParalympicSport.TV:NBC Universal will provide US coverage of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games via the UniversalSports.com website and present television programming of the Games in early October. The groundbreaking broadcast will premiere on September 6th on UniversalSports.com and October 8th on Universal Sports TV, followed by a special presentation of the events on NBC October 18th...

A Storm Brewing Over the "R" Word in Tropical Thunder
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) joins self-advocates with disabilities, families and other national disability organizations in protesting the language used to refer to people with intellectual disabilities in the DreamWorks production of "Tropic Thunder". The use of the word "retard" is inflammatory and demeaning to people with intellectual disabilities. Worse, our history has shown that devaluing people all too often leads to abuse, neglect and even violent crimes,...

DOL Announces Two New Initiatives Aimed at Promoting Hiring of Veterans and Applicants with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) unveiled two initiatives aimed at promoting the hiring of veterans and protecting the rights of applicants with disabilities: The Good Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment (G-FIVE) and Ensuring the Accessibility of Online Application Systems....

Global AIDS Bill Will Save 5 Million Lives
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) applaudes the U.S. Senate for passing legislation (vote: 80/16) re-authorizing PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the US global AIDS program. AHF lauded the Senate for prioritizing lifesaving treatment through its restoration of a provision in the current law that more than half of the funding be spent on treatment. The agreement will also make it possible for as many as five million people worldwide to access antiretroviral treatment over the next five years via PEPFAR-backed programs. Currently, less than two million people are receiving treatment through PEPFAR.....

Employers and Disability Advocates Laud Amendments to Landmark Americans with Disabilities Act
The House of Representatives voted by a wide bipartisan majority to restore the full protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act authored by Senator Harkin. The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act overturns several Supreme Court decisions interpreting the ADA in such a way that people with obvious disabilities from epilepsy to missing limbs have nonetheless been found by a court not to be disabled. Over the last several weeks an unusual alliance of employers, civil rights and disability advocates joined with a bipartisan group of members of the House to negotiate amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act.....

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Says Evidence-Based Approach Should Guide National Autism "Conversation"
Presidential Candidates Comment On Causes Of Autism—Noting that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are often the first group of professionals to recognize that a child has autism and are central to providing treatment, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) sent letters this month to Presidential candidates Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama that advise taking an evidence-based approach to the vaccine controversy surrounding what causes autism and to policy development related to care. ASHA's letters were prompted by an April 22 Washington Post story, "What the Autism Studies Show Isn't Reflected in What the Candidates Say" by Michael Dobbs. The article attributed comments to both senators related to the controversy over whether a potential link exists between autism and a preservative in childhood vaccines and also reported on a body of evidence that indicates....

Major Confab on Neuroimmune Diseases to Be Held in Seattle in July
World-renowned medical experts from Johns Hopkins, Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore, the Mayo Clinic, and the MS Center at Evergreen in Washington State will gather in Seattle from July 16th through 19th for the 3rd International Neuroimmunologic Disorders Symposium to announce the latest findings on chronic diseases like MS, transverse myelitis (TM), lupus, and Devic’s disease. Sponsored by Project RESTORE, the Johns Hopkins combined center for MS and TM, and the Transverse Myelitis Association (TMA), this is a unique forum where those with these disorders and their families can meet face to face with the foremost authorities in the field to discuss everything from stem cell therapies to symptom management to depression....

Canada Looks at “Orillia Asylum for Idiots”
Out from Under: Disability History and Things to Remember is on show at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada until July 13. The groundbreaking exhibit reveals a rich and nuanced history that chronicles the struggles, alliances and setbacks faced by those who have a disability. Co-sponsored by Ryerson University's School of Disability Studies, the show features 13 diverse objects, including a Braille watch worn by Mae Brown, who was deaf and blind and went on to earn a university degree, as well as a trunk used to transport a child's belongings to the...

Thai Airways Helps Cyclone Nargis Survivors in Myanmar and Sends Earthquake Relief Goods to Chengdu, China
On May 3, 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit the Union of Myanmar, which resulted in suspension offlights to Yangon on May 3-4. Electricity went out and the country of Myanmar experienced substantial damage and losses. THAI began the relief support the first day flights were allowed to return to the region. Since then, the airline has donated 90,000 relief good items and transported them to Myanmar, including items like blankets, plates, dishes, spoons, and cups, dry foods, water, medicine...

Myanmar List of Non Government Organizations (NGOs)
From past disaster situations people with disabilities are frequently left out of relief efforts. Most commonly, any assistance comes from local organizations that work with people with disabilities—who usually are very cash strapped themselves and have great difficulty gearing up to meet the tremendous demands placed on them. Thus, based on past trends, here is a partial list of NGOs in Myanmar....

Correlations of Autistic Behaviors Shown in Children with Down Syndrome
In a continuation of his research looking at children with a co-diagnosis of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other well-known genetic disorders, Dr. Walter E. Kaufmann and colleagues recently published a study that examined the difference in brain structure between children with either Down syndrome alone and children with both Down syndrome and ASD. Dr. Kaufmann and his research team at the Center for Genetic Disorders of Cognition and Behavior (GCB Center) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute believe this will provide more clues to the cause of autism, and lead to better diagnosis and care of children with both Down syndrome and ASD. The study, which appears in the online journal NeuroReport, used anatomic MRIs to compare the brain scans of children with Down syndrome to children with both Down syndrome and autism, as well as a control group of typically developing children....

National Day Care Center, Sued for Failure to Accommodate Student with Epilepsy
Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) recently received court approval to add the Epilepsy Foundation of America as a plaintiff in a previously filed lawsuit in Federal Court against Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers, LLC for its discriminatory policy against a child with epilepsy. The suit, filed in the Central District Court of California, asserts that the Center in Mira Loma has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Person's Act by refusing to administer first aid or medications to children who attend the Center. Tutor Time is a nationwide chain of centers that provides after school care to children. There are approximately 125 corporate and 75 franchise Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers in the U.S. As a day care center, Tutor Time qualifies under the ADA as provider of public services, and therefore...

Pituitar Disease / Disorder Affects 1 in 5 people in the U.S., states the Pituitary Network Association (PNA)
An estimated 60 million people in the United States have pituitary / hormonal disease or disorder and the majority of them are unaware of it. In the US today, over 1 million people are living with HIV, another million people are living with Parkinson’s Disease. And 1.3 million adults were diagnosed with cancer last year. Diagnosing pituitary disease and disorders in the past has been difficult. Doctors are now beginning to recognize symptoms such as unexplained depression, mood swings, memory loss, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, excessive hair growth and weakness in limbs. “1 in 5 individuals may have an abnormal growth on their pituitary gland, causing significant health complications. If left undiagnosed and untreated, this can...

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