NEWS BRIEFSAt AbilityMaine we are developing a special page for events, committee meetings, board meetings, etc. that are of interest to people with disabilities. The calendar link will still be on our site, but this special page will be specifically for disability related meetings and events. If you have items to add to this page, if you are a committee member who can provide dates for your meetings,or if you are planning an event, send items to Mainefun40@hotmail.com with CALENDAR in the subject line. We're always looking for news and information at Abilitymaine. If you have items you think we can use, send them to Mainefun40@hotmail.com with NEWS in the subject line. NewsBriefs In this edition of News Briefs, there are opportunities for campers and counsellors, legislative training, earning a stipend doing committee work, and some interesting research links regarding employment. Happy New Year from AbilityMaine's News Hounds! Colorado woman selling snow on eBay Does your lawn look a little too green and brown? If so, think about buying some snow to 'winterize' it. A woman in Colorado is selling snow from the past two Denver area blizzards. Now that's a way to spread the winter! (as seen on Yahoo News) Mon Jan 1, 5:25 AM ET LOVELAND, Colo. - Call it a winter sale. Jim and Mary Walker are selling snow on eBay. Starting bids were holding steady Friday at 99 cents for samples from "Blizzard I and Blizzard II." Accessible Tax Forms. U.S. taxpayers can download IRS publications and forms in text or braille from here http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131773,00.html and publications http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131761,00.html " talking forms" are available here http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=98135,00.html The forms on the IRS site can be filled in usingAdobe Reader version 5 or higher. Legislative Training, Open to All! The council is seeking new members and guests are welcome at the meeting. For more information, contact Steve Hoad, council chairman, at 445-2141 or e-mail mainefun40@hotmail.com. Stipend available for MH conference committee work! Leticia Huttman (Office Director) 1-800-588-5511 287-4253 TTY: 207-287-9916 Katharine Storer (Region 3 Office Representative) 1-800-963-9491 561-5361 Kelly Staples (Region 2 Office Representative) 1-800-588-5511 287-5805 National Council On Disability; Emerging Technologies On December 27, NCD released Over the Horizon: Potential Impact of Emerging Trends in Information and Communication Technology on Disability Policy and Practice ( http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/emerging_trends.htm), a policy paper that explores key trends in information and communication technology; highlights the potential opportunities and problems these trends present for people with disabilities; and suggests some strategies to maximize opportunities and avoid potential problems and barriers. The policies we adopt today will determine whether the technology of the future empowers people with disabilities—enabling them to work, learn, communicate, shop, and live independent, productive lives as full and equal members of society. For more information on the report, please contact Julie Carroll at jcarroll@ncd.gov. Many disability advocates need up to date statistics by State or county for people with disabilities. The 2005 American Community Survey provides a lot of useful current data. Here are some national Findings from the data: * Nearly 15% of the population 5 years and over (i.e., 40 million people) have one or more disabilities. * For the population 16-64 years, 12% of that population (i.e., nearly 23 million people) have one or more disabilities. * For the population 16-64 years, only 37.5% of the people with a disability are employed. That is, more than 14 million people with disabilities who are unemployed. * For the population 65 years and over, 40.5% of that population (i.e., more than 14 million people) have one or more disabilities. * For the population 5 years and over who have one or more disabilities, 21.1% are below the poverty level (which is about $9,200 for a single person). That is, more than 8 million persons have a disability and are below the poverty level. Advocates should use this data to hold public Officials managing programs accountable. Find the data by state and county at http://factfinder.census.gov A sports Opportunity for campers and counsellors! Registration for Camp Abilities 2007 will begin on January 1st, 2007 Camp Dates: June 24th through June 30th, 2007 Camp Abilities is a one week developmental sports camp for children who are visually impaired, blind, or deafblind. The camp is set up to provide a 1:1 instructional situation for each child. Counselors are pooled from physical education and special education undergraduate and graduate programs across the U.S., and overseas. Since the first summer the camp has had more than 90 counselors per summer, and has trained more than 750 future teachers in the area of sport and recreation for children with sensory impairments. Many of the specialists are blind themselves, and serve as excellent role models for the campers, some of whom have never met or socially interacted with another person who is blind. In its twelth year, Camp Abilities, held annually at the campus of SUNY College at Brockport, offers a one-week, comprehensive, developmental sports camp for children between the ages of 9 to 19 who are visually impaired, blind, or deafblind. The camp provides a 1:1 instructional situation for each child. Since the first year, the camp has served more than 50 children a year. For more information about Camp Abilities, including camper and counselor registration, go to: http://www.campabilitiesbrockport.org or Contact: Lauren J. Lieberman, Ph.D., Camp Director Camp Abilities SUNY Brockport 350 New Campus Dr. Brockport, NY 14420 (585) 395-5361 (585) 395-2771 FAX Email: llieberm@brockport.edu New paper published by Center researchers on PAS(personal assistance services) in the workplace The journal Work has published a new report entitled "Personal assistance services as a workplace accommodation" in a special issue on Evidence-Based Practice in Workplace Accommodations. Written by Susan Stoddard, this paper describes current US trends and practices regarding workplace personal assistance services (PAS) as part of available work accommodation options. The results reported on are based on forty-one telephone interviews conducted in 2004, which included 20 workplace PAS users and 21 US employers familiar with workplace accommodations. Employers and consumers described a range of workplace personal assistance currently used. Barriers to expansion of workplace PAS include negative co-worker or supervisor attitude, cost to employers and workers, waiting time for accommodations, employee attitude and knowledge, and confusing terminology. Development of organizational culture that encourages employment of people with disabilities and developing employer-employee partnerships in arranging for accommodations can contribute to workplace PAS solutions. The survey findings contribute to better understanding of current practices related to workplace PAS. For more information, go to "The Social Security Administration's efforts to promote employment for people with disabilities: New solutions for old problems," is from the National Council on Disability. It contains recommendations that could be useful in policy and procedural modification discussions by both Congress and the Social Security Administration to significantly address the continuing number of SSA beneficiaries who never leave the SSI and DI rolls, and to increase the number of beneficiaries who enter, or reenter, the U.S. workforce. To access the report go to "Final report on best practices for the employment of people with disabilities in state government" The report can be viewed on-line at: Two documents of interest posted by the American Foundation for the Blind; The first document is a brief summary, titled "The Social and Economic Status of Working-Age Adults (21-64) with Sensory Disabilities" based on Cornell University's 2005 Disability Status Reports. This document focuses on individuals with sensory impairments. http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=43&DocumentID=3173 In the second document, titled "Transition of Youth with Visual Impairments, Multiple Impairments, or Deaf-Blindness: National Longitudinal Transition Study 2" is a condensing of the information from the June 2005 report to show how youth with visual impairments or deaf-blindness/multiple impairments experienced transition. The document narrative contains links to statistical tables. http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=43&DocumentID=3178 Profiles of Medicaid's High Cost Populations This paper examines the role that Medicaid plays in addressing six populations (preterm birth babies, foster care children, individuals with spinal cord
and traumatic brain injuries, individuals with mental illness, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and people with Alzheimer's
disease) with serious health needs resulting in high costs. For each population profiled, the report describes the condition and the need for services
and supports, as well as the role of Medicaid in meeting those needs. Profiles of real people with these conditions are also included with descriptions
of model programs or cutting edge practices designed to meet the needs of these individuals. Residential Treatment Centers for Children with Mental Health Needs: Are they effective? See the fact sheet on Residential Treatment Centers on the Bazelon Center webpage which states, "Tens of thousands of children with mental health needs
are being placed in expensive, inappropriate and often dangerous institutions": Also see the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, which discusses the lack of evidence for clinical effectiveness of RTCs and the evidence base for
community based services: Across the States 2006: Profiles of Long-Term Care and Independent Living A Research Report from AARP. This compilation of data covers many facets of long-term care and independent living in each state and the District of Columbia.
Published biennially since 1992 by the AARP Public Policy Institute, the Across the States series was developed to help inform policy discussions among
public and private sector leaders in long-term care throughout the United States. It presents comparable state-level and national data for 150 indicators
from a wide variety of sources, drawn together into a single document. This seventh edition of Across the States presents the most up-to-date data available
at the time of production. |