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 Kids on Wheels magazine looking for youth activists Kids on Wheels, a magazine for young people who use wheelchairs, is working on a story on young activists and is looking to hear from young wheelchair-users who are activists in their communities. The activism need not necessarily be disability- related. The activism could be with regards to the environment, health care, peace, animals, or disability and accessibility. The individual does not have to use a wheelchair (although they may use one part-time) and the primary focus is on young activists, so younger age groups are preferred. Anyone who is interested should email Laura Kaminker, Associate
Editor of Kids on Wheels, at SOURCE: Kids on Wheels Kaiser Family Foundation to track health care positions of candidates. "Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 - March 2007 Casey Martin, ADA Restoration, More Tour In Photos Dear Friends: The Road To Freedom bus has been on the road since last November when we left Washington, DC with Yoshiko Dart joining us on the first leg of our journey. Just last week we were in Oregon where we were joined by Casey Martin, the professional golfer whose ADA case in the Supreme Court affirmed his right to use a golf cart in PGA competitions. This bus stop, which received extensive media coverage, included other dignitaries including the County Commissioner, Mayors, and disability leaders -- along with a percussion group, jugglers, comedy, petition signing and more... Photos and descriptions of this event, which will give you a good
sense of what a Road To Freedom bus stop is all about, are now
available at: More information is available at http://www.roadtofreedom.org Best, Jim Jim Ward Founder and President Source: ADA Watch The Commonwealth Fund Reports That: April 11, 2007 New International Building Code eliminates requirements for disabled in existing apartments undergoing alterations May 30, 2007 For Immediate Release: For More Information, Contact: Jackson Heights, NY - The 2007 Supplement of the International Building Code (IBC) will no longer require apartments undergoing alterations to provide adaptability features to accommodate people with disabilities. Under previous editions of the IBC, an alteration to more than 20 units in an existing building would trigger a requirement for two percent of the units to be provided with basic adaptability features. A proposal (G-206) submitted during the International Code Council's (ICC) fall hearings in Orlando, Florida led to the elimination of the IBC's requirement to provide important adaptability features in existing apartments undergoing alterations. Staff from the U.S. Access Board, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the United Spinal Association, were unsuccessful in a bid to have an alternative proposal requiring minimal adaptability requirements in existing apartments revisited during the ICC's hearings in Rochester, NY on May 24, 2007. The National Association of Home Builders and The National Multi- Housing Council provided testimony against the proposal asking for minimal adaptability requirements, citing the additional costs and space that would be necessary to comply. ... To read the entire press release, go to: SOURCE: United Spinal Association Court Decision: "Mental retardation" is not a disability under ADA In the case of Littleton v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in an unpublished opinion from May 11, held that an individual with mental retardation did not have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. With guidance from the Alabama Independent Living Center, Mr. Littleton interviewed for a job as a cart-push associate at Wal-Mart. However he was not allowed to have his job coach accompany him into the interview, and he was ultimately not hired. While acknowledging his intellectual disability, in the Court's analysis, Littleton, who receives Social Security benefits because of his disability, was found not to be substantially limited in major life activities. The following are excerpts from the court decision: "We do not doubt that Littleton has certain limitations because of his mental retardation. In order to qualify as 'disabled' under the ADA, however, Littleton has the burden of proving that he actually is, is perceived to be, or has a record of being substantially limited as to 'major life activities' under the ADA. "It is unclear whether thinking, communicating, and social interaction are 'major life activities' under the ADA." The entire court opinion is available as a pdf at: SOURCE: AAPD UCP report ranks states on how well states provide community-based supports under Medicaid United Cerebral Palsy publicly released a report today, The Case for Inclusion 2007, on how states are serving Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities under Medicaid. The report ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia on how well the states are providing community-based supports. The full report and state-by-state break-downs on more than 40 data categories (not all of which are included in the report) are available at http://www.ucp.org/medicaid. At MIT, Media Lab Hopes to Create Humans, the Next Version MENTAL HEALTH Alternatives to the Mental Health System: In its May 2007 publication,
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases re-published a 15-year
prospective follow-up study which compared recovery outcomes in
schizophrenia patients treated with anti-psychotics and those untreated
or treated without drugs. Significantly, the study provides documented
evidence that psychiatry’s drug-focused paradigm of care impedes rather
than fosters recovery. EUTHANASIA AND ASSISTED SUICIDE Software to assist children with disabilities through computer devices such as PCs, laptops and PDAs, has been developed by a multidisciplinary team at Grenada University (AGR). The software, called SC@UT, which stands for Augmentative and Adaptive
Communication System, is designed for children with special
communication and educational needs, such as children with Autism, Down
syndrome, or cerebral palsy. There is a software speech synthesizer with capability for nine languages now available for Linux operating system users.. Access to University Courses! |