At 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
June 29, 2007

At MIT, Media Lab Hopes to Create Humans, the Next Version
Dan Ellsey brought down the house at the MIT Media Lab's symposium today (May 9) on augmenting the human body. Using an infrared tracker and HyperScore software developed by MIT music and media professor Tod Machover, the 33-year old man with cerebral palsy used head movements to perform his electronic music composition "My Eagle Song." Its harmonies were translated into rippling waves of color on the screen behind him.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/blog/2007/05/media_lab_hopes_1.html

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.
For more details, visit
http://ahrp.blogspot.com/2007/05/15-year-follow-up-schizophrenia-study.html

EUTHANASIA AND ASSISTED SUICIDE
(Disabled People International)
DPI Position on Assisted Suicide: In its newsletter E-news, DPI announced that it would be developing a DPI position on Assisted Suicide. On May 25, 2007 DPI would like to invite readers to send along a written submission on the subject. Please share your thoughts and opinions on this critical issue with DPI as they work towards development of their position statement. Submissions may be sent to
mary@dpi.org

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.
http://www.disabilityindia.com/html/news.html#software

There is a software speech synthesizer with capability for nine languages now available for Linux operating system users..
http://TTSynth.Com

Access to University Courses!
this page contains several courses from New York University whose lectures are available as podcasts or free downloads:
http://podcast.york.cuny.edu/lectures/

US Access Board Proposes Guidelines for Federal Outdoor Developed Areas
The Board has released for public comment new accessibility guidelines for Federal parks and recreation areas. As proposed, the guidelines address access to new or altered trails, beaches, and picnic and camping areas on sites managed by the Federal government. Achieving accessibility in outdoor environments has long been a source of inquiry due to challenges and constraints posed by terrain, the degree of development, construction practices and materials, and other factors. In developing these guidelines, the Board seeks to clarify how, and to what extent, accessibility criteria can be applied to outdoor developed areas.

Although the guidelines are not proposed under the Americans with Disabilties Act, they can be used as best practice interim guidelines under the ADA since they are the most recent and up-to-date information on accessibility in outdoor developed areas.
http://www.access-board.gov/news/outdoor-nprm.htm

From the Research and Training Center on Family Supports and Children’s Mental Health
Summer 2007 Issue: "Effective Interventions for Underserved Populations"

http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFPS07TOC.php

National Empowerment Center
“ Recovery is real and this website is filled with practical information that will help you recover if you have been labeled with a mental illness”.
http://www.power2u.org/

TBI Resource: Share this with your doctor
The CDC has developed a toolkit for doctors on concussions and mild brain injuries, “Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice”. The tool kit can be ordered or downloaded free-of-charge at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/Physicians_Tool_Kit.htm

ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments
From the Department of Justice. May additions to the toolkit include website accessibility, curb ramps and pedestrian crossings.
http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/toolkitmain.htm

Maltreatment of Children With Disabilities
The American Academy of Pediatrics has revised its policy on maltreatment of children with disabilities. “The purpose of this statement is to ensure that children with disabilities are recognized as a population that is also at risk for maltreatment. The need for early recognition and intervention of child abuse and neglect in this population, as well as the ways that a medical home can facilitate the prevention and early detection of child maltreatment, should be acknowledged.” The statement also advises Pediatricians to “advocate for the implementation of positive behavioral supports and elimination of aversive techniques and unnecessary physical restraints in homes, schools, and other educational and therapeutic programs (both public and private), institutions, and settings for children who have disabilities.”
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/pediatrics;119/5/1018

Presidential candidates answer questions on disability issues
ADAPT, AAPD, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) have created a list of questions for presidential candidates. Candidates Obama, Richardson, Edwards, and Gilmore have responded so far:
http://www.aapd.com/News/election/070429aapd.htm

Medicaid and People With Disabilities
New Q & A from the National Health Law Program:
http://www.healthlaw.org/library.cfm?fa=detailItem&
fromFa=detail&id=148063&folderID=43
168&appView=folder&r=id~~43168,appview~~
folder,rootfolder~~23177,fa~~detail

PBS Documentary on Learning Disabilities, "Misunderstood Minds"
The PBS website also has additional information:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/

Priced Out in 2006
New Report Underscores Housing Crisis Facing People with Disabilities. From the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC) and the Washington DC-based Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force.
http://www.tacinc.org/Pubs/PricedOut.htm

Minimum Wage Increase: What it Means for People with Disabilities
See this and other publications from the Institute for Community Inclusion:
http://www.communityinclusion.org./

Youth Risk Taking Behavior: The Role of Schools.
A policy and practice analysis brief from the UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools:
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/dbsimple.aspx?Primary=1401&Number=9981

Parenting with a Mental Illness: Programs and Resources
From the UPenn Collaborative on community Integration:
http://www.upennrrtc.org/resources/view.php?tool_id=128

RadioShack Announces Point of Sale, Web Site Initiative for Customers with Visual Impairments This agreement was reached without litigation through the alternative dispute resolution process known as “Structured Negotiations.
See press releases from the American Council for the Blind:
http://www.aapd.com/News/tech/070613acb.htm;
and from the law firm of Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian
http://www.gdblegal.com/press.php?menuItem=5&article=75

Multiple chemical sensitivity and workplace discrimination: The national EEOC ADA research project Information from the Integrated Mission System of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was used to investigate the employment discrimination experiences of Americans with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) in comparison to Americans in a general disability group with allergies, asthma, HIV, gastrointestinal impairment, cumulative trauma disorder and tuberculosis.
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/8069