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
September 18, 2006

There are a couple of interesting court findings here.Don’t forget our conference, meeting, and event announcements are now on a separate page. (The editor)

Resource On the Web
The Rehabilitation Services Administration's (RSA's) 2006 National Employment Conference, Employment and Disability: Transition Into High-Demand Industries, in partnership with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), took place Aug. 21-23, 2006. The conference brought together business leaders, representatives of public vocational rehabilitation agencies and other stakeholders with an interest in the transition and employment of students and young adults with disabilities. The conference featured interactive training, successful programs in high-growth industry careers, and effective strategies for achieving successful post-school outcomes for youths and young adults with disabilities.

Materials are being posted on the Web site at http://www.gwu.edu/~rrcep under National Employment Conference. This will continue to be updated site as presenter materials are received.

A gathering of Studies shows gains, problem areas for students with disabilities

National Longitudinal Transition Study-2: A Synthesis of Three NLTS2 Reports on Going to School, Youth Achievements and Services and Supports Anne-Marie Knokey This In-Brief Policy Analysis gathers together information from three reports from the NLTS2. It describes students with disabilities’ school and classroom contexts, patterns of course taking, characteristics of classroom instruction; highlights student outcomes related to school programs and experiences and parent expectations; and discusses the importance and challenges of providing services and supports for youth with disabilities. (This links to a PDF file.) http://projectforum.org/docs/NLTS2forweb.pdf .

If you’re interested in special education policy, check out the rest of the Project Forum website: http://projectforum.org/

Bazelon Center: Report Points Way to School Success for Children with Mental Health Needs

“Way to Go: School Success for Children with Mental Health Care Needs”. Find out how states and school districts have successfully combined school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) with effective mental health services to foster a school environment that is conducive to learning and improves children’s lives. Our neighbor, New Hampshire is one of the six states highlighted. http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/2006/6-7-6-WayToGo.html

The Bazelon Center has also produced two checklists for use by advocates working to encourage states and school districts to undertake PBS/mental health initiatives. They may be downloaded as PDF files from http://www.bazelon.org/issues/education.

NASD Awards $1.2M to A.G. Edwards Ex-Worker in Mental Disability Case ( Andrews Publications)

An arbitration panel of the National Association of Securities Dealers recently awarded more than $1.2 million to a former branch manager for A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. who claimed the brokerage illegally demoted him after he took a medical leave for bipolar disorder. "Victories are very rare in cases such as this one where the initial allegations included both actual disability and perceived disability," attorney Joshua Van Kampen …

During 2001, his last year with A.G. Edwards, Allen experienced increasingly severe symptoms of bipolar disorder. Because of those symptoms, Allen took a brief leave of absence from work in May 2001 to recover, the statement said…. According to a case summary included with the arbitration award, A.G. Edwards denied it violated the ADA because Allen did not have a "disability" within the meaning of the statute.

The company also said Allen was not a "qualified individual with a disability" under the ADA and was not "otherwise qualified" under the law….

http://news.findlaw.com/andrews/em/emp/
20060815/20060815_allen.html

Blind patrons' lawsuit against target proceeds

A lawsuit claiming retail giant Target Corp. discriminates against the blind with an inaccessible Web site can go forward in part, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel wrote the plaintiffs — the National Federation of the Blind, its California affiliate and a blind University of California, Berkeley student — can proceed with claims that Target.com's inaccessibility to the blind "impedes the full and equal enjoyment of goods and services offered in Target stores." However, she dismissed parts of the suit dealing with Web information and services unconnected with the company's brick-and-mortar stores.

Minneapolis-based Target issued a statement Thursday saying it was disappointed Patel didn't dismiss the case entirely, but was pleased she didn't grant the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction forcing the company to make its site readily accessible to and usable by blind people using screen-access software within 90 days.

"We believe our Web site complies with all applicable laws and are committed to vigorously defending this case," the company said. "We will continue to implement technology that increases the usability of our Web site for all our guests, including those with disabilities."

Target had sought to have the case dismissed before trial,… Patel found that "(t)o limit the ADA to discrimination in the provision of services occurring on the premises of a public accommodation would contradict the plain language of the statute." The law's purpose "is broader than mere physical access — seeking to bar actions or omissions which impair a disabled person's 'full enjoyment' of services or goods," she wrote.

The plaintiffs, represented by firms including Berkeley-based Disability Rights Advocates, sued in February in Alameda County Superior Court; Target had the case removed to federal court in March.

The suit notes Target's site lacks "compliant alt-text," an invisible code embedded beneath images so screen-reading software can detect and vocalize an image's description to blind computer users. Also, the site requires use of a mouse to finish transactions, so blind people can't go it alone.

(Editor's Note; this story written By Josh Richman, can be found in its entirety at http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_4305423