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 This time, find information on fashion, digital radio accessibility, awards given in Portland, and more! 10/16/06 CALL FOR ARTISTS WITH CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES CREATIVE CANARIES, the international network of artists with Chemical
Sensitivities, is
actively seeking new members from all countries to join their group in
preparation for two
exhibition proposals in Dallas and Chicago. Over the past two years, the Social Security Advisory Board has
been examining the SSA hearing process, focusing attention on
issues of consistency, productivity, long processing times and
large backlogs, hearing office management, and the relationship
between the agency and its corps of administrative law judges.
For a preliminary report and recommendations see the PDF document at This and other Board reports can be requested or downloaded from
the Boards website JOB OPPORTUNITY listed at the Disabled People’s International web site: Mercy Corps Middle East Emergency Operations seeks Assistant Project
Manager for Disability: Interesting Link! Human Rights Tools: Providing human rights professionals with easy
access to the best online resources: Measuring Transition Success: Focus on Youth & Family Participation A PACER Center Parent Brief, July 2006 describes the importance of
families, youth, disability advocates and parent centers to participate
in upcoming state data collection efforts which will be conducted to
determine how well schools are preparing children with disabilities for
success after high school. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of
Special Education Programs requires states to find out whether their
former special education students have pursued further education or
found competitive employment within one year of leaving high school. Do you know about HealthCareCoach? Shalom House Hope Awards Honors Leaders Shalom House honored two area humanitarians, Dr. Walter Christie and developer, Richard Berman at their annual Shalom House Hope Awards on October 12, at the Portland Museum of Art. Psychiatrist, Dr. Walter Christie received the Johnson & Korda Innovations Award for his contribution to mental health treatment. Dr. Christie retired from Maine Medical Center in 2005 as staff psychiatrist and had earlier served as their Director of Psychiatric Outpatient Services. He was the former staff psychiatrist at Augusta Mental Health Institute. Dr. Christie has held various teaching posts at the University of Vermont and has published several articles on psychotherapy. He is a Bowdoin College graduate. Richard Berman, Berman and Associates, was honored with the Community Excellence Award for his smart growth projects that integrates affordable mixed housing into a community process. He is known for utilizing urban areas, rather than suburban sprawl. Some of his projects have included the redevelopment of the Long Creek Youth Development Center, now Brickhill, and Unity House in Portland. Berman received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Masters Degrees from the University of Massachusetts and later completed independent study at Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Boston Architectural Center. The Shalom House Hope Awards are named after the organization’s founders Birger Johnson and Thor and Connie Korda, who with the help of others, spearheaded
the first group home in Maine, which is now part of Shalom House’s nineteen properties and support services for people with serious mental illnesses. Shalom House, Inc. Tom Gorham Center 106 Gilman Street Portland, Maine 04112 Now Available, from the National Technical Assistance Center for State
Mental Health Planning: National Wraparound Initiative has new tools Covering Health Issues: A sourcebook for journalists Medicare Part D Complaints Here's a tip sheet from the federal DHHS on how to handle them: Fashion Show Ideas? FASHION MOVESFashion to Fit Your Life StyleStyles and Designs for Active People who use Wheelchairs or have other medically related clothing needs. “To provide you with a bit of background, while I am able bodied, a number of people in my family have had various physical disabilities. This includes a favorite Aunt who had stroke related paralysis on her dominant side and my father who passed away from ALS. My late partner was a triple amputee (wheelchair user) and one of the most energetic people I have ever known! Through years of helping where I could, I realized that one major problem was clothing and clothing related issues. A long held dream has been to mount a Fashion Show. I am pleased to announce that the Show is now in the planning stages. The primary Host of the show is, Incorporated 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, based in New York City. Helping Hands Initiative provides advocacy assistance for People with Disabilities and this will be a fund raiser to support the work they do. As we plan and develop this Fashion Show we will open a dialogue between the Consumers of these Fashions and the Garment Industry. Through this raised awareness we hope to enhance the quality and availability of Adaptive clothing everywhere. Mark your calendars for Fall 2007 and plan to join us in New York City.
(We will let you know in the Spring what the exact date will be.) As the plans are being developed we
will value your comments and input. Please feel free to e-mail us
at Grant to develop accessible radio technology for people who are deaf. Department of Education's National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation and Research has awarded a grant to NPR and WGBH's National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) to develop accessible radio technology for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired. The Accessible Digital Radio Broadcast Services grant in the amount of $150,000 for the first year will help fund an anticipated three-year research and development project to prototype, field test and assess the cutting-edge radio technologies to serve the needs of people with sensory disabilities. NPR and NCAM are internationally recognized experts in digital radio technologies and accessible media service models. "As radio moves into the digital transmission arena, public radio is committed to providing people with sensory disabilities equal access to news, entertainment and emergency services," said Mike Starling, CTO and Executive Director of NPR Labs. The overall goal is to guide the design of prototype digital radios for evaluation by consumers. At the conclusion of the study, design criteria to be developed with collective input from a representative cross section of disabled consumers will be made available to receiver manufacturers. The project's total budget for the first year is $227,810. The Department of Education grant will cover 65 percent of the project costs for the first year, while NPR will fund the remaining 35 percent. Additional federal funding after the first year is dependent on congressional appropriations. NPR has a history of accessible innovations including subcarrier service for radio reading and web site captioning of radio programs. For more info:Emily Lenzner, NPR At National Public Radio elenzner@npr.org or Mary Watkins, WGBH Accessible Media mary_watkins@wgbh.org |