Print Friendly VersionAdvocacy Action News
November 2005, Issue 95
Table of Contents
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
WISCONSIN
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
November 2005, Issue 95
American Diabetes Month
National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
National Epilepsy Awareness Month
National Family Caregivers Month
Monthly News Bulletin Published by IndependenceFirst
LEADERSHIP IN THE DISABILITY
RIGHTS COMMUNITY
Marca Bristo: International Leader for Women with Disabilities
By Alie Kriofske Mainella
Marca Bristo is a nationally acclaimed advocate and activist for people with disabilities. She has received many awards and honors to include the Distinguished Service Award for her part in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bristo began her work as a registered nurse and was working as a nurse when, in 1977, she broke her neck in a car accident. She described her self as unready at that time for the way the world treated people with disabilities. Some time after her injury and while she was piecing her life back together, she started to become a new person. “It was the community of people with disabilities that helped me make the shift and essentially unify the past with the future”, Bristo once said. It was at that time that she attended a conference in California that showed her the very beginnings of the Independent Living Movement; this would change her life forever. She met Ed Roberts, a leader in the movement and she saw the changes that were occurring for people with disabilities.
Some time later, Bristo returned to Chicago and started what is now Chicago’s Independent Living Center, Access Living. Her organization was among the first ten in existence in the United States and joined what is now the National Council on Independent Living. It was the National Council and Bristo’s work, along with many other individuals and organizations that helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law in 1990.
When asked her opinion about the federal enforcement of the ADA today, she replied “It as if we have been using a hammer when we need a sledgehammer.” Bristo has fought for decades in the struggle for disability rights and her voice remains strong.
Today she continues her work with Access Living, using her voice as an advocate not only for citizens of the U.S. with disabilities, but in other nations as well. She participates an ad hoc committee with the United Nations working worldwide with people with disabilities. She is truly an activist and advocate and should be commended for her work for the rights of persons with disabilities in the United States and all over the world.
This information came from an interview with Marca Bristo in August of 2004. This entire interview can be found at www.benderconsult.com/radiocaption/083104VA.html
Access Living’s website is www.accessliving.org
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
ADAPT GETS COMMITMENT FROM HUD
Just to be sure that Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the U.S. Housing & Urban Department (HUD) got the point that ADAPT wants HUD vouchers for people transitioning out of nursing homes and institutions into community living, ADAPT delivered the message simultaneously at Jackson's home in Alexandria, Virginia, and HUD headquarters in D.C. The strategy paid off when Secretary Jackson came down to HUD plaza to personally meet with protestors, and commit to work with ADAPT on voucher implementation.
"We are pleased that Sec. Jackson did what no HUD Secretary before him has done, namely, come to us in the street, outside the HUD fortress, and pledge to work together to improve the lives of people with disabilities," said Shona Eakin, Pennsylvania ADAPT Organizer.
Along with voucher implementation, follow-up with Jackson will also address the problem of affordable housing stock becoming suddenly available, then just as suddenly disappearing, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Many people with disabilities and other low-income people have waited as long as ten years for their names to rise to the top of Section 8 waiting lists in their home communities. As some of those communities have suddenly become home to tens of thousands of survivors of Katrina, thousands of affordable housing units "magically" appeared to help house them. Now that those units are being used to house Katrina survivors, what does that mean for the disability community and other low-income people on waiting lists for housing?
Lack of accessible, affordable, integrated housing remains the greatest barrier to community living for people who are currently warehoused in nursing homes and other institutions. The dearth of housing surpasses even the universal lack of adequate community based services and supports. According to statistics compiled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, more than 300,000 of the million and a half people in the nation's nursing homes want to move back into the community. That will only be possible with enough accessible, affordable, integrated housing, and community-based services and supports.
Source: The JFA Listserv
NEW COALITION WILL PUSH FOR PASSAGE OF S. 1570
Senator Roberts (R-KS) and Senator Kennedy (D-MA), joined by business owners and disability advocates who are committed helping at least one percent (94,000) more severely disabled people in America find
competitive employment, announced S. 1570, The Employer Work Incentive Act for Individuals with Severe Disabilities.
The ONE PERCENT COALITION will actively support passage of S. 1570, which will create a government contracting preference for companies that employ significant numbers of severely disabled workers. This contracting
incentive will ensure that Americans with severe disabilities have access to competitive jobs that allow them to achieve personal and economic self-sufficiency.
Source: The JFA Listserv
IDEA
Troy R. Justesen, acting director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education, would like to share with you an important message about a series of topic briefs regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA).
In response to public inquiry about the recently reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), and prior to issuing final regulations, OSERS is taking steps to assist in the explanation of the statutory language. To be as responsive as possible to families, educators and administrators, OSERS has developed and posted to its website a series of topic briefs regarding several high-interest areas of IDEA 2004. These topic briefs include a summary of all relevant statutory language for 19 topics ranging from Highly Qualified Teachers to Discipline, with citations from the law and cross-references, when applicable, to related briefs.
These tools and information resources are at:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html
Source: The JFA Listserv
WISCONSIN
CULVER'S DAY OF WARMTH FOR KEEP WISCONSIN WARM FUND IS NOV. 15TH
On November 15th, at all Wisconsin Culver's, a portion of their proceeds will go to fund energy assistance for persons who are low-income. The MORE you buy, the more money raised!
PARKING LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
As a result of the efforts of the IndependenceFirst ADA Consumer Advocacy Team, Representative Peggy Krusick (D-Milwaukee) has introduced a bill on parking for people with disabilities. The bill number is AB 715 www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/AB715hst.html) Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) is the lead sponsor in the Senate. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Transportation.
Under current law, a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk may apply for and obtain from the Department of Transportation (DOT) special motor vehicle registration plates or a special identification card, or both, entitling a motor vehicle used by the person with a disability to certain parking privileges, including parking in spaces reserved for use by such vehicles. An application for a special identification card must include a statement from a physician, chiropractor, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, or Christian Science practitioner (health care provider) that the applicant is a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk. A person with a physical disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk is defined as a person with a disability under federal law or a person who meets any of the following conditions:
1. Cannot walk 200 feet or more without stopping to rest.
2. Cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, another person or a medical assistive device, such as a cane or wheelchair.
3. Is restricted by lung disease to the extent that the person meets a specified medical standard for lung volume.
4. Uses portable oxygen.
5. Has a cardiac condition that meets a specified medical standard.
6. Is severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.
7. Has a degree of disability equal to those specified in items 1. to 6.
This bill eliminates the criteria specified in item 7. for defining a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, for purposes of both special identification cards and special disabled registration plates.
Under current law, with limited exceptions, a special identification card entitles any motor vehicle parked by or under the direction of the card holder, or any motor vehicle operated by or on behalf of an organization and used to transport a person eligible for a card, to parking privileges. A person or organization is subject to a forfeiture of not more than $200 if the person or organization lends to another a special identification card knowing that the person borrowing the card is not authorized by law to use it or if the person or organization displays a special identification card on a vehicle that is not authorized by law to have the card displayed on it. A person or organization is required to forfeit not less than $200 nor more than $500 if the person or organization fraudulently procures, alters, reproduces, or uses a special identification card.
This bill increases the forfeiture for these violations to $1,000 and makes some modification in the scope of the violations, including requiring that the improper display of a special identification card be done knowing that the vehicle is not authorized to display the card. The bill also creates two new violations, subject to the same $1,000 forfeiture amount, for knowingly providing false or misleading information on an application for a special identification card and for knowingly providing false or misleading information in a health care provider statement submitted in support of an application. The bill also prohibits DOT from issuing more than one special identification card to an applicant unless the applicant requests a second card, and requires DOT to provide by rule for the issuance of replacement cards for cards that are lost or destroyed.
EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
INTERNSHIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), through partnerships with Microsoft Corporation and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, has announced two internship opportunities for college students with disabilities for summer 2006.
2006 SUMMER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INTERNSHIP FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Administered by AAPD and sponsored by Microsoft Corporation, undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in information technology are encouraged to apply. Accepted candidates will work in various agencies in the executive branch of the federal government. Roundtrip air travel and housing will be provided to interns, and each student will receive a stipend. Applications now available from www.AAPD.com. Apply by: DECEMBER 12, 2005 (5:00pm, eastern).
Questions and submissions for I.T. program: aapdmsintern@aol.com.
2006 SUMMER CONGRESSIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITHDISABILITIES: Administered by AAPD and sponsored by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, second-semester sophomores through first-semester seniors interested in working on Capitol Hill are encouraged to apply. Accepted candidates will work in congressional offices in Washington, DC. Roundtrip air travel and housing will be provided to interns, and each student will receive a stipend. Applications now available from www.AAPD.com.
Apply by: DECEMBER 12, 2005
(5:00pm, eastern).
Questions and submissions for Congressional program: aapdcongintern@aol.com.
Source: JFA Listserv
SURVEY RESPONDENTS NEEDED
I need your help! I am writing representing one of our Medicaid Infrastructure Grant projects. We are working in partnership with the Department of Health and Family Services, the University of Wisconsin at Madison - Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (UW-CREATe), the Waisman Center, and stakeholders. As a key stakeholder, we would like to ask your participation with our current project regarding the Maintenance and Repair of Assistive Technology, primarily wheelchairs.
As many of you are quite aware, preventive maintenance and timely repair of assistive technology (AT) is essential to persons with disabilities requiring AT to obtain and maintain employment and to contribute as independent members of society.
We are trying to gather information about problems associated with maintaining and repairing mobility devices. As one of the steps, we are conducting a survey through which we expect to assess the level of problems that individuals with disabilities experience when their mobility devices require repair.
We would like to ask you to participate in taking the survey. The success of our efforts depends on the involvement of stakeholders like you. The survey link can be found at: www.mobilitysurvey.org .
If you have any concerns or questions, or would like any additional information, feel free to contact me at the below. Thank you again for your assistance as well as for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Joe Entwisle, Senior Policy Analyst
1 W. Wilson Street, Room 1150
P.O. Box 7851
Madison, WI 53707-7851
608-266-5209 (V/Relay)
EMPLOYMENT INFO ON THE NET
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) within the US Department of Labor issued two new fact sheets on September 30, 2005. These fact sheets can be viewed/printed on-line at:
Employers and the ADA: Myths and Facts http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ada.htm
Opening Doors to All Candidates: Tips for Ensuring Access for Applicants with Disabilities http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/opening.htm
Source: Great Lakes ADA and Accessible IT Center Listserv
AFB EXPANDS ONLINE RESOURCES TO PROMOTE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Contact: Carrie Fernandez of AFB, 212-502-7674 (V/Relay) or cfernandez@afb.net
In conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) announced the expansion of its CareerConnect(r) program to ensure people with vision loss have equal access to employment opportunities. The new, online resources are specifically targeted for employers, job seekers with vision loss, and rehabilitation service providers.
AFB's CareerConnect program (http://www.afb.org/careerconnect ) showcases the diversity of jobs held by people with vision loss and provides employment resources for five distinct audiences: Job Seekers with Vision Loss, Employers and Human Resources Professionals, Rehabilitation Professionals and Educators, Mentors, and Parents, Family, and Friends.
Source: http://www.usnewswire.com/
Advocacy Action News is published by IndependenceFirst on or about the 1st of each month. Submissions of articles are due by the 15th of each month prior to publication. For consideration, send your articles or announcements to the Editor, Karen Avery, via e-mail to kavery@independencefirst.org.
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