Print Friendly VersionApril 2007, Issue 112
ADVOCACY ACTION NEWS
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
WISCONSIN
LOCAL
ADA/FAIR HOUSING
ON THE WEB
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Monthly News Bulletin Published by IndependenceFirst
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
COMMUNITY CHOICE ACT OF 2007
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced the Community Choice Act of 2007. This legislation, co-sponsored by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), gives individuals who are eligible for nursing home services or other institutional care equal access to community-based services and supports. The legislation also provides enhanced federal matching funds to help states develop their long-term care infrastructure and grant funds to help states increase their ability to provide home and community-based services. This bill also creates a demonstration project to evaluate service coordination and cost sharing approaches for those eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare services. Source: Press Release
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED
On February 13, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) introduced H.J. Res. 32 that would amend the Constitution of the United States to give “all persons…a right to decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing.” The proposed amendment was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition
NEW LEGISLATION TO CREATE NEW INDEPENDENT REGULATOR; AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND
Congressman Barney Frank, along with Reps. Richard Baker (R-LA), Mel Watt (D-NC) and Gary Miller (R-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation to overhaul the regulatory oversight of the government sponsored enterprises (GSE) of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. The legislation, H.R. 1427, the "Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007," will create a new, independent regulator with broad powers. In addition, the bill creates an off budget and non-taxpayer financed affordable housing fund, which will dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction, maintenance and preservation of affordable housing.
Highlights of the Affordable Housing Fund:
* The bill creates an "Affordable Housing Fund," to be managed by the new GSE regulator. Funds are derived through contributions by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The program sunsets after five years. 75% of these funds are used for affordable housing fund purposes, and 25% are allocated to the federal government, to keep the bill deficit neutral.
* 75% of the affordable housing funds available in the first year will go to Louisiana and 25% of such funds will go to Mississippi for affordable housing needs arising out of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Thereafter, funds are allocated by formula to the states.
* 100% of funds must be used for the benefit of very low and extremely low income families. Funds may be used for rental housing, homeownership [at least 10% of funds must be used by each state for this purpose], and public infrastructure activities in conjunction with housing [no more than 12.5% of funds in any state]. Source: Press Release
SETTLEMENT TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Recognizing that nursing home residents with severe disabilities deserve motorized wheelchairs, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois entered a consent decree resolving a class action discrimination complaint brought by four individuals with disabilities against the Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. The decree mandates that all Medicaid-eligible nursing facility residents in Illinois be provided with, when medically appropriate, a motorized wheelchair.
The plaintiffs, who all live in Medicaid-funded nursing homes, filed the original complaint for themselves and other nursing home residents who were denied or not provided medically necessary motorized wheelchairs. Without power wheelchairs, they were not able to get around independently or access the services they would need to leave the nursing home and live in the community. Unable to use public transportation, go to a movie, or visit friends and family, these residents spent many days confined to their beds.
"The Department of Healthcare and Family Services has responsibility to assure that nursing homes who participate in Medicaid help people with disabilities become as independent as possible," said Max Lapertosa, an attorney from Access Living, who represented the plaintiffs. Access Living is an Independent Living Center located in Chicago, IL.
Under terms of the decree, among other actions, the Department is required to: notify nursing home residents of their right to a motorized wheelchair when medically necessary; notify nursing facilities of their responsibility to assess residents for motorized wheelchairs, using qualified and trained professionals; and, ensure that residents receive motorized wheelchairs if recommended as medically necessary.
For more information, contact Gary Arnold, Access Living, at 312.640.2199 (voice) or 312.640.2102 (tty).
Source: Press Release
WISCONSIN
Governor Jim Doyle delivered his 2007-2009 budget address to the legislature on Tuesday, January 13, 2007. Some of the disability-related items include:
Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) expansion: 75% of state covered by end Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09)
• Provide prevention services
• Provide information and assistance
• Serve as entry point to Family Care
Family Care expansion: 62% of state covered by end FY09
• CMOs may be private organizations, public-private partnerships, or multi-county consortia; will serve multi-county areas
• Managed care benefit may be long-term care benefit package or fully integrated acute and long-term care benefits
• Includes Elderly and Disability Advocacy component
Provider Rate Increases
• Non-institutional Medicaid Providers (other than waivers): 1% increase in FY08, 2% increase in FY09
• Psychiatrists: 20% increase from $80.13 to $96.16/hour
• Family Care CMOs: 3% increase/year
• Children’s Mental Health Managed Care Programs : 3% increase/year
• PACE/Partnership: 4% increase/year
• SSI Managed Care: 5% increase/year
Kids Long-term Care
• Planning funds ($250,000/year) to pilot managed care long-term support program for children
• Mandates insurance policies cover services for autism
• Allow carryover of Birth-Three funds
Services for individuals who are blind or visually disabled
• Fully funds rehab teaching services to help individuals remain independent
• Uses federal funding approved by legislature in December 2006
The budget proposal is available on the Internet at: www.doa.state.wi.us/debf/
executivebudget.asp
Source: Bureau of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
LOCAL
HEALTHIER WISCONSIN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AWARDS $450,000 TO BUILD A RECOVERY-DRIVEN CONTINUUM OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE
The Healthier Wisconsin Partnership is funding a project to create a recovery-driven continuum of behavioral health care by integrating Peer Support throughout multiple service delivery systems which care for individuals with behavioral health needs.
Partners on the project include: Grassroots Empowerment Project, Inc.; Justice 2000, Inc.; Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County; Mental Health Association in Waukesha County, Inc.; Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division; Our Space, Inc.; Social Rehabilitation and Residential Resources, Inc.; The Parenting Network, Inc.; Transitional Living Services, Inc.; Waukesha County Department of Human Services; Wisconsin Community Services
Source: Press Release
MILWAUKEE COUNTY TRANSIT SYSTEM FACES FUNDING CRISIS
Milwaukee County requested the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) to develop a three to five year transit system development plan, which required an evaluation of the current Milwaukee County Transit System’s (MCTS) performance. Through this evaluation, the distress of MCTS was unveiled, and it has been established that MCTS will face a thirty five percent cut in services by 2010 without a determination of a dedicated funding source. Milwaukee County has never had a dedicated funding source for their transit system and is one of few large metropolitan areas in the United States that does not. There are talks about how to develop a source such as through additional hotel tax, rental car tax, or sales tax, but no one can seem to agree.
SEWRPC reported two options in cuts. Both options would include eliminating all freeway flyer routes and UBUS routes serving the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Option A would also eliminate bus service after 10:00 PM on weekdays and Saturdays and limit Sunday service to 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It would also eliminate seven local routes and cut back or restructure seventeen others. Option B would eliminate ten routes, besides eliminating the freeway flyers and UBUS routes, and cutback or restructure fourteen others.
These cutbacks, as pointed out by the report, will likely result in similar cutbacks in paratransit services for people with disabilities. Over 17,000 Milwaukee County residents are enrolled in the Transit Plus program, Milwaukee County's paratransit program for people with disabilities. Paratransit eligibility is based upon a person's inability to use fixed route transportation due to a disability. Funding for Transit Plus is directly tied to funding for the fixed route system since paratransit services only need to mimic the fixed route services.
SEWRPC had four open house meetings at the end of February and beginning of March where they took comments from the public and discussed their evaluation of MCTS and its conclusions. Look for additional meetings to be held by SEWRPC in spring. For more information, please view the website that SEWRPC has set up regarding this study and its findings at www.sewrpc.org/milwcotdp
Source: Autumn Manz
ADA/FAIR HOUSING
DESPITE ADA, ACCESSIBILITY STILL LACKING
Steve Pribbenow, an accessibility consultant who is himself disabled, hears it all the time. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) means nothing to people until it means everything. Gale Price, Janesville's building and development services manager, agrees. Price was working in Champaign, Ill., updating local building codes when he
found himself, temporarily, in a wheelchair. It was an eye-opening experience.
"A majority of people, unfortunately, are very cynical about the whole accessibility thing," Price said. "They don't recognize or identify that as a legitimate need until they've been in that situation."
Often, businesses provide the minimum accessibility required by law. And businesses housed in older buildings haven't used the last 17 years to improve accessibility.
Pribbenow, 51, of Baraboo consults with businesses and government on accessibility. Many easy and inexpensive improvements can help accessibility, he said. These include lowering counters; widening doors if they are not part of the building's structure; lengthening ramps, and installing hardware that can be operated with a single, closed fist.
But more than 15 years later, access still is lacking, he said. Some engineers, architects and businesspeople are either unaware of the laws or don't care, Pribbenow said. Others, though, go out of their way to do everything they can to make their property accessible.
"Many times (business owners are) thinking, 'This is going to cost us money,"' Pribbenow said. "What they don't realize is that 25 percent of the people in the United States have disabilities that qualify under the ADA."
Making your business accessible makes good business sense, Pribbenow said.
Source: DBTAC-Great Lakes ADA Center
ON THE WEB
OFFICE OF DISABILITY LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
The Office on Disability (OD) announced the launch of a completely redesigned website at www.hhs.gov/od. The new website provides comprehensive yet easy-to-access information supporting the seven domains; housing, education, information technology, transportation, health, employment, and community integration; identified by the President's New Freedom Initiative - plus, information on advocacy, entitlements, and emergency preparedness.
In addition, the OD website features information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and a number of fact sheets and reports supporting several of OD's initiatives, such as the Surgeon General's Call to Action To Improve the Health and Wellness of Person's with Disabilities; Caregiving Initiative; Physical Fitness for Youth with Disabilities, and Infants and Young Children with Hearing Loss. The restructured OD website also fully ensures compliance with Section 508 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Please take 11.5 minutes to watch the video at the website below. You won’t be disappointed. It is captioned.
http://www.imtyler.org/
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE BENEFITS OF DISABILITY
INCLUSION IN AMERICORPS
Many individuals with disabilities have had the opportunity to actively participate in national service. This participation has had a positive impact, not only on the communities where they were serving, but also on themselves and national service as a whole. If you’re interested in more information contact Becky Manuel at 800-620-8307 or email: manuer@dhfs.state.wi.us
EMPOWERMENT DAYS 2007
Sponsored by the
Grassroots Empowerment Project Inc., (GEP)
Funded Completely Through Donations
April 29th, 30th and May 1st 2007
Concourse Hotel, Madison WI
„\ Grassroots Empowerment Project has been sponsoring Empowerment Days since 2003.„\ Empowerment Days was created BY and FOR consumers of mental health services.„\ Empowerment Days is OUR chance to make OUR voices heard by the people who create policies and laws.
„\ WE are the experts on our lives and lawmakers and policymakers need to hear from US before making decisions about US.
„\ By working together, we CAN and WILL make positive changes in the mental health system.
„\ There is NO cost for mental health consumers to attend Empowerment Days. GEP pays for your room, meals and mileage (or car rental).
If you have questions about Empowerment Days you can contact:
Molly Cisco- mollycisco@msn.com
Pam Pauloski- sppauloski@mchsi.com
Carmen Cerna- cerna_75@yahoo.com
Or call 1-800-770-0588
TRANSIT PLUS ADVISORY COUNCIL
SEEKS NEW MEMBERS
The Transit Plus Advisory Council (TPAC) is a volunteer group composed of people with disabilities who are either direct users of Milwaukee County’s Transit Plus Program or a parent or guardian of someone who is a user. The Transit Plus Program is Milwaukee County’s paratransit program. Transit Plus is a transportation service for people whose disabilities prevent them from being able to use Milwaukee County Transit System’s bus service.
TPAC’s mission statement is as follows, “to serve as an advocate for persons with disabilities in liaison with Transit Plus and its contracted carriers to ensure the availability of a quality transportation system, so that such persons with disabilities may enjoy full participation in their community, work, medical care and recreational activities. Such liaison involves relaying information, communication, educating, and advising both the providers and the community.”
Currently TPAC is seeking new members. If you are a Transit Plus user or the parent or guardian of a user and interested in applying or getting involved, please contact the Transit Plus Office at (414) 343-1703 or TTY (414) 343-1704. Anyone interested in becoming a member must attend two consecutive meetings before he or she will be interviewed. These meetings are open to the public and meet every third Tuesday of the month at 2:00 until roughly 3:30. If you would like to discuss an issue related to Transit Plus, please call ahead to put it on the meeting agenda in the beginning of the month. Meetings are currently held at the Milwaukee County Transit System’s Administration Building at 1942 N 17th Street in Milwaukee. If you would like more information on Transit Plus or TPAC either contact the above numbers or find it on the web at http://www.ridemcts.com/transit_plus/index.asp?id=776 and
http://www.ridemcts.com/transit_plus/announcements/index.asp?id=906. TPAC looks forward to hearing from you!
Source: Autumn Manz
Teens and Teachers
Will Want to Save this Date!
“Spring Into to your Future”
The Milwaukee County Transition Advisory Board will be hosting a tour of adult service agencies for staff and their students. Please plan to attend this event:
When: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Time: 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Where
• IndependenceFirst
• Milwaukee Center for Independence
• United Cerebral Palsy
• Curative Care Network
• Easter Seals/Kindcare
• Goodwill Industries
• Creative Employment Opportunities
• Eisenhower Center
• Department of Vocational Rehabilitation
Complete information will be available soon. Please save this date!
NO MORE STEREOTYPES OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
The Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) has asked the American Association of Persons with Disabilities (AAPD) to help ensure that depictions of persons with intellectual disabilities in TV shows and in movies are not stereotypical or patronizing. They have asked AAPD to collect any personal stories you may be able to share with EIC that relate to any of the numerous issues surrounding intellectual disabilities. For example, they want to know about family, health care, legal, diagnostic, developmental concerns, so that they can share actual stories (similar to case studies) with Hollywood writers and producers, with the hope that true-life stories will inspire fictional depictions.
If you would like to participate, please write up the details (the who-what-when-where-why) and send it to aapdjenifer@aol.com as soon as you can. Maybe your true story of some outrageous comment or event will change how the world thinks about intellectual disability. Source: Jenifer Simpson, AAPD
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.
Advocacy Action News is available by request in alternative formats such as Braille, large print, on disk or audiotape. It is also made available via our website.
You may also receive Advocacy Action News via email instead of print copy. Contact Karen at 414-291-7520 (V/TTY) or kavery@independencefirst.org.
If you do not have access to the internet, and would like assistance in obtaining any of the internet-based items described in this news bulletin, please contact Karen at 414-291-7520 (V/TTY).
IndependenceFirst
The Resource for People with Disabilities…
600 W. Virginia Street, 4th Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53204
414-291-7520 (V/TTY)
414-291-7525 (FAX)
www.independencefirst.org