Print Friendly VersionAugust 2006, Issue 104
ADVOCACY ACTION NEWS
August 2006, Issue 104
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
LOCAL
WISCONSIN
ADA/FAIR HOUSING
EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Monthly News Bulletin Published by IndependenceFirst
Candidates Running for Office: Fall 2006
The following individuals have filed nomination papers to run for office in the general elections this fall.
You can get more information about candidates and their positions on issues by contacting them directly.
If you need help figuring out what voting district you live in, where to vote or how to register to vote, contact Jennifer Halverson here at IndependenceFirst (414-291-7520 TTY/V). She is
assisting with voter registration and education activities.
(Note: “*” indicates incumbent, D = Democrat, R = Republican, I = Independent, C = Civil Libertarian and G = Green Party)
STATEWIDE OFFICES
Governor(4-year term)
Jim Doyle (D)*
Mark Green (R)
Nelson Eisman (G)
Jhered R. Hamby (C)
Lieutenant governor(4-year term)
Barbara Lawton (D)*
Jean Hundertmark (R)
Nick Voegeli (R)
Leon Todd (G)
Attorney general(4-year term)
Peg A. Lautenschlager (D)*
Kathleen Falk (D)
Paul Bucher (R)
J.B. Van Hollen (R)
Secretary of state(4-year term)
Douglas La Follette (D)*
Scot Ross (D)
R.J. DeBaufer (R)
Sandy Sullivan (R)
Michael LaForest (G)
State treasurer(4-year term)
Jack C. Voight (R)*
Dawn Marie Sass (D)
Tim Peterson (L)
Winston Sephus, Jr. (G)
William Hemenway (C)
U.S. SENATE (6-year term)
Herbert H. Kohl (D)*
Ben Masel (D)
Robert Gerald Lorge (R)
Rae Vogeler (G)
Ben Glatzel (I)
AREA OFFICES
U.S. HOUSE(2-year terms)
District 1
Paul Ryan (R)*
Ruth Santa Cruz Bradley (D)
Don Hall (D)
Mike Hebert (D)
Steven Herr (D)
Jeffrey C. Thomas (D)
District 4
Gwen Moore (D)*
Perfecto Rivera (R)
District 5
Jim Sensenbrenner (R)*
Bob Levis (G)
Bryan Kennedy (D)
Robert R. Raymond (I)
STATE SENATE(4-year terms)
District 3
Tim Carpenter (D)*
District 5
Tom Reynolds (R)*
Jim Sullivan (D)
District 7
Jeff Plale (D)*
Donovan W. Riley (D)
Dimity Grabowski (R)
Claude VanderVeen (G)
District 33
Theodore J. Kanavas (R)*
Andrew Stiffler (D)
STATE ASSEMBLY (2-year terms)
District 7
Peggy Krusick (D)*
District 8
Pedro Colon (D)*
District 9
Josh Zepnick (D)*
District 10
Annette Polly Williams (D)*
District 11
Jason Fields (D)*
District 12
Frederick P. Kessler (D)*
Colin Hudson (C)
District 13
David Cullen (D)*
Richard Baas (R)
District 14
Leah Vukmir (R)*
Dave Hucke (D)
District 15
Tony Staskunas (D)*
District 16
Leon D. Young (D)*
Andrew Parker (D)
District 17
Barbara L. Toles (D)*
Christopher Brown (I)
District 18
Tamara D Grigsby (D)*
District 19
Jon Richards (D)*
District 20
Christine M. Sinicki (D)*
District 21
Mark Honadel (R)*
District 22
Sheldon A. Wasserman (D)*
District 24
Suzanne Jeskewitz (R)*
John F. W. Weber (R)
District 31
Steve Nass (R)*
Ben Bourdo (I)
Scott Woods (D)
District 33
Scott Newcomer (R)*
Thomas Radosevich (D)
District 38
Joel Kleefisch (R)*
Dwayne Block (D)
District 58
Pat Strachota (R)*
District 59
Daniel R. LeMahieu (R)*
District 60
Mark Gottlieb (R)*
District 82
Jeff Stone (R)*
District 84
Mark Gundrum (R)*
District 99
Don Pridemore (R)*
MILWAUKEE COUNTY
Clerk (2-year term)
Mark Ryan (D)*
Clerk of courts(4-year term)
John Barrett (D)*
District attorney(4-year term)
John T. Chisholm (D)
Larraine McNamara-McGraw (D)
Lew Wasserman (I)
Register of deeds(2-year term)
John La Fave (D)*
Sheriff(4-year term)
David A. Clarke Jr. (D)*
Vince Bobot (D)
Donald Holt (R)
Treasurer(2-year term)
Dan Diliberti (D)*
WAUKESHA COUNTY
Clerk(2-year term)
Kathy Nickolaus (R)*
Clerk of courts(4-year term)
Carolyn Evenson (R)*
District attorney(2-year term)
Brad Schimel (R)
Dennis Krueger (R)
Register of deeds(2-year term)
Michael Hasslinger (R)*
Sheriff(4-year term)
Mike Landsgaard (R)
Daniel Trawicki (R)*
Treasurer(2-year term)
Pam Reeves (R)*
OZAUKEE COUNTY
Clerk(2-year term)
Richard C. Nelson (R)
Julianne B. Winkelhorst (R)
John R. Treffert (R)
Clerk of courts(4-year term)
Jeffrey S. Schmidt (R )*
Coroner(4-year term)
John R. Holicek (R)
District attorney(4-year term)
Sandy A. Williams (R)*
Register of deeds(2-year term)
Ronald A. Voigt (R)*
Sheriff(4-year term)
Maury Straub (R)*
Treasurer(2-year term)
Karen L. Makoutz (R)*
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Clerk(2-year term)
Brenda J. Jaszewski (R)*
Clerk of courts(4-year term)
Kristine M. Deiss (R)*
District attorney(4-year term)
Todd K. Martens (R)*
Register of deeds(2-year term)
Sharon A. Martin (R)*
Sheriff(4-year term)
Brian K. Rahn (D)*
Dale Schmidt (R)
Treasurer(2-year term)
Janice Gettelman (R)*
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
2006 Housing Vouchers Increased
Nearly $14 billion is available for funding housing vouchers in 2006, an increase of 3.5% over 2005. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 95% of the housing authorities received more voucher funding in 2006 than they received in 2005.
According to CBPP, FY 06 voucher funding significantly restores "more than half of vouchers lost in 2004 - 2005," estimating that 70% of the housing authorities will "increase leasing by 98,000 families compared with average in 2005."
Wisconsin gained 1,399 vouchers statewide.
Source: Steve Gold, Information Bulletin #116. Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at http://www.stevegoldada.com with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects. To contact Steve Gold directly, write to stevegoldada@cs.com
WISCONSIN
Coalition Aims To Keep Youths From Losing Hope
About once every week, on average, a young person somewhere in Wisconsin commits suicide.
The state had one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the nation in 2003, trailing only Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Nevada out of 30 other states considered comparable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts cite Wisconsin's number of youths with high risk factors, such as living in isolated rural areas, keeping guns in the home and abusing alcohol or drugs.
A new statewide coalition of educators, counselors and other advocates is launching an aggressive campaign to reduce youth suicide by targeting those demographics. Using more than $1 million in federal funds, the coalition plans to spend the next three years reaching out to Wisconsin kids and their parents with a new message: We know what causes suicide in many cases, and we can prevent it. Past programs aimed at combating youth suicide have been focused almost entirely in schools and have gotten relatively little funding. But organizers of the initiative have identified 10 sites throughout the state where they hope to rally community support for promoting awareness and, ultimately, reducing youth suicides in Wisconsin by at least 10%.
The sites include Sheboygan, Green County, Lafayette County, Marathon County, Portage County, an American Indian community not yet selected and the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Walworth County.
The Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County, which is leading the effort, is working in partnership with the state Department of Health and Family Services, the state Department of Public Instruction and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Organizers hope that, by building broader coalitions in each community and using a federal grant worth $1,125,000 over three years, they can reduce Wisconsin's status as a national leader in youth suicides. According to the CDC, Wisconsin recorded 53 suicides by people ages 10 to 19 during 2003, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Although far more young people die at their own hands in Texas, California and other large states, Wisconsin's per capita rate is ahead of the national average and of all but a handful of comparable states. The association also estimates that many more young people - perhaps as many as nine a day, on average - are hospitalized throughout the state with injuries suffered during suicide attempts.
Organizers think some of the work planned at the School for the Deaf could be useful to institutions throughout the country. Medical College of Wisconsin staff members will research and analyze the results of the three-year program.
Source: From the June 26, 2006 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (edited)
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.”
~ Maya Angelou
LOCAL
Settlement To Improve Access To Riverwalk
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into allegations that the Milwaukee RiverWalk violated the Americans with Disabilities Act has resulted in a settlement agreement, the U.S. attorney's office announced on July 11, 2006. The investigation, which began in 2003 after a complaint from IndependenceFirst, revealed 28 violations of the act that limited access to the RiverWalk for wheelchair users, the agreement says. The agreement calls for about $1.5 million worth of modifications. In May, Milwaukee's Common Council approved the agreement and voted to pay for 78% of the project, about $1.17 million. The rest will be covered by the county and by property owners along RiverWalk.
The downtown section of the RiverWalk cost about $18.4 million to build. Some portions were built before the act took effect in 1990, and some portions are privately owned. Under the agreement, several changes will be made to make the RiverWalk more accessible, including:
a. Constructing ramps, walkways and lifts in several locations that are currently inaccessible;
b. Modifying and replacing handrails;
c. Constructing an accessible walkway from the Wells St. parking lot to an existing ramp between
Wells St. and Wisconsin Ave.;
d. Removing existing ramps and installing new gangways to floating docks in three locations:
between State St. and Kilbourn Ave.; between Wells St. and Wisconsin Ave.; and at the Mason
St. entrance to the RiverWalk.
The agreement, which eliminates the need for the U.S. attorney to file a civil suit, anticipates that the modifications will be completed within three years. The city will be required to submit annual reports throughout that time, or until the project is finished. The agreement also acknowledges that several improvements to accessibility already have been made by the city and the county. The city has installed kiosks with maps of accessible routes and more than 20 signs directing people to those routes, the agreement says. The county has replaced stairs to the gazebo at Pere Marquette Park with a ramp.
Although the recent RiverWalk extension into the Historic Third Ward was not officially part of the accessibility complaint, improvements are being made there also, according to the U.S. attorney's office. The Milwaukee Ale House has replaced stairs leading from the RiverWalk to its patio with an accessible ramp, and the local business district will install railings on the path leading to the RiverWalk at Buffalo St. IndependenceFirst will continue to monitor the RiverWalk to make sure that lifts remain in good repair and that businesses keep a 36-inch clearance for people to travel through on busy summer evenings.
Source: From the July 12, 2006 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (edited)
**CORRECTION**
SSI Managed Care External Advocate in Milwaukee County
Last month, we published the wrong telephone number for the Disability Rights of Wisconsin staff members who work on SSI MANAGED CARE issues/problems. The correct number is 414-773-4646 (V/TTY).
ADA/FAIR HOUSING
Revised Draft of Vessel Guidelines Need Public Comment
The U.S. Access Board has released for public comment a revised draft of guidelines for passenger vessels it is developing under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The guidelines provide accessibility criteria for various types of vessels, including cruise and gaming ships, ferries, and excursion boats, among others. The latest version incorporates feedback received from the public in response to a previous draft released in November 2004. The Board received input from vessels operators and manufacturers, industry trade groups, disability groups, and others during an 8-month comment period and at three public hearings. The new draft, which includes revised text and a discussion of the changes, is available for comment until September 5th. A notice published in the Federal Register provides instructions for submitting comments. The draft guidelines and notice are posted on the Board’s website at www.access-board.gov/pvaac/index.htm. For more information, contact Paul Beatty at (202) 272-0012 (v), (202) 272-0082 (TTY), or pvag@access-board.gov (e-mail).
Board Vice Chair Testifies Before House Panel on National Parks
On May 11th, U.S. Access Board Vice Chair James R. Harding, II, Ed.D. of Tallahassee, Florida testified before a House subcommittee on accessibility to national parks. Dr. Harding, along with representatives from the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Center on Accessibility, and persons with disabilities, briefed the Subcommittee on National Parks on accessibility at national parks and efforts to improve access. In his testimony, Dr. Harding provided an update on the Board’s development of accessibility guidelines for trails, picnic and camping facilities, and other outdoor environments. He noted steps the Board and NPS have taken to expedite implementation of these guidelines for use at national parks and other Federal lands. A transcript of the hearing is available on the subcommittee’s website at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/109/nprpl/051106.htm.
Source: "Access Currents," a newsletter issued by the U.S. Access Board
EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cell Phone Recycling
The IndependenceFirst Violence and Abuse Advocacy Team is collecting used and unwanted cell phones which will be provided to domestic violence victims or potential victims to call 911 in the event of an emergency. A cell phone can be programmed to call 911, regardless of whether the user has purchased a service plan or not. The phone simply needs to be fully charged. If you have a cell phone that you would like to donate, please drop them off at IndependenceFirst, there are collection boxes on all 3 floors. Collection will continue until the end of October.
Source: Leslie Myers, IndependenceFirst Domestic Violence Specialist
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation Parent Public Policy Fellowship Program 2007
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation is seeking parents of persons with cognitive/ developmental disabilities for an intensive one-year Public Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. During this one year Fellowship, the successful applicant will learn how legislation is initiated,
developed, and passed by the Congress, or how programs are administered and regulations promulgated by federal agencies.
Each year the Foundation brings a parent or close family member of a person with a disability to Washington for a full year, where they actively participate in public policy development through work on the staff of a congressional committee, or a federal agency.
The successful applicant's background will include distinguished involvement in efforts to improve the lives of persons with developmental disabilities at the regional, state or national level. Salaried experience in the field is NOT a requirement. The expectation is that fellows will become future leaders in the field of disabilities, and will return home after their year in Washington to make significant contributions to policy and program development in their home state.
The program provides a one-year full-time exposure to the federal public policy making process, and includes a stipend and relocation expenses. Program applicants must be from the
United States. Selected fellows must be prepared to live in the Washington, DC area during their fellowship year and to devote themselves full-time to the fellowship.
The Application Process:
Applicants should submit a letter between 2 and 4 pages stating their interest and accomplishments to date, and what they hope to do with the knowledge and experience gained from the fellowship. They should also attach either a resume or a summary of their involvement in the field, and three letters of support from people familiar with their work. Please direct any
questions about the application process to Steven Eidelman at 302-831-2574 (V/Relay).
Applications should show the candidate's name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address on the first page. The preferred method of sending application letters and resumes is via e-mail attachment (i.e. not in the body of the e-mail) to Steve Eidelman at sme@udel.edu. Applicants may follow up with hard copies via regular mail if they wish. Letters of support are also encouraged via e-mail but a hard copy on letterhead with the supporter's signature must follow
in the mail. Applications must be sent to the Foundation's office by September 15, 2006.
Address letters of application to the foundation's administrative offices:
Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, 1133 19th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20036
ATTENTION: Parent Public Policy Fellowship Program
Our Adventure Continues! Jump in with APSE October 4-6
If you are dedicated to creating and enhancing community jobs and employment supports for individuals with disabilities, plan now to attend the 2006 Wisconsin APSE Conference on Community Employment. “Our Adventure Continues … Soar with Us!” will be held October 4-6, 2006 at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, Wisconsin. This year’s theme demonstrates the challenges and rewards that continue to be the reason why we keep doing what we do. Get cutting edge information on employment support issues for people with psychiatric disabilities including a thought provoking pre-conference seminar with Dr. David Mays and unique a keynote and training session by Laurie Ford. Choose from fifteen new and different breakout sessions and scores of table topics to discuss trends in funding, creative marketing ideas and practical tools you can use NOW to do a better job for the people you are working with. Learn and practice “Habits of Mind” with Diana Mann for working with students in transition and experience a rousing send off from Cheryl Sensenbrenner, disability advocate and fearless spouse of Congressman Sensenbrenner. Be adventurous! Find out more about this useful training and networking event exclusively designed for professionals, students, consumers, advocates and others interested in furthering community employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities. See www.wiapse.org or contact Tammy Liddicoat at tliddicoat@charter.net for registration information.
GET INVOLVED! JOIN US IN WORKING ON ADVOCACY GOALS!
You must be a part of the change you wish to see in the world.” These words, from Ghandi, remind us that if we want our world – our community – to be different, we must get involved and help make those changes happen!
Please consider joining IndependenceFirst in our efforts to change the way our community treats people with disabilities. There are many opportunities for you to get involved and make our community more inclusive for persons with disabilities. Contact Deb Langham at 414-291-7520 (V/TTY) to find out more!
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