Diversity and Inclusion
By fostering a culture of diversity — or a capacity to appreciate and value individual differences — employers benefit from varied perspectives on how to confront business challenges and achieve success. Although the term is often used to refer to differences among individuals such as ethnicity, gender, age and religion, diversity actually encompasses the infinite range of individuals' unique attributes and experiences. Thus, disability is a natural part of diversity, and businesses can benefit by taking steps to ensure people with disabilities are represented in their workforce.
The following resources provide more information about disability and diversity and inclusion:
Add Us In — ODEP-sponsored initiative designed to identify and develop strategies to increase employment opportunities within the small business community for individuals with disabilities. Included are targeted businesses owned and operated by minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals; women and people with disabilities.
Campaign for Disability Employment — ODEP-funded collaborative effort among several leading disability and business organizations to encourage flexible and inclusive workplace practices that promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
Diversifying Your Workforce — A Four-Step Reference Guide to Recruiting, Hiring, & Retaining Employees with Disabilities.
Diverse Perspectives: People with Disabilities Fulfilling Your Business Goals — Information on the benefits of incorporating individuals with disabilities into diversity goals.
Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) — ODEP-funded service that helps employers hire and retain workers with disabilities.
Leading Practices on Disability Inclusion — Summarizes variety of initiatives implemented by corporations to increase disability inclusion, in both the workplace and marketplace.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
American Association of People with Disabilities and United Cerebral Palsy Announce Radio Ad Campaign to Protect Medicaid
AAPD Contact:
Rebecca Panoff, 202-521-4307, rpanoff@aapd.com
UCP Contacts:
Lauren Cozzi, 202-973-7114, LCozzi@ucp.org
Alicia Kubert Smith, 202-973 7168, akubertsmith@ucp.org
American Association of People with Disabilities and United Cerebral Palsy Announce Radio Ad Campaign to Protect Medicaid
Washington, D.C. – (July 19, 2011) – The American Association of People with Disabilities and United Cerebral Palsy launched new radio ads in Iowa and New Hampshire, educating listeners about the disastrous effects that Medicaid cuts would have on Americans with disabilities and their families. Without the services that Medicaid provides, many people with disabilities would be unable to work, contribute to their communities, and lead independent lives. For parents of people with disabilities, Medicaid services often make the difference between being able to work and having to go on public assistance—or make the choice to put a child in an institution. The ads are the first in a series of initiatives to reach out to conservatives and people of faith to join the fight to protect Medicaid.
“We are sending a message: members of Congress who would deny American families this vital resource are going to be held accountable when they return to their districts,” said AAPD President and CEO Mark Perriello. “This is no time to be posturing for 2012, when Americans are living in 2011. Instead of yanking the rug out from under American families who want to keep going to work and contributing to their communities, our leaders need to do their own jobs and honor their own commitments to public service,” he added.
“These ads are meant to remind members of Congress that Medicaid provides a lifeline to Americans on both sides of the aisle,” said Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “Radio audiences are going to hear from people of faith, reminding policy makers that gutting supports for the most vulnerable in our society has an impact beyond the balance sheet. Bipartisan leadership in Washington needs to know that an assault on Medicaid is an attack on the very Americans who will help lead the nation back to economic prosperity. People with disabilities and their families will not remain silent on this issue, now or at the ballot box in 2012.”
The ad in Iowa features Sue Hetrick, an Ohio mother whose son, Micah, has Down syndrome. Without the aide that Medicaid provides for Micah, Sue would have to leave the workforce. In the ad, Hetrick says:
As a mother…a taxpayer….and a woman of faith, I pray we can fix our nation’s finances without hurting people with disabilities. We’re all God’s children and deserve a life with dignity. Let’s make sure our leaders in Washington don’t forget it.
Father Tom Dunstan, a Catholic Priest from New Hampshire, appears in the ad in that state. Dunstan speaks from a faith perspective, quoting scripture:
Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.
He calls upon the listeners to take action:
As God’s children we are called to serve one another. Let’s make sure our leaders in Washington don’t forget it.
To listen to the ads or read the transcripts, visit www.aapd.com/medicaidradioads and www.ucp.org.
About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.
About The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership association, organizes the disability community to be a powerful force for change – politically, economically, and socially. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national force for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn more, visit the AAPD website: www.AAPD.com.
Rebecca Panoff, 202-521-4307, rpanoff@aapd.com
UCP Contacts:
Lauren Cozzi, 202-973-7114, LCozzi@ucp.org
Alicia Kubert Smith, 202-973 7168, akubertsmith@ucp.org
American Association of People with Disabilities and United Cerebral Palsy Announce Radio Ad Campaign to Protect Medicaid
Washington, D.C. – (July 19, 2011) – The American Association of People with Disabilities and United Cerebral Palsy launched new radio ads in Iowa and New Hampshire, educating listeners about the disastrous effects that Medicaid cuts would have on Americans with disabilities and their families. Without the services that Medicaid provides, many people with disabilities would be unable to work, contribute to their communities, and lead independent lives. For parents of people with disabilities, Medicaid services often make the difference between being able to work and having to go on public assistance—or make the choice to put a child in an institution. The ads are the first in a series of initiatives to reach out to conservatives and people of faith to join the fight to protect Medicaid.
“We are sending a message: members of Congress who would deny American families this vital resource are going to be held accountable when they return to their districts,” said AAPD President and CEO Mark Perriello. “This is no time to be posturing for 2012, when Americans are living in 2011. Instead of yanking the rug out from under American families who want to keep going to work and contributing to their communities, our leaders need to do their own jobs and honor their own commitments to public service,” he added.
“These ads are meant to remind members of Congress that Medicaid provides a lifeline to Americans on both sides of the aisle,” said Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “Radio audiences are going to hear from people of faith, reminding policy makers that gutting supports for the most vulnerable in our society has an impact beyond the balance sheet. Bipartisan leadership in Washington needs to know that an assault on Medicaid is an attack on the very Americans who will help lead the nation back to economic prosperity. People with disabilities and their families will not remain silent on this issue, now or at the ballot box in 2012.”
The ad in Iowa features Sue Hetrick, an Ohio mother whose son, Micah, has Down syndrome. Without the aide that Medicaid provides for Micah, Sue would have to leave the workforce. In the ad, Hetrick says:
As a mother…a taxpayer….and a woman of faith, I pray we can fix our nation’s finances without hurting people with disabilities. We’re all God’s children and deserve a life with dignity. Let’s make sure our leaders in Washington don’t forget it.
Father Tom Dunstan, a Catholic Priest from New Hampshire, appears in the ad in that state. Dunstan speaks from a faith perspective, quoting scripture:
Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.
He calls upon the listeners to take action:
As God’s children we are called to serve one another. Let’s make sure our leaders in Washington don’t forget it.
To listen to the ads or read the transcripts, visit www.aapd.com/medicaidradioads and www.ucp.org.
About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.
About The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership association, organizes the disability community to be a powerful force for change – politically, economically, and socially. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national force for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn more, visit the AAPD website: www.AAPD.com.
How AbilityLinks Works
AbilityLinks is a nationwide, web-based community where job seekers with disabilities and inclusive employers meet and gain access to valuable networking opportunities.
How AbilityLinks Works
If you're a person with disability, you are protected by equal opportunity employment law and subject to affirmative action by federal contractors. You can take advantage of your protected status by using AbilityLinks to post your resume, apply for jobs and network with inclusive employers.
If you're an inclusive business seeking to identify qualified candidates with disabilities, you can use AbilityLinks to post jobs, search resumes and review job applications submitted through AbilityLinks.org. Posting jobs and searching resumes is free.
Any job seeker who chooses to voluntarily disclose having a disability may use AbilityLinks. A referral or funding source is not required and no information about disability type is asked.
AbilityLinks is more than a website. Via live chat, phone and email, experienced and knowledgeable Information and Referral Counselors, that happen to have a disability, offer free support:
Offer job search advice and consultation
Alert employers and job seekers to matches
Provide information about job accommodations, tax credits and disability benefits
Make referrals to local programs that provide job placement and disability recruitment services
AbilityLinks Benefits
AbilityLinks' unique approach to promoting disability diversity has a proven track record of success. Over 500 job seekers have reported finding employment so far and website traffic continues to grow each year:
By offering a platform for voluntary disclosure, AbilityLinks empowers job seekers to interact directly with inclusive employers
Easy way for businesses to identify qualified applicants with disabilities
Demonstrates a business is an equal opportunity employer
Demonstrates affirmative action for federal contractors
Free job search and disability recruitment advice
Free to search resumes and post individual jobs
Free listings for employment programs and disability owned businesses
Multiple levels of sponsorship and membership opportunities
Join AbilityLinks Today!
Any business, nonprofit organization, government agency or individual that supports increasing employment of qualified persons with disabilities can join AbilityLinks. Basic membership is free. Premium membership and sponsorship opportunities start at only $1,000.
After you join:
Post resumes and search for jobs to find inclusive employers
Post jobs and search resumes to identify qualified candidates with disabilities
List your employment program or disability owned business in AbilityLinks' online directory
Contact AbilityLinks for advice on finding a job or filling an opening
If you're disabled and have a job, share your story by posting an employed person profile
Become a sponsor, donate or upgrade your basic membership to a premium membership
Let others know about AbilityLinks: Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
A program of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, funding for AbilityLinks is derived from sponsors, member contributions, individual donations, corporate and foundation grants, and the operational support of Marianjoy. Learn more.
Join the AbilityLinks Consortium - Basic Membership Is Free
The AbilityLinks mission is to increase employment of qualified persons with disabilities. Non profits, businesses and government agencies join the AbilityLinks Consortium to demonstrate support for this mission and gain access to disability employment networking opportunities.
A program of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, AbilityLinks is supported by sponsorships, premium memberships, grants and donations to the Marianjoy Foundation.
How AbilityLinks Works
If you're a person with disability, you are protected by equal opportunity employment law and subject to affirmative action by federal contractors. You can take advantage of your protected status by using AbilityLinks to post your resume, apply for jobs and network with inclusive employers.
If you're an inclusive business seeking to identify qualified candidates with disabilities, you can use AbilityLinks to post jobs, search resumes and review job applications submitted through AbilityLinks.org. Posting jobs and searching resumes is free.
Any job seeker who chooses to voluntarily disclose having a disability may use AbilityLinks. A referral or funding source is not required and no information about disability type is asked.
AbilityLinks is more than a website. Via live chat, phone and email, experienced and knowledgeable Information and Referral Counselors, that happen to have a disability, offer free support:
Offer job search advice and consultation
Alert employers and job seekers to matches
Provide information about job accommodations, tax credits and disability benefits
Make referrals to local programs that provide job placement and disability recruitment services
AbilityLinks Benefits
AbilityLinks' unique approach to promoting disability diversity has a proven track record of success. Over 500 job seekers have reported finding employment so far and website traffic continues to grow each year:
By offering a platform for voluntary disclosure, AbilityLinks empowers job seekers to interact directly with inclusive employers
Easy way for businesses to identify qualified applicants with disabilities
Demonstrates a business is an equal opportunity employer
Demonstrates affirmative action for federal contractors
Free job search and disability recruitment advice
Free to search resumes and post individual jobs
Free listings for employment programs and disability owned businesses
Multiple levels of sponsorship and membership opportunities
Join AbilityLinks Today!
Any business, nonprofit organization, government agency or individual that supports increasing employment of qualified persons with disabilities can join AbilityLinks. Basic membership is free. Premium membership and sponsorship opportunities start at only $1,000.
After you join:
Post resumes and search for jobs to find inclusive employers
Post jobs and search resumes to identify qualified candidates with disabilities
List your employment program or disability owned business in AbilityLinks' online directory
Contact AbilityLinks for advice on finding a job or filling an opening
If you're disabled and have a job, share your story by posting an employed person profile
Become a sponsor, donate or upgrade your basic membership to a premium membership
Let others know about AbilityLinks: Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
A program of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, funding for AbilityLinks is derived from sponsors, member contributions, individual donations, corporate and foundation grants, and the operational support of Marianjoy. Learn more.
Join the AbilityLinks Consortium - Basic Membership Is Free
The AbilityLinks mission is to increase employment of qualified persons with disabilities. Non profits, businesses and government agencies join the AbilityLinks Consortium to demonstrate support for this mission and gain access to disability employment networking opportunities.
A program of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, AbilityLinks is supported by sponsorships, premium memberships, grants and donations to the Marianjoy Foundation.
"AbilityLinks Website Launch: July, 2001"- Ten Years Later...
Victoria Pierce, Daily Herald Staff Writer, Posted On July 13, 2001
Wade Lederman isn't going to let his wheelchair get in the way of a new career in the computer industry. On Thursday he got a boost from Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital's new tool, www.abilitylinks.org, when he became the first person to post a resume on the site. AbilityLinks is designed to connect people with disabilities with employers who are hiring.
Lederman used to paint and hang wallpaper, but a diving accident put an end to his business 10 years ago.
"After two years of feeling sorry for myself I decided to see what I could do," said Lederman, a former West Chicago resident who now lives in the DuPage County Convalescent Center. He recently completed his associate's degree and is hoping to start a new career in the hot field of information technology.
"Individuals with disabilities want to work. They are talented and very productive people," said Tim Moen, chairman of the Marianjoy board of directors and co-chair of the committee that launched the new Web site. But companies often have misconceptions about what their responsibilities will be if they hire a disabled person, Moen said. The Web site will work to dispel some of those fears with information for companies as well as job seekers.
More than 200 people, including many representing large and small companies in the western suburbs attended the launch party in Wheaton on Thursday. Some of the initial corporate supporters include Bank One, Tellabs and Lucent Technologies.
Enesco Group Inc. in Itasca and DrVry Institute of Technology in Addison already have posted openings on the site.
Initially, the focus will be on the western suburbs, but Marianjoy hopes it will expand and the model can be adopted in other areas as well.
"It has a lot of potential. I hope there's a lot of content and lots of jobs are posted," said Mary Kozy, information referral coordinator for the DuPage Center for Independent Living. Annually about 1,600 people call the Center for Independent Living seeking information about services and jobs for the disabled, Kozy said. "I'm glad to have this tool in my pocket," she said.
Jim Decker, scholarship coordinator for Marianjoy, said he's especially happy to see the Web site up and running. The disabled high school and college students he works with are determined to finish school. But in the back of their minds some wonder if anyone will hire them after graduation, he said. The Web site offers proof that there are employers out there who will look beyond a wheelchair or cane and hire people for their abilities. "This is a long time in coming," Decker said.
Join the AbilityLinks Consortium - Basic Membership Is Free
The AbilityLinks mission is to increase employment of qualified persons with disabilities. Non profits, businesses and government agencies join the AbilityLinks Consortium to demonstrate support for this mission and gain access to disability employment networking opportunities.
A program of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, AbilityLinks is supported by sponsorships, premium memberships, grants and donations to the Marianjoy
Wade Lederman isn't going to let his wheelchair get in the way of a new career in the computer industry. On Thursday he got a boost from Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital's new tool, www.abilitylinks.org, when he became the first person to post a resume on the site. AbilityLinks is designed to connect people with disabilities with employers who are hiring.
Lederman used to paint and hang wallpaper, but a diving accident put an end to his business 10 years ago.
"After two years of feeling sorry for myself I decided to see what I could do," said Lederman, a former West Chicago resident who now lives in the DuPage County Convalescent Center. He recently completed his associate's degree and is hoping to start a new career in the hot field of information technology.
"Individuals with disabilities want to work. They are talented and very productive people," said Tim Moen, chairman of the Marianjoy board of directors and co-chair of the committee that launched the new Web site. But companies often have misconceptions about what their responsibilities will be if they hire a disabled person, Moen said. The Web site will work to dispel some of those fears with information for companies as well as job seekers.
More than 200 people, including many representing large and small companies in the western suburbs attended the launch party in Wheaton on Thursday. Some of the initial corporate supporters include Bank One, Tellabs and Lucent Technologies.
Enesco Group Inc. in Itasca and DrVry Institute of Technology in Addison already have posted openings on the site.
Initially, the focus will be on the western suburbs, but Marianjoy hopes it will expand and the model can be adopted in other areas as well.
"It has a lot of potential. I hope there's a lot of content and lots of jobs are posted," said Mary Kozy, information referral coordinator for the DuPage Center for Independent Living. Annually about 1,600 people call the Center for Independent Living seeking information about services and jobs for the disabled, Kozy said. "I'm glad to have this tool in my pocket," she said.
Jim Decker, scholarship coordinator for Marianjoy, said he's especially happy to see the Web site up and running. The disabled high school and college students he works with are determined to finish school. But in the back of their minds some wonder if anyone will hire them after graduation, he said. The Web site offers proof that there are employers out there who will look beyond a wheelchair or cane and hire people for their abilities. "This is a long time in coming," Decker said.
Join the AbilityLinks Consortium - Basic Membership Is Free
The AbilityLinks mission is to increase employment of qualified persons with disabilities. Non profits, businesses and government agencies join the AbilityLinks Consortium to demonstrate support for this mission and gain access to disability employment networking opportunities.
A program of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, AbilityLinks is supported by sponsorships, premium memberships, grants and donations to the Marianjoy
Thursday, July 21, 2011
SSI is Different than SSDI
I regularly get phone calls or emails from potential clients who tell me that they “want to apply for SSI.” In some respects “filing for SSI” has become a shorthand phrase for someone who wants to file for disability, but, in truth, there is a huge difference between SSI and SSDI.
SSDI stands for “Social Security Disability Insurance” and refers to benefits payable to claimants who have enough credit hours to be considered “insured” for disability. The monthly payment is a function of what you have paid in to the system. In my practice the average SSDI monthly payment is around $1,50o.
SSI stands for “Supplemental Security Income” and refers to welfare benefits payable to claimants who do not have enough credits to be insured for disability. The maximum monthly payment is set out in the law – and for 2011 is $674 per month for an individual.
Last week, for example, I received a long email from a concerned woman who was writing on behalf of her father. Apparently, her father had worked at a very physical job for over 20 years before suffering a stroke in 2002. This gentleman filed for Social Security disability in 2002 and was denied at a hearing, which I will assume was held at some point in 2003.
After being denied, this gentleman did not file anything else. He remained at home, unable to work because of the ongoing complications from the stroke as well as depression and anxiety.
In 2009, the gentleman filed a second application. In May, 2011, he appeared at a hearing and in July a “fully favorable” decision was issued.
Read Full Story HERE:
Plan To Regulate Subminimum Wage Sparks Debate
By MICHELLE DIAMENT
July 19, 2011
A U.S. Senate proposal designed to set limits on people with disabilities working for less than minimum wage is proving contentious ahead of a hearing slated for next week.
The proposal is part of a planned reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. Though the bill has not yet been publicly introduced, a draft copy circulated to disability advocates who lobby on Capitol Hill is bringing about significant debate.
At issue is a section of the bill that would establish standards about who could be eligible to work for what’s known as subminimum wage, or earnings less than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.
Under the draft proposal, individuals with disabilities could work for subminimum wage if they meet certain age-related requirements and if they do so while receiving job training designed to prepare them for competitive employment.
What’s more, workers are not supposed to remain in subminimum wage situations for longer than six months unless they wish to, under the terms of the proposal.
Critics argue that the provision would do little more than offer sheltered employment providers a checklist to meet in order to deem people with disabilities eligible for subminimum wage jobs. They say this could work to increase the number of people with disabilities employed in low paying environments.
On Monday, the National Federation of the Blind ran an advertisement in The Washington Post opposing the bill. “Unequal pay for equal work on the basis of disability is unfair, discriminatory and immoral,” reads the ad, which indicates that those working for subminimum wage are being “exploited.”
Meanwhile, materials distributed by TASH and the National Down Syndrome Society charge that the subminimum wage proposal “creates several loopholes that may put more youth at risk of being placed in sheltered workshops and earning below the minimum wage.”
Moreover, the groups say that the draft legislation lacks safeguards to ensure that vocational rehabilitation providers provide minimum levels of supported employment services.
Not everyone is opposing the subminimum wage provision, however. Julie Ward, a member of the public policy staff at The Arc, calls the current proposal “a step forward” because it creates guidelines for a system that currently has little oversight.
“It does create some system to make it more difficult to be referred to center-based services,” Ward said. “We know that people are being sent in this direction and there are no protections. This provides protections.”
Already, a hearing to consider the bill has been postponed at least twice, in part due to continuing discussions about the legislation.
Currently, the Workforce Investment Act is scheduled to be discussed at an Aug. 3 meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
MORE IN MONEY »
Copyright © 2011 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
July 19, 2011
A U.S. Senate proposal designed to set limits on people with disabilities working for less than minimum wage is proving contentious ahead of a hearing slated for next week.
The proposal is part of a planned reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. Though the bill has not yet been publicly introduced, a draft copy circulated to disability advocates who lobby on Capitol Hill is bringing about significant debate.
At issue is a section of the bill that would establish standards about who could be eligible to work for what’s known as subminimum wage, or earnings less than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.
Under the draft proposal, individuals with disabilities could work for subminimum wage if they meet certain age-related requirements and if they do so while receiving job training designed to prepare them for competitive employment.
What’s more, workers are not supposed to remain in subminimum wage situations for longer than six months unless they wish to, under the terms of the proposal.
Critics argue that the provision would do little more than offer sheltered employment providers a checklist to meet in order to deem people with disabilities eligible for subminimum wage jobs. They say this could work to increase the number of people with disabilities employed in low paying environments.
On Monday, the National Federation of the Blind ran an advertisement in The Washington Post opposing the bill. “Unequal pay for equal work on the basis of disability is unfair, discriminatory and immoral,” reads the ad, which indicates that those working for subminimum wage are being “exploited.”
Meanwhile, materials distributed by TASH and the National Down Syndrome Society charge that the subminimum wage proposal “creates several loopholes that may put more youth at risk of being placed in sheltered workshops and earning below the minimum wage.”
Moreover, the groups say that the draft legislation lacks safeguards to ensure that vocational rehabilitation providers provide minimum levels of supported employment services.
Not everyone is opposing the subminimum wage provision, however. Julie Ward, a member of the public policy staff at The Arc, calls the current proposal “a step forward” because it creates guidelines for a system that currently has little oversight.
“It does create some system to make it more difficult to be referred to center-based services,” Ward said. “We know that people are being sent in this direction and there are no protections. This provides protections.”
Already, a hearing to consider the bill has been postponed at least twice, in part due to continuing discussions about the legislation.
Currently, the Workforce Investment Act is scheduled to be discussed at an Aug. 3 meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
MORE IN MONEY »
Copyright © 2011 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wheelchairs on Tubbs Hill-Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Wheelchairs on Tubbs Hill
07/12/2011 in Parks | Tags: accessibility, McEuen Park, Parks, Tubbs Hill
Tubbs Hill -- July 11, 2011. Photos by KEA BlackberryCam
More about all of this soon enough, but yesterday afternoon we were pleased to take part in a unique event. KEA has been invited to participate in a City of Coeur d’Alene committee reviewing accessibility and other issues on Tubbs Hill. Yesterday, the committee got a first hand experience with accessibility concerns on a brief field trip to the east side of the Hill — and three committee participants in wheelchairs took a first-ever trip to our City’s crown jewel.
Recall that concern over impacts to Tubbs Hill caused the City Council to remove Tubbs Hill from the concept plan for McEuen Park. The Council, however, insisted that the City continue to work with stakeholders on accessibility and management issues on Tubbs Hill. This new committee has met preliminarily a couple of times and has a great deal of work to do. This was the committee’s first fact-finding outing.
But yesterday, the scope of the work — and the reason for doing it — became much more clear and concrete. On trails most of us have no trouble navigating, wheelchairs have a great deal of difficulty. Relatively gentle uphill slopes, downhill slopes, and cross-trail slopes make travel much more difficult in a wheelchair. The small outcroppings of rocks and tree roots that most of us simply step on or step over can be impassable obstructions to a wheelchair. It’ll be a serious challenge for the committee to find opportunities for access that eliminate the natural barriers of the terrain without damaging the hill or compromising its fiercely-protected natural state.
But Tubbs Hill is an extraordinary place — we saw walkers, joggers, swimmers, dogs, bratty teenagers, tourists, locals, and all manner of people enjoying the beautiful natural surroundings. Yesterday, it included people in wheelchairs. And there was an appreciation that they belonged there as much as anyone.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Enlightenment in darkness
Thursday, July 14,2011
Enlightenment in darkness
Blind Café builds bridges between blind and sighted worlds
photo by Sue France
In many wander. While touring as a ways, Rosh Rocheleau’s life evokes a Kerouac sense of musician in Iceland, Rocheleau literally stumbled into a darkened café and found himself enlightened.
“The waiters were blind, and they sent me in with a cane just by myself,” Rocheleau says. “I had to find my way in the pitch dark. I couldn’t see anything. It was a cool experience, and I just thought it would be great to bring back to Boulder. But I didn’t know anyone who was blind, so it took me maybe three or four years to find somebody who was.”
Years later, while attending Naropa University, Rocheleau steadily became connected to the blind community in Boulder and created the foundations of the Blind Café — a touring event that stops locally, as well as in Portland and Austin. The blind café has become an anticipated slice of culture in these communities. Rocheleau says he did the event just to try it, and did not expect it to turn into a sustainable business.
“I just kind of thought we’d just try it or do it,” Rocheleau says. “And then I was going to go on a trip — I happened to be in Big Sur, Calif. — and I was about to buy a ticket to Thailand, and I kept hearing this voice going off in my head [saying], ‘Go to Portland and start a blind café,’ and I was so unhappy not doing that, that I just went to Portland and started a blind café.”
The Blind Café also donates a portion of its proceeds to a local foundation supporting the blind community.
The Boulder Blind Café will be supporting the Boulder Guide Dog Puppy Raisers, an organization that trains puppies to be guide dogs for the blind.
Suspending sight helps take people out of their worries and into their present state, Rocheleau says.
“My understanding is that the fundamental principle is that people go in there, and because we don’t have our vision, we are suddenly like, ‘I don’t know how to do anything anymore,’ and the world is new,” Rocheleau says. “We have to engage and be more present and more aware and more sharp-thinking and mindful.”
The Blind Café seats patrons at community tables in a completely dark room. For many participants, this is the first time they have been unable to see.
“Chaos is actually part of it,” Rocheleau says. “It’s welcomed. I’m creating a situation where I want people to be uncomfortable — I want people to come and be like, ‘I don’t know what to do!’ And all of a sudden they have to sum up that sense of courage that we all have inside of us when we’re faced with a challenging situation.”
The Blind Café is set up in the basement of a church. A blind wait staff helps those accustomed to sight — helping them walk, navigate and pour water in complete darkness. The event concludes with a musical performance from Rocheleau’s band, Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken, as well as speeches and a Q&A with some of the blind volunteers.
Gerry Leary is the keynote speaker at the Blind Café events and owner of the Unseen Bean, a local coffee shop and roasting company. In his speech, Leary shares his experiences being born blind and answers the audience’s questions about the sightless world.
“I can’t compare this to a normal life because I’ve never lived a normal life,” Leary says. “I have been blind since I was born … so I have no perception at all of vision or no understanding of what it is other than what you might technically describe on paper.”
Rocheleau says that Leary helps ease the discomfort of people who find themselves sightless for the first time at the Blind Café, and also ease the sense of isolation many blind individuals feel.
“So, in essence, we try to build a situation that shows life as a blind person as being normal, and life as a sighted person as being different,” Leary says. “We try to set up a situation such that people can use their other senses to learn about and understand their world and try it without vision.”
Leary says, as far as he’s concerned, life without vision is more a nuisance than a disability. He found early success in fields requiring kinetic skills, working as a car mechanic for 40 years and a coffee roaster.
Leary says he started working on cars at the age of 2. While his brothers were interested in comic books and television, Leary found the sound and mechanics of cars to be enthralling.
“My world was discoverable through my hands,” Leary says. “So that’s where my eyes were. I could look at cars because they were hard, solid objects and they were in pieces, and pieces could come off and go back on and they had nuts and bolts and that means I could take them off and put them back on. I could ask about them and learn about them, and I could experiment with them. So for me that was a real avenue for stimulation.”
Rocheleau says that the event is in no way a simulation of what it means to be blind, but does help build community, create mental presence in sighted individuals and help build blind awareness.
“They discover that functioning as a blind person is not nearly as hard as they thought it was,” Leary says. “They do realize that it’s an awful lot of work to change, but they realize that it’s possible.”
Rocheleau says the Blind Café also helps empower the blind wait staff by putting them in a leadership position.
“It’s a reverse role,” he says. “Usually, a blind person is walking down the street and people come up to them and say, ‘Hey, can I help you? Do you need any help?’ ... But in this situation, when you’re in the dark — say you’re a guest and you just spilled water all over yourself and your neighbor, and you need a napkin, and you don’t know how to function, and you’ve got to go to the bathroom — you can call a server, and they can lead you.”
Respond:letters@boulderweekly.com
Blind commission puts people to work
Blind commission puts people to work
Letters to the editor
, Jul 14, 2011
CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT / PORTLAND TRIBUNE
Gary Jackson, who is visually impaired, bags groceries at his Portland Building concession stand. The Oregon Commission for the Blind is given preference to run such concessions, under a longstanding program designed to provide jobs and training to blind people. Public health reformers say the commission is resisting efforts to provide healthy snacks.
I am writing in response to your recent article, “Battle for healthy snacks” (May 26), regarding the Oregon Commission for the Blind.
This story immediately caught my eye because of the man featured in the front-page photo, Gary “Big Jack” Jackson. Big Jack and I attend the same church, and he is one of my favorite people there.
However, I was incredibly disappointed with the text and tone of the article. I would not attempt to speak for Big Jack here, but I will say that he is an educated, intelligent man who once had good health and a successful career. When an illness took his eyesight, he had to make drastic changes in his life.
His training and assistance from the Oregon Commission for the Blind in setting up that business has enabled him to independently get out into the working world each day. In turn, he uses his accessibility there and his incredibly positive spirit to mentor many of the people he meets.
Why would you use his photo and then not share his views about the issues covered in the article?
I put this question to your readers: If you were suddenly struck with the same disability and an article such as this one results in the Oregon Commission for the Blind shutting it’s doors, where will you go to learn how to go out into the world on your own, handle your money, use a computer and phone, etc.?
Karen Crichton
North Portland
People don’t want ‘healthy’ snacks
I know they don’t teach this in college, but the purpose of business is to make a profit — not sell products people don’t want — regardless of what the social engineers would have you believe (“Battle for healthy snacks”, May 26).
I suppose the Legislature will need to pass more laws to prevent people from buying what they want. Oh wait. They have already done that.
Geoff Rode
Southeast Portland
Story didn’t represent blind
I find it very curious that Mr. Law did not interview one single blind person involved in the program (“Battle for healthy snacks,” May 26). Why not, I wonder?
I know a few of the vendors in question. They do offer healthier options in their machines — sometimes by request, and sometimes because of arm-twisting. In many cases, the food expires, unsold, representing both a loss of inventory due to spoilage and a loss in sales because that slot in the machine is taken up by snack items that customers find unappealing.
In other, particularly large sites, it seems to me that spending money on inventory that nobody is going to buy is probably bad for business. I’m neither a vendor, a businessman, nor anyone involved in planning these things, but for some reason Mr. Law decided not to report on any of that. What is the agenda here?
Joseph Carter
Letters to the editor
, Jul 14, 2011
CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT / PORTLAND TRIBUNE
Gary Jackson, who is visually impaired, bags groceries at his Portland Building concession stand. The Oregon Commission for the Blind is given preference to run such concessions, under a longstanding program designed to provide jobs and training to blind people. Public health reformers say the commission is resisting efforts to provide healthy snacks.
I am writing in response to your recent article, “Battle for healthy snacks” (May 26), regarding the Oregon Commission for the Blind.
This story immediately caught my eye because of the man featured in the front-page photo, Gary “Big Jack” Jackson. Big Jack and I attend the same church, and he is one of my favorite people there.
However, I was incredibly disappointed with the text and tone of the article. I would not attempt to speak for Big Jack here, but I will say that he is an educated, intelligent man who once had good health and a successful career. When an illness took his eyesight, he had to make drastic changes in his life.
His training and assistance from the Oregon Commission for the Blind in setting up that business has enabled him to independently get out into the working world each day. In turn, he uses his accessibility there and his incredibly positive spirit to mentor many of the people he meets.
Why would you use his photo and then not share his views about the issues covered in the article?
I put this question to your readers: If you were suddenly struck with the same disability and an article such as this one results in the Oregon Commission for the Blind shutting it’s doors, where will you go to learn how to go out into the world on your own, handle your money, use a computer and phone, etc.?
Karen Crichton
North Portland
People don’t want ‘healthy’ snacks
I know they don’t teach this in college, but the purpose of business is to make a profit — not sell products people don’t want — regardless of what the social engineers would have you believe (“Battle for healthy snacks”, May 26).
I suppose the Legislature will need to pass more laws to prevent people from buying what they want. Oh wait. They have already done that.
Geoff Rode
Southeast Portland
Story didn’t represent blind
I find it very curious that Mr. Law did not interview one single blind person involved in the program (“Battle for healthy snacks,” May 26). Why not, I wonder?
I know a few of the vendors in question. They do offer healthier options in their machines — sometimes by request, and sometimes because of arm-twisting. In many cases, the food expires, unsold, representing both a loss of inventory due to spoilage and a loss in sales because that slot in the machine is taken up by snack items that customers find unappealing.
In other, particularly large sites, it seems to me that spending money on inventory that nobody is going to buy is probably bad for business. I’m neither a vendor, a businessman, nor anyone involved in planning these things, but for some reason Mr. Law decided not to report on any of that. What is the agenda here?
Joseph Carter
Newton resident advocating for changes in special ed law Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x1223068302/Newton-resident-advocating-for-chan
Newton —
When he’s not taking classes at MassBay, working at one of his three jobs or volunteering, Brian Heffernan is making sure that other young people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities get the same opportunities he’s had.
Most recently, Heffernan, 20, of Newton, has been advocating for a bill at the State House that would change the special education licensing requirements to provide optional advanced training for teachers who want to focus on transitioning children with intellectual disabilities into the competitive work force. Newton resident Julia Landau, senior project manager for the advocacy group Massachusetts Advocates for Children, said the bill would allow more children with intellectual disabilities like Down syndrome and autism to become productive members in their communities.
“Right now three-quarters of the youth with disabilities in our state ages 16-26 end up in sheltered workshops or [day habilitation] programs or unemployed and we know that youth with disabilities when provided the appropriate transition planning and services can measure up with their potential and can live and work competitively,” she said. “That’s the difference between the tapped and untapped potential.”
Heffernan has been taking classes in courses like criminology, mass media and career and life planning at MassBay for the past two years through the school’s partnership with the Newton Public Schools. The Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment grant program allows public high school students with severe intellectual disabilities who are between 18 and 22 and have not yet passed the MCAS test the opportunity to take inclusive college courses aligned with a career goal.
“I’m really proud of the career and life planning class,” Heffernan said. “It made me think a lot about my career.”
During the school year, Heffernan takes public transportation from his house in Newton to the Wellesley Hills MassBay campus, takes general college classes with his peers and works out after school in the school gym. Last summer, Heffernan was looking for activities to join on campus and noticed that the college didn’t have a glee club like his favorite TV show, “Glee,” so he researched and sought out the required number of signatures to form his own glee club.
Heffernan said his classes at MassBay have helped him decide that one day he wants to have a career in the film or television industry. He’s already written a 52-page TV script, “The Heffernan Show,” loosely based on “The Cosby Show.”
“One day I got on my computer and just started writing,” he said, while walking around MassBay last week.
In between his busy class schedule at MassBay and camp during the summer Heffernan finds time to work as a host at Wally’s World in Fenway Park, as a bagger at Shaw’s Supermarket in Auburndale and as a guest speaker in the “Understanding Our Differences” curriculum in the Newton Public Schools. He speaks to graduate students about his disability at Brandeis, Harvard and Boston universities and during the summer he volunteers at City Hall delivering mail and stacking books at the Newton Free Library.
“He’s really remarkable,” said Landau of the Massachusetts Advocates for Children, in a phone interview.
Heffernan’s mother, Julie Hefferman, said that her son wants to continue to take classes at the college after he passes his English MCAS test. She said that once he passes the English MCAS test he will place out of the special education program in the Newton Public Schools, but will still be able to receive special education services at the college.
“We’ve had a partnership for the past five years with the [Newton schools] to give students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to take college courses,” said Jayme Finstein, inclusive concurrent enrollment grand coordinator at MassBay. “The goal is to have the courses connect with future career goals. You spend your whole day on campus doing anything that any other student would do.”
Julie Heffernan said her son has flourished through his classes and the new friends he has made at MassBay.
“On Facebook, he has all these friends we’ve never met because he has this whole college life now,” she said.
Landau said she is hopeful that the bill will soon be voted out of the Joint Committee on Education.
“I firmly believe that government has an obligation to care for the most vulnerable amongst us by providing opportunities to those at risk to succeed and live independent fulfilling lives,” said Sen. Steve Tolman, a lead sponsor of the bill, in a statement.
Staff writer Chloe Gotsis can be reached at 781-433-8333 or at cgotsis@wickedlocal.com
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x1223068302/Newton-resident-advocating-for-changes-in-special-ed-law#ixzz1S6Mk6oue
Organization helps students with disabilities find work
July 14, 2011 (NAPERVILLE, Ill.) (WLS) -- A group of parents from Naperville started an organization that focuses on job opportunities for their children and peers with disabilities.
NapervilleWorks started in 2007 as a partnership between parents, local business professionals and school vocational coordinators. Marjorie Sillery is one of the parents involved.
"We literally go out into the community, meet with businesses, meet with civic groups and give them the benefits of working with students with intellectual abilities," Sillery said.
Students in the program are from Naperville school districts 203 and 204 and also Indian Prairie District 204 from ages 18 to 21.
"There is so much need out there, especially in this area for jobs for the students," said Sillery. "Sadly, when they leave transition, only about 10 percent of them are employed at any level full-time or part-time."
Alex Lints is lucky. He has autism spectrum disorder and is working part time as a clerk at Naperville's school district's office. At 21, his mom Deborah is grateful that her son has a job.
"He right now started this job two days a week for a couple of hours a day, and hopefully as time goes on that will increase," said Deborah. "He needs that interaction with people and it helps him to grow as a young adult. My prayer for three years has been, 'Just please give him a job that he will be comfortable in working with people and to have it be here in the school district.' It's really phenomenal."
Vocational coordinator and transition specialist for the Indian Prairie School District Cyndy Perez says NapervilleWorks is a great resource for them.
"They help us by developing leads, by creating awareness, and then it gives us a lot more to go with," said Perez. "So we as the school district can get out there and develop the job and help train the students to make a long-term successful employment opportunity."
Alex is a good example as this kind of partnership is unique.
"I know of no other organizations quite like NapervilleWorks in the state of Illinois," said Perez. "The unique thing about NapervilleWorks is that it harnesses the network of all the parents and the community, and it brings all those linkages to the school system that may only have a couple of vocational coordinators to develop opportunities...We're going to need a lot more organizations like that I think to get these young adults employed, because without that, there's not going to be jobs for them, and they're good workers."
To learn more about NapervilleWorks go to napervilleworks.webs.com.
Nevertheless: Campaign working towards a disability inclusive society
By Lavanya Srinivasan | Published: July 08 2011
Campaign working towards a disability inclusive society Photo: Fourthwave Foundation
Owing to lack of knowledge, educational access and technology, disabled children were initially segregated from other children in schools. However in recent times there has been a shift towards having children with disabilities attend the same schools as non-disabled children. ‘Never-the-less’ is a campaign for inclusion of people with disability which will engage 6, 00,000 school and college students along with corporate employees and management, and local communities. The goal is to create awareness and sensitize people about inclusion of persons with disability in their immediate environments. The campaign across 6000 government, aided and private schools in urban and rural Bangalore will be conducted in partnership with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
“The campaign is to promote as a matter of law or policy, the principle of inclusive education and society. The basic premise is that the school should meet the educational needs of all children irrespective of their disabilities or limitations. Inclusive education is nothing but `Making the programme for disabled children as an integral part of the general educational system rather than a system within general education.” explains Diana Vincent Joseph, Director, Fourthwave Foundation.
Diana Joseph, Director, Fourthwave Foundation with College students
The campaign is an initiative of the Fourthwave Foundation which has been working to address inclusion of persons with disabilities through specially designed projects such as Nanagu Shaale which involves all segments of society and the Government to enable significant transition from segregated to inclusive education. “A small change of perception can make big difference in the life of persons with special needs and disabilities. If we could walk hand-in-hand, provide the same opportunities and conveniences, it can make life less of a battle and more of a healthy challenge for all. In addition to physical infrastructure for the disabled, the cornerstone of this idea for inclusion is you and me. It is up to us to open our minds to people with disability and understand them for what they are. Never-the-less is a movement to make us look beyond their disability and the see them for what they are capable of.”
Over 6,00,000 children will be engaged at their respective schools through an art activity, skits, audio-visual screenings on the theme of ‘inclusion’ and ‘diversity’ and interaction with persons with disabilities. The school activity is being coordinated by hundreds of employee volunteers with the active support of corporate and through NASSCOM. Student volunteers from colleges will reach out in their campus and in public places through experiential activities, exhibitions and audio-visual screenings to create awareness about the barriers and battles persons with disability face, in their day-to-day lives.
The campaign will also invite college students to contribute suggestions and solutions through mobile video clips on simple ways of removing barriers that will make their lives less of a challenge so that they may participate in mainstream society. 70 million people in India (6% of our population) are estimated as persons with disabilities, but sadly only 2% of them have seen through School and only 1 % gainfully employed. Our ignorance of what persons with disability can and cannot do and lack of facilities that make life simpler comes as a barrier for them to live a productive life with dignity.
‘Never-the-less’ by Fourth Wave Foundation is a campaign to generate awareness for the disabled in our society and address issues like education, jobs and their livelihoods.
Campaign working towards a disability inclusive society Photo: Fourthwave FoundationOwing to lack of knowledge, educational access and technology, disabled children were initially segregated from other children in schools. However in recent times there has been a shift towards having children with disabilities attend the same schools as non-disabled children. ‘Never-the-less’ is a campaign for inclusion of people with disability which will engage 6, 00,000 school and college students along with corporate employees and management, and local communities. The goal is to create awareness and sensitize people about inclusion of persons with disability in their immediate environments. The campaign across 6000 government, aided and private schools in urban and rural Bangalore will be conducted in partnership with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
“The campaign is to promote as a matter of law or policy, the principle of inclusive education and society. The basic premise is that the school should meet the educational needs of all children irrespective of their disabilities or limitations. Inclusive education is nothing but `Making the programme for disabled children as an integral part of the general educational system rather than a system within general education.” explains Diana Vincent Joseph, Director, Fourthwave Foundation.
Diana Joseph, Director, Fourthwave Foundation with College studentsThe campaign is an initiative of the Fourthwave Foundation which has been working to address inclusion of persons with disabilities through specially designed projects such as Nanagu Shaale which involves all segments of society and the Government to enable significant transition from segregated to inclusive education. “A small change of perception can make big difference in the life of persons with special needs and disabilities. If we could walk hand-in-hand, provide the same opportunities and conveniences, it can make life less of a battle and more of a healthy challenge for all. In addition to physical infrastructure for the disabled, the cornerstone of this idea for inclusion is you and me. It is up to us to open our minds to people with disability and understand them for what they are. Never-the-less is a movement to make us look beyond their disability and the see them for what they are capable of.”
Over 6,00,000 children will be engaged at their respective schools through an art activity, skits, audio-visual screenings on the theme of ‘inclusion’ and ‘diversity’ and interaction with persons with disabilities. The school activity is being coordinated by hundreds of employee volunteers with the active support of corporate and through NASSCOM. Student volunteers from colleges will reach out in their campus and in public places through experiential activities, exhibitions and audio-visual screenings to create awareness about the barriers and battles persons with disability face, in their day-to-day lives.
The campaign will also invite college students to contribute suggestions and solutions through mobile video clips on simple ways of removing barriers that will make their lives less of a challenge so that they may participate in mainstream society. 70 million people in India (6% of our population) are estimated as persons with disabilities, but sadly only 2% of them have seen through School and only 1 % gainfully employed. Our ignorance of what persons with disability can and cannot do and lack of facilities that make life simpler comes as a barrier for them to live a productive life with dignity.
Statement of the Department of Justice on enforcement of the integration mandate of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead v. L.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2011, June). Statement of the Department of Justice on enforcement of the integration mandate of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead v. L.C. Washington, DC: .
Abstract
In the years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), the goal of the integration mandate in title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act – to provide individuals with disabilities opportunities to live their lives like individuals without disabilities – has yet to be fully realized. Some state and local governments have begun providing more integrated community alternatives to individuals in or at risk of segregation in institutions or other segregated settings. Yet many people who could and want to live, work, and receive services in integrated settings are still waiting for the promise of Olmstead to be fulfilled.
In 2009, on the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead, President Obama launched “The Year of Community Living” and directed federal agencies to vigorously enforce the civil rights of Americans with disabilities. Since then, the Department of Justice has made enforcement of Olmstead a top priority. As we commemorate the 12th anniversary of the Olmstead decision, the Department of Justice reaffirms its commitment to vindicate the right of individuals with disabilities to live integrated lives under the ADA and Olmstead. To assist individuals in understanding their rights under title II of the ADA and its integration mandate, and to assist state and local governments in complying with the ADA, the Department of Justice has created this technical assistance guide (abstract from document).
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Still in the shadows with their future uncertain: A report on family and individual needs for disability supports. Summary of key findings and a call
The Arc. (2011, June). Still in the shadows with their future uncertain: A report on family and individual needs for disability supports. Summary of key findings and a call to action. Washington, DC: .
Abstract
In 2010, The Arc conducted a national online survey, called the FINDS Survey, to obtain perceptions of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families on a range of life-span issues. These issues included education, transition, employment, transportation, community living, housing, family joys and concerns, and many more relating to various aspects of living. With more than 5,000 responses, the results have provided families, providers, researchers, legislators, and other key stakeholders with an unprecedented depth of current information as reported by families connected to I/DD.
Families from all 50 states and DC completed surveys. People with disabilities responded from 38 states and DC. Nearly 5000 caregivers responded (4,962) as did 558 people with disabilities. The vast majority of caregiver respondents were family members (95%) who are living with their family member with disabilities (75%).
Despite gains in many areas, overall the results from the FINDS survey show that our efforts as a nation have fallen short of the vision of an America where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are accepted and have the supports they need to live to their full potential in the community (abstract fromhttp://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=2990).
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