Work remains to bring equality to those living with disabilities

October is National Disability Awareness and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a good chance to reflect on how far our nation has come and how far we must go.

Across all ages, genders, ethnicities and educational levels, about 11.9 percent of the U.S. population report having disabilities. Wisconsin has a slightly lower level, at 10.7 percent. The percentage of people with disabilities grows as we age. Fewer than 1 percent of those younger than age 4 have disabilities. Among those 75 and older, 50 percent have disabilities.

Origins of acquired disabilities are diverse, including illnesses and military service. With the appreciative rise in those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the percentages may be changing.

The Americans with Disabilities Act provides the most cited definition of disability: a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Those include daily functions such as caring for oneself, managing major bodily functions, communicating and working.

The problem with disabilities is that a disability is either first in mind or not on the mind at all.

For example, when referring to a successful businessperson without a disability, we might rave about that person’s entrepreneurial spirit or great financial skills. But if a successful businessperson has a disability, we are inclined to refer to the person first by the disability and to consider the person exceptional rather than someone who used talents well.

As a nation, we’ve come far in creating physically accessible space at work and in our communities. Many sidewalks have curb cuts, schools have elevators and some parks have accessible paths. People with disabilities now have opportunities to go places and do things that were unavailable to earlier generations.

But as individuals and as a nation, we’ve not gone far enough.

People with disabilities who are seeking work face unique challenges. While many employers hire people of all abilities, some still cannot imagine a person with a disability fulfilling job requirements. Some people discourage those with disabilities from pursuing the jobs of their dreams. Stereotypes are often tougher barriers to break down than sidewalk curbs.

There are barriers within our public social support structure that keep people with disabilities from seeking employment. We need more government initiatives that remove those disincentives and allow individuals to be more financially independent.

Social barriers are perhaps the hardest to overcome. Most people have social groups at work and in their personal lives. In these groups, connections are made, jobs are offered, advice is shared and sometimes romance blooms. Becoming part of a group requires an invitation and a welcoming atmosphere. Many groups have yet to welcome any person with a disability.

(By MARCIA JAGODZINSKE )

(FULL STORY HERE)

People With Disabilities Protest Romney Medicaid Cuts

The future of Medicaid hangs in the balance as Election Day approaches, but John Wren feels like no one's listening to the people whose lives depend on the health program for the poor.

Wren, 45, of Erie, Pa., was among dozens of people with disabilities, their caregivers, families, activists and volunteers who laid siege this week to Pennsylvania's capital city, Harrisburg, during protests organized by ADAPT, a national organization that advocates for disability rights.

President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney havevastly different visions for the future of Medicaid and people like Wren and his fellow protestors understand the stakes all too well.

While Obama seeks to expand Medicaid to cover millions more, Romney would move in the opposite direction by slashing federal spending and turning over control of the program to states.

But Wren doesn't think that either Obama or Romney is tuned into the needs of people with disabilities. "Those two guys aren't going to be the ones who do anything about us," Wren said Tuesday during a protest outside the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

Until four years ago, Wren was earning about $60,000 a year as a truck driver. He's a father of six who liked to hunt, fish, and camp and was about to marry his fiancée, Terri Martin. First, he got laid off. Then, an automobile accident robbed him of the future he planned, along with his right leg and right eye.

Today, Wren is unemployed, uses a power wheelchair to get around and requires care at home and medical supplies paid for by Medicaid. Wren's still with Martin, but they never got married. She has taken on the role of his home aide and the state won't pay spouses to care for each other.

Medicaid coverage of his home care services is what's keeping him from spending his life in a nursing home, and he's worried that with less money to go around, people like him will be left behind, he said. So Wren decided it was time to take a stand in his home state. "This is a focal point of what's going on," he said.

Over four days in Harrisburg, protesters used their wheelchairs, scooters and legs to march on the governor's mansion, occupy the state Capitol, storm the welfare department headquarters and take over a downtown plaza outside a Romney campaign office. They almost crossed paths with Ann Romney, the GOP candidate's wife, who headlined a fundraiser Monday night at the Hilton hotel that served as a temporary home for many activists, said Amber Smock, an ADAPT spokeswoman.

(FULL STORY HERE)

Collegians with disabilities, success linked to mentoring, self-advocacy

A Rutgers study of recent New Jersey college graduates with disabilities has found that students attributed their academic success to a combination of possessing strong personality traits as perseverance and their relationship with a faculty or staff mentor. Accessing campus accommodations was not a major issue but learning about such help "was not always the smoothest process," the report noted. The research also determined that students mainly used campus resources for assistance rather than a combination of college and community services. Additionally, investigators examined problems faced by college disability and special services offices, including record-keeping and student-faculty outreach.

"The challenges students with disabilities face on college campuses are well documented but little is known about the experience of those students who successfully completed college," said Paula Barber, a clinical social worker and senior research project manager at Rutgers' John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. "To level the playing field for people with disabilities by encouraging college education and completion, it is essential to learn the factors supporting degree completion."

One such factor, self-advocacy, increases the opportunity to become more competitive during job searches, Barber reported. "While it appears college enrollment for students with disabilities is increasing, the ability to secure employment at a level matching their educational attainment is often limited," Barber said.

Despite passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, federal research indicates that people with disabilities have a lower employment rate and higher rate of poverty and dependence on public social services support than their counterparts without disabilities. They also complete college at a statistically significant lower rate than students without disabilities and those who do graduate have a persistent lower rate of employment irrespective of their level of degree attainment.

For the study, disabilities services staff identified students who completed their degrees between May 2008 and May 2012 or were about to do so. The participants' disabilities included a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities, as well as dual diagnoses. All thought their personal and financial investments in their education were "life changing" and worthwhile, Barber said. She added that some were told by high school teachers that they were not "college material."

The collegians learned about accommodations through a variety of on-campus sources, including classmates, academic advisers, deans, at community colleges, and by trial-and-error. Parents, high school special education classes, medical professionals and outpatient rehabilitation providers were among off-campus resources. Accommodations included classroom and test-taking help, tutoring, technology support and counseling.

(FULL STORY HERE)

Among the report's key findings:

• Students with disabilities who completed college reported using many services on campus and overwhelmingly attributed their success to a significant relationship with either a professional staff member at the Office of Disability/Special Services or a faculty member.
• Participants had observable personal qualities (self-awareness, perseverance, interpersonal skills) that allowed them to develop and maintain positive, long-term relationships with mentors, either on-campus on in their social circles. Their insight about their disabilities and ability to self-advocate were universally high.
• Although learning about accommodations was not a smooth process, access to accommodations was not a major issue.
• Participating colleges were significantly challenged in accessing service information on students with disabilities.
• Offices of Disability/Special Services are often underfunded, high-volume operations.
• Students and staff identified faculty training on their role in providing accommodations and in understanding how disabilities affect learning in the college classroom as in need of additional support and resources.

Washington Gov. Gregoire weighs appeal of disability lawsuit

Disability rights groups are urging Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire to not appeal a recent appellate court decision that struck down budget cuts reducing the amount of in-home care hours available to Medicaid clients in the state.

Gregoire has to make a decision by Monday on whether to appeal the recent decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Disability groups fear that if the case is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, there's a possibility the justices could water down a landmark case on disability rights that was cited by the appellate court. In the 1999Olmstead v. L.C. case, the high court ruled 6-3 that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires community placement of the mentally disabled whenever appropriate.

Gregoire has said she's sensitive to the concerns of the disability community, but is concerned the appellate ruling sets a precedent for other states not being able to decrease these programs during economic crisis.

6 Things to Know about Medicare Fall Open Enrollment for 2013

Fall Open Enrollment is the time of year when you can change your Medicare coverage. You can do this by joining a new Medicare Advantage plan or by joining a new stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP). You can also return to Original Medicare with or without a stand-alone Part D plan from a Medicare Advantage plan during this time. Listed below are six things to keep in mind while you are deciding on your Medicare coverage for 2013.

1. Fall Open Enrollment occurs from October 15 to December 7 of every year. Learn more about Fall Open Enrollment choices here.   

• If you enroll in a plan during Fall Open Enrollment, your coverage starts January 1.

• In most cases, Fall Open Enrollment is the only time you can pick a new Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan.

• If you have Medicare Advantage, you can also switch to Original Medicare. To get Medicare drug coverage, you can must a stand-alone Part D plan at this time. A Medigap policy will pay original Medicare costs, but you may be limited in your ability to buy a Medigap during the Fall Open Enrollment period, depending on where you live. For more information about purchasing a Medigap please click here.

2. Review your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).  

• Even if you like your current Medicare coverage and want to continue with that plan, you should carefully read your ANOC to make sure the plan still features the coverage you like. 

• Plan can change how they cover your care each year. This means that pharmacy and provider networks can change, costs can change and drugs covered by the plan’s formulary can change.

• Be aware of your other benefits such as COBRA, union orretiree plans. Consider all your insurance coverage when choosing a plan for next year.

3. Help is out there. 

• If you want to join a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) , use the Plan Finder tool on Medicare.gov. ThePlan Finder tool compares plans based on the drugs you need, the pharmacy you go to and your drug costs.
• If you want to join a Medicare Advantage plan, call 800-Medicare to find out what plans are in your area. When you receive the list of plans, check the plan websites to see which best fits your needs.
• After you have researched a plan online, call the plan itself to confirm what you learned. Make sure your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in network, that the plan covers all your drugs, and includes the pharmacies you use. Write down everything about that conversation. In your notes, record the date of the conversation, whom you spoke with, and the outcome of the call. This helps to protect you in case a plan representative gives you misinformation.
• Call or visit the website of your State Health Insurance Assistance Program or SHIP. Your state SHIP can help you to understand all of your Medicare coverage options.

4. The best way to enroll in a new plan is to call 800-MEDICARE. 

• Enrolling in a new plan through Medicare is the best way to help protect you if there are problems with enrollment. Write down everything about the conversation when you enroll through Medicare. In your notes, record the date of the conversation, whom you spoke with, and any information you were given during the call.

• Before you enroll with Medicare, confirm all of the details about your new plan with the plan itself.

5. If you are dissatisfied with your Medicare Advantage plan, you can disenroll from that plan and join Original Medicare during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP).  

• The MADP is every year from January 1 to February 14.

6. Understand what you will pay for drugs and what new drugs will be covered by Medicare Part D in 2013.

• Starting January 1, 2013, Medicare Part D will begin covering barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are covered as a treatment for all medically necessary conditions. Barbiturates will only be covered in 2013 to treat epilepsy, certain cancers and chronic mental health conditions. Check to make sure the barbiturate or benzodiazepine you take is covered on your drug plan’s formulary. Even if your plan does not cover your drug, your plan should provide you with one 30-daytransition fill at sometime during the first 90 days of the year.

• Medicare coverage of drugs in the doughnut hole is also changing. In 2013, when someone is in the doughnut hole, they will have greater discounts than in previous years. To learn more about 2013 doughnut hole discounts, please click here.     

Fall Open Enrollment occurs from October 15 to December 7 of every year. Learn more about Fall Open Enrollment choices

You are limited in when you can change your Medicare healthplan during the year.

1. You can switch Medicare private plans during Fall Open Enrollment (Fall Open Enrollment is sometimes referred to as the Annual Coordinated Election Period – ACEP) which runs from October 15 through December 7 in 2012. Your new coverage starts January 1. During this period you can change your choice of health coverage, and add, drop or change Medicare drug coverage. (You can make as many changes as you need during this period, but only your last coverage choice will take effect January 1. However, to avoid enrollment problems, it is best to make as few changes as possible).
   Note: If you are changing plans to join a Medicare Medical Savings Accounts (MSA), you can usually only do so during the Fall Open Enrollment Period.  
2. You can switch from your Medicare private health plan (except MSA plan) to Original Medicare during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP).You can only make this coverage change if you have a Medicare private health plan (also known as a Medicare Advantage plan). The MADP will occur every year starting in 2011, from January 1 to February 14.
   If you have a Medicare private health plan you will be able to switch to Original Medicare with or without a stand-alone prescription drug plan. Changes made during this period will become effective the first of the following month. For example, if you switched from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare and a stand-alone prescription drug plan in February, your new coverage would begin March 1.
   (More Info HERE)