Disability Rights Fund Makes Grants to 33 Organizations in 7 Countries

BOSTON, MA (Nov. 3) – The Disability Rights Fund (DRF, a project of Tides) – a groundbreaking collaborative to support the human rights of people with disabilities around the world – today announced funding decisions from its first request for proposals. A total of $800,000 will be gifted to 33 organizations in seven countries. The grants will support work to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities, build coalitions and networks, and develop advocacy and monitoring activities, in connection with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  

DRF grantees share the goal of advancing the rights of people with disabilities at the country-level. Recipients include:

• A Ugandan organization of lawyers with disabilities.
• An emergent Peruvian group of people with psycho-social disabilities.
• A grassroots network in Bangladesh of women-led disabled persons’ organizations.

The full grantee list will be posted on the DRF Web site, www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grantees.html, and is available upon request.

"As the disability rights movement gains new impetus through the UN Convention we are delighted to play our part by placing new funding in the hands of DPOs to enable them to advance rights at country level," stated DRF Co-Chair, William Rowland. DRF Director, Diana Samarasan, added “It is an auspicious day to put money in the hands of organizations run by people with disabilities. The first Conference of States Parties to the Convention is being held at the UN; the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is being elected. The work of translating the Convention from paper to practice is before us.”

Grantees were selected after a rigorous review process which included review by DRF’s Steering Committee, a committee composed of donor representatives and people with disabilities from the Global South.

DRF’s donors include: an anonymous founding donor, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, the Open Society Institute, the UK’s Department for International Development, and the American Jewish World Service.

A grantee list can be requested from DRF by writing to dsamarasan@disabilityrightsfund.org.

FISA Foundation's Executive Director Wins Award

Dee Delaney received the Gertrude Labowitz Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 UCP Community Heroes Awards Dinner in October.  Dee is executive director of FISA Foundation, which awards grants to nonprofits in southwestern Pennsylvania that work with women, girls and people with disabilities.  She was recognized for her ongoing advocacy to expand access to health care and dental care for people with disabilities, to increase the number of people with disabilities serving on nonprofit boards, to promote Web site accessibility, to raise awareness about disability issues and to promote a culture of inclusion. 

Congratulations, Dee!

Partnership to Increase Accessibility for Travelers with Disabilities

FISA Foundation (PA) recently awarded a planning grant to the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau to make the VisitPittsburgh Web site welcoming and accessible to travelers with disabilities. Dee Delaney, FISA Foundation's executive director, commented, "We want travelers to be able to easily find out which restaurants are accessible or where they can rent an accessible van. It is particularly exciting when we can partner with a mainstream organization on disability awareness and inclusion projects.  It's one of FISA's strategies for changing the culture of our region." For more information, contact Dee Delaney at 412-456-5550 or dee@fisafoundation.org.

Congratulations to DFN Member Katherine McCary, Appointed by President Bush to National Council on Disability

WASHINGTON — Katherine O. McCary, of Midlothian, VA, was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability (NCD) (www.ncd.gov). The U.S. Senate confirmed Ms. McCary’s nomination on Oct. 2, 2008.

Ms. McCary is a vice president of SunTrust Bank and reports to the chairman, president and CEO, SunTrust Mid-Atlantic and has corporate responsibility for the Accessing Community Talent (ACT) Program, a disability program that seeks to increase the employment of people with disabilities throughout SunTrust’s workforce and to increase awareness of marketing opportunities for customers with disabilities. She manages the Corporate Disability Resource Center which provides disability information internally to employees and managers. She acts as disability consultant to SunTrust’s 17 Diversity Councils.

In her 18 years with SunTrust, her contributions to SunTrust’s disability efforts have resulted in national recognition, including the SHRM HR Magazine 2000 Innovative Practice Award, the 2002 US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) Exceptional Leadership Award and the U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao’s 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award.

Ms. McCary is responsible for SunTrust representation in the Business Leadership Network organization and serves as the chair of the USBLN®, a national organization representing 5,000 businesses that educates employers on the business imperative of disability. She is involved in many “disability business” organizations and local Workforce Investment Boards. She is co-chair for SunTrust’s National Disability Mentoring Day and is a nationally recognized speaker on disability.

NCD is an independent federal agency and is composed of 15 members appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the senate. It provides advice to the president, congress, and executive branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.

FISA Foundation Approves New Grants

The following grants were approved by FISA Foundation’s Board of Directors:

• Allegheny Valley School, $55,000 toward renovation and expansion of the Pittsburgh Campus Medical Suite, including accessible electric examination tables;
• The Arc of Westmoreland, Inc, $36,921 to improve transition planning for youth in Westmoreland County by educating parents and disability service providers;
• Carnegie Institute, $4,800 to purchase ramps to enable people with disabilities to access art exhibits at the 2008 Three Rivers Arts Festival;
• Center for Hearing & Deaf Services, $11,160 as a planning grant for an initiative to improve healthcare quality for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing sign language interpretation;
• The Children's Institute, $5,000 to support the Lose the Training Wheels Camp, teaching children with disabilities to ride bicycles;
• Crisis Center North, Inc., $36,075 to improve outreach to victims of domestic violence who have disabilities;
• East Suburban Citizen Advocacy, $15,000 to develop a website and promote inclusion by connecting people with and without disabilities around mutual interests;
• The Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh, $45,000 to increase the pool of qualified Direct Support Professionals qualified to work with individuals with developmental disabilities in residential settings by developing and piloting a training program;
• Every Child, Inc., $50,000 for strengthening organizational structure critical to the agency's support of parents and children with disabilities and special health care needs;
• Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, $10,000 to purchase equipment for the Assistive Technology Program;
• Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, Inc., $1,500 for sign language interpretation services and registration scholarships for the 2008 Nonprofit Summit;
• Health Hope Network, $3,000 in continued support for the Stroke Survivor Connections outing at the Woodlands Foundation;
• Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association, $40,000 over two years for the We Count Campaign, a cross-disability campaign to promote civic participation among voters with disabilities;
• Southwinds, $5,980 to build capacity through the purchase of fundraising management software at this agency serving individuals with intellectual disabilities;
• St. Anthony School Programs, $35,000 in general support for the Post-Secondary School Program for students with disabilities at Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh;
• Variety the Children's Charity, $35,000 to support rural outreach for the Kids on the Go! Program, which provides adaptive equipment to children with disabilities;
• The Verland Foundation, Inc., $45,500 to increase the safety of residents and staff through the purchase of specialized bath tubs and transfer lifts;
• Volunteers of America, $50,000 over two years for First Step, business development and marketing support for entrepreneurs with disabilities who participate in the Working Order Program.

For more information about any of these projects, contact Dee Delaney, Executive Director of FISA Foundation, 412-456-5550 or dee@fisafoundation.org.

Readers Digest Partners for Sight Foundation and NEC Foundation of America: Furthering Inclusion of icouldbe.org

Since 2000, icouldbe.org has brought online mentoring to more than 10,000 students at scores of America’s failing schools, in Native American Reservations and to orphaned students in East Africa. Recognizing that technology is an equalizer, icouldbe.org has been adapting its existing technology to accommodate teenagers with disabilities to provide them with many opportunities to assert and fully develop their potential – personally, academically and professionally. The first phase will include working with the blind and visually impaired community to customize our existing online platform to work with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Thanks to the visionary leadership at Readers Digest Partners for Sight Foundation and the NEC Foundation of America, icouldbe.org will launch its Inclusion Program and become accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired in the 2008 – 2009 school year. “Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation is proud to be able to provide funding to help make the extraordinary mentoring services of icouldbe.org accessible to blind and visually impaired students. We applaud the efforts of Kate Schrauth and the icouldbe.org team in this area,” said Susan Olivo, vice president and general manager of Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation.

Read the news release.

Digital Accessibility Trend Analysis (DATA) Launched

Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville PC (PPSV), led by disability law experts John D. Kemp and Elisabeth Doyle, are launching Digital Accessibility Trend Analysis (DATA). DATA is a subscription service available to business, government and individuals who need the latest in accessibility law to maintain their competitive edge.

The momentum of accessibility law is growing at breathtaking speed, and universal accessibility is “an idea whose time has come.” DATA feeds the needs of industry to monitor web accessibility and digital technology in light of growing legal realities and the pervasiveness of internet reliance in the areas of education, commerce, employment, and social networking. Read the announcement for more information.

Peter V. Berns Named Executive Director of The Arc of the United States

Peter V. Berns, a nationally recognized nonprofit sector leader and public interest lawyer, has been named executive director of The Arc of the United States, the world’s largest community based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Currently executive director of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Berns will assume his duties full time on July 7, 2008.

In his 16 years at Maryland Nonprofits, he built the association from a start-up to a position of prominence in the nonprofit community, nationally, with more than 1,700 members of all sizes, all sectors and from all regions of the state. In addition, he has served as chief executive officer of the Standards for Excellence Institute since its inception in 2004. Read the full press release.

New Web Community Brings Together Parents of Visually Impaired Children

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) has launched FamilyConnect, www.familyconnect.org, an online, multimedia community for parents and guardians of children with visual impairments. The site will help these families connect and give busy parents, grandparents and other caretakers a place to find comprehensive resources and support 24 hours a day. Read the complete press release for more information.

MEAF Honors Boys & Girls Clubs Leader with Inclusion Champion Award

Marvin B. Laster, director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Diversity Program, was named the first Inclusion Champion by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). Laster received the inaugural MEAF Inclusion Champion Award at the annual national conference of the inclusion training organization, Kids Included Together (KIT).

The award, which includes a trophy and a $1000 contribution to the recipient’s organization, was established by MEAF to honor individuals who have made measurable and sustainable impact in promoting the inclusion of youth with disabilities. Read the full press release and more about the award.

Paths to Inclusion Promotes Full Participation of Youth with Disabilities in Society

Paths to Inclusion debuted April 3 at the national conference of the organization Kids Included Together (KIT) in San Diego. Published by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), Paths to Inclusion is a resource guide to help youth-serving organizations integrate youth with disabilities into their regular programs.

The guide was developed by an Inclusion Task Force organized by MEAF, which includes leaders of national and community-based organizations that serve youth and people with disabilities, along with representatives of universities, foundations and government agencies.

Read the press release and download the publication. (The publication is also featured as part of Disability Funders Network's Inclusion Toolkit on the Inclusion section of this site.)

International Coalition Launches Groundbreaking Disability Rights Fund

The Open Society Institute, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and an anonymous donor announced on March 31 a groundbreaking collaborative to support the human rights for people with disabilities.

Launched on the first anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD), the Disability Rights Fund will provide financial support for human rights advocacy in the developing world and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union. The broad objective of the fund will be to empower disabled persons organizations around the world to effectively implement and monitor the CPRD. Read the press release.

Integrated Process Solutions Launched

DFN Board Member Rich Donovan has announced the launch of Integrated Process Solutions LLC, www.returnondisability.com. Integrated Process Solutions LLC is a strategic consulting firm that works with large corporations and governments to help them understand their position in the business/disability space and to allocate capital profitably. Focusing on seven interfaces with client firms, Integrated Process Solutions LLC will distill them to one performance measure: Return on Disability™.

In support of Integrated Process Solutions LLC, Rich Donovan also launched an ‘Electronic White Paper’, addressing a new issue every Monday in the business/disability space. This forum is meant to provoke discussion, and seed the roots of change. This week will start with first principles, addressing a critical component of success in any part of the business world; Quality. The ‘Electronic White Paper’ can be found at http://returnondisability.blogspot.com/. Read the press release.