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Vol. 7, No. 6: October 2008

In This Issue

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This month is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Let’s look forward to the day when every month educators prepare students with disabilities for real jobs in the community and every employer makes a corporate-wide commitment to including people with disabilities in their diversity efforts. Here is the October 2008 collection of disability-related news, publications, upcoming events and Web sites.

INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Note new URLs added this month: www.TecAccess.net (Veteran, Technology and General Disability Related Resources); www.UniversalDesign.com (Accessible Living).

NEWS

HISTORIC ADA AMENDMENTS ACT SIGNED: On September 25, President George W. Bush signed into law the historic Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 (S. 3406). It will take effect on January 1, 2009. This Act overturns certain U.S. Supreme Court decisions that narrowed the ADA’s coverage, which excluded from protection many individuals with disabilities whom Congress intended to cover. For more information, go to www.ncd.gov or www.aapd-dc.org and www.eeoc.gov/ada/amendments_notice.html.

BASEBALL LEGEND JIM ABBOTT TALKS ABOUT ABILITY: In 1993 the world stopped and took notice when Jim Abbott, a talented one-handed pitcher, pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees. Now, 15 years later, Jim is partnering with the Department of Labor to raise awareness about the talents of people with disabilities in its PITCH campaign. In Jim’s view, “It’s similar to how coaches looked at me when I was growing up, to see what I could do and not what I couldn’t.” See www.dol.gov/odep for the whole story.

SENATE CONFIRMS EIGHT PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS TO NCD: The following current National Council on Disability members were reappointed: Victoria Ray Carlson, Marylyn Howe, Chad Colley, John R. Vaughn, and Lonnie Moore. The following new appointments were confirmed: Tony J. Williams, Heather McCallum and Katherine McCary. Read more at www.ncd.gov.

NEW YORK AREA HOLDS A DISABILITY FILM FESTIVAL: From September 21 to 23, as a welcome to National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan and supported by the UJA-Federation of New York held The First Annyak NT Disabilities Film Festival. Featured films included the 2006 documentary Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott; Ben X (2007); War Eagle, Arkansas (2007); and Stubborn and Spite (2007.) Other local supporting partners include Westchester Jewish Community Services and the Board of Jewish Education Westchester Center. For a complete listing and description of the films screened, go to www.realabilities.org.

TICKET TO WORK INFORMATION: The Social Security Administration has commissioned training on their revamped Ticket to Work incentive program that enables many individuals on Social Security Disability to return to work. To learn more about upcoming events in your area, please track all NEW Ticket Express activities by visiting SSA‘s Work Site at www.ssa.gov/work/events.html. To access the latest materials in support of the NEW Ticket to Work Program, please go to www.ssa.gov/work/formsandpubs.html. If you are an approved EN or state VR agency and you have questions regarding training opportunities on the NEW Ticket to Work Program, such as Ticket Training Tuesdays, instructional material or customized training sessions, please contact MAXIMUS at 866-968-7842, then dial 1-2-1. You may also access information by visiting www.yourtickettowork.com/training.

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALAMABA: St. John’s Community Services is hosting a celebration of people of all abilities with a concert by this Grammy award winning group and an art exhibit and sale. The event will be held Thursday, Nov. 6, at DAR Constitution Hall at 6:30 p.m. in Washington, DC. For tickets go to www.ticketmaster.com or call 202-397-7328. For information about sponsorship opportunities call Pat Jackson at 202-274-3433.

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS AND OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOMINATION PERIOD FOR THE HEARNE AWARD NOW OPEN: The Hearne Award, created in 1999, honors the work of Paul G. Hearne, a lawyer and leading disability rights advocate founded the first legal services office in New York for people with disabilities, authored the first national legal handbook on disability rights, and helped draft the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The award is sponsored by the ABA‘s Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law and is to be presented to an individual who has performed exemplary service in the furtherance of access to justice for people with disabilities, or an organization or group that furthers the goal of full participation for people with disabilities in society. Applications are due April 1, 2009. For details go to www.abanet.org/disability/award/form.shtml.

CDRF QUALITY OF LIFE GRANTS: The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF) awards grants in 13 categories, including health promotion, employment, sports and recreation, and advocacy, to fund programs across the globe that help people with paralysis become more fully integrated members of society. Grants that focus on improving the health of individuals are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, go to www.christopherreeve.org.

THE WASHINGTON CENTER FOR INTERNSHIPS AND ACADEMIC SEMINARS (TWC): This prestigious educational nonprofit organization, entering its 30th year, offers an academic program combined with internships in Washington, D.C. They offer a fully inclusive program, including accessible housing. To learn more about the program, visit www.twc.edu.

AAPD-ADMINISTERED SUMMER INTERNSHIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: AAPD administers two prestigious internships. One is funded by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation and places students in congressional offices in Washington, D.C. The second, funded by Microsoft, is for students majoring in information technology and accepted candidates will work in various agencies in the executive branch of the federal government. For details visit AAPD’s Web site at www.aapd.com.

AAAS SPONSORS ENTRY POINT! ENTRY POINT!, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, offers internship opportunities for college students with disabilities in science, engineering, mathematics, computer science and some fields of business. To learn more about this program, visit http://ehrweb.aaas.org/entrypoint/.

EMERGING LEADERS INTERNSHIPS: This program, launched and funded by the international consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, is administered by the National Business & Disability Council and provides internships for college students with disabilities. These internships are located in several geographic locations and with a wide range of companies. For details, visit their site at www.emerging-leaders.com.

FRED FAY ADVANCED LEADERSHIP FORUM: Sponsored by the Boston Center for Independent Living and members of the Leadership Forum Advisory Council. Go to www.bostoncil.org/fredfayleadership for more information.

WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM: The WRP‘s stellar database of individually interviewed and prescreened college and university students with disabilities is available to meet your summer or permanent workforce needs. This pipeline program is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of Defense. If you are affiliated with a federal agency, go to www.wrp.gov. If you are not, you may request a search by contacting the Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network (EARN) at www.earnworks.com.

CAREER GATEWAY: A Web-based service of Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) for employers and graduating college and university students where students can post their resumes and employers can search for qualified candidates. For information, go to www.cosdonline.org.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR GRADUATING SENIORS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES: The National Center for Learning Disabilities annual awards the Ann Ford Scholarship of $10,000 to an outstanding high school senior with a learning disability who is committed to completing a college degree. For information, visit www.ncld.org.

PUBLICATIONS, MEDIA RESOURCES AND RELEASES

ONLINE NATIONAL DIRECTORY ON DISABILITY LAW CURRICULUM: The American Bar Association Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law recently launched an online national directory that will allow potential law students to search for law schools that offer disability-related curriculum. In addition, the directory supplies related information including: student organizations for law students with disabilities and contact information for the school office that assists these students. To view the directory, go to www.abanet.org/disability/lawschools.

NCD VR YOUTH TRANSITION REPORT: The National Council on Disability (NCD) will release The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth with a Web posting at www.ncd.gov on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 9 a.m.

CONFERENCES, EVENTS, MEETINGS AND COURSES

WID‘S 25TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT: The World Institute on Disability will hold its Ever Widening Circle event on November 7 in the ballroom of the downtown Oakland, CA, Marriott. The evening will feature entertainment by The Blind Boys of Alabama. Corporate sponsorship information can be found at www.wid.org/ever-widening-circle/2008CorporateSponsorshipForm.doc /view. Visit www.wid.org/ever-widening-circle for information on purchasing individual tickets.

ADAP ADVOCACY ASSOCIATION “2008 ACCESS TO CARE AIDS INITIATIVE” CONFERENCE:  Dec. 3-5, 2008. For more information, go to www.adapadvocacyassociation.org.

TASH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: The 33rd Annual TASH Conference, “Social Justice in the 21st Century,” will be held December 3-6, 2008, at the Nashville Convention Center and Renaissance Hotel Nashville, Tennessee. For details, go to www.tash.org/2008tash/.

AAPD GALA: Save the Date for the 2009 Association of Americans with Disabilities (AAPD) Leadership Gala. It will be held on March 4, 2009, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the National Building Museum located at 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001. If you are not on the notification list, contact aapd@hayespr.com.

JAN/USBLN WEBCAST SERIES: The Job Accommodation Network and USBLN have teamed up for the 2008 series. These educational sessions are held the second Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. Eastern (with the exception of May.) For details, go to www.jan.wvu.edu/webcast.

ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES: Online courses from experts in Disability, Workplace & Employment Support Practice are now available from the Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) at Cornell University’s ILR School. These are online professional development courses and certificate programs in Disability, Workplace & Employment Support Practice. Each course consists of interactive multimedia presentations and downloadable PowerPoint course materials: www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi.

WINDMILLS: The nationally recognized training program WINDMILLS has recently been updated and is distributed exclusively by Damon Brooks Associates. For information, visit their Web site at www.DamonBrooks.com.

DOJ ON-LINE COURSE ON REACHING THE DISABILITY MARKET: The U.S. Department of Justice’s Disability Rights Section’s has an online course for businesses, “Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities.” The course explains how the ADA applies to businesses in ten short lessons. Putting these lessons into practice enables businesses to both comply with the ADA and attract the disability market. The course is at www.ada.gov/reachingout/intro1.htm.

SPORTS AND RECREATION: Disabled Sports USA offers sports and recreation opportunities to people with disabilities at 85 chapters throughout the United States. This includes the “Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project”, a program for service men and women injured in recent conflicts overseas. For more information, a chapter listing and calendar of events, visit www.disabledsportsusa.org.

AT YOUR SERVICE: WELCOMING CUSTOMERS WITH DISABILITIES: A free, accessible, self-paced Web course for people interested in discovering best practices for working with customers who have disabilities. This course has recently been revised and expanded in response to requests from more than 10,000 participants who have taken the course. It was funded with federal dollars for training local public customer service representatives, but has been found to be a valuable training tool for the private sector. Check it out at www.wiawebcourse.org.

JOB DEVELOPMENT WEB COURSE: TRN, Inc. offers Web training covering key principles and hands-on tools for job development for youth and adults with disabilities. The course includes applying marketing principles, creating various job-seeking tools, and developing business partnerships. For information, go to www.trninc.com/entry/welcome2.asp.

WEB SITES

See DFN’s comprehensive list of online resources at www.disabilityfunders.org/disability_links. We welcome your additions! Submit appropriate links to khutchinson@disabilityfunders.org.

SPEAKERS

SOURCE FOR PROFESSIONAL SPEAKERS/TRAINERS WITH DISABILITIES: For businesses and organizations seeking well-known, professional presenters and trainers, including the well-respected “Windmills” training, on disability, visit the Web site for the Damon Brooks Agency at www.damonbrooks.com.

The Personal Leadership Development Program led by Dr. Tony Speed: A successful business or career. More productive and satisfying relationships. A raise or promotion. Greater personal fulfillment. What do you want? Speed Flanigan Consulting and Coaching can help you get better results, be more effective, make better decisions, and find new approaches to reaching your goals. We offer innovative and in-depth coaching and consulting that helps you get the results you want for your professional life. Using proven methods, ready-to-use tools, and custom-designed processes, we work with businesses and individuals to create continuously improving “better fits.”

Speed Flanigan Consulting and Coaching has five centers:

  • Organizational Development Center
  • Leadership Development Center
  • Sales Development Center
  • Family Business Development Center
  • Life Development Center

See the Web site for program details at http://speed-flanigan.com/program_personal-leadership.html or call at 336-315-6000.