DFN E-News: Vol. 2, No. 7

Disability in the News
Books, Reports and Articles
Applications, Grants, RFPs, Fellowships, Internships
Employment and Contract Opportunities
Events
- Seminar on Diversity & Inclusion

Disability in the News

HHS Announces Long-Term Care Grants

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Tommy G. Thompson, announced that 75 grants totaling more than $33 million were awarded to states and other organizations to help develop programs for people with disabilities or long-term illnesses. The “Real Choice Systems Change Grants for Community Living” will help states and territories enable people with disabilities to reside in their homes and participate fully in community life.

Under President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative 10 federal agencies collaborated to remove barriers to community living. The “Real Choice Systems Change Grants for Community Living” are intended to provide states and other eligible entities with funding to make lasting improvements to their home-and community-based services programs.

[Adapted from a Justice for All E-mail News alert, 10/3/03]

National Inclusive Schools Week

The Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative sponsored the 3rd Annual National Inclusive Schools Week, December 1-5, 2003. The key message was “Inclusive Schools: Good for Kids, Families, and Communities.” The week highlighted and celebrated the progress of our nation’s schools in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students with disabilities. The week also provided an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. Events included a telephone seminar and several online forums. For more information go to www.inclusiveschools.org.

[Thanks to Rayna Aylward of the Mitsubishi America Foundation]

Lex Frieden Moderates United Nations Panel

Lex Frieden, chair of the National Council on Disability and president of Rehabilitation International, moderated a panel discussion on the importance of a United Nations (U.N.) convention on the human rights of people with disabilities. The panel discussion was part of the annual observance of International Day of Disabled Persons held at the United Nations on December 3, 2003.

International Day of Disabled Persons promotes an understanding of disability issues and mobilizes support for the dignity, rights and well being of persons with disabilities. It seeks to increase international awareness of the benefits derived when people with disabilities are integrated into every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

For more information contact Mark Quigley at 202-272-2004.

Supreme Court Rules on ADA Employment Case

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Raytheon Co. v. Hernandez (02-749) is a partial victory for people with disabilities because it left intact the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirement that employers may not discriminate against applicants who have been rehabilitated and no longer use drugs illegally. The court ruled that Raytheon did not have to rehire workers dismissed for violating workplace conduct rules. However, it did not decide the broader question of the extent of protections afforded by the ADA to the more than five million workers with a history of substance abuse if they are disparately impacted by an employer’s workplace policies.

Raytheon refused to rehire a former 25-year employee, Joel Hernandez, who was dismissed from the company two years earlier for having failed a drug test. When he reapplied, his application included documentation that he was in recovery. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the company’s blanket policy of rejecting any application from previously terminated employees violates the ADA when the failure of rehire is related to a disability. While an individual currently engaged in the illegal use of drugs is not protected by the ADA, an individual who has recovered or is in recovery and no longer illegally using drugs is protected.

Mr. Hernandez argued that Raytheon refused to rehire him because of his history of drug addiction, and that even if the person who reviewed his application was unaware of his prior drug addiction, the company’s no-rehire policy violated the ADA because it had a “disparate impact on recovering drug addicts. Mr. Hernandez thus raised two issues: 1) that Raytheon’s rejection of his application amounted to “disparate treatment” (intentional discrimination against him because of his disability), and 2) that Raytheon’s blanket policy of rejecting applicants formerly dismissed for workplace misconduct, had a “disparate impact” on recovering drug addicts.

The Supreme Court found that the employer’s neutral policy of not rehiring previously dismissed employees would be a legitimate defense unless the plaintiff can show the policy was used as a pretext and that the employer, in fact, based its decision on the applicant’s disability. The Supreme Court acknowledged that both “disparate treatment” and “disparate impact” claims are available under the ADA, but declined to address whether “disparate impact” occurred in this case because it was not raised in a timely manner. The Raytheon case establishes that when plaintiffs bring a “disparate treatment” claim under the ADA for discrimination in the workplace, and the employer invokes a blanket policy defense, the plaintiffs will have to prove that the employer’s actions were actually motivated by the individual’s disability and not the blanket policy. For more information contact Mark Quigley or Jeff Rosen at 202-272-2004 or 202-272-2074 (TTY).

[Adapted from an NCD All E-mail News bulletin, 12/3/03]

Federal Officials Announce Interagency Plan to Address Autism

In the end of November, federal officials announced the first long-term, interagency plan to address the “skyrocketing ” number of autism cases in the United States, according to the New York Times. The plan establishes goals for more coordinated biomedical research, earlier tests and diagnoses and effective treatments. It also marked the first time that scientists, clinicians, educators and policymakers from multiple federal agencies have joined together to address autism. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, established by the Child Health Act of 2000 (the law that also required the federal government to develop the plan), will review the plan.

[Adapted from California Healthline, 11/19/03]

NOD Posts Links to Presidential Candidates’ Web Sites

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) has posted links from its Web site to the official campaign Web sites of the nine Democratic candidates running for their party’s 2004 nomination and to President Bush’s campaign Web site. Listed under each site at www.nod.org/election2004.html are links to disability-specific statements or platforms that the campaigns have posted. To date, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich and Joe Lieberman have posted disability materials on their Web sites. NOD will link to additional platforms and statements as soon as the candidates release them.

[From a Justice for All E-mail News alert, 12/8/03]

Advocate’s Work with Deaf Victims of Abuse Honored with $100,000 Grant

Marilyn Smith was one of 17 awardees of the 2003 “Leadership for a Changing World Award,” which honors people whose work creates social change. The award is sponsored by The Ford Foundation, in partnership with the Advocacy Institute of Washington, D.C., and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.

Determined to end the isolation felt by deaf victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, Smith set up Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services in the basement of her Seattle home in 1986. Since its inception, the organization has provided counseling, advocacy and crisis intervention for hundreds of victims. Smith received a $100,000 grant from The Ford Foundation and an additional $15,000 grant for professional development. She plans to funnel the award into a $7.6 million, 19-apartment transitional housing project for domestic violence victims who are deaf or deaf-blind.

[Adapted from a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article by Ruth Teichroeb, 10/8/03]

Books, Reports and Articles

Safety Net or Tangled Web? An Overview of Programs and Services for Adults with Disabilities

This report describes 15 major public programs serving low-income, non-elderly adults with disabilities. The authors conclude that the safety net for low-income adults with disabilities is more like a tangled web of conflicting goals and gaps in needed services. Opportunities for temporary cash, training and rehabilitation support are especially limited for disabled adults with limited work histories and/or who experienced their disability outside of work. SSI, a permanent cash benefit program that could likely lead to a lifetime of program participation, is the primary option for these adults. The authors discuss promising policy options that take a more coordinated approach in serving the complex needs of adults with disabilities.

The Urban Institute hosted a discussion of this paper on November 4. Participants included the Hon. Dick Thornburgh, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, former U.S. Attorney General and former Governor of Pennsylvania; Mark Nadel, associate commissioner, Office of Disability and Income Assistance Policy, Social Security Administration; David Stapleton, director, Cornell Center for Policy Research; Sue Suter, president, Suter and Company and former commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education; and David Wittenburg, senior research associate, Urban Institute. For a transcript of this discussion, go to www.urban.org/url.cfm?id=900667.

[From Occasional Paper 68; David Wittenburg, Melissa Favreault; November 2003. Thanks to Susan M. Daniels from DC Work Incentives Network/MIG]

New Book on Inclusive Education Research

TASH just published the second edition of A Compendium of Articles on Effective Strategies to Achieve Inclusive Education, by Diane Lea Ryndak and Douglas Fisher, ed., with a foreword by Steve Taylor. This book is a valuable resource for teachers and administrators and a powerful tool for parents seeking quality inclusive programs. It includes articles by known authors and covers both the conceptual underpinnings of inclusion as well as the strategies that have proven to be effective across the country. Order on-line at www.tash.org/publications/foundations_for_inclusion.htm or call 410-828-8274, extension “0,” during regular business hours, Eastern Time.

NCD Releases Paper on Higher Education Act

The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a paper in anticipation of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Students with disabilities represent nearly 10 percent of all college students. Although research indicates that they are more likely to obtain positive professional employment outcomes after completing a college degree, they currently experience outcomes far inferior to those of their non-disabled peers. The purpose of this paper is to provide background that might guide reauthorization of the HEA to better support students with disabilities to achieve equal postsecondary outcomes. The paper is available at www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/education.html.

Guidebook for Business on Employment of People with Disabilities

In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, October, 2003, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, released a guidebook to acquaint business leaders with programs and resources available to assist them in hiring people with disabilities. The jointly developed publication, Disability Employment 101: Learn to Tap Your “HIRE” Potential, includes information on how to find qualified workers with disabilities, how to put disability and employment research into practice and how to model what other businesses have done to successfully integrate people with disabilities into the workforce.

Disability Employment 101: Learn to Tap Your “HIRE” Potential is posted on the Department of Education’s web site at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/products/employmentguide/. Copies are available through the department’s “ED Pubs” service on the Web at www.edpubs.org/ or by phoning 1-877-4-ED-PUBS, faxing 1-301-470-1244 or writing ED Pubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.

NCD Releases Cultural Diversity Literature Review

The National Council on Disability (NCD) recently released Outreach and People with Disabilities from Diverse Cultures: A Review of the Literature. The review describes the principal themes, models and challenges of effectively reaching and serving people with disabilities in communities across the country-including examples of existing federal outreach efforts. To access the publication go to www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/cultural/cdi_litreview.html. For more information, contact Mark Quigley at: mquigley@ncd.gov.

EEOC Fact Sheet for Job Applicants with Disabilities

In conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October 2003) the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a new fact sheet designed to educate job applicants on how Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects their rights throughout the hiring process. This tool is EEOC’s most recent strategy in a series of efforts under President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative to advance the employment of individuals with disabilities.

The fact sheet addresses such employer responsibilities as “reasonable accommodation” for applicants with disabilities who need assistance during the hiring process. The fact sheet also includes information on such topics as when employers may seek medical information from applicants. The fact sheet is available at www.eeoc.gov. For more information contact Lisa Fisher or Jennifer Kaplan at 202-663-4900 (voice) or 202-663-4494 (TTY).

[From a Justice For All E-mail News alert, 10/8/03]

Special Issue of the Journal “Information Technology and Disabilities”

The first installment of the two-part special series of the e-journal Information Technology and Disabilities went up on the Web at the end of October. This special issue theme addresses the public policy aspects relating to the emerging civil right of access to information. The second part will be issued later this month. The issue that is now up, as well as the upcoming December issue, has a number of articles by national technology leaders in the field. Please take a look at this important publication. You can read the articles at www.rit.edu/~easi/itd/itdv09n1/contents.html.

[From a posting by Jane Cravens on the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s listserv, MEAFLink]

Applications, Grants, RFP‘s, Fellowships, Internships

Hospital for Sick Children Dose of Kindness Program

The Hospital for Sick Children has announced the first cycle of the 2004 Dose of Kindness program, created to provide children with disabilities and chronic illness with life-enhancing products and services that go beyond basic food, clothing and shelter. By making available products and services not considered “medically necessary,” the Dose of Kindness Program helps to enrich and nurture young lives, giving children with special needs the chance to thrive — not just survive. Selected applicants will receive awards in the form of goods or services that are typically not available through human service or government agencies and not funded through Medicaid or other insurance-items such as computers, arts and sports equipment, home modifications, and communications and transportation devices.

Families of children with special needs 21 years or younger who are residents of the District of Columbia and who fall within the program’s disability and income guidelines are eligible to receive awards. There are two award cycles per calendar year. The next deadline for receiving applications is January 16, 2004. Applications are available at D.C.-area hospitals, District agencies that serve children, neighborhood health clinics and other community organizations throughout the city. Applications can also be downloaded from the hospital’s Web site at www.hfscsite.org. The direct link to the Dose of Kindness page is www.hfscsite.org/dok.htm.

National Endowment for Financial Education Grants

The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) announces the award of Funding for Education Programs on Managing Personal Finances grants. The average grant is $50,000. Application deadline is February 3, 2004. For further information, contact Marilyn Canfield at 303-224-3534 or mhc@nefe.org; or go to www.nefe.org.

Careers in the Arts Initiative — Mentoring (CAIM)

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces a request for proposals to implement mentoring programs in the arts for individuals with disabilities. This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Proposals must be received by Monday, Dec. 15, 2003, may include a request for up to $15,000 in support, and are for projects to be executed between February 2004 and December 2004. E-mail your request for an application to access@kennedy-center.org. Be sure to include “CAIM Application Request” in the subject field, and please indicate whether the application should be e-mailed with an attachment (PDF file), faxed or mailed to you.

For additional information contact:
The John F. Kennedy Center Accessibility Program
Phone: 202-416-8727
TTY: 202-416-8728
E-mail: access@kennedy-center.org

Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice

Families USA announces the Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice in honor of the late Senator Paul D. Wellstone of Minnesota. The Wellstone Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to honor Senator Wellstone’s memory by promoting equity in health care. The fellowship is a year-long, full-time, salaried position that will begin in September 2004 and focus on health care advocacy work in the Families USA’s office in Washington, D.C., where he or she will learn about Medicare, Medicaid, efforts to achieve universal coverage and other important health policy issues. The application deadline is February 6, 2004.

For instructions on how to apply and a copy of the application form, visit the following link: www.familiesusa.org/site/R?i=887UgOETAL4DRYvcWDDmjg.

Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellowship in Disability Studies

The University of California’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development (Berkeley) announces open applications for its postdoctoral program funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The goal of the program is to train postdoctoral and professional scholars, in any discipline, to be leaders in disability studies and rehabilitation research and mentorship. Three full-time, nine-month residential Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellowships will be funded each year. The annual stipend is $30,000 and is paid monthly. Fellowship period: September 2004 through May 2005. Application deadline is February 13, 2004. For additional information contact: Devva Kasnitz, Ph.D., at devva@earthlink.net, drdevva@aol.com or 510-549-1865.

ENTRY POINT! Internship Program for College Students with Disabilities

ENTRY POINT!, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), offers summer internships and semester co-ops in major companies throughout the United States, including NASA, IBM, NIH, Texas Instruments, J.P. Morgan Chase. New for 2004 are internships at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ENTRY POINT! is available to students with disabilities majoring in life sciences, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and some social science and business fields. Qualifying students must: 1) be full-time undergraduate or graduate students, 2) be a science, math, engineering or computer science major (some opportunities available for business majors) and 3) have a B-average GPA (or and 4) be a U.S. citizen.

For more information, contact:
Laureen Summers
Project on Science, Technology and Disability, AAAS
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 326-6649
E-mail: Lsummers@aaas.org
Web: www.entrypoint.org

AAPD Announces Recipients of 2003 Hearne Awards

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announced the winners of the 2003 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards for emerging leaders with disabilities. A national advisory committee selected the recipients, and each winner will receive a cash award of $10,000 to further their work in the disability community. This year’s winners are Cheri Blauwet, Menlo Park, CA, world-class athlete and founder of the International Institute for Disability Advocacy (IIDA); Alison Ashley Hilman, Washington, D.C., a psychiatric survivor and an international human rights lawyer; and Kevin Long, Minneapolis, Minn., founder and chief executive officer of the Global Deaf Connection (GDC) in Minneapolis.

The Paul G. Hearne Leadership Awards were established in 1999 by the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation (DFN member) to recognize and carry on the work of Paul G. Hearne, AAPD’s founder and a leader in the national disability community. The Milbank Foundation continues to provide major program sponsorship, joined by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (DFN board member) and the Seth Sprague Charitable Foundation. Awards will be presented at AAPD’s third annual Leadership Gala on March 16, 2004, at the Washington Hilton and Towers, Washington, D.C. For more information, go to www.aapd-dc.org.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Awards $150,000 Grant to Halftheplanet Foundation for “Beyond Participation” Program

“Beyond Participation: Increasing Inclusion of Young Persons with Disabilities in Community Youth Organizations” is a new HalfthePlanet Foundation program funded by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (www.meaf.org). Information and “Beyond Participation” materials will be available at www.HalfthePlanet.org in 2004.

Employment and Contract Opportunities

Director of Marketing and Development, Association for Small Foundations

The Association of Small Foundations (ASF) is seeking a director of marketing and development (DMD). The DMD will be based in Bethesda, MD, and be responsible for the development of the content and delivery of ASF‘s programs and services and help coordinate outreach and marketing efforts. A full job description is available on the ASF Web site at smallfoundations.org/careers/development_1.

Director of Options Counseling and Lawyer Referral Service, Western Law Center for Disability Rights

The Western Law Center for Disability Rights (WLCDR), a nonprofit disability rights law firm located on the campus of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, seeks a director of its Options Counseling and Lawyer Referral Service. Position open until filled. Send application to: Eve Hill, Executive Director, Western Law Center for Disability Rights, 919 South Albany Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015-0019. For more information call: 213-736-1031.

Program Specialist, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) is looking for a program specialist to work closely with its program manager to accomplish annual goals and objectives related to publishing, communications and marketing. Position is open until December 29, 2003. For more information go to www.geofunders.org. To apply, e-mail a cover letter, resume and salary history to: Lori Bartczak, Program Manager, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, bartczak@geofunders.org.

Program Coordinator, Grantmakers Without Borders

Grantmakers Without Borders, a funders’ network dedicated to increasing U.S.-based philanthropy for the Global South, is seeking an program coordinator to coordinate donor outreach, advocacy and education, among other program areas. There is no deadline for application. The position will be filled as soon as a qualified candidate is identified. Candidates are strongly encouraged to clearly summarize their qualifications as they relate to this position in their cover letter or at the beginning of their resume. For a full job description, go to www.gwob.net/jobs/pgmcord.htm.

Events

Seminar on Diversity & Inclusion

January 20-21, Washington DC

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (DFN board member) is sponsoring a seminar on diversity and inclusion, January 20-21 at the National 4-H Council conference center, 7100 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. The seminar, conducted by HalfthePlanet Foundation, is aimed at foundations and nonprofit organizations interested in expanding their inclusive practices, with a specific focus on young people with disabilities.

The seminar will be led by John D. Kemp, a nationally known leader in the disability community and nonprofit sector, and will include some of the most dynamic speakers and youth representatives from around the country. The format will be a mix of presentations, personal accounts, and practical exercises. The sessions will start at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and conclude at 3 p.m. the next day (lunch will be provided).

There is no cost to attend, but you must register by January 10. Space is limited, so sign up soon! For registration or additional information, please contact:
Rayna Aylward
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
1560 Wilson Boulevard, #1150
Arlington, VA 22003
703/276-8240
rayna.aylward@meus.mea.com

For other events, see the 2004 calendar posted elsewhere on this Web site: current calendar.
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