Smartphones, Apps Prove Liberating For Those With Special Needs

Google announced Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities last year with a $20 million grant for technology innovators in the nonprofit community who work on technology to make people with disabilities more independent. “We’re actively looking for proposals,” said Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink of Google.org

Check out this article from Disability Scoop: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/09/22/smartphones-apps-liberating/20816/

ABLE Act 2014

by JD Supra Business Advisor from Thompson McMullan:
On December 19, 2014, the “Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014” (ABLE ACT 2014) was enacted.  The purpose of the Act is to permit families to save private funds to help support some individuals with disabilities to maintain health, independence and quality of life.  To qualify for an ABLE account, an individual would have to have been determined disabled before their 26^th birthday.   ABLE accounts could be used to help pay for “qualified disability expenses”, such as medical care, dental care, education, job training, housing and transportation, without any impact on the disabled person’s eligibility for public benefits, such as SSI and Medicaid.  ABLE accounts will be designed to supplement, but not replace benefits provided through private insurance, Medicaid, SSI employment or other sources.

Starting in 2015, amounts in ABLE accounts will not be subject to the $2,000 maximum of assets that qualifying disabled people would otherwise be required to maintain to establish and remain eligible for SSI and Medicaid.  In addition, while ABLE accounts may not exceed $100,000 in value for SSI recipients, there is no similar cap for Medicaid recipients.

For Kids With Special Needs, More Places To Play

by Robert Benincasa from NPR:
Remember running around the playground when you were a kid? Maybe hanging from the monkey bars or seeing who could swing the highest?
It wasn't just a mindless energy burn. Many have called play the work of childhood. Play teaches children how to make friends, make rules and navigate relationships.
But for kids whose disabilities keep them from using playgrounds, those opportunities can be lost.
New federal requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act are changing the landscape for public playgrounds, requiring them to include equipment, materials and designs that provide children with disabilities the same play opportunities as typical children.
But as NPR sought to explore the effects of the new rules, it found that parents and advocates are making the real difference — not the federal government.
The higher cost of "inclusive" playgrounds means many local governments can't afford them. And in places that do offer the kind of shared playing experience contemplated by the ADA, a group of frustrated parents is typically behind it all.

Apple’s Accessibility Options Improve Lives

by Juli from Pad Gadget:
Apple is known for having some of the most robust and advanced accessibility options on its iDevices, allowing people with vision, motor, and hearing impairments to have full access to the iPad and the iPhone.
For example, with VoiceOver options people with vision impairments can have everything on the screen read aloud, which lets them access a range of different apps and features on iDevices.

One man, David Woodbridge, uses Apple’s accessibility options with great success. Woodbridge, who has been blind since he was a teenager, owns several different Apple devices, including iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks. Woodbridge was interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald, where he detailed his life with Apple’s products.
VoiceOver is the main feature that allows Woodbridge to use his iDevices to run a successful business and to interact with his wife and children. Here’s what Woodbridge has to say about the feature:

“With VoiceOver I can support not only myself but also my boys and my wife. I press the Home button on the iPhone three times to turn VoiceOver on or off when I need to help them. For example, if my wife gets an SMS when she is driving I can call up VoiceOver on her iPhone to read the message to her and we can reply using Siri, which is one of the great iOS developments, getting better all the time.
Or, say an app on one of the iPads is not working properly. I use VoiceOver to shut the app down from App Switcher, relaunch it and triple-click to hand the iPad back with the app running as good as new.’’

He goes on to describe how he operates his Apple TV with VoiceOver and Apple’s Remote app, and explains that one of his favorite apps is Light Detector, which tells him if all of the lights in the house are off.
There are actually hundreds of apps designed for people with disabilities in the App Store, which is yet another reason why Apple has a leg up on the competition when it comes to accessibility.
Woodbridge is certainly not alone. Just a look at a few of his favorite apps, including the aforementioned Light Detector, Fleksy, a typing assistant, and the Looktel Money Reader, used for identifying money, reveal quite a few positive reviews from other folks with visual impairments.
Even I had the chance to explore Apple’s accessibility options when I had eye surgery two months ago. I couldn’t read my phone or my iPad for several days, but both devices were able to read to me, which was a total lifesaver.
Kudos to Apple for its continued dedication to accessibility – the company rarely gets enough recognition for all that it does to help disabled users – and kudos to Woodbridge, a man who makes the most out of the technology at his fingertips.

Voting Resources for People with Disabilities

Voting with a Disability, resources from Nonprofit Vote .org:

Below you will find links to voting with disabilities from national organizations.

Disability Vote Project: American Association of People with Disabilities
The AAPD Disability Vote Project (DVP) addresses the fundamental inequalities faced by voters with disabilities, and works in a nonpartisan approach to ensure full accessibility to all polling places and voting equipment.
DVP’s work:

• Eliminating barriers to voting
• Promoting voter turnout in the disability community
• Ensuring that voting the voting machines in production are accurate, accessible, and secure
• Growing disability vote coalitions across the country
• Educating the disability community on the importance of voting
• Increasing the registration rate among voters with disabilities

Disability and Voter Turnout
Fact sheets and testimony:

•  “Fact sheet:  Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2010 Elections,” by Lisa Schur and Douglas Kruse, June 2011.
•  “Fact sheet:  Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2008 Elections,” by Lisa Schur and Douglas Kruse, July 2009.
• “Testimony before Election Assistance Commission,” October 8, 2009.  By Lisa Schur.  Webcast at http://www.yorkmedia.com/eac/webcasts2009.htm.
• Studies:
• “Sidelined or Mainstreamed?  Political Participation and Attitudes of People with Disabilities in the United States,” Presented at the American Political Science Association  conference, August 2008, and updated October 2009.  By Lisa Schur and Meera Adya.
• “Voting,” in Gary Albrecht, ed., Encyclopedia of Disability (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2005).  By Lisa Schur, Todd Shields, and Kay Schriner.
• “Enabling Democracy: Disability and Voter Turnout,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 1, March 2002, pp. 167-190.  By Lisa Schur, Todd Shields, Douglas Kruse, and Kay Schriner.
• “What Determines Voter Turnout?  Lessons from Citizens with Disabilities,” Social Science Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 2, June 2000, pp. 571-587.   ByLisa Schur and Douglas Kruse.

The Arc: We've Got the Power Vote in 2012
Election Day 2012—it’s closer than you think! In this time of rapid change and challenges at all levels of government, the importance for action by people with intellectual & developmental disabilities (I/DD), their families, and everyone who cares about our issues, and to become engaged in the political process has never been more important.
The Arc is pleased to provide resources for advocates and community partners for the upcoming 2012 elections. As people who care about the dignity, civil rights and access for people with I/DD at all levels of society, it is our role to promote civic responsibility and participation in our democracy. The Arc is launching its “We’ve Got The Power!” campaign to amplify the voice of people with disabilities as active participants in the political process, and in their communities. Together with Nonprofit Vote, a nonpartisan organization focused on providing voter engagement tools and resources, The Arc is providing links to toolkits, checklists, and other important resources for those wishing to show our communities that “We’ve Got the Power!” It’s time to Make Our Mark in 2012!

Bazelon Center 2012 Voting Rights Guides

Highlighted Tools

• VOTE 2012—It’s Your Right! Addendum to the 2008 Voting Rights Guide for People with Mental Disabilities (8/30/12): Replaces the 2008 chart “State Laws Affecting the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabilities” in
   
  • Guide to the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabilities (73 pages; 5.5"x8.5" page size) (2008 with 2012 updated chart of state laws)
• Restoring the Voting Rights of People Under Guardianship (PDF) | Word Version (8/30/12): Includes model motions, affidavits and orders that people under guardianship—or their family members or advocates—can use to restore voting rights taken away because a person with a mental disability has a guardian.
• Model Letter to State Election Officials (PDF) | Word Version (8/30/12): Alerts state election officials to voting problems faced by people with mental disabilities, and describes federal laws that protect the voting rights of people with mental disabilities.
• Chart of State Laws Affecting the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabilities (8/29/12)
• Chart of State Laws on Voter Challenges (8/29/12)
• Summary and Links to Guardianship and Conservatorship Forms Provided by State Courts (8/29/12)
• Absentee Ballot Requirements by State (8/29/12)

Handouts and Flyers for Posting in Facilities and at Polls

• For advocates, family members, poll workers and others, on providing help to voters with disabilities--who can, and how (2-page PDF)
• For voters with mental disabilities, explaining basic voting rights (1-page PDF)

Additional Resources

• Clearinghouse Review Article on Voting Rights of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments (9/08)

  

Below you will find links to voting with disabilities information from each state.

iPad for kids with Down syndrome

From wfmj.com:

Marina Donadio isn't even in kindergarten yet, but the five-year-old is already learning to spell and read. Her mom, Kelly Donadio, says it's all because of apps on an iPad. "It's mind blowing to me that she's able to do that."

And since children with Down Syndrome often face challenges with fine motor skills, the iPad's touch screen makes activities more accessible.

Donadio says, "Holding a pencil is a chore sometimes for children with Down Syndrome because of the low tone in their hands. Eventually they do that, but this is a great way to help it not be such a challenge."

Now, other children like Marina will have the same opportunities to improve their education and communication skills. Recently, the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley gave away 21 iPads to member families.

DSAV Board Member, Chris Donadio says, "The iPad is a pretty big deal. It's being used in a lot of special education settings around the country, and right here in the Valley, we're on the cutting edge."

Parents say they expect the teaching tool will be useful both at home and at school.

The iPads were purchased with grant money from Ronald McDonald charities, as well as money raised from DSAV's annual Buddy Walk.

Apple’s Commitment to Accessibility

You may not be aware that Apple has web section dedicated to people with special needs.

For more than 20 years, Apple has provided new and innovative solutions for people with disabilities, allowing them to access — and enjoy using — the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Apple includes assistive technology in its products as standard features — at no additional cost. For example, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac OS X include screen magnification and VoiceOver, a screen-access technology, for the blind and visually impaired. To assist those with cognitive and learning disabilities, every Mac includes an alternative, simplified user interface that rewards exploration and learning. And, for those who find it difficult to use a mouse, every Mac computer includes Mouse Keys, Slow Keys, and Sticky Keys, which adapt the computer to the user’s needs and capabilities.

As part of our commitment to accessibility, our Retail Associates are specially trained to serve customers with disabilities. Please ask an Associate for assistance if you have difficulty viewing a product when you visit an Apple Retail Store. The Associate will be happy to assist you by moving displayed products to more accessible locations if possible.

On this site, you’ll find additional information about the many accessibility features built into Apple products.