bakery seeks funds through crowsourcing, would provide jobs for those with developmental disabilities

by Larissa Mulkern from NewHampshire.com:
WOLFEBORO — Professionally trained pastry chef Katie Johnson intends to raise more than just bread dough when she opens her new bakery, From Scratch Baking Co., this spring at 45 North Main Street.

Johnson, 29, a 2004 graduate of Kingswood Regional High School, intends to raise awareness and understanding by staffing her new business with workers with developmental disabilities. One of those workers will be her older sister, Kristin, who has Down syndrome but inspires Katie every day.
“I founded the bakery on the principle that while people with disabilities may have a unique set of challenges, they also have incredible talents and skills to offer the workplace.
“Kristin proves this every single day. She has taught me a lot about life and people — she’s very joyful. She tells is like it is.”
And Kristin happens to be very precise, a skill useful when measuring out ingredients, for instance, Katie noted during a recent tour of the new bakery location. Renovations are under way at the former site of the Evergrain natural food store.
Johnson said she chose to open as a business, rather than a nonprofit, to prove that working with people with disabilities is a viable business decision and does not need to be seen as charity. Her employees will work in baking, customer service and landscaping, with each employee matched with a role that aligns with their individual skill sets and talents.

Pope’s call to help the vulnerable turns to the autistic at Vatican conference

by Michelle Boorstein from The Washington Post:
57 countries will update one another on such issues as genetic research, pain management and government policies toward people with autism.
It will also begin with a Mass and a monsignor preaching on suffering and will include presentations on how the church can better include autistic people in the core aspects of Catholic life, such as the sacraments of confession and Holy Communion. It will end with an audience Saturday with Francis, an event advocates hope will significantly move the needle on awareness, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries.
Bob and Suzanne Wright, Catholics and co-founders of the major U.S. advocacy group Autism Speaks, will give a presentation at the conference.
“We speak at colleges and places like that, but they don’t reach large audiences,” said Bob Wright, former chairman of NBC/Universal and grandfather of a teenage boy with autism. “Then we started with the religious aspect, but the problem is there aren’t any leaders who have large numbers. Most religions are split up. We zeroed in on the pope, and this pope in particular, because he has such a gift for reaching out to people, and he wants the church to be more inclusive.”

Organizing any conference on autism — which affects one in every 68 children, according to Autism Speaks — is challenging because of the range of opposing views on such issues as the role of vaccines in autism spectrum disorder. The conference doesn’t appear to touch on vaccines but includes a presentation on other potential environmental impacts.

4 Reasons Why Congress Should Pass the ABLE Act

by Mona McGee from E.D.Bellis:
Washington, DC is polarized due to the divided government and amidst all of the political grandstanding is a measure that could make a positive impact on many families. Even though there is unlikely to be much legislating until after the November election, this piece of legislation has bi-partisan support and could make its way into the lame-duck session.
The reason this piece of legislation would be helpful is because of the large financial strains on many people who have families with disabled members and this is compounded over-time. The indirect costs can be un-sustainable, and this will allow for more cost-effective budgeting should it be executed as visualized.

Update on IMPENDING PASSAGE OF ABLE ACT
On September 19, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) released a joint statement updating the public on the Achieving a Better Life Experience (S.313 and H.R.647) ABLE Act status.
They indicated that the Senate has generated momentum and positive progress on passage of the bill. The four Senators announced that as a result of bi-partisan collaboration, a policy agreement has been reached that will be the foundation for passing this legislation and obtaining Presidential signature in the lame duck Congressional session, which begins November 12, 2014.
Although no plan has been developed yet to pay for the $2.1 billion cost over 10 years, legislators are optimistic that agreement can be reached. The ABLE Act legislation, to allow people with disabilities to open tax-advantaged savings accounts, has been in development for eight years. This passage could provide some relief for the many families who struggle financially to save for and or finance the care for their loved ones.

BENEFIT One: TAX FREE ACCOUNTS TO SUPPORT DISABILITY RELATED EXPENSES
The ABLE Act would allow people with disabilities and their families to save money in new tax-free “ABLE” accounts for any of the following disability-related expenses:
• Education, from pre-K to college
• Housing, be it for rent or for purchase as long as it’s a primary residence
• Transportation, including moving expenses
• Employment support, like job training
• Health, including insurance premiums and assistive technology like wheelchairs
• Miscellaneous items like financial management and legal fees
The IRS would treat ABLE accounts like existing 529 college savings plans (also known as qualified tuition programs): after-tax contributions would not be tax deductible but earnings would accumulate tax free and qualified withdrawals would also be spared.

Kewanee pageant winner is driving force behind Miss You Can Do It contest for girls with disabilities

Read more about the Miss You Can Do It Pageant here:

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140726/News/140729372

A Little Girl Died Today

by Pastor Rick Hermann from The Dad Blog:
There is a little girl named Annie Golden who died today.   She was a beautiful soul with a smile that could light up a room.   She died because she didn’t get a heart transplant. She died because she was not thought “worthy” enough to even be put on the list. Annie had Down syndrome.   This cognitive disability would prevent her from even being put on the transplant list.   My heart absolutely breaks for the family of this girl.

You see, I have a little girl with Down syndrome.   She turned 6 months old yesterday.   My little girl’s name is Joy.   She is the youngest of my four children.   The last 6 months have changed my life in so many ways.
My journey started as most parents who have any child with special needs. It started out with ignorance. Like most people, I had been around people with special needs, but I’d never been a parent of a child with special needs, nor did I have a close family member with special needs to know and love.

Kuwaiti ship stops over in Oman to spread message on Down Syndrome

from MENAFN - Muscat Daily:
Kuwaiti Ship Journey of Hope, which is travelling across the world to spread the message on Down Syndrome, autism and learning difficulties, has reached Oman.
Passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the ship reached Musandam on Monday and arrived at Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa marina at 5pm on Tuesday. It will be docked there until Thursday before heading to Duqm and then to Dhofar on May 17. The ship will leave the sultanate's waters on May 19.
Yousuf Abdulhameed al Jassem, director general, Journey of Hope, said there are 16 travellers on board the ship, including nine crew members. ''Travellers also include two parents with their children with Down Syndrome and two members of a media crew who are documenting the whole trip. The ship will be passing through the waters of 20 countries, visiting 39 ports.

How to talk to your child about people with disabilities

by Mary-Jane Williams from the Washington Post:
Growing up, I was never really exposed to children who had disabilities. The kids in my elementary school in the 1970s who had Down syndrome, autism or cerebral palsy were in a separate classroom, and we rarely saw them. And while I remember very clearly my parents talking about race, religion and sexuality, we never talked much about disabilities.
Sure, we were told that it wasn’t polite to stare, or ask a lot of questions. But that was the extent of the conversations.
We’ve come a long way. Now, many children with intellectual or developmental disabilities are in the same public school classrooms as their typically developing peers, for part, if not all, of the day. There are entire months set aside for autism and Down syndrome awareness, and plenty of blogs out there about parenting a child with disabilities. It’s become part of the mainstream.
But because we didn’t grow up with a lot of exposure to people with different abilities, many parents today struggle with how to talk to their kids about disabilities, according to Michelle Sie Whitten, the executive director of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

The ABLE Act: Opportunity for Congress to make a difference

by Sara Hart Weir and Steve Beck from the Hill:

There is a single piece of legislation, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647), before the U.S. Congress that has earned the bipartisan support of at least 312 representatives and 51 senators.

This bill would ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available, through the current 529 program, so individuals with disabilities and their families can save to cover qualified expenses such as postsecondary education, housing, transportation, workforce development, and medical expenses not covered by insurance.

Recently, Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Reps. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Pete Sessions (R-Texas), the ABLE Act's bipartisan, bicameral Congressional champions, teamed up to call on their Congressional colleagues to pass the ABLE Act before the end of the year.

By enacting the ABLE Act, we aren't asking Congress to create a new program or give us a hand out, we are asking Congress to give the disability community the chance to provide and save for themselves through savings tools that all other Americans have access to today.

Over 100 stakeholder organizations have endorsed the ABLE Act. The bill also earned the backing of lawmakers ideologically ranging from  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the Senate and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) in the House of Representatives.

Breaking through the disability barriers in Bankok

from the Bankok Post:
A group of parents and supporters based at Siriraj Hospital work for a better future for children with Down syndrome.

In Wang Lang market in Phra Nakhon district, city life hums and throbs and commuters and residents rush about their daily chores. It's a typical everyday scene.

But a short distance away, inside a building, a group of people are captivated by a starkly contrasting scene and a much slower pace of life. On a stage, 18-year-old Nong Fah dances slowly and carefully in front of a group of 50 parents and their children.
The event is the 21st annual meeting of children born with Down syndrome and their parents held at Siriraj Hospital recently.
The father of Nong Fah, a 53-year-old teacher who asked not to be named, and all of the people in the room clapped as she completed her performance successfully.
"We gave her special education, such as physical and speech training, since her birth," he said, to help her delayed physical and mental development.
"I'm glad she is healthy today. It was tough at the beginning and her future worried us."

Inglewood theater group showcases actors with disabilities for Hollywood

 

 

by Corey Moore from 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Raido:

Actors with developmental disabilities compete with non-disabled performers to get roles in Hollywood. But disabled actors often are typecast as handicapped characters. Performers enrolled in a theater group in Inglewood want to break out of that box. 

About 90 actors at Performing Arts Studio West are rehearsing more than a dozen pop and classic rock songs for their upcoming show called “Recovered: A Musical Journey.”    

The creative arts adult program they’re part of trains people who have disabilities, including  autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and bipolar disorder.
“A lot of people said, ‘Oh, my God, you have a disability?'" said Nick Daley, 33, who has Prader-Willi Syndrome — a rare genetic disorder.
Daley said he’s often had a tough time proving himself as an actor. Bullies caused him some grief growing up.
“And they used to make fun of me, and they used to piss me off and drive me crazy, and it got to a point where I almost lost it. But, thank God, I didn’t,” Daley said. 
Daley emphasizes that his faith and perseverance have paid off.  The actor just signed on to perform in a second season of the hit FX comedy series “Legit.”

The Case for Inclusion ranks states on their outcomes for Americans with ID/DD

The Case for Inclusion 2013 from UCP United Cerebal Palsy:

Every year since 2006, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) -- an international advocate, educating and providing support services for children and adults with a spectrum of disabilities through an affiliate network-- produces The Case for Inclusion, an annual ranking of how well state Medicaid programs serve Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). Individuals with ID/DD, including the aging, want and deserve the same freedoms and quality of life as all Americans.
Medicaid affects all of us -- children and adults with disabilities, as we are aging, as our family ages, and when the unexpected happens. It is the critical safety net that provides financial and healthcare security, and community supports to Americans with ID/DD, aging, and low-income individuals and families, so that their desired freedom, quality of life and community participation can be fully realized.
It is the duty of a civil society such as ours to aid these individuals, who are often the most vulnerable members of society.
Yet some states do much better than others in having the needed political will and sound Medicaid policies necessary to achieve this ideal. The Case for Inclusion ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) – not on their spending – but on their outcomes for Americans with ID/DD.
The Case for Inclusion shows how well each individual state is performing overall; how each state matches up against other states regarding key data measures; and, most importantly, the top performing states with policies and practices that should be replicated.

• Sources
• About Author
  Tarren Bragdon has been involved in healthcare policy research and analysis for more than a decade. His work has been featured in newspapers and media outlets nationwide including The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Sun and PBS. He served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives on the Health and Human Services Committee and served as chair of the board of directors of Spurwink Services, one of the largest social service providers in Maine.

Medicaid affects all of us: children and adults with disabilities, as we are age, as our family ages, and when the unexpected happens. UCP's annual report, The Case for Inclusion, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) on outcomes for Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD).

This year's report shows that:

1. All states have room for some improvement, but some have consistently remained at the bottom of the rankings;
2. Despite economic strains, many states have made real improvements in the quality of services being provided;
3. There is still work to be done in ensuring that people with ID/DD can enjoy the same freedoms and quality of life as all Americans.

Other highlights include:



This interactive website enables users to::

• Compare state & national data
• View state scorecards to determine individual state performance
• Interact with the ranking map
• See highlights of 2013 report
• Advocate for areas needing improvement & promote key achievements
• Learn more about states at the forefront of managed care and employment issues
• Download full 2012 report and previous reports

13 articles reviewing events following Robert Ethan Saylor's tragic death at a movie theater

from the Frederick News Post:

Perceptions and the police

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 6:00 am

In the News-Post’s Saturday lead story, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins argued that his department was capable of conducting use-of-force investigations. In particular, he was referring to two recent fatalities that involved sheriff’s deputies.

Deputy-involved deaths raise questions about internal investigations

Sunday, April 14, 2013 6:00 am

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins says he believes his office is able to handle use-of-force investigations internally, even as calls increase for a more independent look at recent cases.

Deputies back on duty after Saylor death investigation

Saturday, April 13, 2013 6:00 am

The deputies who had Robert Ethan Saylor in custody just before his death have returned to full duty, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said Friday.

Supporting those with disabilities

Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:00 am

Our community is feeling horrible about the senseless death of Robert Saylor, a young man out to enjoy his recreation, but who could not seem to conform to rules that perhaps made no sense to him.

Justice Department hears from groups concerned about Saylor's death

Thursday, March 28, 2013 6:00 am

A conflict resolution office within the Department of Justice is working with Down syndrome advocacy groups and the family of a New Market man who died in January while in the custody of off-duty sheriff's deputies.

Changing the Face of Beauty

Changing the Face of Beauty from SolidLine Media on Vimeo.

From Solidline media

Our Mission: To integrate individuals with disabilities into general advertising. It is our goal that all people will be represented all the time. It is just right.

Changing the Face of Beauty feels that it is so important for all people to see themselves in advertising and the media. We believe it is such a key part of true integration and acceptance. 1 in 4 people in our country have a disability. That is too many people under represented in our media today. Anyone who looks at our gallery will know why it is so very easy to include all individuals with disabilities into their advertising!

We are very thankful to the families of these beautiful children and young adults, as well as for the photographers that capture the light they have. This takes teamwork!

To learn more - changingthefaceofbeauty.org

Census Bureau Report Shows 30 Percent of Adults Receiving Government Assistance Have a Disability

from theUnited States Census Bureau:
Among the 46.0 million adults who received income-based government assistance in 2011, 30.4 percent of them had a disability, according to a report released today from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The report, Disability Characteristics of Income-Based Government Assistance Recipients in the United States: 2011, offers information about the occurrence of disabilities among people 18 and older who received income-based government assistance. The information is based on data from the 2011 American Community Survey.
"On average, people with disabilities have lower employment and earnings; therefore, understanding what assistance people with disabilities receive may help governments better coordinate and administer their programs," said Bernice Boursiquot, a Census Bureau statistician and co-author of the report.
People with a disability include those having vision, hearing, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care or independent living difficulties. Among recipients of public assistance, 18.2 percent had difficulty walking or climbing stairs, 14.6 percent had trouble leaving home to go shopping or visit the doctor without assistance, and 14.2 percent encountered trouble with memory, concentration, or making decisions.
Recipients received assistance in three forms: cash assistance (cash or money income), in-kind assistance (services, goods or vouchers) or both cash and in-kind assistance. Among people who received both cash and in-kind assistance, 58.3 percent had a disability. Among recipients of only cash assistance, 33.2 percent had a disability. Recipients of only in-kind benefits had the lowest disability rate at 22.6 percent.
This report also found that 22 states had disability rates above the national estimate of  30.4 percent among those receiving assistance. In comparison, 15 states had rates below the national estimate.
States west of the Appalachian Mountains had higher rates of disability among recipients of income-based assistance. In comparison, states in the Southwest and along the Eastern Seaboard had lower rates.
West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas were three of the top five states for disability prevalence in the total population, as well as in the total population receiving government assistance. In West Virginia, 26.8 percent of people with disabilities reported having ambulatory difficulty, defined as severe difficulties walking or climbing stairs.

What Will Sequestration Mean for People with Disabilities?

from the National Council on Disability:

A series of automatic, across-the-board cuts to federal government spending totaling $1.2 trillion over the course of 10 years are set to take effect this Friday, March 1. Dubbed “sequestration” these cuts, if implemented, will be split between defense and domestic discretionary spending. 

The National Council on Disability (NCD) urges the Executive Branch and Congress to find a responsible alternative to sequestration to prevent potential harm to Americans with disabilities and their families.

Background

Originally passed as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 on the heels of the debt ceiling compromise, the sequester was intended to pressure the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “Supercommittee”) to agree on a budget of $1.5 trillion by way of spending cuts and revenue increases over the next decade.

Congress stopped mandatory budget cuts from taking effect by passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act January 2 when the deadline was pushed back to March 1, 2013.  If Congress fails to agree on a budget to reduce the federal deficit by then $85 billion in spending cuts – split evenly between domestic and defense discretionary programs – will go into effect.

For Americans with disabilities, this means everything from special education to transportation, to housing and health care programs will “feel the pinch” due to the precarious collision of across-the-board cuts and unforeseen circumstances. 

Spending reductions break down into three broad categories:

1. Defense spending. Amounts to half the sequester cuts.
2. Non-defense. Includes housing, education, and employment programs.
3. Medicare. Limited to a 2% cut in payments to Medicare providers, specifically hospitals and doctors.

Mandatory programs

• Assistance to individuals with low-incomes and their families like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, or welfare), the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), unemployment benefits and provider payments made through Medicare will not be cut, although staff time and resources are likely to be compromised. 

Medicare

• While other non-defense programs are facing a 8.4 percent cut, Medicare cuts are limited to 2 percent per fiscal year. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that in 2013 a 2 percent cut totals $123 billion dollars.

Social Security

2013 Youth Transitions Fellowship (YTF)

2013 Youth Transitions Fellowship (YTF)
PLEASE NOTE: All applications must be received by 5:00 PM EST on Friday, March 22, 2013.
The HSC Foundation, in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), is now accepting applications for a paid fellowship position with the organizations’ disability youth transition and collaboration work. This fellowship is ideal for a person with a disability, who has an interest in youth career transitions and employment solutions. The fellowship starts June, 2013, and continues for 12 months. Under the supervision of AAPD’s Programs’ Manager, the Youth Transitions Fellow (YTF) will gain exposure to youth programs, serving people with disabilities and will have the opportunity to facilitate collaboration among internship, fellowship, and apprenticeship programs; based in the greater Washington, DC area.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications: Ability to facilitate collaboration among large groups
Ability to work with people in all levels of an organization, including young people with a variety of disabilities
Strong oral communication skills and strong organizational skills
Creative and innovative personality
Familiarity with technology and social networking tools
Strong interest in youth transition for people with disabilities and organizing.

Eligibility: Anyone who self-identifies as an individual with any type of disability is invited to apply. You will not be required to disclose your specific disability; however, your application for this program will signify that you consider yourself a person with a disability. PLEASE NOTE: This fellowship is specifically for people with disabilities.

Please Provide the Following: Please attach your resume in Microsoft Word format.
Please provide the contact information for four (4) references who are familiar with your qualifications, relevant to this fellowship and your personal character.
Please attach, in Microsoft Word format, two (2) letters of recommendation from two (2) of the above-mentioned references. PLEASE NOTE: Additional references and/or materials will not be considered.

What Happens Next: Completed applications received by AAPD before 5:00 PM EST, Friday, March 22, 2013 will be collected and reviewed by our team.
Semi-Finalists will be contacted for short, preliminary telephone interviews.
Finalists will be contacted for formal telephone interviews.
The fellow will be selected and notified by May 2013.

2013 Youth Transitions Fellowship (YTF) PLEASE NOTE: All applications must be received by 5:00 PM EST on Friday, March 22, 2013.
　
The fellow must be able to begin the first week of June 2013.

The HSC Foundation’s National Youth Transitions Center The HSC Foundation’s National Youth Transitions Center is a collaborative learning community to benefit youth with disabilities and returning wounded veterans. The National Youth Transitions Center, developed by The HSC Foundation, will bring together the resources of multiple organizations to provide much needed transitions related services, research, public policy, best practices, pilot projects, and evaluation so that youth with disabilities can achieve their greatest level of independence. The Center will create a forum to enhance the ability of young people and veterans with disabilities to enter and reenter the workforce, participate in and contribute to community life, and become productive members of society.
The American Association of People with Disabilities The American Association of People with Disabilities is the nation's largest disability rights organization. We promote equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. Our members, including people with disabilities and our family, friends, and supporters, represent a powerful force for change.
TO APPLY:
Applications must be received by
5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on or before Friday, March 22, 2013
Via Email: ytf@aapd.com

When Bill met Shelley: No disability could keep them apart

By Ellen McCarthy from the Washington Post:
"If you're that in love, age doesn't mean a thing. Even though my mind was young and my heart was young -- somewhere inside my head I was mentally old enough."
–Bill Ott
“You know that scene in 'Dirty Dancing' where Baby meets Johnny for the first time? It was kind of like that."
–Shelley Belgard
***
BILL OTT WILL always remember the moment he met Shelley Belgard. It was in spring 1988. He was 12 and sometimes shy. Into music, sports and, suddenly, girls.
Shelley was three years older, chatty and outgoing. They'd both shown up at a Montgomery County social club looking for friends, fun and the kind of acceptance that seems so elusive during teen life.
Shelley smiled. Bill introduced himself. And that was it. "I didn't know what love was," he says. "Until I met her."
He was sure it was the real thing, but nobody ever believes that coming from a 12-year-old.
Certainly not one with Down syndrome.
But Bill knew. "If you're that in love, age doesn’t mean a thing," he says. "Even though my mind was young and my heart was young -- somewhere inside my head I was mentally old enough."
And the feeling was mutual. "You know that scene in 'Dirty Dancing' where Baby meets Johnny for the first time? It was kind of like that," remembers Shelley, a petite brunette who was also born with a mental disability. "You're looking at this awesome-looking guy, and you really don't want to blow it. You kind of want to play it safe and not play it safe at the same moment."
He lived in Silver Spring and she was in Potomac, so they exchanged phone numbers. Their parents would drive them to movies and one another's houses. They frequently met at the social club. Throughout high school, they stayed close.

Bill took Shelley to both his junior and senior proms. Each time he rented a tux, and she picked out a fancy new dress. They wrapped their arms around each other to pose for photos and danced all night long. Bill, who grew up going to Catholic Mass every Sunday, told Shelley's mother he would convert to Judaism if that's what it took to be with her.
But after high school, it became more difficult to remain in each other's lives. They moved into assisted-living programs in different parts of the county. There weren't as many social activities to bring them together and, eventually, they lost contact.
But Bill never forgot. He had known true love -- her name was Shelley.

Advocacy needed to push initiatives for people with disabilities

by William Daroff from JTA:
In the coming weeks and months, Congress will enact sweeping reductions in federal spending, finalize the 2013 federal budget and raise the debt ceiling. The cuts that will come with these decisions are not merely numbers on a ledger; they will decimate programs that directly impact the lives of the most vulnerable among us and the ability of social service agencies to serve them.
For individuals with disabilities who are aspiring for healthy, independent lives, this is a particularly critical time. The unemployment rates we associate with the slow recovery from the Great Recession pale in comparison to the persistent lack of employment opportunities that have ever been available to the disability community. The disincentive to work inherent in our social safety net, and the inability for those relying on it to build assets, makes upward mobility even more difficult.
The growing challenge for non-profit agencies to provide home- and community-based care makes independent living for many individuals with disabilities an impossibility.
This is why dozens of advocates representing a broad range of Jewish communities, religious streams, social service providers and public policy organizations traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to promote the Community First Choice (CFC) option in Medicaid and the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, both of which further the goals of ensuring individuals with disabilities can lead healthy, independent lives.
During the month of February, Jewish communities across North America observe Jewish Disability Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of the needs, strengths, opportunities and challenges of individuals with disabilities in our communities and to ensure we are building more inclusive communities that celebrate everyone among us. It is also an opportunity for us to engage with lawmakers and express support for public policy initiatives that lead to better outcomes for the disability community.

Call-In Day Wednesday, December 19th!

Call-In Day Wednesday, December 19th!

 

from the NDSC:

The negotiations that are currently taking place between President Obama and Speaker of the House Boehner are critical to the future of individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities. We rely on important programs, from education to supports to live in the community, that are directly affected by these negotiations. These programs are at risk.

  

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, a national consortium of over 100 disability organizations, is holding a call-in day on Wednesday, December 19th. NDSC is an active member of this Consortium. Please take a few minutes and call your Senators and Congressional Representatives with the message below.

"I want to make sure you know the importance of programs such as special education, early intervention and preschool services, employment supports, health insurance, community living supports, and housing for children and adults with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Many of these programs are funded by Medicaid and Medicare, and other sources that are at risk during the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. Please make sure that funding is protected and programs remain strong in the coming deficit reduction debate.

I urge you to preserve critical funding for the life-changing programs that support families with disabilities, and ask that you respond to my message when it's received."

It is easy to find your elected representatives by visiting this website: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Parents and self-advocates showed their strength at the NDSC's Day on the Hill in July, 2012. Let's keep that going!

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.