Volume 07                                                                     Issue 16                                                      April 23, 2007              

Welcome to Monday Morning in Washington, D.C., published weekly by The Arc of the United States. We will bring to you news of interest to self advocates and their families, volunteers, professionals, and supporters of the disability movement. Please send any comments to mmwdc@thearc.org. You are welcome to reproduce and distribute items from Monday Morning in Washington, D.C., but please credit Monday Morning in Washington, D.C. (The Arc of the United States, 2007).

The Arc of the United States advocates for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Together with our network of members and affiliated chapters, we improve systems of supports and services; connect families; inspire communities; and influence public policy.

[NOTE: Having trouble reading this newsletter?  Read it online.] [Past Issues]

IN THIS ISSUE:

• No Child Left Behind Act: Education Actions May Help Improve Implementation and Evaluation of Supplemental Educational Services.

• Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children

• Key Initiative Of 'No Child' Under Federal Investigation

• Civil Rights News & Events  Update:  April 2007 Issue of Disability Rights Online News

• Creating a Vision: Survey for Youth with Disabilities

• Interactive Autism Network

• Week of the Young Child 2007: Building Better Futures for All Children

• Maternal, Infant and Child Health - Healthy People 2010 Midcourse Review

• Child Well-Being Index 2007 Report

• Early Intervention Family Alliance

• The SIS Vantage newsletter

• Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNP)

• New Resource for Children's Health Information

• Promoting Health Care Transition for Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities

• "Health Care Transition for Youth with Special Needs"

• Survey to Influence Wireless Phone Design, Services

• Fitness a Struggle for Disabled People

• Announcing NEW DATES for Connecting High School Reform to the Needs of Youth with Disabilities: Instruction, Credentialing, and Assessment

• Employing and Accommodating Individuals with Psychiatric Impairments

• State of Science Webcast information

• Housing Vouchers: 2007 Estimates; Project-Based Housing Vouchers' GAO Report; and Project-based vouchers and LIHTC- # 205 (4/07).

• VSA arts and  Volkswagen Announces National Juried Exhibition  for Young Artists With Disabilities

• Best Buy Announces Consumer Electronics Recycling Grant Program

• Start-Up USA

Promoting Health Care Transition for Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities

New book, edited by Cecily Betz and Wendy Nehring entitled "Promoting Health Care Transition for Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities".  Published by Paul Brooks - http://www.paulbrookspublishing.com/  The 14 chapters address a broad range of issues related to supporting successful health care transition.

"Health Care Transition for Youth with Special Needs"

The JaxHATS Program has developed two assessment tools, one for youth and a second for caregivers (providers), that can be used to rate health care transition related skills and behaviors.  Input from members of this list was of great value to helping the JaxHATS team refine the items included on the final instruments.  A copy of teach of the assessment tools has been posted on the Health Care Transitions web site as PDF files, and can be downloaded by going to: http://hctransitions.ichp.ufl.edu/resources.html.

Survey to Influence Wireless Phone Design, Services

AAPD encourages you to take an online survey that could help influence the design and development of more accessible and usable wireless phones and services. It is sponsored by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technology, "Wireless RERC", at Georgia Tech University. This 10-minute online accessible survey is on the Internet at http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/survey/coverletter_p2.html

It's also available as hard copy or can be completed over the phone by contacting:

Lynne Broderick, 2020 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, Voice: (404) 367-1348; Toll-free: (800) 582-6360. Email: wirelessrerc@shepherd.org  or lynne_broderick@shepherd.org

You can also sign up for their Consumer Advisory Network (CAN) for information and resources about accessibility of wireless devices.

Fitness a Struggle for Disabled People

In 2005, the Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities, recognizing the link between health and quality of life. The Call to Action called on health care service providers, community leaders, advocates, and the public to work together to address the challenges facing people with disabilities in accessing healthcare and wellness services so that all people live long, healthy, productive lives.   

To read the Call to Action report in its entirety, visit: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/disabilities/calltoaction/

Announcing NEW DATES for Connecting High School Reform to the Needs of Youth with Disabilities: Instruction, Credentialing, and Assessment

June 18-19, 2007-Hyatt Regency Bethesda-Bethesda, MD

The National High School Alliance and the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, with support from The HSC Foundation and the Office of Disability and Employment Policy at the United States Department of Labor (ODEP), invite you to participate in a meeting focused on the instruction, assessment and credentialing of youth with disabilities in high school on June 18-19, 2007. (NOTE NEW DATES: Previously scheduled for April 19-20)

In the current high school reform conversation, the inclusion of vulnerable student groups, including students with disabilities, is rarely addressed in explicit ways. This meeting will help identify strategies to address these issues in policies at the federal, state, and local level.

In addition to informing policy, these discussions will build awareness and understanding of these issues across multiple sectors. Participants will include leaders from the practice, policy, and research worlds-representing multiple stakeholder groups and a cross section of views and perspectives.

Sara Goldware, Program Associate, National High School Alliance, Institute for Educational Leadership, 4455 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 310, Washington, DC  20008, Phone: (202) 822-8405 ext. 125, Fax: (202) 872-4050, www.hsalliance.org

Employing and Accommodating Individuals with Psychiatric Impairments

State of Science Webcast information
 

The Center for Personal Assistance Service's State of the Science Conference will be held next Friday, April 27 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.  The registration for the event is now closed. 

Housing Vouchers: 2007 Estimates; Project-Based Housing   Vouchers' GAO Report; and Project-based vouchers and LIHTC- # 205 (4/07).

This bulletin addresses three issues related to "Housing Vouchers," a/k/a Section 8.

First, the "good" news.  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released its "Estimates of 2007 Voucher Funding" based on the new funding formula.  CBPP emphasizes that these are only estimates.  Given that caveat, "every single [state and local housing] agency will receive sufficient funds to maintain the vouchers in use in 2006, and most will be able to restore some of the vouchers cut in recent years and serve additional families. [Emphasis added].  In addition, agencies that have reserved vouchers for use in new developments of affordable housing will for the first time receive funding to cover these commitments in 2007. By contrast, had the formula remained unchanged, agencies would have experience about an 8 percent prorated cut in the funding they were due under the old formula (substantially deeper than the more than 5 percent cut they experienced in FY 06, despite the increase in overall funding.)"

Second, a recent Government Accountability Office report to Congress focused on "Project-Based Rental Assistance," i.e., only project-based housing vouchers and only between 2001 and 2005.  A number of its findings may surprise some folks:

92% of project-based Section 8 housing owners renewed their contracts - they did NOT drop out of the voucher program.

Of the 8% where Section 8 contracts were not renewed, 6% opted out due to "market conditions," i.e., higher rents were the primary consideration by the owners, and more properties rented to families left the program than when rented to individuals. [The other 2% were terminated.]

Renewed Section 8 contracts can renew with rents that are elevated to market rents through the Mark-up-to-Market HUD program OR renew with rents that are reduced to market rents through the Mark-to-Market HUD program.

Third, the 2005 data for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits recently was published.  One table provided information on the percent of housing tax credit units that also received Project-based Section 8 vouchers. Remember that "affordability" of LIHTC units for people with disabilities often depends on rent subsidies including Project-based vouchers.  Some states used project-based vouchers to ensure that the lowest-income people could afford those units (Conn 51% of LIHTC units also used project-based vouchers, Georgia 40%, N.  Carolina 43%), and some States did not use these vouchers at all (Texas 0%, MI 0%, CA 0%).

Disability Advocates:

1. Check with your local housing authorities to determine how many additional vouchers will be available.  Will any persons with disabilities receive them?

2. Are you working with project-based developers who might need elevated market rents through the Mark-up-to-Market program?

3. In your State, how many persons on SSI with a disability can "afford" LIHTC units?  What are the advocates doing to obtain subsidies?

Stop complaining; Don't mourn; Organize! Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at http://www.stevegoldada.com with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects.  To contact Steve Gold directly, write to stevegoldada@cs.com  or call 215-627-7100.  

VSA arts and  Volkswagen Announces National Juried Exhibition  for Young Artists With Disabilities

Deadline: July 6, 2007

VSA arts (http://www.vsarts.org/) and Volkswagen of America, Inc. (http://www.vw.com/) have announced a call for Driven, a national juried exhibition for young artists with disabilities.

The competition is open to young artists between the ages of 16 and 25 living in the United States who have a physical, cognitive, or mental disability. A disability is defined as an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.

The entered artwork must be an original work that has been completed in the last three years. Eligible media include paintings and drawings (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, or charcoal), fine art prints (lithographs, etching, intaglio, or woodcuts), photography, computer-generated prints, and two-dimensional mixed media.

The program will present a Grand Prize of $20,000; a First Award of of $10,000; a Second Award of $6,000; and twelve Awards of Excellence of $2,000 each.

Visit the VSA arts Web site for complete program information and entry instructions.

RFP Link: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10007017/vsarts For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
 

Best Buy Announces Consumer Electronics Recycling Grant Program

Deadline: Rolling

Best Buy Co. (http://www.bestbuy.com/) has unveiled a consumer electronics recycling grant program to help increase recycling opportunities available in communities across the United States.

The program will provide two streams of grants: the first will provide support for events hosted by 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations; the second will support events hosted by other organizations in cities and townships across the country (e.g., cities, counties, public-private partnerships).

Grants will range from $500 to $1,500, depending on the size and scope of each organization's event and the recycling need in the area.

Grant applications are available online at the Best Buy Web site, with priority given to those completed by April 22, 2007, which is Earth Day.

Visit the Best Buy Web site for further information.

RFP Link: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10007022/bestbuy

For additional RFPs in Environment, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_environment.jhtml  

Start-Up USA

http://www.start-up-usa.biz/

Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, & Training (START-UP / USA) is a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Griffin-Hammis and Associates, LLC. START-UP / USA is funded by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).  A primary focus of the project will be to provide technical assistance and disseminate resources nationally to individuals interested in pursuing self-employment. This includes a live web cast series during year one of the project with successful entrepreneurs who will share their secrets for success.

START-UP / USA also will be providing assistance to three sub-national projects, START-UP / Alaska, START-UP / Florida, and START-UP / New York. These projects are charged with the generation of data and information to validate systems capacity-building strategies and systems change models for successfully increasing self-employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The information generated through these model programs will be disseminated nationally for replication through technical assistance and support.

Until Next week

The Arc of the United States, 1010 Wayne Avenue, Ste. 650, Silver Spring, MD 20910, Phone: 3015653842, Fax: 3015653843, Email: mmwdc@info.thearc.org, Web: www.thearc.org

Disclaimer: MMWDC publishes information about issues and events that we believe to be important and likely to be of interest to advocates and others interested in inclusion of persons with disabilities in all parts of society.  However, MMWDC and The Arc of the United States do not necessarily endorse all events, sponsoring organizations and reports which appear.