Banner for Monday Morning in Washington, DC

Volume 07                                                                     Issue 13                                                         April 2, 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:

 

Bridges4Kids - http://www.bridges4kids.org/

Summer Camp Resources & Information from SchwabLearning

Summer Camp Database

http://e.schwablearning.org/a/hBF26ezANqWuFA-Gz6TAGKpLg.AOFXoy0n/schw4

Select camps, by state, designed just for kids with learning or attention problems.

 

Find Summer Camps for Kids with Learning and Attention Problems

http://e.schwablearning.org/a/hBF26ezANqWuFA-Gz6TAGKpLg.AOFXoy0n/schw5

Learn how to find a summer camp that meets your child's needs, your family plans, and your budget.

DisabilityInfo.gov 

Health News & Events  Update:  April is National Autism Awareness Month

 

April is National Autism Awareness Month (NAAM), an awareness initiative established in 1972 which includes hundreds of community-based events around the country. For additional information on autism visit Developmental Disabilities - http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5180 This information has recently been updated, and is now available - http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=138

 

Children & Youth  Update:  Family Support & People with Disabilities

 

Includes several fact sheets from The Arc with information on family support services to help families and caregivers keep individuals with a disabilities at home. Includes specific information on intellectual & developmental disabilities. Document is in Word format.

This information has recently been updated, and isnow available - http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=159

 

Civil Rights News & Events  Update:  Funding Opportunity for State Protection & Advocacy Agencies

 

The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) has announced funds available to State Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agencies to assist them in planning and developing outreach strategies for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury. Application Deadline: April 20, 2007.

This information has recently been updated, and is now available - http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=218

 

VSA arts and Volkswagen of America, Inc., announce "Driven" call for entries, open to young artists with disabilities

Deadline:  July 6, 2007 (midnight, MST).  Sponsored by VSA arts and Volkswagen of America, Inc.  Open to young artists with disabilities, ages 16 -25, living within the United States.  No entry fee.  "Driven" challenges artists to pinpoint the motivational force behind their artistic expression and to identify the catalyst that sustains their creative energy. Art must be an original work that has been completed in the last three (3) years.  Eligible media includes: paintings, drawings, fine art prints, photography, computer-generated prints, and mixed media; must be presented in two dimensions.  Artwork should not exceed 60 inches in either direction. Fifteen (15) finalists will be awarded a total of $60,000 in awards during an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill in September 2007, and artwork will be displayed in a nation-wide touring exhibition that debuts at the Smithsonian. 

Each affiliate will soon receive a packet of calls to distribute to appropriate artists.

For additional information and to download an application, please visit: http://www.vsarts.org/VWcall. Phone 800.933.8721 x3885; Email: jenniferw@vsarts.org.  Alternative formats of the application are available upon request.

ADA-OHIO (The Americans with Disabilities Act), 700 Morse Road, Suite 101, Columbus, OH 43214, 800-ADA-OHIO (800-232-6446), 800-ADA-ADA1, (800-232-2321) TTY, 614-844-5537 FAX, adaohio@aol.com, http://www.ada-ohio.org/, ADA-OHIO is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

 

UCP & Big Sky Webcast on April 12, 2007

 

Big Sky is a national effort to create a new vision of the future for people with disabilities. The project is designed to raise public awareness about the serious challenges that remain for people with disabilities in our society and develop strategies, initiatives, programs, and public policy to address them.  As part of the Big Sky Project, individuals will have the opportunity for in-depth review and discussion of future forces that are likely to have major impacts on individuals with disabilities during the National Big Sky Visioning Sessions at the 2007 United Cerebral Palsy Annual Conference in April.

 

For persons unable to attend the conference in April, United Cerebral Palsy will be hosting a webcast of the conference's Opening Plenary, where Dr. Bob Johansen, an Institute for the Future's Distinguished Fellow, will highlight the waves of change that will shape the lives of people with disabilities over the next decade-and discuss how these same people will use their abilities to explore the emerging edges of what it means to be human.  For more information or to register for the webcast, visit www.ucp.org/campaigns/webcast/.

 

NECTAC eNotes - March 30, 200
Notice of Proposed Priorities - Technical Assistance on Data Collection

 

Source: Federal Register: March 30, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 61)

On March 30, 2007 the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services published three proposed funding priorities addressing data collected under Part B and Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended (IDEA). Comments on these proposed priorities are requested on or before June 13, 2007. For complete information go to http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-5930.htm.

 

Note: Of special interest to the Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education field is Proposed Priority C - Outcome Measures. This priority is for projects that address the needs of States for technical assistance to improve their capacity to meet Federal data collection requirements in one or both of the following two focus areas:

  • The development or enhancement of Part B State systems for collecting, analyzing, and reporting preschool outcome indicator data.

  • The development or enhancement of Part C systems for collecting, analyzing, and reporting outcome indicator data.

New Findings from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
 

Source: NIH News - March 26, 2007

The most recent analysis of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development found that the more time children spent in center-based care before kindergarten, the more likely their sixth grade teachers were to report problem behaviors. The analysis also showed that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than children who received lower quality care. These increases in problem behaviors and vocabulary were small, however, and the authors emphasize that parenting quality is a much more important predictor of child development than type, quantity, or quality, of child care. The findings appear in the March/April 2007 issue of Child Development. The full NIH news release is available online at http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2007/nichd-26.htm.

 

National Summit on America's Children
 

Source: Speaker of the House Press Release - March 28, 2007

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives recently announced the convening of a bipartisan National Summit on America's Children in Washington, DC on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. The purpose of the summit will be to hear from experts in the field of neuroscience and child development and to examine how federal policies can take advantage of and support the most relevant research on how children grow and learn. To learn more go to http://speaker.house.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0124

 

Assistive Technology and Early Childhood Education
Source: Family Center on Technology and Disability - March 29, 2007

The March newsletter of the Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) examines the role of assistive technology in early childhood education and discusses resources currently available to facilitate its use. Included is an interview with Linda Robinson, Project Director of the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood at Western Illinois University and an expert who has worked in the field of early childhood education for 26 years. The newsletter is available online at http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/displayNewsletter.php?newsletterID=10045

 

Training Modules from the Building the Legacy Training Curriculum on IDEA 2004
Source: NICHCY - March 30, 2007

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) recently announced the first four training modules from its Building the Legacy Training Curriculum on IDEA 2004. Each module includes a PowerPoint presentation to use in training sessions, discussions of IDEA for trainers, and handouts for audience participants. The modules now available for download, use, and sharing include:

  • Introduction to Evaluation

  • Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation

  • Identification of Children with Specific Learning Disabilities

  • Disproportionality and Overrepresentation

They are available at http://www.nichcy.org/training/contents.asp

 

[FCTD] March News & Notes: AT and Early Childhood Education

 

http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/index.php 
Can children be too young for assistive technology?  Some educators and parents fear that the introduction of AT into the life of a very young child may result in its use as a crutch by the child. Yet researchers and other professionals are proving that AT, far from further weakening a child with disabilities, can in fact act as an equalizer tool by enabling the child to participate in activities and interact with materials in ways that would have previously been impossible.  This issue of the Family Center on Technology and Disability newsletter examines the role of assistive technology in early childhood education and the resources currently available to facilitate its use. 

This month we are featuring an interview with Linda Robinson, Project Director of the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood at Western Illinois University.  She has spent 26 years as an expert in early childhood education.  Supporting our interview with Ms. Robinson are resources to assist parents, educators and others in further understanding the vital role played by AT in early childhood education. We also feature members of our Knowledge Network.  The members spotlighted this month focus on various aspects of early childhood education aided by the use of assistive technology.  We invite you to contact these members for further information.

 

Join the Family Center on Technology & Disability for an online discussion of *Augmentative & Alternative Communication and Vocabulary Development*


http://www.fctd.info/webboard/index.php 
Join discussion moderators Dr. Katya Hill , Univ.of Pittsburgh and Robin Hurd, AAC Institute as they explore the process of selecting vocabulary for effective augmentative and alternative communication.

It is through communication that we are able to share our thoughts and ideas, build relationships, satisfy wants, and express our feelings and needs. The ability to express oneself directly impacts ones behavior, learning, and sociability. When a child is unable to communicate, he often becomes frustrated and overwhelmed. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can provide a child who is unable to communicate verbally with another means of self-expression. But by simply providing an AAC device to a child with an expansive vocabulary, are we truly enabling that child to express himself fully and effectively? Research indicates that more effectively communication is achieved when appropriate vocabulary is selected for the AAC user. But how do we go about selecting the most *appropriate* vocabulary? What factors should be taken into consideration in the process of selection?

The purpose of this online discussion is to address these and other questions on vocabulary selection for children who use AAC. We welcome professionals, parents, and all others interested in learning about current practices and research on effective AAC vocabulary selection to join the discussion. The goal is to learn from each other, so participate actively!

http://www.fctd.info/webboard/index.php
Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD), 1825 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 700S, Washington, DC 20009, email | fctd@aed.org web | www.fctd.info
 

TATRA, a project of PACER Center
 REFERENCE POINTS:  Family Caregiver Support

FAMILY CAREGIVER SUPPORT: STATE FACTS AT A GLANCE
The National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures and funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging, has released Family Caregiver Support: State Facts at a Glance. The report provides information by state about family caregivers, the state-level programs that serve them, and legislation introduced and enacted. The report is available on NASUA's website at www.nasua.org/familycaregiver  or www.ncsl.org/programs/health/forum/caregiversupport.htm 

ISSUE BRIEF EXAMINES LINK BETWEEN FAMILY AND PAID CAREGIVING

A 12-page Better Jobs Better Care Issue Brief lays the groundwork for a new care giving paradigm that would acknowledge the complex connections between family and paid care giving and provide better supports for both. For more information, go to http://www.directcareclearinghouse.org/n_news_det.jsp?res_id=175610&res_type=6&txn_type

 

Kaiser Weekly Update

Updated Fact Sheet Provides an Overview of Medicaid


The Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has updated the Medicaid at a Glance fact sheet which provides an overview of the Medicaid program, the populations that it serves, and the services that it covers.  It is available at http://www.kff.org/medicaid/7235.cfm.

Casey Family Programs and Leading Universities Release Report on The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and the Implications for Children in Foster Care

 

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Washington University School of Social Work, George Washington University Department of Health Policy, Dartmouth Medical School, and Casey Family Programs released a report and recommendations regarding the potential negative impacts the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 may have on children and adolescents in the U.S. child welfare system.

 

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: Implications for Children Receiving Child Welfare Service, outlines the policy leaders' specific concerns and recommendations for how to respond to and solve challenges in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that relate directly to children in foster care. The report provides analysis on four potential pitfalls, which include:

  • Medicaid eligibility and documentation of citizenship.

  • Changes affecting benefits and coverage

  • Revisions in premium and cost-sharing rules

  • Restrictions on the availability of federal funding to support state expenditures for Medicaid-covered targeted case management and case management services.

Recommended actions call for adoption of federal or state policies, while others could be accomplished by and through local child welfare agencies and community-based organizations. To view a full copy of the report, please visit www.casey.org

 

One-Stop Toolkit Resources of the Week Technical Assistance Project

2007 Disability Awareness Survey - Council for Disability Awareness


 www.disabilitycanhappen.org
http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org/docs/Survey_Highlights.pdf 

[The following is excerpted from the Council for Disability Awareness on facts about the survey.]

A recent survey of American workers conducted by the Council for Disability Awareness reveals that most workers grossly underestimate their chances of experiencing a disability and, in addition, haven't considered the financial impact of a disability. These statistics are alarming, given that the number of American workers who have experienced a serious disability has increased by 35 percent since 2000.

Data from the survey underscores the critical need to better inform America's workforce about the likelihood of experiencing a disability, as well as the potential financial consequences that may accompany a disability. And CDA is embarking on an outreach effort to increase public dialogue about disability awareness.

Survey highlights include:

  • Disability Not Top of Mind

     

    • The majority of workers (56 percent) didn't realize that the chances of becoming disabled had risen over the past five years.

    • Nine out of ten (90 percent) workers underestimate their own chances of becoming disabled.

    • 85 percent of workers expressed little or no concern that they may suffer a disability of 3 months or longer.

     

  • Financial Uncertainty Looms for Unprepared

  • Nearly 60 percent of workers have not discussed how they would manage an income-limiting disability.

  • On the other hand, more than 80 percent of workers who have planned financially for disability are confident about their ability to maintain their current lifestyle if a disability strikes.

  • Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents with 401k or IRA plans are unaware of what would happen to their retirement savings should they become disabled and unable to earn an income.

About the survey
In January and February of 2007, CDA worked with the research firm StrategyOne to conduct a 15-minute telephone survey of 1000 working American adults ages 18 to 65 nationwide. The margin of error for the sample size was +/-3.1 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.

Access an article in the March 14th issue of Insurance Journal for more information on the survey: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2007/03/14/77748.htm.

New funding opportunities has been added to the Quality Mall web site:

Recreational Programs for Individuals with Disabilities - http://www.qualitymall.org/funding/fundingdetail.asp?postingid=431

Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities--Technology Implementation Center - http://www.qualitymall.org/funding/fundingdetail.asp?postingid=432

 

Mattel Offers Grants for Programs Serving Children in Need

Deadline: June 15, 2007
Mattel ( http://www.mattel.com/) and the Mattel Children's Foundation have announced the third year of the company's Domestic Grantmaking Program. Through the program, U.S. charitable organizations that can demonstrate they directly serve children in need may be eligible for one-year grants of $5,000 to $20,000 each. Funds may be applied to programs or general operating costs.

To be eligible, applicant organizations must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. If an organization is a project under a fiscal sponsor, that sponsor must have a valid tax-exempt status. Organizations must serve children in communities within the U.S.; have a mission that focuses on the direct service of children up to the age of 12; be able to demonstrate creative and/or innovative methods to address locally defined need directly impacting children; have an annual operating budget of less than $1 million; and not be affiliated in any way with a national organization, regardless of whether funds are received from the national entity.

Applicant organizations or programs must align with Mattel's philanthropic priorities: 1) Learning, increasing access to education for underserved children, and in particular innovative strategies designed to promote and address literacy; 2) Health, supporting the physical health and well-being of children, with particular emphasis on promoting healthy, active lifestyles; and 3) Girl Empowerment, promoting self-esteem in young girls up to the age of 12.

Two types of grants will be considered: 1) program-specific grants for the launch of new programs or the expansion of existing programs; and 2) core operating support.

Visit the Mattel Web site for program guidelines, an eligibility quiz, and an online application form.

RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10006752/mattel

For additional RFPs in Children and Youth, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_children.jhtml   

Spotlight Book: Strange Son

 

http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Son-Portia-Iversen/dp/1573223115

"Love introduced two mothers, one who lived in India and the other in the United States. Their passion to seek health for their children, both afflicted by autism, brought the two women across continents and over oceans. Each stimulated the other with her fervor to find medical breakthroughs. Their story is exciting and uplifting. There is within Strange Son a sadness, but this in truth is a hopeful book. The mothers expect that medical research will find a solution for the cruelty of autism, and in Strange Son they show us that the lushness of family love continues to be the greatest therapy." - Maya Angelou. Available now at Amazon.com .

 

Special Ed's Greatest Challenges and Solutions

 

http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=153

This article contains the top five special education issues that affect school administrators, with resolutions for each.

 

Lawyer Argues for Parents' Right to Sue

 

http://www.bridges4kids.org/RecentCourtCases.html

Parents should not be forced to hire a lawyer to sue public school districts over their children's special education needs, the lawyer for parents of an autistic child told the Supreme Court Tuesday.

 

A Parent's Guide to Response-to-Intervention (PDF)

 

http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/downloads/parent_center/rti_final.pdf

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) includes a provision that allows states and school districts to use high quality, research-based instruction in general and special education to provide services and interventions to students who struggle with learning and may be at risk of or suspected of having learning disabilities. The National Center for Learning Disabilities has written this Guide to provide an overview of the Response-to-Intervention process and its implementation and suggest questions that parents can ask about it.

 

2005 HOME Fund Allocations for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance.  Information Bulletin #202 (3/07)
   
In previous Information Bulletins, we described the HOME Investment Partnership program and provided information that broke down the expenditures by state. The data for 2005 has just been released by the National Council of State Housing Agencies.

HOME funds are used for single family and/or multi-family units.  HOME funds can also be used for "Tenant-Based Rental Assistance," in which case they function as housing vouchers that can be used, for example, to assist persons to leave nursing facilities and pay for housing.  These HOME vouches are critical given the shortage of new Section 8/Housing Choice Vouchers from Congress and HUD.

HOME funds are allocated so that, in most states, 40% of the total HOME allocations go to the state's housing finance agency ("HFA") (or other statewide agency), and the remaining 60% of HOME funds are allocated directly to the largest cities. Both HFAs and large cities have substantial discretion regarding how to use HOME funds.

We have information for FY 2005 regarding the HOME funds that were allocated by the state HFAs.  Here is an annual breakdown of HOME funds, focusing only on tenant-based rental assistance:

2003 - 4,178 tenant-based rental assistance units [2.9% of HFAs' total HOME expenditures]
2004 - 4,975 tenant-based rental assistance units [3.1% of HFAs' total HOME expenditures]
2005 - 5,510 tenant-based rental assistance units [3.9% of HFAs' total HOME expenditures]            

Quite dismal progress, especially since States could use these funds to provide housing subsidies for persons on Medical Assistance who want to return to the community but cannot afford housing.  Also, quite a small percentage of the overall HOME expenditures allocated for rental assistance.

Why aren't advocates for elderly Americans and persons with disabilities demanding that their state HFA's allocate substantially more of their HOME funds for a meaningful State tenant-based rental assistance?

Why aren't advocates involved in their state's allocation process?  How HOME funds are allocated are decided in the Consolidated Plan process.


What about the 60% of the HOME funds that large cities receive directly from HUD and have discretion to allocate?  What the percentage of HOME funds allocated directly to your large cities is used for tenant-based rental assistance?  Again, whether or not large cities allocate HOME funds for a tenant-based rental assistance program is up to the advocates.  If you are not a force in your local Consolidated Plan, you probably will not receive tenant-based rental assistance.

    Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues http://www.stevegoldada.com

ILCs and Relocating Persons from Nursing Homes - # 203 (3/07)

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, we obtained by Independent Living Center in each State for both 2004 and 2005 the number of "individuals who were successfully relocated from nursing homes."  2006 data is not yet available.  Here are the results for the approximate 350 ILCs.  We recognize that these numbers are self-reported and defining "successful" relocation may vary.  Nevertheless, the numbers are what they are.

In 2004, the ILCs reported that they "successfully relocated" only 2,864 persons and in 2005, they reported only 2,867 persons were "relocated," a/k/a were freed from unnecessary institutionalization!

There is an incredible spread in the numbers.  But here are the ILCs in 2005 that were most successfully, as measured by the reported numbers of people who were relocated: Options OH 183 people, Making Choices for IL MD 88 people, Lifetime Independence for Everyone TX 84, Wyoming Services for IL, 77, CIL Access Alaska 72, ABIL AZ 70, Western NY Independent Living Project NY 69, PARI ILC RI 55, Center for Disability Rights NY 55, Accessible Communities, Inc.  Coastal Bend Center TX 52.
   
CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE TEN ILCs.  No other ILC freed more than 50 persons in 2005.

Quite a number of ILCs "relocated" no one or only a small number. These number raise many questions and issues:  If ILCs are not able to provide "independent living" for many, many more persons who are in nursing homes, maybe the IL movement should reconsider its mission. Maybe funding should be tied to numbers of persons an ILC "successfully relocates."  What are these ILCs going to do if this becomes the fifth "core service?" What is the ILC leadership doing to monitor the ILC movement?  How many of ILCs have met with their MA offices to apply for funds to help them do more?  If an ILC is not relocating persons from nursing homes, maybe the IL should be renamed.

 

Total relocated in 2004 - 2,864; Total relocated in 2005 - 2,867

To find out how many individuals in your state were successfully relocated from nursing homes in 2004 and 2005 - http://www.stevegoldada.com/stevegoldada/archive.php?mode=A&id=203;&sort=D
 

Vocational Rehabilitation:  Earnings Increased for Many SSA Beneficiaries after Completing VR Services, but Few Earned Enough to Leave SSA's Disability Rolls. 

 

 GAO-07-332, March 30 - http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-332

 

CMS NFI Presentations Posted

 

2007 New Freedom Initiative Conference. Presentations and materials from the conference are now available at www.nashp.org/cmsconference2007


CALL FOR PRESENTERS - National Conference on Juvenile Offenders with Mental Retardation

When: October 22-23, 2007
Where: Columbus, Ohio

Sponsored by Ohio Partners in Justice

funded through The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council

Attendance Tracks:

1.   MR/DD professionals, Educators, Children Services Professionals
2.     Juvenile Justice
3.     Treatment Providers
4.     Family /Advocates

Accepting Proposals for Presentations on these Suggested Topics (Not Limited To)

  • Cross systems training            Systems Collaboration

  • Best Practices                       Treatment

  • Mental Health                        Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

  • Incarceration Options              Education

  • Competency                          Assessment

  • Sex Offenders                        Juvenile Justice

  • Program and Policy                  Legal Issues

  • Law Enforcement                    Risk/Protective Factors

  • Trends                                  Diversion

  • Families                                 Restorative Justice

  • Prevention                             Specialized Services

  • Substance Abuse                    Funding and Grants

For further Information and submission information please go the Partners in Justice web site at www.ohiopartnersinjustice.org. Submission deadline: April 15, 2007

 

RERC-ACT Call for Participation

 

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for the Advancement of Cognitive Technologies would like to announce the Call for Participation for the State-of-the-Science Conference to be held October 25 & 26, 2007 held in conjunction with the 7th Annual Coleman Conference October 24 & 25, 2007. Both events will be held at The Westin Westminster located in Westminster, Colorado.

 

We are inviting submissions for presentations, posters, demonstrations and industry exhibits representing current tools and techniques in development, techniques in practice, and results from advanced research in the area of cognitive technologies. For detailed information please see  the attached application. Deadline for submission is June 1, 2007. For further information on the RERC-ACT please go to our website www.rerc-act.org.

  

Julia Beems, RERC-ACT Program Coordinator, Assistive Technology Partners, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, 601 E. 18th Ave, Suite 130, Denver, CO 80203, 303/315-1284, 303/837-1208 FAX, julia.beems@uchsc.edu

 

Family Voices of North Dakota e-News The FVND website has many publications available to families and providers. www.geocities.com/ndfv/  The Care Notebook, New Beginning Resource Guide, SSI guide, Transition Notebook and many more are now available.  These publications are also available on CD.  If you would like to receive a CD for yourself or a families you are working with, contact the Family Voices of North Dakota office at 888-522-9654 or fvnd@drtel.net

MEDICAID IS NOT LIKELY TO BE A FINANCIAL BURDEN, AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CAN SUSTAIN MEDICAID FUNDING OVER THE NEXT 40 YEARS, A NEW INDEPENDENT STUDY SHOWS

 

As the U.S. Congress prepares to debate the President's budget and address the growing federal deficit and the future sustainability of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) projects a less dire situation than suggested by conventional wisdom. Medicaid is the main, and sometimes only significant source of public funding for people with intellectual disabilities. 

 

Click here - http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.26.2.w271?ijkey=//0mcifm9.bZ6&keytype=ref&siteid=healthaff  to read, "Is Medicaid Sustainable? Spending Projections For The Program's Second Forty Years" by Richard Kronick and David Rousseau published in the journal Health Affairs.  To read a press release on the report issued by KCMU, visit http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu022307nr.cfm

 

Now Available! State of the States 2007: Building Hope, Raising Expectations

This report details state efforts to reform health care and specifies a variety of factors motivating states to address this problem, including the continued rise in the number of uninsured and steep declines in employer-sponsored health insurance. A digital version is available at http://statecoverage.net/pdf/StateofStates2007.pdf (PDF File)

 

The Evidence Base for Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Health Car

 

This report reviews the evidence base for the impact of cultural and linguistic competence in health and mental health care on health outcomes and well-being. The costs and benefits to the system are also included. The authors conducted a structured search of Medline from January 1995 to March 2006 to identify primary research articles on health outcomes and well-being. Additional information can be found on the Commonwealth Website:  http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=413821&#doc413821

 

The State Career and Technical Education (CTE) Self-Assessmen

is a comprehensive, voluntary instrument designed to help guide states' program improvement efforts. By using this tool in a dynamic, ongoing way, states can identify many existing CTE practices and policies that comprise quality and use them as building blocks for system-wide continuous improvements. The updated web address for the self-assessment is http://www.careertech.org/uploaded_files/Kelsh_Spring_05.pdf

 

The Pediatrics special volume
issue illustrates national and state findings from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). In this issue, there are fifteen articles that provide critical information for policy makers and others concerned with ensuring the best care and health outcomes for children. To preview these articles visit the Data Resource Center for the National Survey of Children's Health at: http://nschdata.org/content/ChartbooksPubsAndPresentations.aspx#Publications

 

Improving Children's Health:  A Chartbook about the Roles of Medicaid and SCHIP

 

From: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities/This publication provides 30 graphs summarizing current information about health insurance coverage and the health needs of low-income children, as well as the effects of Medicaid and SCHIP coverage on children's health.  To access the chartbook visit http://wwwcbpp.org/schip-chartbook.htm.

 

The National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE)

 

is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, to conduct research, disseminate research findings, and conduct leadership activities aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education across the United States. Materials from NCRECE's recent Leadership Symposium, held on February 1st, 2007, are now available online at http://www.ncrece.org/resources/summit2007/

 

The Center for Evidence-Based Practices: Young Children with Challenging Behavior

 

has convened annual Summits to bring together individuals who can influence federal and state policy, create a forum for discussion and collaborative action planning, and allow participants to review research findings and collaboratively identify issues and initiatives to improve social and behavioral outcomes for young children. Materials, presentations and summaries of discussions from these Summits (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) can now be found on the Center's Web site at http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/summit_home.htm

 

US legislation:  Community Choice Act of 2007 aka MiCASSA

 

The bill formerly known as MiCASSA has been reintroduced in the US Senate as the Community Choice Act of 2007. Its intent is to reallocate funding for people with severe disabilities, providing additional support for living in the community and alternatives to institutionalization.

Follow the status of the bill and get updates on how you can help get it passed here: http://www.adapt.org/micasaalerts/ 

Co-sponsors in the Senate include Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Spector (R-PA), as well as Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Joseph Biden (D-DE), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Christopher Dodd (D-CT).

One thing you can do now, if your Senator(s) are not on the list above, is to call them and ask them to co-sponsor the Community Choice Act of 2007 (S.799). Here is how to contact your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
 

For more information on the Community Choice Act (aka MiCASSA), see:
http://www.adapt.org/casaintr.htm
http://www.abilitymaine.org/legislate/cha.html

http://harkin.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=270270
 

Disabled and Unemployed -- ABC News Wants to Hear From You

Americans with disabilities are far more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than Americans without disabilities.

The law says employers are supposed to make accommodations to help disabled workers manage in the workplace. But despite legal protections, disabled workers have higher unemployment rates and lower incomes than workers who are not disabled.

Are you skilled, educated and able to work but unable to get hired? Do you think you have you been discriminated against on the job as a result of your disability?

ABC News wants to hear from you. Tell us your story, and let us know if you are willing to be contacted by an ABC News producer. Be sure to include information regarding how we can reach you by phone during the day.

Tell your story at the ABC News website http://tinyurl.com/2ubagv

WEBCASTS NOW AVAILABLE ON KAISERNETWORK.ORG

SCHIP Comes to Washington


 http://www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/nashp/23mar07
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
NASHP assembled SCHIP directors from across the country, along with leaders in Washington, to provide a unique and informed perspective on the program.

 

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - www.aaidd.org

Two New Resources on Best Practices in Intellectual Disability!

 

User's Guide: Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Supports  (10th Edition)

http://bookstore.aaidd.org/BookDetail.aspx?bid=61
 Robert L. Schalock, Marc J. Tassé, and Michael Wehmeyer
 
This new best practices Guide tells you how the AAIDD system of defining and diagnosing mental retardation benefits your work as a clinician, special education teacher, program manager, or a policy maker in developmental disability. Nowhere else will you find such an informed discussion on how to enhance policies, practices, and personal outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities by diagnosing a person based on supports required, rather than relying on deficits.
 
For psychologists, the User's Guide tackles the most challenging issues faced on job-conducting retrospective diagnoses such as in the Atkins v. Virginia case, diagnosing individuals with a higher IQ, and handling cases of dual diagnosis. Special education teachers will discover how the AAIDD definition system ties in with such progressive practices as the IDEA legislation, positive behavior support, and ensuring that the student improves continually with the provision of appropriate supports. Program managers gain from the discussion on how significant limitations in intelligence can be lessened through environmental factors and opportunities, and how to incorporate a supports-based approach in assessing individuals and providing services. For policy makers, the User's Guide demonstrates the advantages of a supports-based definition system, as decision makers across the world debate on the best way to conceptualize disabling conditions such as an intellectual disability, and create effective ways to allocate resources and services to individuals.
 
Written by the same group of AAIDD experts responsible for defining the condition of mental retardation to the world, the User's Guide is your gateway to becoming well-informed about the various legal, social, and clinical issues surrounding intellectual disability today.
 
Click here to read a chapter excerpt as well as to download a free copy of the Guide in Adobe PDF format! Print copies are available for $10.95. Learn more about the AAIDD definition system here.   $10.95 | Paper | 72 pages | 7 X 10 | ISBN 0-940898-95-0

 

Clinical Judgment

 

http://bookstore.aaidd.org/BookDetail.aspx?bid=21
Robert L. Schalock and Ruth Luckasson

Finally, a practical guide for intellectual disability professionals on exercising clinical judgment while making critical decisions in legal cases, high-stakes testing, behavior programming, and eligibility services! As a clinician, you know that you are frequently asked to decide whether a person is competent to stand trial, if a defendant has mental retardation, or if a child is eligible for special education services. Here, you are required to exercise a level of expertise that extends beyond your formal training. Further, you are often faced with inadequate opportunities for assessment, interviews, and observations. What comes into play here is clinical judgment, a special type of judgment rooted in a high level of clinical expertise and extensive data, extending beyond the usual parameters of research-based knowledge, professional ethics, and professional standards.

Authors Schalock and Luckasson now systematically explore this much-used, yet rarely discussed type of judgment in professional decision making. In Clinical Judgment, this psychologist-attorney duo define for the first time ever, a comprehensive 6-step process that every clinician should follow to ensure precision, accuracy, and integrity in decision making. Taking 6 real-life case studies from diverse settings, the authors explain in plain English, how to enact these critical steps to ensure robust decisions: (1) Conduct a thorough social history (2) Align data and collect critical questions at hand (3) Apply broad-based assessment strategies (4) Implement best practices in intervention (5) Plan, implement, and evaluate individualized supports and (6) Reflect cultural competence and linguistic diversity in each case.

This indispensable guide is sure to disappear from your desk, whether you are a school psychologist, public defender, program manager, psychiatrist, or professor. Click here - http://bookstore.aaidd.org/BookDetail.aspx?bid=21 to read reader reviews, a Table of Contents, and a chapter excerpt.  $19.95 | Paper | 114 pages | 6 X 9 | ISBN 0-940898-89-6

 

The HEATH Resource

 

http://www.heath.gwu.edu/   Center of The George Washington University - http://www.gwu.edu/ , Graduate School of Education and Human Development http://gsehd.gwu.edu/Home, is an online clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. Our website serves as an information exchange about educational support services, policies, procedures, adaptations, and opportunities at American campuses, vocational-technical schools, and other postsecondary training entities.
 

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.