AAPDnews_ a Quarterly Newsletter for AAPD Members

AAPDnews, a Quarterly Newsletter for AAPD Members Spring 2009 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 11 Page 12 Page 16 Community Choice, Act Now! Disability Included in Labor Statistics Amtrak Compliance Report Released AAPD Technology Beat Ask The Experts Disability Ball Getting to Know the President‟s Disability Advisor A Conversation with Kareem Dale PHOTO CAPTION Kareem Dale Kareem Dale is already making history. As Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, he is the most senior person ever named exclusively dedicated to disability issues. Dale, who has a visual disability, will have direct access to the President in this role, and he will coordinate the administration‟s efforts to see that people with disabilities are on a level playing field with all Americans. Originally from Chicago, Dale previously served as the disability director for the Obama for America campaign. He also served on the Arts Policy Committee and the Disability Policy Committee for then-Senator Obama. AAPD had an opportunity to have an informal conversation with Dale to find out a little more about the man and the path that has led him to his current position. As a native Chicagoan, you probably have a long history with President Obama. How did you come to know him? I came to know him in 1998 when I was president of the Black Law Students‟ Association at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At that time he was a state legislator. I asked him to come speak to our group and I‟ve known him ever since then What about the President caused you to become a passionate supporter, and ultimately, want to be a member of his team? Even back in that first speech he was talking about the same things that he talks about now – bringing about change for our country, opening up opportunities for all Americans, and not being divisive. As I got to know him better over the years, through his campaigns for Congress, the Senate and until today, I can tell you he really is the same person you see on TV. It‟s not political speak. He genuinely cares about people and he wants to improve the country. He‟s just a really good person and it just kind of drew me to work with him. My story of how I came to be involved in the campaign is evidence of the kind of person he is. You clearly worked hard to broaden the campaign’s reach. What has motivated you to become an advocate for the interests of Americans with disabilities? I am a person with a disability myself. And growing up as a person with a disability, you find you constantly have to prove yourself. It‟s never a foregone conclusion that you can do the job and you‟re always being doubted. It‟s something that you have to struggle with. That gets old. So when you grow up like that, and you understand those struggles that people with disabilities have to go through on a daily basis just to get to work and survive, it creates in you an ingrained sense of what to do to help out folks. PHOTO: Kareem Dale (third from left) joined Vice President Biden for a visit to the Winter Special Olympics site at Boise State University in February. Biden announced Dale‟s appointment as Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy at the event. White House photo by Sharon Farmer. What does your role now entail? What is a typical day like for you? (Laughs) The typical day looks like no typical day. Things are constantly changing. But my position is a twofold role: I sit in the Office of Public Liaison, and I sit in the Office of Domestic Policy Council working on disability issues. The Office of Public Liaison is basically the public‟s door to the White House. We help set up meetings, we let the community know what‟s going on in the White House, and we‟re responsible for inviting people to events, executive order signings, things like that where we‟ve had people with disabilities present. So that‟s a public outreach role. On the policy side, I work closely with others on disability policy. But in a broader sense I work with disability issues for the administration. I‟m pretty much involved with anything that relates to meeting the needs of people with disabilities here. It was announced that Professor Paul Miller, a former EEOC Commissioner, will be playing a role in helping to ensure that people with disabilities will be well represented in positions within the administration. Former congressman Tony Coelho, a primary author and sponsor of the ADA and current AAPD vice chair, is also assisting with advancing disability interests and hires. How is their expertise and experience helping you with this process? Well, really I‟m helping them. They are working hard on the personnel side. Paul and I work closely together on the inside. I let him know my perspectives, what areas should be priorities for the administration, and we are in regular communication about what‟s going on. Tony, from the outside, is working very hard to help identify and provide Paul and I with candidates. It‟s been a very good partnership in terms of trying to identify, as President Obama has said, the „best and the brightest‟ to drive his vision for the country. The ADA became law right as you were a young adult. What impact did that have on you as a young man with a visual disability facing college and the options of life before you? You know, I was aware of it, of course, but because I was just going into college and had so much to do I wasn‟t that much of a student of the process of what was going on with ADA. But as I matriculated through the Tennessee School for the Blind and on to the University of Illinois, I experienced great support and many specialized services, and I imagine a lot was due to the ADA‟s passage. The University of Illinois has a full resource center and my college experience was just a phenomenal one. I certainly would not have been as productive as I was without those rights that the ADA set down and enforced. Have you had a chance to take a breath and reflect about the events of the past two years yet? Yeah, I actually have, between the campaign to the transition and starting here. I often tell people that when I left the law firm I worked for in Chicago my dream was to start my own law firm. I accomplished that and it was very rewarding to do so, and that was living my dream. 2 Then the President asked me to come work for him on the campaign. So then I realized, okay, I have a new dream. Two years ago I could never have imagined myself sitting in the White House today working for the President in this position. How can people find out more about the administration’s positions on the disability issues that affect their lives? There is a “Disabilities” link on the front page at www.whitehouse.gov. But, our focus here is for integration and inclusion so people with disabilities are not just out in a silo. If you look up education you‟ll see information for people with disabilities. You can look on the healthcare tab and you‟ll find resources on Medicare and Medicaid and other issues of direct interest. So we‟re working hard for true integration. 2009 AAPD Leadership Gala PHOTO CAPTION Actor Robert David Hall of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” fame shared the role of emcee with The Honorable Tony Coehlo at the 2009 AAPD Leadership Gala. See complete story on Page 8. Economic Stimulus What Does it Mean to the Disability Community? The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama in February 2009. You can find a summary of how this new law will impact disabilityspecific programs on page 7. Message to Members Community Choice, Act Now! PHOTO CAPTION Andrew J. Imparato Dear Members: On March 24, I had the opportunity to participate in a national webcast/teleconference organized by our friends at ADAPT marking the introduction of the Community Choice Act (S 683/HR 1670), a critical piece of legislation that will put an end to the shameful institutional bias in the Medicaid program in our country. Three of the bill‟s bipartisan champions, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL), were on hand to fire up the room. After her eloquent statement, ADAPT Denver activist Dawn Russell led a call-and-response with the overflow crowd of orange-shirted supporters in the room and hundreds listening in around the country, with half the room chanting “Community Choice!” and the other half chanting “Act Now!” That is exactly the message that we need to be delivering to Congress and the administration over the next several weeks as they accelerate their work on health care reform. The Community Choice Act, which has been pending in Congress under different names for more than 15 years, would modernize the Medicaid program by requiring states to offer community-based supports for Medicaid-eligible individuals who need long-term services and supports and want to stay in or return to their homes and communities. Currently, every state 3 that receives Medicaid is required by law to provide nursing facility services, but communitybased services are left as a state option. In this fiscal climate, many states have underinvested in home and community-based care, even though the vast majority of people who need those services would prefer to receive them at home. As Dr. Mitch LaPlante noted at the event, the states and the federal government would be in position to save money over the long-term because it is more cost-effective to provide these kinds of services and supports in the community when compared to the cost of care in nursing homes and other institutional settings. Perhaps more importantly, as Sen. Harkin noted, people with disabilities have a fundamental right under the Constitution not to be forced to be segregated in institutions because of backward policies at the federal and state levels. If we are truly committed to equality of opportunity, full participation and independent living, then now is the time to make that commitment real by giving people a real choice in where they receive the kinds of services and supports that they need. President Obama noted on the campaign trail repeatedly that he supports the Community Choice Act, a bill that he co-sponsored when he was in the Senate. Our message to the president and to the Congress as they craft health care reform legislation in the coming weeks is simple: Health care reform will not work for our community if it does not include long-term services and supports as part of it. The Community Choice Act and the Community Living Attendant Services and Supports Act (a bill championed by Sen. Kennedy that would create a new funding stream for community-based long-term services and supports and help people avoid having to impoverish themselves to qualify for services) are two great pieces of legislation that will give people real choices in the community and should be part of the overall health care reform effort. I encourage you to write, call and visit your members of Congress, write letters to the editor and op-eds for your local papers, and show up at the many health reform-themed town hall meetings that will play out over the coming weeks and months. Make clear to our elected officials that disabled people have waited long enough for this change. Now is the time to end our country‟s shameful institutional bias and provide real choice for anyone who needs longterm services and supports at any age. Working together with ADAPT, the National Council on Independent Living, Self Advocates Empowered, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, the interfaith community, the seniors community, allies in the labor movement and the women‟s movement, we can get this bill passed in this session of Congress. For more information on the bill, go to www.AAPD.com. We made history last year with the ADA Amendments Act. Let‟s do it again with the Community Choice Act! Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD President and CEO New Numbers Show Extent of Unemployment in Our Community In February 2009, the Department of Labor‟s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported official employment data about people with disabilities for the first time. In June 2008, six questions about disability were permanently added to the Current Population Survey (CPS), and DOL began gathering the data. 4 The CPS is a monthly voluntary interview survey of 60,000 households that the federal government uses to estimate employment data. The CPS identifies the percentage of the population that is in the labor force, which includes people who are employed and people who are unemployed. Numbers released for February indicated the percent of people with disabilities in the workforce was 23 percent, compared to 70.9 percent of people without disabilities. As defined in the CPS, employment includes persons who did any work as paid employees, worked in their own business or farm, worked at least 15 hours as unpaid workers in a family business, or who did not work but had a job from which they were temporarily absent (due to illness, suspension or not needed at the time of reporting, and other reasons). Data for employment includes persons who work in sheltered workshops and similar work settings. The employment rate is the ratio of the employed to the population. In March, 13.1 percent of people with disabilities were unemployed, as compared to 8.9 percent of people without disabilities. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities in February was 14 percent, compared to the unemployment rate of 8.7 percent of people without disabilities. People who are unemployed are people who did not work in the prior week and who were available for work (except for temporary illness) and who made specific, active efforts to find work during the prior 4 weeks, as well as people on temporary layoff. The data is on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site at http://stats.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htm. What Defines Disability Under the Survey? If an interviewee answered “yes” to the following questions when representatives from the government called as part of the unemployment survey, the household was categorized as having someone with a disability. Responders were asked the following: “This month we want to learn about people who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer for household members who are 15 years old or over. Yes or No - Is anyone Deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing? - Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? - Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? - Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? - Does anyone have a serious difficulty dressing or bathing? - Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor‟s office or shopping?” The People of AAPD Sarah Peterson Finds Perfect Match Moderating Justice For All Network PHOTO CAPTION Sarah Peterson During a two-year stint as a high school special education teacher in Miami, Florida, Sarah Peterson heard students, teachers and administrators regularly stereotype and deride students with disabilities. This experience, along with what she witnessed growing up with an older brother with Down syndrome, made it clear to her that discrimination, deprivation and 5 exploitation of people with disabilities were ingrained in both the school system and society as a whole. Peterson moved to the nation‟s capital to address the myriad injustices faced by people with disabilities, and joined AAPD as an organizer in the fall of 2008. As an organizer, she works closely with Jim Dickson to support AAPD‟s cross-disability coalitions working on voter registration and mobilization around the country. When the position opened to moderate the Justice For All (JFA) network recently, Peterson was clearly the right person to take the reins. JFA is AAPD‟s free service that shares disability news and issues calls to action in the form of email newsletters and action alerts. JFA is central to AAPD‟s mission of organizing the disability community to be a powerful force for change – politically, economically, and socially. “Being relatively new to the national political scene of the disability movement, the number and diversity of disability organizations and the quantity of vital work they accomplish both surprised and impressed me,” she says. “There are so many disability activists out there doing such great work, and people need to hear about them. I am lucky to have the power to celebrate what they do and contribute to their success by connecting them with each other through JFA.” Peterson also moderates the JFActivist Blog, a cross-disability source of news and original columns, where advocates are encouraged to submit comments on issues and events that affect their lives, to motivate others to take action, and to share in victories. If you have not already signed up to receive the free Justice For All email, simply submit your email address in the box on the bottom right of the home page at www.AAPD.com. Amtrak Releases ADA Station Compliance Report PHOTO OF Amtrak Report In February, Amtrak released its long-awaited “Report on Accessibility and Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).” The ADA requires all intercity train stations (other than flag stops) to be readily accessible to individuals with disabilities by July 26, 2010. Amtrak reports that as of October 1, 2008, only 48 of the 481 stations they are responsible for are 100 percent compliant with the ADA. According to Amtrak, planning, design and construction work is underway at another 100 stations in 30 states to improve ADA compliance and customer service. Amtrak asserts it can only reach what it refers to as “practicable compliance” with the ADA by September 30, 2015 and asks the federal government for at least $250 million more in funds for this purpose. The Amtrak report can be found at www.AAPD.com/TTPI/amtrak.html. Justice For All - It‟s Easy to Subscribe! Visit www.AAPD.com and enter your e-mail address in the sign up box on the home page. 6 A CLOSER LOOK Economic Stimulus What Does it Mean to the Disability Community? The following is a list compiled by the Disability Policy Collaborative, a partnership of The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy, of disability-specific programs and the amount of increased spending they will receive from the time the bill is enacted through 2010: HEALTH Medicaid: An $87 billion increase in the Federal government‟s share of Medicaid spending (FMAP) which runs from October 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. 65 percent of the funds will be given to all states. 35 percent will be used for additional payments (in the form of a decrease in a state‟s match) for states with high unemployment rates. Each state will receive a “base” 6.2 percent increase. A state-specific analysis can be accessed at www.cbpp.org/21309sfp.htm. There is a “maintenance of effort” requirement which prohibits states from changing eligibility. However, there is NO maintenance of effort provision for benefits or services. COBRA: 65 percent premium subsidy for nine months. Prevention and Wellness: $1 billion to prevent chronic diseases and to increase immunization programs. NIH Biomedical Research: $10 billion for increased research. EDUCATION Special Education: $11.3 billion for the IDEA State Grant Program, $500 million for the IDEA Part C Early Intervention Program, and $400 million for the pre-school program. SOCIAL SECURITY Supplemental Security Income (SSI): A one-time emergency payment of $250 to people who receive SSI, Social Security, disabled veterans, and other selected benefits. Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability Backlog and Claims: $500 million to help the SSA reduce the processing time for claims and appeals decisions. Social Security Administration Modernization: $500 million to replace the antiquated National Computer Center. EMPLOYMENT Vocational Rehabilitation (VR): $540 million for Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants. Unemployment Insurance: Funding is provided to modernize the unemployment compensation program, to add $25 to the weekly benefit, to continue the current up to 33 weeks of extended benefits through December 31, 2009, and to temporarily suspend federal income tax on the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits per recipient for 2009. Job Training: $500 million for adult, $1.2 billion for youth services. INDEPENDENT LIVING Centers for Independent Living: $140 million to assist people with disabilities live in their communities. 7 HOUSING Public Housing Capital Fund: $4 billion for building repair and modernization, $250 million for a new program to fund energy retrofits of Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities, Section 202 for the Elderly and Project Based Section eight units to make them energy efficient. HUD will publish a Notice of Funding Availability shortly announcing details of the program. HOME Investment Partnerships: $2.25 billion with $2 billion targeted to fill gaps in approved Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects and jump start these stalled projects. Community Development Block Grant: $1 billion to support housing and services to help hardpressed localities. Community Services Block Grant: $1 billion for housing, food, employment and health care to serve areas hardest hit by the recession. Neighborhood Stabilization: $2 billion for communities to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed, vacant properties to create more affordable housing. Home Weatherization: $5 billion to weatherize homes of low income households to reduce energy costs. CHILD CARE AND HEAD START Child Care Development Block Grant: $2 billion to serve an additional 300,000 children in low income working families. $93.6 million is targeted to improve infant and toddler care. Head Start: $2.1 billion to provide services to 110,000 children. More information may be found at: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 at http://thomas.loc.gov/ Conference report 111-16 is archived at www.conferencereport. gpoaccess.gov 2009 AAPD LEADERSHIP GALA 2009 AAPD Leadership Gala Showcases Leaders PHOTO CAPTION Ted Kennedy, Jr. read an emotionally-moving letter from his father to Paralympic sailor and Hearne award recipient Maureen McKinnon-Tucker. PHOTO CAPTION Jeffrey Crowley, Director of Office of National AIDS Policy for the Obama administration, who also works on disability policy for the administration, addressed the crowd early in the program. It was an evening for celebrating leaders in the disability community - those who work to make a difference and whose passion and achievements inspire others to lead. AAPD‟s 2009 Leadership Gala, held March 4 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, brought together more than 450 of AAPD‟s members and friends to honor Paul G. Hearne Award winners Stephanie Enyart, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker and Victor Santiago Pineda. 8 Actor and disability activist Robert David Hall, who plays coroner Dr. Al Robbins on CBS‟s “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and is the chairman of Screen Actors Guild‟s National Performers with Disabilities Committee, and The Honorable Tony Coelho, the former Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, an author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and AAPD board Vice Chair, co-emceed the event. “There is nothing more important to the future of our community than leaders who inspire the next generation of our movement,” Coelho told the audience. Director of Office of National AIDS Policy Jeffrey Crowley, who also works on disability policy for the administration, spoke to the crowd about the administration‟s health care goals, and how they relate to the disability community. This year‟s three winners were leaders in three very different areas including athletics, law, and communications and media. But it was clear their goals are common in seeking equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities. Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) presented Stephanie Enyart, who co-founded the first organization for law students with disabilities and served as its president, with the first award of the evening. “It is time for our community to build an institution that will cultivate and support the next generation of lawyers with disabilities,” said Enyart, who also said her award was for all disabled lawyers and law students. The second award was presented by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) to Victor Santiago Pineda, who uses his work with the media as a documentarian to shape policy to educate and inform the public. Pineda‟s current project, The Disability Media Initiative, will create a web based, accessible interactive history of the disability community. “(Decision makers) can use these archives to make decisions that reflect an understanding of our needs,” Pineda said. “We need to continue to speak up, and speak loud. We‟re disabled, we‟re proud. We are one America.” Many attendees commented after the program that they were particularly moved when Massachusetts resident Maureen McKinnon-Tucker was honored for her leadership in the athletic world as a gold-medal winning Paralympic sailor and sailing instructor for people with disabilities. She was given her award in an emotional presentation by AAPD Board Secretary Ted Kennedy, Jr., who read Maureen a letter from his father, Sen. Ted Kennedy. In the letter the elder Kennedy stated “…I can also certainly relate to your love of sailing. I‟ve always found the sea to be a great place of joy. I especially commend you for sharing with others your love of sailing through your work at the Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston. Well done, Maureen, you‟ve made Massachusetts proud.” Lead Sponsor Wal-Mart and Partner Sponsor American Airlines, along with more than 70 corporate sponsors who made gifts and donated their services to the event, helped raise more than $615,000, a considerable accomplishment considering the current economic climate. The event, which is AAPD‟s largest fundraiser, also garnered 17 new sponsors. AAPD especially thanks Graceful Flowers by Patricia (www.gracefulflowers.net) for their generous donation of roses and floral centerpieces to AAPD‟s gala. 9 The audience was also entertained by legendary R&B singer Sam Moore who rocked the crowd during the middle of the program with a rousing rendition of “America the Beautiful,” and closed out the night‟s festivities with music that made some join in dancing and clapping. Moore‟s participation was made possible by the Recording Industry Association of America. To see more photos from the event, visit the Gala photo gallery at www.AAPD.com. PHOTO CAPTION “Soul Man” singer Sam Moore presented a rousing set of memorable hits as the star entertainer at the event. Major Gala Sponsors “The American Association of People with Disabilities is a powerful and important voice in the legislative landscape and beyond. This organization continues to be a crucial partner for WalMart as we work to create greater opportunities for our associates and customers with disabilities. As AAPD expands membership and program capacity, Wal-Mart is committed to working alongside this organization in order to affect change.” Susan Chambers, Executive Vice President - People, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “The members of the National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA) are extremely proud to be among the many supporters of the American Association of People with Disabilities. The AAPD has earned the reputation as the Nation‟s preeminent organization working to represent the political, economic and social interests of the millions of Americans with disabilities. The structured settlements industry works with injured victims and their families every day to help establish an economically secure future based on trust and dignity. Our professional relationship with the AAPD has made the structured settlements industry stronger and wiser.” Eric Vaughn, Director of Government Affairs, NSSTA Gala Sponsor Announces New Ad Award An exciting new advertising award created by AAPD and American Airlines, honoring companies producing television ads showing positive depictions of people with disabilities, was announced by American Airlines Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey at the Leadership Gala. The contest will kick off at AAPD‟s Justice For All anniversary event July 22, and companies and advertising agencies will be able to submit their commercials through a dedicated Web site hosted by American Airlines. The winning entry will be chosen by a panel and will be shown for a month on American Airlines flights as part of the airline‟s on-board entertainment package. “We‟re excited about the contest, but more importantly, we are very grateful to the AAPD .for the work you do on behalf of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors with disabilities.” Gerard Arpey, Chairman and CEO, American Airlines MEMBER PROFILE Event Pro Stays in the Game Supporting AAPD PHOTO CAPTION DJ Mackovets stands in front of the 2000 Spirit of ADA Torch Relay van 10 When DJ Mackovets was an undergraduate at the University of Kansas he envisioned a career in public relations and marketing. “It wasn‟t long before I was bitten by the „event bug‟ and I never looked back,” he remembers. Mackovets, an Atlanta resident, has held senior-level planning and operations positions with a wide array of events. These include Olympic and Paralympic Games, three Super Bowls, two U.S. Olympic Festivals, two NCAA Men‟s and Women‟s Final Fours, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, World University Games, Goodwill Games, and many other national and regional events. Overseeing operations of the Georgia International Horse Park used for both the Olympic and Paralympic competitions in Atlanta in 1996 provided Mackovets with an understanding of the importance of the ADA in practice. “It was a huge challenge to make a 1,400 acre facility for mountain biking and equestrian competition accessible, not only for spectators but also for the participants in the Paralympic dressage events that followed the Olympics,” he notes. “It was worth the effort.” Despite holding all of the high profile positions and witnessing many special moments, he says his most emotional experience has been co-producing the Spirit of ADA Torch Relay, the 25 city tour hosted nationally by AAPD in 2000 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passage of the ADA. “I had memorable and inspiring experiences while directing two previous event torch relays, but this one provided me with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment when it was done,” he says. “It was an honor to serve and witness so many diverse people asserting their rights and human dignity in such a demonstrable way.” Mackovets has remained an AAPD member because of the organization‟s impact in addressing disability rights issues. “My membership is a small way to be personally counted and show I support their work to overcome challenges,” he explains. “It‟s like if you don‟t vote, you don‟t have a right to complain about things. Well, if you don‟t participate where you can, then you can‟t affect change.” AAPD TECHNOLOGY BEAT COAT NEW TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY BILL LIKELY Last year, Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act to update the Communications Act to provide greater accessibility and usability of telephone and television systems for people with hearing and vision disabilities. AAPD expects a similar measure to be introduced this spring and is lobbying both the House and Senate to secure a similar bill in this Congress. Sign a petition to support this effort at www.coataccess.org. DIGITAL TV TRANSITION DELAY MAY HELP PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES The February 17 digital TV transition date saw about 640 stations change over to broadcasting digital signals only. Another 1,100 stations should make the switch by June 12, 2009, after a delay was requested by President Obama. The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) – of which AAPD is a founding and steering committee member – supports the President‟s call for the delay due to a myriad of problems for consumers with disabilities, such as garbling and loss of required 11 captioning, lack of pass-through of available video description, troubles with hook-up of digital TV equipment, expiration of converter box coupons, and frustration in attempts to resolve concerns when contacting TV programming providers, equipment manufacturers and retailers. For help with the digital TV transition, call toll-free (800) 225-5322, or TTY (888) 835-5322. BROADBAND, HIGH SPEED INTERNET AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Studies show that Americans with disabilities use the Internet half as much as those without disabilities. With so many working-age people with disabilities unemployed or underemployed, it is crucial to have affordable, universal access to broadband at home. Those without high speed Internet access at home must use public computers and contend with transportation challenges and, often, inaccessible locations. AAPD is working to ensure that disability needs are addressed in the development of any national policy and projects for broadband, and in spending of any broadband stimulus funds. In collaboration with the Communications Workers of America, we have produced a summary document, “High Speed Internet and People With Disabilities.” You can access this and policy information at www.AAPD.com/TTPI/AAPD_ CWA_High_Speed_Internet_ Access_PDF.pdf and at www.AAPD.com/TTPI/ Broadband_Policies_and__PWDs _by_Jenifer_Simpson.pdf DISABILITY CONCERNS ADDRESSED IN ONLINE EMERGENCY RESPONSE CURRICULUM An emergency management Web-based training program has been developed by AAPD in partnership with the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN), a project of Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. This self-paced, Web-based training will increase public awareness about challenges that people with various functional needs, including those with disabilities, face during disasters and will examine the needs gaps in emergency plans. The pilot should launch in late spring and aims to raise the awareness of emergency responders about the needs of the disability community before emergencies happen. More at www.cepintdi.org. AAPD press release at www.AAPD.com/ Communications/2008emergency mgmt.html For more information about Technology Beat items, contact Jenifer Simpson at JSimpson@AAPD.com. Ask The Experts: The Place for Answers Air Travel Accessibility Rules PHOTO CAPTION James Weisman AAPD Board member James Weisman is senior vice president and general counsel of United Spinal Association. He is also a founding member of the AAPD Board of Directors and has served as its chairman. He was a key negotiator with members of Congress in drafting and supporting the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In 2004, he was presented with the Universal Accessible Transportation Award by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. Where can I find the current rules concerning air travel and accessibility? 12 The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) prevents both domestic and foreign airlines from discriminating against people with disabilities. You can download the Accessible Air Travel document in .pdf format on the United Spinal Website at www.unitedspinal.org/ disabilitypublications-resources/disabilitypublications/. Complaints should be emailed to airconsumer@ost.dot.gov. Can I take my own portable oxygen tank on the plane? No. Portable compressed oxygen is considered hazardous material; however, the air carrier may permit the passenger to carry a portable oxygen concentrator approved for use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Some airlines provide oxygen to passengers for a fee but are not required to do so. You must check with the airline before you purchase your ticket to understand your options. Can I bring my service animal with me on the plane? Yes. Airlines are required to permit dogs and other service animals to accompany disabled passengers. The airline is permitted to ask for evidence that the animal is a service animal and not merely a pet. This could include a service animal ID card or other written documentation, the presence of harnesses or markings on harnesses, or credible verbal assurances by the individual with disability using the animal. The service animal may not obstruct an aisle or other area that must remain clear during an emergency. What types of boarding assistance must airlines provide to passengers with mobility impairments? Airlines must provide personnel, ground wheelchairs, boarding wheelchairs and ramps or mechanical lifts. Level entry boarding platforms or accessible mobile lounges must be used if available. When level entry boarding devices (jet bridges) are not available airlines can use ramps, lifts and other devices. Boarding assistance is not required on planes with fewer then 19 seats. Airline personnel are trained to assist with transferring and lifting from wheelchair to boarding chair and boarding chair to aircraft seat. Passengers should tell personnel how they would like to be transferred if they cannot transfer themselves. Passengers may bring a sliding board to assist the transfer. What are the rules concerning electric wheelchairs? Carriers must accept collapsible battery powered wheelchairs as carry-on baggage on the same terms as those for manual wheelchairs. If there is no room for the power wheelchair and its non-spill battery to be stored on board, it is stored in the baggage compartment. If a wheelchair must be taken apart for storage the passenger may provide directions on how to disassemble and reassemble the chair. Under no circumstances may airlines drain wheelchair batteries. DISABILITY VOTE PROJECT Election Day Registration Helps Turn Out Disabled Voters One of the most potent tools for increasing voter turnout of people with disabilities has been demonstrating its effectiveness where it has been in use – at the polls. Election Day registration, (also known as same-day voter registration) allows eligible voters to register at the same time they vote. 13 Election Day registration is currently employed in some form in ten states, according to AAPD‟s Vice President for Government Affairs Jim Dickson, and turnout has been consistently 10 to 12 percent higher than states without it. Dickson, who directs AAPD‟s Disability Vote Project (DVP), asserts that registration at the polls would eliminate many traditional barriers, including the necessity for people who have difficulty with transportation to make multiple trips to participate. “People with disabilities who are institutionalized in nursing homes or group homes often have limited access to van or shuttle service,” he explains. “This is compounded by the lack of oversight by personnel to ensure that all have the opportunity to register, which is a violation of the agency requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.” Dickson, who recently testified before the Washington, DC Council Board of Elections and Ethics Investigation Special Committee to represent the disability community‟s strong support for changing the registration laws in the District, also points out that blind and low-literacy populations are at a disadvantage because in many areas registration reminders and forms sent through the mail are inaccessible to them. “More people with disabilities will vote if they can register at the polls,” Dickson concludes. He points out that disabled voter turnout in Wisconsin increased 19 percent between the 2000 and 2004 election. “This jump can be attributed to the fact that Wisconsin has Election Day registration,” says Dickson. Some critics have suggested that same-day registration would increase voter fraud, but Dickson says the opposite has been true where it has been employed. According to Dickson, the reasons for this include: At polling places, election officials are trained and motivated to prevent erroneous registrations more than employees at some advance-registration agencies (such as departments of motor vehicles). In-person voter registration identification and authentication is more reliable than the current mail-in forms only requiring a signature. Additional resources can be found at http://archive.demos.org/page18.cfm. For more information about AAPD‟s Disability Vote Project, visit our Web site or email vote@AAPD.com. Helpful Publications about ADHD and Education Available For the estimated 2.5 million children in this country who exhibit behaviors associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), there are frequently difficulties with academics and forming relationships with peers if appropriate instructional methodologies and interventions are not implemented. The Department of Education‟s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSER) offers two popular publications that address the important issues related to the instruction of children with ADHD. “Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home” and “Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices” are helpful resources for parents, teachers and others who are committed to ensuring the academic success of children with ADHD. 14 To obtain a .pdf or text version of these documents, please visit, www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/ pubs/adhd. Economic Realities for People with Disabilities Susanne M. Bruyère, Melissa J. Bjelland, Ph.D., Cornell University A question high in the minds of disability-interested people is how recessions will impact the economic well-being of people with disabilities. Experience from past recessions suggests that people with disabilities may be more likely than other workers to lose their jobs, be unable to find new jobs during a recession, and be the last to be hired when conditions improve. Since 1980, recessions have occurred in 1-2-year cycles during 1980-1982, 1990-1991, 20012003, and 2007 to the present. Time series trends of the employment, poverty and household income rates of working-age (21-64) people with disabilities give us insights into periods of economic downturn. Data suggest that significant consideration of the effect of recessions and proactive intervention need to occur to try to mitigate and minimize how people with disabilities are disparately impacted. A consistent definition of disability from the Current Population Survey (CPS) provides yearly information on the working-age population with disabilities. The figure above illustrates the trend in the employment rates of people with disabilities compared to their non-disabled peers from 1981-2008. In March, 2008, the employment rate of people with disabilities was 18 percent compared to 80 percent for people without disabilities. This is well below the peak of 29 percent in 1989. As we look over this almost 30-year trend in employment rates, an ever-widening gap between the relative employment rates of people with disabilities and their nondisabled peers is apparent. The downward slope of the employment ratio indicates that, once lost, people with disabilities have difficulty regaining ground in the labor force. These data reveal the serious economic consequences of a recession period for people with disabilities. It is therefore imperative that people with disabilities are included in any and all plans for economic recovery, including job creation, training opportunities, and job placement services. Only with targeted efforts for inclusion will people with disabilities have an equitable opportunity for returning to economic self-sufficiency in these troubled times. The CPS asks the work limitation question: “Does anyone in this household have a health problem or disability which prevents them from working or which limits the kind or amount of work that they can do?” I For further information see Bjelland, M., Burkhauser, R., & Houtenville, A. (2008). 2008 Progress Report on the Economic Well-Being of Working-Age People with Disabilities. Ithaca, NY: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities, funded by the USDE National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (Grant No. H133B040013) at http://digital commons.ilr.cornell.edu/ edicollect/1254/. GRAPH Tend in Employment Rates of the Working Age Population, March 1981-2008 15 Gala Artist Describes Career as an “Experiment in Accommodation” PHOTO CAPTION “Self Portrait” by Daniel Evans Each year, AAPD‟s Creative Horizons Art Contest selects the artwork to be featured on the cover of our Leadership Gala program. The 2009 recipient, Daniel Evans of Monesson, Pennsylvania, has been applying his craft in both the commercial world of book and magazine illustration as well as portrait, landscape and abstract painting for more than 30 years. Ironically, he says his battle with chronic cluster headaches has led him to proficiency in both fine art and graphic design. “If it was not for the cluster headaches, I do think I would have tried to combine the preliminary design work for my paintings using computer technology, then transferring the design to canvas to facilitate the artistic process,” he explains. “Since my time is limited between headaches, the computer allows me to speed up the design process so I can concentrate on my painting technique in acrylic and casein tempera.” “It has been such an experiment in accommodation,” Evans continues. “Any affliction or disability can either be an asset or a detriment to an artist in his quest to apply his craft in a meaningful manner. However, it is also an intellectual challenge to come up with new and creative measures to compensate for it.” More information and samples of his artwork can be found online at www.designartz.com. Disability Ball The first Disability Power and Pride Inaugural Ball, held January 18 at the National Press Club, attracted 1,000 attendees from all over the U.S. to celebrate the inauguration. AAPD Vice Chair The Honorable Tony Coelho emceed the event and chaired the planning committee, and some AAPD staff members were involved in planning and promoting the event. Coelho is leading the Disability Power and Pride Committee that will plan activities with political leaders with the goal of raising the profile of the disability community as an organized political constituency. Visit www.disabilitypower andpride.org. AAPD Headquarters is Moving Up! The AAPD Washington, DC, office is moving to the 9th floor of the Davis Building, effective May 1. AAPD Headquarters 1629 K Street NW #950 Washington, DC 20006 AAPD Member Services: 18 Harvard Drive Milford, MA 01757-1208 To request an alternate format, call Member Services: (866) 241-3200 (toll-free V/TTY) AAPDnews Editor: Del Moon aapdeditor@gmail.com AAPD Web site: www.AAPD.com 16