NOD E-Newsletter - October 15, 2007FYI.
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From: National Organization on Disability
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Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:08 AM
Subject: NOD E-Newsletter - Monday, October 15, 2007
E-Newsletter - Monday, October 15, 2007
Welcome to the e-newsletter of the National Organization on Disability, bringing you the latest from www.nod.org!
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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is the foundation for continued efforts to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment as well as to expand employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Currently the Office of Disability Employment Policy provides national leadership for the month’s activities, joined by countless non-profits that aim to remove barriers and achieve equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities. This year's theme for the National Disability Employment Awareness Month is Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team!.
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Support NOD by Buying Heartfelt Charity Cards
For the sixth year in a row, NOD is a charitable partner of the Heartfelt Charity Card program. Heartfelt has been in business for over 15 years, providing high-quality greeting cards in support of a variety of social causes. Ten percent of the proceeds from sales of the holiday cards goes to NOD, and this contribution is recognized inside of each card you purchase. The cards are a great way for you to raise awareness of NOD's work and to let others know you support our efforts.
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National EmployAbility Partnership (NEP)
http://www.nod.org/employability
AW2 Careers Program Receives Funding from the Dallas Foundation
The National EmployAbility Partnership is proud to announce commitments from the TRIAD Fund of the Dallas Foundation in the amount of $414,857.00, and three years of support from the Meadows Foundation for space in its Wilson Historic District executive suites, to support the launch of our first Army Wounded Warrior (AW2) Careers program site in Dallas, Texas. AW2 Careers is a three-year, three-site demonstration that EmployAbility has undertaken in collaboration with the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior program to ensure that the most severely injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan productively engage in their careers after transitioning home from active duty. We are currently hiring a Career Specialist to begin providing career support to wounded soldiers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area beginning November 2007.
SOS Director Claude Schrader Presents at BLN Conference
Representing the National EmployAbility Partnership, Claude Schrader participated in the Youth-to-Work Coalition meeting at the 2007 the U.S. Business Leadership Network Annual Conference, “Building the New Workforce - Inclusion and Innovation.” As a member of a panel that showcased innovative business internships and student success stories, Mr. Schrader discussed EmployAbility’s Start on Success program, which helps high school students with disabilities transition into the workforce by providing paid internship to students in special education. For more information on Start on Success, visit www.startonsuccess.org.
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Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI)
http://www.nod.org/emergency
NOD's Emergency Preparedness Initiative to Conduct Trainings in the Gulf States
The National Organization on Disability’s Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI) and EAD & Associates will be deployed in late December of this year to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to deliver a four-hour training module to select state and local representatives of emergency management agencies, and disability advocacy groups and service providers. In a one-hour class, these selected state trainers will then brief residents with disabilities and members of their personal support network in their respective states on how to personally prepare at home, in the work place, and other venues they may frequent by providing each participant with the Emergency Readiness Wheel for People with Disabilities and using this tool as the focal point of the class. The Bush Clinton Katrina Project aims to reach out to 2,000 individuals in each of the three target states who have or are somehow related to individuals with disabilities, and to equip them with the necessary information they will need to survive both man-made and natural disasters.
If you know of anyone in the Gulf area who may be interested in training of this kind, please contact EPI at [log in to unmask]
Left High & Dry
Steve Donahue has lived without a lot of things. He lost his legs in 1984 due to a circulatory disease. His disability caused him to leave his job in the oil business. And then there was the home his grandfather built in Gentilly, flooded by 5 feet of water after Hurricane Katrina. Steve Donahue did what he was supposed to do: he elevated his flood-prone home. However, due to a change in FEMA rules regarding elevation grants, Steve's initiative will not pay off: his work will not be reimbursed, whereas others, who have yet to elevate their homes, will be able to receive grants.
World Institute on Disability and American Red Cross Partner to Provide Innovative Training to Better Assist Those With Disabilities
On Wednesday, October 10, the World Institute on Disability and the American Red Cross announced the creation of an innovative national training, awareness and action program to help Red Cross staff and volunteers better serve people with disabilities during disasters. The program will be funded through a $300,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation.
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Religion & Disability Program (R&DP)
http://www.nod.org/religion
Making the Tent Accessible
At a recent disabilities awareness summit held by Washington, DC's Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Rebecca Dubowe, a deaf rabbi, had a message for those who, perhaps unwittingly, have erected barriers preventing people with disabilities from fully participating in Jewish life. "We need your help to break down these barriers," said Dubowe to the summit participants, "We don't bite." NOD's Religion and Disability Program assisted in the planning of the summit, and program director Ginny Thornburgh was the Keynote Speaker.
Islamic View of Disabilities and Autism
In this posting from the American Muslim, Ustadha Zaynab Ansari, SunniPath Academy Teacher and mother of a child with autism, addresses the concerns of a fellow parent about how the Islamic faith views children with autism and other disabilities.
National Council of the Churches of Christ Endorses the Community Choice Act
At their recent annual meeting in Skokie, Illinois, the National Council of the Churches of Christ Committee on Disabilities, of which NOD's Religion and Disability Program is a member, endorsed the Community Choice Act of 2007 (S. 799/H.R. 1621). The Act will allow more persons with disabilities to make the choice to move from institutional care to lives of independence in their communities.
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Community Partnership Program (CPP)
http://www.nod.org/cpp
Call for Entries: 2007 Accessible America Award
NOD is calling on America’s mayors and chief elected officials to enter their communities in the seventh annual Accessible America awards competition, open to all U.S. cities and towns. The purpose of the competition is to highlight and inspire replication of best practices ideas in disability programs, services and initiatives as part of a yearlong celebration of NOD’s 25th anniversary.
To enter the competition, communities must submit an official Accessible America 2007 application signed by their mayor or chief elected official, describing how their city or town (or county representing unincorporated communities within its borders) provides opportunities for citizens with disabilities to participate fully in community life. Entries must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2007.
Accessible America Finalist Educates on Accessible Public Transport Signage and Materials
Previous NOD Accessible America finalist city, Bloomington, IN continues to be a leader in accessible transportation for people with disabilities. They will provide a free distance learning opportunity on making transit schedules, maps, signs, announcements, correspondence, and manuals accessible to customers with disabilities. Visit the Easter Seals Project Action site at http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_distance_learning to sign up and submit questions on this topic.
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World Committee on Disability
http://www.worldcommitteeondisability.org/cpp
United Nations Launches New and Improved Disability Web Site
The United Nations is pleased to announce that the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), has launched a new website: http://www.un.org/disabilities. The website in English is complete, while the new website in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Russian will be launched in early 2008. At the forefront of the web site is information on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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Other Disability News
New Online Community 'Disaboom.Com' Launched October 1
On October 1, Disaboom.Com, a new online community for those touched by a functional limitation or disability, was launched. Disaboom.com offers everything from features on health and living to world news, classifieds and social networking. Go to Disaboom.com to check out or post events in your area, read up on the latest medical news, write a review on the accessibility of businesses and restaurants or participate in a forum.
People with Disabilities Give Voting Machines Mixed Grades
On Thursday, October 4, some 60 people were trained at the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living in Wilkinsburg, PA to use new 'accessible' voting machines. These machines claim to have features designed to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The county began using the new machines last year and conducted the training to increase participation among voters with disabilities, who traditionally have very low turnout rates. The machines did not exactly receive rave reviews.
Judge Rules Web Site Must Comply With Disability Laws
A federal court issued a milestone ruling Tuesday against national retailer Target in an anti-discrimination lawsuit that originated in Berkeley last year. Target’s Web site must comply with both state and federal laws that mandate equal access for people with disabilities, ruled Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The laws already apply to the company’s physical locations.
Disability Advocates Push Disney World, SeaWorld to Allow Segways
For an increasing number of people with mobility disabilities, the Segway motorized scooter is replacing the wheelchair as their primary mode of transport. However, Segways are not allowed in some public areas, such as Florida's Disney World and SeaWorld, due to safety reasons. Segway advocates are intensifying their efforts to convince these parks to allow Segways. Much of the push is coming from an organization called Disability Rights Advocates for Technology, which raises money to donate Segways to American military veterans with disabilities.
Study Shows People with Disabilities Less Likely to be Online
Americans with disabilities and other chronic conditions are less likely to use the Internet, but those who are online are among the most avid consumers of health-related information, a new study finds. Half of those with chronic conditions use the Internet, compared with three-quarters of those without, says the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
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For more disability-related news stories, visit N.O.D's Disability News page.
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N.O.D.'s work is funded by your contributions.
Help support N.O.D.'s mission by donating by mail or online today. You can also urge your town, group or business to join one of our membership programs: the Community Partnership Program, the National Partnership Program, and the CEO Council.
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The National Organization on Disability encourages organizations to link to our homepage or specific items on our website. We will review requests for permission to repost or reprint articles on a case-by-case basis.
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The National Organization on Disability promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America's 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.
Feel free to forward this email to others who may be interested in it. They can register by visiting our E-Newsletter Web Page.
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