Senator Schumer and Senator Kohl are circulating this 'Dear Colleague' letter requesting that Section 811 be funded at $300 million in FY 2011 which would restore all of the Administration's proposed cut. The following Senators have already signed on: Brown (OH), Leahy, Lieberman, Levin, Wyden, Harkin, Casey, Nelson (FL), Stabenow, Menendez, Sanders and Gillibrand. NCIL asks you to contact your Senator and urge them to sign-on to this letter that will restore the funding cuts.
Please call by this coming Tuesday, April 20 and encourage your friends, family and coworkers to participate by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for your Senators this 'Dear Colleague' letter.
Ask to speak to the person working on housing issues
Identify yourself as a constituent and the organization that you represent (if any)
Message: "I am calling to urge (Senator __________) to support the 'Dear Colleague' letter written by Senator Schumer and Senator Kohl that will restore funding to Section 811.
Save the Date! Disability Pride Parade July 24, 2010
Find out more by visiting www.disabilityprideparade.com.
Op-Ed by Anita Cameron: Killing Children with Disabilities is Murder, Not Mercy!
Source: AssociatedContent, by Anita Cameron
The killing of children is a vile, reprehensible act, but there are some who believe that murdering children with disabilities is an act of mercy.
As someone born with severe disabilities, for which the highest expectation was to be institutionalized, I know that my parents could have quietly snuffed out my life, and in some circles, would have been seen as "heroes" for "ending my suffering".
I have read many heartbreaking stories of parents who took the lives of their children with disabilities and without fail someone would make excuses for that parent, saying that they were under stress due to the "burden" of raising a child with a severe disability. Yet, had that parent murdered their non-disabled child, that person would most likely be seen as a monster, not as someone who "loved" their child, and was doing what was "best" for him or her.
I learned early in life that I was considered a "burden", and there were clear differences in treatment between me and my twin sister, who is non-disabled. Some of my parents' friends were cruel enough to speak their thoughts to them in my presence, saying, "Why bother with her? Put her away, and be done with it. You have another child to consider". When I was ill (and that was often), they were encouraged, in some cases by doctors, to "let me go". Fortunately, my parents did not listen to that advice.
The heart of the matter is that society in general sees little or no value in the lives of children with disabilities. It is assumed that their lives are miserable, and that they will grow up to be burdens on society, living at the public's expense. It is easy to put forth the excuse that the child is "suffering" and will be "better off dead". Read More.
iPad Could Be a Beneficial Device for People with Disabilities
Source: RedOrbit
When it comes to high-tech gadgets like the iPad, most people see a sleek multi-media entertainment platform, but Prof Gregg Vanderheiden sees other potential possibilities for the new Apple touch-screen device.
Vanderheiden, director of the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, says the iPad could be an important tool for people with speech problems and other disabilities.
“Say you have somebody who's had a stroke, for example, and they wake up and they can't communicate… Instead of buying a 5,000-dollar communications aid you take out your iPad and download an app and -- bam! -- they can communicate,” he told AFP.
…There are many useful communications tools available for helping those with disabilities, “but they tend to run into the thousands of dollars, which can be prohibitive for a lot of people,” said Sheehan. The iPad can be turned into a very inexpensive communications tool that does the same job as many of the more expensive medical devices.
AssistiveWare is one company that has adapted communications applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Their “Proloquo2Go” app has been revamped to also work with the iPad and is available at Apple’s App Store for less than $200.00. Read More.
The term "mental retardation" will no longer be used in state statute. Instead, individuals with learning disabilities will be referred to as having an "intellectual disability" - under legislation Gov. Haley Barbour signed into law this month.
Senate Bill 3004 says the term "intellectual disability" is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual function and adaptive behavior that originates before the age of 18 and refers to persons who were, are and continue to be diagnosed with mental retardation.
The change in wording in Mississippi's code sections is part of a national push to put an end to the use of the word retard, Rogers said. The national Special Olympics took its "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign to cities across the nation in March.
Rep. Rita Martinson, R-Madison, sponsored the original legislation in the Mississippi House that led to the language change, though her bill was not the one lawmakers adopted. Martinson, a Special Olympics volunteer for the past 15 years, called the terminology "old and outdated." Read More.
Bill Looks to Curb Medicating Florida Foster Kids
Source: CBS4 South Florida News, by Lisa Cilli
Florida lawmakers are scheduled to discuss a measure Tuesday designed to curb the prescription of mental-health drugs to children in state care. Senate Bill 2718, also known as the Gabriel Myers Bill, would allow officials to more closely monitor the powerful psychiatric drugs dispensed to Florida foster care children.
The proposal is largely based on the findings of a task force formed after Gabriel locked himself in a bathroom and hung himself with a shower cord last April in his Margate foster home. Gabriel was on Seroquel, used to treat bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric drugs linked by federal regulators to potentially dangerous side effects, including suicide, but the risks may not have been adequately communicated to his foster parents. The drugs are not approved for use by young children. But doctors often prescribe them 'off-label,' for purposes for which the drugs have not been approved.
Sen. Ronda Storms (R)-Brandon, who filed the bill, said prescribed drugs have replaced talk therapy and are over-prescribed to subdue unruly children.
The proposed law would require the state Department of Children and Families to assign volunteer guardians to oversee each child's mental health care. It prohibits foster children from being the subject of clinical drug trials and raises the age at which children are allowed to take these drugs from 6 to 11 in many cases.
It would also give children some say in the drugs they take because it would require foster children to agree to the use of the psychiatric drugs and would require caseworkers to explain to children, in a manner they can understand, why the drugs are necessary and what risks they carry. Read More.
NYLN Webcast and Teleconference on Violence and Hate Crimes this Thursday
Spring is in the air, and the National Youth Leadership Network is preparing for our next webcast. This webcast will be titled "Violence and Hate Crimes Against People with Disabilities." There will be a panel of speakers discussing violence and how youth with disabilities often face this issue.
To register, please visit NYLN.org and click the link at the bottom. There is no cost to participate.
Date: Thursday, April 22 2010
Time: 7:00 pm EST, 6:00 pm CST, 5:00 pm MST, 4:00 PST, 2:00 pm Hawaii
Speakers: Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone, Director of Advocacy with the Autism Women's Network; Christine Wilk, Organizer with Feminist Response in Disability Activism (FRIDA); and
Nathan Say, long-time anti-violence disability activist and poet.
The National Alliance for Caregiving Seeking Family Caregivers of Veterans for a New Study
This study will provide an opportunity for family caregivers of Veterans to be heard and to improve services for other caregivers of Veterans now and in the future. If you are a family caregiver of a Veteran or know of one, and wish to take part in this study, please sign up at: www.gwsurvey.com/caregiversofveterans.html.
The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit research organization seeking participants for a new study of family caregivers of Veterans who need help with everday activities. This study is intended to determine how caregivers of these Veterans are coping, and what community and VA services, resources, and programs would support and assist them with their caregiving activities.
The study will collect information through focus groups, telephone interviews, and an Internet survey of caregivers of Veterans. The National Alliance for Caregiving is recruiting many family caregivers of Veterans from across the United States, and especially caregivers for the focus groups living in or near: San Diego, San Antonio, and Washington, DC. Cash incentives will be available for study participants and also Veterans who refer them to the study organizers.
Please contact Kathy Cameron at kathleen56@caregiving.org or 703-585-6607 for more information. For caregivers who do not have Internet access, the study sign up form is also available in a paper version to complete and return via regular mail. The Internet survey will also be available as a paper version. Read More.
April 19, 2010