On Target

 Informing Indiana About Disability Issues

On Target is a monthly publication of the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities.

We welcome your suggestions for newsletter content and ideas concerning the actions of the Council. On Target is made available in accessible formats upon request.

Suellen Jackson-Boner
Executive Director

Christine Dahlberg
Associate Director

Paul Shankland
Grants Manager

Legislature passes budget bill in special session
O'Bannon restores some CHOICE funding

Disability advocates are concerned about House Bill (HB) 1001, the budget bill passed at the end of this summer's special session. While it overhauled the state tax system and included provisions to repair the budget crisis, the bill did not restore any funding to human services or special education. More importantly, many advocates predict additional cuts and higher taxes are on the way.

Gov. O'Bannon, to win legislative support for HB 1001, promised legislators that after passage of the bill he would restore $4.7 million in funding for CHOICE, as well as funding for other essential human service programs. According to the Family and Social Services Administration, that promise has been kept.

Although the bill is expected to generate more than $800 million each year, it isn't enough to cover the budget shortfall - making future cuts and higher taxes a very real possibility.

Key components of the bill include:

• Raises renter's deduction from $2,000 to $2,500
• Increases state Homestead Tax Credit from 10 to 20 percent
• Raises cigarette tax from 15.5 to 55.5 cents per pack and gasoline tax from 15 to 18 cents per gallon
• Allows dockside gambling
• Eliminates inventory tax over a five-year period
• Decreases homeowner property taxes by an average of 12.8 percent
• Creates state and local government spending caps tied to personal income growth

State and local government spending caps could have a negative impact on human services because higher spending in one department might decrease the budget of another department, said Cris Fulford, ATTAIN executive director and COVOH director of governmental affairs/public policy.

Nevertheless, Fulford said the new tax structure - designed to increase economic growth - will have an indirect, positive impact on people with disabilities. As the economy grows, she said, more revenue will be available to fund human services programs.

Overall, the bill has not affected advocates' legislative agenda."For everyone who's been working on this, the big push is still toward home and community-based care services," Fulford said. "The state can't continue to spend the money it's spending on institutional care, especially when individuals want to live in the community and it's more cost-effective for them to do so."

Personal stories can become advocacy tool

To show legislators the real people behind the budget cuts, the Indiana Coalition of Human Services is gathering personal stories of how budget cuts have affected those served by health and human service programs. Send stories to Clara Anderson, c/o Indiana Coalition of Human Services, 3901 N. Meridian St., Suite 306, Indianapolis, IN 46208. Or fax to (317) 921-1397.

Use caution when seeking health information online

Americans may be too trusting of the health advice they find online, according to a recent report. Only a quarter said they follow the recommended procedures for checking the accuracy of health-related information.

The "Vital Decisions" report, released in May by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, found that 62 percent of Internet users have gone online for health information.

To verify online health information, the Medical Library Association and California HealthCare Foundation offer the following guidelines:

• Skip the search engine. Instead, start with a site recommended by your healthcare provider or included in the following list.
• wCheck to see who sponsors the site. Make sure it is designed to offer information, not sell a product.
• Medical information is always changing. Make sure the site has been updated recently.
• Differentiate between fact and opinion.
• Visit four to six sites to compare and verify information.
• Never diagnose or treat any condition without the advice of a medical professional.
• A July 8 Indianapolis Star article recommended the following sites:
• www.cdc.gov/health - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• www.healthfinder.gov - User-friendly government-sponsored site
• www.webmd.com - Commercial site with user-friendly information and advice
• www.drkoop.com - Affiliated with former surgeon general Dr. C. Everett Koop
• Sites maintained by groups such as the National Mental Health Association and American Cancer Society

For a copy of the report, visit www.pewinternet.org.

Supreme Court rules on execution of people with mental retardation

In the most recent in a string of disability-related cases, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 20 that a person with mental retardation cannot be executed when convicted of a crime.

This reverses an earlier court ruling that allowed such executions. Writing for the Court, Justice Stevens said whether a punishment is 'cruel and unusual' should be judged by contemporary standards, which have changed since the earlier ruling.

The Court used data such as recent state legislation and public opinion polls to gauge contemporary standards. It also said executing people with mental retardation serves neither to deter crime nor to gain retribution.

Disability advocates praised the ruling.

"We definitely support it. We feel it is cruel and unusual punishment to give someone the death penalty who probably doesn't understand the consequences of their actions," said Kim Dodson, director of government relations and development at Arc of Indiana.

Justices Rehnquist and Scalia lambasted the Court for basing the decision on public opinion polls and personal beliefs. Justice Scalia also expressed concern that convicts without mental retardation might be able to feign a disability to avoid execution.

That's a reason for concern, Dodson said, but guidelines are in place to help define mental retardation. "We don't think that low IQ alone is a measuring tool," she said, adding that cognitive learning and personal care abilities should be taken into account as well.

Because Indiana law already protects people with mental retardation from execution, the Court's ruling should have little effect on the state.

State museum welcomes people with disabilities

Thanks to staff dedication and the advice of consultant Greg Fehribach, the new Indiana State Museum includes a variety of accommodations for people with disabilities.

"This new building has allowed us to think out of the box and learn how to make our exhibits as inclusive as possible," said Jessica DeSanto, manager of communications. Accommodations go beyond the basics to include a variety of multi-sensory experiences. For example, a person with a visual disability can hear, smell and touch various aspects of an exhibit.

Other accommodations include:

• Universal wheelchair access both inside and outside the building
• Accessible restrooms, including a family restroom
• Handheld audio interpretation system
• Captioning on all audio exhibits
• Signage with raised and Braille lettering

For more information, visit www.indianamuseum.org or call (317) 232-1637 (voice) or (317) 234-2447 (TT).

Special education teacher shortage now critical

The special education teacher shortage in the United States has reached a critical level. According to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), last year 98 percent of school districts reported a special education teacher shortage. About 13 percent of those positions remained vacant or were filled by uncertified employees.

While these shortages are severe, the number of professors who train future special education teachers also is shrinking.

"The DOE estimates we will need more than 200,000 new special educators during the next five years, but colleges and universities have the capacity to prepare only about half that number," according to a July report by the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education.

Currently, about 11 percent of special educators leave the field each year.

School districts are employing many strategies - from signing bonuses to student loan forgiveness - to recruit new teachers. To increase retention, districts are emphasizing professional development, administrative support and mentoring.

The Commission's report, "A New Era," recommended extensive professional development networks, mandatory special education field experiences for education students, an emphasis on hiring and training professors, and a reduced amount of paperwork for teachers. It also called on states and school districts to devise innovative approaches, including differential or performance-based pay scales.

For a copy of the report, visit www.ed.gov/inits/commissionsboards/whspecialeducation.

Indiana Statistics

During 2000-2001, the Indiana Professional Standards Board issued 1,454 limited licenses for special education areas, allowing licensed teachers without special education certification, and some unlicensed teachers, to teach students with disabilities. Limited licenses were issued in the following special education categories:

Area		Licenses
Serious emotional disabilities		534
Mild disabilities		365
Learning disabilities		194
Severe disabilities		169
Mild mental disabilities		138
Other		54
Total		1,454

Source: "The Nation's Report Card: U.S. History 2001," National Center for Education Statistics; Cox News Service

Overall, special education accounted for 72 percent of all issued limited licenses.

Charter schools form special education co-op

This fall, Indianapolis' four new charter schools will be equipped to serve students with and without disabilities. The schools have formed a special education co-op and will split the cost of a director's salary and other expenses.

"Instead of each school hiring a special education director, which could be costly on a limited budget, we've all agreed to pitch in and fund a person full-time who will work on behalf of all four schools," said Kevin Teasley, CEO of the 21st Century Charter School.

The Indianapolis partnership is only the third in the nation among charter schools, although the practice is common among smaller public school districts. Because charter schools receive public funding, they are required by law to serve special education students.

"We wanted to make sure that we serve all students, including those with special needs, and do so in an economical fashion," Teasley said.

Teasley said the schools will serve some special education students this fall, although it's too early to know those students' specific needs.

Polling place survey reveals access issues

Citizens with disabilities encountered widespread accessibility problems during the May primary, according to a survey conducted by more than 200 Count Us IN volunteers. The survey examined 276 Indiana polling places.

Count Us IN Director Julia Vaughn said the most common problems included:

• Parking - accessible spaces taken by nondisabled voters; spaces not clearly marked; spaces not as close as possible to the entrance
• Lack of curb cuts
• No Braille or large-print ballots
• No accessible voting booths

Vaughn said she hopes these issues will be resolved before the November election.

"Count Us IN volunteers are requesting meetings with county clerks to call their attention to polling places that are not accessible and working with them to solve the problems. If the problems are too severe, then we're requesting - as a last resort - that those polling places be moved," Vaughn said.

Phase Two of the project involves voter registration and "get out the vote" drives. Vaughn also encourages people with disabilities to become poll workers in their communities. For more information or to volunteer, contact Vaughn at CountUsIN@gpcpd.org (e-mail) or (317) 234-2226 (voice).

Of Note

Justice for All and the JFA E-mail Network

Justice for All and the JFA E-mail Network were designed by the late Justin Dart and other disability advocates to encourage grassroots activism and protect the rights of people with disabilities. Sign up at www.jfanow.org to receive these critical action alerts and other disability news via e-mail.

Arc Web site provides award-winning activism tool

The Arc has added CapWiz(tm) to its Legislative Action Center. CapWiz is an award-winning online citizen action tool designed to increase grassroots participation. Visit http://capwiz.com/thearc/mlm/ for information on federal legislation and policy initiatives, including current bill sponsors and status reports. Also, sign up for the Arc Action E-list, view information on local elections and candidates, search for local media contacts and get contact information for government officials in your area.

Conference update

The 2002 Conference for People with Disabilities will be held November 19-20. Keynote speakers will include Bobby Silverstein, director of the Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy at George Washington University Medical Center; Tom Doody, executive director, North Quabbin Citizen Advocacy; and Tom Kohler, executive director, Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy. Watch your mailbox for the Conference registration form.

The Council creates award-winning campaign

The 2002 Disability Awareness Month campaign took home an Epic (Excellent Performance in Communications) Award from the Indiana chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators and a Pinnacle Award from the Hoosier chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Awards were based on the quality of the campaign's research, planning, implementation and evaluation.