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

Study committees release legislative recommendations Proposed legislation addresses service delivery, waivers

While members of the Indiana General Assembly prepared for the November elections, they also completed the work of the interim study committees, which research specific Indiana issues and develop legislative solutions.

Disability advocates have focused on several of these committees during recent months, including the Indiana Commission on Autism and the Indiana Commission on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Both groups held their final meetings in October.

The MR/DD commission recommended several important pieces of legislation, several of which support continued implementation of Indiana's 317 Plan for home and community-based services. The commission's recommendations included:

• Redesigning the home and community-based service delivery system, including offering better training to employees and higher wages to personal care attendants.
• Reducing the number of Hoosiers on waiting lists for Medicaid waivers by increasing funding to waiver programs.
• Improving emergency support for people with disabilities who have lost services.
• Implementing a pilot Nighttime Companion program, which would provide nighttime electronic monitoring for people with disabilities in home and community-based care settings, reducing the need for 24-hour care.

"We are extremely happy that the MR/DD commission voted unanimously to support phase three of the 317 Plan," said Kim Dodson, Arc of Indiana director of government relations and development. "The commission also approved a resolution to support an Internet sales tax, and we agree. Indiana needs to keep that option in mind as we look at ways to grow revenue."

The Arc also plans to revive its proposal for a non-nutritive beverage fee in the next legislative session. The fee would impose a tax on the syrup used to produce sodas and other drinks without nutritional value.

"The Arc understands that the state's budget situation still isn't good. We're trying to be creative in coming up with ways to fund the expansion of services," Dodson said. "We estimate that the tax could raise $165 million when matched with federal Medicaid dollars, and that would go a long way toward providing services to people with disabilities."

Additional revenue will also be needed to implement some of the autism commission's recommendations. For example, the commission recommended an increase in the number of available Medicaid autism waivers.

Disability advocates will be watching when these proposals are introduced as legislation during the next session of the General Assembly. They will also be monitoring proposed changes in the structure of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, as well as changes to the structure of state government in general. These changes could affect the way people with disabilities receive services.

In addition, advocates will continue to monitor the state budget situation.

"What's happening for our clients is that Medicaid is cutting back on things it used to pay for, especially in terms of assistive technology and equipment," said Donna Roberts, director of UCP of Greater Indiana. "They're changing the rules."

Roberts added, "We don't have anywhere else to send our clients anymore. The support services in the community just aren't there."

Quick tips can ease holiday travel
As the holidays approach, millions of people with and without disabilities will travel through America's airports. For people with disabilities, however, there are a few extra things to keep in mind. Ann Schlensker, MCC, of Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Zionsville, offers the following tips:

• Bring extra medication. Pack separate supplies in your carry-on and checked luggage and bring extra in case of travel delays.
• Bring spare parts for your wheelchair, as well as tools.
• Inform your airline at least 48 hours in advance of any required accommodations. Note that you may take on board any necessary crutches, braces, canes or other prosthetic devices. You may also request wheelchair assistance or a ride to your gate.
• Request bulkhead seats, which often have more leg room. If you can't reserve these seats in advance, arrive at the gate early to make your request.
• If possible, plan ahead to avoid the airplane restrooms, which are compact and relatively inaccessible.
• Ask for boarding assistance if you need it, but remember that you will probably be the first passenger to board and the last passenger to exit the plane. Allow plenty of time between connecting flights.
• If you use a wheelchair, the chair, spare batteries, battery chargers and other medical supplies are not included in the carry-on baggage limit and can be transported at no extra charge.

Building relationships with elected officials

With Election Day behind us, now is the time to build strong relationships with legislative representatives. These elected officials want and need your input as they make decisions on laws and public policies that affect people with disabilities.

First, send congratulatory notes to your legislators. If they are newly elected or you have never met them, introduce yourself and offer yourself as a resource for disability-related information. If you have previous relationships with re-elected representatives, encourage them to continue using you as a resource.

To continue building these relationships, keep in mind the following tips from the Council's The Legislative Process brochure.

Never give bad information. If you lose your credibility, you lose your power.

Plan in advance and be concise. Legislators are busy, so schedule meetings in advance and be on time. Introduce yourself, describe the group (if any) that you're representing, explain your issue and explain what action you want him or her to take. Arrange for follow-up and leave your contact information and any written information on the issue.

Do your homework. Remember that legislators review thousands of bills during each session. Think about arguments against your position and prepare to respond to them. Learn more about the legislator (profession, business interests, legislative and community committees, voting record on related issues, etc.).

Be positive. Confrontations aren't usually useful, except as a last resort. If your legislator won't support your position entirely, would he or she be willing to go part-way?

Don't always call just when you need something. As often as possible, call just to say hello or thanks.

Develop both quantity and quality of contacts. Some legislators value 100 postcards on an issue. Others prefer one or two well-written letters. The key is to generate both.

For a copy of The Legislative Process, contact the Council at (317) 232-7770 (voice/TT) or gpcpd@gpcpd.org (e-mail).

Veterans Day: Honor soldiers with disabilities

Each Nov. 11, Americans pause to honor the soldiers who have defended our freedom. As we remember the many brave men and women who have given their lives on the battlefield, we should also take this opportunity to reach out to veterans with disabilities, welcoming them into the disability community.

According to the Disabled American Veterans, about 375,000 Hoosier veterans have disabilities. Nationwide, the number climbs to 2.4 million, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs; about 80 percent of these veterans have physical disabilities, while the other 20 percent have a mental illness or neurological disorder. And as fighting continues in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the world, even more of America's soldiers are returning home with disabilities.

Resources for veterans Veterans with and without disabilities can turn to such organizations as the Disabled American Veterans for a wide variety of services.

The DAV's National Service Program represents veterans and their families with claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and other government agencies. Other DAV services include benefits education, a transition program for veterans reintegrating into civilian life, and the Homeless Veterans Initiative.

For more information, visit www.dav.org or call (317) 226-7928 (voice).

Disability-related books offer humor, insight
On a cold winter evening, what could be better than snuggling up by the fireplace with a good book? How about using that time to enhance your own - or your children's - understanding of disability issues? Below are some newer disability-related books of interest to children and/or adults.

For adults

• Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence - John Hockenberry - A journalist's memoir about living life and reporting from war zones - all while using a wheelchair.
• Riding the Bus With My Sister: A True Life Journey - Rachel Simon - The true story of a women who learns to understand her sister, who has a disability, by riding the city bus.
• Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter: The Inspiring True Story of the Door-To-Door Salesman Who Changed Lives - Shelly Brady - The story of a door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy; it inspired the movie Door to Door.
• The Ride Together: A Brother and Sister's Memoir of Autism in the Family - Paul Karasik and Judy Karasik - A brother and sister remember growing up with a brother who had autism.
• Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See - Erik Weihenmayer - A memoir by one of the world's most accomplished mountain climbers, who is blind.
• Waist-High in the World: A Life among the Nondisabled - Nancy Mairs - A collection of essays by a woman who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis.
• Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability - Paul K. Longmore - A collection of essays on the disability rights movement.
• You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories by Parents of Children with Disabilities - Stanley D. Klein and Kim Schive - Offers emotional support to parents of children with disabilities.

For children

• Deaf Child Crossing - Marlee Matlin - A book about growing up deaf, by an Oscar-winning actor who is deaf.
• My Friend Isabelle - Eliza Woloson and Bryan Gough - Tells the story of a friendship between a child with Down syndrome and a child without a disability.
• Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair - Jamee Riggio Heelan - First-person narrator describes life with cerebral palsy.
• Seal Surfer - Michael Foreman - Highlights a boy's friendship with a seal. Only the illustrations reveal the main character's disability.
• - Susan Laughs - Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross - Focuses on the many things a girl with a disability can do; her disability is not shown until the end of the book.
• What's Wrong with Timmy? - Maria Shriver - Helps children understand intellectual disabilities.
• Zoom! - Robert N. Munsch and Michael Martchenko - Features a young girl and her 92-speed, dirt-bike wheelchair.

Accessible formats If you require reading materials in an accessible format, contact the National Braille Press at www.nbp.org or (888) 965-8965 (voice). You can also order large-print texts from general interest bookstores (such as Amazon) and specialty stores, such as Huge Print Press ((877) 527-4377 (voice) or www.hugeprint.com).

How to contact legislators

Now that elections are over, you may need to update your contact information for new or re-elected legislators. To find this information, visit www.in.gov and click on "Who's Your Legislator?" The program will request your ZIP code and ask which types of legislators you are researching; the program provides information on state and federal senators and representatives.

If there is more than one legislative district in your ZIP code, you will be shown a map identifying the different representatives and the borders of their districts. Simply locate your approximate address to learn which of these people is your representative.

The "Who's Your Legislator?" Web site also offers a complete list of legislators, as well as links to statewide elected officials and the president and vice president of the United States.

Of Note

Register now for employment conference Registrations are due Nov. 23 for the INAPSE annual conference, which focuses on supported and customized employment. This year's theme is "You're hired," and the keynote speaker is David Roche. The event takes place Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the Valle Vista Conference Center in Greenwood. Visit www.inapse.org for more information; visit www.signmeup.com/inapse to register.

Order Disability Awareness Month materials now Disability Awareness Month 2005 materials are now available. This year's theme is "Mix it up." Free materials include a poster, bookmark, sticker, information packets and more. To place an order or for more information, visit www.in.gov/gpcpd or contact Kim Dennison at Borshoff Johnson Matthews, 47 S. Pennsylvania St., Suite 500, Indianapolis, IN 46204; (317) 631-6499 (fax); kdennison@bjmpr.com (e-mail); or (317) 631-6400 (voice).