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When we all stand together, nothing can stand in our way
The 2000 Indiana Conference for People with Disabilities, sponsored by the Governor's Planning Council, is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 12 and 13, at the Westin Hotel, downtown Indianapolis. This annual Conference provides people with disabilities the opportunity to learn about community empowerment, disability legislation, supported living and community inclusion. This year's itinerary includes exhibits, a job fair, door prizes, workshops, an awards presentation and several guest speakers.
Featured speakers include:
- John Hockenberry, NBC correspondent for "Dateline" and past writer for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Columbia Journalism Review; author of "Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declaration of Independence;"
- Julian Bond, veteran civil-rights activist and history professor, named chairman of the National NAACP in 1998, four-term state
representative, and six-term state senator;
- Patrick Worth, co-founder of People First Canada, consultant and international speaker;
- Rebecca "Becky" Ogle, executive director
of the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities;
- Stephen Drake, research analyst, Not
Dead Yet;
- David Smith, director, Poynter Center; and
- Ellen Taylor, policy analyst, OMB Watch.
Workshops include:
- ADA update
- Selecting service providers
- Owning your own home
- Advocating change
- Transportation issues
- Ethics and budget issues
- Multicultural and mental health
- Corporate disability employment policies
- Motivating youth leadership
- Customer-directed quality assurance
Continuing Education
Units Available
The IU School of Social Work has approved the Conference for Continuing Education Units (CEUs):
Tuesday's sessions
(5.5 contact hours of
continuing education
credit) = $10.00
Wednesday's sessions
(4.25 contact hours of
continuing education
credit) = $10.00
To receive CEUs, pick
up one form for each
day at the Conference
registration desk and
mail the form along
with a check to Indiana University. (Checks
will not be collected at
the Conference.)
Vocational Rehabilitation FSSA, in cooperation with Workforce Development and in conjunction with the Conference, will sponsor a Job Fair at the Westin. Bring your resume and
prepare for the future.
A Conference registration form has been mailed. Complete and return the form to
the Council by Dec. 1, 2000, to ensure your reservation for this year's Conference.
Special education
leaders recognized
On Oct. 6, 2000, the Indiana Resource Center for Families with Special Needs (INSOURCE)
honored three Indiana professionals for their work in special education at its 25th anniversary celebration.
The three honorees were Amy Cook-Lurvey, executive director of COVOH in Indianapolis, who was presented with the "Bernadette Merluzzi Award" for her advocacy work on behalf of children and young adults with disabilities and their families; Charles Edwards, director of
the South Central Area Special Education Cooperative in Campbellsburg, Ind., who was presented with the "Administrator Award" for outstanding service to students and their families; and Becky Bowman, assistant director of the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Special Education in Indianapolis, was presented with the "Friend of INSOURCE" award for her service to Indiana students and families.
Airline customer service "up in
the air"
Do the words "bad flight" mean more to you than simply some turbulence or an empty drink cart? Have you had noticeable difficulties traveling as a person with a disability?
The Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General is conducting a review of airline customer service. As part of this review, the office is inviting the flying public to share experiences for a report to Congress due Dec. 31, 2000. The information gathered will help the department evaluate how well U.S. airlines are accommodating the needs
of air travelers with disabilities and special needs.
To access the form online, visit
www.oig.dot.gov/bookjump.htm. This link will direct participants
to the Airline Customer Service
surveys. If a hard copy is preferred, call (800) 884-9190 (voice) and
the department will mail or fax surveys when requested.
Governor pushes for
community integration
Governor Frank O'Bannon recently
signed an executive order mandating
the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) provide short-term and long-term
recommendations to improve community-based services within Indiana.
This mandate is in light of the Olmstead v.
L.C. case decided in the Supreme Court in
June 1999. The case "challenges federal, state and local governments to develop more
opportunities for people with disabilities through more accessible systems of cost-
effective, community-based services."
For the short term, FSSA will evaluate its
service delivery systems and community
infrastructure and provide a report to the Governor with specific recommendations Indiana can use in the fiscal year 2001-2002. They are guiding this evaluation system by answering the following questions:
- What is being done to prevent unnecessary institutionalization?
- Is there an ongoing assessment to determine whether institutionalization continues to be appropriate?
- How many individuals who are currently
in institutions could be safely served in
the community?
- What barriers stand in the way of community-based solutions?
In the long term, FSSA must submit written findings by June 1, 2001, for improvements
to the state's service delivery system that would aid in accomplishing total community integration for people with disabilities. The final reports will be available to the public.
FSSA encourages people with disabilities, their families, advocates and the public to provide input on issues relating to the community
integration of people with disabilities.
To submit written testimony for the first
report to Governor O'Bannon, please send your testimony to Dr. Peter Sybinsky, Deputy Secretary for Policy and Research, Room W461, 402 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46207, psybinsky@fssa.state.in.us (e-mail) or
(317) 233-4693 (fax) by Nov. 22. Testimonies received after Thanksgiving will be used in later reports to the Governor. If you have any questions please contact FSSA at
(317) 233-4454 (voice) or the Council at
(317) 232-7770 (voice), (317) 232-7771 (TT)
or gpcpd@gpcpd.org (e-mail).
Filling the employment gap
People with disabilities are ready, willing and able to participate in the workforce. According to the March 20, 2000, Business Week article, only 25 percent of the country's 15 million people with disabilities of working age are employed. Of the 75 percent who are not working, two-thirds indicated they would like to be employed.
Both public and private employment sectors are finding it harder to locate, employ and retain employees with skills that match the needed set for their company or organization. Unemployment rates are rapidly decreasing in the traditional American workforce causing employers to turn to the non-traditional, skilled labor pool. People with disabilities are part of the non-traditional skill set who can meet the needs of the employers.
With that in mind, the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
celebrates the month of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year's theme for the educational program is "Ability You Can Bank On."
The President's Committee has put together an educational kit to help people with projects that promote the employment of people with disabilities. The kit includes information on:
- Disability friendly strategies for the workplace
- Accommodating employees with hidden disabilities
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Career development and small business
for people with disabilities
- Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act
To obtain a copy of the educational kit,contact the Council at (317) 232-7770 (voice), (317) 232-7771 (TT) or gpcpd@gpcpd.org (e-mail).
For more information or additional fact sheets, contact the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities at (202) 376-6200 (voice), (202) 376-6205 (TT) or via their Web site at www.dol.gov/pcepd/ pubs/ek00/index.html.
* Although October is Disability Employment Awareness Month, these activities can be implemented throughout the year.
Local advocates chosen
for national training
Two Hoosiers are participating in "Project Leadership," a collaborative training
program of the National Parent Network on Disabilities (NPND), Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) and Community Options' Center on Innovations in Washington D.C. Betty Williams and Brenda Berry were selected earlier this year for their leadership with Self Advocates of Indiana and the Parent Information Distribution Center in Gary, respectively.
The goal of Project Leadership is to create a group of effective leaders who can promote the interests of developmental disabilities to members of Congress, the Executive Department and federal agencies.
The three objectives of Project Leadership are:
- To identify, involve, support and advance grassroots leaders with developmental disabilities and family members to participate in federal policy development and implementation at the national level.
- To establish and sustain strategies, such as experiential learning. Leaders can use these skills to advance the goals of self-determination and choice through national level policymaking, program administration and oversight.
- To evaluate and publicize what the leaders have been involved with from individual, state and national perspectives to educate all audiences.
As participants, Williams and Berry are required to attend two, week-long trainings at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington D.C. Protection and Advocacy and the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
provided money for their airfare, while the Council provided funding to cover hotel and other expenses for their trip. Both spent the first week of training at the beginning of July learning about policies and how they are made, as well as witnessing an actual
congressional hearing.
Williams believes the training has already affected her life.
"This training has made a big impact because
I have been able to connect into the national self advocate network. With this connection,
I was able to attend the national conference for SABE," said Williams, president of the Self-Advocates of Indiana. "At the conference, I
was selected by my peers to be a national
representative for SABE. I will use my
experiences and try to make a difference
in Indiana and the rest of the nation."
After their leadership training which ends
in October, Williams and Berry are asked to
identify issues for which they will become advocates. Williams has selected self-advocacy and self-determination. Berry will focus on increasing resources for parents and people with disabilities in northwest Indiana.
"Information is not readily available for
parents of children with disabilities or even people with disabilities in northwest Indiana. My issue is to make the resources people need accessible and plentiful," said Berry, executive director of the Parent Information Resource Center in Gary.
Project Leadership is also designed to help participants become active advocates for many issues facing people with disabilities, while working with state and local people to influence policy at the federal level.
Creating digital "on-ramps"
The "Digital Divide" tour, hosted by President Bill Clinton, made a stop at the Disability Network's new Community Technology Center in Flint, Mich., which
provides people with disabilities more access to technology. The President toured the center and participated in some of the demonstrations. This tour is the first time a sitting president has undertaken a major disability-related initiative on the road.
In a speech, the President
recognized the fact people and places have been left behind in the advance of our culture, including "millions of Americans with significant disabilities who want to go to work, but whose path is blocked…"
While visiting the new center, the President witnessed technology that translated Web pages aloud for people who have visual
disabilities and provided closed captioning for people with hearing disabilities. This technology also allowed people with severe physical disabilities to control
a computer through eye
movement and brain waves.
As the President ended his
disability-related speech in Flint, he said the following: "It is good to hear people live their dreams. And if we build new on-ramps
to the information super highway, people with disabilities will help us build an even stronger America, and share in the promise of the declaration of true independence."
Of Note
Grants now available
Trying to find ways to implement the ADA into your community? ADA-Indiana now has funds available through the Collaborative Community ADA Implementation projects for up to $1,500. The purpose of the program is to enhance understanding, awareness and compliance with the ADA in local communities. Proposals are due by Dec. 15 for consideration. For more information on how to apply for the grants and who is eligible, contact Vicki Pappas at (812) 855-6508 (voice) or adainfo@indiana.edu (e-mail).
Toy guide for the holidays
With the holidays fast approaching, the eighth edition of the "Toy Guide for Differently-abled Kids" is available free from the Council in
mid-October. The guide makes shopping for children with disabilities easier and more enjoyable, and is sponsored by the National Parent Network on Disabilities, National Lekotek Center and Toys "R" Us.
The National Lekotek Center has evaluated all of the toys with children with disabilities in their center to make sure they are fun, meet their needs and nurture developmental growth. This year, Toys "R" Us has a wider
selection of toys marked with ability symbols that are easy to recognize.
An order form is provided in the guide to allow toys to be ordered directly. For your guide, contact the Council at (317) 232-7770 (voice), (317) 232-7771 (TT) or gpcpd@gpcpd.org (e-mail).
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