Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008
Time: 3:00 - 4:30 PM ET
Register online
The joint Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics (StatsRRTC) and Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) Web Conference provides a high-quality online overview of select national surveys used to generate key disability statistics. The presenters will discuss and illustrate the relevance, availability, and quality of existing data sources for centers for independent living and state disability public policy advocates. This course will additionally outline how participants can use these data to enhance grant and funding application preparation as well as target outreach to unserved and lesser-served communities in their states.
]]> Technology Requirements:RAYMOND CEBULA III, JD, is a member of the Extension Faculty of Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute. As a faculty member, he has provided technical assistance and training to Protection and Advocacy program attorneys and paralegals in 16 states and territories covered by Cornell’s Work Incentive Support Center and written extensively on matters of concern to disabled individuals who are attempting to return to work. He is the principal instructor of EDI Online; a series of Social Security related certificate courses offered by the Institute. As an experienced social security disability attorney Mr. Cebula practiced with the Disability Benefits Project as a Senior Staff Attorney with the Disability Law Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He has also served as a Managing Attorney of the Disability and Medicare projects at Southeastern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. He is a graduate of Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH and received a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship upon graduation. He is also a graduate of Merrimack College and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. His practice has concentrated in the area of social security practice and has brought several pieces of significant litigation on behalf of low income, disabled social security beneficiaries. While working with the Disability Law Center, Mr. Cebula taught at Harvard Law Schools Legal Aid Bureau for a period of three academic years. He is the co-author of the MCLE publication An Advocates Guide to Surviving the SSI System, several SSI practice manuals published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, and an extensive listing of Policy and Practice Briefs housed in the ILR School Library. He is a regular presenter of social security related programs at local and national conferences of social security practitioners.
BILL ERICKSON, MS, is a Research Specialist with the Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) at Cornell University and has been actively involved with disability research for the past seven years. Since 2003 he has been providing high quality Technical Assistance regarding a wide variety of disability statistics for the Cornell University Disability Demographics and Statistics RRTC. He was the project manager for the 2006 Disability Status Report series and developed all the estimates used in the 2005 and 2006 Status reports. He is the coauthor of A Guide to Disability Statistics from the 2000 Decennial Census and has worked extensively with the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata files. He has Census Bureau Special Sworn Status that allowed him to perform analysis on US Census Bureau restricted datasets of Census 2000 and the ACS 2000-2005 under a NIDDR funded FIR. He is intimately involved in design and content of DisabilityStatistics.org and developed the Census 2000 data available on that site. He is co-PI and Project Manager of a NIDDR funded Project regarding web accessibility and usability for persons with disabilities and has been responsible for the management and analysis of several disability related surveys of federal and private employers.
THOMAS P. GOLDEN, MS, CRC, is the Associate Director of the Employment and Disability Institute in the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University and has been on faculty since 1991. As a faculty member he has been a contributor to the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Economic Research on Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities and the Disability STATS RRTC at Cornell sponsored by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Partly in his capacity with the RRTC he has trained and disseminated relevant information and statistical data nationally and internationally co-authoring the foundation paper for a joint U.S.-U.K. symposium sponsored by the Department of Labor focusing on a comparative analysis of return to work best practices with an emphasis on evidence-based research and prevalence statistics and most recently a few book chapters building off this work. In addition, he has directed the Center for Educational Achievement and Training, the Work Incentives Support Center and several other state initiatives focusing on community participation and inclusion of people with disabilities.
Registration (deadline 5/14/08)
A confirmation letter will be sent via e-mail at least one week prior to the web conference giving you the directions on how to access the information needed to join the webinar.
Materials access directions will be sent under separate cover in a confirmation letter two weeks prior to the webinar.
Please Note: Materials for this program will be disseminated electronically. If alternative formats are requested, please provide your request to Cornell no later than four business days before the web conference.
For questions or assistance, please contact:
Melissa Burress, Cornell University
Employment and Disability Institute
201 ILR Ext. Bldg., Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607-255-7727 Fax: 607-255-2763
Email: mb376@cornell.edu
Boston, MA. May 6. DVS Home Video, a project begun by Boston public broadcaster WGBH in the early 90's to make movies on video accessible to the nation's blind and visually impaired viewers, will end as of May 12. The Hollywood studios have ceased manufacturing VHS or tape versions of films for sale and rental. WGBH's work to make media accessible via description goes on, with efforts focused on television, feature films in theaters, DVDs and online video.
]]> The DVS Home Video effort, started over a decade ago with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, resulted in more than 300 videos made accessible through narration of key visual elements inserted into natural pauses in dialogue. From the very first DVS Video's debut, the reaction of the community was immediate and actually profound. Films came alive in a whole new way, and the eagerness for new titles only grew. Many of the videos sold over the years were purchased by libraries and schools, which multiplied the number of individuals and families who took such enjoyment in described movies.Films are now being distributed for sale and rental on DVD, BluRay DVD and through video on demand (either rental or download to own) services via the Internet. WGBH's Media Access Group, home to the Descriptive Video Service, has been working to transition the home video efforts to DVD and to these online movie delivery outlets. Lack of available memory space on DVDs has been stated as the reason why more description tracks, created for theatrical release in the over 300 movie theaters with WGBH's Motion Picture Access® (MoPix®) systems, are not making the migration onto DVDs. WGBH maintains a list of DVDs that have description tracks on them at the Web page listed with other description-related links at the bottom of this post.
Advocacy is needed from the community of description fans to make this transition happen. Please see the link below for a list of Hollywood studios' home video/home entertainment divisions. Help show the providers of video on these formats that there is a market and that you would be willing to purchase movies with a description track included as an optional feature.
For the next week (until May 12), DVS Home Video titles remaining in stock will be sold at a deep discount. Videos that previously were available for $15.01 and above will be sold for $10. Videos retailing for $15 and below will be now be available for $5.
To access a list of available titles, please visit the Web site .
To hear a list of titles, and/or to place an order, please call: 317 579-0439 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
All of us at the Media Access Group appreciate the unyielding support our efforts have generated over the years, and we are looking forward to the next chapter. Here is a list of links to information about ongoing description work from WGBH:
Link to Contact List for Hollywood Studios http://ncam.wgbh.org/mopix/studios.html (please include "Home Entertainment Division" in the address)
Contact:
Mary Watkins
Media Access Group at WGBH
617 300-3700
mary_watkins@wgbh.org
Our next class for the Contact Collection Representative vocational course starts on June 30, 2008. Clients must report to us by June 2, 2008, for the required evaluation period. IRS offices for this program are located in the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Brookhaven, NY; Buffalo, NY; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; and Seattle, WA. Not all offices may be hiring at this time.
This four-month course trains individuals who are blind and visually impaired to work for the Internal Revenue Service in tax collection. Each person selected for the course will be placed in employment with the IRS upon successful completion of the program. Entry level is GS 5 with promotion potential to GS 8. Once on the job, Contact Collection Representatives respond to incoming telephone and written inquiries regarding tax delinquent cases, adjustments to taxpayer accounts, and general service procedures. The individual will analyze and resolve tax processing problems, provide information and recommend enforcement action on all types of individual and/or business accounts. Extensive reading may be required on the job and while in training.
]]> Training at LWSB involves learning the use of the personal computer with ZoomText, JAWS for Windows NT and Braillestar. Students also learn technical information about tax law, regulations, and IRS procedures.Course qualifications include good independent living and orientation and mobility skills and the ability to read print at 100 wpm with 75 percent comprehension, or Braille at 60 wpm with 75 percent comprehension. Written communication, including keyboarding for business correspondence and filling out forms with a keyboarding speed of 30 wpm, is required. A 12th grade spelling level is required, as is the ability to pass a math test using a calculator with 90 percent accuracy. Clients must also be able to work well with people under pressure. A high school diploma or GED with four years of college or equivalent work experience is required.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and are subject to FBI name and fingerprint check, employment checks, income tax verification for the past three years, and any other information relevant to selection for employment. Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Services.
For referrals or more information contact:
Kristin Dow, Vice President for Recruitment and Admissions
(501) 664-7100
(800) 248-0734
www.jobs.irs.gov/dis_lionsworld.html
]]>
Workshop attendees will be provided with tips and tricks that can be used in the job search process as well as the interviewing process, an overview of the hospitality industry training provided by the Statler Center, and a glimpse of the available adaptive software for individuals with visual impairments.
]]> The National Statler Center is located in Buffalo, New York. It is partially funded by local and national foundations, and holds three classes per year at the Buffalo campus. Students accepted into the program must have a high school diploma or GED, type approximately 20 words per minute, and be ready to work. It is not necessary to know how to use a computer; however, it is important that students can utilize a note-taking device. The National Statler Center is looking for motivated folks who are excited about a career in the hospitality industry.
CONTACT:
Joseph Walters
Technology Specialist
716. 882.5690 ext 223
jwalters@statlercenter.org
They are now now accepting submissions.
]]>Deadline: Friday, July 11, 2008, midnight (MST)
Grand Prize: $20,000
First Award: $10,000
Second Award: $6,000
12 Awards of Excellence: $2,000
Sponsored by VSA arts with support from Volkswagen of America, Inc., the Green Light Awards program is open to young artists between the ages of 16 and 25 living in the United States who have a physical, cognitive, or mental disability. A disability is defined as an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.
The program invites entries of both representational and abstract work. Artwork may illustrate actual aspects of what signals the artist's creative motivations such as the physical world or personal discoveries. Abstract work that relates to feelings or emotions is also encouraged. Work might also reflect the artist's experience of living with a disability and its role in shaping or transforming their work.
]]> Art must be an original work that has been completed in the last three years. Eligible media include paintings and drawings (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, or charcoal), fine art prints (lithographs, etching, intaglio, or woodcuts), photography, computer-generated prints, and two-dimensional mixed media. This year the program also welcomes entries of sculpture and time-based media (video, film, etc.).Visit the VSA arts Web site for complete program information.
]]>If you would like to be considered for any of NTI's current or upcoming job opportunities, please go to their website http://www.NTIcentral.Org/ and fill out the online application
Prerequisite: Keyboarding and Internet skills a must.
Date: Thursdays, May 8 - 29, 2008
Time: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Code: CCV-2103
Sessions: 4
Cost: $480 (individuals NOT State-sponsored have a sliding scale)
Contact:
Judith Gerber
Manager, Educational & User Services
Computer Center for Visually Impaired People
(646) 312-1425
CHICAGO - A study conducted by a team of researchers at DePaul University found that employees with disabilities from the healthcare, retail and hospitality sectors in the region were just as dependable and productive as employees without disabilities. In addition, accommodation costs associated with workers with disabilities were often minimal and well worth the expense. First envisioned during Mayor Daley's Task Force on Employment of People with Disabilities between 2002 and 2005, this study was commissioned by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce's disabilityworks initiative, and made possible through a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. A subsequent financial contribution was made by the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities.
]]> "Persons with disabilities are an important segment of the labor force yet they are frequently an untapped resource of workers," said disabilityworks Executive Director Karen McCulloh. "I believe these findings will help set the record straight about what people with disabilities can contribute to the labor force. We've learned that employees with disabilities are working in senior level positions, are pharmacists, nurses, managers of retail stores and work at all levels of jobs just like nondisabled workers. In the not so distant future, it will be increasingly important to recruit talent from this community as the workforce continues to evolve."In a groundbreaking study, DePaul researchers compared work-related variables of 314 participating employees with and without disabilities and found:
Despite these positive findings, DePaul researchers found that employer misperceptions often made it difficult for persons with disabilities to obtain employment. Researchers completed focus groups with administrators and human resource personnel to discuss their experiences with workers with disabilities. Overall themes from these focus groups were supportive, but there were also themes reflecting managerial bias. Findings from the focus groups include:
"It is interesting to note that many managers are still concerned about the productivity of workers with disabilities and the costs associated with providing accommodations to this group. However, results of this study show that our participants with disabilities were on par with those who were not disabled across a number of work-related variables," said Brigida Hernandez, assistant professor of psychology at DePaul University and a principal researcher for the study. Over the course of the three-year study, researchers worked with 25 businesses in the Chicago region that were involved as advisors, focus group participants, and sites for the collection of the cost-benefit data. To view the complete research results, visit www.disabilityworks.org.
"Businesses in the retail, hospitality, and healthcare industries are often looking to recruit new employees, and this study demonstrates that persons with disabilities can add a lot of value to their operations," said Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Jack Lavin. "Governor Blagojevich and I have been committed to meeting current and future workforce challenges and employers should look to this talent pool to increase the diversity of their workplace and meet their ongoing talent needs."
"Having locally based research findings will be a powerful tool to educate employers who may have been reluctant to recruit and hire people with disabilities based on perceived costs of accommodations, absenteeism or performance," said Commissioner Karen Tamley of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. "We now have the research to refute these widely held misconceptions."
"Chicagoans with disabilities are a vital component of the City's workforce," said Mayor's Office of Workforce Development Commissioner David Hanson. "This study further supports what we already know, that the unique skills and talents of dedicated Chicagoans with disabilities meet the needs of our employers and contribute to the success of our economy."
About disabilityworks
disabilityworks was launched in 2005 at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce as a result of a collaborative public-private partnership established between the Chamber, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the City of Chicago in order to increase the economic and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. disabilityworks strives to break down barriers that keep people with disabilities from finding jobs by working directly with employers to meet labor market demands. Employers can find the right employee through education and job matching, and people with disabilities can find the right kind of job training or job placement program. Learn more by visiting www.disabilityworks.org.
Contact:
Justin DeJong (disabilityworks) 312-494-6725
Roxanne Brown (DePaul) 312-362-8623
Marcelyn Love (DCEO) 217-558-1542
Mondays, 6-8 pm
May 5 Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe
June 9 Thannhauser Collection
July 7 Louise Bourgeois
FREE
Space is limited. Please RSVP:
212 360 4355 or access@guggenheim.org
Public programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
]]>To help these families connect with each other and give busy parents, grandparents and other caretakers a place to find comprehensive resources and support 24 hours a day, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) today launched FamilyConnect™, an online, multimedia community for parents and guardians of children with visual impairments.
"We created FamilyConnect to give parents the support and information they need to ensure their children can achieve their dreams—whether that is playing sports or music, learning to read braille, getting a first job, surfing the web, making the cheerleading squad, traveling the world, or going to graduate school," said Carl R. Augusto, President & CEO of AFB.
A recent NAPVI/AFB survey of parents of children with visual impairments showed that parents/guardians turn most commonly to physicians (82%), educators (76%), and web sites (65%) for information and support regarding their children's vision problems. This is consistent with national statistics from the 2006 Pew Internet & American Life Project that show 80 percent of American adult Internet users have searched for health information online. For parents living in rural areas with fewer resources, the web is particularly important to finding relevant, trustworthy information and the right services.
"When I talk to parents of visually impaired children, they almost always ask about three things: they want to talk to other parents who have children with the same eye condition as their child, they want access to the latest health and education information, and they want to know what the future holds," said Susan LaVenture, Executive Director of NAPVI. "FamilyConnect offers parents all these things—and more—in one place."
In addition to joining a community of parents, visitors to www.familyconnect.org can create a personal profile and receive information on news and events based on their child's age, eye condition, and location. Families can also find articles written by parents and professionals on topics such as:
Finding the Right Eye Care Professionals for Your Child
Developmental Milestones: What Do They Mean?
Your Child's Individualized Educational Program
Friendship in the Teen Years
College Life Begins
In designing this web site, AFB and NAPVI partnered with leading national organizations and hundreds of local agencies that serve children who are visually impaired to keep FamilyConnect content complete and up to date. AFB and NAPVI also solicited input from families across the country. Here are representative samples of what they are saying about the final result.
Jen and Bill O'Neill, Nebraska
Daughter Camille, age 3, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
"Our family is truly amazed at what we've seen of the site. Wow! Thank you all for the insight to see that this is something that is so needed for families who are facing and overcoming the diagnosis of visual impairment. The site is more than I imagined it would be—it is so comprehensive and truly allows families to connect with one another and to resources."
Patty Bushland, Arkansas
Daughter Mary Rose, age 2, Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)
"When I found out my baby was visually impaired, I immediately went to the Internet to find out everything I could about her condition and what I could do to help her. FamilyConnect is so important, and I wish it had been there for me when my daughter was first diagnosed."
The goal of www.familyconnect.org is to provide connections and support. By providing accurate information and creating a forum for meaningful discussion, families and their visually impaired children will feel empowered to reach their full potential.
FamilyConnect is generously supported by grants from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind, Inc. and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Morgan Stanley.
###
About AFB
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that expands possibilities for people with vision loss. AFB's priorities include broadening access to technology; elevating the quality of information and tools for the professionals who serve people with vision loss; and promoting independent and healthy living for people with vision loss by providing them and their families with relevant and timely resources. Headquartered in New York, AFB is proud to house the Helen Keller Archives and honor the more than forty years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB.
About NAPVI
The National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) is an international membership organization serving families in the U.S. and in 55 countries. NAPVI helps parents to find information and resources for their children who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities. NAPVI provides leadership, support, and education to assist parents in helping children reach their potential.
For more information, contact:
Adrianna Montague-Gray
AFB Communications
Tel: (212) 502-7675
E-mail: Adrianna Montague-Gray
Programming specifically designed for college students and recent grads will include such topics as:
Programming specifically designed around the theme of "Getting There - finding opportunities and exploring individual strengths to land that job!" Workshop and seminar topics include:
The July Institute also includes a one day Technology Expo with vendors demonstrating the latest in assistive technology.
Both Institute sessions will take place at VISIONS VCB in Rockland County, NY. The full registration fee (including lodging, meals and round trip transportation from NYC to VISIONS VCB) is $25.
Don't wait until it's too late. Start planning for your future today.
]]>He has addressed crowds ranging from a handful to more than 6,000. He has been featured in media pieces whose collective targeted reach exceeds 80 million individuals worldwide. Audiences have included individuals and families affected by disabilities, business entrepreneurs, disability rights activists, attorneys and other legal professionals, school children of all ages, college and university students, press representatives at the National Press Club, meetings of the Congressional Black Caucus, gatherings of government officials, and civil rights leaders at national conferences.
Register Today
e-mail: info@minnesotalifecollege.com
or call (612) 869-4008 ext 10
Minnesota Life College
7501 Logan Avenue South, Suite 2A
Richfield, MN 55423
Presenters: Jeff Senge and Marc Trinh, Cal State-Fullerton
CSU Fullerton has developed a detailed step-by-step process starting with the student's registration for class and resulting in the timely delivery of the class text in an alternate format usually ready for the beginning of each class.
]]> This 2-part presentation will describe how it interfaces with the college registration process, with the professor's book selection and also interfaces with the bookstore. This highly effective process has been developed because it brings some benefits to all the players at each step along the way.The presentation will also describe the details and the mechanics of scanning the book, proofing the text, adding images and the final delivery to the waiting student.
Save a seat for yourself at both presentations by registering now at: http://easi.cc/forms/e-text2.htm
]]>Time: 10am-12pm
Location: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, Satow Room, Lerner Hall
Presented by: University Seminar on Disability Studies
Discussants:
Mark Sherry, Endowed Chair of Disability Studies and Assistant Professor of Sociology at The University of Toledo, is an internationally recognized disability researcher. He is completing a book on hate crimes perpetrated against individuals with disabilities.
John Kaye, Lawyer with Lomurro, Davison, Eastman & Muñoz, P.A, in Freehold, New Jersey. Mr. Kaye formerly the lead Monmouth County prosecutor, successfully tried the Erik Krochmaluk case. This was among the most notorious hate crimes against a person with a disability in the United States. Mr. Krochmaluk's 8 assailants each received between 15-20 years in prison.
]]>Wheelchair accessible venue.
Sign Language Interpreters will be provided.
Lunch to follow the event in Room 569
Please RSVP to dsseminar@gmail.com
for the event and lunch by April 25, 2008.
With generous support from the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives and the Columbia University Office of Disability Services.
If making requests for parking or other accommodations, please reply to contact Colleen Lewis at (212) 854-2388 by April 25, 2008.