News At A Glance
Care Vs. Empowerment
This conference is the fourth in a series on disability intended
to bring together faculty and community representatives who share
an interest in disability issues for the purpose of furthering
our insights and potentially creating an agenda that will form
the basis for ongoing collaboration. This is a program in the
President's 21st Century Interdisciplinary Conference Series.
Much divides health care professionals from the people with disabilities
whom they serve. Whereas health professionals often view disability
as an impairment of the person, for people with disabilities the
problem is not so much the impairment itself than the social and
physical environment that does not meet their needs. Whereas health
care professionals focus on care and still often make unilateral
treatment decisions, people with disabilities seek empowerment and
want access to information to support their own decisions and to
maximize control over their lives. As a result of differences over
goals, timelines, the respective roles of caregivers and recipients
of care, and the meaning of disability, what health professionals
provide may not always be what people with disabilities need. This
session will identify and explore these differences, outline strategies
to bridge them, and seek to find points of common ground.
The event will be held, Tuesday, March, 22, 2005, 8:00 am to 12:00
pm, Radisson Hotel Metrodome, 615 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis,
MN The conference is free of charge, but registration is required.
To register, Please call Lorri Todd at 612-625-8954. A conference
brochure with registration form is at: http://www.hsr.umn.edu/coa/
Funding Available to Employers from the
Department of Education
The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services (OSERS) Projects with Industry is offering funding for employers
and organizations with the capacity to create and expand job and
career opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
The purpose of the program is to create and expand job and career
opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive
labor market by engaging the talent and leadership of private industry
as partners in the rehabilitation process. Projects should identify
competitive job and career opportunities and the skills needed to
perform those jobs, create practical settings for job readiness and
training programs, and provide job placements and career advancement
services.
Eligible Applicants: Employers, nonprofit agencies or organizations,
designated State units, labor unions, community rehabilitation program
providers, trade associations, Indian tribes, tribal organizations,
and other agencies or organizations with the capacity to create and
expand job and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Application Deadline: March 21, 2005: For more information, contact:
Kerrie Brown, U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5048, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800,
Telephone: (202) 245-7281, TDD: 1-800-877-8339, E-mail: Kerrie.Brown@ed.gov,
Or visit: www.tinyurl.com/5vmwj
Child Care/Nursery Assistant
One, two, we’re ready for you. Three, four open the door…assist
agency staff in providing supervision and care for the children whom
must wait while their parents complete interviews, or attend support
groups or counseling sessions. Volunteers must be at least 16 years
of age. Contact Ramsey County Community Human Services—Volunteer
Services at 651-266-4090 for additional information or e-mail to
volunteerservices@co.ramsey.mn.us.
Visual Strategies Leverage the Disability’s
Strengths to Improve Lives.
April is National Autism Awareness Month
According
to the Autism Society of America, autism currently affects up to
1.5 million Americans and is growing at the alarming rate of 10
percent to 17 percent annually. Costs to the U.S. are a staggering
$90 billion annually and are expected to grow to $200 to $400 billion
in the next 10 years. Current figures have prompted Congress to
increase funding in research and treatment for the disability but
relief is not likely to be immediate. For the millions of parents
and professionals working with individuals with autism, the pressing
issue is “What
can I do to help?”
For social skill development, stories frequently are used for children
with autism to teach social norms, to understand and manage feelings,
to explain new experiences, and to address difficult skills. Parents,
teachers, and speech therapists often write their own stories to
address specific concerns.
The Sandbox Learning Company has developed an online system that
creates customizable, printable stories focusing on a variety of
skills unique to the needs of many children with autism. These stories
combine the traditional benefits of stories with customized text
and images to enhance the learning experience for children. The customization
plays to the visual processing of children with autism to convey
the social skills lesson.
Deficits
in communication skills are a well documented characteristic of
autism and many children have a limited ability to functionally
communicate their needs, feelings, or interests. “Imagine not
being able to communicate that you want a drink of water, a snack,
or a favorite DVD.” Picture exchange communication system (PECS)
uses pictures to provide a way for children who are non-verbal or
have limited communication to communicate their needs. In this system
children exchange photos or line drawings for preferred items.
PECS teaches professionals and parents how to develop functional
communication using photos and icons. PECS not only has been shown
to promote communication, but in many cases has helped reduce problem
behaviors in children by allowing them to communicate their needs.
For more information about learning materials designed for children
with autism and others with developmental disabilities, contact Sandbox
Learning at (336) 757-1255. Or online at www.sandbox-learning.com.
Research Participants Needed for "Meaning
of Life" Study
We all have things that make
our lives meaningful to us. Take part in an important study that
examines what makes your life meaningful! An Argosy University clinical
dissertation is being conducted addressing life with disability.
Participation is easy! Meet with the researcher for about 15 minutes
or so and talk about meaning in your life. As a thank you for your
participation, you will receive a $5 gift card to Target. In addition,
you will be contributing to research on the topic of meaning in life!
The researcher is flexible about where the interviews are conducted.
For more information, contact Tyler at (952) 221-3341 or tylerarvig@netzero.net to
set up a time to meet.
Note: This research is being collected for a clinical dissertation
at Minnesota School of Professional Psychology of Argosy University.
More detailed information, including confidentiality, will be provided
in person prior to participation. It can be provided sooner upon
request.
Ticket to Work Program
Marks Third Anniversary
This month marks the third anniversary of the launch of the historic
Ticket to Work program -- designed to help Social Security and Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) disability beneficiaries go to work.
The Ticket to Work program
began in 13 states in February 2002, expanded to 20 more states
in November 2002, and became available nationwide in November 2003.
Already, nearly 77,000 Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries
are using their "Tickets" to
obtain free vocational rehabilitation, job training and other support
services. We expect this number to grow as more Americans with disabilities
become familiar with the opportunities that the program can offer
them.
Here's a brief primer on how the program works. The Ticket program
is voluntary. Social Security and SSI beneficiaries who receive a
Ticket are not required to work, but may choose to use their Tickets
to attempt to go to work. A disability beneficiary can use the Ticket
with either an Employment Network or a State Vocational Rehabilitation
Agency. Together the beneficiary and service provider design an individual
employment plan outlining the services to be provided that will help
the beneficiary reach his or her job goals.
Under the Ticket to Work program, many barriers that had previously
forced people with disabilities to choose between health care coverage
and work have been removed. Social Security disability beneficiaries
are eligible for Medicare, and most Social Security disability beneficiaries
now are protected by Medicare for up to eight years and six months
after they go to work. Medicare coverage continues even if an individual
no longer receives a monetary benefit from Social Security. Most
SSI beneficiaries are eligible for Medicaid, which is a state health
benefit.
If you or someone you know is a Social Security or SSI disability
beneficiary who would like to learn more about how the Ticket to
Work program can help a return to work effort, just visit Social
Security's website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work or you can call
Social Security's toll free number, 1-800-772-1213 TTY1-800-325-0778)
and ask for the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program booklet.
Jim Czechowicz, Office of Public Affairs, Social Security Administration
1811 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis MN 55404, phone: (612)870-2021,
fax: (612)870-2047, email: james.c.czechowicz@ssa.gov. Visit us
on the web at www.socialsecurity.gov
ADA 15 Years Strong – Then,
Now & Beyond
This year commemorates the
15th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Mark your calendar for an event on July 26, 2005 to celebrate
the anniversary. You'll enjoy a day of friends, food, entertainment,
educational sessions, vendors, speakers and much more. Stay tuned
for more information about the celebration as the date gets closer.
