News at a Glance
Portable Roll-in Shower Available Locally
The FAWSsit™ shower
is a relatively new portable roll-in shower measuring 3 feet wide,
3 feet deep, and 4 feet tall. It weighs a mere 28 pounds and folds
to 8 inches. It is a self-contained shower stall that can be set-up
in roughly five minutes anywhere there is access to a sink or tub
with warm water and a 110v outlet. The shower was designed for rental
units but can also be used to avoid costly remodeling for other residential
environments. It features a movable shower head, a leak-free drain
pan that collects waste water, and a powerful wet/dry pump to carry
the water to the nearest drain. More information is available at
www.fawssit.com
The portable shower
is affordable as well. American Ramp Systems, E-mail: msp@americanramp.com,
651-399-3075 is currently renting the units for as low as $54
a week and selling them for $2,495. ![]()
Source: American
Ramp
Sprout Film Festival Returns to New York City
NEW YORK CITY—People
with developmental disabilities continue to be marginalized in the
media, both as subjects and performers. New York City’s Sprout
Film Festival (SFF) aims to raise their profile by showcasing works
of all genres featuring this population.
The annual weekend festival
presents stories about and from people who either live with developmental
disabilities and/or who work in the field of developmental disabilities.
This year’s festival
will be on the weekend of April 27, 28 and 29, 2007. Founded in 2003,
SFF offers a wide array of films and documentaries showcasing the
lives of people who live with developmental disabilities, mental
illness, Down syndrome, learning disabilities and mental health concerns. ![]()
Source:
www.SFF.GoSprout.org
Judge Rules Cattle Prod Must Go; Parents Object
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—Last
May, following efforts by the Illinois Coalition for Citizens with
Disabilities, The Arc of Illinois, and other disability rights groups,
Illinois legislators passed a law banning the use of humiliation,
pain and other aversive means to change the behavior of people with
developmental disabilities. And last month, a judge used that law
to rule that a cattle prod can no longer be used to deliver electric
shocks to Bradley Bernstein, a 48-year-old man who has autism.
The judge’s decision was seen as a victory for Trinity Services
Inc., the agency that runs the group home where Mr. Bernstein lives.
Trinity officials stopped using the cattle prod last fall, saying
the new law prohibits it. They added that many employees simply refused
to use the device, which they described as delivering jolt that feels
much like sticking your finger into a light socket. “This is
something that our professional staff doesn’t believe is ethical,” Trinity’s
president, Art Dykstra, told the Chicago Tribune.
But Bernstein’s
parents said they are unhappy with the ruling, and are considering
an appeal. They said the electric shocks keep their son from hitting
himself in the head. They had sued Trinity in order to get his
former behavior plan, which was approved by a judge in 1987, to
be reinstated. They described the zap from the cattle prod as being
like a bee sting.
Trinity officials explained
that Bernstein no longer needs to be shocked, that he and staff
at his home are learning other ways to keep him from hurting himself.
His parents argue that he is starting to have more outbursts—during home visits—and that the
law doesn’t apply to their son. ![]()
Source: Dave Reynolds, Inclusion
Daily Express
Sheltered Workers Get Minimum Wage
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — Disability
rights advocates, union members, and the New Zealand government all
had reason to celebrate this week. On Wednesday night, Parliament
passed a bill that overturns a 1960 law that allows sheltered workshops
to pay less than minimum wage for workers with disabilities.
The new measure means
that workers with disabilities will be paid at least the minimum
hourly wage, which now stands at $10.25, and will have access to
holiday and sick leave benefits. The government also guarantees
that, while some disability or “invalids” benefits
will be reduced, no workers will lose their government benefits.
“By repealing the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion 1960
Act, disabled New Zealanders will finally be valued for what they
can do, rather than being defined by the place in which they work.” said
Disabilities Minister Ruth Dyson in a government press release.
Ms. Dyson added that
the new legislation, which comes into effect on the 30th of November,
would further strengthen New Zealand’s
commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, which she will be signing at the end of this month. ![]()
Source: Dave Reynolds, Inclusion
Daily Express
Jasmine Wins Acting Award at MACTFest
Sam Jasmine, who runs the
weekly “Disabled
and Proud” program
on KFAI-FM in Minneapolis, received an award for Special Achievement
in Acting for her role in “Helen of Boyd,” performed
March 31 in Willmar at MACTFest, the biennial state play festival
held by the MN Assoc. of Community Theatres. Jasmine, who is blind,
played a young piano student who becomes an adult opera singer. Three
other actors with disabilities were also in the show, written and
directed by Jon Skaalen, a staff member with VSA arts of MN. ![]()
Source:
VSA arts of MN
