NTAC e.News — October 1, 2005

NEW! New Online Course

The new and improved version of our free online AAPI culture course is almost set to go. Professors Paul Leung and Nan Zhang Hampton are awaiting the ‘go ahead’. This version should also be worth 10 Continuing Education Units and is a great opportunity to improve your abilities as a service provider. Send an email to james.brightman@cds.hawaii.edu to reserve your spot.

NEW! Fifth Year, Seek Alternative Funding to Continue...!

Beginning October 1, 2005, NTAC is entering its 5th year of the project. As many of you are aware, it is the final year NTAC will be receiving the fund from Rehabilitation Services Administration, U. S. Department of Education. Over the past four years, NTAC has developed many products and tools including (a) e.News (semi-monthly electronic newsletter), (b) HIRE.US (web-based jobseekers’ database for employers), (c) online course on AAPI culture and disability for service providers, (d) matching job seekers for job-site mentoring, and (e) briefs highlighting employment success stories. Dr. Kim-Rupnow, NTAC Project Director, is exploring ways to continue the project activities after federal funding ends in September 30, 2006. Please contact her by phone 808-956-5712 or by email kimrupno@hawaii.edu if you have ideas to share, zeal to act, in continuing NTAC’s mission to increase employment opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with disabilities.

NEW! Welcome New VIP Members!

On September 14-15, Dr. Kim-Rupnow and Dr. Su, NTAC Employment Coordinator, attended the 2nd International Women's Leadership Conference in Waikiki, which brought together some of the world’s top women leaders in business, media, health care, education, and government. It was a great opportunity to introduce NTAC to compassionate and amazing women leaders. Some of the VIP members who are invited and accepted to join hands in our activities include: Renee’ Amoore, President/CEO of The Amoore Group; Nicki Keohohou, CEO of Direct Selling Women’s Alliance; Wendy Tom, President of Kona Paradise Candies.

It’s Tally Time!

The 04-05 Fiscal Year (October 1 2004 through September 30, 2005) has ended, and it’s time to tally the results of our hard work. This is a call to all network members, collaborators, and e-news recipients to provide us with the numbers of AAPIs with disabilities served and/or employed by you during the FY 04-05. In addition to the hard data, we want to hear your success stories. These stories may be shared with the rest of the community through our NTAC-AAPI briefs, future e-newsletters, and perhaps at our Pac Rim Conference in Honolulu in March 2006. Please send all information to Christine at christine.su@cds.hawaii.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Disability Mentoring Day

NTAC-AAPI is helping to sponsor Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) on October 19, 2005. DMD is a local and national effort to promote the employment of persons with disabilities through personal mentoring. DMD enables participants to spend part of a day visiting a Hawai‘i business or agency that matches their interests, and to have one-on-one time with volunteer mentors. DMD provides Hawai‘i’s employers with an opportunity to help promote employment of persons with disabilities, to demonstrate positive leadership in their communities, and to tap a pool of potential future employees. If you are an employer and would like to participate by providing mentorship, please contact Christine at christine.su@cds.hawaii.edu, or by phone at 956-2890. If you or someone you know would like to participate as a mentee, please contact Amy at amy.nawatani@cds.hawaii.edu, or by phone at 956-0947. Mahalo!

Announcements: National and International

Kathleen Martinez Appointed Executive Director of World Institute on Disability

Blind since birth, Martinez, 47, is an internationally recognized disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity and gender issues. Since 2000 Kathy has supervised WID’s technical assistance, international, employment, poverty reduction and training projects. http://www.wid.org

Effective immediately! The Social Security Administration receives and processes all Employment Network (EN) Request for Proposal (RFP) applications and communicates directly with respective EN applicants. MAXIMUS is no longer performing this function.

Organizations interested in applying to become Employment Networks should mail their RFP directly to the Social Security Administration for review. To apply, simply download the EN RFP at the Federal procurement Web site www.fedbizopps.gov.

The ODEP-managed government-wide Web site, DisabilityInfo.gov has just received an award for citizen services.

http://www.dol.gov/odep/welcome.html

Secretary Chao Announces 2005 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Theme – “Workers with Disabilities: Ready for Tomorrow’s Jobs Today”

http://www.usbln.com/news/NDEAM_News_06-21-05.pdf

Grants for Community Service by Students with Disabilities

Grants from American Association of Community Colleges to Support Programs for Community Service by Students with Disabilities

Deadline: November 1, 2005

The American Association of Community Colleges ( http://www.aacc.nche.edu/ ) has announced a national grant competition for Project Reach: Service Inclusion for Community College Students. Applicants must be member institutions of AACC.

Visit the AACC Web site to download the Request for Proposals. http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/5000583/aacc/disability.

Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Invites Applications

National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Invites Applications
Deadline: November 10, 2005

The National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program promotes scholarship in the United States and abroad on matters relevant to the improvement of education in all its forms.

Applicants must have received their Ph.D., Ed.D., or equivalent research degree between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005. International applicants are encouraged. The application packet is available at the NAE Web site: http://www.nae.nyu.edu/spencer/index.htm.

White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

The conference is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visit www.fbci.gov to register online. We strongly encourage you to register online. If you are unable to register online, print the registration form attached to this email. Complete the form and fax it to 703-299-4589 or 703-706-0476. If you are not able to view this file, please call 202-456-6718 to have a form faxed to you. Please register by Friday, October 14. If you must cancel your registration, please send an email to fbci@dtihq.com or a fax to one of the numbers listed above so we may accommodate as many people as possible. For more information, please call 202-456-6718, send an email to fbci@dtihq.com, or visit www.fbci.gov.

Competition Opportunity for Young Soloists/Musicians

Entries must be submitted by December 1, 2005. For an application, contact VSA arts of Ohio at (614) 241-5325 or info@vsao.org. The first, second and third place winners will be announced in January with cash prizes being awarded during a live performance in their honor to take place in early May 2006. Winners will represent Ohio in the national Young Soloists 2007 competition presented by the home office of VSA arts based in Washington, DC.

Contact: Kimberly Murray, 77 S. High Street, 2nd Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215, 614.241.5325, kmurray@vsao.org, http://www.ada-ohio.org/.

Important Information from Other Federal Agencies on Hurricane Relief

Homeland Security Web site Lists All Federal Help Available For Katrina Victims: http://www.katrinarecovery.disasterhelp.gov/moveforward.shtm

Firstgov.Gov Links to Relevant Hotlines: http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/
Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery/Telephone_Hotlines.shtml

GovBenefits Shares Benefits Available for All U.S. Citizens: http://www.govbenefits.gov

Department of Housing and Urban Development Establishes Single Toll-Free Housing Hotline (1-888-297-8685) To Help Disaster Victims With All Housing Concerns. Assistance available from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST, seven days a week. Visit us on the web at http://www.dol.gov

Positions Available

ASC/MSRRC Seeks New Director

The Director represents the University as the leader of one of six Regional Resource Centers (RRCs) in the country that serve as the field offices of the U.S. Office of Special Education (OSEP). This highly visible policy-level position requires a visionary individual at the top of her/his profession in order to interact effectively with high level state and Federal officials. The Director will lead and support the efforts of the current staff of sixteen highly functioning individuals in facilitating systemic change in the region. The Director will:

Closing Date for Applications: October 9, 2005 unless extended. Starting Date: As soon as possible in 2006 Apply to: To apply for job # SM509852, submit a UK Online Application at http://ukjobs.uky.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=188212 or http:www.uky.edu/ukjobs. If you have any questions, contact HR/Employment, phone (859) 257-9555 press 2, or email: ukjobs@email.uky.edu.

Recent Products

• Kim-Rupnow, W.S., Park, H. C. & Starbuck, D. E. (2005). Status Overview of Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities. The Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 23 (2). 21-32.
• Park, H. C., Kim-Rupnow, W.S., & Stodden, R. (2005). Disparity of Closure Types in VR Services Between AAPIs and European Americans with Disabilities. The Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 23(2). 33-38.

For a complete list of NTAC products, please visit the Products section of our Web site.

Resources

National Business and Disability Council

The leading national corporate resource on all issues related to the successful employment and integration of individuals with disabilities. http://www.business-disability.com/

Institutes / Conferences

For a complete list of conferences, please visit the Conferences section of our Web site.

Conference: A Practical Approach to Providing Quality Care to Women with Disabilities

September 17, 2005: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Harvard Medical School’s Center of Excellence in Women’s Health is pleased to present “Women with Disabilities Symposium: A Practical Approach to Providing Quality Care to Women with Visual, Hearing, and Mobility Impairments.”

This one-day conference will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Women with Disabilities at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The registration fee is $75.

To learn more about the conference and register, visit: http://www.hms.harvard.edu/coewh/DisabilityConference
For more information, please contact Lindsay Giorgi, Program Coordinator for HMS’s Center of Excellence in Women's Health. She can be reached at Lindsay_giorgi@hms.harvard.edu or (617) 732-5502.

The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission (CARF) and The Health and Disability Research Institute (HDR)

San Francisco, CA: September 26 - 27, 2005

Learn about accommodation issues, innovative employment practices, and the ADA! Meet the JAN Consultants and enjoy training from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Defense’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), knowledgeable state and local legal representatives, and private employers. A free service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor. http://www.jan.wvu.edu/

2006 National Conference of the Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association

Fremantle, Australia: October 17 & 20, 2006

The 2006 conference aims to enable participants to understand how the application of technology can allow inclusion of all people into everyday activities, home, school, work and leisure. http://www.e-bility.com/arata/conf.php

Second Annual Tony Coehlo Lecture on Disability and Employment Law

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Please join New York Law School’s Labor and Employment Law Program and Congressman Second Annual Tony Coehlo Lecture on Disability and Employment Law Tony Coehlo for the featuring the Honorable Richard A. Thornburgh.

The Coehlo Lecture is Wednesday, October 19, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. A light dinner will be served, and the Coehlo lecture will follow, along with a question and answer session. The Coehlo Lecture is open to the public at no charge, but registration is required. For more information, and to register, please visit us at www.nyls.edu/lel, email us at lawoftheworkplace@nyls.edu, or call us at 212.431.2127.

For those who cannot attend the event, please register for the live webcast at www.nyls.edu/lel. The webcast can be viewed from our Web site at the time of the speech or any time thereafter. Sign-language interpreters will be provided. Please e-mail lawoftheworkplace@nyls.edu, regarding any additional accommodations you may need.

23rd Annual Closing the Gap: Computer Technology in Special Education and Rehabilitation

Minneapolis, MN USA: October 20 & 22, 2006

http://www.closingthegap.com

National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference® and Expo

Chicago, Illinois: Nov. 15 - 17, 2005

The National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference® and Expo is the must attend conference for anyone involved in the disability or workers’ comp industries. And the 2005 event will be no exception! Make plans now to join us Nov. 15 - 17, 2005 when the 14th annual event takes place at Lakeside Center at McCormick Place in Chicago. http://www.wcconference.com/wcdis/confover.html

California State University Northridge’s 21st Annual International Conference “Technology and Persons with Disabilities”

March 20-25, 2006: Los Angeles, CA

This is a comprehensive, international conference, where all technologies across all ages; disabilities; levels of education and training; employment; and independent living are addressed. It is the largest conference of its kind! http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/

AHEAD 2006 Conference: Charting the Course for Change

San Diego, California: July 18-22, 2006

The annual international AHEAD conference brings together professionals in the fields of higher education and disability for a week of information-sharing, networking and theoretical and practical training. http://www.ahead.org/training/conference/index.htm

Research / Publications

Special Issue of the International Journal of Disability, Development and Education (IJDDE)

Topic: “Illuminating the Black Box of School Reform to Improve Outcomes for All Students”
To be published: Volume 54, Issue 1, March 2007
Guest Editors: Dennis McDougall and Claude Goldenberg

Guidelines for Submission:
Authors should submit manuscripts via mail or e-mail. Each manuscript should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words, word-processed in English, and conform to guidelines of the 5th Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001). The Guest Editors welcome queries from potential authors prior to manuscript submission. IJDDE is a peer-reviewed journal and thus every article included in this special issue will go through the customary peer review process before publication.

Submission Deadline for Manuscripts: 15 May, 2006.

Please send manuscripts via mail or e-mail, or request of further details to: Dennis McDougall, Guest Editor, 124 Wist Hall, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA, email: mcdougal@hawaii.edu