NTAC e.News — September 1, 2005

Feature: Quotable Asian Wisdom

A journey of a thousand miles begins with but one step.

- Confuscious

Announcements: Local

NEW! New and Improved Free Online AAPI Culture Course for VR Providers

Several of the individuals that completed our initial free online course commented, the course was valuable and taught them much. Those individuals each earned 10 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for their effort. In our new course, we will have the same instructors, Dr. Paul Leung, Professor and Director of the Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions department at the University of North Texas and Dr. Nan Zhang Hampton, Associate Professor of the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education at San Diego State University; however, we have tweaked the course based on comments received. Express your interest in this course directly to James.Brightman@cds.hawaii.edu, VR Coordinator, and reserve your space in our new and improved free online course now! The tentative start date is late October or early November of this year and we’re expecting this edition to also be worth 10 CEUs.

NEW! 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!

NEW! The RSA Monitoring Conference

On August 24 - 25, 2005, Dr. Robert Stodden, Principal Investigator for the National Technical Assistance Center for the Employment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities participated in the RSA Monitoring Conference in Washington DC. The two day meeting focused upon understanding the legislative basis for RSA monitoring and program improvement activities, as well as gathering input from the diverse range of individuals and agencies that participate in RSA sponsored programs. If you would like specific information regarding information distributed or a summary of discussions conducted at the meeting, please feel free to contact Dr. Stodden at stodden@hawaii.edu.

Announcements: National and International

Emergency Preparedness and People with Disabilities

http://www.dol.gov/odep/programs/emergency.htm

U.S. Department of Labor: Office of Disability Employment Policy

The Office of Disability Employment Policy has added six new or updated fact sheets on the following subjects: mentoring, disability data and research resources, interviewing tips for job candidates with disabilities, recruiting employees with disabilities, and an overview of the Job Accommodation Network.

Cultivating Leadership: Mentoring Youth with Disabilities: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/cultivate.htm
Customized Solutions for Today’s Workforce: The Job Accommodation Network: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/jan.htm
Exploring the Issues: Disability Research Resources: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/explore.htm
Finding Facts and Figures: Disability Data Resources: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/finding.htm
Interviewing Essentials: Strategies for Creating a Positive Impression: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/essential.htm
Strategic Connections: Recruiting Job Candidates with Disabilities: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/connect.htm

Increasing Options: The Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency Program

The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is an avenue to employment for people with disabilities who want to join or reenter the workforce. Millions of adults with disabilities receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are eligible for a Ticket, which can be used to access employment services, vocational rehabilitation services and other support services leading to self-supporting employment. Such services are provided at no cost to the individual. http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/options.htm

Positions Available

Executive Director

Dynamic Statewide Disability Association seeks Executive Director. Full-time salaried position. Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s level degree in disability or management-related field OR five years executive level experience in managing a board-governed non-profit advocacy association preferred. Applicant should have strong background and knowledge of disability issues. Salary range 65k to 90k depending on experience with disability issues. See Web site for organizational information: http://www.cfilc.org. Applicants must download and complete the job application and submit with cover letter and resume to: Search Committee, Mary Ann Jones, Executive Director, WCIL, 12901 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 93535, Full Benefits incl. 401k. No e-mail or fax applications will be accepted.

Recent Products

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

Resources

Online Videos On Disability And Employment

http://www.diversityworld.com/Disability/vid.htm

Disability Research Digest (Canada)— A wonderful monthly recap of resources and developments affecting people with disabilities.

http://www.smd-services.com/information/disability_research_digest.html

Institutes / Conferences

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

The Second International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World

September 11-14 , 2005: Jiuhua Spa and Resort, Beijing, China

For more information visit: The Second International Conference website. http://www.chinamed.com.cn/birthdefects/

Ticket to Work: Social Security Administration

September 12, 2005: Philadelphia, PA

Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 201 A-C
The Social Security Administration is hosting a series of Ticket to Work Conferences and Expos around the country to promote increased use of the Ticket to Work program. Using the theme “It Pays to Check It Out!” these one-day Expos will provide participants — beneficiaries, as well as employers and service providers – with a better understanding of how and why a Ticket can be useful for them. http://www.tickettoworkexpo.com/event.aspx

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

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

Minneapolis, MN USA: October 20 & 22, 2006

http://www.closingthegap.com

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/

Research / Publications

Ready, Willing, and Available

A business guide to improving your workforce by hiring people with disabilities: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/rwa00/toc.htm.

Customized Employment— Practical Solutions for Employment Success

Customized Employment offers the chance for a job to fit who we are, what we need, and what we have to offer. It provides an avenue to employment for any job seeker who feels that traditional job search methods do not meet their needs. http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/custom/index.htm

NTAC-AAPI maintains an email list of persons in the disability-related fields that will remain private. This information has been sent as a courtesy. If you would like to make news contributions to the next issue (deadline: September 15, 2005), please contact the list editor at richard.chea@cds.hawaii.edu. If you wish to stop receiving these messages, you may send an email to listserv@hawaii.edu with the subject line blank and signoff ntac-l@hawaii.edu in the body of your message.