Funded by: U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration


NTAC e.News — November 1, 2006

Hawaiian Words of Wisdom


Ku‘ia ka hele a ka na‘au ha‘aha‘a—Hesitant walks the humble hearted.
(A humble person walks carefully, so as not to hurt others. Don’t walk all over people!)

Announcements: Local


NEW! Disability Mentoring Day: A Tremendous Success

Disability Mentoring Day, a local, national, and international event, was held on October 18th. By participating in mentoring day, individuals with disabilities demonstrated their employability, and employers could see these able and capable persons in action. Many thanks go out to everyone who made Disability Mentoring Day tremendously successful in Hawai‘i. On O‘ahu, Red Lobster was generous in helping. The Department of the Navy and the U. S. Coast Guard also offered mentoring opportunities. Many specialists at University of Hawai‘i Center on Disability Studies and teachers at the University of Hawai‘i Lab School opened their offices and classrooms to persons wishing to be mentored. In addition, the Pacific Basin RRTC/Social Science Research Institute at the University was a mentor. If you would like a further description of how the day went or are interested in other mentoring opportunities throughout the rest of the year, please email James D. Brightman at jamesdb@hawaii.edu or call him at (808) 956-3648.

Show and Tell: Share Your Success!

September 30th brings us to the end of our fiscal year 2005-2006. Now it is time to tally the results of our hard work. Therefore, we are asking all members and partners of our network, and all recipients of e.News, to send us data on the numbers of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) with disabilities your organization has served or employed from October 1, 2005, through September 30, 2006. In addition to the numbers, we would like to hear your success stories. We hope to share these stories with other members of the community through our NTAC-AAPI briefs, e.News, and at our Pac Rim Conference in Honolulu in March 2007. Please send all information to David Baker at david.baker@hawaii.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Identify the Star!

NTAC-AAPI is planning a video to feature stories about employment success of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with disabilities. If you know and would like to recommend an Asian American or Pacific Islander with a disability who has “beaten the odds” and is considered a role model for many job seekers in diverse fields, please let us know. We would like to help them become a star in our video! Please email James D. Brightman at jamesdb@hawaii.edu or call him at (808) 956-3648.

Announcements: National and International


The 5th Annual New Freedom Initiative Awards: Sharing the Vision

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award, which annually recognizes non-profits, small businesses, corporations and individuals from a cross-section of industries that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts to enhance the employment of people with disabilities. The event also provides an opportunity for the honorees to share best practices and experiences that will inspire their colleagues and peers to actively recruit and hire the more than 49.7 million Americans with disabilities. This year’s NFI Award ceremony was held on October 26, 2006. The event also marked the first presentation of the Secretary’s Spirit Award.

Positions Available


Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Coming Home to Work Initiative

Through this Initiative, civilian work experience is made available to eligible service members pending medical separation from active duty at major Military Treatment Facilities. Participants work with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to obtain un-paid work experience in a Government facility. Learn more about the Coming Home to Work Initiative.

Recent Products


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

Resources


Texas Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services

Information on services available in Texas to assist people with disabilities in obtaining employment of their choice and to help them live independently in their communities. Learn more about the Texas Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services.

New Telework Web site

The Rehabilitation Research & Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University announce the new website TeleworkUSA.net!

This Web site is the hub for 3 telework projects funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor. The website includes information about the Telework Initiative, an overview of ODEP’s projects, their Telework research as well as resources for building a competitive edge—including recent preliminary research findings.

On the homepage, you may enter the site as a “Job Seeker” or an “Employer.” Both paths provide information about telework, resources, success stories, and a link to the “Resume Bank.” This is where job seekers and employers can merge to seek one another out and make telecommuting a reality! Visit TeleworkUSA.net.

Small Business Administration Veterans’ Small Business Resources

Resources and information from the Small Business Administration to assist veterans who are self-employed or small business owners. Includes information on the Service-Disabled Veterans-Owned Small Business Concern Program and the Getting Veterans Back to Business Guide. Learn more about Small Business Administration Veterans’ Small Business Resources.

Institutes / Conferences


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

Disability Issues Caucus of National Communication Association

November 6, 2006: San Antonio, TX
Call for Papers and Panel Proposals. Disability Issues Caucus, National Communication. Association Annual Meeting: San Antonio, TX Nov 16-19, 2006 Deadline: February 15, 2006 The Disability Issues Caucus invites research papers and program proposals exploring any aspect of issues related to disability and communication, and it especially. Contact: klebesco@mmm.edu URL: www.natcom.org.

2006 TASH Conference—Living the Vision Together: Today, Tomorrow, & Beyond

Organization: TASH: Equity, Opportunity, and Inclusion for People with Disabilities
Where: Baltimore, MD
Date: November 8-11, 2006
http://www.tash.org/2006tash/index.htm

Audioconference Educational Series on Psychiatric Rehabilitation Registering Now!

The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation is offering three innovative and stimulating AudioConferences for mental health and rehabilitation professionals, education support staff, program administrators, public healt” lectures by leaders in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. The lectures are interactive so that audiences may propose questions or comments.

Health and Hope: Helping People Live Optimally in Their Communities Through Health Promotion Services
Nov. 8, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST - Dori Hutchinson, Sc.D.

Reclaiming Lives: Evidence for Improvement and Recovery in Schizophrenia
Nov. 15, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST - Courtenay Harding, Ph.D.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Philosophical and Evidence Base
Nov. 29, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST - William Anthony, Ph.D.

Find out more about the Fall 2006 AudioConference Educational Series online at http://www.bu.edu/cpr/training/audioconferences/ or contact Joan Rapp at 617-353-3549 or via email at joanrapp@bu.edu.

Ask the DOJ: November 14, 2006

Take this opportunity to pose questions to DOJ regarding their enforcement efforts on Title II and Title III of the ADA as well as seek their guidance on tough ADA policy issues. DOJ has joined us on many occasions to field questions from our audience. This is an opportunity for you to get clarification and/or seek guidance from DOJ on issues associated with compliance and/or your rights under the ADA.

Speaker: John Wodatch Chief, Disability Rights Section, U.S. Department of Justice

Sessions are 90 minutes in length and delivered via audio conference. Participants are in a "listen-only" mode until the question and answer period. The sessions are offered real-time captioned on the Internet, and a transcript is developed and posted to the Internet following the session. In addition, a digital recording of the session is archived on the DBTAC: Great Lakes ADA Center web site at adagreatlakes.org.

For more information: ADA-OHIO (The Americans with Disabilities Act), 700 Morse Road, Suite 101, Columbus, OH 43214, 800-ADA-OHIO (800-232-6446) 800-ADA-ADA1 (800-232-2321) TTY, 614-844-5537 FAX, adaohio@aol.com, http://www.ada-ohio.org/. ADA-OHIO is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

On Thursday, November 16, 2006, the White House will host a conference in Charlotte to help social service organizations learn more about President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative. These conferences are geared towards faith-based and community organizations that have no history of applying for government grants, as well as those that have applied, but have not yet been successful.

The conference is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. We strongly encourage you to register online. If you are unable to register online, please call (202) 456-6708 to have a registration form faxed to you.

The deadline for registration is Friday, November 10th. If you must cancel your registration, please send an email to fbci@dtihq.com or a fax to the number listed above so we may accommodate as many people as possible.

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 8:00am - 5:00pm, The Blake Hotel, 555 South McDowell Street, Charlotte, NC 28204

For more information, please call 202-456-6708, send an email to fbci@dtihq.com, or visit www.fbci.gov.

Increasing the Success of Employees with Mental Health Disabilities in the Workplace

The Ohio State University Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator’s Office and the Division of Occupational Therapy are co-hosting a one-day seminar to address the issue of how to help employees with disabilities increase their success in the workplace. A primary focus will be accommodations for social, behavioral, and mental health issues.

When: Friday, November 17, 2006 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Deadline for registration is October 25, 2006
Where: The Ohio State University, The Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43210

The $75 Registration includes continental breakfast, lunch, and conference resources. Contact: Andrea Cooper, phone: (614) 292-1076; TDD/TTY: (614) 688-8605; cooper.437@osu.edu

Ticket to Work Advisory Panel Beneficiary Summit Announcement

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel (the Panel) will be having a Beneficiary Summit in Atlanta, Georgia on February 6-7, 2007, for individuals who receive (or recently received) a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit and/or their health insurance from Medicare or Medicaid (beneficiaries). Beneficiaries will be invited to the Summit to give us their thoughts and ideas on the way that Social Security disability and other programs operate now and how they can be made better for people who want to go to work. Also, beneficiaries attending the Summit will propose an ongoing process for beneficiary involvement in the work of the Social Security Administration (SSA).

The Summit will be a meeting of about 50 beneficiaries to discuss the disability programs as they are now and what could be changed to make them work better for people with disabilities. Recommendations will focus on work and what SSA and its partners can do to encourage work for more beneficiaries. It costs nothing to attend the Summit. The beneficiaries who are selected to attend will have their travel, meal, lodging, transportation, and incidental costs paid by the Panel. In addition, if a beneficiary requires a personal assistant or support person in order to participate, those costs will be paid by the Panel as well.

Applications can be sent via e-mail to Jenn Rigger with the Panel to TWWIIAPanel@ssa.gov or faxed to: 202-358-6440. They can also be mailed to the: Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20024, Attn: BENEFICIARY SUMMIT.

If there are questions about the application, call Jenn Rigger at 202-358-6425. REMINDER: The deadline for applications is October 6, 2006.

Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation, Inc. (CANAR, Inc.): “Making Life Better, One Individual at a Time”

February 18 - 21, 2007: Washington, DC
Annual CANAR Conference, Hyatt-Regency on Capital Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, 202-737-1234 or 800-233-1234
The Annual 2007 National Conference on Native American Rehabilitation is scheduled for February 18 - 21, 2007 in Washington, D. C. and will be co-sponsored by the Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation, Inc. (CANAR, Inc.), Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and other rehabilitation agencies. Download the registration form in Microsoft Word format.

23rd Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities

Registration is open for the 2007 Pac Rim Conference. Be sure to take advantage of the special Early Registration Rate. Mark Your Calendar! March 12-14, 2007, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel & Resort Honolulu, Hawaii. Visit http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/ for more details.

Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion, and Disability

April 3 & 4, 2007
As a modern land grant university an important part of Ohio State University’s mission is serving the community. Since 2001 The Ohio State University’s ADA Coordinator’s Office has hosted Multiple Perspectives On Access Inclusion & Disability. The conference offers a unique opportunities for approximately 300 professionals, scholars, advocates. Workshops and presentations are designed to bring a diverse audience together to discuss the full spectrum of disability issues and experiences. The annual gathering provides a forum for individuals and organizations to share their knowledge; broaden their perspectives, and increase community resources through the synergy of collaboration.

For the call for presentations and conference updates visit: http://ada.osu.edu/conferences. For more information on this years program visit: http://ada.osu.edu/conferences Or e-mail ada-osu@osu.edu.

RESNA 2007

Instructional Courses: June 15-16, 2007; Conference Workshop: June 17-19, 2007
RESNA’s Annual Conference will be held in Phoenix, June 15-19, 2007. RESNA 2007 will feature assistive technology’s leading researchers, renowned clinicians and policy experts creating a conference program with unmatched levels of knowledge and expertise. RESNA presenters and attendees will experience a surprisingly intimate conference environment. RESNA 2007 will offer an exciting Exhibit Hall featuring product demonstrations and training sessions, two days of Pre-Conference Instructional Courses, and 3 full-days of Workshops, Interactive Poster Sessions, Themed Paper Sessions and distinguished speakers.
For the latest information and details visit their Web site: http://www.resna.org/.

Research / Publications


Ethnic and Racial Populations With Disabilities: A Public Health Bibliography

This bibliography is a public health tool for those who are engaged in addressing the health status of ethnic and racial minorities with impairments and disabling conditions. Learn more about this bibliography.

Second Volume on Recovery Research Now Available!

The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation is proud to announce the publication of a new book entitled, Recovery from Severe Mental Illnesses: Research Evidence and Implications for Practice, Volume 2. In two landmark volumes, Davidson, Harding, and Spaniol present over 30 years of accumulating evidence that challenges the long-held view that severe mental illnesses typically follow a deteriorating course. Volume 2 explores the range of interventions that have been found to promote recovery for people with serious mental illnesses, including psychiatric rehabilitation, community integration, treatment, case management, and advocacy. Volume 2 also addresses the role of family members and other supports, how mental health systems can become recovery-oriented systems of care, and future directions for research and practice. For more information, go to: http://www.bu.edu/cpr/products/books/titles/rsmi-2.html.

The Professional Development Program (PDP) at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation offers 20 PDP hours for successful completion of a test available for this publication. For more information go to: http://www.bu.edu/cpr/training/distance/bookstests.html

Recovery-Orientation Focus for Fall Psych Rehab Journal

The Fall 2006 issue of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal features an impressive collection of articles and brief reports including: the creation and use of a Recovery Knowledge Inventory for assessing staff knowledge and attitudes about recovery; ACT team members’ responses to training in recovery-oriented practices; and a group intervention to promote healthy self-concepts and guidance for recovery in first episode schizophrenia. The Education and Training column in this issue features In-Service Training: Making it Stick! View the articles and reports available in this new online issue at http://prj.metapress.com/openurl.asp?genre=issue&eissn=1559-3126&volume=30&issue=2.

T-Tap Fact Sheet, Customized Employment Q and A: Funding of Community-Integrated Employment Outcomes

This fact sheet provides information on how to use a diversified array of funding resources to support community-integrated employment outcomes. Ms. Nancy Brooks-Lane, Director of Developmental Disabilities Services Cobb-Douglas Counties Community Services Boards in Georgia, provides detailed examples on how to target and use a variety of funding opportunities for this purpose. Read the fact sheet.

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: November 15, 2006), please contact the editor at david.baker@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.

Copyright 2006. National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC-AAPI).

NTAC