NTAC e.News — August 15, 2007

Asian/Pacific Islander Words of Wisdom

He ‘Olina Leo Ka Ke Aloha—Hawaiian phrase.
Joy is in the voice of love.
Source: http://www.hanahouproductions.com/bridalGuide/wordings/hawaiian.html

Announcements: Local

NEW! Now Available: NTAC’s New Product DVD—“Abilities at Work.”

“Abilities at Work” features four compelling stories of Asians or Pacific Islanders with disabilities who have achieved success in their lives and careers. The premier showing will be on Wednesday, October 17th at the spectacular Honolulu Design Center, 1250 Kapi‘olani Blvd, as part of the Center on Disability Studies 20th anniversary celebration. The program begins at 5:30 pm and is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Employers, career counselors and transition specialists in high schools and colleges, and persons with disabilities seeking to enter the workplace, will find the success stories motivating and educational. The DVD is available for purchase. For credit card or purchase order payments, send information shown on the order form below to Dr. Jean Johnson at this email address: jeanj@hawaii.edu. For purchase by check or money order, mail the payment and completed order form to Dr. Johnson at the postal address on the form. Download Order Form [Doc Format | PDF Format]

Online Course—Seventh Offering

The seventh online course facilitated by the National Technical Assistance Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (NTAC-AAPI) with Disabilities will begin September 4, 2007. The course, “Introduction to Disability/Rehabilitation with Asian/Pacific Islander Americans,” costs $20 tuition and earns you 10 Continuing Education Units that may be applied to your CRC. The course is a wonderful opportunity to further your cultural competence and enhance your counseling abilities.

The seventh offering is again taught by Paul Leung, Professor and Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work, and Addictions at the University of North Texas, and Nan Zhang Hampton, Associate Professor of the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education at San Diego State University.

For more information, or to preview the required readings before the seventh offering begins, please go to the following Web site: http://www.ntac.hawaii.edu/AAPIcourse. To receive reminders about the course, reserve your space, or to learn where to send your $20 tuition payment, please contact James D. Brightman, NTAC-AAPI Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator/Teaching Assistant at jamesdb@hawaii.edu. Thank you, and see you online.

Call for Papers—Come to Hawai‘i in 2008

Attention Network members and others—the call for papers for the 24th Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities is now open. You are invited to submit papers for the 2008 PacRim Conference to be held March 24 and 25 at the Sheraton Waikīkī Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. For more information about PacRim, please see http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/. To submit an abstract, please go to http://www3.cds.hawaii.edu/callforpapers/application.aspx.

Announcements: National and International

MRDD Center Core Grants

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invites applications for Center Core Grants designed to advance the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of mental retardation and developmental disabilities (MRDD). The closing date for applications is December 21, 2007. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-07-012.html#PartI

Recent Products

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

Technical Report on the Business Partnership Summit

This technical report was developed in collaboration with CSAVR and shares the findings from a Business Summit conducted at Bank of America Card Services (formerly MBNA). The purpose of the Summit was to capture information on how rehabilitation adds value to business while sharing best practices that other businesses, vocational rehabilitation, and community rehabilitation providers can model. Contained in this document are a variety of examples of effective public-private partnerships that are supporting the employment and advancement of individuals with disabilities. The themes documented in this booklet can be extremely helpful in avoiding pitfalls and creating a blueprint for building successful partnerships designed to increase the employment of people with disabilities. Price: $7.95. Order this Report

New CD—Creating Customized Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities

This CD contains video and audio presentations on Customized Employment. The presentations include handouts, PowerPoint, other resources. In addition, there are fact sheets and related web links. This CD is a great tool for staff and new hires on the following topics: Customized Employment Strategies, Job Negotiation, Partnering with One-Stops, and Customized Employment for Individuals with Significant Disabilities. This product was developed by T-TAP, funded by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (# E 9-4-2-01217). Order this CD for $24.95.

Resources

Grants to Improve State Systems for Providing Educational Materials in Accessible Formats

This grant announcement supports the 2004 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which added several new provisions to improve the availability of educational materials in accessible formats for students who are blind and other students with print disabilities. The application deadline is September 4, 2007. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-15131.pdf

Graduate Certificate in Brain Injury: Educational and Transition Services

The program includes five courses (15 credits) and is offered on campus and on-line. This year new information will be included regarding the needs of returning veterans with brain injuries. For further information, interested parties may contact Monija Amani, Program Director, at 202-973-1032 or by e-mailing us at abictr@gwu.edu.

Recruiting and Interviewing: Presentation and Quiz

According to a training presentation from the Alaska MIG program, the four step process includes recruitment, interviewing, selection and retention. The slides cover ways to overcoming perceived barriers and the hiring process. The presentation also included an exercise and quiz. Visit http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2005 to view these documents.

DisabilityInfo.Gov introduces new state and local resources map to assist visitors in locating disability-related information close to home

The federal government’s one-stop Web site for disability-related information and resources—DisabilityInfo.gov—today unveiled a new feature, a state and local resources map, designed to assist visitors in finding disability-related information in their own states and localities. Read the full article.

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities

This program is designed to offer cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with disabilities. http://whitman.syr.edu/eee/veterans/index.html

Hire Heroes USA

This program is designed to help military veterans who were wounded while serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the world find careers working in many types of jobs, especially the healthcare industry. http://www.hireheroesusa.org/

DBTAC (Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center): National Network of ADA Centers

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has established 10 regional Centers to provide information, training, and technical assistance to employers, people with disabilities, and other entities with responsibilities under the ADA. The Centers act as a “one-stop” comprehensive resource on ADA issues. View the brochure to find your regional center or visit, www.adata.org or call 800-949-4232 V/TTY

Hurry! Last Chance to Register for our 2007 Webcourses

These online courses provide access to nationally known trainers within the convenience of your home. Participants can access this information at any time of the day to complete the assignments. Interaction is encouraged via discussion groups, e-mail, and individualized conversations with course instructors.

Supported Employment Web-based Certificate Series—Begins Sept. 10 and ends Dec. 10, 2007. Find Out More and Register Online

Supported Competitive Employment for Individuals with Mental Illness—Begins Sept. 10 and ends Dec. 10, 2007. Find Out More and Register Online

Institutes / Conferences

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

Complimentary RRTC Webcast: Job Coaching—What is it and How does it Effect Businesses and State Agencies?

What is Job Coaching and Why do I need it? This webcast will overview the concept of job coaching and how it has assisted many people with disabilities to be successful in the workplace as well as discuss the importance to businesses and state agencies employment outreach. It will be held on September 20, 2007, from: 2:00 - 2:45 pm ET. Learn more and register online for this free webcast

US Business Leadership Network 2007 Annual Conference: Building the New Workforce—Inclusion & Innovation

The US Business Leadership Network’s (BLN) 10th Annual Conference and 2nd Annual National Career Fair will take place September 23-26, 2007. The conference is a national event for business, community leaders and BLN chapters that have an interest in hiring, retention and marketing to people with disabilities. Click here to visit their website.

White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conference on Youth and Education in the Hispanic Community

On Monday, September 24, 2007 from 8:00am - 5:00pm at the Washington DC Hilton, the White House will host a conference to help social service organizations learn more about President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The conference is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please register by Wednesday, September 18th. It is strongly recommended that you register online. If you are unable to, print this registration form. Complete the form and fax it to 703-299-4589. If you are not able to view the form, please call 202-456-6708 to have a form faxed to you.

First Annual International NATTAP Conference

September 26-28, 2007: Columbus, OH
The Network of Autism Training and Technical Assistance Programs (NATTAP) and the Autism Society of America (ASA) present the First Annual International NATTAP Conference. The objectives of the conference are to review current models of systems, best practice in research and intervention use, and methods of capacity building all of which contribute to the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for ASD individuals ages 3-21. A forum will be provided in which ideas will be exchanged that will set a new foundation in autism spectrum disorders. Click here for more information.

International Forum 2008: Securing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

March 22 and 23, 2008: Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii
Select speakers including experts with regional and UN experience, advocates and community leaders will present and participate in panels and lead discussions around the posed questions. The forum will also provide a space for dialogue and informal conversations. We invite you to host a dialogue session and to share your insights and expertise. Those interested in speaking and or participating at the Forum, please contact Robert A. Stodden at stodden@hawaii.edu

24th Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities

Even though it is not until next year, now is the time to start planning to attend PacRim. The 24th Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities will be held March 24 & 25, 2008 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. For more information about Pac Rim, please see http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/.

2008 National ADA Symposium and EXPO

On May 12-14, 2008 at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri the National ADA Symposium and EXPO will be held. It is a comprehensive three-day conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related disability laws sponsored by the National Network of Disability and Busines Technical Assistance Centers. Visit http://www.adasymposium.org to find out why the National ADA Symposium has become the conference to attend on the ADA.

Research / Publications

Working Disabled Program—Marketing Material

The Arkansas MIG grantees developed a number of resources to spread the word about the ways that people with a disability or severe long-term illness can work. The program designed brochures, posters, newspaper ads, coffee mugs, t-shirts, magnets, and table displays all designed for agency workers, consumers, and advocates. http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2006.