NTAC e.News — July 15, 2007

Asian/Pacific Islander Words of Wisdom

Gou ni itte wa, gou ni shitagae
Literally: “Entering the village, obey the village.” A Japanese proverb comparable to: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/5623/kotowjis.html.

Announcements: Local

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 & 25 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. For more information about Pac Rim, please see http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/. To submit an abstract, go to http://www3.cds.hawaii.edu/callforpapers/Application.aspx.

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 is slated to 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 learn where to send your $20 tuition payment, contact James D. Brightman, NTAC-AAPI Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator/Teaching Assistant at jamesdb@hawaii.edu. Thank you, and see you online.

Announcements: National and International

DisabilityInfo.gov’s New State Map Feature & State Subscription Option

You may have noticed that DisabilityInfo.gov has a new state map feature to make it easier to find disability-related information in your community. To browse through state information, just select one of the nine subject tabs—benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology or transportation—at the top of any DisabilityInfo.gov page. Then click on the State and Local Resources map on the right-hand side bar to find information on that subject in your state.

Now you can also subscribe to receive e-mail updates on information and resources in your state. To update your subscriptions to begin receiving e-mails on programs and services in your state visit the Subscriber Preferences page, then:

• Enter your e-mail address and password (if you use one).
• Click on the DisabilityInfo.gov link under “Add Subscriptions.”
• From the menu item called “Receive E-mail Updates by State” check your state(s).
• Click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the page.

If you have not yet subscribed to the quarterly newsletter, DisabilityInfo Connection, you may do so by visiting this link: http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USODEP_221.

Past issues of this newsletter can be read here: http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5208.

Positions Available

Macy’s in Kailua is Recruiting

Macy’s Department store is seeking full-time, as well as part-time, Sales Associates for its store in Kailua on the island of O‘ahu. Interested job-seekers should call Val Chang at (808) 945-5300 or send an email to her at Valerie.Chang@macys.com.

Clerical Positions with the Navy in Hawaii

The Navy is looking for quality candidates, students, and non-students for clerical positions for hire under the Special Hiring Authorities for the Severely Disabled. The Navy is interested in recruiting the severely disabled under the special hiring authority 5CFR 213.3102(u)(2) in which they will need a Doctor’s diagnosis and statement of job readiness. Severely disabled, according to this directive, are: Deafness, Blindness, Missing Extremities, Partial Paralysis, Complete Paralysis, Convulsive Disorders, Mental Retardation, Mental Illness, and Distortion of Limb and/or Spine.

The positions are in the Pearl Harbor area accessible by car or bus (although there is a bit of walk). Shipyard locations frequently have express city buses access. A security check is required.

For more information contact: Colleen Martineau, Equal Employment Manager, (808) 473-8000, ext. 5727, Fax: (808) 471-0665, colleen.martineau@navy.mil

Recent Products

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

Resources

Young Investigator Awards

NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association: Application Deadline: July 25, 2007
NARSAD’s Young Investigator Award Program offers award opportunities of up to $30,000 per year each for up to two years (maximum of $60,000). The program is open to advanced postdoctoral fellows or assistant professors to either extend their research fellowship training or to begin careers as independent research faculty. Basic and/or clinical investigators are supported, but research must be relevant to schizophrenia, major affective disorders, or other serious mental illnesses. http://www.narsad.org/research/apply/

Two-Year Fellowship in Family Medicine with Focus On Developmental Disabilities

Boston University is seeking applicants for a two-year Academic Family Medicine fellowship with a primary focus on developmental disabilities. The fellowship involves obtaining a Masters degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics or in Health Services Research from Boston University’s Department of Public Health and includes clinical experience in providing health supports to people with intellectual and physical disabilities. To find out more on the application process, stipends, and deadlines, email Mary Cerreto at Mary.Cerreto@bmc.org.

Packer Policy Fellowship

The Commonwealth Fund is accepting applications till August 15, 2007. The Fellowships provide up to $55,000 (AUD) for 6–10 months in Australia. In addition, a supplemental allowance is provided to fellows accompanied by a spouse and/or children. The Commonwealth Fund is pleased to announce the Packer Policy Fellowships, an Australian-American health policy fellowships program. This program offers a unique opportunity for outstanding, mid-career US health policy researchers and practitioners to spend up to 10 months in Australia conducting original research and working with leading Australian health policy experts on issues relevant to both countries. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/fellowships/fellowships_list.htm?attrib_id=9158

Education and Job Skills Program Grants

The Staples Foundation for Learning: Application Deadline: August 3, 2007 with an award ceiling: of $25,000.
The mission of Staples Foundation for Learning, Inc. is “to teach, train, and inspire.” The foundation contributes funds to national and local charities that provide educational opportunities and job skills for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. http://www.staplesfoundation.org/

Centers for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health (U54)

National Institutes of Health/ National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR): Application Deadline is November 15, 2007.
NIDCR intends to commit approximately $70 million in total costs to fund up to four cooperative agreements for seven years in response to this FOA. The purpose of this initiative is to support interventional research that will have a clinically meaningful impact on caries, oral and pharyngeal cancer, and/or periodontal disease, and that will influence clinical practice, health policy, community and/or individual action and ultimately eliminate disparities in vulnerable subgroups of the U.S. population. These populations include racial and ethnic minorities, low income groups and persons with special needs. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DE-08-008.html

Institutes / Conferences

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

18th Annual National APSE Conference

The 18th Annual National APSE Conference will take place from July 16-18, 2007 in Kansas City, Missouri. This year’s conference challenges you to join in shaping the future of supported employment! Register Online for the APSE Conference

Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils

Course Dates: July 23 - August 10, 2007; Registration Deadline: July 9, 2007; Orientation teleconference for students: July 19, 2007; Target audience: SILC executives, staff, and members. This is a beginning to intermediate level course.

This three-week distance learning course orients members of SILCs to the laws and regulations that guide their daily activities. In addition, it applies the principles and philosophy of independent living to situations commonly encountered by statewide independent living councils. Register Now

2007 Collaborative Conference on Autism with Low Incidence Disabilities

The Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI), Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD), the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB), and the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education (OCDBE) present the 2007 Collaborative Conference on Autism with Low Incidence Disabilities, July 30 – August 1, 2007, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Columbus North in Columbus, OH.

This first-of-its-kind conference will focus on students who are autistic and blind, autistic and deaf, autistic and deafblind, or students with other multiple disabilities. Online registration is available at: http://www.ocali.org/registration.

Featured topics include overviews of the disabilities, assessments, interventions, methods and best practices, and the Ziggurat Model—a process model for team problem solving and interventions. National presenters include Teresa Pawletko, Jay and Marilyn Gense, Ruth Aspy, Barry Grossman, and Karen Ewing.

National Federation of the Blind Youth Slam 2007 A STEM Leadership Academy

July 30 - August 4, 2007: Baltimore, MD
Who:Two hundred blind high school students will be selected to participate in this program. Students who would like to be considered must complete the attached application and return it to the Jernigan Institute by April 1, 2007. Students will be selected based on their ability to participate actively in the activities.

What: This four-day academy will engage and inspire the next generation of blind youth to consider careers falsely believed to be impossible for the blind. While staying at Johns Hopkins University, students will be mentored by blind role models during fun and challenging activities meant to build confidence and increase science literacy.

Cost: There is no cost to apply for the program. Students who apply and are accepted to the Youth Slam will be expected to pay a $200 registration fee by May 31, 2007.

To send questions or comments via email, please write to youthslam@nfb.org, or visit http://www.blindscience.org/ncbys/Youth_Slam.asp

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/.

Research / Publications

Disability Training Network for the Texas A&M University (TAMU) System (brochure)

The project at the Texas A&M UCEDD strives to increase the competencies of the faculty, administrators, and staff in the TAMU system in providing students with disabilities a quality postsecondary education. http://dtn.tamu.edu/pdf/Brochure%20for%20Online.pdf

Myths and Facts about Americans with Disabilities Act: Fact Sheets

The Alaska MIG grant has developed three fact sheets about the Americans with Disabilities Act. The first sheet explains the ADA, offers definitions, major provisions, and enforcement information. A second page explains general misconceptions about the law. The third sheet explains how the ADA covers employment issues. http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/1932

State Employment Leadership Network, Hawaii State Employment Workplan

The State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) is sponsored by Hawaii’s MIG program to improve employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities. The SELN developed a work plan, which outlines the objectives, barriers, processes, persons responsible, and target dates for completing goals within the disability employment arena. http://www.hcbs.org/openFile.php/fid/5519/did/1914

Identification of Youth Psychosocial Problems During Pediatric Primary Care Visits

This investigation applied the Gateway Provider Model (GPM) of child mental health services to investigate whether characteristics of the child, family, visit, and provider were related to the identification of youth psychosocial problems during primary care visits. See the article abstract published in the May 2007 issue of Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research: http://www.springerlink.com/content/n5272728v0077u9v/