NTAC e.News — March 1, 2007

Asian/Pacific Islander Words of Wisdom

I mohala no ka lehua i ke k'ekehi 'ia e ka ua—The Lehua blossom unfolds when the rains tread on it.
Hawaiian proverb meaning people respond better to gentle words than to scolding.
Source: http://www.k12.hi.us/~waianaeh/waianhi/olelo.html

Announcements: Local

NEW! Pac Rim Is Upon Us!

The 23rd Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities will be held March 12 & 13, 2007, at the beautiful Sheraton Waikiki in Honolulu. We definitely want to meet all our network members who are planning to attend. Please email James D. Brightman, NTAC-AAPI’s Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator at jamesdb@hawaii.edu to let us know how to contact you. We are looking forward to seeing you at the conference. Please see http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/ for more information or to help you plan your trip.

NEW! Sixth Online Course Planned

The sixth online course, “Introduction to Disability/Rehabilitation with Asian/Pacific Islander Americans,” facilitated by NTAC-AAPI, will begin soon. The teachers are slated to be 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.

To get on the mailing list for the sixth offering—tentatively starting April 1st, 2007—please send an email to James D. Brightman, NTAC-AAPI’s Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator, at jamesdb@hawaii.edu. The sixth course, most likely our final offering, will probably involve a nominal tuition payment and will feature the same professors. The course earns ten Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that may be applied to your CRC. This opportunity is a wonderful way to increase your cultural competence and enhance your counseling abilities. For more information, or to preview the required readings before the final course begins, please go to the following Web site: http://www.ntac.hawaii.edu/AAPIcourse/. Thank you, and see you online.

Announcements: National and International

Senate Health Committee Approves Mental Health Parity Bill by 18-3 Vote

By an 18-3 vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Feb. 14 approved legislation (S. 558) requiring business with 50 or more workers to offer the same medical benefits for mental health care as they do for other medical conditions. Click here to read more.

Appeals court rules EEOC can proceed with disability discrimination case against Wal-Mart.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) can proceed with a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. that alleges a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when one of its stores in Missouri refused to hire a man with cerebral palsy as a greeter or a cashier.

The decision is important because it marks the first time that it has ruled that an employer's claim that an applicant with a disability wasn't hired because he or she posed a threat to the safety of others or him or herself, must be proven by the employer rather than the applicant.

For more information about this case, visit: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16691993.htm

Recent Products

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

Resources

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released a new fact sheet titled: Questions and Answers about Health Care Workers and the Americans with Disabilities Act

It is available on-line at: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/health_care_workers.html

The new Q&A fact sheet provides practical information about applying ADA employment rules in healthcare jobs, in a variety of settings--from public and private hospitals and nursing care facilities to doctors' and dentists' offices and diagnostic laboratories.

Expanding the Employment Networks of Your Job Seekers

Do you tell your participants that networking is an important way to find employment? Well, take it a step further. Teach them networking skills and offer them opportunities to practice making connections that can lead to better jobs.

U.S. Department of Labor Announces $2.5 Million Competition for Long-Term Care Training

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today announced a grant competition for approximately $2.5 million to be invested in training for the healthcare industry's long-term care sector. Click here to read more.

Technology in the Works FAQs - 2007 Collaborative Short Term Awards

Just posted! Read frequently asked questions that have come in from the field about the 2007 Technology in the Works RFP. Full proposals are due April 2, 2007.

Autism in the News - Two New Studies

Two new studies are keeping autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the spotlight. A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found one child in 150 may have ASD. Another study reports that scientists looking for genetic clues have successfully identified markers.

U.S. Department of Education”Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program CFDA 84.133E-4 Modification 1

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=12601

U.S. Department of Education”Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program CFDA 84.133E-5 Modification 1

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=12603

U.S. Department of Education”Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program CFDA 84.349A Grant

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=12682

United States Department of Justice”Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics

2007 TA for State and Local Data Collection on Human Trafficking Statistics Grant

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=12693

Institutes / Conferences

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

NCTI Web Event—Into the Future with Portable AT

Join NCTI on March 2nd for a free Web Event on exciting innovations that make assistive technology portable.  Check our agenda and join the presentations and discussions that interest you most. Discuss the implications of the technologies for students with the developers. For more information or to register, visit: http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2007/03/19/into-the-future-with-portable-at/.

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.

CSUN Conference

Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference will be held this March 19-24, 2007. The conference, now in its 22nd year, is the largest conference focusing on assistive technology in the world, and is hosted by the Center on Disabilities at California State Univ., Northridge. With 12 in-depth Pre-Conference Workshops, over 350 General Sessions and more than 175 exhibitors, the conference serves as a major training venue for professionals around the world dealing with technology and disabilities. This year we are pleased to announce that John D. Kemp will be the Keynote Speaker and a new track featuring Aging-Acquired and Aging-Related Disabilities has been added, along with sessions devoted to Young Researchers. For more information on the conference, please visit: http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf.

Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion, and Disability: Rights, Responsibilities, and Social Change

April 3 & 4, 2007: The Ohio State University, Columbus Campus
Continuing the tradition of the past six years, the Seventh Annual Multiple Perspectives conference will bring together a diverse audience to explore disability as both an individual experience and social reality that cuts across typical divisions of education and employment, scholarship and service, business and government, and race, gender, and ethnicity.

Pre-Conference Institute: E-Text: Production, Distribution & Management for Accessibility, Monday, April 2, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM & Tuesday, April 3, 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Registration is now available at: http://mpconference.osu.edu/sessions

National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education (NAAPAE)

The National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education (NAAPAE) is holding its 29th Annual Conference in Hawaii on April 20-21, 2007. With a conference theme entitled, “Pacific Pathways: Engage, Educate, Enlighten”, presenters may focus on social, cultural, and educational issues; leadership development; and outreach.

Please consider submitting a proposal to this noteworthy conference. Proposals submitted electronically or via CD by January 10, 2007 will receive priority for selection. Submit proposals to nakaoka@hawaii.edu.

(PSY 0621m) Advocacy Skills and Documenting Disability: A Workshop for Parents and Professionals

April 21, 2006: San Francisco, CA
This workshop is designed to teach parents and professionals involved in the lives of children and adults with disabilities to advocate in multiple ways to break through the systems that impact the individual with an emphasis on students receiving special education services. As a result of participating in the training, participants will have an increased understanding of educational and civil rights laws and learn covert and overt advocacy skills. Participants will learn how to apply these skills to their professional and personal roles as advocates with the primary goal of increasing self-advocacy for children and adults with disabilities. Special attention will be paid to providing documentation that drives accommodations by meeting the needs of disability laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities and Education Improvement Act and the Rehabilitation Act, Section 504. Learn more about about the Advocacy Skills and Documenting Disability workshop.

Charting the Future In Developmental and Learning Disabilities

YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network will hold its 28th Annual International Conference: “Charting the Future In Developmental and Learning Disabilities” on April 30 - May 4, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Manhattan Hotel, 1605 Broadway, in New York City. For more information, contact Tina Sobel, Senior Manager of YAI/NIPD’s Professional Information Department, at tsobel@yai.org, 212-273-6457 or visit http://www.yai.org/.

Imagine...Everybody Works!

The Autism Society of America and APSE: The Network on Employment Conference & Training Event, May 10 and 11, 2007, Columbus, OH, Hyatt on Capital Square. APSE and the Autism Society of America invite sponsors and exhibitors to participate. For more information, contact: Teresa Grossi (tgrossi@indiana.edu) or Cathy Pratt (prattc@indiana.edu) or call 812.855.6508.

World Health Organization's North American Collaborating Center for the ICF (the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health)

The Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) will be hosting the conference of the World Health Organization's North American Collaborating Center for the ICF (the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health) in Niagara Falls, June 5-7, 2007.

The conference theme, Sharing Knowledge Through the ICF, points to the role of the ICF in making it possible for us to communicate about disability across countries, cultures, languages, and professions. The conference will be useful to persons who are new to the ICF as well as those who have long been involved in its development and application.

Complete information and the Call for Papers are at http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/icf/conference/index.html

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/.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/National Institutes of Health: Summer Institute in Applied Research in Child and Adolescent Development

June 24-29, 2007: Bolger Center, Potomac, Maryland
A goal of the Institute is to support investigators who are beginning careers as applied researchers by providing training that will build upon their existing content knowledge and research skills. To be eligible for this Institute, individuals must have completed a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent terminal degree within their field. Individuals must also:

• Have at least 1 year of post-doctoral experience in academe, private industry, non-profit, or government
• Have not more than 5 years of subsequent research experience at the time of the Institute

Application packet and Institute information are available at: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/der/branches/cdbb/pages/summer-institute.aspx. Direct all inquiries to:summerinst@mail.nih.gov. Application Due Date: February 15, 2007. Notification of Acceptance: April 1, 2007

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

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

Research / Publications

A Case for Inclusion - An Analysis of Medicaid and Americans with Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities

United Cerebral Palsy conducted a holistic analysis to chart each state’s ranking and progress in creating a quality, meaningful and community-inclusive life for those Americans with mental retardation and developmental disabilities served by that state’s Medicaid program. This is part of a three-phase process that also will study top-performing states and then create state-specific action plans on how their state can improve. 

View the Paper here: PDF (1,353K, 16 pages)