NTAC e.News — November 15, 2007

Asian/Pacific Islander Words of Wisdom

“The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.”—Deepak Chopra.
Source: http://www.sapphyr.net/smallgems/quotes-author-deepakchopra.htm

Announcements: Local

NEW! Participate in Doctoral Research

Vicky Ng, a 4th year doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at Fordham University in New York City would like to interview Asian Americans who are identified as having a mental health disability and are involved in employment or other work activities. The interview would be by telephone. For more information, please contact Vicky at vickyng@hotmail.com or by telephone at 212-630-2361. Download a copy of the announcement [Doc Format | PDF Format].

Earn 10 CEUs online

The eighth offering of the “Introduction to Disability/Rehabilitation with Asian/Pacific Islander Americans” online course is tentatively set to begin on January 14th, 2008. For a nominal tuition payment of $20, ten Continuing Education Units (CEUs) can be earned to apply to your CRC.

Each offering of this month-long course has been facilitated by NTAC-AAPI, with 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 serving as professors.

For more information, or to preview the required readings before the next course begins, please go to the following Web site: http://www.ntac.hawaii.edu/AAPIcourse/. To get on the mailing list for that course, please send an email to James D. Brightman, NTAC-AAPI’s Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator, at jamesdb@hawaii.edu.

Announcements: National and International

U.S. Department of Labor Forms Alliance with CVS Caremark to Promote Employment of Workers with Disabilities Nationwide

On October 23, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and CVS Caremark established an alliance to encourage and promote the employment of people with disabilities through training and education, outreach and communication, technical assistance and other efforts. Read the news release.

Recent Products

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

Resources

The Impact of Premium Changes on CommonHealth-Working Enrollment

In 2003, Massachusetts substantially increased premiums charged to enrollees in its CommonHealth-Working (CH-W) program. This study evaluates the impact of the premium change on enrollment. Findings indicate the premium increase had a small, but statistically significant impact on program exits. Key factors as to why the CH-W experience differs from other state programs experiencing similar enrollment declines are discussed. A report and presentation of the study are included. http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2063

The PHI National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce

Visit this on-line library for people in search of solutions to the direct-care staffing crisis in long-term care. The site includes government and research reports, news, issue briefs, on topics such as recruitment, career advancement supervision, workplace culture, and caregiving practices plus training manuals and how-to guides. The Clearinghouse publishes original research and analysis, fact sheets, an annual survey of state initiatives, and Quality Jobs/Quality Care, an on-line newsletter. http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2068

Empowerment for Americans with Disabilities: Breaking Barriers to Careers and Full Employment

NCD report reviews the issues integral to the employment of people with disabilities. It has two broad aims: 1) to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the employment of people with disabilities in a series of short issue briefs; and 2) to present new information on the perspectives of employers, people with disabilities, and disability specialists on the key barriers and facilitators of employment. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2007/pdf/ncd94_Employment_20071001.pdf

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is a new national organization devoted solely to the financial scholarship needs of Asian and Pacific Islander American students. The scholarship fund’s historic formation is credited to founding corporations, community-based organizations and civic leaders such as McDonald’s Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company, Asian McDonald’s Owner/Operators Association, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Organization of Chinese Americans, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, the University of Hawai‘i, Native Hawaiian Community-Based Education Learning Centers, United Negro College Fund, Hispanic Scholarship Fund and former U.S. Congressman Robert Underwood. http://apiasf.org/

AT & T Native

American Political Leadership Program—Semester in Washington scholarship, at George Washington University, available for Native Hawaiian students—deadline extended to 11/30/07. This is an excellent opportunity—scholarship includes travel to/from Washington, D.C., as well as tuition, books, lodging, plus. http://www.gwu.edu/~siw/politics/naplp/

How GovBenefits.gov Can Serve You & Your Customers!

GovBenefits.gov (www.GovBenefits.gov) is the official benefits Web site of the U.S. Government. GovBenefits.gov provides citizens with a one-stop source for connecting to over 1000 government assistance programs.

GovBenefits.gov is continually expanding its program database to offer the American public access to government benefit resources with the added convenience of being accessible 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Once on the site, visitors seeking assistance can quickly find programs they may be eligible to receive after using the confidential online screening questionnaire. http://www.GovBenefits.gov/

Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program

The goals of the program are to provide research opportunities to individuals who hold a doctorate in the fields indicated above, and to increase the number of women and minority professionals conducting research in educational measurement and related fields. http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=16295&_ksTicket=9c5101cabc99bf10c8711257da6e7df9&_ksExpires=2007112700:00:00

Institutes / Conferences

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

Results Management Project Basic Information

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is seeking faith-based and community non-profit organizations to participate in Results Management Project. http://www.performance-results.net/dol/info.php

White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives National Summit on Prisoner Reentry

On Tuesday and Wednesday, November 27-28, the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives National Summit on Prisoner Reentry will be held. Each year more than 650,000 inmates are released from Federal and State prisons and return to their communities and families. According to the Department of Justice, more than two-thirds of inmates will be rearrested within three years of their release from prison. Addressing the tremendous human needs associated with recidivism requires that Federal, state, and local decision-makers partner with nongovernmental organizations—for-profit and nonprofit, faith-based and secular—to promote jobs, transitional housing, education, substance abuse treatment, positive mentoring relationships, and other valuable transitional services.

The summit is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visit www.fbci.gov to register online. Please register by Thursday, November 15th. If you must cancel your registration, please send an email to fbci@dtihq.com. For more information, call 202-456-6708, send an email to fbci@dtihq.com, or visit www.fbci.gov.

International Forum on Disability and Development: Caring, Participation, and Action

December 10-15 2007: Beijing, China
This year’s International Forum on Disability and Development, jointly sponsored by the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, Peking University, University of Southern California, and Griffith University, will take place in Beijing, December 10-15 2007. Representatives from the United Nations, World Bank, World Health Organization, the National Development and Reform Commission of China, the Ministries of Civil Affairs, Finance, Health, and Labor and Social Security, and both domestic and foreign well-known scholars are invited to attend the forum. View the announcement | Download the registration form

International Forum 2008: Securing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

April 12 & 13, 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

April 14 & 15, 2008: Honolulu, Hawai‘i
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 April 14 & 15, 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.

CIRRIE Conference

The Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (http://cirrie.buffalo.edu) is pleased to announce that an international conference on Toward Culturally Responsive Disability Services will be held October 6 and 7, 2008, in Niagara Falls, New York. Complete information and the Call for Papers are at http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/conference2008/index.html