NTAC e.News — July 1, 2008

Asian/Pacific Islander Words of Wisdom

"Aloha" is a Hawaiian word most people recognize, but using the following variations will really impress:
"Aloha kakahiaka" means "Good morning,"
"Aloha auninala" means "Good afternoon," and
"Aloha ahiahi" means "Good evening."
Source: http://www.magical-hawaii.com/Hawaiian-Phrases-and-Sayings.html

Announcements: NTAC

Earn 10 CEUs Online

The tenth offering of the online course, "Introduction to Disability/Rehabilitation with Asian/Pacific Islander Americans," will begin in August. Unfortunately, we must increase the tuition for this offering to $100. However, for this still-reasonable tuition payment, you can complete this popular course while earning 10 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to apply to your CRC. To provide this offering, we must have a minimum enrollment of a dozen professionals, so tell all your colleagues to register with you.

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 the course, please send an email to James D. Brightman, NTAC-AAPI Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator, at jamesdb@hawaii.edu.

Announcements: National and International

USDOL Emergency Job Information

Do you have questions about unemployment benefits, eligibility, paycheck or wage-related issues, or safety in cleanup efforts? Call toll-free 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Their poster is available in PDF format here.

President Bush Signs the HEART Act with National Service Inclusion Provision

On Tuesday, June 17, 2008, the President signed into law - H.R. 6081, the "Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008," which provides tax benefits and increases Supplemental Security Income benefits for certain members of the military, veterans, and others. Read more about it here.

Emerging Trends & People with Disabilities: Public Consultation

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is gathering public input for a study of emerging issues and trends affecting the lives of people with disabilities. Information gathered will be used in the development of NCD's next annual progress report to the President and Congress. The Council is seeking input on disability issues including health, housing, employment, insurance, transportation, assistive technology, recreation, emergency preparedness, early intervention and education. Suggestions should be sent to NCD by July 22, 2008 via email - type "Emerging Trends" in the subject line. Click here to read the full press release.

Neil Romano takes the Oath of Office as Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy

Washington, DC June 27, 2008 - in a ceremony that took place in the Great Hall of the U.S. Department of Labor, Secretary Elaine L. Chao administered the Oath of Office to Neil Romano.

Positions Available

ICU Developmental Specialist (Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, or Physical Therapy)

Child Development & Rehabilitation Center, Oregon Health & Science University. See the posted job listing here.

Recent Products

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

Resources

Department of Education Funding Opportunity - Disability Rehabilitation Research Projects

Grant opportunity open to states and public or private agencies and organizations. The purpose of the program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, by developing methods, procedures and rehabilitation technologies that advance a wide range of independent living and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities. Deadline for transmittal of applications: July 29, 2008. To read more about it, click here.

HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development) Lists SuperNOFA: $1 billion in funding for 35 programs

HUD's SuperNOFA (Super Notice of Available Funding) has been released, and details $1 billion in available grants for FY 2008. Eligibility varies by grant, so consult the full SuperNOFA here.

Institutes / Conferences

CIRRIE Conference

CIRRIE will be conducting an international conference, Toward Culturally Responsive Disability Services in Niagara Falls, NY, October 6 & 7, 2008 in cooperation with a number of Canadian and U.S. organizations. The keynote speaker will be Jerome Bickenbach of Queens University. Further information, including registration, is available at: http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/conference2008/index.html.

International Conference on Diverse Abilities & Innovative Supports 2008

August 11-13 at the Dole Ballrooms in Honolulu Hawaii. Early registration has been extended to July 11th. There are three categories of rates being offered for the conference. If you are unsure which category you fall under, feel free to contact lifelibertyandthepursuitof@craconferences.com.
Self-Advocates/Families/Direct Support Workers - This rate is reserved for all self-advocates, family members of persons with special needs, and those who are classified as frontline staff such as habilitation technicians, skills trainers, and the like. It is applicable for those who are working one-on-one or in group settings whereas their role is that of providing daily living or habilitation skills. This rate is not applicable to supervisors, managers, case managers, and the like.
Standard Rate - This rate is for all registrants who are not classified as a self-advocate, family member of a person with special needs or a direct support worker. Examples of those who must register under this rate include, case managers, supervisors, managers, clinicians, executive directors, etc.
Late/On-site Rate - This rate is for all registrations received July 12, 2008 through the conference. Please note that there are two separate Late/On-site Rates; one for each category above.

33rd Annual TASH Conference, Social Justice in the 21st Century

This year's theme is Social Justice in the 21st Century: achieving the full and equal participation of every member of society in a way that is shaped to meet each member's unique needs. Social justice provides a vision that all members are valued, physically and psychologically safe, and enjoy all aspects of life in their community. This year's TASH conference will focus on the issues and trends in today's world as they relate to the bringing about social justice for people who have significant disabilities and their families. The conference will be held December 3-6 at the Nashville Convention Center and Renaissance Hotel in Nashville Tennessee. To register, click here.

Free Webinar: Providing and Managing Accessible PDF Documents

Tuesday July 8 at Noon Eastern (New York) Time - This presentation will discuss NetCentric's efforts to help raise the level of PDF accessibility. Netcentric is also developing a plug-in for Word to make creating simple accessible PDF for those who do not own Acrobat itself. To read more about it and to register, click here.

Webinar Snapshot: Making Accessible Online Surveys

Tuesday July 8 at 2 PM EASTERN (New York) - Surveys and polls can be detailed an complex and if they are not created with accessibility in mind, many with assistive technology are unable to participate. There are a number of online solutions to creating accessible forms, surveys and polls and they will be introduced to you in this Webinar snapshot. To read more about it and to register, click here.

Webinar Snapshot: AMIS a Free Software DAISY Pllayer

Wednesday July 23 at 2 PM EASTERN (New York) Time - The DAISY format will increasingly become the format for e-books in the near future because of its greatly enhanced document navigation. Remember that the Library of Congress National Library Service is transitioning to audio DAISY books replacing the current audio cassette format. NIMAS is a version of DAISY which is the format that publishers are using to provide electronic versions of text books for grades K-12. However, the DAISY documents require a special player to access them.
This snapshot will provide a very brief introduction to AMIS and will discuss installing it and describe its settings and functions. To read more about it and to register, click here.

11th Annual Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference for Education, for Businesses, for Web and Media Designers

November 11 - 14, 2008 at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Accessing Higher Ground focuses on the implementation and benefits of Assistive Technology in the university and college setting for sensory, physical and learning disabilities. Other topics include legal and policy issues, including ADA and 508 compliance, and making campus media and information resources- including Web pages and library resources - accessible. To read more and to register, click here.

Workforce Innovations 2008: Success Decoded

Join thousands of workforce development, education and economic development leaders from July 15-17 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, to explore this year's theme, "Success Decoded," which provides opportunities to learn from successes and to cultivate talent development solutions required in today's global economy.

Ask the Department of Justice: Proposal to Revise ADA Regulations under Title II and Title III

National Network of ADA Centers "ADA Audio Conferences" - Tuesday, July 8, 2008; 1-3pm Central (11am-1pm Pacific, 12-2pm Mountain, 2-4pm Eastern). This special 2 hour session provides individuals an opportunity to learn more about the proposed regulations and direct specific questions to the U.S. Department of Justice. To read more about it, click here.

Research / Publications

Disability and the Muslim Perspective

CIRRIE has recently published a 79-page booklet "Disability and the Muslim Perspective: An Introduction for Rehabilitation and Health Care Providers." This publication "will fill a void in the literature on disability intended for use by rehabilitation and health care professionals. We highlight both the difficulties and successes that Muslims with disabilities experience as they seek access to the opportunity to live a meaningful life. The growing number and diversity of Muslims in the United States challenges disability and health care providers and researchers to understand this population's perspectives, experiences and ways of practicing Islam, particularly relative to health care, disability and rehabilitation." This publication is available on the CIRRIE website at http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/monographs/muslim.pdf. Printed copies can be ordered at a cost of $5.00.

START-UP/USA Self-Employment Fact Sheet - Disabled Veterans and Self-Employment

The needs and challenges experienced by veterans with disabilities often require a different and innovative mode of self-employment structure, management, marketing, and operations than those experienced by other individuals with disabilities. This Q and A on self-employment for veterans with disabilities and service-connected disabilities provides information on resources that are available to assist them in starting and operating a business. To read the publication, click here.

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation Article - Choice & customized employment: A critical component

Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs) often report that individuals with disabilities prefer to stay in facility-based programs rather than move into "real jobs" in community businesses. Certainly, all CRPs want to support individuals with disabilities in their job choices. However, service providers must also empower individuals with disabilities to make informed choices and promote active participation in the decision making process. This "Customized Employment Corner" addresses some of the commonly asked questions related to empowering individuals to move from segregated facility-based programs to integrated community employment.