PLUK eNews August
6, 2004
http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Aug_06_04.htm
Volume 3 Issue 1
Welcome to PLUK's electronic
newsletter!
(Download the printable pdf version at: http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Aug_06_04.pdf
)
We are proud to present news of interest for Montana families of children with disabilities and special health care needs, and for the professionals and educators who serve them; however, it does not constitute an endorsement.
Archived Video Streams Available from Regional Parent
Conference
You can now access video streaming of Doug Fisher's ("Strategies for
Teaching All Children - Lessons Learned about Accessing the General Education
Curriculum") and Stephen Hinkle's ("High Expectations and the
Importance of an Inclusive Life for Students with Disabilities") keynote
addresses from the Regions 5-6 Conference July 29-31.
Just go to http://www.peakparent.org and
click on the links under the heading "Achieving Mile-High
Expectations." You will need to download "QuickTime Player" if
you don't already have it on your computer.
PLUK trainings and activities planned for 2004-05
PLUK & associate boards around the state have planned a number of
training and activities for this upcoming school year. Mark your calendar if you
are interested in participating.
Statewide Interactive Videoconferences
Other Training/Community Activities
Sections of the ADA
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/trn/local_news/article/0,1891,TRN_5784_3063913,00.html
The Americans with Disabilities Act contains five sections-called
"titles"-that outline the rights of people with disabilities.
Title I: Employment.
The purpose of this section is to protect people with disabilities from
discrimination on the basis of their disability. As long as the individual is
qualified for an employment opportunity, that opportunity may not be denied
because of the person's disability.
This title, as well as the rest of the ADA, applies to all public sector
employers and private employers with more than 15 employees
Title I is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which
resolves complaints through education, arbitration and, if necessary,
litigation. From July 1992, the month the ADA became law, though the end of
2003, the EEOC filed or participated in 618 direct lawsuits. Over that same
period, EEOC actions resulted in almost $31 million in civil penalties and
benefits to plaintiffs.
Title II: Public Services
The purpose of Title II is to prohibit discrimination on the basis of
handicap in all services, programs, and activities provided or made available by
local or state governments and their affiliate agencies.
Examples of programs and services covered under this section are public buses,
government meetings, public schools and universities and recreation areas and
parks.
The title applies regardless of whether the entity receives federal funding.
Complaints under this section are filed with the Department of Justice.
Title III: Public Accommodation
All public accommodations - restaurants, bars, theaters, hotels, stores,
social service centers - even if privately owned, must be designed and
constructed so as to be readily accessible to and usable by persons with
disabilities.
This title requires operators to make "reasonable modifications" to
policies, practices and procedures, unless such modifications would
fundamentally alter the nature of the services provided. (For example, the
owners of a dimly lit "romantic" restaurant would not have to add
lighting to accommodate persons with visual impairment. Rather, their staff
could read the menu to the person.)
Owners must remove physical barriers when it is "readily achievable" -
when the changes can be accomplished easily without much expense.
ADA statistics show that most accommodations cost less than $500, with more than
30 percent costing nothing at all.
This title is enforced by the Department of Justice.
Title IV: Telecommunications
This title requires telephone companies provide relay services for hearing-
and speech-impaired people.
This title also requires manufacturers of televisions that are 13 inches or
larger to have closed captioning capabilities.
The Federal Communications Commission enforces this section.
Title V: Miscellaneous.
The title addresses governmental immunity (states are not immune to
lawsuits), retaliation provisions, awarding of attorney's fees and other issues.
Compiled by staff writer Lee B. Weaver. Sources: Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, Department of Justice, freeadvice.com, and the University of Kentucky Center for Developmental Disabilities Education.
Access Board Issues New Guidelines for Accessible
Design (7/23/04)
The U.S. Access Board announces the release of new design guidelines that
cover access for people with disabilities under the landmark Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The guidelines update access requirements for a
wide range of facilities in the public and private sectors covered by the law.
"These guidelines are our guarantee that when a building is built or
renovated anywhere in the nation, its doors are wide open to our citizens with
disabilities," noted Jan Tuck, Vice Chair of the Board. It is estimated
that 54 million Americans have some type of disability.
The Board's guidelines detail how accessibility is to be achieved in new
construction and alterations and provide specifications for various building
elements and spaces, including entrances, ramps, parking, restrooms, and
telephones, among others. The new design document is the culmination of a
comprehensive, decade-long review and update of the Board's ADA Accessibility
Guidelines, which were first published in 1991. Revisions have been made so that
the guidelines continue to meet the needs of people with disabilities and keep
pace with technological innovations. For example, new provisions for ATMs
specify audible output so that people with vision impairments are provided equal
access, and reach ranges have been lowered to better serve people who use
wheelchairs and persons of short stature. The guidelines also feature a new
format and organization and have been extensively edited for greater clarity.
"This new version of the guidelines will not only improve access, but will
also enhance compliance by making it easier to achieve," said Tuck.
Read the complete article at: http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba.htm
Kaiser Permanente's Groundbreaking Disabilities
Handbook to Be Published on 14th Anniversary of ADA Act
Latest Culturally Competent Care Handbook Helps Health Care Providers
Better Understand Individuals With Disabilities
OAKLAND, Calif., July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- A groundbreaking guide for
providers who work with individuals with disabilities will be launched July 26,
2004 at the Kaiser Permanente's Rehabilitation Center in Vallejo, CA to coincide
with the 14th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"A Provider's Handbook on Culturally Competent Care: Individuals with
Disabilities" is the fifth in the series of culturally competent care
handbooks produced by Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Culturally Competent
Care.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/07-22-2004/0002216037&EDATE=
A copy of "A Provider's Handbook on Culturally Competent Care: Individuals
with Disabilities", or any of the companion handbooks, can be obtained by
contacting Kaiser Permanente's Diversity Hotline at 510-271-6663.
United Cerebral Palsy Launches DontBlockMyVote.org to
Advance Equal Access for Voters with Disabilities
WASHINGTON, July 14
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) today launched http://www.DontBlockMyVote.org,
a national campaign for equal access to the polls, to call on Members of
Congress to fully fund the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).
By logging on to http://www.DontBlockMyVote.org
activists can send a free letter to their Members of Congress asking them to
fully fund HAVA and provide all Americans equal access to the polls. Congress is
currently negotiating the 2005 budget.
Additionally, through a partnership with Rock the Vote, visitors to http://www.DontBlockMyVote.org
can use an online voter registration tool to register to vote.
"Too many Americans with disabilities cannot exercise their constitutional
right to vote because polling places are inaccessible to those who use
wheelchairs, voting machines are inaccessible to people who are blind or have
limited use of their hands, and ballots are inaccessible to people with limited
literacy skills," said UCP President and CEO Stephen Bennett.
Why You Should Request a Paraprofessional, Not an
"Aide"
by Suzanne Heath, Research Editor, Wrightslaw
It's time to stop using the term "aide"-and stop writing
"aides" into IEPs. The No Child Left Behind Act provides the federal
definition of "paraprofessional." According to NCLB, all
paraprofessionals shall have:
(A) completed at least 2 years of study at an institution of higher education;
(B) obtained an associate's (or higher) degree;
(C) met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate, through a formal
State or local academic assessment-
(i) knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading, writing, and mathematics; or
(ii) knowledge or, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness, as appropriate. (20 U.S.C. § 6319(c)); Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind, page 200)
There is no federal legal definition for an "aide".
When you use the term "paraprofessional" in the IEP, you refer to a
federal legal definition and a quality standard. This is not the case when you
use the term "aide".
For more information, visit: http://www.wrightslaw.com/heath/parapro.aide.htm
Fact Sheet Addressing Workplace Rights of People with
Epilepsy
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
released a new fact sheet addressing the workplace rights of people with
epilepsy under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title I of the ADA,
which is enforced by the EEOC, protects qualified individuals with disabilities
from discrimination by private and state and local government employers with 15
or more employees. This document explains how the ADA might apply to job
applicants and employees with epilepsy.
(1) Topics discussed include:
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/epilepsy.html
LARGEST STUDY EVER LAUNCHED TO FIND GENES ASSOCIATED
WITH AUTISM USING DNA TECHNOLOGY
The National Alliance for Autism Research has launched the Autism Genome
Project, the largest study ever conducted to find the genes associated with
inherited risk for autism. Over the next six months, the world's leading
genetics researchers will pool their resources and use a new technology called
the DNA micro array, to scan the human genome in the search for the genetic
causes of autism.
Read more at http://www.naar.org/news/render_pr.asp?intNewsItemID=176
FIRST ONLINE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE ON THE
ABUSE OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
This online training conference is funded through a grant from the Office
for Victims of Crime, part of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S.
Department of Justice; and is presented by ARC Riverside California, a private,
non-profit corporation devoted to improving the welfare of individuals with
mental retardation and other developmental disabilities and their families.
WHERE: http://disability-abuse.com
WHEN: Thursday, September 9 through Wednesday, September 29, 2004
WHAT: An online conference consisting of 22 ONE-HOUR Webinars (online
seminars) that you can conveniently attend from any computer connected to the
Internet! Extensive access to 22 top experts -- each of our training faculty
will provide you and your classmates with 10 hours of contact between September
9, 2004 and January 31, 2005
One-year membership in our disabilities and abuse network, including:
Continuous access to online training materials until August 2005: you can always
review what you learned, and keep on learning; Access to training listservs and
forums so you can keep in touch with our faculty and your classmates for mutual
support and professional growth; and Continuing Education credit is available
for: Psychologists (APA), Health Education Specialist (CHES), Registered Nurse (BRN),
Attorney (MCLE), Social Worker (BBS), Marriage And Family Therapists (BBS),
Substance Abuse Counselor (CAADAC), Trauma Specialist (ATSS), Custody Evaluator
DV Offender Treatment Provider (DVOTP), Counselors (NBCC), and Law Enforcement
(POST)
WHO: All professionals and all workers in the fields of
abuse/victimization and/or disabilities. Topics include: prevention,
identification, investigation, prosecution and treatment. Seminars will concern
casework and care-giving where people with disabilities are victims of child
abuse, domestic violence, dependent adult abuse, and elder abuse.
COST: $150 for the entire conference--all 22 webinars! (A reduced fee is
available of $100 per trainee for Agencies sponsoring groups of 10+ trainees). A
limited number of scholarships are available where financial hardship is a
factor. To complete a scholarship application please visit http://www.disability-abuse.com/scholars.htm
or for information please contact Online Training eLearning Director Tom Hanna
at 607-275-9360 or tph3@cornell.edu. The
deadline for scholarship applications is August 25, 2004.
HOW: Visit http://disability-abuse.com
to register by September 1, 2004 to be eligible to receive full continuing
education credits. Those who register later are welcome (and will receive full
access to all webinars in archive form) but will not be able to receive the full
amount of continuing education credits available to those who attend live
webinars.
New Video: A DEAF CHILD'S VIEW…of growing up in a
hearing family
A DEAF CHILD'S VIEW…of growing up in a hearing family is the theme for
this unique video. The video shows a typical day and family outing through the
eyes of a deaf child, using three different scenarios: One of a family that does
not communicate in a meaningful way; one which uses the oral method; and one
which uses Sign Language. Deaf psychologist Lori Schmidt narrates this very
powerful video, emphasizing the importance of early communication between a deaf
child and his or her hearing family. One mode of communication is not supported
over the other. The key is the particular method or combination of methods that
works best for the individual child. This video is a helpful resource for
parents, libraries, educational interpreters and other professionals in the
field of Deafness. Like to see a clip or have additional questions? Email dfchdmedia@adelphia.net
for additional information.
Students with Disabilities to Gain Improved Access to
Learning
New standard expected to help students who are blind, print-disabled
Students with blindness, low vision and print disabilities are expected to
gain improved access to textbooks under a voluntary standardized format for
electronic files, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced today. On
behalf of Secretary Paige, Deputy Secretary of Education Gene Hickok discussed
the new standard at an event commemorating the 14th anniversary of the Americans
with Disabilities Act. The event was co-sponsored by the Departments of Commerce
and Education in Washington, D.C.
Read the complete release at: http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2004/07/07272004.html
1. Monday Morning in Washington, DC, http://www.inclusionresearch.org
2. Rocky Mountain DBTAC, http://www.adainformation.org
3. Transition Newsflash, Montana Center on Disabilities, http://www.msubillings.edu/transition
4. PEN Weekly NewsBlast http://www.publiceducation.org
5. Reference Points: Transition updates from the TATRA Project, http://www.pacer.org/tatra/tatra.htm
6. The American Indian Disability Technical Assistance Center Training Calendar http://aidtac.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/TrainingCalendar.htm
7. Rural Policy Matters, http://www.ruraledu.org/rpm/rpm.htm
8. Technology for Nonprofits: http://www.techsoup.org
Parent's, Let's Unite for Kids - PLUK
516 N 32nd St
Billings MT 59101-6003
800-222-7585; 406-255-0540; 406-255-0523 (fax)
plukinfo@pluk.org
http://www.pluk.org
Edited by: Roger Holt rholt@pluk.org
Proofed & condensed by: Elisabeth Mills scribe@pluk.org
Mission Statement: Parent's Let's Unite for Kids unites parents, professionals, families and friends of children with special needs to support one another, and share information for the benefit of their children.
Vision Statement: Given information and support, individuals with disabilities and their families will feel empowered to advocate for themselves and participate fully in educational and community opportunities.
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