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Fifth Freedom News Alerts

Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition $1,000 Embolden Enrichment Grants

March 10th, 2010

[Please note: Grants are only for individuals in Northeast Indiana - Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Nobel, Steuben, and Whitley counties. ]

In tough economic times like these, self-improvement can fall lower and lower on one’s list of financial priorities. But it doesn’t have to! The Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition (NEIDAC) is offering $1,000 grants to Northeast Indiana adults (age 18+) with disabilities. Everyone should have the opportunity to grow and learn, whatever their age or ability, and these grants will help three individuals to do just that. The grants are for a postsecondary or enrichment class, employment or life skills training, or an activity or life experience designed to enhance skills.

Applications must be received by Monday, March 29, so apply now! The grants will be officially awarded at the April 9 Abilities Abound event at the Coliseum/IPFW Holiday Inn.

Download an application here.

Send your completed application to:

Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition
C/o Fifth Freedom
4606-C East State Blvd., Suite 102
Fort Wayne, IN 46815

Or email to betty ● fifthfreedom ● org with “Embolden Enrichment Grant” as the subject line.

Good luck!

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator

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House passes bill that would end health insurance antitrust exemption

February 25th, 2010

Yesterday, the House passed a bill that would end the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies. The “Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act” (HR 4246) would repeal the exemption to antitrust laws that health insurance companies have had since 1945, making it possible for the government to pursue legal action against these companies for price fixing.

However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) completed a cost estimate of a previous version of this legislation. CBO stated that the actual effect on premiums would likely be small, as many of the activities that would be banned under federal law are already banned under various state laws. The biggest effect would likely be the government getting additional revenue from fining insurance companies that violated the new law.

Also, if the legislation becomes law, it may prevent insurers from sharing the data they use to set rates. As smaller insurance companies have fewer resources to get data on their own, they would be hurt the most.

Read the full text of HR 2426 here.

Sources and more information:

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Harry Reid on Healthcare Reform: “There’s no rush”

January 29th, 2010

Now that President Obama has given his State of the Union Address, the Democrats in Congress have missed their self-imposed deadline for passing health care reform. If recent statements by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are any indication, it appears that they will not be setting another deadline. At a press conference earlier this week, Reid said “there is no rush” on the health care bill and that Congress was “not on health care now.”

Although they are not in a hurry, Democrats are still making plans on how to pass the health care bill. After losing the election in Massachusetts, the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate and, with it, their ability to pass legislation without a possible Republican filibuster. In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stated that she does not have the votes to pass the Senate bill as-is. However, Pelosi and other House Democrats are considering making an attempt to pass the bill anyway, as long as some changes were made.

Some House Democrats are proposing that Democrats in the Senate change the Senate bill through a process called “budget reconciliation”. Unlike ordinary votes, the budget reconciliation process only requires a simple majority to pass changes, and debate is limited to 20 hours, with no filibusters allowed.

Some of the possible changes being promoted by the House Democrats include:

• Removing the new tax on high-end “Cadillac” insurance plans

• Higher subsidies to help low- and moderate-income Americans buy health insurance

• Additional funding to help states expand Medicaid

The budget reconciliation process would only require 51 of the 59 Democrats in the Senate to approve changes. This would mean that the demands of Senators like Joe Lieberman and Bill Nelson could potentially be ignored.

However, some Senate Democrats have already expressed their opposition to the proposed changes, as they could add over $300 billion to the cost of the bill. Also, some Senate Democrats are opposed to the use of the budget reconciliation process entirely, as it could effectively shut the Republicans out of the negotiation process. At a recent press conference, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh said that he was concerned “reconciliation… will really destroy any prospect for bipartisan cooperation on anything else for the remainder of this year.”

Sources and More Information:

Kaiser Health News - How The Budget Reconciliation Process Works

NY Times - Democrats Put Lower Priority on Health Bill

NY Times - House Could Pass a Revised Senate Bill, Pelosi Says

LA Times - Pelosi suggests maneuver to pass healthcare overhaul

Politico - Dem impasse on health bill continues

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Congress to play “ping-pong” with health care bill

January 5th, 2010

While the Fifth Freedom offices were closed for the holidays, the Senate passed its health care bill, just barely. The bill passed with 60 votes, just enough to avoid a possible Republican filibuster. Many Republicans are alleging that some Senators votes were “purchased” with special favors for their states:

  • Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana was reportedly given $300 million in extra assistance for Medicaid recipients in her state. According to CBS News, it was originally reported that the deal was only $100 million, but Landrieu “bragged” that it was actually $300 million.
  • Senator Bill Nelson added an amendment to the bill that would exclude Medicare Advantage members in Florida from future cuts, which some sources estimate at $5 billion for his state.
  • The final holdout, Senator Ben Nelson, allegedly made a deal with Democratic leadership specifying that, in exchange for his vote, Medicaid expansion in Nebraska would be paid for entirely with federal funds, instead of a combination of state and federal funding, as in the rest of the country.

Of course, allegations of “pork” in congressional bills are common, and GOP leadership has also been accused of “buying” votes. In 2004, then-Republican Majority Leader Tom Delay was formerly admonished by Congress for offering to endorse retiring Representative Nick Smith’s son in his bid for his father’s seat, in exchange for his vote on the Republican Medicare bill.

Now that both houses have passed a bill, time for a game of ping-pong

The Senate and the House have to reconcile the differences between the two bills, and pass a “merged” version to send on to President Obama’s desk. These differences could be negotiated through formal conferences, but this process would require multiple procedural votes, making it a lengthy process. Instead, Democrats are much more likely to ping-pong the bill. “Ping-pong” is the informal name for sending a bill back and forth between both chambers of Congress, where differences between the House and Senate bills are worked out in informal, closed-door meetings.

Why ping-pong? The answer depends upon who you ask.

Opponents of the health care bill are likely to view it as an attempt to shut Republicans out of the debate, and to prevent the general public from observing the end of the legislative process, as the bill continues to be changed and amended.

Proponents of the bill are likely to view it as simply an attempt to speed things along, avoiding legislative hurdles that would further delay what has already been a lengthy legislative process, and to avoid filibusters or other procedural problems from Republicans like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has already vowed to continue the “fight… to stop this bill from becoming law.”

The Democrats are hoping to finish their game of ping-pong and have a bill on President Obama’s desk before his State of the Union address in early February.

Sources & More Information:

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Senate amendment to import prescription drugs fails

December 16th, 2009

Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass an amendment to the health care bill that would have legalized importing prescription drugs from Canada, Australia, Japan, and Europe. Due to price controls and government-negotiated rates, these countries all pay lower prices for prescription drugs than residents of the United States. The Senate voted in favor of the amendment 51 to 48, but it would have required 60 votes to pass. Both of Indiana’s Senators and Senator Joe Lieberman were among those who voted against the amendment.

The amendment was sponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND). According to the Congressional Budget Office, the amendment would have saved the government around $19 billion over the next decade, and consumers around $80 billion. According to Dougan, a Nexium prescription costs $424 in the U.S., but only $36 in Spain.

Drug manufacturers and the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criticized the measure, saying that it would be difficult to guarantee that the imported drugs were safe. However, a bigger reason for the amendment’s failure may be a deal made between the White House and the drug industry. Earlier this year, drug manufacturers pledged to contribute $80 billion over the next decade to help reduce the Medicare coverage gap. (The gap or “doughnut hole” occurs when people have drug costs between $2,700 and $6,100, when Medicare coverage can stop.) According to internal memos, the White House agreed to oppose drug importation in exchange for the $80 billion drug deal.

This is not the first attempt to pass this amendment. Dorgan has been trying to pass essentially the same legislation for over a decade. In 2004, drug makers said that they would reduce shipments to countries that exported drugs to the U.S. An analysis by the New York Times concluded that Canada and other countries would “clamp down” on shipments to the United States to avoid the threat of a drug shortage in their own countries.

Sources & More Information

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Democrats quickly abandon Medicare buy-in

December 15th, 2009

Senate Democrats have apparently bowed to the demands of Senators Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson, and given up the idea of expanding Medicare. The proposal introduced just last week would have expanded Medicare to people age 55 to 64, but the two men objected. The proposal appears to have been abandoned just last night over fears that not winning their support for the legislation would leave it with fewer than the 60 votes needed to bypass a Republican filibuster.

Shortly after the Medicare buy-in was proposed, Nelson voiced his concerns that it would lead to a single-payer healthcare system. Lieberman objected, saying that the idea was fiscally unsound. While he had supported similar ideas in the past, this time around was different, because the health care bill contained “duplicate” supports for seniors. A spokesperson for Lieberman, Erika Masonhall, said that the bill already included “extensive affordability credits that would benefit this specific group of individuals. …Any inclusion of a Medicare buy-in for that same age group would be duplicative of what is already in the bill, would put the government on the hook for billions of additional dollars, and would potentially threaten the solvency of Medicare, which is already in a perilous state.”

Lieberman himself had this to say about the proposal being dropped: “I don’t feel like a spoiler. I feel like somebody who has wanted to be for health care reform. We have within reach — the core parts of this bill are a historic accomplishment. I mean, think about it, 30 million people who can’t afford health insurance in our country today are going to get it under this bill. The cost curve is going to be bent down.”

Other Senators appeared to be positive, taking the view that the bill sans Medicare expansion was better than nothing. Senator John D. Rockefeller said, “We’re not going to get all that we want, but we’re going to get so much more than we have.”

Sources & More Information:

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Lieberman and Nelson come out against Medicare expansion

December 14th, 2009

Last week, Fifth Freedom reported a new proposal in the Senate to expand Medicare to seniors age 55 to 64. Senators Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson have both come out against the proposal.

On the CBS program “Face the Nation”, Lieberman said that the expansion would “add taxpayer costs. It will add to the deficit. It’s unnecessary,” On the same program, Nelson also criticized the proposal, saying that he was concerned thatit would lead to a single-payer health care system. Lieberman has said that he would vote against the Senate health care bill if it included the Medicare expansion, but Nelson is apparently waiting for an estimated price tag from the Congressional Budget Office before he makes his final decision.

If Lieberman and Nelson do vote against the bill, this would leave it without the 60 votes needed to make it “filibuster-proof”.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Sources & More Information:

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Yet another new public option compromise?

December 10th, 2009

Senate Democrats are continuing to renegotiated the public option, possibly removing the “opt out option” from the Senate bill. According to reports from the New York Times, the new deal would “sideline but not kill” the public option. The deal is still tentative at this point, but it appears to involve some sort of a “trigger” mechanism.

According to numerous sources (see below), this latest version of the public option involves three main points:

  1. A Medicare buy-in – The buy-in would be phased in starting 2010 or 11, and by 2014, Medicare would be available on the insurance exchanges to Americans age 55 to 64.
  2. A nonprofit health care network – Starting again in 2014, the government would create a program wherein private insurance companies would start national nonprofit insurance plans available on the exchanges, modeled after the health care plans offered to federal workers. The plans would be regulated by the United States Office of Personnel Management, an independent, nonpartisan federal agency that currently runs the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
  3. A possible public option trigger – The deal may include something similar to Senator Olympia Snowe’s original proposal, a trigger that would be pulled if the nonprofit network did not meet certain standards for providing affordable care. It appears that the exact standards have yet to be determined.

Again, the deal is still very tentative, and may change soon. Many sources doubt that the final version of the bill will appear this year. Americans may have to wait until January of 2010 to see a final bill on President Obama’s desk.

Sources and More Information:

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A new public option next week?

December 2nd, 2009

As Fifth Freedom reported last month, the latest Senate health care bill includes a public insurance plan that would be run and funded by the government. Individual states would be able to opt out of the public plan. However, Senate Democrat leader Senator Harry Reid is growing concerned that the “opt out” public option does not have the 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. Reid has reportedly asked Senators Tom Carper (D-Del), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) to try some new tactics.

Carper has been in extensive talks with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who is in favor of a “trigger” proposal that would create a public plan in individual states if, after a set period of time, there were no affordable private plans available. While Carper has not officially announced the details of his plan, it is likely to combine the “opt out” idea with the “trigger.”

Sources:

TheHill.com - Reid set to unveil new public option, breaking Senate impasse on healthcare

MSN.com - Dems search for public option fix

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Congressional Budget Office reports on premium cost under Senate bill

December 1st, 2009

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released an estimate of the effects the Senate health care bill may have on the cost of insurance premiums. Overall, the country’s total health care costs would increase because of the bill. The main change would be in how those costs are paid.

While this information provides some insight into the legislation, readers should note that the estimate does not take into account the effect of the increase in demand for health care services that is likely to come with more people having access to health insurance. Of course, everything else being equal, increased demand for a product or service leads to higher prices.

The estimates show that, by 2016, people with nongroup (individual) policies could pay 10 to 13 percent more in premiums. People with small group policies could pay 2 percent less to 1 percent more. People with large group policies could pay up to 3 percent less, or they could be unaffected.

However, 57 percent of people with nongroup policies would receive subsidies to help them pay for premiums, and these subsidies would cover around 66 percent of their premiums. As for small group policy holders, 12 percent would receive subsidies.

CBO projects that some people could see their premiums decrease slightly, in part because of the new health insurance exchanges. CBO analysis claims that a similar exchange system in Massachusetts reduced premiums slightly. However, as of August, 2009, Massachusetts has the highest average premiums in the country.

Currently, many younger, healthier people who have not purchased health insurance because they do not have much need for health care services. CBO expects many of these people to choose to buy health insurance because of the bill’s requirement to do so, paying $5,200 in premiums to avoid a $750 fine.

The premiums in private insurance plans could decrease slightly because many of the least healthy people in the country would move to the government-operated plan, the so-called “public option.” As a result, the premiums under the public option would be higher than private plans.

Sources:

CBO premiums estimate (pdf)


Boston.com - Bay State premiums highest in country

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Senate Health Care Bill Update

November 23rd, 2009

On Saturday, the Senate voted to move forward with the debate on the health care bill. While the bill is continuing to move forward, the actual debate and amendment process could continue into next year.

What exactly happened on Saturday?

While the Democrats are the majority party in the Senate, Senate rules give the minority party an interesting power: “filibuster.” Under ordinary proceedings, any individual Senator can discuss anything for as long as they choose. If a Senator or a group of Senators dislike a particular bill but do not have enough votes to prevent it from passing, they might choose to speak for hours to delay the debate.

A Senate rule called “cloture” limits the debate and ends or prevents filibusters. If a minimum of 60 Senators vote through a cloture motion, debate on the bill can begin without the threat of a filibuster.

The cloture motion to limit the debate on the health care bill passed with exactly 60 votes.

The Senate’s health care bill is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This new bill was listed as an amendment to a House bill, H.R.3590, the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009. If the amendment passes, it would replace the text of the service members bill with the health care bill.

If the substitution takes place, the process of amending the health care bill could go on for weeks, possibly into the start of the 2010 session.

Sources:

OpenCongress.org - Senate votes to move health care debate forward

Invoking cloture rules in the Senate (pdf)

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The new Senate Health Care Bill unveiled yesterday

November 19th, 2009

At a press conference yesterday, Senator Harry Reid unveiled the Senate’s latest health care bill, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This new bill was listed as an amendment to a House bill, H.R.3590, the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009.

Reid had been waiting to release his bill until the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) completed its cost analysis. When the CBO finally finished, the Senate bill’s price tag came in at $848 billion over the next ten years, compared to an earlier $829 billion for the Senate Finance Committee bill, and over a trillion for the House bill.

Compared to the earlier Finance Committee bill, the extra $9 billion would expand insurance coverage to an additional 2 million people, and add 1 million to Medicaid and CHIP. The new Senate bill would expand insurance coverage to around 31 million Americans, leaving around 16 million still without insurance.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate’s latest health care bill would reduce the budget deficit by $130 billion over the next ten years. Estimates for the Finance Committee showed that it would reduce the deficit by $81 billion, and the House bill would reduce the deficit by $109 billion.

Part of the estimated reduction in the deficit comes from the bill’s tax on “Cadillac” insurance plans. Beginning in 2013, plans with premiums of over $8,500 for individuals or $23,000 for families would be taxed at 40% of the overage. The CBO estimates that this would produce $149 billion in revenue. (This estimate assumes that the added tax would not cause people to drop or decrease their insurance coverage.)

Like the Senate Finance Committee bill, the new Senate bill would include a public option, with states being able to opt out of the plan. The CBO estimates that the public option would have slightly higher premiums than private plans, due to the fact that it is likely to attract a less healthy pool of applicants. The CBO also estimates that around one-third of states would opt out of the public option. If fewer states choose to opt out, this would increase the total cost of the bill, and reduce any reduction to the deficit.

The bill also contains Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) provisions, which would create a voluntary government-run long-term care insurance program. The CBO estimates that, over the next ten years, this program would collect $72 billion more in premiums than it would pay out in benefits.

However, after sufficient time passes for a significant number of enrollees to require long-term care, this savings would be less. After 2029, the program would start adding to the deficit.

Finally, the Internal Revenue Service, Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies will have to have their budgets increased to cover the workload of administering the provisions in the health care bill. This money is not included in the CBO’s estimates or the bill’s price tag.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Sources / More Information:

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House passes health care bill

November 9th, 2009

In an attempt to get a bill to President Obama’s desk before the end of the year, members of the House spent the weekend hard at work. The result? The House Democrats’ health care bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, narrowly passed at 220 to 215.

Representative Anh Cao (R-LA), was the only Republican to vote “yes”. Thirty-nine of the “no” votes came from the Democrats themselves. Most of the naysayers came from districts that Senator John McCain won in the 2008 election.

The Senate still has to pass a health care bill, and then the two houses of Congress will merge the two bills into a final piece to send to the President. Senator Harry Reid is waiting for the Congressional Budget Office to produce a new cost analysis of the Senate health care bill before commencing with a vote, which means that a bill may not reach the President’s desk until sometime early next year.

Currently, the two health care bills differ in some important ways:

  • The number of people left uninsured – According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the House bill would leave 18 million without health care coverage, and the Senate bill would leave 25 million without coverage.
  • Cost – The CBO estimates that the $829 billion Senate bill would cost over $200 billion less than the House bill. The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act was originally part of the House bill but is now a separate bill being considered by the House. If both House medial bills pass, the House health care package would cost over $400 billion more than the Senate’s.
  • Funding – The House version creates a new tax on the richest Americans, and the Senate version taxes high-end “Cadillac” insurance plans.

Given that the House bill failed to win support from most Republicans and conservative Democrats, and that such support is even more important in the Senate, it is likely that the final, merged bill will be somewhat more conservative.

Sources:

NPR - Walking Back The 39 Democratic ‘No’ Votes On Health Care


LA Times - Historic healthcare overhaul passes House

Bloomberg - House, Senate Health-Care Legislation: Side-by-Side Comparison

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House bill would prevent Medicare doctors’ payments from decreasing in 2010

November 9th, 2009

A new bill in the House would prevent a decrease in Medicare payments for doctors’ services scheduled for 2010. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), preventing this payment decrease would cost $210 billion over the next ten years.

Under current law, Medicare’s payment rates for doctors’ services will be decreased by about 21 percent next year. The CBO estimates that the rates will be reduced by about 2 percent annually for the next few years after that. This new bill, Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, would prevent this decrease.

The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act was originally part of the House Democrats’ big health care reform bill, but was turned into a separate piece of legislation. If both the House health care bill and Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act become law, the total cost would be around $1.41 trillion.

Source:

Congressional Budget Office cost estimate (pdf)

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House bill would have higher premiums, more services for people with health problems

November 4th, 2009

This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) sent a letter to Representative Charles Rangel, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, presenting an analysis of the premiums individuals would pay under the House and Senate health care bills. CBO found that the $1.2 trillion House bill would offer more for people with health problems, but the average insurance premiums and cost-sharing payments under the Senate bill would be cheaper.

Both bills would create national insurance exchanges to sell health insurance. Plans under the House bill would likely be more expensive, as these plans would be likely to attract a slightly less healthy pool of enrollees. The House bill offers a variety of features that would be more valuable to people with health problems, such as greater restrictions on the amount premiums can vary by age. This would tend to make plans less attractive to younger people, who have lower health care costs, and more attractive to older people with higher costs. Also, the plans under the House bill have higher cost sharing subsidies, which would be more valuable to people with health problems. This would mean that plans under the House bill would tend to attract enrollees with higher health care costs, which would result in higher premiums for all enrollees.

It should be noted that this information could easily change before the final bills come up for a vote. As we stated yesterday, a bill might not reach President Obama’s desk until some time early next year. The latest reports from Washington show the House delaying debate until at least the end of the week, while members resolve language in the bill related to illegal immigrants and abortion funding.

Source: Congressional Budget Office letter to Representative Charles Rangel (.pdf)

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Will there be a health care bill on Obama’s desk before 2010?

November 3rd, 2009

The House is scheduled to bring their bill to the floor for a final vote this week, but some Democrats still have some issues with two relatively small portions of the bill. The House Democrats hope to begin debating the nearly 2,000 page bill (H.R.3962 - Affordable Health Care for America Act) by this Friday, November 6, and finish before Veteran’s Day, November 11. However, the two issues still being discussed may delay things significantly.

The bill specifies that federal dollars are not to be used to fund abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger. However, it also includes subsidies to help individuals pay for health insurance premiums, and some Democrats want clearer language in the bill specifying that these federal funds are not to be used to cover abortion procedures, and that the “public option” plan not cover abortion at all.

Also, while the Senate bill would prevent illegal immigrants from purchasing health insurance on the federal health insurance exchange, the issue is still being debated in the House.

In other troubling news for the House Democrats, the Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary analysis of the bill states that the bill’s public insurance plan would be likely to attract a less healthy pool of enrollees, resulting in higher premiums than private plans.

As for the Senate, continuing debate, delays at the Congressional Budget Office, and scheduled holiday vacation time could keep the Senate health care bill from a final vote until early 2010. Next year’s elections could add more complications to an already complex process.

Sources:

Associated Press - 2 tough health care issues remain in the House

Associated Press - House health bill totals $1.2 trillion

Congressional Budget Office Analysis

Publico - Health bill could slip into next year

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Senator Reid announces opt-out public option

October 27th, 2009

Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid announced that the health care meetings had produced the final version of the bill that will go to the Senate floor for a vote. This bill contains a public option, a government-run and government-funded health insurance plan, but also gives states the ability to opt out of the program.

At a press conference, Senator Reid was asked several times if he thought he had the 60 votes needed to pass the new bill with the public option, but he would only say that he had the support of his caucus. Whether that caucus will include all 57 Senate Democrats remains to be seen. (The bill would need 60 votes to avoid a Republican filibuster.)

Senator Tom Harkin has estimated that there are around 52 Democratic votes in favor of the bill, and five opposed. Back in July, the Senate Finance committee voted down two amendments that would have added a public option to an earlier version of its bill. Senators Max Baccus, Kent Conrad, and Blanche Lincoln voted against the amendments.

Senator Olympia Snowe, the only Republican to come out in support of the Finance committee’s health care bill, has reportedly withdrawn her support. In a statement on her Web site, Snowe writes, “I am deeply disappointed with the Majority Leader’s decision to include a public option as the focus of the legislation. I still believe that a fallback, safety net plan, to be triggered and available immediately in states where insurance companies fail to offer plans that meet the standards of affordability, could have been the road toward achieving a broader bipartisan consensus in the Senate.”

The public plan would begin in 2013, and states would have one year to decide if they wanted to opt out. The federal government would negotiate payment rates with health care providers. The public plan would be open to people without employer-sponsored insurance, and small businesses. Most Americans, including people who can buy insurance through their employers, would not be eligible. The bill also includes public-private co-ops.

If the bill does pass the Senate, it would still have to be merged with the House bill to create a final bill to send to the President’s desk for signing. The House also includes a public option. The White House has already released a statement saying that Obama was pleased that a version of the public option had been included in the Senate’s bill.

Sources:

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The Debate Continues

October 20th, 2009

All this week, Senate officials are meeting with White House officials to continue their efforts to combine the Senate’s two big health care bills. While the meetings are being held behind closed doors, we do know what are likely to be the main topics of discussion. Senate Democrats are likely to discuss four big issues:

  • The Public Option
    The Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) committee bill would create a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, a “Public Option.” However, the Finance Committee bill does not include a public option. Instead, it would create private, nonprofit health cooperatives. In its analysis of the Finance committee bill, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said that the co-ops “seem unlikely to establish a significant market presence in many areas of the country”.
  • Subsidies
    Some Senate Democrats have expressed concerns that the subsidies to help lower-income Americans buy health insurance are set too low in the Finance committee’s bill. The Finance Committee bill creates premium and cost-sharing credits for individuals and families with income between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The HELP committee bill simply creates subsidies for individuals and families with incomes up to 400% of the FPL.In an analysis of the Finance committee bill, Senator John D. Rockefeller wrote that a provision in the bill specifies that “In the event that the legislation is projected to increase the federal deficit in the coming year, then premium subsidies for families and individuals who cannot otherwise afford coverage would have to be reduced to make up for the anticipated increase in the deficit. …The failsafe provision would automatically decrease premium subsidies for low- and middle-income families who would be relying on them to purchase insurance. …The subsidies will fluctuate based on the budget.”
  • The Tax on High-Cost Plans The Finance Committee bill includes a tax on “high-cost” health insurance policies. Some senators have expressed the concern that these so-called “Cadillac” plans may actually be purchased by members of the middleclass, and thus, that this tax will affect more than just the wealthy. In a document by Senators Kerry, Schumer, Menendez, Stabenow and Rockefeller, the senators write that the threshold for “Cadillac” plans is too low, and that, due to inflation, in the future, more and more plans will be taxed.
  • The Employer Mandate
    The HELP committee bill requires most employers with more than 25 employees to offer coverage and pay a minimum of 60% of the premium costs. The Finance committee bill penalizes employers with more than 50 employees for each employee receiving government subsidies for health insurance.

Sources & More Information:

The New York Times – Merging the Senate bills

Congressional Budget Office scoring of Bacus bill

Finance Committee Report of the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 - Additional Views Submitted by Senator John D. Rockefeller IV

Additional views by Senators Kerry, Schumer, Menendez, Stabenow and Rockefeller on the High Cost Insurance Excise Tax

Side-by-Side Comparison of the Major Health Care Proposals

Finance Committee Approves Bacus’ America’s Healthy Future Act

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Senate Finance Committee approves health care bill – what now?

October 14th, 2009

Yesterday, the Senate Finance committee voted to approve America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009. All thirteen Democrats on the committee voted in favor of the bill. Of the ten Republicans, only Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted in favor.

What happens next?

Although most media attention has been focused on the Senate Finance committee bill, there are several other bills still being discussed in Congress. One of those bills was developed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee. Starting later today, representatives from the Senate Finance committee will work with representatives from the HELP committee to merge the two bills. What comes out of those behind-the-scenes meetings will go the floor of the full Senate for a final vote and, if it passes, to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The people working to merge the two bills in these private meetings will be:

  • Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader (D-NV)
  • Senator Max Baucus, chair of the Senate Finance committee (D-MT)
  • Senator Chris Dodd, acting chair of the HELP committee (D-CT)
  • Senator Tom Harkin, chair of the HELP committee (D-IA)
  • Various White House staffers including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and “health care czar” Nancy-Ann DeParle

Snowe has also been invited to these sessions. Snowe will likely play a major role in shaping the final bill, due to the Democrats needing some Republican and Conservative Democrat support to avoid a filibuster. She represents the only Republican support of either bill.

Due to the different jurisdictions of the committees and the influence of the parties involved, the Finance Committee’s bill may be used as a starting point, with pieces of the HELP committee’s bill added in various spots.

Some sources are saying that the final bill will be on the Senate floor by the end of the month, but so far most of the health care debate has taken much longer than expected.

Sources:


OpenCongress - Finance Committee Says “Yes” to Health Care Reform

Washington Post – Snowe Stays in the Spotlight

Washington Post – The Next Step for Health-Care [sic] Reform

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Congressional Budget Office says medical malpractice reform could save billions

October 12th, 2009

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released an analysis of the effects of reforming the medical malpractice system. The CBO estimates that, over the next ten years, reform could reduce federal spending by $41 billion and the federal deficit by $54 billion.

The estimate examines several reform proposals:

  • Limiting awards for noneconomic (“pain and suffering”) damages to $250,000;
  • Limiting awards for punitive (punishing) damages to $500,000 or two times the award for economic damages (lost wages, medical bills, damage to property), whichever is greater;
  • Requiring or allowing other income, such as health and life insurance, workers’ compensation, and automobile insurance, to be subtracted from awards;
  • A statute of limitations—one year for adults and three years for children—from the date of discovery of an injury; and
  • Making a defendant in a lawsuit liable only for the percentage of the final award that was equal to his or her share of responsibility for the injury.

CBO research shows that many states have adopted some of the reforms on this list. Typically, these reforms result in lower medical costs. Essentially, these reforms lower costs for two reasons:

  1. Physicians and other health care providers pay lower malpractice insurance premiums, which mean lower costs for consumers.
  2. Physicians are more likely to order medical tests and procedures based on the needs of the patient, rather than to protect themselves from possible lawsuits.

Speaking about medical malpractice issues, Ronald Sroka, the former president of the Maryland State Medical Society, said that “one of the things that make us err on the side of doing more tests is the fear of being sued.”

The CBO estimates that reforms like the ones in the above list could reduce total national health care spending by approximately $11 billion per year. As for the federal budget, government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program would be less expensive, saving the government around $41 billion over the next ten years.

In a press release about the CBO’s analysis, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) said that the reforms “would significantly cut down on health care costs. Doctors often order tests just to protect themselves from lawsuits, not to treat patients. Doctors limit their services or even shut down their practices altogether because of skyrocketing malpractice costs. The more federal health care programs spend on unnecessary tests, the less money is available for necessary patient care. Cutting medical liability costs would help preserve patients’ access to care.”

Perhaps most importantly, the CBO notes that several studies have shown these kinds of reforms would produce no significant negative effect on patients’ health.

Currently, neither the House nor the Senate health care bills include these kinds of malpractice insurance reforms. The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on their health care bill tomorrow, October 13.

Sources:

Letter from the Congressional Budget Office to Senator Orrin Hatch (.pdf file)

Memorandum from Senator Charles Grassley (.pdf file)

Washington Post - Obama to Speed Up Tort Reform Tests, but Doctors Want More

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Congressional Budget Office reports on the Senate Finance Committee bill

October 8th, 2009

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has completed a preliminary analysis of the Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill, and they estimate that the bill could lower the budget deficit by $81 billion over the 2010-2019 period.

CBO estimates that it would cost $829 billion from 2010 to 2019 to cover the credits and subsidies, increases in the number of people eligible for Medicaid, increased funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), tax credits for small employers, and other expenses created by the bill.

These costs would be partially offset by taxes on “high-premium” health insurance plans, penalties paid by people who do not purchase health insurance, reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals that serve a large number of low-income patients, and cuts in spending in various areas.

The CBO estimates that, by 2019, the number of nonelderly, legal U.S. residents with health insurance would increase by eleven percent. This would leave around 16 million nonelderly, legal U.S. residents still without health insurance.

While the overall analysis is good news for fiscal conservatives, it should be noted that this is a preliminary analysis. First, the CBO’s analysis is of the Chairman’s Mark, an early draft of the bill, and the cost of the bill is likely to continue to change before it reaches the full Senate. Also, enacting the bill would significantly increase the operating costs of Internal Revenue Service and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and these expenses have not bee included in the estimate. The estimate also does not include possible savings from improvements to electronic record keeping, which could amount to billions of dollars.

It should also be noted that the CBO does not exactly have a flawless track record of forecasting expenses. A report by the Urban Institute states that “The average error made in the forecast of the budget balance… is over $100 billion for the first year covered by the resolution and over $400 billion five years out. …The projection for the budget balance in 2007 changed over $800 billion between early 1997 and the summer of 2000.”

There are still some decisions to be made about what will be in the bill when it comes to the full Senate. Of course, Fifth Freedom will keep you informed.

Sources:

Letter to Senator Max Baucus, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, from the Congressional Budget Office (27 pages, .pdf)

Bloomberg.com - U.S. Health-Costs Panel to Rebut â€Stingy’ Budget Office Savings

Urban Institute – Role of the Congressional Budget Office

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The Insurance Mandate

October 6th, 2009

There are some similarities between the House and Senate health care reform bills, but some key differences. One of the key differences is how the two bills treat the individual coverage mandate.

Currently, both the House and the Senate health care reform bills mandate that Americans must have some form of health coverage, and both bills would impose certain fines if they do not.

The House bill would tax anyone without “acceptable health care coverage” 2.5% of their modified adjusted gross income for the year, with certain exceptions.

New language added to the Senate bill by the Senate Finance Committee would charge “an excise tax of $750 per adult in the household.” However, “collection shall be limited to withholding of federal payments due.” Individuals could refuse to pay the fine, and they would not be charged interest or additional fines or arrested, as they might be for not paying income tax. The fine would just be deducted from any money owed to them by the federal government, such as a tax refund.

The Senate bill with the Finance Committee’s latest changes is available here . (213 pages, pdf file.)

The Senate Finance Committee is waiting for the official analysis of their bill from the Congressional Budget Office, which should be completed later this week. Before a final bill reaches the full Senate, the fines could change.

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Senator Tom Carper suggests an alternative to the public option

October 2nd, 2009

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has been discussing a possible alternative to the public option described in the House health care reform bill. The proposal is designed to leave more control in the hands of the states than the House Democrats’ health care bill. To paraphrase Mike Littwin of the Denver Post, the proposal would give “red” health care reform to the “red” states and “blue” health care reform to the “blue” states.

The proposal is a more conservative variation of Senator Olympia Snowe’s “trigger” amendment. While her plan would require states to act, Carper’s plan would give states the option of creating a public option plan, a public/private co-op, or other solutions, or not act at all.

He has not yet written an official amendment, but his idea may have a big impact in the Senate’s attempts to produce a “compromise” health care bill that will win the support of Republicans and fiscally conservative Democrats.

Sources:

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“Trigger” could shoot public option back into health care reform debate

October 1st, 2009

Yesterday, Fifth Freedom wrote about the Senate Finance Committee voting down two amendments that would have added a public option to the Senate health care bill. Even though the amendments were rejected, the public option could still make it through Congress. We covered the budget reconciliation process, one possibility. Another possibility is the so-called “trigger” amendment written by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

Essentially, Snowe’s trigger amendment would create a public option plan in an individual state if, after a set period of time, that state did not have at least two private insurance plans available that met certain maximum cost requirements. The plans must cost a maximum of 3% of an individual’s income making 133% of the federal poverty level, and 13% of an individual’s income at 300% of the federal poverty level and above.

For one person, the federal poverty level is $10,830. For two, $14,570. For family of four, $22,050. This means an individual plan would cost from $432 to $2,500 per year.

While the Senate Finance Committee is continuing to review amendments, it appears that Snowe has withdrawn her trigger for now, and plans to introduce it when the bill goes to the full Senate for debate.

As it is so brief, we will provide the amendment in full here:

SNOWE AMENDMENT #1 - COVERAGE

Short Title: Provision of Safety Net fallback plan to ensure access to affordable coverage

Description of Amendment: This amendment establishes a non-profit government corporation through which a ―safety net plan would be provided in any state in which affordable coverage was not available in the Exchange to at least 95% of state residents. An individual would be deemed to have affordable access if either of two conditions is met. First, two or more plans are offered with premiums – the cost of which does not exceed a specified percentage of the individualâ€s adjusted gross income (AGI), after deducting any available tax credit or employer subsidy from the cost of such premium. The percentage contribution shall range from 3 percent of AGI at 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, to 13 percent at 300 percent and above.

Assessment of affordability shall follow submission of plan premiums filed one year in advance of the first day of each policy year, and should a state be found to not meet the 95% threshold, plans would be permitted to submit of any revised premium filings, after which a second assessment of affordability shall be performed. If, after that second assessment, a state still be deemed as not meeting the affordability standard, the safety net plan shall be offered within that state, and shall be available at the pending open season enrollment.

Cost: Offset to be provided.

If you are interested in the trigger amendment, you may wish to contact your Senator about it. You can find contact information here: Contact the Senate.

Sources:

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Senate Finance Committee votes down public option

September 30th, 2009

The Senate Finance Committee has voted down two amendments that would have added a public option to the Senate health care bill. The Committee Chair, Senator Max Bacus, was among those opposing the amendments. Although Bacus supports the idea of a public option, he stated that he opposed the amendments because he believes a bill with a public option would not get enough votes in the full Senate.

Estimates show that between 54 and 57 Senators support the public option. So, what’s the problem? Isn’t that a majority? Yes, but a bill with a public option would need 60 votes to prevent a Republican filibuster, lengthy debating to delay or even stop a vote. (That is, 60 votes for “cloture”, or ending the debate, not 60 votes in favor of the bill.)

Senate Republicans and some conservative Democrats are concerned that the public option may be very expensive. Many of them believe that it would force private insurance companies out of business.

However, the public option is still a possibility. One way the public option could still happen is budget reconciliation. A bill with a public option could be passed with only 51 votes through a process called “budget reconciliation”, which limits debate to 20 hours and does not allow filibustering.

As the name suggest, “budget reconciliation” is for bills that affects the budget. In order to pass a “Democrats only” bill, the health care reform bill would have to be rewritten in such a way that every provision affects the budget. In order for a bill to be passed this way, it has to be approved by the Senate parliamentarian. The parliamentarian is not a Senator, but an appointee of the Senate. The parliamentarian would be able to cut any pieces of the bill that he considers unrelated to the budget. This gives the parliamentarian a great deal of power, which may make the budget reconciliation process an unlikely last resort.

Sources:

Doug Schmidt

ACT Team Coordinator

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Before we begin with the health care news…

September 24th, 2009

Over the coming weeks, Fifth Freedom will be posting news updates about Congress’ work towards health care reform, and the current state of the health care debate. These news updates and our email alerts are part of Fifth Freedom’s information services. Our goal is to help our members make informed decisions, not to tell them what those decisions should be.

Note that word: informed. We are not posting these updates to encourage you to take one side or the other. Rather, the intent is to provide factual information so that the health care debate can be a little more logical and honest, and a little less emotional and partisan.

However, these updates may contain links to outside sources, such as newspapers or blogs. A link to an outside source is not intended as an endorsement of their opinion. Rather, it means that we think the source has some valuable information, and hope that our members will ignore any bias.

Keep watching this space for more updates!

In the mean time, you can read Fifth Freedom’s summary of America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

Doug Schmidt

Act Team Coordinator

The Fifth Freedom Network

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September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month

September 3rd, 2009


An informational alert prepared by Fifth Freedom

Information courtesy of the Children’s Craniofacial Association

Gov. Daniels proclaims September

Craniofacial Acceptance Month

Governor Mitch Daniels has declared September “Craniofacial Acceptance Month”. Everyone wants to be accepted, but the 100,000 children born each year with facial differences face special challenges. Children born with these conditions often have dozens of surgeries before they become adults. Therefore, Governor Daniels and the Children’s Craniofacial Association have designated September as “Craniofacial Acceptance Month” to remind everyone in Indiana that “Beyond the Face is a Heart.”

You can see a copy of the official proclamation here.

To learn more about the Children’s Craniofacial Association, visit their Web site: http://ccakids.org . If clicking the link does not work, copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar.

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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2009 Conference for People with Disabilities

August 31st, 2009

An informational alert prepared by Fifth Freedom
Information courtesy of the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities
November 16-17 – Indianapolis
2009 Conference for People with Disabilities

The fifteenth annual Indiana Conference for People with Disabilities, “Invest in People and Share in the Profits”, will take place Monday, November 16 through Tuesday, November 17, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. People with disabilities, their family members and caregivers, and other advocates are invited to come learn about investing in themselves and their communities by improving their own individual skills.The Conference will include a lot of events:

  • A keynote presentation by Andy Imparato, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities
  • Workshops about disability-related issues and self-improvement
  • A presentation on health care reform
  • A panel discussion with Indiana disability lobbyists about public policy
  • A ceremony to recognize winners of the Council’s Community Spirit Awards
  • And much, much more!

Scholarships are available for people receiving Social Security or TANF services, and half-price registration fees are available for people with disabilities and family members. For registration materials, contact the Council at (317) 232-7770 or gpcpd@gpcpd.org . (NOTE: Online applications will be available after Labor Day.)

Fifth Freedom will send more information about the Conference as soon as it is available. Thanks to the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities for coordinating this event!

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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An employment success story from Fifth Freedom member Kim Mettache

August 31st, 2009

A few weeks ago, Fifth Freedom sent out an alert about Disaboom’s new Web site, DisaboomJobs. Today, one of our members, Kim Mettache, sent us an email about her experience with the site. We thought her story would encourage other people with disabilities out there who are also looking for employment, so we decided to share it with you.

Hello!

I just wanted to thank YOU for passing me along the Disaboom website! I have been looking online for a job for a few weeks. Finally on Friday, I found something that interested me. Seasonal/temporary job working at Macys in my hometown. I applied. Within ONE hour, I got an email, asking me for an interview the next day at 11 am. I went..and was hired on the SPOT! To get a job within 25 hours of applying is truly amazing in this economy!

Thank you for all you do! It’s a great feeling to finally get hired!

Kim Mettache

Thank you to Kim Mettache for letting us share her inspiring story!

Doug Schmidt

ACT Team Coordinator

Fifth Freedom

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President Obama signs UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Proclamation

August 10th, 2009

An informational alert prepared by Fifth Freedom
Information courtesy of Whitehouse.gov

President Obama signs UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Proclamation

Last week, we announced that President Obama would announce his intention to sign the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  By adopting this convention, the United States would be committing itself to protecting the rights of people with disabilities, passing laws and regulations to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, and repealing any laws that might lead to discrimination. 

The White House Web site has posted a transcript of President Obama’s remarks during the ceremony.  Here is a brief summary of his remarks:

———-

We are thrilled to have you all here for an historic announcement regarding our global commitment to fundamental human rights for persons with disabilities. I’m also honored to mark the anniversary of a historic piece of civil rights legislation with so many of the people who helped make it possible, and I’d like to reflect on that for a few moments.…Nineteen years ago this weekend, Democrats and Republicans, advocates and ordinary Americans, came together here at the White House to watch President George H.W. Bush sign the ADA into law. Folks traveled from all across America to witness a milestone in the long march to achieve equal opportunity for all. …the ADA showed the world our full commitment to the rights of people with disabilities, and now we have an opportunity to live up to that commitment.

…Disability rights aren’t just civil rights to be enforced here at home; they’re universal rights to be recognized and promoted around the world. And that’s why I’m proud to announce that, next week, the United States of America will join 140 other nations in signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This extraordinary treaty calls on all nations to guarantee rights like those afforded under the ADA. It urges equal protection and equal benefits before the law for all citizens; reaffirms the inherent dignity and worth and independence of all persons with disabilities worldwide. I’ve instructed Ambassador Susan Rice to formally sign the Convention at the United Nations in New York next week, and I hope that the Senate can give swift consideration and approval to the Convention once I submit it for their advice and consent.

And even as we extend our commitment to persons with disabilities around the world, we’re working to deepen that commitment here at home. We’ve lifted the ban on stem cell research. We’ve reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program, continuing coverage for 7 million children and covering an additional 4 million children in need, including children with disabilities. I was proud to sign the landmark Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation specifically aimed at addressing the challenges that are faced by Americans living with paralysis.

We’ve nearly doubled funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We’re strengthening anti-discrimination enforcement at the Justice Department. We’re creating a new special assistant position at the Department of Transportation just to focus on accessible transportation. We’ve launched the “Year of Community Living” to affirm the fundamental right of people with disabilities to live with dignity and respect wherever they choose.

So I’m proud of the progress we’ve made. But I’m not satisfied, and I know you aren’t either. Until every American with a disability can learn in their local public school in the manner best for them, until they can apply for a job without fear of discrimination, and live and work independently in their communities if that’s what they choose, we’ve got more work to do.

…We celebrate the courage and commitment of those who brought us to this point. And we recommit ourselves to building a world free of unnecessary barriers and full of that deeper understanding.

So thank you, all, for being here. Let’s sign this bill.

———-

To read the full speech, visit the White House Web site: http://tinyurl.com/l37lu3 . 

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network 

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Fifth Freedom is a not-for-profit organization that strives at all times to be non-partisan.  The content of this email is provided for information purposes only, and does not express or imply support for any particular political party, politician, candidate for office, or piece of legislation.
 

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The 2009 Fifth Freedom Benefit Ride

July 13th, 2009

The 2009 Fifth Freedom Benefit Ride

All too often, obstacles like stairs, narrow doorways, and high counters can keep people with disabilities from enjoying everyday life. On July 25, motorcycle riders can help clear the way for people with disabilities by taking part in the 2009 Fifth Freedom Benefit Ride! Head to Hagerstown to enjoy cash prizes, a live auction, and more fun!

Fifth Freedom works for better healthcare, better education, employment, and community access for people with disabilities. Come out and show your support. You could win $50, $100, or even $150 in cash! Entry fee is $10.00 for each rider.



2009 Fifth Freedom Benefit Ride
FLATLANDER’S CYCLES
581 East Main Street (S.R. 38)
Hagerstown, IN. 47346
Registration starts 10:00 am!Motorcycle Run Route:1. Flatlander’s Cycles - 581 E. Main Street, Hagerstown
2. 1st Place - 4390 Western Ave. St. Rd. 1, Connersville
3. Silver Dollar Lounge - 141 W. Main Street US 40, Cambridge City
4. Scooter’s - 1718 I Avenue, New Castle
5. Back to Flatlander’s Cycles
For a map of the run, and to see the official flyer, CLICK HERE. The map is on the second page of the flyer.

For more information, contact Doug Schmidt, the ACT Team Coordinator with Fifth Freedom, at 260-426-8789.

Special thanks to Vernon Roberts and the crew at Flatlander’s!

Doug Schmidt

Act Team Coordinator

The Fifth Freedom Network

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Toyota develops thought-controlled wheelchair

June 30th, 2009

An information alert prepared by Fifth Freedom
Information courtesy of the Associated Press, IDG News Service, and the BSI-Toyota Collaboration Center

Toyota develops system to control
wheelchair movements with thoughts

Toyota scientists have developed a system to control a wheelchair with thoughts. The system uses a cap fitted with five electroencephalograph (EEG) sensors to monitor the areas of the brain that control movement. A laptop computer mounted to the wheelchair picks up the signals and sends commands to the motor. All of this allows the user to go forward, left, or right, just by thinking about it.

While similar “mind reading” technology has been developed in the past, the problem has been speed. Earlier attempts took several seconds to pick up the user’s thoughts and convert them into movements. Toyota’s system works in 125 milliseconds, about a third of the time it takes to blink.

As each person’s thought patterns are unique, the system takes a while to learn how the user thinks. According to Toyota researchers, it takes about a week for the system to become familiar with a user’s thought patterns. After this initial training period, the system is 95% accurate, making it one of the most accurate thought control systems ever developed.

While the system allows a user to control the chair’s movements with thoughts, stopping requires a little extra: puffing out a cheek. An additional facial sensor detects cheek movement, stopping the motor.

The system is not ready to be released to consumers yet, but Toyota is planning a variety of applications, with the first likely being in the medical field.

To see a video of the system in action, click here. Note: the video is in Japanese only and, due to high demand, may be slow.

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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Bringing Worlds Together ID: MH - Meridian Services Conference

May 28th, 2009

An information alert prepared by Fifth Freedom

Information Courtesy of Meridian Services and NADD (National Association for the Dually Diagnosed)

Tuesday, June 16, Meridian Services and the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed will be holding a conference at the Hilton Indianapolis North Hotel, Indianapolis, IN. “Bringing Worlds Together ID: MH” is a day about dual diagnosis, people with mental health issues and intellectual disabilities (ID).

The conference features presentations from Lauren Charlot, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Edwin J. Mikkelsen, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

The conference is for health care professionals, social workers, students, and people with disabilities. At the conference, you will learn about the assessment of medical problems and adverse drug effects in people with ID, collaborative programs that benefit the education, treatment, and transition of young people with dual diagnosis, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive psychotherapy for people with ID and mental health problems, and much more.

For more information about the conference, or to download a registration form, visit NADD’s Web site.

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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Is College for You?

May 28th, 2009

An information alert prepared by Fifth Freedom

Information courtesy of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

Is College for You?
A free publication from the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community has created a new publication called “Is College for You? - Setting Goals and Taking Action”. This free 42 page manual is designed to guide students with disabilities and their families as they consider college and plan for the future.

Topics covered include:

  • Preparing for College: Choosing a Career Goal
  • Advocating for Yourself
  • High School Timelines
  • Paying for College
  • Critical Questions
  • What If You Need Accommodations”
  • Survival Tips
  • What Should a Parent Do?

And much more!

“Is College for You?” is free for Indiana residents. For more information, please email Susan Harris (skharris@indiana.edu ) or Sherry Redman (sredman@indiana.edu ).

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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Citilink Youth Summer Fun Pass

May 28th, 2009

An information alert prepared by Fifth Freedom

Information courtesy of Citilink

In the past week or so, the cost of gas has gone up by $0.45, and this summer, it’s only going to get higher. But not to worry! Citilink has you covered.

Get the kids out of the house all summer for only $25.00! The Youth Summer Fun pass is for ages 5-18 and good from June 8 to August 29. It normally costs $1.50 a day for youth to ride the bus, so the pass will save you $98.00!

Citilink Youth Summer Fun Passes are available at:

  • Most Fort Wayne Scott’s & Kroger stores
  • The Utility Office at the City-County Building
    1 E Main St # B8, Fort Wayne, IN
  • The Citilink office
    801 Leesburg Road, Fort Wayne, IN

Purchase requires student photo ID card. For more information, contact Citilink at 260-432-4546.

Tell a friend!

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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Transportation for America’s plan to jumpstart the economy

December 17th, 2008

An information alert forwarded by Fifth Freedom
Courtesy of Transportation for America

Transportation for America’s plan to jumpstart the economy

Transportation for America (TFA) has released a plan to jumpstart America’s economy, and you can help by contacting Congress. TFA is a coalition from the environmental, public health, urban planning, transportation, and other fields.

TFA’s five-part Build for America plan includes:

  1. Reducing oil dependence by modernizing and expanding our rail and transit networks.
  2. Helping the environment by investing in cleaner vehicles, new fuels, and modern public transit.
  3. Repairing current roads, highways, bridges, and transit systems – before building new roads.
  4. Saving tax dollars by stopping wasteful spending in projects with little economic return.
  5. Saving private dollars by providing more travel and housing options and helping people to avoid high gas costs.

If you would like to ask Congress to make these kinds of transportation investments, visit the TFA Web site by clicking here. For more information on the Build for America plan or TFA, visit http://t4america.org/ by clicking here.

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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AAPD Summer Internships for College Students with Disabilities

December 12th, 2008

 

 

An information alert forwarded by Fifth Freedom
Courtesy of the American Association of People with Disabilities

 

2009 AAPD Summer Internships in Washington, D.C. for College Students with Disabilities

The American Association of People with Disabilities wants currently-enrolled college students with disabilities for its Washington, D.C. internship programs. There are two programs: The MEAF-AAPD Congressional Internship, working in Congressional offices, and the Microsoft-AAPD Information Technology (IT) Internship, working in the IT divisions of federal government agencies.

If you are interested in legislation or laptops, this is a unique opportunity! To apply for either of the AAPD Summer Internship Programs, visit AAPD.com . For more information, contact the AAPD National Programs office. Phone: 1-800-840-8844. Email: internship@aapd.com .

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network

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An educational series from Easter Seals

December 12th, 2008

An information alert forwarded by Fifth Freedom
Courtesy of Easter Seals

 

An educational series from Easter Seals

  

People on the Move: Using All Transportation Options
(ADA and beyond…)

 

Easter Seals is presenting a series of webinars (Internet seminars) and audio conferences on transportation and accessibility. Learn about your options and your rights concerning public transportation. The programs are free but require registration in advance.

The next Webinar is “Trip Planning.” It takes place January 7, 2009, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm (EST). The deadline for registration is December 31, 2008.

Two programs have already been presented, but materials are still available online for free: “Traveling with Service Animals” and “Sensitivity Training.”

To view the schedule of future programs or to register, visit the Easter Seals Web site: People on the Move: Using All Transportation Options (ADA and beyond…). For more information, contact Kristi Ross at 1-800-659-6428 or kross@easterseals.com .

Enjoy the series, and share what you learn with a friend!

Doug Schmidt
Act Team Coordinator
The Fifth Freedom Network
227 E. Washington Blvd, STE 304
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
www.fifthfreedom.org

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ADA UPDATE: 18 YEARS LATER A NATIONAL AUDIO-CONFERENCE TUES. JULY 15- 2-3:30 PM

July 12th, 2008

Speakers: John L. Wodatch, Chief, Civil Rights Divison, U.S. Department of Justice and Sharon Rennert, Senior Attorney Advisor, Americans with Disabilities Act Division, Office of Legal Counsel, EEOC

Mark the 18th anniversary of the ADA by joining this audio conference as we listen to representatives of the Federal Agencies present an update on their litigation, technical assistance and enforcement efforts over the past year. Participants will have an opportunity to pose questions to the presenters regarding issues in their own workplace or community. No pre-registration is required. SHRM and CRCC continuing education credits are available. The session is free at the two locations sponsored by ADA-Indiana.

ADA-INDIANA SITE LOCATIONS:
BLOOMINGTON: Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Building L, 2853 East Tenth Street
INDIANAPOLIS: Indiana Government Center, Conference Room 1, 402 W. Washington Street

MORE INFORMATION:
For more information about these sessions or the 2007-2008 ADA Audio Conference Season, visit http://www.adaindiana.org , or call Matt Norris at 800-825-4733, or send e-mail to adainfo@indiana.edu.

Handouts and archives of past conferences are also available. The session will be audio recorded and a written transcript will be created. Both will be posted within two weeks of the program to the archives on http://www.ada-audio.org If you are not able to make it to one of ADA-Indiana’s sponsored sites, individuals and organizations can purchase access to the audio conference by visiting http://www.ada-audio.org.

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FAMILIES OF PEOPLE WITH DD ARE AGING: RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR IU STUDY

July 12th, 2008

People with developmental disabilities are living longer, healthier lives than at any point in history. Planning for this population has become very important. The Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, Family and Social Services Administration, has identified a need to gain a deeper understanding of the range of possible supports that might enable parents and siblings to retain their adult family member with a developmental disability in the home environment, where such a goal is shared by all. In depth interviews with older parents and/or siblings are being conducted around Indiana by researchers from Indiana University. Specifically, interviews are sought with parents or siblings aged 50 and older who provide support in their home for an adult child, or children, with a developmental disability. Confidential interviews will be conducted with the individual seen as the “primary caregiver”, as determined by the participating family. Interviews will be conducted in the home or in another private location of the interviewee’s choice. The selection of interview participants will be partly determined by travel resources and schedules of the researchers. If you or someone you know would be interested in participating, please contact Lora Wagers for more information about the project by mail, phone, fax, or email:
Family Support Project
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
2853 East Tenth St.
Bloomington, IN 47408
Toll free phone:  1-800- 825-4733
Phone: 1-812-855-6508
Fax: 1-812-855-9630
Email: lwagers@indiana.edu

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STIPENDS & REGISTRATION EXTENDED TO JULY 15 FOR NATIONAL SELF ADVOCATES CONFERENCE

July 12th, 2008

People with disabilities and their families have a unique opportunity to attend the largest gathering of self-advocates in the nation at the National Self Advocacy Conference, Indianapolis, September 4-7. 

SABE 2008: The conference will be here sooner than you think, and deadlines are quickly approaching. 
July 15 - Deadline for early bird registration rate of $350. Stipends are still available to Indiana residents to cover the cost of registration! To request a stipend, register on-line at: www.sabe2008.org. After July 15, the rate increases to $425, so be sure to register soon. Children aged 9 and under must register, but can attend at no cost. 

The conference will offer over 90 breakout sessions led by self-advocates from across the country!. For more conference information, visit http://www.sabe2008.org/.

Hotel rooms are filling up!  The conference hotel is already 50% booked. 
August 4 - Deadline to lock in special hotel rate of $149, plus tax. For hotel reservations, call: 877.640.7666
Indianapolis Marriot Downtown, 350 West Maryland Street. Reference group code SABE to get the special rate.

Special note: You can reserve an accessible hotel room when you register for the conference online.
Registration fee includes: All conference activities, Three nights of entertainment, Dinner on Thursday, September 4, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on September 5 and September 6, Breakfast on September 7

Registration fee does not include: Hotel Reservations , transportation, Optional tours or events

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FREE STATEWIDE ASSISTIVE TECH CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

July 12th, 2008

In October 2007, Easter Seals Crossroads was awarded a grant to provide the Assistive Technology Act services throughout the state of Indiana.  As part of that project, a FREE statewide conference will be held in downtown Indianapolis on Friday, September 26, 2008 at the Indiana Convention Center.  This years theme: Explore the Possibilities. There will be 300 full-conference tickets available to the general public.  In addition to full-conference tickets, up to 500 exhibit-hall-only passes will be available.  Attendees will include service providers, educators, assistive technology users, parents and funders. There will be four tracks to the conference: Assistive Technology in Employment, Education, Recreation and Independent Living.  At least 50 exhibitors will be present to demonstrate equipment and answer questions.  A keynote speaker will be presenting during lunch. 

For more information or to register go to www.eastersealstech.com
Feel free to contact Emily Abel, INDATA Education and Outreach Coordinator, Easter Seals Crossroads with any questions about the conference: 317.466.2013 office,

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HEALTHY INDIANA PLAN (HIP) BUY-IN NOW AVAILABLE

July 12th, 2008

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced a buy-in option for the state’s Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP). The Indiana Check-Up Plan that was approved by the Legislature in April 2007 includes a buy-in option for Hoosiers who do not qualify for the plan due to income. HIP has been open only to Hoosiers earning below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Now, the buy-in option provides an alternative for those who do not qualify for the subsidized plan because their income is above 200% of the FPL, which is approximately $40,000 for a family of four.  The buy-in option for HIP will include benefits similar to the original plan that rolled out January first of this year. HIP currently provides health insurance for uninsured Hoosiers between the ages of 19 and 65, who are below 200% FPL, do not have Medicare or Medicaid, have been uninsured for at least six months and are not eligible for employer-sponsored health coverage. Like the HIP plan, participants will have a $1,100 deductible. Once eligible expenses exceed $1,100, individuals have access to a basic personal health insurance policy, with no copays except for emergency room visits. At this time, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will be the only provider for the program. MDWise with Americhoice is expected to offer their version later this year. Cost of the plan will be based on age, sex and geographic region. There is no state or federal subsidization for the buy-in option. All applicants who are denied HIP coverage due to over income will receive a notice from FSSA about the alternative buy-in option. Hoosiers interested in purchasing the HIP buy-in product should contact Anthem at: 1-800-622-4075 or a licensed Anthem agent. For more information on the Healthy Indiana Plan, go to: www.hip.in.gov. For more information on FSSA, go to: www.in.gov/fssa.

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500 MORE RESPONSES NEEDED FOR THE INDIANA ON LINE DISABILITY VOTE POLL

July 12th, 2008

ELECTION YEAR VOTING! We are asking individuals with disabilities, their family members, and advocates to lend their voices to this year’s Disability Poll on Voting and Civic Engagement! We need your experiences and ideas about voting and the elections in Indiana:  voter registration, polling places, and other election year activities!   We have written about this poll before. If you have already responded, thank you for your help. If not, please visit http://www.thepollingplace.org and fill out the poll today! We need 500 more responses!

For a print copy or an alternative format, contact Vicki Pappas at the Indiana Institute. Phone: 812-855-6508.  Email: cpps@indiana.edu.  The poll should take less than 10 minutes, and answers are anonymous. Make your voice heard by sharing your ideas about voting rights, accessibility of polling places, other barriers to voting, participating in campaigns and sources of candidate information. The Indiana Disability Poll is being jointly conducted by the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, and Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services. Please respond as soon as you can so we can issue our report this summer. Thanks for your help!

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COLTS WEBSITE RECOGNIZES DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH

March 18th, 2008

As you may know, the Colts are sponsoring this year’s posters and bookmarks, featuring the awareness month message, which will be distributed to hundreds of organizations across Indiana. They have also included information about the month on their website at: www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=community

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NEED HELP WITH A FOOD STAMP, MEDICAID OR TANF PROBLEM OR QUESTION?

March 18th, 2008

The Voluntary Community Assistance Network, known as VCAN, is also available to help citizens with the application process and to manage benefits. An ombudsman (a person who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements) is available for those who have problems with the system. Cheryl McNutt is the primary contact for those problems and she can be reached at Mental Health America of Indiana,(MHAI) 1-800-555-6424, ext 234, or 1-317-638-3501, ext. 234. She will be available during regular business hours. After hours, clients can leave a message and she or her backup will return a call within 24 hours, McNutt said.

There also is an Indiana Public Health and Assistance Helpline, 765-459-0309 The Helpline is available to all public assistance consumers with questions regarding cash assistance (TANF), food stamps and Medicaid. Appropriate questions range from where to apply, to checking the status of an application. The Helpline can also hear concerns about agency procedures and staff.

If you are having problems getting food stamps, call 1-800-403-0864 or go to the FSSA website at www.in.gov/fssa. Other helpful phone numbers: Family Help-Line 1-800-433-0746; Food Stamp Information/ Complaint Line 1-800-622-4932.—If you have a case number, be prepared to give it. Also have available your birth date, and the last four digits of your social security number.

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INFO FORUMS ON FUNDING SYSTEM FOR DD MEDICAID WAIVER SERVICES CHANGES

March 18th, 2008

Public Informational Forums Scheduled Statewide March 20-April 10
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) is making a major change, beginning July 1, 2008, in how Medicaid waiver services are funded and offered to consumers. The Arc of Indiana - a statewide, advocacy organization, founded by families of people with developmental disabilities in 1956 - has been working with FSSA and other organizations as these changes have been discussed and tested. Medicaid waivers allow Medicaid to fund supports and services for children and adults with disabilities. If you or your loved one receives services funded by a Medicaid waiver, it is important for you to have information about this change.

The change in how Medicaid wavier services are funded is called, “OASIS,” and stands for Objective Assessment System for Individual Supports. The goal of OASIS is to create a uniform way to fund Medicaid waiver services. Funding will be based on an individual assessment of each Medicaid waiver consumer called the Individual Client and Agency Planning (ICAP). This assessment and other factors will be used to determine the budget that will fund services to Medicaid waiver consumers. OASIS has been tested in one district of the Bureau of Developmental Disability Services (BDDS).

Beginning July 1, FSSA will begin phasing in OASIS to all Medicaid waiver consumers in Indiana, based on when their annual plan of services is scheduled to be reviewed. The first people who will be required to use OASIS will be those whose anniversary date to renew their plan of services falls in July. How will OASIS impact Medicaid waiver consumers and their families? It is possible that the assessment will determine that your budget for services should increase. It is also possible that the assessment will determine that your budget for services should decrease. It is important to know that you can appeal a decision that results from the OASIS process.

Public informational forums will be held throughout the state, March 20 - April 10, 2008, to provide information on the OASIS initiative. The forums will be conducted by staff from the Division of Disability & Rehabilitative Services (DDRS)/Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS).
 
Meetings will occur twice on each scheduled date; 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
printable flyer with specific information is available on The Arc of Indiana’s web site at: http://www.arcind.org/, scroll down to state and federal programs and click on: OASIS - Public Informational Forums March 20 - April 11, 2008

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FIRST STEPS EVALUATION RESULTS WEBINARS

March 18th, 2008

A series of webcasts will present preliminary findings of the Evaluation and Independent Audit of the First Steps Early Intervention System. The Early Childhood Center, IIDC is conducting the First Steps evaluation and will present tentative findings over a series of four webinars. For more information on this project, please go to our web site at http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/ecc/FSauditproject.htm

To access the web cast, you will need a broadband connection to the Internet. Before the webcast, please connect to this page (http://breeze.iu.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm) and the server will check to see that you have the appropriate software installed and a fast enough connection. Although you will be able to hear the webinar through your computer, it is recommended that you also call in to a toll free number for clearer audio reception. The toll free number for all four webinars is 1-800-940-6112 with a pass code of 000147#.

WEBINARS:
1. March 6, 2008, 6:00 - 7:00 pm - Eastern Time Webinar Link: http://breeze.iu.edu/firststeps1/
Tentative findings in response to these two evaluation questions: (after this date Webinars can be viewed at: www.iidc.indiana.edu/ecc/FSauditproject.htm)

a. Have recent policy changes had an effect on the referrals, intakes, evaluations, eligibility determinations, and initial IFSPs conducted by First Steps?

b.Have recent policy changes had an effect on the number of children and families served by First Steps?

2. March 20, 2008, 6:00 - 7:00 pm - Eastern Time Webinar Link: http://breeze.iu.edu/firststeps2/
Tentative findings in response to the two evaluation questions (same as on March 6)
 
3. March 27, 2008, 6:00 - 7:00 pm - Eastern Time Webinar Link: http://breeze.iu.edu/firststeps3/
Tentative findings in response to these two evaluation questions

a. How well are First Steps providers carrying out recent state policies concerning evaluation (ED Teams, AEPS)?

b. How can First Steps improve the quantity and quality of services available to all families?

4. April 17, 2008, 6:00 - 7:00 pm - Eastern Time Webinar Link: http://breeze.iu.edu/firststeps4/
Tentative findings in response to the major family survey conducted

No need to sign up! Please connect to the website approximately 5 minutes before the session so that you don’t miss any information. Each webcast will be recorded, and a link will be added to our website (http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/ecc/FSauditproject.htm) to view the webcast at any time. If you have any questions, please contact Betsy Traub @ 812-855-6508/etraub@indiana.edu

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SELF ADVOCATE APPLICANTS NEEDED FOR BUILDING LEADERSHIP PROJECT

March 18th, 2008

The Building Leadership Series project has begun recruitment for 20 new participants for the Fall 2008 Series. Self-Advocates are encouraged to apply. The 2008 Series consists of three two-day workshops over a three-month period at the Convention Center in Bloomington, Indiana. Selected participants will receive a stipend of $60.00 per workshop attended, meals and overnight lodging. Support staff, when needed, also receives compensation, meals and lodging. For a flyer: www.iidc.indiana.edu/cac/

The workshop topics are:
-Sept. 24-25: Choice: What choices am I really making? What are my rights and responsibilities?
-Oct.22-23: Self-determination/self-advocacy: I hear these words, what do they mean for me?
-Nov. 12-13: Person Centered Planning: What does it mean for me and what is a good plan?

The workshops are co-trained with staff from IIDC and persons with disabilities. There is a good mix of interactive activities, video, discussion, role play and lecture. Workbooks accompany each topical area. Past participants have commented on how much they learned and committed to personal action steps upon arriving back home. New friendships developed, and personal growth was evident for all participants.

Help us spread the word to potential participants and provider agencies for the 2008 Series. For more information and applications, contact Jennie Todd via email - jeptodd@indiana.edu - or by phone: 812-855-6508.

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MARCH 29.-FREE BLOOMINGTON PREMIERE OF “INCLUDING SAMUEL” FILM AND DISCUSSION

March 18th, 2008

The MCCSC Parent Teacher Advisory Council for Special Education presents the Indiana premiere of the film “Including Samuel” in honor of Disability Awareness Month. “Including Samuel”, a documentary film by Dan Habib, examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities. The film focuses on the efforts of Habib and his family to include Samuel, seven, in all facets of school and community. “Including Samuel” also features four additional families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with dozens of teachers, young people, parents, and disability rights experts.

Date: Saturday, March 29, 2008
Time: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Film and discussion
Place: Jackson Creek Middle School, 3980 South Sare Road, Bloomington.
This Indiana premiere is FREE and open to all.

Onsite child care available ($5/child or $10/family) with advance reservation by March 27 by contacting ParentTeacherAdvisoryCouncil-owner@yahoogroups.com

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IL CENTER DIRECTOR POSITION OPEN IN RICHMOND

March 18th, 2008

Tom Cooney, Executive Director of Independent Center of Eastern Indiana (Richmond) is retiring and we are actively pursuing a search for a new director. I am President of the board and heading up the search committee to find Tom’s replacement. Contact me ASAP for a complete job description or if you have questions: Mark W. Harris, 3464 Boston Twp. Line Road, Richmond IN 4737, (m) 765-277-1710, (h) 765- 962-3431: mark@harfam.org

For info about the Center: http://www.ilcein.org/

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MARCH 18: FREE ADA AUDIO CONFERENCE ON HIRING DISCRIMINATION

March 18th, 2008

NOTE: Free audio transcripts and handouts related to this and all past ADA audio conferences can be found at: http://www.ada-audio.org

ADA-Indiana is hosting a free audio conference titled, “The Nature and Scope of Discrimination in Hiring under ADA’s Title I” in Bloomington and Indianapolis on Tuesday, March 18th. This 90-minute session will feature Dr. Brian T. McMahon, a Professor and Researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and the Director of the Coordination, Outreach and Research Center (CORC) for the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers. Dr. McMahon will discuss their recent findings on disability discrimination using data collected from the EEOC. Over 20,000 allegations of workplace discrimination specific to hiring have been investigated and closed by the EEOC through 2005. Dr. McMahon and his research team at VCU have uncovered some surprising facts about the nature and scope of hiring discrimination. The audio conference is on Tuesday, March 18th at 2:00- 3:30 p.m. (EDT) at two Indiana locations. It would be of special interest to employers, human resource professionals, state and local government officials, people with disabilities, and other interested community members. No pre-registration is required. SHRM and CRCC continuing education credits are available. The session is free at the locations sponsored by ADA-Indiana.

2:00 - 3:30 p.m. EDT- ADA-INDIANA SITE LOCATIONS:
BLOOMINGTON: Institute on Disability and Community, Building L, 2853 E Tenth St
INDIANAPOLIS: Indiana Government Center, Conference Room 1, 402 W. Washington Street

UPCOMING SESSIONS:
- April 15 - There are no IEP’s in College
- May 20 - Employer Best Practices: Recruitment and Hiring of People with Disabilities
- June 17 - Accommodating Employees with Psychiatric Disabilities in the Workplace

MORE INFORMATION:
If you are not able to make it to one of ADA-Indiana’s sponsored sites, individuals and organizations can purchase access to the audio conference by visiting http://www.ada-audio.org. The cost is $25.00 (for not-for-profits) and $40.00 (for-profit entities). For more information about this session or the 2007-2008 ADA Audio Conference Season, visit http://www.adaindiana.org, or call Matt Norris at 800-825-4733, or send e-mail to adainfo@indiana.edu.

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SURVEY FOR CONSUMERS ON DIRECT SUPPORT STAFF

March 18th, 2008

The DSP Initiative is a 3 year project whose main goal is to help reduce the turnover of direct support staff by improving the education and training of those who enter the profession. Please take just a few moments to respond to a very short survey by clicking on the link below.

This survey is intended to find out what benefits people with disabilities or their families can see in the Direct Service Professional (DSP) Initiative. The research initiative is being lead by the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) and is funded through the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS). To respond to the survey, go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zVFU6I8MmVNENgSs0Oe2bg_3d_3d

Please help more people respond to this survey by forwarding this message.

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Opportunity for Advanced Board and Organizational Leadership Training

February 12th, 2008

To: Partners in Policymaking Graduates

Whether you have served on a board, committee or commission for a number of years or you have been recently asked to become a member of a council or advisory group you are a person who expects results.
Do you wonder why some boards make a difference and others remain stagnant and unengaged? — Committed individuals operating as a team with a shared vision is the key.

If you want to learn how to improve your organization’s governance, be a better board or committee member, and truly make a difference, you may want to apply for the Council’s upcoming two part series of 1 ½ day workshops on “Board and Organizational Leadership”.
Where: Hilton North, Indianapolis
When:   April 4-5 and May 16-17 , 2008
Time:     Session begins at 12:30 on Friday and ends Saturday late afternoon

Target Audience:       
·25 people selected based on an application process
·Partners in Policy Making Academy Graduates and other selected people with disabilities/ family members of people with disabilities Requirements:
·Submit an application postmarked no later than February 29, 2008       
·Make a commitment to attend both sessions
·Currently serve on a board, commission, advisory committee or have prospects of serving
·Partner graduate or have had other advocacy training
·Complete homework assignments prior to and between the two sessions
·Payment of a $20 materials fee
·Must cover own mileage and childcare expenses
               
Topics to be covered:
·Organizational Development and Stages:  Where does my group fit?
·Board Duties and Expectations: What do I need to know?
·Servant Leadership: What do I have to offer?
·The Art of Diplomacy: Meeting etiquette, effective communication and negotiating
·Building and Sustaining Trust: Mentoring and other strategies to enhance leadership development
·Alliances and Partnerships: Being an effective team member
·Strategic Thinking: Understanding the bigger picture, setting aside personal agendas for the good of the whole.                         
Questions should be directed to:
        Ms. Christine Dahlberg, Associate Director
        Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities
        (317) 232-7774
        cdahlberg@gpcpd.org
        http://www.in.gov/gpcpd                        

Alternative formats are available upon request.

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PARTNERS IN POLICYMAKING RECRUITMENT UNDERWAY

February 2nd, 2008

The Council is currently recruiting applicants for the next Partners in Policymaking, class, which will begin in Oct 08. Partners is an advocacy training program for people with disabilit6es and parents that teaches participants how to work with policymakers and be effective disability advocates. Participants complete intensive training over eight weekends, from October through May, learning from national speakers and state leaders about advocacy topics such as the history of the disability rights movement and community inclusion. Other topics include legislation and lobbying, special education, social services, employment and community organizing.

Class size is limited, but those who are selected receive a stipend to cover travel, child care, lodging and related expenses. For copies of the new brochure to distribute, an application, or to arrange a group presentation, contact the Partners in Policymaking Academy at (317) 232-7771, or PIP@gpcpd.org. Or, visit www.in.gov/gpcpd and click on Projects. Applications must be postmarked by Monday, June 2, 2008.

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STATE LEGISLATIVE INFO FROM THE ARC OF INDIANA

February 2nd, 2008

The Arc of Indiana Legislative Alert #3 Thursday, January 31, 2008 (excerpt)
To get these alerts sign up at: http://capwiz.com/thearc/mlm/signup/

We have reached the halfway point in the 2008 Session and Legislators are back in their districts for a long weekend. They worked very late into the night every day this week to get bills passed out of their house of origin. Bills now move to the other Chamber to be assigned to committee. Committees in the second house will begin next week. We had considerable action on bills of interest to people with disabilities this week.

HB 1171 ­ Autism training for EMS personnel — Introduced by Representative Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) and Dennis Tyler (D-Muncie). The bill requires certified emergency medical services (EMS) personnel to successfully complete a course of education and training on autism. The bill passed the House unanimously and has been recommended to the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee.

HB 1266 ­ Eligibility Criteria for Priority Medicaid Waivers ­ introduced by Representative Sheila Klinker (D-Lafayette). The bill requires the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning to set priorities in providing Waiver services so that families who are truly in need of emergency services will be able to get them. The bill was voted out of the House unanimously and has been recommended to the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee.

HB 1288 ­ Certification for Behavior Analysts. Introduced by Representative Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis). The bill requires anyone who claims to be a certified behavior analyst to be certified by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board. The bill passed unanimously out of the House and will be sponsored by Senator Gary Dillon (R-Pierceton) and Senator Connie Sipes (D-New Albany).

SB 171 ­ Crimes against persons with a disability — Introduced by Senator Tim Lanane (D-Anderson). Makes committing an offense against a person with a disability an aggravating circumstance for sentencing purposes. Indiana has closed its last state institution for people with disabilities so we now have a higher probability that people with developmental disabilities will fall victim to crimes. The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate and has been recommended to the Judiciary Committee.

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OTHER BILLS NOT FOLLOWED BY THE ARC

February 2nd, 2008

HB 1318 Funding for spinal cord and brain injury fund and law enforcement continuing education program. Introduced by Rep Mays. Passed the House 91 to 5. Pat Miller is the Senate sponsor
HB 1245 Mass transit funding. Representative Terri Austin’s bill that would create a new source of funding for transit districts. Supported by the Indiana Transportation Associaiton and friends of public transit . Passed the House.

Want more information on Bills and the Indiana General Assembly?
Copy and Paste this address : www.in.gov/legislative/
Don’t Know Who Your Elected Officials Are?
Copy and Paste this address:
http://capwiz.com/thearc/sstate/main/?state=IN&view=myofficials#0

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FEB- 13 COMMUNITY MEETINGS ON NEW CARE SELECT MEDICAID CHANGES

February 2nd, 2008

Indiana Care Select is hosting community presentations throughout Indiana for Medicaid members in the Aged, Blind and Disabled Categories. Representatives from the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) as well as representatives from Care Management Organizations (CMO) will describe the changes that will take place starting March 2008 that will improve how healthcare needs will be met for this group of Indiana residents.
For more information go to: http://www.in.gov/fssa/ompp/4161.htm
The following is the list of dates, times and locations for these community presentations:
February, 4, Jasper, Train Depot, 3:00 to 4:30 201 Mill Street
February, 5, Evansville, Ivy Tech - Room 107, 9:00-10:30 Bldg Entrance A, 3501 First Avenue
February, 5, Terre Haute, Ivy Tech ­Oakley Auditorium 3:30-5:00, 8000 S Education Dr
February, 7, Richmond, Ivy Tech - McDaniel Hall, 9:30-11:00, Auditorium, Room 1201, 2357 Chester Blvd
February, 7, Batesville, Ivy Tech ­Room 131, 2:00-3:30, 920 County Line Rd
February 11, Fort Wayne, Ivy Tech - Auditorium (Room 1200), 10:00-11:30,3800 N Anthony Blvd
February 11, Muncie, Ivy Tech - Room 532/534 (North Bldg), 3:00-4:30, 4301 S. Cowan Road
February 15, Sellersburg, Ivy Tech - Room B20, 2:00-3:30, 8204 Highway 311
February 18, Bloomington, Ivy Tech - Lamkin Hall (Room C131), 9:30-11:00, 200 Daniels Way
February 21, Peru, Ivy Tech - Room 102, 10:00-11:30, 425 W. Main Street
February 21, South Bend , Ivy Tech ­Room 1121/1122, 3:00-4:30, 220 Dean Johnson Blvd
February 22, East Chicago, St. Catherine’s Hospital, 9:00-10:30, Professional Office Bldg Conf Rm, 4321 Fir St
February 22, Lafayette, Ivy Tech ­Ivy Hall, Lilly Rm 1106/1112, 3:30-5:00(Use Parking Lot A or C Building Entrance) 3101 S Creasy Lane

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MARCH 15 ASI AUTISM EXPO 2008-NEW EVENT FOR YOU!

February 2nd, 2008

Don’t miss the Indiana Autism Expo, presented by the Autism Society of Indiana. Our date is March 15, 2008 and this will be a FREE event for the autism community to enjoy. Mark your calendars- you don’t want to miss this event. Come and see all of the organizations and businesses that have all the goods and services you are looking for! There will be speakers, entertainment for a variety of ages, lots of great information to take home and a SURPRISE for every family who attends (details forthcoming). It will be a time for fellowship, learning and family fun. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in an exhibit spot. Not-for-profits organizations and support group organizations are invited to exhibit free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Other businesses are invited to participate for a small fee. Don’t miss this opportunity to share your organization’s services with our community. Speakers include Dr. Cathy Pratt of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, Easter Seals/Crossroads on customized employment and Dr. Mary Lou Hulseman on biomedical interventions. There’s something for everyone. We’ll have a clown, a face painter, and a musician (Scott Rocap) for the kids! This event will take place at the Gene B. Glick Junior Achievement Center on the northside of Indianapolis.
For more details, go to www.omalleytherapysolutions.com.

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ONLINE VIDEOS ON ADA SIDEWALK ACCESS

February 2nd, 2008

Sidewalk Videos A video series on accessible sidewalks is now available online
A series of videos on sidewalk accessibility previously available on DVD can now be viewed through the Access Board’s website. Accessible Sidewalks is a four-part video developed by the Board to illustrate issues and considerations in the design of sidewalks. The series covers access for pedestrians with mobility impairments, including those who use wheelchairs, and pedestrians who are blind or have low vision. The videos are open captioned and incorporate running descriptive audio. A recent version of the Flash player, which can be downloaded free from Adobe, is needed to view the videos.
Part I: Design Issues for Pedestrians who use Wheelchairs (10.00 minutes)
Part II: Design Issues for Pedestrians with Ambulatory Impairments (7.51 minutes)
Part III: Design Issues for Pedestrians with Low Vision (11.24 minutes)
Part IV: Design Issues for Pedestrians who are Blind (11.19 minutes)
To access these video’s go to:
http://www.access-board.gov/news/sidewalk-videos.htm

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CONGRATULATIONS

January 22nd, 2008

CONGRATULATIONS to all the advocates in NY for their hard work in insisting that NY state conform to HAVA.
 
The following excerpt is from Brad Williams of NY SILC regarding the court order:
After a substantial five year effort, which included efforts to provided technical assistance on voting access issues (testing accessible voting machines, evaluating polling place access, poll worker training), being actively engaged in systems advocacy (expressing our displeasure through protest and civil disobedience, defeating a state procedure to segregate the Ballot Marking Device locations for voters with disabilities, defeating an amendment to HR 811 that would have suspended voting access rights under HAVA for New Yorkers with disabilities until 2010), and pursuing various legal options (filing an Article 78 action against the State Board of Elections, jointly suing with multiple plaintiffs for intervention status in Federal District Court, compiling over 90 voting access complaints for Election Day 2006, submitting evidence and affidavits to US DOJ for their original lawsuit against New York State in March 2006, and filing an amicus brief to the supplemental remedial order issued by the Federal Judge), disability rights advocates in New York feel that they have collectively had an impact and finally witnessed what will lead to full voting access for people with disabilities in the State.

The US District Court for the Northern District of NY decision can be downloaded at http://www.nyvv.org/newdoc/doj/dojvnyorder011608.pdf

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COUNCIL NOV CONFERENCE FEEDBACK IS POSITIVE

January 9th, 2008

The consensus of the 150 people out of 400 who attended who completed an evaluation form was positive. If you attended and did not complete a form or filled out one of the forms that did not have our closing speaker listed, please drop a quick note to cdahlberg@gpcpd.org on two questions.

1.  From 1-5 with 5 the highest, how would you rate our closing speaker Richard Pimentel (add comments if desired)
2.  For those who have been to more than one Council conference. Do you like the Hyatt or the Westin better and why/why not

**** NOTE: If you attended the conference and didn’t complete an overall evaluation form and would like to be in the Grand Prize drawing,  Please let me know and I will send you  a copy by e-mail.  We will be selecting the winner from those who completed evaluation forms, by mid January. - Christine

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PARTNERS IN POLICYMAKING RECRUITMENT IS UNDERWAY

January 9th, 2008

The Council has started recruitment for a new class of Partners in Policymaking. People with disabilities and parents who are interested in learning about best practice disability issues and are dedicated to advocacy work, are encouraged to apply.  Participants come to Indianapolis for one session per month for 8 months beginning in Oct 08. Expenses including childcare are covered and on site attendant care is available. Homework and a community project are required. An application form and more information is available on our website at: www.in.gov/gpcpd/projects/#policy

****Please contract me if you would like some of our new four color brochures to distribute, or would like a graduate Partner to speak about the program to your group or to an individual who is interested. I have articles suitable for a newsletter as well. We can also provide print copies of the application form. PIP@gpcpd.org, 317-232-7771-Please help us spread the word. Thanks

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2008 INDIANA DISABILITY POLL: A FOCUS ON VOTING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

January 9th, 2008

Voting and civic engagement are the issues being addressed in Indiana’s Disability Poll for this year. People with disabilities and family members in Indiana are invited to share their experiences and ideas with regards to voting and participating in public policy and political activities. This poll is the same one that was available at the November Governor’s conference.

To take the poll, go to: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cpps/survey/

If you would like more information about the Indiana Disability Poll, you may email Vicki Pappas at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. You can also call her at 1-812 855-6508. If you need paper or other alternate formats or technical assistance, please contact Jeffrey Chait at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. You can also call him at 1-812 855-6508.

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CARE SELECT OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE ON MEDICAID WAIVERS

January 9th, 2008

A representative of Family Voices has been working with the Office of Medicaid to share the unique needs of families with waivers. As a result, the state plans to institute an alternate plan. Once efforts to enroll a provider in Care Select have been exhausted, those affected families will be asked if they want to maintain their current primary care physician, even if that physician will not join Care Select as a PMP. In those cases, the Care Management component of Care Select will be orchestrated by OMPP behind the scenes for those families to ensure services are adequate. All of the final details are currently being worked out and the “enrollment date” for Care Select has been pushed back to February 1, 2008.  If your child’s primary physician has told you they will not enroll in Care Select and there is not an appropriate alternative in the program, please contact:
Katie Holeman Shipp 317 234 3804 katie.holemanshipp@fssa.in.gov or Jill Claypool 317 234 5551 jill.claypool@fssa.in.gov and explain your situation.  Please be prepared to share the name of the doctor you wish to keep. Family Voices will continue to update families on the status of Care Select as information becomes available.
 
NOTE: Family Voices of Indiana will share advocacy opportunities and updated information on issues that impact Indiana families of children with disabilities or special needs. If you would like to receive notices, please join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FVIndiana We’re also on the web at: http://fvindiana.blogspot.com/

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INDIANA DD CRISIS MANAGEMENT SERVICES AVAILABLE NOW TO ALL WHO QUALIFY (EVEN IF NOT RECEIVING SERVICES)

January 9th, 2008

Support for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Experiencing Extreme Behavioral or Psychiatric Issues
Statewide implementation of the Crisis Management Services Program by FSSA began as September 17, 2007. This program is designed for individuals with developmental disabilities who are experiencing severe behavioral or psychiatric issues which threaten their health and welfare, or that of others.  The program is designed to deliver supports in a timely and intensive manner to children and adults with developmental disabilities who are already receiving services, as well as those who are not currently receiving services but are likely to be found eligible according to state guidelines.

Specific Services Offered:  24 hour Crisis Hotline phone support;  In-home assessment, technical assistance and behavior intervention; Out of home intervention on a short term basis; and  Post crisis follow-along.

How to Access Crisis Management Services
Access is available to this program 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year, by calling directly to the Crisis Management Services office in your region. Any parent, guardian or service provider may make a referral. The initial call to the hotline will be answered immediately or a message will receive a response within 30 minutes. The crisis specialist will determine whether immediate assessment at a local hospital is needed, if not, an appropriate in-home assessment will be made by the behavior consultant/crisis specialist within 24 hours. After the initial assessment is done and needs are determined, individualized referrals, assistance and resources will be offered.

Three regional offices, north, south and central, have been formed to facilitate availability and access to these statewide services. The 8 Dvelopmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) District Offices are grouped into three regional areas to facilitate access to Crisis Management Services.
 
The 24-hour phone numbers for the three Crisis Management Services Offices are as follows:
NORTH: BDDS Districts 1, 2 & 3 1-866-416-4774 staffed by Anthony Wayne Services
CENTRAL: BDDS Districts 5 & 6 1-866-920-3272 staffed by Meridian Services
SOUTH: BDDS Districts 4, 7 & 8 1-866-416-4774 staffed by Anthony Wayne Services
For a list of counties in each BDDS districts go to: https://myshare.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/BDDS1/BDDS%20Field%20Offices/BDDS%20District%20Offices.pdf

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NEW OPPONENTS TO ADA RESTORATION MEANS STEPPED UP FIGHT IN NEW YEAR

January 9th, 2008

From AAPD: The U.S. Chamber “and friends” have been up to no good, faxing every Member of Congress with a message that ADA Restoration goes too far with civil rights - that it expands protections beyond what Congress ever intended and, in essence, that the ADA was only ever truly intended for the “severely disabled.” Their mischaracterizations of the legislation are not new (they’ve sent letters before and testified at hearings with these same claims), but the list of signatories on this particular communication has grown to include numerous others. When we’re all back from the holidays, expect renewed fervor and be ready to join us in the fight to see this bill passed into law and the promise of the ADA fulfilled in the New Year!

There are a few things we can all do over the holidays to show support of ADA Restoration:
1) Visits & Calls: If possible, arrange for visits with Members and/or their staff  Review talking points at http://www.c-c-d.org/task_forces/rights/ada/TPs_FINAL_bill.doc ( Thank Indiana co-sponsors of the bill who include, Rep Souder. Ellswoth, Hill, Visclosky and the late Julia Carson )
2) Opinions / Editorials: Local op/ed pieces written by advocates that highlight real life stories of discrimination to show the need for restoration of the ADA would also powerfully impact Members of Congress while they’re home. Review “real life stories” of discrimination for ideas of stories to highlight. http://www.c-c-d.org/task_forces/rights/ada/Real%20Case%20Stories_final.doc

MORE INFORMATION:
Visit the ADA Restoration blog for background materials, the text of the legislation, and more information on the need for ADA Restoration and actions you can take to help. http://www.adarestoration.blogspot.com/
If you are able to meet with Members or their staff or to get any op/ed piece published, please notify AAPD at aapdanne@earthlink.net so we can share this information with national coalition members.

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NEW NICHY PUBLICATION ON STUDENT ACCOMMODATIONS

January 9th, 2008

NICHCY, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has published a new Evidence for Education brief, Assessment and Accommodations. If you are a parent of a child who needs accommodations or involved in teaching or assessing students with disabilities, then this publication is for you!

Assessment and Accommodations examines what the research has to say about providing students with disabilities with accommodations that support learning as well as their ability to show what they know and can do. There are multiple examples of accommodations, guidelines to help IEP teams decide what accommodations a student needs, connections to Federal guidance and requirements on this important topic, and links that will help identify what accommodation policies Indiana has adopted to guide participation of children with disabilities in large-scale assessments. Assessment and Accommodations is available online at: http://research.nichcy.org/accommodations1.asp

We hope you will find this new Evidence for Education helpful in your work or personal life. As always, please feel free to call or email us with your disability-related concerns, or visit our Web site, at: www.nichcy.org.
NICHCY, P.O. Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013
1.800.695.0285 (V/TTY)

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HOOSIERS ENCOURAGED TO SHARE OPINIONS ON HEALTHCARE

November 30th, 2007

Indiana residents can express their opinions about draft healthcare reforms in Indiana during a Healthcare Reform Options Listening Tour. For more information including a schedule of the rest of the stops, or how to submit information your response on line go to: www.healthcarereform.iupui.edu

Among the draft reforms are:
– Hoosiers will take an active role in preserving their own health and well-being and work collaboratively with their healthcare providers to address health challenges.
– Hoosiers will have universal access
– Universal insurance coverage
– Effective access to all aspects of the healthcare system regardless of income class, cultural identity, or residence
– Disease prevention and health promotion will be the primary foci of both the delivery and public health systems
– All residents will have a medical/healthcare home which will be the source of primary care, disease management, and care coordination

Following the listening tour, which ends December 6, the experts will incorporate the comments from the listening tour and work with FSSA to develop a final set of reforms and a legislative plan to implement them.

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FAMILY INVOLVEMENT FUND UPDATE

October 28th, 2007

Effective October 1, 2007, INSOURCE will not be administering the Family Involvement Fund (FIF).  Parents interested in applying for funds should contact Cathy Beard at the Early Childhood Center, 2853 East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN  47408 for more information. She can also be reached by telephone at (800) 825-4733 or (812) 855-6508 or via email at fif@indiana.edu.

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Ford Paying for Vehicle Adaptations

April 27th, 2007

National: Ford Mobility Motoring Program—Rolling deadline:

The program funds up to $1,000 in adaptive vehicle equipment for drivers with disabilities, and applies to model year 2006 through 2008 for the Ford, Mercury, or Lincoln product lines.

The $1,000 amount includes up to $200 for alert hearing devices, lumbar seats and running boards. The awards apply only to newly purchased cars through dealers and cannot be applied to a vehicle purchase price. Individuals contract for the modifications and present an invoice for the work to a Ford dealer, who then applies for the assistance.

Adaptive equipment is defined as any installed device that makes it easier for persons with disabilities to drive or be transported in a vehicle, other than Ford factory-installed equipment. Equipment must have a specific medical need, or for something such as alerting devices, swivel seats or pedal extensions, there must be documentation prepared by a licensed medical professional.

Since the program started in 1992, Ford has provided assistance to about 133,000 individuals, a Ford spokeswoman tells DFN.

On April 11, Ford also is circulating a guide for disabled vehicle users, which describes this program and also offers descriptions and contact information of other resources involving adaptive equipment and roadside assistance. http://www.mobilitymotoringprogram.com/programfaq.mob

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CONSUMER GUIDE TO MEDICAID WAIVERS NOW UPDATED

April 27th, 2007

The Consumer Guide to Home and Community Based Medicaid Waiver has been revised! Formerly known as the green book the newly updated “yellow book” is the fourth edition of this booklet and will be distributed to area BDDS and AAA offices by mid April. In the meantime everyone attending one of the Arc workshops will receive a copy and single copies or small quantities can be ordered from the Governor’s Council: 150 West Market, #628 Indianapolis, IN 46204, 317-232-7770 (voice), 317-233-3712 (fax), BWade@gpcpd.org

The new guide should also be available for download from the publications section of our website in a few days: www.in.gov/gpcpd

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New coalition is formed: COAT: Coalition for Organizations for Accessible Technology.

April 27th, 2007

Get your COAT! Today, a new coalition of disability organizations was launched to advocate for legislative and regulatory safeguards that will ensure full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet protocol (IP) technologies. The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, or “COAT,” consists of over 45 national, regional, and community-based organizations dedicated to making sure that as our nation migrates from legacy public switched-based telecommunications to more versatile and innovative IP-based and other communication technologies, people with disabilities will not be left behind.

Emerging digital and Internet-based technologies can provide people with disabilities with new opportunities for greater independence, integration, and privacy, but only if these are designed to be accessible. The guiding principle of this Coalition will be to ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of daily living through accessible, affordable and usable communication technologies as these continue to evolve.

To read the rest of the public release, visit this website:  http://www.aapd-dc.org/index.php

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SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET

April 27th, 2007

Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of Internet accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education. This collection exists in order to make on-line Special Education resources more easily and readily available in one location. This site will continually modify, update, and add additional informative links. http://seriweb.com/

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508 Bobby Approved

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