AUCDigest
May 8, 2006 • Volume 6, Number 61
Midwest LEND Federal Disability Policy and Legislative Advocacy Video Conference. Faculty/staff and trainees from the Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota LEND programs met for a second time this year on Friday March 31, 2006 for a video conference on Federal Disability Policy and Legislative Advocacy. Kim Musheno, Director of Legislative Affairs for AUCD was the featured speaker for this two hour conference. Objectives for the session were to: Relate practice issues to disability policy, legislative action and regulations; Possess an understanding of national and state policy process interface with legislative action; and Identify advocacy strategies that promote current disability legislation. Kim also spoke about the Family Opportunity Act, funding history of the LEND program, the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) and the 2007 LEND proposal for the MCH Block Grant. In closing, Kim stressed that clinicians and other providers are immersed in the issues and are an important communication link in providing information to the policy makers. The Midwest LEND group plans to make the Spring video conference an annual event and hopes to expand it to other programs in the LEND network. To learn more, please contact Sue Pearson from the Iowa LEND program. Nebraska AmeriCorps Member Honored. The Munroe-Meyer Institute (NE UCEDD) AmeriCorps program is proud to announce that one of its members, Mr. Dave Burgess, has been selected as a national recipient of the "First Lady's Award." Dave has been with the MMI AmeriCorps program for the past two years and has served as a volunteer coordinator, assistant program administrator, and Director of the SANDS (Sportsmen Assisting Nebraska's Disabled Sportsmen) Project which pairs outdoor sports enthusiasts with similar-minded individuals with disabilities. The Project provides opportunities for persons with disabilities to be able to enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, boating, camping and astronomy. Dave's activities have been recognized in Nebraska and in other States where programs similar to SANDS are being proposed. For more information, contact Joe Evans. Agrability Project Funded. After eight years of serving the families of Utah farmers and ranchers who live with disabilities, AgrAbility of Utah-operated through the Center for Persons with Disabilities (UCEDD) at Utah State University -has been awarded an $800,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture that will fund the program for the next four years. Illnesses, work-related injuries, pre-existing disabilities, age-associated physical limitations are just some of the conditions that make it difficult for farmers and ranchers to maintain their independence and productivity without aid. To date, the program has helped a total of 125 individuals and their families statewide in maintaining their lifestyle and livelihood. To learn more about the project, call 1-877-225-1860 or visit the AgrAbility website. A.J. Pappanikou Center (CT UCEDD) Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) Hosts Successful Statewide Forum. On April 5, 2005, more than 60 people from 31 towns across Connecticut attended a day-long CAC forum designed to engage people and agencies in UCEDD activities. The day began with opening remarks by Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Kevin Sullivan and CAC chair Linda Wallace. Center Director Mary Beth Bruder reviewed the Center's history and current activities, and then sent participants off to work groups organized around early childhood, school age or adult /geriatrics. The result from each group was a work plan with concrete steps to address the issues each group had identified. Over the next year, this group will provide feedback on UCEDD materials, assist in their dissemination, and provide a pool of individuals to strengthen our CAC. For more information, please contact Gabriela Freyre-Calish, MSW, at 860.679.1563. ME UCEDD Recognizes Leaders in Disability Community. Each year, the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD) recognizes individuals or organizations whose vision and leadership contribute to making the dream of inclusive communities a reality for individuals with disabilities and their families. On May 18, CCIDS will hold its annual Daring to Dream Awards Ceremony in Orono, Maine . The 2006 Daring to Dream Award recipients are:
- Laura Antranigian, a self-advocate from Portland, Maine, past president and active member of Speaking Up For Us, Maine 's self-advocacy network, for vision and leadership that promotes social change to advance the rights of people with disabilities.
- Anne B. Schink, program officer of the Maine Commission for Community Service in Augusta, Maine, for vision and leadership that promotes public policy change to advance the civil rights of people with disabilities.
- Carol J. Gill, Ph.D., an associate professor of the Department of Disabilities and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago , for vision and leadership in scholarship that informs Disability Studies policy and practice.
On May 2 CCIDS held its annual Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Celebration of Achievement to recognize the students who completed the concentration in interdisciplinary disability studies at the University of Maine . Students displayed their projects, which focused on various aspects of disability studies theory and universal access.
News from the Department of Disability and Human Development (IL UCEDD)
- Bodies of Work: The Chicago Festival of Disability Arts & Culture - April 20-30, 2006. An unprecedented event for Chicago and the , Bodies of Work explored and celebrated the contributions of artists with disabilities, the contemporary contexts of disabled lives, and works that illuminated disability experiences. The UCEDD hosted a film festival "In and Out of the Institution." Panel members included faculty and scholars from the University of Illinois , Chicago (Tamar Heller and Andrea Dinaro (alumni)), the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (Lester Pritchard), and Illinois ' Protection and Advocacy organization, Equip for Equality (Barry Taylor). For more information on the films visit http://www.waitingforronald.com/ and http://www.harviekrumpet.com/hpresskit.pdf.
- Congratulations to Joe Caldwell for being awarded AAMR's student award for 2006. Joe will be presented his award at the annual AAMR conference on May 2, 2006 in Montreal, . Dr. Caldwell is a graduate of the PhD program in Disability Studies at the IL UCEDD.
News from the Institute on Disabilities ( Temple University - PA UCEDD)
- University Named Microsoft Accessibility Resource Center. Temple University has been designated as one of 46 nationwide 2006-2007 Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers (MARC) by the Microsoft Corporation. MARCs demonstrate accessible technology solutions that are possible on computers using Windows, thanks to the efforts of George Heake, Accessible Electronic and Information Technology Coordinator at the UCEDD, and Karl Horvath, the University's Assistant Director Computer Services.
- Aiding Katrina Survivors. The Temple University UCEDD just completed its second successful drive to collect durable medical equipment to aid the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. On Saturday, April 30, a huge trailer was packed by Institute staff, their family and friends, and other volunteers, with donated items such as power chairs, hospital beds, and walkers. On Tuesday, May 2, the truck took off for LATAN (Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network) where the equipment was unloaded and delivered to individuals in need around the gulf region.
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