People with disabilities are an integral part of available labor force, says NCD

Oct 31 2009

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year's theme is Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation. NCD embraces the Department of Labor's apt theme.

As NCD noted in its most recent National Disability Policy: A Progress Report, efforts to stimulate job growth should ensure that people with disabilities are an integral part of the available labor force of this country, and should be accompanied by mechanisms to ensure that nondiscrimination and equal opportunity rights are observed, that reasonable accommodations are provided according to law, and that recruitment, training, and outreach efforts include people with disabilities and the organizations serving and representing them. In Federal Employment of People with Disabilities, NCD drew attention to the barriers for people with disabilities in attaining federal employment. The number of employees with disabilities in the federal workforce remains too low, and NCD makes several recommendations for improving the employment picture.

NCD Conducts Nashville Quarterly Meeting

NCD held its fall quarterly meeting in Nashville, TN, October 26-28 2009.

During the meeting, the NCD board confirmed members Pat Pound as First Vice Chair and Marylyn Howe as Second Vice Chair of the council.

On October 26, Tommy Clark, Disabilities Coordinator, Human Services Office for Aging/Disabled Citizens, City of Louisville, KY, addressed NCD.

On October 27, NCD heard from several speakers including: Donna L. Sorkin, Vice President, Consumer Affairs, Cochlear Americas, Denver, CO; Lillian Burch, Executive Director, DisABILITY Resource Center, Knoxville, TN; Carol Westlake, Executive Director; Tennessee Disability Coalition, Nashville, TN; Andrea Cooper, Assistant Commissioner, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Tennessee Department of Human Services, Nashville, TN; Holly Lu Conant Rees, Education Advocate, ARC of Davidson County, Nashville, TN; Steven Glowicki, Family Educator, STEP (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents), Inc., Nashville, TN; Katy Beh Neas, Vice President, Government Relations, Easter Seals Headquarters, Washington, DC; Tony Garr, Executive Director, Tennessee Health Care Campaign, Nashville, TN; Amy Goldman, Project Director, Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology, Philadelphia, PA; Deborah Buck, Executive Director, Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, Delmar, NY; and Billy Altom, Executive Director, Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, Little Rock, AR.

Summaries of those presentations will soon be available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/quarterly/quarterly.htm.

NCD Takes Emergency Management Report to Capitol Hill

NCD, in partnership with the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, held a congressional briefing on its emergency management report on October 13, 2009, at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. The briefing included an overview of the report's findings, promising practices, and suggested interventions and recommendations as well as a question and answer period. More than 25 Hill staffers attended.

The report calls on federal, state, and local authorities to make sweeping changes in emergency management practices for people with disabilities. NCD's report offers information and advice to assist all levels of government in their work to establish evidence-based policies, programs, and practices across the life cycle of disasters.

Presenters included NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn, NCD Vice Chairperson Pat Pound, NCD contractor and principal report researcher Elizabeth Davis, and FEMA Senior Advisor Marcie Roth.

On October 20, Chairperson Vaughn testified on emergency preparedness before the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management at a hearing entitled "Looking Out for the Very Young, the Elderly and Others with Special Needs: Lessons from Katrina and other Major Disasters." He addressed the procedures and plans currently in place for aid to children and people with disabilities during and after a natural disaster.

Additional information about people with disabilities and emergency management can be found at NCD's Lessons Learned page and in NCD's 2005 report, Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning.

NCD Makes Health Care Recommendations

NCD released its latest report, The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities, on September 30, 2009.

The report focuses the nation's attention on the health care disparities experienced by people with disabilities, and provides information and recommendations that can help to eliminate health care inequities for people with disabilities.

The report also provides a road map for eliminating the pervasive barriers to health care for people with disabilities, which will improve the quality of life, productivity, and well-being of greater numbers of Americans as the nation's population ages.

National Summit on Disability Policy 2010

The NCD-sponsored National Summit on Disability Policy will take place July 25-27, 2010, at the Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel, 999 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC.

This National Summit is an invitation-only, working meeting to develop recommendations to guide improvements in disability policy and programs for the next decade.

Hosted by NCD, this Summit commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Topics for discussion will be: Civil Rights, Education, Emergency Management, Employment, Healthcare, Housing, International Affairs, Statistics and Data, Telecommunications and Technology, and Transportation.

Applications were received from 1,776 people who applied for the 300 delegate slots. The selection process is now underway with notification beginning in January 2010.

To help ensure full participation, a limited number of scholarships will be available for consumer delegates (individuals with disabilities not representing an organization). The scholarship will cover hotel and a pro-rated per diem amount for two or three days as needed to assist with meals not covered as part of the Summit. Each delegate will be responsible for travel and other expenses. Accommodations required for participation during the meeting will be supplied. Lodging expenses for a personal care attendant traveling with the delegate may also be requested. Scholarships will be awarded upon request once delegate selection is complete.

For those interested in becoming sponsors, the National Summit offers a unique sponsorship opportunity that allows you to:

• Reach over 10,000 community organizations and people with disabilities by having your sponsorship displayed on notices publicizing the Summit.
• Reach over 300 national agencies and organizations by having your logo prominently displayed on Summit-related materials and at the meeting venue.
• Reach the wider network of the disability community by having your sponsorship recognized in meeting proceedings and documents with anticipated circulation throughout federal agencies, congressional offices, and the disability community.
• Enjoy the satisfaction of participating in and supporting an historic event.

You can select from a range of sponsorship levels offering varying benefits. Contact us at [email protected] or call 866-538-9521 ext. 103 to become part of this outstanding event.

The list of Summit sponsors continues to grow. To date, it includes NCD, Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program, Easter Seals Project ACTION, Federal Transit Administration, AbiliityOne, Inglis Foundation, Kessler Foundation, and Suntrust. Watch the Summit Web site as additional sponsors are posted.

NCD Current Issues

NCD's list of current and proposed research projects includes studies and reports on:

• National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
• Housing and its Impact on People with Disabilities
• Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act: Implementation Evaluation and Recommendations for Reauthorization
• Workforce Infrastructure in Support of People with Disabilities: Matching Human Resources to Service Needs
• Accessibility of U.S. Overseas Development Projects and Embassies
• Improving Access to Health Care, Special Education, and Long-Term Services for Marine Corps Family Members with Disabilities
• Keeping Up: Technology's Rapid Changes and Effects on People with Disabilities

NCD Member Activities

Linda Wetters and Victoria Carlson met with representatives of the U.S. Department of State on October 22 to discuss NCD's overseas accessibility study: Towards the Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities: Examining the Accessibility of Overseas Facilities and Programs Funded by the United States. The study will examine and review the accessibility of U.S.-funded overseas facilities and programs. The study will result in a legal analysis of inclusive development with an examination of accessibility across specified sectors of U.S.-funded overseas programs and accessibility assessments of selected U.S. embassies and missions and is expected to be completed within one year.

On September 15, NCD Council Member Lonnie Moore was recognized for his military service by being inducted into the 1/16th Infantry Regiment. The ceremony was held at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Lonnie said of the award, "It is a true honor to be recognized amongst great men as those that surround me which represent World War II and Vietnam."

Mr. Moore is a retired U.S. Army Captain and an amputee from the Iraq war. He works as a program analyst for the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command.

All NCD Board Members are available to make presentations at conferences and meetings. Requests should be directed to John R. Vaughn, Chairperson, National Council on Disability, 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004 or by email to [email protected].

Future Quarterly Meetings

Winter 2010, January 19-21, Houston, TX

Spring 2010, April 26-28, Detroit, MI

Summer 2010, July 28-29, Washington, DC

Please visit NCD's Quarterly Meetings page for updated news about all meetings when that information becomes available.

SOURCE National Council on Disability