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FYI Newsletter September 28, 2009
Quick Scan:
- City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility Seeks Nominees
- ADA-Indiana announces funding for community organizations to host the 2009-2010 Audio Conference Series
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Journal to Publish Special Issue on Employment – Manuscript Submissions Encouraged
- IACC Scientific Workshop
- Journal Article Published
- Pratt Article Published
- Library Corner
UPCOMING
CITY OF BLOOMINGTON COUNCIL FOR COMMUNITY ACCESSIBILITY SEEKS NOMINEES: The City of Bloomington’s Council for Community Accessibility (CCA) is soliciting nominations for its annual awards ceremony that will recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations that make the community more accessible for people with disabilities.
The CCA advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, promotes awareness of the challenges faced by those with disabilities, and works to develop solutions to problems of accessibility. The Council meets monthly at City Hall.
Award categories include:
- Kristin Willison Volunteer Service Award
- Business Service Award
- Professional and Community Service Award
- Housing service Award
- Self-Advocacy Award
- Mayor’s Award
Nomination forms are available in the Community and Family Resources Department, City Hall, 401 North Morton Street, Suite 260 and online at www.bloomington.in.gov/cfrd. Nomination must be returned by October 2, 2009. For more information, contact Craig Brenner, Special Projects Coordinator, at (812) 349-3471 or e-mail brennerc@bloomington.in.gov.
ADA-INDIANA ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO HOST THE 2009-2010 AUDIO CONFERENCE SERIES: ADA-Indiana is making funding available to support local hosts for a monthly series of Audio Conferences about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Audio Conferences present easy-to-attend, consistent training, and public awareness about implementation issues related to the ADA. A variety of topics are featured, presented by national guest speakers, on issues such as employment, accessible design, recent Supreme Court decisions, and other legal cases. These 90-minute Audio Conferences are targeted towards disability and other social service providers, local government, businesses, employers and HR personnel, people with disabilities, advocates, and other community members. The ADA Audio Conferences are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm, EST.
Funding is available for a one-year period, from October 2009 through September 2010. Host sites will be selected from various areas of the state, except in Bloomington and Gary, where sites are already being supported. Community organizations eligible to apply include United Ways, local government entities, disability or social services providers, Chambers of Commerce, local businesses, Centers for Independent Living, advocacy organizations, schools, institutions of higher education, and other community organizations.
Organizations wishing to become a local host site for the 2009-2010 ADA Audio Conference series should submit an application postmarked by October 2nd. To download the application, visit www.adaindiana.org. For further information about the Audio Conference series, contact Vicki Pappas, Fiscal Agent for ADA-Indiana, at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail adainfo@indiana.edu.
IN EMPLOYMENT
INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES JOURNAL TO PUBLISH SPECIAL ISSUE ON EMPLOYMENT – MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS ENCOURAGED: The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities intends to publish a special issue on employment in their journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in 2011. This special issue will be timed to correspond with the 2011 Summit on Employment sponsored by the Alliance for Full Participation (AFP) (www.allianceforfullparticipation.org ). The AFP’s sponsorship is possible through the combined efforts of 14 national organizations involved in intellectual and developmental disability issues. William Kiernan of the University of Massachusetts and David Mank of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University will be guest editors of this special issue.
The special issue will feature:
- Research and data-based manuscripts
- Policy analysis manuscripts
- Perspectives manuscripts
Potential topics in the special issue include employment outcomes, evaluations, policy, cost studies, transition, customized employment, career development, employer leadership, corporate initiatives, intervention, self-advocacy and employment, best practices, international issues, and others.
If you are interested in submitting a manuscript for consideration in this special issue, please send an e-mail to William Kiernan, Ph.D. (william.kiernan@umb.edu) and include a one-paragraph description of the topic you plan to address.
The proposed topic must be submitted no later than November 1, 2009. Drs. Kiernan and Mank will review all materials and respond with feedback to authors by December 1. Should you be encouraged to submit a full manuscript, your submission will go through the peer-review process. We encourage you to submit an article for consideration in this special issue of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
ACROSS THE COURTYARD
IACC SCIENTIFIC WORKSHOP: Cathy Pratt, Director of the Institute’s Indiana Resource Center for Autism, is one of 30 panelists invited to participate in five panel sessions at the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Workshop to be held September 30-Octover 1, 2009 in Bethesda Maryland. Pratt’s session is titled Where Can I Turn for Services, and What Does the Future Hold.
In January, the IACC completed its first Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research. As required by the Combating Autism Act (P.L. 109-416), an update of the IACC’s Strategic Plan is required and includes information gathered from several research-monitoring and public outreach activities. The focus of the IACC Scientific Workshop is to synthesize this information and provide recommendations regarding the next phase of the Strategic Plan. They include:
- Noted research gaps in the existing Strategic Plan;
- New opportunities for advancing research and knowledge about autism spectrum disorders; and
- Suggestions for prioritizing short and long-term objectives.
The IACC coordinates all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through its inclusion of both Federal and public members, the IACC helps to ensure that a wide range of ideas and perspectives are represented and discussed in a public forum. The IACC mission is to:
- Facilitate the efficient and effective exchange of information on ASD activities among the member agencies;
- Coordinate ASD-related activities; and
- Increase public understanding of the member agencies' activities, programs, policies, and research by providing a public forum for discussions related to ASD research, screening, education, and interventions.
For more information, visit http://iacc.hhs.gov/.
JOURNAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED: Sharon Hauss, Research Associate with the Institute’s Center for Disability Information and Referral has coauthored an article published in the Journal of Disability Policy Studies.
Participation of Individuals With Developmental Disabilities and Families on Advisory Boards and Committees, coauthored with Joe Caldwell of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and Bethany Stark, University of California, Los Angeles, explore supports that enhance participation of individuals with developmental disabilities and family members on advisory committees. Focus groups and open-ended surveys were conducted with staff from University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and members of their Consumer Advisory Committees. Five themes emerged: (a) individualized supports, (b) financial supports, (c) coordination and communication, (d) leadership development, and (e) value and outcomes. Themes provide practical guidance to organizations as well as highlight broader systemic issues. Visit http://dps.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/101 for more information.
PRATT ARTICLE PUBLISHED: Cathy Pratt and former Indiana Resource Center for Autism Research Associate, Steve Buckmann, now with the Monroe County School Corporation, have coauthored an article titled Supporting Appropriate Behavior in Students with Asperger Syndrome published by Education.com.
Education.Com provides expert advice, features, columns, thousands of reference articles, and a community for parents of preschool to high school students. Visit http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Approp_Behav/ to access the Pratt/Buckmann article.
LIBRARY CORNER
NEW ITEMS: The following new materials may be borrowed by Indiana residents from the Center for Disability Information and Referral at the Institute. To check out materials, contact the library at 1-800-437-7924, send e-mail to cedir@indiana.edu, or visit us at 2853 East Tenth Street in Bloomington.
Labosh, K. (2004). The child with autism goes to town: The go anywhere guide, 250 tips for community outings. Child with autism series. [East Petersburg, Pa.]: Labosh Pub.Labosh, K., & Miller, L. (2008). The child with autism at home: The home-life guide, 350 tips for work & play. East Petersburg, Pa: Labosh Publishing.
Shapiro, B. K., & Accardo, P. J. (2008). Autism frontiers: Clinical issues and innovations. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Pub.