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FYI Newsletter

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FYI Newsletter April 12, 2010

Quick Scan:

• Register for the 6th National Organizational Change Forum
• INDATA Demo Day at the Indiana Institute
• Employment Specialist Training Workshop for May/June
• Visitability
• National ADA Symposium
• Library Corner

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UPCOMING



REGISTER FOR THE 6TH NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE FORUM: You are cordially invited to attend the 6th National Organizational Change Forum: Employment First! The Audacity of Change, to be held at the Hilton Hotel, Indianapolis on September 22-23, 2010.

Join us for this dynamic event focused on employment for individuals with disabilities. Hear from leaders who have aligned federal, state, and local systems and agencies to offer employment supports. We are pleased to announce that Lynnae Ruttledge, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Education, will be the featured Keynote Speaker.

This Forum is designed to be interactive and action oriented. Participate in lively discussions and planning related to policy and systems change, leadership, management, transition, career development, and integrated employment. Be a part of discussions to establish a National Agenda on Employment First and Organizational Change.

State teams are encouraged to attend, including state Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities agency representatives, Behavioral Health Centers, local community providers, One Stop career center staff, local education agency staff, university faculty, self-advocates, and others.


Your organization can play a leadership role in sponsoring this event.  Your organization’s contribution at a sponsorship level is critical to the ongoing success of this national grassroots initiative.


To register your organization’s sponsorship, contact Joel Fosha at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail foshaj@indiana.edu.



INDATA DEMO DAY AT THE INDIANA INSTITUTE: The Survey of Income and Program Participation estimates that nearly 10 million people worldwide are hard of hearing. Of these, close to one million are deaf.  The INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads is hosting a year-long series of free statewide Demo Days showcasing assistive technology devices for a wide variety of disabilities. The next Demo Day will feature devices that assist people with hearing impairments and will take place Thursday, April 15, at the Indiana Institute.

To register for your free half-hour appointment during Demo Day, contact Carol Girt at 1-888-466-1314. Please register by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14. If you are interested in learning about assistive technology devices for other disabilities, please contact Carol Girt.

A variety of devices will be demonstrated, with a particular emphasis on hearing impairments, including: Nintendo DS systems, alarm monitors, the UbiDuo Communicator, T-Loop headsets, wireless headphone amplification systems, weather alert radios and others. 

Demo Days provides individuals who make an appointment the opportunity to experience an abbreviated one-on-one device demonstration, during which they learn how assistive technology can increase independence through a hands-on session with the many low-tech and high-tech assistive technology devices available.

In some cases, the assistive technology provided can ultimately determine whether someone is able to work outside of their home or attend a public school. In addition, that technology can be used to help better the interaction and communication between individuals and their families or friends. For more information, visit the INDATA blog at http://blog.eastersealstech.com/.



EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR MAY/JUNE: The Indiana Supported Employment Training Team (ISETT) will hold the second of four trainings on May 4-6 and June 1-3, 2010, at the Indiana Institute, designed to provide quality, affordable training, and consultation to Indiana professionals involved in the delivery of supported employment services.

EST workshops are designed to provide basic skills training to service providers who have worked as employment specialists for less than one year. Attendees learn best practice in job and career development, employment support planning, ecological analysis, follow-along, and emerging industry trends. EST is a six-day training split into two sessions which are held one month apart. An exit test is required for participants seeking certification. Individuals who attend all days of both sessions and successfully complete the exit test receive a competency-based certificate from Indiana University. CEUs and CRUs are available.

Other training dates and locations for 2010 include:

August 10-12, 2010
Easter Seals Crossroads
Indianapolis, IN

November 2-4 and December 7-9, 2010
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Bloomington, IN

Act now and receive a $200.00 per participant discount toward the $300.00 registration fee while supplies last. For more information or to register, contact Kay Moore at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail moorel@indiana.edu.

ACROSS THE COURTYARD



VISITABILITY: New housing construction has yet to catch up with 21st century lifestyles, where more people want to stay in their homes as they age, young parents juggle strollers and groceries and people of all ages live with various disabilities.

Visitability, a nationwide movement, asks people without disabilities to think about how features such as wider doors, a stepless entry and a bathroom on the main floor can make their day-to-day lives easier now, not to mention when they're older. These features also make homes more welcoming for older relatives and friends who might have disabilities.

"Visitability is a home construction and design approach that incorporates basic accessibility into newly-built homes and housing. Simply put, it makes life easier and makes a home more welcoming for those with disabilities," says Sharon Hauss, research associate at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. "It's a terrible feeling when you realize you can't have friends in your own home."

Having a broken leg or joint replacement can make a person's own home seem unwelcoming. Car accidents, military service, illnesses and other situations can leave people unexpectedly injured or with a disability.

"Our physical abilities change over time," says Hauss. "As a result, our homes may have to change as well, but think of how beneficial it would be if those features had been included from the beginning."

Including visitability features in new construction is estimated to cost an additional 1 percent, which is less than it would cost to retrofit a house. The following are the defining features of a visitable home:

• Stepless Entrance. An entrance either at the front, side, rear of the house, or from the garage that does not have any steps.

• Wide Doorways. Doors on the main level that are 36 inches wide, allowing 34 inches clear passage. The typical 30 inch door found in the majority of homes is not accessible for most wheelchair access and other modes of mobility.

• Bathroom on Main Level. At least a half-bath on the main level with reinforced walls for grab bars as well as space for a wheelchair to maneuver.

Here are some of the benefits of visitability features:

• Convenience. Activities such as bringing in groceries, rolling in the stroller, hauling in the new refrigerator, or struggling with luggage, are easier. Dealing with a sprained ankle, using a wheelchair or crutches is less difficult. "Steps also get harder when you get older," says Hauss.

• Flexibility/Planning for future. Be ready for all of life's seasons and realize that aging should not have to mean moving. "Most older people want to age in place and stay in their homes," says Jane Harlan-Simmons, research associate also at the Institute.

• Hospitability. Excluding friends and family with mobility limitations from visiting your home will no longer be an issue.

• Marketability. "You can make a stepless entrance look attractive and enhance the resale value of the house," says Harlan-Simmons.

According to Hauss and Harlan-Simmons, mandatory and voluntary visitability initiatives have been put into practice in parts of Arizona, Texas, Illinois and Georgia. For example, in Bolingbrook, IL., it was mandated that all new homes be visitable. Harlan-Simmons and Hauss say contractors might have a lack of experience or knowledge of various visitability features, so people interested in such a home should be prepared to explain what they want. They also encourage home shoppers to mention the desire for such features to their realtors.

"Builders and realtors need to know that there is a market for houses that accommodate the needs of aging baby boomers," says Harlan-Simmons.

To learn more about visitability, talk to your building professional about constructing a visitable home or call the Indiana Builders Association at (317) 236-6334. The following are helpful resources about visitability:

Concrete Change
National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification
National Association of Home Builders
Build a Home to Welcome All Your Guests Consumer Brochure

Contact Jane Harlan Simmons (jeharlan@indiana.edu) or Sharon Hauss (sahauss@indiana.edu) for more information at (812) 855-6508.

NATIONAL NEWS



NATIONAL ADA SYMPOSIUM: The ADA National Network is hosting the 8th Annual National ADA Symposium on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related disability issues, to be held June 20-23, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Denver, Colorado. The National Symposium will include:

The latest information on new regulations and the ADA Amendments Act from the federal agencies that write the regulations.

• Forty-eight sessions on a variety of significant issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Presenters include representatives from the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education, Defense, National Homeland Security/FEMA, the EEOC, U.S. Access Board, and the International Code Council.

The DBTAC-Great Lakes ADA Center would like to support participation and attendance from groups and individuals within our six state region. To this end, DBTAC is making available several registration stipends (Value: $500.00). The Center will pay the $500.00 registration fee for eligible individuals. The stipends will be awarded based on need.  Applications will only be accepted from individuals who reside in the Great Lakes Region (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH and WI).

Applications will be accepted through April 25, 2010 but cannot guarantee that all applications will be awarded the stipend.  Notification will be made no later than May 10, 2010 to enable finalization of travel plans. If you are planning to attend the Symposium, it’s recommended that you make your hotel reservations early, they can be cancelled if you are unable to attend.  This is especially important due to limited discounted hotel space available.  

Applications for the stipends can be completed on-line at www.adagreatlakes.org. Additional information regarding the symposium, including a schedule of activities and educational sessions, may be found on the National ADA Symposium web site at www.adasymposium.org or by contacting the Great Lakes ADA Center at 800-949-4232 (V/TTY) between the hours of 8:00 a. m. - 5:00 p.m. Central time.

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.

Baskin, N. R. (2009). Anything but typical. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Ingersoll, B., & Dvortcsak, A. (2010). Teaching social communication to children with autism: A  manual for parents. New York: Guilford Press.

Pavey, B., Meehan, M., & Waugh, A. (2010). Dyslexia-friendly further & higher education. Los Angeles: SAGE.

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