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FYI Newsletter March 7, 2011

FYI Newsletter Logo

QUICK SCAN:

  • Quick Checks for PDF Accessibility Webinar
  • On-Time Performance in ADA Paratransit Webinar
  • Webinar on Social Security
  • Bloomington Celebrates Disability Awareness and Community Accessibility Month
  • Tuesday’s Transition Tips Now Available Online!
  • Inclusion in National Service Programs
  • The Arc of Indiana Launches New Look
  • Library Corner

UPCOMING

ada Network Logo


QUICK CHECKS FOR PDF ACCESSIBILITY WEBINAR: The ADA National Network will host a free webinar on Tuesday, March 8 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. (EST) focusing on PDF accessibility. Are you distributing information using PDF files? Generally PDF files, or Portable Document Format files, are not created with accessibility in mind. There are several methods to check a PDF file for accessibility as well as make changes to the PDF to meet accessibility guidelines.

Christy Blew, IT Accessibility Specialist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will show some quick checks that can be performed on a PDF file to see if it is accessible. Blew will also talk about some of the ways PDF files are created, and how that makes a difference in accessibility.

This webinar is free but REGISTRATION is required to participate. To Register, visit  http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/  and click on the “Register” web link.

Access Logo

ON-TIME PERFORMANCE IN ADA PARATRANSIT WEBINAR: The ADA National Network will also host a free webinar on transportation issues and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  On-Time Performance in ADA Paratransit will address scheduling practices that fundamentally effect on-time performance, including using the one-hour scheduling window correctly, and scheduling  the appointment time. Aspects of on-time performance including pickups, drop-offs, and avoiding very early and late service will be addressed. Best operational practices will be offered covering how to keep ADA paratransit service running on time, such as managing unscheduled trips, run and vehicle coverage, on-time pullouts, reservations and scheduling, and dispatching. 

This webinar will be held on Tuesday, March 8 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EST). This webinar is free but REGISTRATION is required to participate. To Register,  visit http://www.adaconferences.org/Transportation  and click on the “Register” web link.


Social Secuirty Website Banner

WEBINAR ON SOCIAL SECURITY: On Thursday, March 10 at 3 p.m. (EST), the Social Security Administration will host a webinar, Social Security 101: What’s in it for me?  The webinar is designed to reach college students and young workers around the country and will focus on Social Security issues of special importance to them - disability and survivors insurance, financing principles of the program, how workers and their families qualify for coverage, and steps to plan and save for their financial future.  The webinar will also include a live Q&A session. 

Participants can RSVP and view the webinar  at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/webinars/social_security_101.html. A recording of the webinar will also be available on our website for those who miss the live broadcast.

Bloomington Indiana Square Photo

BLOOMINGTON CELEBRATES DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH AND COMMUNITY ACCESSIBILITY MONTH: The months of March and April offer Bloomington a time to consider ways in which our community is a welcoming one to people with disabilities. During March, Bloomington and communities across Indiana celebrate Disability Awareness Month. In April, the City of Bloomington’s Council for Community Accessibility celebrates Accessibility Awareness Month.

A wealth of activities will be occurring in Bloomington and on the IU campus over these next two months. Individuals with disabilities, family members, service providers, faculty, and other community members are encouraged to participate. Visit http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/ for a complete listing of events.

ACROSS THE COURTYARD

Pencil Image

TUESDAY’S TRANSITION TIPS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE! Teachers, transition coordinators, administrators, and other transition professionals across Indiana are now being tipped off.  Every Tuesday, via listserv, they receive “Tuesday’s Transition Tips for Teachers,” a short, but informative, message from IIDC’s Center on Community Living and Careers.  Tips cover topics such as quality and compliant Transition IEPs, transition assessments, drop-out prevention strategies, work-based learning, academic and life skill instruction, family involvement, working with Vocational Rehabilitation Services and much more.

Now, you can access Tuesday’s Tips online at the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center website, where they are archived on the Tuesday’s Tips page (http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3390).  Just scroll down beneath the Current Tip to select from a list of previous tips.  While you’re there, you can also sign up for the listserv if you’d rather have Tuesday’s Tips emailed to you every week. 

ACROSS INDIANA

Corporation for National and Community Service Logo

INCLUSION IN NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAMS: Believing that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, are active and valued participants in all aspects of our society, the Indiana Inclusion Council (IIC) has undertaken an ambitious plan to promote and advocate for the full participation of individuals, regardless of their abilities, in all aspects of National Service. National Service includes programs such as AmeriCorps, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), Learn and Serve, and Senior Corps.

Mariann McGee Bernlohr, Training and  Inclusion Manager for the Indiana Governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI), invited representatives from various agencies across the state – all of which are committed to supporting national and state service and the inclusion of all abilities to serve on the IIC. Cate Hart Hyatt, from the Institute’s Center on Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL), and Vicki Pappas, from the Institute’s Center for Planning and Policy Studies (CPPS), were invited to serve as Council members.

Earlier this year, Pappas and Jeffrey Chait, also from CPPS, facilitated two Strategic Planning Sessions for the IIC, utilizing the Institute’s Collaborative Work Lab. As a result of this intensive strategic planning process, the IIC articulated a set of values that include:

  • IIC members are active participants in promoting its mission and vision;
  • All participants, regardless of their abilities, can contribute meaningfully to National Service Programs;
  • Everyone can serve;
  • Service is important to the community; 
  • All partners and participants actively welcome, train, and support all individuals;
  • Access should be intentional, including the use of inclusive language, and the absence of physical and attitudinal barriers;
  • Individuals, regardless of their abilities, should be actively recruited for National Service; and
  • Collaboration is essential.
   
The IIC is now embarked on operationalizing five goal areas also identified through the strategic planning process:

  • Marketing and promoting opportunities with National Service;
  • Assuring that all national service programs are accessible and inclusive;
  • Providing training and support to National Service sites about inclusion and accessibility;
  • Recruiting volunteers; and
  • Strengthening Council governance and accountability.

The IIC is also hoping to benefit from an Inclusion and LeaderCorps VISTA. Because of the strong support from the OFBCI and the State CNCS, this VISTA position has just been created. Plans are to have the successful candidate chosen for this position in late June and he/she will serve for one year. Interested individuals can find the description by visiting https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=39601. The VISTA position is also posted on the OFBCI Disability Inclusion webpage. IIC agenda and minutes can be found on the OFBCI website at http://www.in.gov/ofbci/2549.htm.

Arc of Indiana logo

THE ARC OF INDIANA LAUNCHES NEW LOOK: The Arc of Indiana, The Arc of the United States, and Arc’s across the country launched a new brand identity last week. The new brand reflects the energy and determination of The Arc to support and embrace people with I/DD and their families across their lifetimes.

Look for the new logo on The Arc of Indiana’s website (http://www.arcind.org/), as well as on Facebook, Twitter,  YouTube, the E-Newsletter, and other materials. 

Founded in 1950, The Arc was comprised of a small group of concerned and passionate parents and community members who would be a catalyst for changing the public perception of children with disabilities.  For the past 60 years, The Arc has continued to grow and evolve along with the changing needs and issues people with disabilities and their families face. 

Today, The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  The Arc encompasses all ages and all spectrums from autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X, and various other developmental disabilities.  With more than 140,000 members and more than 700 state and local chapters nationwide, The Arc is on the front lines to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families have the support they need to be members of the community.

Take a moment to watch Driven by Opportunity (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga6J00fTG0c), a moving video that shares how The Arc came to be and how the organization’s commitment to people with I/DD and their families continues today. 

LIBRARY CORNER

Center for Disability Information and Referral Logo and Link

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.

Fieve, R. R. ( 2009). Bipolar breakthrough: The essential guide to going beyond mood swings to harness your highs, escape the cycles of recurrent depression, and thrive with bipolar II. New York: Rodale.

Lashno, M. ( 2010). Mixed signals. Understanding and treating your child’s sensory processing issues. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

Maloney, B. A. (2009). Saving Sammy: Curing the boy who caught OCD. New York: Crown Pub.