New Horizons Un-Limited Inc. New Horizons Un-Limited Inc.The SSA Legislative Bulletin announced that the U.S. Congress passed the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. The House of Representatives passed it 418-2 and the Senate passed it 9-1. The SSA will establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (Program) which would provide SSDI and SSI disability beneficiaries with a ticket they may use to obtain vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, employment services, and other support services from an employment network of their choice. For more details on this program and the services it will provide, visit the SSA website.
The film Toy Story 2 opened this month with Closed Captions featuring the Rear Window Captioning system at General Cinema Theaters in 8 cities: Boston, Clifton (in New Jersey) , Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and Milwaukee. There is no additional cost, but there are a limited number of reflectors. Also, Stuart Little will debut with closed captions starting on December 17th. For more information, contact the theater directly or visit the National Center for Accessible Media
The Access Board published the ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on November 16, 1999. They are requesting public comment on the notice and have noted the deadline as March 15, 2000. Also, there will be two public hearings held concerning the notice. January 31, 2000, a hearing will be held in Los Angeles, California and March 13, 2000, a hearing will be held in Arlington, Virginia. For more information visit the Access Board website.
Kenneth S. Apfel, commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), and Susan Daniels, deputy commissioner for Disability Income and Security Programs, announced the Office of Employment Support Programs (OESP). This office is intended to improve SSA's service to people with disabilities who want to obtain employment. For more information visit the SSA website or you can write to OESP at SSA, 107 Altmeyer Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the new national training program on the revised regulations designed to streamline the discrimination complaint system for federal employees. The one-day training seminars will be held at various locations starting in early November. The seminars are recommended for anyone involved with the federal EEO complaint process. Ida L. Castro, Chairwoman of the EEOC has made the changes to the federal sector regulations her top priority. The final rule was issued July 12, 1999 by the EEOC and published in the Federal Register. To view the full text of the rule, topics of the training seminars, a complete listing of dates and locations for the trainings, and registration information, check out the EEOC.
Ten people with disabilities will receive $10,000 each to aid them in continuing their leadership activities. These ten people are chosen on their emergence as leaders in their respective fields. Criteria includes leadership achievement, barriers overcome, and more. For more information on Paul G. Hearne and the leadership award visit The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Also, you can submit your application via the Internet at AAPD's website or call the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation at (212) 687-7735 for an application and more information. The deadline is August 31, 1999.
NWHIC created a page to help women with disabilities overcome various barriers to health care services, such as physical, financial, and social. This is the first-ever federal resource for women with disabilities. NWHIC has gathered a large amount of information together for not only women with disabilities, but their caretakers, health professionals, and researchers.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission celebrated the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ida L. Castro, Chairwoman of the EEOC emphasized their commitment to enforcing Title I of the ADA that prohibits workplace discrimination against people with disabilities. Also, the EEOC has revamped their website as of July 9, 1999, to better serve the community and small businesses. The revamped site includes information on federal laws, filing charges, mediation, training, ADA, and more. Click here to view the new website.
The U.S. Access Board will be adding provisions to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for newly constructed and altered recreation facilities. On August 3, 1999 a Notice of Comment Extension and Public Hearing was published. The comment period has been extended from November 8, 1999 to December 8, 1999. Comments should be mailed to the Office of Technical and Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111, faxed to (202) 272-5447 or e-mailed to recreate@access-board.gov. Also, there will be a public hearing held on November 17, 1999 at the World Trade Center, 164 Northern Avenue, Room 306, Boston, Massachusetts. There was a public hearing already held on August 26, 1999 in Dallas, Texas.
On August 12, 1999 a Notice of Intent to Establish Advisory Committee was published. The Access Board is requesting applications for representatives to serve on a Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee to make recommendations for accessibility guidelines for public rights-of-way covered by the ADA of 1990 and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968. The application deadline is September 27, 1999. Applications can be sent or faxed to the information above.
On February 12, 1999, Vice President Gore and the Commissioner of Social Security, Kenneth Apfel, announced a proposal for the first increase in the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level since 1990. They proposed raising the SGA amount from $500 a month to $700 a month, in part to encourage individuals with disabilities to attempt to work, and due to the growth in average wages. People will be able to earn while still receiving their Social Security disability benefits. To view the full proposal on-line: www.access.gpo/nara or www.ssa.gov.
For further information contact:
Jack Baumel,
Office of Employment Support Programs,
Social Security Administration,
6401 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401,
(410) 965-9834 or TTY (410) 966-6210.
For information about eligibility or filing for benefits, call:
1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778.
Habitat for Humanity International and people with disabilities became partners in June of this year in the construction of the first Ability House in Alabama. This house was designed for accessibility and will be a model for future homes across the country. For more information on the Ability House, visit Habitat for Humanity's Newsroom.
"A bill to amend the Social Security Act to expand the availability of health care coverage for working individuals with disabilities, to establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program in the Social Security Administration to provide such individuals with meaningful opportunities to work and for other purposes." Check out the revised bill as of 3/26/99 at Thomas. Enter S.331 for the bill number.
As of 4/20/99, 73 senators have cosponsored this bill. Check to see if your senator is among the list of cosponsors. If not and you have an opinion concerning bill S. 331, write your Senator and let him know. You can locate your senator by state through theYahoo directory of senators or you can visit the U.S. Senate directly to link to the website or obtain the e-mail address of your senator.
(ATFSCP) is sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy and offers comprehensive information on funding assistive technology and strategies for systems change. The information is available to individuals, family members, community-based organizations. Check out their site under Innovative Projects for this Assistive Technology Funding and Systems Change Project and a host of information on the difficulties in getting a fund going. If you are interested in initializing Assistive Technology loan funding in your area or state, contact the ATFSCP atproject@ucpa.org for their report on Assistive Technology loan funds.
See the United Cerebral Palsy web site for some of the top disability issues this past year. Click on UCP's: What's New - Disability Advocacy Hot Issues for Medicaid/Medicare, Employment, Patient Protection and Rehabilitation Legislation issues.
The disability activist group ADAPT will embark to Washington D.C. to support disability rights on the nation's Capitol. "Join us in DC to set our people free!" For information, call (512) 442-0252 or (303) 733-9324 or contact ADAPT at: adapt@adapt.org.
Included in the initiatives are: expanded Medicare and Medicaid coverage and the "ticket to work" approach to the purchase of rehabilitation services.
The Social Security Administration has changes for 1999. There is a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). SSI recipients received a 1.3 percent increase. Therefore, the SSI Federal Payment Standard will move from $494 in 1998 to $500 in 1999 for an individual and from $741 in 1998 to $751 in 1999 for a couple. For other changes, such as maximum earnings, quarter of coverage, SSI resource limits, etc., see the SSA Fact Sheet.
msnbc dateline reported on Brian Watwood and his invention, the wijit. it is a wheelchair driver and braking system to increase access to mobility.
|
Home / Disability News / NHU Quarterly Newsletter |
| Share Your Knowledge! / NHU Community Discussion Board / E-mail Us | |
| About NHU / Announcements and Features / Contribute / What's New? / Site Plan |