A Quarterly Newsletter for Our Community Members with Disabilities

“One cannot go back and make a brand new beginning; but they can start at this point, and create a brand new ending.”

~ Author Unknown ~


Summer 2010 CommunicAbility Vol. 10, Ed. 3

New Horizons Un-Limited Inc. (NHU) is a non-profit organization based in Milwaukee with a mission to make information and life experiences accessible to people with life-long disabilities, their families and caregivers. To learn more about our mission and activities, please visit the New Horizons Un-Limited website at www.new-horizons.org or e-mail horizons@new-horizons.org.

National Interest

How will Health Care Reform Impact You?

This past March, the Health Care Reform bill was signed by the President. Championed by disability rights activists, the new law will afford people with disabilities greater access to quality health care.

Following are a few provisions that will benefit you as an American with a disability:

  • Health insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage due to disabilities or other pre-existing conditions

  • Lifetime and annual caps on benefits will be prohibited

  • Medicaid will be expanded to provide coverage to non-elderly, childless adults with incomes up to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level

  • Most Insurance plans will be required to cover rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices

  • The Community First Choice Option encourages state Medicaid plans to choose home and community-based services first over institutional settings

  • Money Follows the Person will be extended until 2016, providing funds for the relocation of Medicaid Beneficiaries from institutions to community settings

    For more on Health Care Reform, download the report, Impact of Health Care Reform on People with Disabilities from the United Spinal Association: www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/impact_of_health_care_reform.pdf.

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    Americans with Disabilities Act Turns 20

    July 26, 2010 marks 20 years since the signing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While progress has been made in many areas, the original promise of the ADA continues to elude the disability community.

    The American Association of People with Disabilities has developed a website dedicated to the ADA 20th Anniversary. To read more about the ADA and its 20 years visit: www.aapd.com/ADAanniversary.

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    Wisconsin Interest

    Take Root Milwaukee – Making Home Ownership a Reality

    Take Root Milwaukee, a project commissioned by Mayor Tom Barrett, provides home buying information and links you to trusted partners that can help you purchase a home in the city of Milwaukee. The website provides links to housing counseling partners that can help you access funds for down payment and identify and present your case to area lenders.

    To learn more, call 414-921-4149 or visit www.takerootmilwaukee.org.

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    On the Web

    It’s Our Story: National Media and History Project

    It's Our Story is an online database of personal testimonials and oral histories provided by individuals with disabilities over the last several decades.

    The collection of testimonials, known as the "Discrimination Diaries", was started in the 1980s by Justin Dart Jr., a disability advocate who played a pivotal role in the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act. After Mr. Dart's passing, a gentleman named Scott Cooper continued this journey with a video camera, capturing "oral histories" from more than one thousand disability advocates in more than 100 cities across the United States.

    Now, these diaries and oral histories will be brought together in a database that will serve as our nation's single most significant collection of primary source records of the disability experience.

    It's Our Story will launch on July 26th, 20 years to the day the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed.

    If you would like to be a part of this landmark project, visit www.itsourstory.org.

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    8th Annual Fundraising with Flowers Sale

    For the 8th straight year, New Horizons Un-Limited will be working with VanBourgondien to provide top quality flower bulbs during our Annual Fundraising with Flowers Sale.

    This year we are able to accept orders online via the VanBourgondien website:

    http://www.dutchbulbs.com/fg/newhorizonsun

    Our online sale will run through September 30th. Orders placed online will be shipped directly to your door in time for fall planting.

    We will also accept orders via mail. You may download our order form via:

    www.new-horizons.org/bulbof.pdf

    Please consider promoting our sale to your family, friends and neighbors.

    We look forward to bringing a little color and cheer to your home.

    Questions? Please contact us via phone, 414-299-0124 or via e-mail, horizons@new-horizons.org.

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    NHU encourages redistribution of this newsletter.
    Please share this information with all that may benefit.

    If you have questions or ideas, information and solutions that you would like to share with us, we can be reached by e-mail at: horizons@new-horizons.org or to use our NHU E-Mail Form or NHU Community Discussion Board, click on the links below.
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