Changes Proposed in Terms for Intellectual Disability

Intellectual Disability Terminology

On Tuesday, Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced "Rosa's Law"(S. 2781) a bipartisan bill to substitute outdated, stigmatizing terms in federal health, education and labor laws. The terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" would be substituted with the terms "intellectual disability" and "individual with an intellectual disability." The change in terminology would in no way alter the eligibility requirements for services and supports. See related stories on Disability Intel.

Swine Flu and People with Disabilities Update

2009 H1N1 Flu Update- Capitol Insider

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new technical assistance announcing that people with certain disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, are at risk of contracting the 2009 H1N1 flu and should be considered in the priority group to receive the H1N1 vaccine. The announcement also clarified that direct support professionals and "others" in constant contact with these individuals with disabilities are in the priority group to receive the vaccine. Parent caregivers are part of the "others" category. See: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/disabilities/ and http://www.flu.gov/individualfamily/healthconditions/disabilities/index.html.

Capitol Insider: Paralympics & Immigration

From the ARC/UCP Capitol Insider
Volume 14, Issue 46 November 23, 2009

International Paralympics
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted on November 20 to reinstate eligibility for athletes who have intellectual disabilities (ID) to participate in the Paralympics. Since 2001, athletes with ID have been banned from participation in the Paralympics due to violations by a Spanish basketball squad which included players who did not have ID. The DPC wrote a letter to the U.S. Paralympic Division of the U.S. Olympic Committee urging that they vote "yes" for the reinstatement. (It is not known at this time how the US voted; but the USPC had been urging a "no" vote.) See the IPC's press release at: http://www.paralympic.org/Media_Centre/News/General_News/2009_11_21_a.html

Immigration
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it has established a streamlined, standardized process for receiving requests for accommodations from customers with disabilities. Customers in need of accommodations from field offices and Application Support Centers should now call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD: 1-800-767-1833).

ADA Updates

Thanks to NRCA for the following updates:

ADA/Emergency Management

The US Department of Justice entered into settlement agreements with several local governments regarding the accessibility of their emergency management plans and facilities (e.g., seeking input from people with disabilities and their families, making emergency shelters accessible and planning for accessible temporary housing). To read the agreements, see:
http://www.ada.gov/civicac.htm

ADA Employment Video

The US Department of Justice has a new video aimed at educating employers about the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ten Employment Myths: Information about the Americans with Disabilities Act uses a question-and-answer format to express common misconceptions, fears and false assumptions that many employers have about employees with disabilities. The video refutes these unfounded myths, explains the ADA in common sense terms and highlights the advantages of hiring qualified persons with disabilities. Single DVD copies can be ordered through at 800-514-0301 (voice) or 800-514-0383 (TTY). An online streaming version will also be available soon. See: http://www.ada.gov

ARRA Disability-Related Spending Update

From the NRCA Listservice:

As of Oct 30, recipients of grants and contract funds resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have been required to provide a greater level of detail on how they are spending their money. Many priority disability programs, such as IDEA State Grants and Vocational Rehabilitation State Grant and Independent Living, are receiving ARRA funds. See: http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx for additional details.

State Schools Settlement Agreement Only a Start

Courtesy of CTD--

This year, Texas officials signed a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve conditions at state schools for people with disabilities. The five-year agreement followed a four-year federal investigation into civil rights violations at Texas’ 13 state schools as a response to years of reports about abuse and neglect inside the facilities.
The 61-page agreement provides numerous definitions of how services and conditions in state schools are to be evaluated and monitored, but fails to address the human factor of unnecessary institutionalization.

Disturbingly, even while negotiations for the agreement were concluding, news agencies reported further violations of human safety and dignity as evidenced by the operation of a "fight club” at the Corpus Christi State School, the March homicide of a resident at the Denton State School, the May suicide of a resident of the San Angelo State School, and the June death of a resident of the Lubbock State School during an incident with staff members.

Disability advocates said that the measure tries to fix a system that is fundamentally broken, and will do little to move institutionalized people into more integrated community settings. “We’re not here to impede this settlement,” said Dennis Borel, executive director for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, “but we are interested in ensuring nobody stays in an institution who is able and wants to get out.”

Proposition 8 Seeks Texas Support for Veterans' Hospitals

Courtesy of CTD--

Representative Kino Flores and Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa succeeded in getting Proposition 8 added to the November 3rd Ballot. The ballot measure seeks to amend the Texas Constitution by "authorizing the state to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veterans hospitals in this state."
The impetus for this proposal came from the fact that many Texas veterans, especially in South Texas, must travel hundreds of miles to obtain the specialized care that they receive because of service-connected disabilities. With the amendment, Flores hopes that Texas would fund the construction of additional facilities for underserved veterans and the Veterans Administration would fund the operation and maintenance of these facilities.

Chase Bearden Wins Advocacy Award

Courtesy of CTD--

Chase Bearden, CTD’s Director of Advocacy and Community Organizing, was honored at the Texas Rehabilitation Association's 2009 conference in San Antonio where he received the TRA’s Legislative Award for achieving distinction in his advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities.
The TRA recognized Chase's work during the 2008-2009 legislative session, when he took the lead in efforts to make businesses owned by people with disabilities eligible for Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) status, in addition to his involvement in numerous other issues affecting people with disabilities.