Accessible IT Through Podcasts, Webinars and Online Courses – "Accessible information technology is bringing the world of information to our computers and other devices and we need to keep up with its latest features. It also brings a global network of interesting people into our lives. This Podcast will bring you the latest information technology news and introduce you to a world of new and interesting friends. Subscribe to this podcast and you will meet interesting people and learn up-to-date information about technologies."
http://www.easi.cc/podcasts/people/people.htm
Iowa 9-1-1 Call Center First to Successfully Trial 9-1-1 Text Messaging – (Ability Magazine). "Black Hawk Consolidated Public Safety Communications Center has become the first 9-1-1 Call Center in the nation to successfully receive text messages sent directly to 9-1-1. A broad team of communications companies worked collaboratively to support the public safety needs of the 31 million citizens with speech and hearing issues who rely upon text messaging as a primary means of communications. Currently they must communicate with 9-1-1 operators using a relay center or a specialized communications device. This groundbreaking effort allows people with speech difficulties, deaf or hard-of-hearing to use text messaging to communicate directly with a 9-1-1 operator in an emergency. The team of companies including i wireless, Intrado Inc., Positron Public Safety and RACOM Corporation were involved in this effort."
http://www.abilitymagazine.com/news_9-1-1.html
Web more accessible to those with disabilities – by Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera (Chronicle). "During her high school years, Lisamaria Martinez, who has been visually impaired since she was 5, carried a 25-pound backpack to school crammed with books written in Braille. But once she was introduced to the Web at UC Berkeley, she started getting professors' class notes by e-mail, using text-to-speech software, and trading heavy Braille tomes for a few words and a click on a search engine. A world without the Internet today, she said, is unimaginable."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/01/MNJL1B2FP7.DTL
Fighting for our lives - Canada's chill wind of euthanasia – (Disability Now). "While disabled people across Canada are campaigning for better access, more support and greater inclusion, their lawmakers appear to be more concerned with making it easier for disabled people to choose death. Activists from Canadians with Disabilities here set out their case. Currently, in Canada, as elsewhere around the globe, poverty and disability are largely synonymous; poverty can lead to disability and disability can lead to poverty. A disproportionate number of Canada's disabled people live in poverty. Poverty is an even greater problem for disabled Aboriginals. Across the country, there is no coordinated policy response in place to address the problem of poverty. Instead, those who require income assistance and services rely on a patchwork of local/provincial/territorial and federal programs that overlap, grab back, and fail to provide adequate income and the basic supports required to remove barriers associated with disability. Approximately a half million disabled Canadians rely upon provincial welfare or upon welfare-like programs."
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/world-view/fighting-for-our-lives-canadas-chill-wind-of-euthanasia
Mixed fortunes of war – (Disability Now). "Recently given an international human rights award for her work on the rights of disabled people, Rima Canawati is Programme Director of the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation. She tells Disability Now how the Arab/Israeli conflict affects and shapes the lives of disabled people in the Palestinian Territories."
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/world-view/mixed-fortunes-of-war
National Council on Disability Calls for Affordable, Accessible, and Appropriate Housing for People with Disabilities – "The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released a report titled The State of Housing in America in the 21st Century: A Disability Perspective that provides recommendations intended to improve housing opportunities for people with disabilities. This report looks at the state of housing for people with disabilities with the intent to provide recommendations that can improve housing opportunities. The research contained in this report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of housing in the twenty-first century and answers important questions about the current housing needs and options for people with disabilities living in the United States."
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2010/a10-595.htm
National Council on Disability Calls for Government Leaders to Ensure Availability and Quality of Future Workforce Services for People with Disabilities – "The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released a report titled Workforce Infrastructure in Support of People with Disabilities: Matching Human Resources to Service Needs, calling for policymakers at all levels of government to proactively address current shortages and examine how labor market changes are driving both current and future supply. Americans with disabilities depend on the disability workforce infrastructure, which consists of health, education, and social services programs. The need for these services is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades as a result of several factors. First, the elderly population of the United States is large and growing rapidly. Since disability rates increase with age, population aging will bring substantial increases in the number of people with disabilities and will have a significant impact on the nation's human service and support needs. Second, improvements in child survival rates mean that more children are born today with birth defects and developmental disabilities than ever before, and many of them will require access to a host of human services and supports throughout their lives. At the same time, large numbers of baby boomers are reaching retirement age, which means that many fewer human service workers will be available. These trends threaten both the availability and quality of future services for people with disabilities."
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2010/r10-596.htm
National Federation of the Blind Announces 2010 Race for Independence – "The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United States, today announced the 2010 Race for Independence, a fundraising effort focused on improving access to technology by blind Americans and supporting other NFB initiatives. The Race for Independence is designed to raise funds for the National Federation of the Blind Imagination Fund, which supports the education, technology, and research projects of the NFB Jernigan Institute, as well as programs conducted by the fifty-two affiliates and over seven hundred local chapters of the Federation. The Race for Independence will also bring public attention to the need for full and equal access for blind Americans to modern technology, in everything from home appliances to automobiles. The initiative begins with a six-month campaign to raise funds from NFB members and friends that will close on July 31, 2010."
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=538
Next Step: People with Disabilities for Social and Economic Justice – "Next Step is a grassroots movement that addresses the root causes as well as the symptoms of the social and economic exclusion of people with disabilities and other devalued groups through non-violent strategies and tactics. It was founded by people with disabilities with extensive experience in organizing for social change. We came together to confront the greatest threats we have faced in the last thirty years."
http://www.nj.com/helpinghands/next-step/index.ssf/2010/01/next_step_people_with_disabilities_for_social_and_economic_justice.html
"Stupid Rules" Create Dire Consequences – "The Coalition had an opportunity to meet with members of the Social Assistance Review Advisory Council (SARAC) in late January, and to present them with a list of quick changes that could be made to some of the 'stupid rules' in ODSP. This Council was recently appointed by the government to give advice on two things: some 'quick fix' changes to counterproductive rules, and the mandate and scope of a more conprehensive social assistance review to be carried out later this year."
http://www.odspaction.ca/story/stupid-rules-create-dire-consequences
Year in Review: World Institute on Disability's 2009 Accomplishments – "The World Institute on Disability's vision is a world where people with disabilities live fully integrated lives economically and socially. As an internationally recognized public policy center organized by and for people with disabilities, WID's mission in communities and nations worldwide is to eliminate barriers to full social integration and increase employment, economic security, and health care for persons with disabilities."
http://www.wid.org/year-in-review-world-institute-on-disability2019s-2009-accomplishments
Homecare Advocates Urge the California Legislature: Stand up to Governor – (PRNewswire). "Representatives of more than 450,000 seniors and people with disabilities and those who care for them today urged the State Legislature to fight Gov. Schwarzenegger's mean-spirited and hypocritical proposal to destroy the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. In his 2010-2011 spending plan released today, the governor proposes to effectively dismantle IHSS, a nationally recognized program which helps 450,000 low-income disabled, senior and blind Californians stay safely at home and avoid unnecessary, expensive and unwanted institutionalization. Eliminating IHSS would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to provide care for thousands of Californian IHSS consumers forced into hospitals and nursing homes, which cost at least five times more than
home care. Worse, many will likely not be able to find such placement and end up without the assistance they need to live safely at home."
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/homecare-advocates-urge-the-california-legislature-stand-up-to-governor-81031737.html
A Future Without Down Syndrome? - by Dana Goldstein (The Daily Beast). "Now advocates worry that more aggressive genetic testing could halt that progress, in part by relegating Down syndrome to groups already more likely to have children with the disorder, either because they are opposed to abortion or because they cannot afford the full range of prenatal care: Hispanics, the very religious, and the poor. Harold Pollack, a public-health expert at the University of Chicago, stresses that this hasn't happened—at least not yet—in the United States. But a 2006 study in France found that Down syndrome was becoming more prevalent
among certain disadvantaged socioeconomic groups that were less likely, for cultural reasons, to access prenatal testing."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-10/a-future-without-down-syndrome/2/
Should Down Syndrome Be Cured? – by Lisa Belkin (NY Times). "The guest post here on Friday — about the birth of Cash Van Rowe during a blizzard, and the jolting news that he had Down syndrome — led many of you to leave comments for his parents, assuring them that the road ahead was a journey they would cherish. But what if Cash's Down syndrome could be cured — or, more precisely, be mitigated? News out of Stanford University late last year hinted that this might one day be possible. Researchers from its medical school and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital explored why children born with Down syndrome do not start life developmentally delayed but rather fall behind as they get older. by using mice that were genetically engineered to mimic Down syndrome, they found that neural memory deficits prevent such children from collecting learned experiences, and that they could improve memory and cognition by medically boosting norepinephrine signaling in the brain."
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/should-down-syndrome-be-cured/
Ignorance no excuse when technician attacks my dignity – by Helen Henderson (Toronto Star). "I do not react well to being shouted at. I bristle when someone plays to the crowd, pillorying me in an effort to salve their discomfort with disabilities at the expense of my dignity. So I was what you might call less than happy at a recent appointment for a mammogram at a major downtown hospital when a technician called my name, eyed my electric scooter, sighed loudly and announced to all and sundry that she didn't mind taking the 'difficult' cases. Calling down the corridor to some unseen colleague who may or may not have been listening, she made sure everyone waiting their turn knew she was going to have to go to great lengths to 'figure out what to do with you.' 'CAN YOU STAND?' she inquired at ear-splitting volume. (Mega decibels are par for the course from those who patronize anyone not fashioned in their own image.)"
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/749871--ignorance-no-excuse-when-technician-attacks-my-dignity
Tech's rudeness prompts concern – by Helen Henderson (Toronto Star). "If health care is universal in this country, why do so many people with disabilities feel left out? Left out of the system that advocates proactive, preventive screening. Forgotten in the planning process for mainstream programs. Damaged by the attitudes of professionals who make them feel less worthy. When I wrote on Jan. 16 about a medical technologist who shredded my dignity during a recent appointment for a mammogram at a major downtown hospital, I clearly hit a nerve. I heard from many who felt demeaned and from families who saw vulnerable relatives treated callously and disrespectfully. The good news is that the deluge of responses included many from people inside the system determined to work constructively toward change."
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/756237--tech-s-rudeness-prompts-concern
Listening to Braille – by Rachel Aviv (NY Times)." At 4 O'CLOCK each morning, Laura J. Sloate begins her daily reading. She calls a phone service that reads newspapers aloud in a synthetic voice, and she listens to The Wall Street Journal at 300 words a minute, which is nearly twice the average pace of speech. Later, an assistant reads The Financial Times to her while she uses her computer's text-to-speech system to play The Economist aloud. She devotes one ear to the paper and the other to the magazine. The managing director of a Wall Street investment management firm, Sloate has been blind since age 6, and although she reads constantly, poring over the news and the economic reports for several hours every morning, she does not use Braille. 'Knowledge goes from my ears to my brain, not from my finger to my brain,' she says. . . . 'When Braille was invented, in the 19th century, we had nothing else. We didn't even have radio. At that time, blindness was a disability. Now it's just a minor, minor impairment'."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/magazine/03Braille-t.html
K-12
Do disabled students' test scores measure progress? – by Laura Bruno (Daily Record). "Before No Child Left Behind, state standardized test results for students with disabilities were never in the public spotlight. This month, seven Morris County public schools received the unflattering label of 'needing improvement' by the state because too many of their students with disabilities failed the state exams two years in a row or more. Another 20 local schools received a warning that they could be named similarly next year if test scores of their disabled population don't improve. The federal law calls for all students, regardless of race, gender, family income and disabilities, to pass the same testing standards. With the law requiring 100 percent of students passing exams by 2014, more local schools are expected to land the same label in coming years. . . The law is ignoring a basic tenet of special education, they said, that these students were identified as needing help because they are not learning at the same pace as their nondisabled peers. Because these students all have individual learning plans, a standardized test created for nondisabled students is not the best measure of these students' progress, they said."
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100131/COMMUNITIES/100129035/1005/NEWS01/Do-disabled-students--test-scores-measure-progress
Evidence Suggests Assistive Technology May be Effective in Special Education, Study Says – (Rehab Management). "A study conducted at Arlington Public Schools in Virginia published in the January/February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy explored assistive technology's effect in a public school education setting and found that, relative to other interventions, assistive technology provided by a multidisciplinary team of occupational therapy practitioners, speech-language pathologists, and educators may have a significant effect in achieving positive outcomes indicated on Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students in special education."
http://www.rehabpub.com/news/2010-01-07_01.asp
Post-Secondary
'Exam anxiety' can get you out of tests - Universities use alternate methods to check students' learning – by Nick Martin (Winnipeg Free Press). "Exam anxiety can disable students to the point where they're incapable of sitting in a room with other students to write a three-hour test. Exam anxiety? It's a recognized condition, says Dr. John Walker, director of the Anxiety Disorder Program at St. Boniface General Hospital. The University of Manitoba's disability services office last year registered 136 students who have medical certification that they suffer exam anxiety and must be accommodated with some other form of evaluation. 'It's a clinical problem if it causes you a lot of distress or affects functioning,' said Walker, who's seen kids as young as six suffer anxiety from school tests. 'It's a real problem.' Both U of M and the University of Winnipeg offer a wide range of options -- writing the test alone, with one supervisor in the room; taking an oral test; having more time to complete the test; writing an assignment that demonstrates knowledge of the subject."
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/exam-anxiety-can-get-you-out-of-tests-82349267.html
MA in Critical Disability Studies – (YorkUniversity). "The MA (Critical Disability Studies) explores disability studies from a critical perspective. It is unique in that it contributes to emerging research examining the systemic social, political, legal and economic barriers to the full societal inclusion of persons with disabilities. The program's interdisciplinary approach is informed by various academic fields including law, anthropology, health studies, geography, economics, education, labour studies, political science, social work, sociology, identity politics, gender studies, refugee and immigration studies, history and aging studies. Theories of human rights form the basis for understanding how existing legal, economic and social rationales for inclusion relate to systemic inequality and oppression. Offered on a full time (one year) or part time (two years) basis, the Critical Disability Studies program provides an innovative area of study for Canadian and international students with varied backgrounds, including persons with disabilities engaged in the disability rights movement, government bureaucrats, professionals in the field of disability, and people working in non-governmental organizations such as members of community organizations and advocacy groups."
http://www.yorku.ca/gradcdis/ma/index.html
Miami student is the face of overcoming dyslexia – by Meagan Engle (OxfordPress). "Jessica Byington remembers crying as a young girl when it was time to read. The words on the pages, just meaningless symbols to her, were impossible to read. And the harder she tried, the harder it was. Byington was diagnosed in first-grade with dyslexia, a language-based learning disability. Today, Byington is a confident 17-year-old and the face of the International Dyslexia Association. 'So many people just don't understand it,' Byington said, emphasizing that dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. 'It's something that always impacts you,' she said. The Miami University student recently was honored with the national 2009 Remy Johnson Student of the Year Award from the IDA. The award is given every year to a student who is a good role model and who refused to be hindered by dyslexia."
http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/oxford-news/miami-student-is-the-face-of-overcoming-dyslexia-481312.html
A New Day: We're Listening – "In early 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and its Federal partners will hold a series of six Listening Sessions across the country on disability employment. Each Listening Session is an opportunity for members of the public to provide input to senior Federal officials on their ideas for more effective ways to employ all people with disabilities, including women, Veterans and minorities with disabilities and what is currently working in their regions to increase employment of people with disabilities."
http://www.dol.gov/odep/disabilitylisteningtour.htm
Employees with Disabilities a Priority at Wal-Mart – by Debbie Marsh (Disaboom). "Residents of Summerville, Ga., sometimes shop at the local Wal-Mart twice in one day, but it's not because they forgot anything the first time. They just want a second chance to visit Finn, the black Labrador retriever who works at the store with owner Spann Cordle. Cordle has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair daily. Initially a store greeter, he got the service dog a few months after being hired. Managers welcomed Finn to the team, if not the payroll. Soon, Cordle's polite manner and superb way with people earned him a promotion to the electronics customer service desk, and Finn came with him . . . Cordle's story is one of many that Wal-Mart Manager of Disability Outreach Crosby Cromwell uses to illustrate the tremendous effort her company is making to reach out to the disability community. A pair of initiatives heads corporate policy when making hires within the company."
http://www.disaboom.com/disability-rights-and-advocacy-general/employees-with-disabilities-a-priority-at-wal-mart
Health overhaul leaves gap for disabled workers – by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar (BusinessWeek). "Disabled by chronic back pain and unable to afford medical insurance, Lea Walker hoped President Barack Obama's health care overhaul would close a coverage gap that has trapped her and millions of other workers. It won't. Although disabled workers can expect improvements, the legislation moving toward final passage in Congress doesn't deliver the clean fix that advocates for people with serious medical conditions hoped for. Some of the neediest could find themselves still in limbo."
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9D9ULR80.htm
If only we'd get hired – by Harry Wolbert (WinnipegSun). "Our provincial government says that hiring someone with a disability is good business. I agree. However, while the government's recent media campaign may have succeeded in raising public awareness around this issue, they have not been able to achieve the desired result -- that being an increase in the employment rate among persons with disabilities. It has also been brought to my attention that the majority of the telephone inquiries which have resulted from the campaign haven't come from employers seeking to hire someone with a disability. No, those calls came from people with disabilities seeking employment. Why is there such reluctance on the part of employers when it comes to hiring someone with a disability?"
http://www.winnipegsun.com/comment/2010/01/01/12318321-sun.html
Job Bias Charges Approach Record High in Fiscal Year 2009, EEOC Reports – "The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that 93,277 workplace discrimination charges were filed with the federal agency nationwide during Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, the second highest level ever, and monetary relief obtained for victims totaled over $376 million. The comprehensive enforcement and litigation statistics for FY 2009, which ended Sept. 30, 2009, are posted on the agency's web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/index.cfm. The FY 2009 data show that private sector job bias charges (which include those filed against state and local governments) alleging discrimination based on disability, religion and/or national origin hit record highs."
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/1-6-10.cfm
RBC Foundation Funding Empowers Canadians with Physical Disabilities – (Neil Squire). "RBC Foundation has donated $20,000 which will support the Neil Squire Society's Employ-Ability program on a national level, marking the second year in a row of support from them. These funds will help the Society deliver its program to approximately 182 people with physical disabilities in communities across Canada. Employ-Ability is a pre-employment/employment program for persons with disabilities who are most marginalized in society, particularly those who have had very long term detachment from the labour force. The program provides a flexible, self-paced, and supportive environment, and services the full spectrum of people with physical disabilities."
http://www.neilsquire.ca/section.asp?catid=121&subid=130&pageid=623
Bhopal - a disastrous legacy – (Disability Now)."On the night of 2 December 1984, some 3,000 sleeping residents were to die in the central Indian city of Bhopal in what was the worst industrial accident in the world ever. In time that staggering figure was to rise to an horrific 30,000 dead. Rajwinder Sahota looks back over the 25 years and counts the still rising cost of the disaster. The personal loss was incalculable. Thirty tonnes of poisonous gas had leaked from ill-maintained equipment at an American owned pesticide factory. The night sky was silently filled with toxic clouds which descended upon the entire township. The death toll was augmented by another 60,000 left disabled; blind, scarred, deformed, burned, stunted, mute and psychologically ruined."
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/world-view/bhopal-a-disastrous-legacy
Canada
Former soldier to have day in court over government's disability payments – by Janice Tibbetts, Canwest (News Service). "Dennis Manuge, a former soldier who served in Bosnia before he was medically released from the military, gets his day in the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday to fight a federal policy of clawing back disability payments to thousands of injured veterans. 'We are fighting our toughest battle here in Canada against our own government,' Manuge, the lead plaintiff in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the government, told a news conference on Parliament Hill Wednesday. The former corporal will seek the court's approval for up to 6,500 veterans — more than half of them with mental-health problems — to sue the federal government to recoup millions of dollars in deductions from their long-term disability cheques."
http://www.canada.com/business/Former+soldier+have+court+over+government+disability+payments/2464934/story.html
Parents plead to protect disability programs – (CBC). "Some parents of people with disabilities are begging the Alberta government not to cut the programs essential to their children. 'I'm sick about it. I'm very nervous. I'm afraid that I'll leave work. I don't know what we'll do for income. I don't know. Maybe we'll go on welfare. I don't know,' said Bev Mah, whose daughter has Trisomy 18, a rare genetic disorder. Sarah Mah, 20, weighs 55 pounds, cannot speak, and uses a wheelchair. A day program that provides care for Sarah frees Bev up to work, but she fears possible cuts in the Feb. 9 provincial budget will take that away from her. The province announced plans last month to cut about two per cent — or $12 million — from the budget for people with developmental disabilities due to pressures from the economic downturn."
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/01/27/alberta-cuts-disabilities-budget-liberals.html#ixzz0eDTMByFI
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/01/27/alberta-cuts-disabilities-budget-liberals.html
US
Justice Department Reaches Three Settlements Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Regarding the Use of Electronic Book Readers – "The Justice Department today announced separate agreements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in New York City and Reed College in Portland, Ore., regarding the use in a classroom setting of the electronic book reader, the Kindle DX, a hand-held technological device that simulates the experience of reading a book. Under the agreements reached today, the universities generally will not purchase, recommend or promote use of the Kindle DX, or any other dedicated electronic book reader, unless the devices are fully accessible to students who are blind and have low vision . . .The agreements that the Justice Department reached with these universities extend beyond the Kindle DX to any dedicated electronic reading device."
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/January/10-crt-030.html
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky Introduces Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind – "Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today introduced the Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind (H.R. 4533), which will mandate that all consumer electronics, home appliances, kiosks, and electronic office technology provide user interfaces that are accessible to the blind . . .The Technology Bill of Rights will ensure that manufacturers make their products accessible to all consumers, and that blind people will not be left behind as technology continues to advance'."
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=542
Blind student wins computer aid for bar exam – by Bob Egelko (SFChronicle). "A blind law student can use computer-assisted reading devices in next month's bar exam, a federal judge has ruled, rejecting the examiners' arguments that the assistance was too generous and might let someone steal the test questions. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco ordered the National Conference of Bar Examiners on Friday to accommodate Stephanie Enyart, who was born sighted but suffers from macular degeneration and retinal dystrophy and was declared legally blind at 15. Enyart, 32, graduated last spring from UCLA Law School, where she took tests on a laptop with software that magnified the text and read the words into earbuds. But she has not taken the bar exam because the national examiners, who administer the two multiple-choice portions of the California test, have refused to allow the same arrangements."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/30/BARA1BPRQF.DTL
Housing advocates settle suit for disabled renters – by Garance Burke (Business Week). "Thousands of renters with disabilities are poised to get extreme home makeovers thanks to a major settlement ending a federal lawsuit against a development company run by the sons of GOP donor and San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos. The settlement announced Wednesday by the National Fair Housing Alliance will require the A.G. Spanos Companies to retrofit 82 apartment buildings in 14 states with wheelchair-friendly doorways, graded walkways and other improvements to ease access for the disabled. The companies will pay about $7.4 million to rehab up to 12,300 rental apartments, and will set up a $4.2 million fund for disabled renters and homeowners across the country who want to redo their own homes, bringing the total cost to about $14 million, the housing advocacy group said."
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9D6R5JO0.htm
Municipal Bylaws must follow Human Rights Code: OMB – (OHRC). "Municipalities have to consider the needs of everyone - including people with disabilities or on social assistance - when making bylaws. The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) made that ruling late last week, saying 'municipalities – and this Board – are bound by the [Human Rights] Code'. Two bylaws stopped new non-profit and supportive housing from being built in the Cedar Hill neighbourhood in downtown Kitchener. The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) and other groups objected and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) argued in a submission to the OMB that the Board had to follow the Code."
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/resources/news/omb
Arts series explores disability in Shakespeare plays – by Karen Meyer (ABC). "Sunday night is the first Victory Gardens' access project Crip Slam Sunday night series of 2010. 'Not Shaped for Sportive Tricks: Disability in Shakespeare' is the title of their show. Since 2005, members of the disabled community have been showcasing disability culture through performances, reading and other events. The show will feature different scenes from Shakespeare's plays as they reflect disabilities and characters will be performed by actors with and without disabilities. Michael Herzovi and Matt Schwader are rehearsing a scene from Henry VI, Part 3. 'It's a monologue that the Duke of Gloucester has when he's trying to decide how powerful he wants to become, and we're gonna be doing it as a dialogue,' said Schwader. The idea of disability and Shakespeare was presented by Edward Wheatley, an English professor at Loyola University of Chicago."
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/disability_issues&id=7246698
League Industries Joins Disability Magazine Team - Celebrates Re-Launch of I.D.E.A.L. Magazine – "The League for People with Disabilities, Inc. has joined forces with the publisher of I.D.E.A.L. magazine, to help distribute a new quarterly magazine covering information about and for the disability community. The League's print shop and bulk mail house, League Industries, will serve as the official printer and mail house for I.D.E. A. L. magazine which is an acronym for Individuals with Disabilities Express About Life. According to the magazine's CEO/Founder, Zarifa Roberson, 'I.D.E.A.L magazine will create a new and positive image for young people with disabilities and, hopefully, help eliminate the stereotypes about people with disabilities in society.' Ms. Roberson states that she started the magazine so people can express their opinions on topics such as education, careers, sex, sexuality, love relationships, family, policies and more."
http://www.leagueforpeople.org/
Learning Disabilities by Etta Brown – by Simon Barrett (Google News). "My first hand experience with coping with people who had learning disabilities was during my six years of running a Computer Training Facility aimed at the low income, working poor, and homeless population of a large city. I saw how those disabilities affected the child after they had become adults. It saddened me, I saw many functionally illiterate people, and the socio economic effect it had on their lives was devastating. I would spend hours pondering the question, what went wrong? How could we, the very definition of democracy, technology, learning and compassion, permit this to occur? In some ways Etta Brown has answered many of my questions in Learning Disabilities. She is more than qualified to talk on the subject with multiple university graduate degrees and 20 years in public education as a class room teacher, school social worker, and school psychologist. Now retired, Etta has decided it is time to write the definitive book on the problem of children and learning…"
http://news.sc/2010/01/25/book-review-learning-disabilities-by-etta-brown/
Oldie, but Goodie – (Ability Magazine). "'Building Better Neighborhoods', is now on U-Tube. Thanks to the efforts of Ron Amundson and Chris Cholas of Hawaii. The video lays out the basic rationale and shows a lot of Visitable houses. Part I includes the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity construction engineer explaining that Habitat Atlanta decided to build virtually every house Visitable. Part II includes an architect testifying in favor of visitability, and ends with a kind of sweet 'Visitability' song interspersed with the credits and video clips. Though Concrete Change made the video back in 1994, it's still relevant as an advocacy tool today. (But hopefully will be only of historical interest within about ten years, when the continuing work of advocates across the country will have resulted in all new houses having basic access.)"
http://www.abilitymagazine.com/news_building_visitability.html
The Real Thing – by Tim Gilmer (New Mobility). "More and more, public attitudes are shaped by virtual reality rather than firsthand experience. While the Internet continues to make inroads into our brains, when compared to a movie or a TV episode with a fully realized storyline, cyberspace is fragmented and often forgettable. I bring this up in order to focus on a disability issue that is steadily gaining in importance: the portrayal of people with disabilities in movies and TV. There are two issues here: First, should actors with disabilities get priority in playing disabled characters? Answer: Intentional inclusion of actors with disabilities in auditioning for these parts should be a given. After that, it's up to the casting director. The second — and more pervasive — issue is what effect these characters and images have on the public's attitudes about disability."
http://www.newmobility.com/articleView.cfm?id=11553
Secret film uncovers 'disabled hate crime' in Wales – (BBC). "Some disabled people in Wales are suffering abuse and threats for no other reason than their disability, an investigation by BBC Wales has found. Secretly recorded footage for the documentary Why Do You Hate Me? shows a wheelchair user being mocked and threatened in a bar. In another incident a mother and daughter film an attacker smashing every window on their mobility car. In Wales in 2009, police recorded 116 such incidents, with 18 convictions."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8437523.stm
Soul Singer and SCI Hall of Fame Member Teddy Pendergrass Dies - (The Associated Press). "Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame member Teddy Pendergrass died Wednesday at age 59. Pendergrass was inducted in 2005 when NSCIA founded the SCI Hall of Fame to recognize and honor those making outstanding contributions to the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury and disease. He returned to in 2006 to welcome Congressman James Langevin into the SCI Hall of Fame. 'The world knew Teddy as a true legend through his performances,' said K. Eric Larson, executive director and CEO of NSCIA, 'but we knew him for much more because of his commitment to using his celebrity and talent to benefit people living with spinal cord injury and disease. It was an honor to know and work with him.' According to the Associated Press, Pendergrass, became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed."
http://www.spinalcord.org/news.php?dep=1&page=0&list=2469
Medical
MS pills show promise and risk, studies say – by Mike Stobbe (Business Week). "Tests of the first two oral drugs developed for treating multiple sclerosis show that both cut the frequency of relapses and may slow progression of the disease, but with side effects that could pose a tough decision for patients. Two experts not involved in the studies said the drugs appear effective but with potentially dangerous side effects. It's too soon to know if the pills will be approved by the government or widely adopted by physicians, they said. About 2.5 million people around the world have multiple sclerosis, a neurological disease that can cause muscle tremors, paralysis and problems with speech, memory and concentration. The studies involve the most common form of the disease, in which people are well for a while and then suffer periodic relapses. Current treatments can reduce the duration and severity of symptoms but require daily or regular shots or infusions."
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DBNTOG0.htm
Phthalate Chemicals Found in Plastics Linked to ADHD Symptoms in Children – (Additude Magazine). "Exposure to phthalate chemicals may be linked to the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-aged children according to a study published in Environmental Health News. Researchers found that children who were identified as having ADHD symptoms were more likely to have higher levels of phthalate chemical markers in their urine than those who do not have ADHD symptoms. It's unclear exactly when and how phthalate exposure could lead to the development of ADHD."
http://www.additudemag.com/addnews/69/6802.html
Stem cell breakthrough: Bone marrow cells are the answer – (Eurekalert). "New research in the FASEB Journal shows that bone marrow cells fuse to different types of cells, including embryonic stem cells, creating new hybrids that may evade immune rejection. Using cells from mice, scientists from Iowa and Iran have discovered a new strategy for making embryonic stem cell transplants less likely to be rejected by a recipient's immune system. This strategy, described in a new research report appearing in the February 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org/), involves fusing bone marrow cells to embryonic stem cells. Once fused, the hybrid cells have DNA from both the donor and recipient, raising hopes that immune rejection of embryonic stem cell therapies can be avoided without drugs."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/foas-scb012810.php
UCLA researchers image earliest signs of Alzheimer's, before symptoms appear – (Eurekalert). "Estimates are that some 10 percent of people over the age of 65 will develop Alzheimer's disease, the scourge that robs people of their memories and, ultimately, their lives. While researchers race to find both the cause and the cure, others are moving just as fast to find the earliest signs that will predict an eventual onset of the disease, well before any outward symptoms. The reason is simple: The earlier the diagnosis, the earlier treatments can be applied. Now, through the use of sophisticated brain-imaging techniques, researchers at UCLA have been able to predict a brain's progression to Alzheimer's by measuring subtle changes in brain structure over time, changes that occur long before symptoms can be seen. The research appears in two separate papers currently available online and scheduled for future print publication."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/uoc--uri012810.php
Back to Contents Page
Policy/Research
Advancing the Inclusion of People with Disabilities 2009 – "Advancing the Inclusion of People with Disabilities 2009 is the seventh annual report on disability issues in Canada. This year's report presents a portrait of Canadians with disabilities. This report provides invaluable information to support all levels of government, associations, researchers and non-governmental organizations in designing and planning services to enable people with disabilities to participate fully in society."
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/disability_issues/reports/fdr/2009/page02.shtml
More disabled people in Canada: report – "An aging population and growing awareness mean the number of people known to be living with disabilities is on the rise in Canada, says a newly released report. More people with disabilities have access to jobs and the tools and aids they need, says the study, but the wage gap between those with disabilities and those without is growing. 'The challenges people with disabilities face in their day-to-day lives are numerous and often go unnoticed,' Human Resources Minister Diane Finley says in the introduction to the 2009 Federal Disability Report. The 61-page national portrait of disability shows that about 4.4 million Canadians — one in seven — now has a disability, an increase from earlier this decade."
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/12/28/disabled-reportcanada.html
interACT resource kit – (Austalian Policy Online). "The interACT Resource Kit has been designed to assist those who want to work in integrated performance settings. One of the purposes of the kit is to create awareness amongst a wider audience of the work that is going on in the field of integrated performance. Secondly, to help those who may want to work in this field and are wanting to know how to get started and what is involved and lastly to give those working in the field already acknowledgment for the work they have done.
The kit contains:
· Workshop Plans - From the Mixed Abilities Ensemble performance training program for people with and without a disability.
· Case Studies – Nine arts organisations and disability services across regional and metropolitan areas in New South Wales, Australia, share their experiences of working in an integrated performance setting.
· Resources – Links to all the organisations involved in the project, those that submitted a case study and other similar resources."
http://www.apo.org.au/research/interact-resource-kit
Study reveals members who had mental health diagnosis show improved outcomes – "A recent study by Aetna Disability and Absence management of disability members who also had a mental health diagnosis showed that members spent an average of seven fewer days on disability when compared to an industry benchmark. The Aetna Disability program is unique among disability providers in that it contains its own centralized Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) staffed with licensed behavioral health clinicians. Professionals with experience in the
behavioral health field are better able to manage the clinical aspects of psychiatric disability claims, promoting prompt case resolution and improved patient outcomes."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100108/Study-reveals-members-who-had-mental-health-diagnosis-show-improved-outcomes.aspx
Virtual Reality Tele-rehab Improves Hand Function: Playing Games for Real Recovery – (Rehab Management). "Remotely monitored in-home virtual reality video games improved hand function and forearm bone health in teens with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, helping them perform activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, cooking, and other tasks for which two hands are needed, says a statement from the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. 'While these initial encouraging results were in teens with limited hand and arm function due to perinatal brain injury, we suspect using these games could similarly benefit individuals with other illness that affect movement, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, arthritis, and even those with orthopedic injuries affecting the arm or hand,' said Meredith R. Golomb, MD MSc, Indiana University School of Medicine associate professor of neurology, in the statement. A pediatric neurologist at Riley Hospital for Children, she is the first author of a pilot study that reported on the rehabilitative benefits of these custom video games."
http://www.rehabpub.com/news/2010-01-19_01.asp
After the Glory – by Susie Grimes (PVAMagazine). "Wheelchair athletes go beyond their athletic careers and accomplishments and become worldwide ambassadors who work to change lives. Fifteen years ago when Mobility International USA CEO Susan Sygall asked me to teach wheelchair basketball to a group of people with disabilities in El Salvador, I reluctantly agreed. I didn't speak Spanish and anticipated their wheelchairs would be broken down and their basketball skills poorly developed. I never imagined that coaching a workshop was going to open doors to a new life and career path."
http://www.pvamagazines.com/sns/magazine/article/3041
Building Bridges – by Josie Byzek (New Mobility). "Scott Rains' influence stretches across the globe. He's an enthusiastic advocate for all things tourism-related, whether it's a summons to KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa to coach the government on how to unravel an access knot, or an adventurous trip to Glacier Bay, Alaska, to check out a new kayaking mother ship. Everywhere Rains visits, accessible travel options bob in his wake and universal design makes the transition from theory to reality. For all he does to ensure people with disabilities can boldly go where everyone else has gone before — and beyond — New Mobility is proud to name Scott Rains as our 2009 Person of the Year."
http://www.newmobility.com/articleView.cfm?id=11563
Disabled sailor Holt's 'impossible dream' realized – by Chris Robinson and Neil Sackley (BBC News). "Becoming the first quadriplegic sailor to cross the Atlantic has been more than a physical challenge for Geoff Holt. When the father-of-one was last on the beach in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, it was 1984 and he was a fit 18-year-old. But his life was to change forever following a diving accident, which left him confined to a wheelchair and paralysed from the chest down. More than two decades later, Mr Holt has made an 'emotional' return to Cane Garden Bay on the island, where the accident happened."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8446551.stm
Five Emerging Wheelchair Sports – by Daniel Lawton (Disaboom). "Wheelchair sports have been around for over a half-century, but in the last decade the athletic opportunities for those in wheelchairs have exploded. While it's common knowledge that sports like basketball and tennis are frequently played by those in wheelchairs, there are a number of new wheelchair sports that may still be under you radar. Below is a list of wheelchair sports worthy of checking out."
http://www.disaboom.com/wheelchair-sports/wheelchair-sports-available
How to Pick out a Sports Wheelchair? – by Daniel Lawton (Disaboom). "Sports wheelchairs are now more common than ever. From hand cycling and basketball models to tennis and rugby, there are a wide-variety of sports wheelchairs available to athletes with disabilities. Sports wheelchairs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, prices and styles. Below is a quick and easy guide to finding the best sports wheelchair for your athletic endeavors."
http://www.disaboom.com/wheelchair-sports/how-to-pick-out-a-sports-wheelchair
Olympic and Paralympic Tickets — accessible seats still available! – (CanadianParaplegic). "The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is committed to providing accessible venues and services for both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and extends a warm welcome to spectators with disabilities. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the 2010 Winter Games. Accessible seats are still available for most sessions and can be purchased by phone (1-800-TICKETS) by Canadian residents as of November 7, 2009. All venues have been reviewed for accessibility. This includes consideration for persons who are blind or visually impaired, persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and persons with mobility and/or agility impairments. Accessible transportation options will be available to spectators for both city and mountain venues."
http://www.canparaplegic.org/en/Sports_&_Leisure_31/items/35.html
Paralympics pioneer Randy Snow lived his life to the fullest – (DallasNews). "On Randy Snow's blog, which is still up, a collage of travel photos gives you an idea of what his full, wide-ranging life was like: London, Paris, Athens, New York, Bangkok, Budapest and Vienna, among others. And the fact that his feet are in each photo tells you something else. Nothing says the Louvre quite like the Mona Lisa's smile and Randy Snow's dogs. 'The answer lies, I'm afraid, in one of my master's psych classes,' Snow wrote playfully on his blog. 'Abnormal psychology.' He used his feet as props for his sense of humor but little else the last 34 years of his life. Paralyzed from the waist down at 16 in a farm accident in Paris, Texas, he became the greatest wheelchair athlete of his generation. His electrifying win in an exhibition wheelchair race at the '84 Olympics helped spur the development of the Paralympics. The first
wheelchair athlete inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, he won medals in three Paralympic sports: tennis, basketball and track."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/ksherrington/stories/DN-brunch_31spo.ART.State.Edition1.4b74c19.html
Planning an Accessible Vacation: Wheelchair Van Rentals – by Candy B. Harrington (Disaboom). "Although the availability of accessible ground transportation has greatly improved over the past 10 years, sometimes it's just more practical to drive your own vehicle. This is especially true if you're planning a vacation that includes a visit to a national park, a road trip to a rural part of a country or a journey which includes stops in several cities. And since driving your own van isn't always a possibility, wheelchair van rentals are the perfect option for folks who want a little independence in their travels, yet still require comfortable and safe adapted transportation. The two largest US franchises are Wheelchair Getaways and Accessible Vans of America. Both companies have been in business for over 10 years and have franchises or can deliver vans to most states. Their average rental rate is $100/day, although weekly and monthly discounts may be available."
http://www.disaboom.com/accessible-planes-trains-and-cruises/planning-an-accessible-vacation-wheelchair-van-rentals
Technology
What is ATutor? – "ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS/LMS) and social networking environment designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, develop custom themes to give ATutor a new look, and easily extend its functionality with feature modules. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, easily import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive, social learning environment."
http://www.atutor.ca/
( New Conferences)
Canada
26th International Seating Symposium – March 10-13, 2010 | Vancouver, British Columbia. "This international symposium addresses current and future developments in the areas of seating, positioning and mobility. Topic areas include service delivery, product development, research and evaluation. The format for the symposium will include plenary, poster, instructional and paper sessions. Extensive opportunities are provided for networking with colleagues."
http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/26th_Seating.htm
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The First Annual Job Fair for People with Disabilities – April 6, 2010 | Regina, Saskatchewan. "The Neil Squire Society has partnered with various community organizations to create the First Annual Job Fair for People with Disabilities to take place on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 from 1:30-5:00pm at University of Regina in the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport which is located at 3737 Wascana Parkway. This Job Fair is exclusively for work seekers living with a disability. It will feature company and organization booths with employees committed to a representative workforce. At each booth resumes can be collected and business cards can be exchanged between employers and people with disabilities as well as provide a convenient location to perform initial interviews. There will also be service providers with information on accommodations and funding."
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198614639854&ref=mf
DRN 2010 "Pathways To Success: The Power of Inquiry, Connections & Mentorship" – May 17-18, 2010 | Vancouver, British Columbia." The DRN Conference Planning Committee is pleased to invite you to the 2010 annual conference, which will bring together once again, practitioners in both programs and services in post-secondary institutions from around the province, along with community based programs. This year, we are also looking forward to including representatives from lower mainland secondary schools with a view to strengthen the transition process for students. This year's theme aims to bring you new information through inquiry, expand and strengthen your efforts through connections among all stakeholders, and foster success through mentorship. Featuring international keynote speakers, such as David Harp : internationally- acclaimed writer and teacher of cognitive psychology and cognitive science , actor Geri Jewell and much, much more!"
http://www.drnbc.org/newsDetail.cfm?DNWS_NEWS_ID=760
College Committee on Disability Issues 22nd Annual Conference – May 17-20, 2010 | Huntsville, Ontario." The College Committee on Disability Issues (CCDI) invites you to join us at Deerhurst Conference Centre for the 22nd Annual conference. Titled 'It All Starts Here - Transitioning from Secondary School to College or University' the conference program will provide a variety relevant tracks designed to provoke thought and discussion and will highlight transitioning from secondary school to College or University to employment. The conference is three days of skill building and partnerships to promote success for students with disabilities. For: Disability Specialists; Assistive Technologists; Learning Strategists; Counsellors; Elementary and Secondary School Teacher Assistants; parents; and students the conference is three days of learning and networking which will enlighten and energize each conference delegate."
http://www.ccdiconference.org/
International Society for Gerontechnology 7th World Conference – May 27-30, 2010 | Vancouver, British Columbia. "Internationally recognized experts in gerontechology will share their knowledge and experience through lectures, symposia, workshops, papers and posters. Topics to be addressed will include rehabilitation engineering, robotics, telemonitoring, telecare, ICT, biomechanics and ergonomics, assistive technology, inclusive design and
usability, smart homes and smart fabrics, sensor technology, and cognitive aging and computer games."
http://www.sfu.ca/isg2010/about/index.html
2010 CDSA-ACEI Conference – June 2-4, 2010 | Montreal, Quebec. "The Congress 2010 theme is 'Connected Understanding – Le savoir branché' and encapsulates the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research and the importance of connecting the academic world with users of knowledge from all sectors. It also refers to the impact of the rise of digital technology on scholarly research."
http://www.cdsa-acei.ca/conference.html
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Aiming for Accessibility - Meeting standards, making change – June 8-9, 2010 | Guelph, Ontario. "The requirements of the Customer Service Standard of the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) have now come into effect and more standards will be enacted soon. Information and guidance on implementing the AODA standards is more important than ever. In an expanded, two-day format, the Aiming for Accessibility Conference is returning to offer a range of practical, theoretical and technical instruction on the AODA standards, especially where they relate to assistive, or information and communication technology. The Conference will also engage attendees to move beyond a simple focus on standards compliance and work towards the creation of a true culture of accessibility within their institutions."
http://www.accessconf.open.uoguelph.ca/
Shine 2010 CACUSS Conference – June 20-23, 2010 | Edmonton, Alberta. "On June 20th 2010 we welcome you, our student services colleagues from across Canada and the world to Edmonton, Alberta. This year our theme is 'Shine: Light it Up in Edmonton'. During these trying times of economic recession our institutions are facing pressures from many sources that are testing our student service capabilities daily. And so, our simple theme is meant to celebrate what we do and to shine some light into the variety of challenges we deal with daily. In doing so we plan to celebrate solutions, share the difficulties, focus on the positives and embrace the possibilities."
http://www.cacuss2010.ca/
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21st International Congress on Education of the Deaf (ICED) – July 18-July 22, 2010 | Vancouver British Columbia. "On behalf of the Organizing Committee it is our pleasure to invite you to the 21st International Congress on Education of the Deaf (ICED). The Congress will take place at the Westin Bayshore in beautiful Vancouver B.C. over the dates of July 18 – July 22, 2010. This is the first time Canada has hosted the International Congress and we feel particularly privileged to show off our beautiful city of Vancouver and Canada's West Coast. Through the theme 'Partners In Education', we look to celebrate past achievements in education of the Deaf while also focusing on the latest research and established best practices to help us map out an exciting future."
http://www.iced2010.com/
2010 ACRM-ASNR Joint Educational Conference – October 20-23, 2010 | Montreal, Quebec. "The 2010 Annual Conference reflects ACRM and ASNR's focus on creating a dynamic, innovative, evidence-based educational conference that brings together generators, users, and funders of rehabilitation science and research in a collaborative effort. The 2010 Program Committee invites members and newcomers to join this exciting effort and submit proposals
for Symposia, Morning Sessions and Research Work Sessions focusing on evidence-based medicine."
http://www.acrm.org/
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4th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference – October 28-30, 2010 | Niagara Falls, Ontario. "The conference will include a pre-course, plenary sessions, poster displays and concurrent workshops that are intended to promote collaboration and exchange among attendees in a variety of formats. Please join us once again at the pre-eminent gathering of clinicians, research scientists and consumers in Canada and North America who are focused on understanding and achieving recovery among the spinal cord injury population"
http://www.torontorehab.com/education/scic10index.html
U.S.
2010 IARP Case Management/Disability Management Conference – February 11-13, 2010 | Scottsdale, Arizona. "The first Case Management & Disability Management Section Conference will take place Feb. 11-13, 2010, at the beautiful Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. This will be a fantastic opportunity to shake off the winter blues and cold weather for many of our members, or for others an occasion to enjoy all that the area has to offer. The programs offered at this conference are based on the needs expressed by our members in response to membership surveys conducted over the past two years."
http://www.rehabpro.org/events/2010-CM-DM
In Such a Time as This…Responding Wisely in Difficult Times – March 7-9, 2010 | Durham, North Carolina. "As we experience budget and service cuts, it seems increasingly difficult to be successful without seriously damaging our values. But we can continue to be successful – if we are willing to learn from our past and the innovations that today are making a difference in the lives of people who experience disability. Join us as we examine creativity and collaboration with renewed hope. Join us as we learn to engage with people who experience disability in new and constructive ways. Join us as we throw off unnecessary limitations and find new solutions – for such a time as this."
http://craconferences.com/
The 25th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference – March 22-27, 2010 | San Diego, California. – "The conference strives to present a best-practices approach for the education of students, professionals and consumers involved with the many aspects of technology and disability. Your experience, gained through practical applications and/or research, is vital to the promotion of effective assistive technology practices on a widespread basis."
http://www.csunconference.org/index.cfm?EID=80000218
2010 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium Equality, Difference, and The Right to Live in the World – April 15-16, 2010 | Baltimore, Maryland. "To carry forward the work of Dr. Jacobus tenBroek in assuring that all citizens may have the opportunity for full participation in the society in which we live, the National Federation of the Blind is hosting the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium. The 2010 symposium will consist of plenary sessions and workshops facilitated by distinguished law professors, practitioners, and advocates who will discuss the concepts of equality and difference as they relate to the disabled in employment, education, medical treatment, and access to technology."
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Law_Symposium.asp
The Third Pacific Rim International Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – April 12-13, 2010 | Hawai'i. "The 2010 Pacific Rim International Forum will focus on the convention on rights of persons with disabilities with special attention to education and employment. With its beginnings dating back to 1985, the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities has evolved into one of the top rated international educational offerings for and from persons with disabilities, family members, researchers, service providers, policymakers and nationally recognized professionals in the various disciplines in the diverse field of disabilities.Pac Rim continues to provide cutting-edge opportunities to learn from one another, share resources and ideas that support the quality of life, community inclusion, and self-determination for all persons with disabilities and their families and help shape our world community."
http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/
7th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility – April 26–27, 2010 | Raleigh, North Carolina. "A revolution in the information society is now starting, based on the use of mobile phones in developing countries. The hyper-growth of mobile phone penetration is deeply changing the lives of people in most of the world; their ways of communicating, working, learning, and structuring their societies. The promising next step is obviously to access the Web. The Web has already touched the lives of over a billion people and now is the time for the next billions. However, this expansion faces unprecedented accessibility challenges. Even the word 'accessibility' needs a new definition for people in the developing regions. How can someone who is illiterate or barely literate access the Web? In some cases, a language may not even have a written form. The affordability of the technology is also a challenge, while access is constrained by low computational power, limited bandwidth, compact keyboards, tiny screens, and even by the lack of electric power. All of these constraints compound the problems of access and inclusion."
http://www.w4a.info/2010/
2010 International VSA Arts Festival – June 6-12, 2010 | Washington, D.C. "From June 6-12, 2010, VSA arts will bring together artists, educators, researchers, and policy makers with disabilities from around the world for a multicultural celebration of the arts and arts education. Featuring visual, performing, literary, media artists, and a guest list that includes over two thousand participants from all corners of the globe. . . A primary goal of the International Festival is to provide information and effective strategies that can be translated from theory to practice for use in the home, community, or classroom. With this goal in mind, the 2010 International VSA arts Festival will convene an International Education Conference at the downtown Grand Hyatt Washington, June 10–12, 2010. Focusing on three areas—21st -Century Learning, Inclusive Education, and Pathways to Employment—the conference features several notable keynotes including percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Kenneth Eklindh of UNESCO, and noted author and arts educator Sir Ken Robinson."
http://www.vsarts.org/x5992.xml
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The National ADA Symposium – June 20-23 | Denver, Colorado. "The National ADA Symposium has earned the reputation as the most comprehensive conference available on the Americans with Disabilities Act."
http://www.adasymposium.org/
RESNA 2010 and the International Symposium on Quality of Life Technology – June 26-30, 2010 | Las Vegas, Nevada. "Call for papers: Scientific and Student Scientific Papers will be due January 18, 2010. Instructions for submitting these papers will be forthcoming."
http://www.resna.org/conference/index.php
Rebuilding Sustainable Communities with the Elderly and Disabled People after Disasters – July 12-15, 2010 | Boston, Massachusetts. "The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has estimated that between 1987 and 2007, about 26 million older people were affected each year by natural disasters alone and that this figure could more than double by 2050 due to the rapidly changing demographics of ageing. Correspondingly, a recent report by Baylor College of Medicine and the American Medical Association (Recommendations for Best Practices in the Management of Elderly Disaster Victims) has computed that 74% of the approximately 1,200 people who died as a result of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were over 60 years old and 50% were over age 75. The elderly comprised only 11.7% of the total population."
http://www.rebuilding.umb.edu/rscepd
International Forum on Disability Management 2010 – September 20-22, 2010 | Los Angeles, California. "IFDM 2010 will advance disability management knowledge and initiatives to:
· Realize the aspirations of people with disabilities to find and maintain meaningful employment.
· Support employers in achieving productive and stable workforces.
· Educate human resource, workers' compensation, and disability specialists on successful techniques to accomplish desired outcomes.
· Advocate for public policy initiatives that provide better social protection and economic empowerment for everyone."
http://www.ifdm2010.com/
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Closing The Gap 28th Annual Conference – October 21-23, 2010 | Minneapolis, Minnesota. "This year's conference builds on a tradition of providing a comprehensive examination of the most current uses of technology by persons with disabilities and the professionals who work with them. Topics will cover a broad spectrum of technology as it is being applied to all disabilities and age groups in education, rehabilitation, vocation, and independent living."
http://www.closingthegap.com/conference/
Overseas
12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010) – June 2-4, 2010 | Hong Kong. "The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation (HKSR) is proud to announce that the 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010) will take place in Hong Kong in 2010. The theme of TRANSED 2010 is Sustainable Transport & Travel for All. Held every three years, TRANSED conferences are milestone events in the field of accessible transportation, attracting researchers, policy-makers, transport operators, consumers and other specialists
worldwide to share innovations and best practices in order to make transportation and mobility accessible to everyone."
http://www.transed2010.hk/front/#
12th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs – July 14-16, 2010 | Vienna Austria. "Over the last decades the advancements in Assistive Technologies (AT) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have significantly influenced the life of people with disabilities. According changes in awareness and understanding of disability as well as social and legal frameworks, driven by Disability Rights and Independent Living Movements led to what is known as eAccessibility, Universal Design or eInclusion. The more ICT and AT increases, people with disabilities are enabled to take part in almost any area of life, and eInclusion and eAccessibility become a common responsibility of mainstream ICT development. In 2008 ICCHP summarised this process in the equation 'equality =eQuality'. 'Equality', equal access and, therefore, equal chances in society are dependant on 'eQuality', the quality of systems and servicesin taking the needs of all users into account including those with disabilities. Interfacing the existing and emerging Human-Computer Interface is and will stay a key issue."
http://www.icchp.org/node/194
The 3rd International Conference for Universal Design in HAMAMATSU 2010 – October 30- November 3 ,2010 | Hamamatsu City, Japan. "Japan's first international Universal Design (UD) Conference was held in Yokohama in November 2002. The declaration adopted on the last day of the enormously successful conference stated that UD signifies the building of a comprehensive social environment that respects the dignity of each individual by redefining relations between the user, the designer and the producer. With the experience of a super-aged population ahead of other countries, Japan has the responsibility to build a model society safe and secure not just for an increasing number of seniors but for people with disabilities, children and expectant mothers, and ethnic groups who have different languages and diverse cultures. For this to happen, we absolutely must have designs that incorporate facility and diversity so as to ensure that no one due to age, gender or origin or lacking in skills and capacity will be unfairly excluded."
http://www.ud2010.net/outline/en_prospectus.html
http://www.ud2010.net/index.en.html
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