The National Service Inclusion Project would like to
provide some useful resources for CNCS and state programs working towards
making their work places, and volunteer projects more inclusive of people with
disabilities. Please feel free to disseminate to your local networks.
Aging
1. The Aging Workforce: The Role of Medical Professionals
in Helping Older Workers and Workers with Disabilities to Stay at Work or
Return to Work and Remain Employed
This report from the National Technical Assistance and
Research Center to Promote Leadership for Increasing the Employment and
Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities (NTAR Leadership Center) documents
the discussion and findings from a September 2012 one-day, invitation-only
roundtable titled the same as the report. The purpose of the event was to
explore the relationships among medical professionals, employers, and the
public workforce and vocational rehabilitation systems in terms of their
current and desired roles in preventing needless work disability.
"Disability" in this context is defined as the absence from work due
to a medical condition. Participants were asked to reflect on the challenges in
engaging the medical community in helping older individuals with disabilities,
or who are experiencing reduced functionality, to stay at work and remain
successfully employed until they choose to retire.
2. The Aging Workforce: Challenges for the Health Care
Industry Workforce
Because the aging of the U.S. population has tremendous
implications for the health care industry, both as employers of an older
workforce and as providers of services to a growing number of older patients,
ODEP funded the NTAR Leadership Center to convene a one-day symposium entitled
The Aging Workforce: Challenges for the Health Care Industry Workforce in
January 2012. Recognizing the vital role played by the health care industry in
the state of New Jersey, this symposium was hosted by NTAR in partnership with
the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission and the Center for
State Health Policy at Rutgers University. This brief from NTAR identifies promising
strategies from that symposium and offers some encouraging and notable examples
from the participants that policymakers and employers could pursue to address
the challenges of an aging health care workforce.
Autism
3. ASD Materials for ECE Providers
The Administration for Children & Families has
created a web page with resources about ASD made specifically for early
childhood providers. The web page, which includes ASD fact sheets, tips written
for early childhood providers, and links to many other sites that offer free,
high quality resources for families and providers, is an excellent gateway to
learn more about and support our youngest children with ASD and other
developmental disabilities.
Employment
3. Census Bureau Releases New Publications on Employment
and Government Assistance for People with Disabilities
Two recently released publications from the U.S. Census
Bureau’s American Community Survey give us greater insight into characteristics
of people with disabilities in America.
Disability Characteristics of Income-Based Government
Assistance Recipients in the United States: 2011 examines the disability
characteristics of the 46 million adults in the United States receiving government
assistance, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP benefits (formerly
known as food stamps) or Medicaid. In addition, the Disability Employment
Tabulation, a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Labor, provides a
detailed look at the labor market characteristics for people by disability
status, sex, race and Hispanic origin. Both use data from the American
Community Survey, which is one of the only sources for estimates about the
disability status of people in the United States. The survey defines disability
using six questions about difficulty hearing, seeing, walking/climbing stairs,
remembering/concentrating/making decisions, dressing/bathing or doing errands.
Mental Health
4. Grounded in Faith: Resources on Mental Health and Gun
Violence
The Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC), a
program of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD),
released Grounded in Faith: Resources on Mental Health and Gun Violence. The
compendium is a resource for congregational leaders, disability advocates, and
other concerned persons who wish to ensure that the on-going debate around gun
violence prevention does not stigmatize people with mental illnesses, and
deprive them of their rights and freedoms.
Technology
5. Apps to Help Students with Dysgraphia and Writing
Difficulties
The National Center for Learning Disabilities has
compiled a list of iPhone/iPad apps for people with dysgraphia or dyslexia.
Technology can be a great tool for students (and adults!) who have learning
disabilities like dysgraphia or dyslexia that affect their written expression.
We’ve personally reviewed these mobile apps and we know they’re LD-friendly.
They can make the writing process a bit easier and even fun! Not every app will
be a "perfect fit" for everyone who has LD, but with a little
testing, you can figure out which one works best for your child or teen's
individual needs.
Understanding Intellectual Disability
1. Special Issue on Definition and Classification of
Intellectual Disability
The April Issue of Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities is a special issue with contributions on assessment, definition,
and classification of intellectual disability. This issue includes comments
submitted by AAIDD to the World Health Organization (WHO) on the next iteration
of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is anticipated to
be released in 2015. (full text access to comments made to the WHO available at
no cost)
Voting Accessibility
2. Voting Accessibility in States Has Increased According
to GAO Survey
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released
Voters with Disabilities: Challenges to Voting Accessibility, a 21-page report
on the state of accessible voting in the US. The GAO reports that, between 2000
and 2008, the number of polling places without impediments increased to 27
percent and almost all polling places surveyed had an accessible voting system.
In GAO's 2008 state survey, 43 states reported that they set accessibility
standards for voting places, however 31 states reported that ensuring polling
accessibility was a challenge. Localities GAO surveyed in 2008 reported
providing voting services directly to long-term care facility residents who may
face challenges voting in a polling place.
Resources are provided by the
• UCEDD Resource Center: A project of AUCD, in
partnership with AIDD, to strengthen and support the network of UCEDDs • ITAC
(Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center) on Autism and Developmental
Disabilities
Yours in Service,
The National Service Inclusion Project Team
Please note that the content contained in this News,
Notes, and Resources does not imply endorsement from the Corporation for
National and Community Service, the National Service Inclusion Project, or any
of our partner agencies.
The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) is a
training and technical assistance provider on disability inclusion, under a
cooperative agreement (#08TAHMA001) from Corporation for National and Community
Service (CNCS). NSIP partners with the Association on University Centers on
Disability, National Council on Independent Living, Association on Higher
Education and Disability and National Down Syndrome Congress to build
connections between disability organizations and all CNCS grantees, including
national directs, to increase the participation of people with disabilities in
national service.
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