News

Family caregivers often experience significant financial burdens while also facing the challenges of managing the financial affairs of their loved ones. To help address these issues, ACL intends to award one cooperative agreement to undertake activities to improve the financial literacy and preparedness of family caregivers in two key areas: 1) for family caregivers to ensure their own financial well-being, and 2) to better equip them to undertake “financial caregiving” tasks on behalf of a care recipient. Objectives for this project include advancing the understanding of the need for and the available interventions to improve the financial literacy of family caregivers; develop and test new interventions to improve/strengthen financial literacy among family caregivers; and, broadly disseminate project findings, new interventions, and best practices that emerge from the project.

Funding opportunity number: HHS-2018-ACL-AOA-FLFC-0309

Estimated total program funding: $250,000

Proposals due: August 10, 2018

View the full funding announcement on grants.gov

Older adults overwhelmingly prefer to stay in their homes and communities as they age, but millions live in homes that lack accessibility features that support doing so safely and independently. Home modifications and repairs can help older adults age in place and maintain their independence. In many cases, home modifications can also help to prevent falls and other accidents. ACL intends to award one cooperative agreement designed to address barriers to optimal access to and use of home modifications that support aging in place. The project will be expected to provide technical assistance and serve as a repository for home modification best practices and innovations that can be replicated at the local level.

Funding opportunity number: HHS-2018-ACL-AOA-HMOD-0308

Estimated total program funding: $250,000

Proposals due: August 13, 2018

View the full funding announcement on grants.gov

A recent survey found that the majority of family caregivers are stressed out by the demands of their family members with developmental disabilities and have deep concerns about the future.  Family caregivers spend an average of 57 hours per week supporting relatives with disabilities.  Caregivers report that these obligations are taking away time to address their personal needs, tend to other family needs, and keep a job.  

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The U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on amending its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulation on transportation of service animals. In the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Traveling By Air with Service Animals the Department seeks comments on: 

1. treating psychiatric service animals similar to other service animals;
2. distinguishing between emotional support animals and other service animals;
3. requiring emotional support animals to travel in pet carriers for the duration of the flight; 
4. limiting the species of service animals and emotional support animals that airlines are required to transport;
5. limiting the number of service animals/emotional support animals required to be transported per passenger;
6. requiring service animal and emotional support animal users to confirm that their animal has been trained to behave in a public setting; 
7. requiring service animals and emotional support animals have a harness, leash, or other tether with narrow exceptions;
8. limiting the size of emotional support animals or other service animals that travel in the cabin and the potential impact of such a limitation;
9. prohibiting airlines from requiring a veterinary health form or immunization record from service animal users without an individualized assessment that the animal would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others or would cause a significant disruption in the aircraft cabin; and
10. no longer holding U.S. airlines responsible if a passenger traveling under the U.S. carrier’s code is only allowed to travel with a service dog on a flight operated by its foreign code share partner.

Comments can be submitted via Regulations.gov thru July 9, 2018.

 Self-Determination Network News:

June 2018

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Call for Exhibitors for the 2018 Self-Determination Conferencee

Calling all Wisconsin organizations that support self-determination and self-directed support in Wisconsin. We encourage you to submit an application. Space is limited and only applications from exhibitors that directly support self-determination and self-direction in WI will be accepted. All applications will be reviewed by a committee and selected based on interest, needs, variety and mission of the conference. We are particularly interested in having exhibitors with innovative approaches to services and supports for self- direction including health and wellness supports for people with disabilities.  Exhibit tables are open Oct. 29-31.

Calling all Micro-business owners! If you are a person with a disability and own your own micro-business apply to share your gifts and talents with over 900 people this October? Be an exhibitor at the 2018 Self-Determination Conference.

Hurry! Applications must be received no later than July 10, 2018. Space is limited, and spots are expected to run out before the deadline date.

The Self-Determination Network includes some very talented members and we want to help you to get to know each other a little better. Member Spotlight is a great way for us to get to know each other better.

For June, we shine the spotlight on Jane. This past Diehard Advocate award recipient is dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment. She also encourages people to ask for help because we can all learn from one another.   Stop by this month's Member Spotlight to get to know Jane.

 Stacy’s Journal

“Never judge someone by the way he/she looks.“ Most people are taught that beginning at an early age. Having a disability often makes fitting in difficult. Some people are completely okay with not fitting in because of their limitations, and others work hard to hide theirs. In this month's entry, Stacy discusses how she handles the desire to fit in.  We encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences as well.

Take five minutes to check out what's happening on the Self-Determination Network:

• Be Inspired:  It's graduation season.  Many people with disabilities will cross the stage overcoming tremendous odds  Read about how one UW-Green Bay grad didn't let his disabilities or growing up in poverty stop him from achieving his dream.
• Advocacy Trainings:  Parents in Partnership (PIP) and Youth in Partnership with Parents for Employment have released their 2018-2019 training schedule.  Learn about these programs and get involved!
• Voting Rights:  It's not widely known, but in many states people with disabilities can be stripped of their right to vote. Find out why many people feel that the law needs to be changed. 
• Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition:  During this important election year, the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition (WDVC) will work to increase voting turnout and participation in the electoral process among members of Wisconsin’s disability community by hosting voting trainings and registration days, creating comprehensive resources for people with disabilities around voting rights, and working with municipalities to ensure their polling places are up to accessibility standards.  Learn how you can participate.
• Technology Initiative:  Microsoft recently announced a multimillion dollar initiative to develop technology that will benefit people with disabilities. Read about what the initiative will  create.
• Caregiver Check-In Mandate Delayed:  Lawmakers have delayed legislation a controversial Medicaid requirement that personal care providers electronically check in when caring for people with disabilities.  Find out why this requirement is causing controversy.
• The Disability Integration Act: The Supreme Court ruled that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community rather than in institutions and states must provide them with the services they need to do so. However, this rule is often ignored.  Learn what this Act would do to ensure that people are allowed to live in the community.
• Feedback on State AT Plan:  Wisconsin's Assistive Technology (AT) Advisory Council has completed a draft of Wisconsin’s State Plan for AT 2018-2020. The Wisconsin AT Advisory Council welcomes your comments, suggestions, and feedback on the state plan.  Public comment ends June 30.

 Upcoming Events                                    

Here's a sample of upcoming events listed on the Self-Determination Network:

• 2018 Aging Empowerment Conference: June 14th-15th, Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, Madison WI
• Disability Rights Wisconsin Informational And Listening Session:  June 22nd, 4p.m. to 6:30p.m., Urban League of Greater Madison, Madision WI
• Endless Possibilities Conference:  August 3rd, 8:30a.m. to 3:30p.m., UW-Whitewater, Whitewater WI

Post your event on the Self-Determination Network and it can be included in future Network News emails to members! Questions? Suggestions?  Contact Stacy Ellingen. 

The Self-Determination Network is powered by InControl Wisconsin and supported financially by our members and Sponsors. We couldn't keep this Network going with you!  Find out how you can help support the Network.

Even though many locations claim to be accessible, people learn that they are not when they arrive. Some of these people have tried to fix this problem by creating accessibility guide apps. App makers use maps from providers like Google and data from users to create better accessibility guides. Access Earth, AccessNow, and AXS Map are some of those apps.  Most of the guide apps are incomplete, but some are better in locations where users have added a lot of content. Getting people together to test an area for accessibility and sharing the results with an accessibility app is a way to improve apps and teach people about accessibility.

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In Olmstead v. LC, the Supreme Court ruled that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community rather than in institutions and states must provide them with the services they need to do so. However, this rule is often ignored. Part of the problem is that Medicaid makes states fund institutions but does not require them to pay for in-home services. In 2015, the Disability Integration Act (DIA) was first introduced before Congress. The DIA would give people with disabilities the legal right to choose how and where they receive the services they need. It would also make states have more accessible housing that people with disabilities can afford.

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Lawmakers have delayed legislation a controversial Medicaid requirement that personal care providers electronically check in when caring for people with disabilities.  A new bill calls for a delay until 2020 of "electronic visit verification" Which hopes to decrease fraudulent billing.   Supporters of the EVV system say that the delay would give people time to develop a system based on input from caregivers an stakeholders.  Many people feel that a lot more work needs to be done.  There are many concerns about things such as privacy.

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Microsoft recently announced a multimillion dollar initiative to develop technology that will benefit people with disabilities.  The five year program will create "accessible and intelligent" solutions.  The initiative which is called "AI for Accessibility," will include seed grants,  universities and other inventors and investments in projects.

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