News

According to the January Jobs Report, the pandemic continues to slow employment for people with disabilities. The hope is that with the availability of vaccines increase, employment opportunities for people with disabilities will also increase. 

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The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG) has published a First Public Working Draft of W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0.

WCAG and supporting materials explain how to make web content, apps, and tools more accessible to people with disabilities. W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3 has several differences from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.

WCAG 3 is intended to be easier to understand and more flexible than WCAG 2. The flexibility is to address different types of web content, apps, and tools — as well as organizations and people with disabilities. The goals for WCAG 3 are introduced in the Requirements for WCAG 3.0 First Public Working Draft. WCAG 3 proposes a different name, scope, structure, and conformance model.

To review and provide feedback, please start by reading the WCAG 3 Introduction first to get important background on WCAG 3 development, review guidance, and timeline.

They are seeking input from evaluators, developers, designers, project managers, policy makers, people with disabilities, and others — particularly on the structure and the draft conformance model. Additional review guidance is in the blog post WCAG 3 FPWD Published.

Please submit comments by February 26, 2021.

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has opened two new funding opportunities for Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) on Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.

The purpose of the DRRP program is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities (including international activities) to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities.

NIDILRR plans to make two field-initiated DRRP awards in the employment domain. NIDILRR's two awards under this grant competition may include research projects, development projects, or both, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel.

Employment of Individuals with Disabilities (Research): Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a research project that is aimed at improving the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a research project under this program, a grantee must identify one or more hypotheses or research questions and, based on the hypotheses or research questions identified, perform an intensive, systematic study directed toward producing (1) new or full scientific knowledge, or (2) understanding of the subject or problem studied. 

View more details and application instructions.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on March 29, 2021.

Employment of Individuals with Disabilities (Development): Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development activity under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, methods, measures, techniques, tools, prototypes, processes, or intervention protocols that are beneficial to the target population.

View more details and application instructions.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on March 29, 2021.

As the saying goes, “you don’t always get what you wish for.”  It’s common to hear people say “make a wish,” after singing the Happy Birthday song. It’s also common to ask people to make a wish list for special occasions such as Christmas or birthdays.  Regardless of the situation, when people are asked to make a wish as adults, it often provokes some thoughts. What do I wish for? Is that wish even possible? What would happen if it came true? People wish for all sorts of different things. Little kids usually wish for toys they want. As adults, we often wish for things that are not tangible. People with disabilities are no different. While our wishes may be a little different than most, we still have fantasy dreams and seemingly unattainable wishes.

As a kid in third grade, I vividly remember, as an assignment, we had to write down two wishes—one realistic and the other one probably unrealistic. We had read a story about wishes or something, and the teacher was trying to get us to think about realistic vs. fantasy or unrealistic. For my realistic wish or goal, I wrote down I wished I could eat a whole pizza (I have no idea where that came from that day, but that’s what I wrote down). For my other wish, I wrote that I wished I didn’t have cerebral palsy. I remember the teachers being surprised and not really knowing how to react. Looking back, I wonder what I was thinking as eight or nine old year kid?  Did I really feel that different? Was there something that I was unable to physically do on the playground that day? What made me say that at that young age? Of course, I don’t know the answer, but I find it interesting that I remember that particular time. It’s something that I still wish for to this day. As I’ve discussed in previous entries, unlike many people with similar circumstances, I would love to be “cured”.

I remember my first year of junior high my mom asked me to make a Christmas wish list. I listed some tangible items, but then the last wish I wrote down was for my two best friends from elementary school to be able to attend the same junior high school I went to. Because of where we lived, I attended a different junior high school than most of my friends from elementary.  I made friends in junior high, but they were never as close. As a teenager with significant physical challenges, making friends was a bit of a challenge. Obviously, that wish couldn’t happen, but it just shows how my wishes have always been a little different even at a young age.

As an adult, my wishes haven’t changed too much. While I still wish for a cure, I find myself realizing that a cure probably isn’t going to happen in my lifetime. I wish for other intangible things like love, a relationship with a significant other, and a family. While I know these things may not be in the cards for me, I will always have a desire and wish for them. It’s a running joke between my mom and I—each time she asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I tell her I want a guy. She always says the same thing to me. “I can’t help you with that one,” she says.

As a person with limited mobility, I often wish I could visit people more. Obviously, during the pandemic, everyone feels that way, but when we’re not under restrictions, I wish I could just go visit my family and friends. Due to things like accessibility, transportation, and cares, I’m not able to just go visit people—I have to plan every detail if I go visit people. While I’m used to it and my family and friends understand, I would love to just hop in a car and go visit friends. Fortunately, my friends and family are pretty good at making the effort to come visit me or making arrangements far in advance, but I’d love to be able to spontaneously go visit them.

I also wish for other intangible things like health for my family and I, and better services to assist me. As I get older, my future is becoming more and more uncertain. With needing the amount of care I do, reality of my future is becoming increasingly important. How long will I be able to stay in my apartment? How much longer will my parents be able to take care of me? These questions are why I constantly wish for continued good health for my parents and I. Most adults likely wish for good health for their loved ones; however, when you rely on family as much as I do, you constantly worry about their health.

Wishes are like dreams. While some are tangible or realistic, others are far-fetched and fantasy like. Wishes and dreams often keep us going. A wish may seem impossible when first thought of, but, maybe after some planning and research, it might seem more doable. They may ignite energy in us to continue to strive for something that may or may not be possible. Almost everyone has both realistic and far-fetched wishes. Next time you blow out the candles on your birthday treat, I encourage you to make two wishes—one that seems attainable or realistic and one that doesn’t seem possible. I hope both wishes come true for you!

***The views expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of InControl Wisconsin, the Network or any of our sponsors.

National Disability Institute (NDI), which manages the ABLE National Resource Center (ABLE NRC), offers a 15-point agenda to advance economic recovery and resilience for people with disabilities who represent a most vulnerable population too often ignored in plans for the economic recovery for our nation.

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The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at ACL has opened a new funding opportunity for an Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) on Employer Practices Leading to Successful Employment Outcomes Among People With Disabilities.

The purpose of the RRTC program, which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to achieve the goals of, and improve the effectiveness of, services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act through well-designed research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities in important topic areas as specified by NIDILRR. These activities are designed to benefit rehabilitation service providers, individuals with disabilities, family members, and other stakeholders. 

Employer Practices Leading to Successful Employment Outcomes Among People With Disabilities: This particular opportunity is for an RRTC is to generate new knowledge about effective employer practices that support successful employment outcomes among people with disabilities.

View more details and application instructions.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on March 22, 2021.

Technology keeps getting better and better. For many people with disabilities, it's a great time to be alive. Technology has enhanced our lives in so many ways. For many people, it has made many things possible that otherwise wouldn't have. It helps people to be as independent as possible. Voice assistant devices, such as the Amazon Alexa, have made more things possible. Devices like these allow people to control many things just by using their voice. A new study found that these devices also provide some emotional support for people. While there are some ethical debates going around about the concept, it is another avenue of support for people with and without disabilities. 

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The direct care workforce shortage has continued across the country. This report provides a detailed, current analysis of the direct care workforce and outlines eight solid recommendations to improve jobs for this rapidly growing workforce.

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People with disabilities often face multiple challenges when accessing healthcare services. Everything from inaccessible doctors offices, to needing a sign-language interpreter, to needing support transferring, the list is endless. People can request these accommodations, but they often get lost. The use of Electronic Health Records may help with this. People can put requests for accommodations in the system electronically. Researchers have done a study on this and it really seems to help. 

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