News

In 2009, the National Advisory Board released a report, Declaration for Independence:A Call to Transform Long Term Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities.It included six principles necessary to modernize our health care infrastructure. These are still relevant today:

1. Enhance Self-care through improved coordination

• Transform Americas health care system from one that focuses on episodic illnesses to one that assists individuals in self-managing their whole health, with the support of providers and communities.
• Encourage the fundamental and financial investment in physicians to serve as the medical home for patients.

2. Encourage community integration and involvement

• Coordinate support services, housing, and transportation so people are able to participate in the social, economic, educational, and recreational activities available through community living.
• Promote data integration, continuity, and coordination of services through the use of health information exchange.

3. Expand accessibility of Services and Supports

• Retool programs and regulations to enable people to access the services they need to live independently without creating financial hardship for the family.

4. Uphold personal preference

• Leverage the success of long term service models that promote personal strengths and preferences and preserve dignity of participants.

5. Empower people to participate in the economic Mainstream

• Encourage the employment of people with disabilities and seniors by removing disincentives for people to work and redefine antiquated descriptions of disability.

6. Invest in improved technology

• Invest resources in the continued development of technology that improves individuals ability to self-monitor chronic health conditions and live independently.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Friday, Sept. 14, 2012) Amerigroup Corporations (NYSE: AGP) National Advisory Board (NAB) announced the launch of a new, innovative toolkit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night. Consisting of 38 different resources, the collection of tools is designed to inform legislators, advocates and consumers on how to apply independent living philosophies to health care.

The toolkit, Managed Care: Doing It Right; Applying the Independent Living Philosophy, is an advancement of the NABs 2009 report "Declaration for Independence: A Call to Transform Health and Long-Term Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities" and is built upon the NABs Six Principles to Modernize the Health Infrastructure.

"These tools will empower individuals to make a difference in securing the future of independent living," said Amerigroup Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James G. Carlson. I appreciate the leadership of the National Advisory Board in promoting greater accessibility to services and supports for seniors and people with disabilities.

Recently celebrating its fifth anniversary, the NAB is a distinguished group of advocates and experts in the fields of disability and aging. The resources cover a wide range of information regarding legislation, methodology and policy recommendations on how Medicaid and Medicare members may live healthier and more independent lives.

We are hopeful this resource will encourage and inform individuals to influence public policy as it relates to health care and services," statedLex Frieden, convener of the NAB. "Our goal is to initiate change in this nation, so individuals will be able to live not only independently, but actively in their communities."

This initial presentation marks the first of several events as the NAB embarks on a national tour to raise awareness among policymakers, advocates and the research community.

Request the Toolkit.

See a copy of the report "Declaration for Independence".

Learn more about the NAB.

Disability rights activists celebrated the U.S. Supreme Courts decision eliminating the constitutional challenges to the landmark Affordable Care Act health care law. The law, which makes health care more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans, has a particularly significant impact on Americans with disabilities as a result of a number of provisions of the law, including the elimination of barriers to providing coverage for preexisting conditions, expanded access to medical equipment and services, and increased options for where individuals can receive services, including in their homes.

Other benefits of the law, as outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services, include an expanded Medicaid program, greater access to preventive services and the ability of individuals to stay on their parents plans until age 26, thereby making it easier for people with disabilities or chronic conditions to get insurance.

Furthermore, as ADAPT noted in a release following the decision, the law furthers the promise of the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision, which gives people with disabilities the right to receive long-term care supports in the most integrated setting in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. One potential downside of the decision is that the ruling eliminated the federal governments authority to penalize states for choosing not to expand Medicaid, including provisions encouraging states to provide community services as an alternative to institutional services.

Governors of several states, for both political and financial reasons, have already indicated they will not expand their programs to increase coverage as the law allows. As one ADAPT official explained, it is important to put pressure on states to take advantage of these opportunities and not bend to the potential fiscal pressures. This is one of the great civil rights fights of our time: to ultimately see all people with disabilities live integrated in the community, not locked away in segregated settings." The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released an analysis of the impact of health care reform on individual state budgets, which includes talking points for advocacy efforts to encourage states to embrace the opportunity.

"Telling Your Story"is a tool that persons with disabilities, family members, and other advocates can use to compose and practice the personal story they'll present to elected public officials or other policymakers at all levels of government when seeking policy changes or increasing awareness about disability issues. The app guides users through the steps, from introducing yourself to identifying the specific issue to the best methods for presenting a compelling personal story. After entering the text of their story, an audio recording feature allows the user to rehearse their story. Users can also select and preview a photo they may wish to include.

You can view the app in the iTunes Store athttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/telling-your-story/id541403749.

Learn more about this app.

Welcome! In my integrated, intentional, community-building efforts, I often find that videos are more compelling, more effective than any other form of communication. Rather than fill the video section of this site, I'll use this blog to share short descriptions of, and links to some of the best disABILITY related videos (and some text articles) from around the world. Many thanks to those who have shared their favorites with me, and please consider adding your discoveries!

Here are a few new entries (August, 2012). For those who were lucky enough to catch the Sprout Film Festival in Duluth, MN, you'll recognize this one... I have Anthony Di Salvo's blessing to post here and elsewhere. It's entitled, "One Question." Enjoy!

"What One Thing Would You Change About Yourself?"

http://sproutflix.org/content/one-question

Olmstead, A Case for Community Support

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mJGtribtA&feature=relmfu

Diversity in Disability Symposium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aNePAflvPk

Universal Design for Yoga

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6tPx4TSh-U

A Nice Day day in the life of a young man with Down syndrome, from Great Britain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWR1v2ZDoCU

Disability Discrimination disabled vs. enabled adaptive equipment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzq3on2qiA&feature=related

Disability Discrimination job interview young woman with Down syndrome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN05UfmIAh4&feature=related

Ballet - physical barriers? NOT! From China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnLVRQCjh8c

Disability Discrimination we know whats best for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOE0ihJWPW8&feature=related

Schizophrenia discussion with friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUtrDkE6Zd0

"Your Brain is a Rainforest" - new thinking about the process of thinking, not stigmatizing

http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/70/Your-brain-is-a-rain-forest/

Mental Health Anti-stigma message: everyone needs friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZ9FmD0o9k&NR=1

The real story on schizophrenia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4R6jln_eZg

Reflection on Mental Illness music 3 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R98fQ_Z6vAk&NR=1

Disability Discrimination Depression

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa9ynqYfEs&feature=related

Disability Discrimination Saleswoman on phone visual impairment doesnt deter her in her job

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fvKp7voPkg&NR=1

Inspiration from Australian speaker, Nick Vujicicon disabilities and abilities

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4uG2kSdd-4

One mans personal campaign for removing barriers

http://news.aol.com/article/disabled-man-sues-businesses-for-a/303037?icid=200100397x1216557106x1201129724

Grassroots Blog online

http://dmi-us.blogspot.com/

Local Where I Want to Live video from Ashland/Bayfield, thanks to Deanna at New Horizons

http://solterra.us/Video/NewHorizons/LivingOptionsJuly.html

Dick & Rick Hoyt Team Hoyt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flRvsO8m_KI

10 Minutes on Disabilities and Employment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDI8zInWprc

Alzheimers/Memory Loss a gentle reminder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MijRS7myeBY

Change A Mind About Mental Illness - Glenn Close

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUaXFlANojQ

Dyscalculia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms5N1X6CYAM&feature=related

Famous Dyscalculists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWzCsI180cc&feature=related

Famous Dyslexics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8SiuPoFWfQ&feature=related

In My Language - examples of language beyond normal by blogger with autism... stay with it for the final message

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc

The Misbehavior of Behaviorists - text file

http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_aba.html

Folks with disabilities take film and photos! Shooting Beauty, Picture This

http://www.everyonedeservesashot.com/trailer.htm

How it feels to have a stroke biological differences between normal control and abnormal processing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU

Clifford Stoll an agile mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8IA6xOpSk&NR=1

Blogging on autism - nothing about us without us

http://aspitude.blogspot.com/2009/10/world-autism-interviews-applied.html

Series of young man with Down Syndrome very thought provoking what do you think of this? Laughing at or with?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3suqfWRz8&feature=channel

Stuck on an elevator one perspective on service models versus independence models Very funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXCuGvsThEw

blind pianist

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

George Carlin on homelessness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbSRCjG-VLk

Enjoy the small pleasures even when Nikos & Constantin Pilavios and Nikos Filippakis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkFW5E0XcM

Playing for Change - series of related videos, not disABILITY-specific, but building community worldwide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

*** END OFLIST (FOR NOW) ***

Help make the campaign a success in your region; stipends available!

In October, the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) will conduct the Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign to raise awareness about the importance of community-integrated employment for people with disabilities. During the campaign, people with disabilities who have community-integrated jobs at a competitive wage invite their legislator to visit them at their workplace. Legislators see firsthand how people with disabilities utilize their talents, enhance their work environment, and ultimately contribute to Wisconsins tax base.

Our goal is for every legislator in Wisconsin to have a visit. Thats where you come in.

To help accomplish this goal, the BPDD is recruiting Regional Coordinators (RC) who know people with disabilities who are working in community-integrated settings for competitive wages and/or have connections to find such people. RCs may also recruit facilitators, help schedule visits, etc.

For the campaign, the state is divided into 14 regions based on legislative districts. Most regions include two or three Senate districts and six or nine Assembly districts, respectively.

RCs will participate in conference calls with BPDD staff so we can work together to execute an effective and successful campaign in every region. RCs will be paid a stipend of $250 at the conclusion of the campaign.

If you are interested in being a Regional Coordinator, complete and submit a Regional Coordinator Application by noon on Friday, August 24, 2012. Qualified applicants will be selected and assigned to regions immediately, so apply as soon as possible.

More information is available on the BPDD website http://wi-bpdd.org/

If you have questions about coordinating a region, please contact Joshua Ryf at joshua.ryf@wisconsin.gov or (608) 261-7829.

http://www.sproutflix.org/ and http://gosprout.org/newfilm/.

The US Census Bureau has published some information marking the 22^nd Anniversary of the ADA. These statistics are taken from Americans with Disabilities: 2010: http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf">www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

Population Distribution

57 million

Number of people with a disability living in the United States in 2010. They represent 19 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

By age

8 percent of children under 15 have disabilities.

21 percent of people 15 and older have disabilities.

17 percent of people 21 to 64 have disabilities.

50 percent of adults 65 and older have disabilities.

20%

Percentage of females with a disability, compared with 17 percent of males. (When adjusted for the aging of the population, the disability rate was 18 percent for both males and females).

Specific Disabilities

8 million

Number of people 15 and older who have a hearing difficulty. Among people 65 and older, 4 million have difficulty hearing.

8 million

Number of people 15 and older with a vision difficulty.

31 million

Number of people 15 and older who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

4 million

Number of people who used a wheelchair to assist with mobility. This compares with 12 million people who used a cane, crutches or walker.

On the Job

41%

Percentage of people 21 to 64 with a disability who were employed.

28%

Percentage of people 21 to 64 with severe disabilities who were employed. This compares with 71 percent for individuals with nonsevere disabilities.

Income and Poverty

$1,961

Median monthly earnings for people 21 to 64 with a disability, compared with $2,724 for those with no disability.

$1,577

Median monthly earnings for people 21 to 64 with severe disabilities, while those with nonsevere disabilities had median monthly earnings of $2,402.

$2,838

Median monthly earnings for people 21 to 64 with disabilities associated only with communication, including blindness or difficulty seeing, deafness or difficulty hearing, and difficulty having speech understood.

29%

Percentage of people 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who were in poverty, while 18 percent with nonsevere disabilities were in poverty.

Program Participation

59%

Percentage of people 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who receive public assistance. Thirty-three percent receive social security benefits. This compares with 9 percent of adults 15 to 64 with nonsevere disabilities that receive Social Security benefits.

28%

Percentage of adults with severe disabilities who receive food stamp benefits, compared with 8 percent for those with no disability.

11%

Percentage of people 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who receive public housing assistance. This compares with 9 percent of people 65 and older with severe disabilities.

Health Insurance

48%

Percentage of adults 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who receive government health coverage.

40%

Percentage of adults 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who have private health insurance coverage.

23%

Percentage of people with severe disabilities who receive Medicare coverage.

35%

Percentage of people 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who receive Medicaid, while 9 percent have dual coverage, receiving Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

21%

Percentage of people 15 to 64 with severe disabilities who were uninsured, not statistically different from the 21 percent of those with nonsevere disabilities.

Editors note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureaus Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.

People First Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities are conducting the 2012 Wisconsin Self-Advocate Survey. Please share this survey with self-advocates you know!

The survey asks questions about how policies affect the day-to-day lives of self-advocates. Also, the survey asks what ideas self-advocates have for improving policies in Wisconsin.

The results of the survey will be presented to legislators. When legislators are developing the 2013-2015 state budget, they can use this information to make Wisconsin a better place for self-advocates.

This survey is only intended for self-advocates living in Wisconsin. A self-advocate is an individual with a disability who is eligible for or using long-term care supports.

Survey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012selfadvocate

Please complete the survey by Monday, July 23, 2012.

If you need hard copies of the survey, please contact Joshua Ryf at joshua.ryf@wisconsin.gov or (608) 261-7829.

As many of you have probably heard, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Patient Assistance and Affordable Care Act as constitutional. This means that all of the current provisions will remain in effect. These include:

• Allowing children to remain on their parents health insurance plan until they are 26;
• Federal HIRSP;
• The reduction of the Medicare Part D donut hole;
• No pre-existing condition discrimination for children;
• No lifetime limits on coverage;
• Rebates from health insurance plans that do not spend enough on health care;
• No termination of health insurance because a person becomes sick.

In addition, beginning January 1, 2014:

• People will be able to purchase individual health insurance through a health insurance exchange;
• Households with incomes below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level will be eligible for subsidies to purchase their individual health insurance;
• Most people will be required to have health insurance or pay a penalty on their tax return.

The Supreme Court did modify the Medicaid Expansion provision in the law. Under the law as written, all persons with incomes below 133% of the FPL would be eligible for Medicaid beginning January 1, 2014 regardless of whether they had children in the home or were disabled. Under the law as written, states that refused to accept this expansion would have had all of their Federal Medicaid matching funds taken away. Under the Supreme Courts modification, a state that refuses to accept the expansion would not have its Federal Medicaid matching funds taken away for existing Medicaid programs.

Finally, before 2014, Wisconsin will need to decide whether the state will run the health insurance exchange or whether it wants the Federal Government to run Wisconsins health insurance exchange. In addition, Wisconsin will need to decide whether it will accept the Medicaid expansion. We will keep you updated as Wisconsin makes its decisions in these areas.

Here's the statement from the Survival Coalitionabout the ACA.

Thanks to Jason atDisability Rights Wisconsinfor providing this update and summary.