News

Watch an archived (recorded) hearing on theUsing the ADA to Promote Community Integration.

On Thursday, June 21st, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the issue of Olmstead Enforcement Update: Using the ADA to Promote Community Integration.

Olmstead v. L.C. is the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court case which established that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities have the right to live and receive their services in the community, rather than only in institutional settings. In 2010, the HELP Committee held a hearing on the state of Olmstead enforcement twenty years after the passage of the ADA. With the anniversary of the Olmstead decision in June and the ADAs 22nd anniversary in July, this upcoming hearing provides an update on the advances and challenges to community inclusion for people with disabilities.

The witnesses for Thursdays hearing will be:

• Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
• Henry Claypool, Principal Deputy Administrator, Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Rita Landgraf, Secretary, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
• Zelia Baugh, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental Health
• Ricardo Thornton, self-advocate and Special Olympics ambassador

This Is My Sister showing

Madison Media Institute

Thursday, June 21, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (CT)

http://thisismysister.eventbrite.com/

Do you live in Brown County, Winnebago Countyor Door County. Would you like to

• Be more connected in your community?
• Develop new relationships?
• Get more involved in community activities?
• Share your gifts and talents with other people?
• Have opportunities to be a valued, contributing member of your community?

The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD), in collaboration with In Control Wisconsin, is offering an opportunity for people with disabilities and their parents in each of these three counties to join together to learn how you can be more connected in your community. By participating, you will learn to:

• Identify your gifts, talents and interests.
• Locate places in your community where you can get involved
• Tap into of your current networks of family, friends and acquaintances
• Develop and build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships
• Build your own support network to help you get better connected
• Help other people get more connected

Want to learn more about this opportunity? If you are a person with a disability (or a parent) in one of these counties and youd like to learn more about getting connected in the community, contact Deb Wisniewski at scgwis@gmail.com. You can also post questions below.

Here are the results of our most recent poll question. It's interesting to note that the results don't reflect the statewide results of the actual election.

Over the next five months, we will be involved in additional state and national voting opportunities, until November when the citizens of this country decide who the next president will be. The Employment Network will continue to offer resources to help our members be active and informed participants in this process.

Comments shared by Network members on the Question of the Week:

Advocacy and Systems Change Training Program Accepting Applications

If you are a family member of a child with a developmental disability or a self-advocate with a developmental disability and you have been searching for a leadership opportunity, apply for Wisconsin Partners in Policymaking.

Wisconsin Partners in Policymaking is a six-session advocacy and systems change training program designed to develop a group of seasoned leaders across the state. At the end of the program, leaders will be able to work on policies and initiatives that will support the full participation and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all aspects of life. This is the second year of the program, which is an initiative of the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD).

The six-session program is designed for (A) family members of children and youth with developmental disabilities ages birth to 21 and (B) individuals with developmental disabilities.

The six sessions will be held in Madison between November 2012 and May 2013. Each session begins at 1 p.m. on Friday and concludes at 4 p.m. on Saturday. BPDD covers all costs associated with the program, including the training, lodging, meals, and materials.

Wisconsin Partners in Policymaking will be facilitated by Lynn Breedlove, former Executive Director of Disability Rights Wisconsin, and Lisa Pugh, Public Policy Coordinator with the Wisconsin Disability Policy Partnership, which includes Disability Rights Wisconsin, the Waisman Center, and BPDD.

Those interested in participating must submit an applicationby September 1, 2012.

Additional information about the program, including the application packet and specific training dates, is available on BPDDs website.

If you have questions about Wisconsin Partners in Policymaking, please contact John Shaw at john1.shaw@wisconsin.gov or (608) 266-7707.

The results of the recent survey of SDS Network members are in!

Some interesting things to note include:

• You want to learn - new skills, new information, new resources - and you want to know about the events and trainings where you can learn.
• You want to connect - to experts, to each other
• You want to be informed and involved in advocacy, public policy and legislative issues.
• You're interested in using the helpful tools the Network offers, but might not be sure about how to use them.
• You're interested in a wide range of topics related to SDS and self-determination.

Check out the Survey Summaryto learn more about what you told us. Thanks to everyone who participated. The results will be used as we continue to grow and nurture this community. If you'd like to learn more about the survey, about where the Network is headed, or how you can get more involved, contact Deb Wisniewski.

Reminder: June 5^th is the Recall Election in Wisconsin. For more information about voting, check out these websites:

• Be prepared for Election Day!From DAWN, BPDD

• Voting in Wisconsin: A Guide for Citizens with Disabilities http://www.adawipartnership.org/Voting/VotingGuide.htm

• Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition http://www.disabilityvote.org/

• 2012 Wisconsin Legislative Report Card, from the Survival Coalition http://tinyurl.com/WisReportCard

• Top 10 Things a Wisconsin Voter Should Know for Election Day- from the Government Accounting Board

If you know of any other online resources for voting, please share them in the comment area below.

The Survival Coalition has issued a report card that summarizes Wisconsin state policy impact on the disability community during the past 10 months. It includes a biennial budget grade, legislative session grade, and cumulative grade on a series of topics that affect people with disabilities, their families and allies.

Read the report card.

Survival Coalition is a cross-disability coalition which works in partnership with local organizations, coalitions, consumers, advocates, and families throughout the state and makes intensive efforts to ensure that our priorities promote and advance the wishes of people with disabilities and their families. Survival Coalition promotes policies, programs, and practices that advance integrated, individualized, community-based supports and services.

The most recent question of the week focused on whether anyone who receives long-term care services should be allowed to self-direct their own supports, even if they need assistance to do so. The responses were overwhelming - 100% of the people who responded (13) said yes! I guess that settles that question....

SPARKS Grants are designed to "SPARK" innovative methods for building community capacity in the areas of (1) grassroots community organizing, (2) integrated employment, or (3) self-directed supports. The innovative methods SPARKS Grants ignite are intended to support local, grassroots efforts that involve people with and without disabilities, leading to systems change that improves the lives of people with disabilities.

Grant recipients will guide a project that addresses at least one of the areas mentioned above. Grants will be awarded on the basis of creative, effective strategies that are likely to result in systems change that will improve the lives of people with disabilities. In 2011, 15 SPARKS projects were funded throughout Wisconsin.

To apply for a SPARKS Grant, complete and submit the SPARKS Grants application packet (application form, budget worksheet and project work plan). Instructions for how to submit the application packet can be found within the forms. The deadline to apply for a SPARKS Grant is 12:00 p.m. on Monday, July 23, 2012.

SPARKS Grants are funded by the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) and are provided to people with disabilities and families in Wisconsin. To learn more about SPARKS Grants, visit the BPDD website.

Please forward this message to parties who might be interested in applying for a SPARKS Grant. And if you plan on applying for a SPARKS Grant, dont forget to get creative!