The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering up new guidance for day centers and the people with disabilities they’re serving during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It comes in two parts--one for administration and staff and the other for clients and caregivers. It's recommending that day centers follow social distancing and safety precautions when possible. It's also recommended that centers modify layouts, install barriers, and do as many outdoor activities as possible. 

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President Biden is planning to shift his focus from COVID-19 to his campaign promises. With the vaccines quickly being rolled out, it seems that Biden is seeking to address disability rights. President Biden recently named a Disability Policy Director to sit on the Domestic Policy Council, a historic move. This Director, Kimberly Knackstedt, was selected based on a perceived wealth of experience that the President believes will allow her to better serve and advocate for the equitable treatment of the disability community.

One of Knackstedt's stated goals is to put people with disabilities at the beginning of policy development. Rather than retrofitting policies to the disabled community as an afterthought, disabled persons will now be at the forefront of conversation, with such issues as climate and education. This is especially crucial in rebuilding post-pandemic due to the disparate effects of COVID-19 on the disabled community. Additionally, with the lasting effects of the virus itself, the community may extend to even more Americans than before as these lasting effects can cause lifelong health concerns for those afflicted.

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A new brief issued by the Center for American Progress (CAP) announced that states with "one fair wage" have lower poverty rates. States who are known as having "one fair wage" are those that pay all tipped, disabled, and temporary teenage workers the same minimum wage as all other workers. States that do not pay all workers the same are states that observe a subminimum wage, or a wage that legally allows employers to pay tipped, disabled, and temporary teenage workers less than other minimum wage workers.

This study from CAP also found that overall, businesses in tipped industries experience higher employment growth in states with one fair wage. Small businesses in these states also saw faster employment growth. More importantly, the study points out that marginalized people such as women and people of color are overrepresented in tipped industries. Additionally, disabled workers are paid less based on disability status under a subminimum wage. These facts suggest that social inequity resulting from poverty may also be partially addressed by abolishing the subminimum wage and ensuring that all states pay one fair wage to all their workers.

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President Biden's plan to expand Medicaid' s Home-and-community-based services for people receiving long-term care and supports has already achieved one major goal--it has leaders talking about the need to better care for older adults and younger people with disabilities. It has brought up many important questions about Long-term Care Services. 

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ACL has opened two new funding opportunities under the Lifespan Respite Care Program. Lifespan Respite Care Programs are coordinated systems of accessible, community-based respite care services that reduce duplication of effort and help to develop respite care infrastructures at the state and local levels.

Grants to New States and States Re-Establishing Their Core Respite Infrastructures

Application deadline: May 17, 2021

View more details and application instructions

Grant Opportunity HHS-2021-ACL-AOA-LRLR-0046

Applicants to this funding opportunity will propose approaches to, at a minimum, expand and enhance, or re-establish their core respite infrastructure. This grant is intended to improve the statewide dissemination and coordination of respite care; develop, modify, or otherwise adapt respite and related services to a COVID19/post-COVID-19 environment; and provide, supplement, or improve equitable access and quality of respite care services to family caregivers and care recipients.

Informational Conference Call

April 13, 2021, 2:00 PM ET

Conference Call Number: 888-469-0989

Pass Code: 8200188#

State Program Enhancement Grants

Application deadline: May 21, 2021

View more details and application instructions

Grant Opportunity HHS-2021-ACL-AOA-LRLI-0045

Applicants to this funding opportunity will propose approaches for advancing their State Lifespan Respite Systems. Particular attention will focus on direct service provision, incorporating lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic where appropriate; continued systems development; strengthened collaborations and partnerships; paid and volunteer respite provider training; identification and reduction of gaps in current services; and targeting underserved populations across the lifespan, with particular emphasis on addressing those most impacted by COVID-19.

Informational Conference Call

April 16, 2021, 2:00 PM ET

Conference Call Number: 888-469-0989

Pass Code: 8200188#

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently proposed rules to improve the way the public receives emergency alerts on their mobile phones, televisions, and radios.

The nation’s Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts help keep the public safe and informed and are of ever-increasing importance given the emergencies and disasters Americans have faced in recent years.  

In 2018, however, a false emergency alert in Hawaii mistakenly warned of an incoming ballistic missile and highlighted the need to improve these systems. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 subsequently charged the Commission with adopting rules to strengthen emergency alerting in various areas. Consistent with this directive, the Commission has adopted a Notice Proposed Rulemaking to ensure that more people receive relevant emergency alerts, enable government agencies to report false alerts when they occur, and improve the way states plan for emergency alerts.  

Specifically, the Commission proposed to

• Combine the current “Presidential Alerts” category, which is non-optional on devices that receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, with alerts from the FEMA Administrator. The new non-optional alert class would be called “National Alerts.” 
• Encourage all states to form State Emergency Communications Committees, which help administer alerting on the state level, or to review the composition and governance of existing committees, as well as require these committees to certify that they held a meeting in the past year.
• Provide a checklist of information that should be included in annual submissions of state Emergency Alert System plans and amend the process for Commission review of those plans.
• Specify that government agencies may report false emergency alerts to the FCC’s 24/7 Operations Center.
• Require and ensure that Emergency Alert System participants can repeat certain alerts over television and radio when the government alert originator requests it.

Also consistent with the new legislation, the Commission adopted a Notice of Inquiry to explore the technical feasibility delivering Emergency Alert System alerts through the Internet, including streaming services, and whether it is feasible for Emergency Alert System participants to leverage the Internet to offer advanced alerting capabilities to the public.

Interested parties may file comments by accessing the Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings. All filings must reference PS Docket Nos. 15-91 and 15-94. 

People with disabilities who need assistance to file comments online at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings may request assistance by email to FCC504@fcc.gov. 

Notice of Inquiry (NOI) Comments Due:  May 14, 2021

NOI Reply Comments Due:  June 14, 2021

As part of a shared commitment to President Biden’s National Strategy and Executive Order to ensure an equitable COVID-19 response, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have published several new resources to help states, vaccination providers, and others leading COVID-19 response activities improve access to vaccines for people with disabilities and older adults. These resources clarify legal requirements, illustrate some of the barriers to vaccine access faced by people with disabilities and older people, and provide strategies – and examples of how the aging and disability network can help employ them – to ensure accessibility.

The Office for Civil Rights released new guidance outlining legal standards under the federal civil rights laws prohibiting disability discrimination and providing concrete examples of the application of the legal standards in the context of COVID-19 vaccine programs and how to implement them. OCR also issued a fact sheet setting out specific steps that those involved in the planning and distribution of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may wish to consider to promote compliance with disability rights laws and provide access to vaccination programs for people with disabilities. Earlier COVID-19 guidance from OCR addressed civil rights protections prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, and civil rights of persons with limited English proficiency.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Office for Civil Rights has made clear that civil rights laws remain in effect during emergencies,” said Acting OCR Director Robinsue Frohboese. “These long-standing laws require that people with disabilities have equal access to services funded by HHS and today’s guidance, along with other important resources from our HHS partners, will help providers ensure compliance with their obligations to make vaccinations fully accessible at every step in the process – from public education to registration for appointments and vaccine administration.”

The Administration for Community Living has compiled strategies and best practices for helping people with disabilities and older adults access COVID-19 vaccines. This compendium provides creative approaches to outreach and education, appointment facilitation, ensuring website and vaccination site accessibility, and reaching people who cannot be vaccinated outside of their homes. Also included are examples of how the aging and disability network have collaborated with state agencies at virtually every stage of the vaccination process to ensure access for people with disabilities and older adults.  

“Vaccination is critical for people with disabilities and older adults, but many face significant barriers to getting vaccinated,” said Alison Barkoff, Acting Administrator of ACL. “It is crucial that states and local health authorities take affirmative steps to ensure equitable vaccine access to older adults and people with disabilities, particularly those who may face additional barriers due to race, ethnicity, income, language, or other factors. The organizations in the aging and disability network can be invaluable partners in these efforts.”

As trusted members of their communities, the aging and disability network offers unique and specialized knowledge of the needs of the people they serve, as well as established channels for reaching them. Through a partnership between ACL and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the network will receive nearly $100 million to assist with scheduling of, and travel, to appointments, direct support services, and more. The grants also will enable the aging and disability network to identify people who cannot travel to vaccination sites and to assist local authorities with improving vaccine access for people with disabilities and older adults. Funding is being distributed now, with initial grants issued last week.

Finally, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation published an issue brief on the prevalence and characteristics of older adults who are normally unable to leave home unassisted and for whom leaving the house would take considerable and taxing effort. This will inform the development of interventions to increase vaccination of this population, which has proven challenging to reach thus far.

“Older adults who have difficulty leaving their homes may have a hard time getting to vaccine sites in their communities,” said Rebecca Haffajee, Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. “This brief identifies the characteristics of these individuals, additional challenges they may face when trying to get vaccinated, and what services they use to help communities and providers better target their outreach and in-home vaccination efforts.”

Open through April 26, 2021

Submit ideas, comments, and votes 

The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking input on ideas for ensuring equity in employment policies and programs for people with disabilities from historically underserved communities. 

Share your ideas, review community input, and comment on others' ideas. Your feedback will be used by the department to identify solutions for overcoming barriers to employment for people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds, communities, and identities. It will also inform future programs and funding opportunities that equitably deliver vital employment services and supports to all.

This effort is co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Women’s Bureau.

Hello—I am currently looking for volunteer participants for a research study titled “Exploring Practitioners’ Strategies for Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities.” This study has the potential to add knowledge to the field of human services and will be shared broadly once completed.

Participants need to:

- Be 18 years or older and live in the United States.

- Have experience as a community development practitioner/ consultant/connector/organizer or other similar role with communities or neighborhoods in the United States.

- Have experience working with communities that include, either purposefully or not, people with disabilities

- Are willing to be interviewed in English over video conferencing or on the phone.

Your participation is voluntary, and interview responses will remain confidential.

More information is available at www.lourash.com. If you are interested in participating or have questions, contact:

Allison Lourash

Email: Allison.lourash@waldenu.edu

Phone: 715-205-7305

This study has been approved by Walden University’s Institutional Review Board (The Institutional ReviewBoard number is: 01-14-21-0228087) to ensure that it is aligned with the University’s standards and that interviews are conducted in an ethical manner.