Recent  statistics show a slowdown in disability employment  compared to the previous year. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium compiles data collected by the Census Bureau.  The data shows that out of the more than 20 million working-age people with disabilities , 7.5 million are employed.  Some states have higher employment rates for people with disabilities than others.  Wisconsin ranks 17th with 41.9% of people with disabilities employed.

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The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at ACL is announcing funding opportunities for two new Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) programs, two new Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) projects, and two new Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP):

• ARRT for Employment 
• ARRT for Community Living and Participation
• RRTC on Employment and Community Living for Youth
• RRTC on Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions
• DRRP on Health and Function (Research)
• DRRP on Health and Function (Development)

Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training

This program is funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program to provide advanced research training and experience to individuals with doctorates (or similar advanced degrees) who have clinical or other relevant experience. ARRT projects train rehabilitation researchers, including researchers with disabilities, with particular attention to research areas that support the implementation and objectives of the Rehabilitation Act, and that improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act. 

ARRT for Employment

ARRT projects under this opportunity announcement must provide advanced research training to eligible individuals to enhance their capacity to conduct high-quality multidisciplinary disability and rehabilitation research to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities in NIDILRR’s major domain of employment.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on April 8, 2019.

ARRT for Community Living and Participation

ARRT projects under this opportunity announcement must provide advanced research training to eligible individuals to enhance their capacity to conduct high-quality multidisciplinary disability and rehabilitation research to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities in NIDILRR’s major domain of community living and participation.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process.This grant opportunity closes on April 8, 2019.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers

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.

RRTC on Transition to Employment for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions: The purpose of this particular RRTC is to conduct research, training, technical assistance, and related activities to contribute to improved employment outcomes for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. This funding opportunity reflects an ongoing collaboration between NIDILRR and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on April 15, 2019.

RRTC on Community Living and Participation for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions: The purpose of this particular RRTC is to conduct research, training, technical assistance, and related activities to contribute to improved community living and participation outcomes for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. This funding opportunity reflects an ongoing collaboration between NIDILRR and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on April 15, 2019.

Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program

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.

DRRP on Health and Function (Research): Applicants must propose a research project that is aimed at improving health and function outcomes of individuals with disabilities. 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. Please note that this is the funding opportunity for field-initiated DRRP research projects in the health and function domain.

DRRP on Health and Function (Development): Applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the health and function of individuals with disabilities. A grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, or methods beneficial to the target population, including design and development of prototypes and processes. Please note that this is the funding opportunity for field-initiated DRRP research projects in the health and function domain.

Please visit the link above for more details about these grant opportunities and application process. These grant opportunities close on April 16, 2019.

 Self-Determination Network News:

February 2019

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Hurry! Disability Advocacy Day Registration Ends Soon!

Register now for Disability Advocacy Day!  Join fellow advocates on Wednesday March 20th in Madison to let your voice be heard.  Disability Advocacy Day is designed to connect you with your legislators so you can talk about issues that matter to you. You are the expert in sharing how legislative policies affect people with disabilities in their everyday lives. The day starts with a briefing of issues you and your fellow constituents want to discuss with your legislators and after lunch the whole group heads to the capitol for their legislative meetings.  Registration closes March 8th.  Register today!      

2019 Self-Determination Conference

Save the date!  The 2019 Self-Determination Conference will be October 14th-16th at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells.  Are you interested in presenting?  Presentation proposals are now being accepted and are due by noon on April 2nd.  Submit your proposal today!

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 February, we shine the spotlight on Hunter. When this author isn’t busy blogging on his website, he loves watching sports and going on adventures. He believes self-determination is a process and he encourages people to never ever give up. Stop by this month's Member Spotlight to get to know Hunter.

 Stacy’s Journal

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

• Accessibility Experts Needed:  Do you know disability and accessibility laws really well?  The U.S. Access Board is seeking Accessibility Specialists to serve in its Office of Technical and Information Services.  Learn more about the positions.
• New Housing Complex:  A group of parents who have adult children with disabilities is teaming up to develop housing for their children.  Read about their plans.
• Eliminating Waiting Lists:  Community-based services are often much harder to obtain than access to institutional care, but there is a new push underway to change that.  Learn about new legislation that would ensure people eligible for institutional care  would have access to the same services in their home.
• Medicaid Expansion:  For many adults with disabilities, it's often a struggle determining whether or not it's worth it to work. Read about how even though  some states are enacting new barriers for eligibility, many feel the Medicaid expansion still works for people with disabilities.
• Real-Time Captions and Translation Added to PowerPoint:  Microsoft PowerPoint is adding live captions of voice translation to millions of Office 365 subscribers. Find out how this not makes it more accessible, but it could also increase employment  for people with hearing impairments.
• Be Inspired:  Perseverance and self-determination can make all the difference.  Read how one young man is exceeding expectations! 

 Upcoming Events                                    

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

• Webinar: Falls Prevention For Older Adults: February 13th, 11a.m to 12:30p.m., Online
• Webinar: The ADA, Businesses And Barrier Removal: What Are The Requirements?: February 19th, 1p.m. to 2:30p.m., Online
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 7th, 9:30a.m. to 10:30a.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 7th, 12:30p.m. to 1:30p.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 8th, 9:30a.m. to 10:30a.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 8th, 7:30p.m. to 8:30p.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 9th, 2p.m. to 3p.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 9th, 7:30p.m. to 8:30p.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged: March 10th, 2p.m. to 3p.m., Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI
• Long Term Care Advocacy Team: March 12th, 2:30p.m. to 3:30p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee WI
• Advocacy For Change: March 13th, 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m., Concourse Hotel, Madison WI
• Disability Advocacy Day: March 20th, 9:30a.m. to 3:30p.m., Monona Terrence, Madison WI
• Transportation Consumer Advocacy Team (TCAT): March 26th, 1p.m. to 3p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee 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.

Perseverance and self-determination can make all the difference.  For Ben Page, that couldn't be more true.  Due  to an injury at birth, this 22 year old has an intellectual disability,  but he  hasn't let that stop him from leading a successful life. Doctors warned his  parents not to expect much from Ben's development, but they started to view his progress through the lens of his own abilities.  He has exceeded everyone's expectations!

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Are you interested in presenting at the 2019 Self-Determination Conference? We are seeking session proposals for Tuesday, October 15 & Wednesday, October 16. You can download the application here

All proposals are due by 12 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.

Please submit your completed proposal form to:
Fil Clissa at Fil.Clissa@wisconsin.gov or mail to BPDD, 101 E. Wilson St., Room 219, Madison, WI 53703

Microsoft PowerPoint is adding live captions of voice translation to millions of Office 365 subscribers. The feature launched in 2017 as an add-on. It is now standard. Microsoft partnered with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology to pilot the automatic captioning program.  They  added 30 new accessibility features to Office 365 since launching a $25 million, five-year program to fund artificial intelligence-based tools for people with disabilities. The program began in May 2018. One of the goals for the Microsoft team was to make captioning more available for Deaf and hard of hearing members of the workforce. Technology can help make communication more accessible, but the article notes that increasing employment for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals also requires cultural change to reduce discrimination.

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For many adults with disabilities, it's often a struggle determining whether or not it's worth it to work.  Many would like to, but if they exact too much money, they not only their Supplement Security Income (SSI), but, more importantly, they also lose Medicaid coverage.  Thankful to the Affordable Care Act, some states are now required to  offer Medicaid to everyone under age 65 with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level, regardless of disability or employment status.  This opinion article explains how even though  some states are enacting new barriers for eligibility, the Medicaid expansion still works for people with disabilities.

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Windchill warnings, polar vortex, below zero temperatures- people in Wisconsin have gotten very familiar with these terms recently.  Everybody knows winters in Wisconsin can be brutal.  Plowing out from a foot of snow is one thing; dealing with dangerously low temperatures and windchills is another.  Dangerously cold temperatures affect everyone.  From starting a vehicle early so it can warm up, to taking the dog out, to being called off work or having to find child care because school is canceled… bitter cold temperatures impact people in multiple ways.  For people with disabilities, extreme temperatures (cold or hot) often create some unique challenges.

While I’m a person who likes snow around the holiday season, I’m not a fan of cold weather.  Having a physical disability, cold temperatures cause challenges that an average person probably doesn’t even think about.  Bundling up often takes some work.  Due to my muscle spasticity because of cerebral palsy getting a winter jacket takes quite a bit of pulling and yanking from the person helping me.  As I’ve explained in previous entries, often when I want my body to move one way, it does the opposite; for example, when I want my arm to point straight out to get a coat on, it retracts.  It’s just how my body works.  Usually I’m also wearing a sweatshirt also, so that adds another issue; when I stick my arm in the coat, the sleeve of my sweatshirt often hikes way up my arm since I’m not able to hold onto it.  Somebody has put their hand up the arm once the coat is on to pull the sweatshirt sleeve down.  Coats are definitely a pain for me!

Gloves and hats cause similar problems.  I rarely ever wear gloves.  Getting gloves on me is like pulling teeth on a giraffe.  Because of my muscle contractors it’s nearly impossible to get my fingers in the right spots.  Even when we do get gloves on me, it’s not ideal because I sometimes can’t drive my wheelchair or use my phone (which serves as my communication device).  Hats and headbands often slide down due to my constant movements.

I think I may have written about this in an entry a few years ago, but while I was in college at UW-Whitewater, I never wore a jacket or gloves and hat to class.  People thought I was absolutely crazy, but I didn’t have anyone to help me dress and undress each time I went to and from class.  I’d get way too hot (especially in the dorms) if I wore my coat all day.  Looking back, it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I survived!

For people who have intellectual disabilities, the frigid cold weather is dangerous as well.  People may not understand why it’s so important to bundle up.  They may wander outside without realizing that it’s dangerously cold.  People may not understand why they aren’t able to do their normal routine.

Extreme temperatures impact other things for people with disabilities.  Below zero temperatures and windchills could cause health care professionals to be unable to get to work.  This can cause delays in service and care for people with disabilities.  Specialized and public transportation services many be delayed or stopped resulting in people missing work or appointments.  Day programs may be closed forcing family caregivers to have to miss work.  The list goes on and on.

Outside temperature can affect Some disabilities and health conditions.  For me, I’ve noticed that extreme cold causes havoc with my muscle tone.  I usually handle and enjoy warmer temperatures; however, when it gets really really hot, I’ve noticed my tolerance has decreased as I’ve gotten older.  I think it has to do with sitting in a black wheelchair seat all the time.  It gets pretty toasty!

Personally, I’d take a 95 degree day over a -50 degree day anyday.  As we all know, though, Wisconsin has four seasons, and with that comes a big temperature variance.  Some people like the cold weather; some people enjoy the really warm weather.  I guess we get a bit of everything in this state.  I say, BRING ON SPRING!!! 

***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.