A great article in theLa Crosse Tribune written by Nathan Hansen about a young lady who uses self-determination to overcome her challenges.

Extra Effort: Melrose-Mindoro senior finds way to excel despite disability

By Nathan Hansen

M

ELROSE When Jessica Windsor was growing up, she was teased for being different.

Born without her right hand, kids teased her about being different, and Jessica tried to hide the limb that made her stand out. But with a change in school, and the constant support and encouragement of her parents, Jessica isnt teased anymore.

Jessica, now 17, is the Melrose-Mindoro High School Extra Effort honoree. Nominated by teachers and staff at the school, they all remarked about how Jessica finds a way to tackle any challenge and reach for any opportunity she sets her sights on.

But growing up, Jessica was not always so comfortable in her skin. Originally attending school in the Sparta Area School District, Jessica was teased by her classmates in elementary and middle school. They would hide their arms in their shirts to mock her, and said negative things about her missing hand.

At first, Jessica said she didnt know what to do in response and tried to brush the bullying off. But as the teasing became more regular, she began to hide herself. Jessica would wear baggy clothing and cross her arms a lot. It hurt to be picked on.

It was hard when I was little, she said. The kids in class werent the nicest.

Jessicas parents Avery and Becky Windsor were there for her, though, encouraging and supporting her. Instead of hiding who she was, Avery said, they tried to make sure she was comfortable in being open and honest about herself.

She doesnt have to do anything different than anyone else, Avery said. We have always tried to motivate her in a positive way.

Learning how to do some things were difficult, Jessica said, such as tying her own shoes or putting back her hair. But with her parents support and an independent streak, Jessica has learned to do things on her own.

I feel more independent about everything, she said. I can do pretty much anything anyone else can do. I just have to do it in a different way.

Jessica said she is very involved in soccer, a sport she loves. She also enjoys going bow hunting with the help of a prosthetic that lets her fire by using the muscles in her cheek.

School is going better as well. Avery grew up in a smaller school environment and wanted that for his daughter, so the family open enrolled into the Melrose-Mindoro district.

At the new district, Jessica made a lot of friends. They dont make a big deal of things, and things are a lot better.

When I was little I would let it get to me, she said. I have definitely overcome hiding it and worrying.

Jessica hopes to go into radiography after high school, having applied and been accepted to Western Technical College. Growing up, Jessica had several tests to diagnose and treat a back issue and was interested in how the technology worked. It was cool figuring out how the machines could create and image on her screen and Jessica said she is interested in learning about everything from CT scans to ultrasounds.

Jessica said she is looking forward to going off to college. Because of her familys support and building her own self-confidence, she knows she can do anything she sets her mind on.

I have definitely been Type A with everything in my life, she said. Its helped to have that attitude. I really havent let anything get in my way.

Source: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/extra-effort-melrose-mindoro-senior-finds-way-to-excel-despite/article_45e9e584-c376-556f-acef-7921b793411d.html

Here is a great explanation of the ABLE Act from the National Disability Institute. This explains what the Act means for people with disabilities.

Congress Passes ABLE Act: Major Victory for Persons with Disabilities and Their Families

(Washington, D.C. Dec. 17, 2014) Last night, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 by a vote of 76 to 16. First introduced in 2006, and subsequent sessions of Congress, the ABLE Act will allow people with disabilities (with an age of onset up to 26 years old) and their families the opportunity to create a tax-exempt savings account that can be used for maintaining health, independence and quality of life.

Today marks a new day in our countrys understanding and support of people with disabilities and their families, Michael Morris,National Disability Institute(NDI) Executive Director, said. A major victory for the disability community, ABLE, for the very first time in our countrys policy on disability, recognizes that there are added costs to living with a disability. He continued. For far too long, federally imposed asset limits to remain eligible for critical public benefits have served as a roadblock toward greater financial independence for the millions of individuals living with a disability.

NDI has long championed the ABLE Act as a critical strategy to providing a pathway to a better economic future for all people with disabilities. As the nations first nonprofit dedicated to improving the financial health and future of all people with disabilities, the organization has extensively documented and called attention to the daily reality and extra expenses associated with living with a disability, and the challenges of navigating the complex web of government rules to maintain public benefits eligibility.

In recognition of this unprecedented legislation, NDI has created a list of 10 items about ABLE accounts that individuals with disabilities and their families should know:

ABLE Accounts: 10 Things You Must Know

1. What is an ABLE account?

ABLE Accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities and their families, will be created as a result of the passage of the ABLE Act of 2014. Income earned by the accounts would not be taxed. Contributions to the account made by any person (the account beneficiary, family and friends) would not be tax deductible.

1. Why the need for ABLE accounts?

Millions of individuals with disabilities and their families depend on a wide variety of public benefits for income, health care and food and housing assistance. Eligibility for these public benefits (SSI, SNAP, Medicaid) require meeting a means or resource test that limits eligibility to individuals to report more than $2,000 in cash savings, retirement funds and other items of significant value. To remain eligible for these public benefits, an individual must remain poor. For the first time in public policy, the ABLE Act recognizes the extra and significant costs of living with a disability. These include costs, related to raising a child with significant disabilities or a working age adult with disabilities, for accessible housing and transportation, personal assistance services, assistive technology and health care not covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.

For the first time, eligible individuals and families will be allowed to establish ABLE savings accounts that will not affect their eligibility for SSI, Medicaid and other public benefits. The legislation explains further that an ABLE account will, with private savings, secure funding for disability-related expenses on behalf of designated beneficiaries with disabilities that will supplement, but not supplant, benefits provided through private insurance, Medicaid, SSI, the beneficiarys employment and other sources.

1. Am I eligible for an ABLE account?

Passage of legislation is a result of a series of compromises. The final version of the ABLE Act limits eligibility to individuals with significant disabilities with an age of onset of disability before turning 26 years of age. If you meet this criteria and are also receiving benefits already under SSI and/or SSDI, you are automatically eligible to establish an ABLE account. If you are not a recipient of SSI and/or SSDI, but still meet the age of onset disability requirement, you would still be eligible to open an ABLE account if you meet SSI criteria regarding significant functional limitations. The regulations to be written in 2015 by the Treasury Department will have to explain further the standard of proof and required medical documentation. You need not be under the age of 26 to be eligible for an ABLE account. You could be over the age of 26, but must have the documentation of disability that indicates age of onset before the age of 26.

1. Are there limits to how much money can be put in an ABLE account?

The total annual contributions by all participating individuals, including family and friends, is $14,000. The amount will be adjusted annually for inflation. Under current tax law, $14,000 is the maximum amount that individuals can make as a gift to someone else and not pay taxes (gift tax exclusion). The total limit over time that could be made to an ABLE account will be subject to the individual state and their limit for education-related 529 savings accounts. Many states have set this limit at more than $300,000 per plan. However, for individuals with disabilities who are recipients of SSI and Medicaid, the ABLE Act sets some further limitations. The first $100,000 in ABLE accounts would be exempted from the SSI $2,000 individual resource limit. If and when an ABLE account exceeds $100,000, the beneficiary would be suspended from eligibility for SSI benefits and no longer receive that monthly income. However, the beneficiary would continue to be eligible for Medicaid. States would be able to recoup some expenses through Medicaid upon the death of the beneficiary.

1. Which expenses are allowed by ABLE accounts?

A qualified disability expense means any expense related to the designated beneficiary as a result of living a life with disabilities. These include education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology, personal support services, health care expenses, financial management and administrative services and other expenses which will be further described in regulations to be developed in 2015 by the Treasury Department.

1. Where do I go to open an ABLE account?

Each state is responsible for establishing and operating an ABLE program. If a state should choose not to establish its own program, the state may choose to contract with another state to still offer its eligible individuals with significant disabilities the opportunity to open an ABLE account.

After President Obama signs the ABLE Act, the Secretary of the Department of Treasury will begin to develop regulations that will guide the states in terms of a) the information required to be presented to open an ABLE account; b) the documentation needed to meet the requirements of ABLE account eligibility for a person with a disability; and c) the definition details of qualified disability expenses and the documentation that will be needed for tax reporting.

No accounts can be established until the regulations are finalized following a public comment period on proposed rules for program implementation. States will begin to accept applications to establish ABLE accounts before the end of 2015.

1. Can I have more than one ABLE account?

No. The ABLE Act limits the opportunity to one ABLE account per eligible individual.

1. Will states offer options to invest the savings contributed to an ABLE account?

Like state 529 college savings plans, states are likely to offer qualified individuals and families multiple options to establish ABLE accounts with varied investment strategies. Each individual and family will need to project possible future needs and costs over time, and to assess their risk tolerance for possible future investment strategies to grow their savings. Account contributors or designated beneficiaries are limited, by the ABLE Act, to change the way their money is invested in the account up to two times per year.

1. How many eligible individuals and families might benefit from establishing an ABLE account?

There are 58 million individuals with disabilities in the United States. To meet the definition of significant disability required by the legislation to be eligible to establish an ABLE account, the conservative number would be approximately 10 percent of the larger group, or 5.8 million individuals and families. Further analysis is needed to understand more fully the size of this market and more about their needs for new savings and investment products.

1. How is an ABLE account different than a special needs or pooled trust?

An ABLE Account will provide more choice and control for the beneficiary and family. Cost of establishing an account will be considerably less than either a Special Needs Trust (SNT) or Pooled Income Trust. With an ABLE account, account owners will have the ability to control their funds and, if circumstances change, still have other options available to them. Determining which option is the most appropriate will depend upon individual circumstances. For many families, the ABLE account will be a significant and viable option in addition to, rather than instead of, a Trust program.

Source: http://www.realeconomicimpact.org/News.aspx?id=460

An article inDisability Scoopby Michelle Diament about how the Senate voted to pass the ABLE Act. The bill now goes to the President to sign. The ABLE Act would allow people with disabilities todeposit up to $14,000 annually under current gift-tax limitations and accrue as much as $100,000 without risking eligibility for Social Security and other government programs.

Tax-Free Disability Savings Bill Headed To Obama

By Michelle Diament

The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to send legislation to the president establishing a new way for people with disabilities to save money without risking their government benefits.

Lawmakers voted 76 to 16 to approve the bill as part of a package of tax measures Tuesday evening. The legislation will now go to President Barack Obama to sign.

Originally known as the Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act, the legislation which has been under consideration since 2006 was recently renamed the Stephen Beck, Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014. A longtime proponent of the bill, Beck died unexpectedly earlier this month.

The ABLE Act would allow people with disabilities to establish special accounts where they could save money to pay for education, health care, transportation, housing and other expenses. Individuals could deposit up to $14,000 annually under current gift-tax limitations and accrue as much as $100,000 without risking eligibility for Social Security and other government programs.

Meanwhile, the bill ensures that people with disabilities can retain Medicaid coverage no matter how much money is saved in their ABLE account.

This landmark legislation puts a stake in the ground that people with disabilities, for the first time ever, can work and save money for the future, said Sara Weir, interim president of the National Down Syndrome Society.

The accounts are modeled after 529 college savings plans and interest earned on savings would be tax-free.

The bill does include some limitations, however. Each person may only have one ABLE account and to qualify a person must have a condition that occurred before the age of 26.

Its utterly unacceptable that our current laws doom a child born with a disability to a lifetime of poverty and dependence, said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., one of the measures chief sponsors. The ABLE Act will take the first critical step in ending this injustice.

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/12/17/tax-disability-savings-obama/19926/

An article inDisability Scoop by Michelle Diament about how the senator who shaped the American with Disabilities Act is stepping down after 40 years. It's interesting to read what he all has done.

Disability Champion Leaving Congress

By Michelle Diament

After 40 years on Capitol Hill, a U.S. senator who shaped the Americans with Disabilities Act is leaving his post.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is retiring at the conclusion of the year, after choosing not to seek re-election.

The departure will leave disability advocates without their strongest ally in Congress.

Often inspired by the experiences of his late brother Frank, who was deaf, Harkin has long prioritized the needs of people with disabilities, authoring the landmark ADA and pushing for legislation expanding opportunities for education, independent living, employment and physical accessibility.

Harkins passion to create a world where people with disabilities live independently and are assured of basic equal opportunity has created a lasting and positive impact on the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities, said Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, who called Harkin the disability communitys number one champion in Congress.

I do not think anyone will replace Harkin, either in spirit or in actuality. I anticipate that many senators will take up various pieces of the disability agenda, but no one will take up the entire cause, Perriello said.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who worked side-by-side with Harkin on the Senates Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee echoed that sentiment.

Sen. Harkins legacy is secure, Alexander said. He is the Senates champion of Americans with disabilities. Itll be a long time before theres a greater champion of Americans with disabilities in this body and I salute him for that.

Speaking on the Senate floor last week, Harkin urged his colleagues to continue his work.

We have made significant strides forward in changing America to fulfill two of the four goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. These two are full participation and equal opportunity, Harkin said. The other two goals independent living and economic self-sufficiency need more development.

Specifically, he called on lawmakers to support expanded opportunities for competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities, acknowledging that he hadnt done enough in that realm. And, he said more work is needed to further deinstitutionalization of people with disabilities by providing opportunities for true independent living with supports.

Harkin also lamented the Senates failure to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

I dont think anything has saddened me more in my 30 years here than the failure of the Senate to ratify the CRPD, Harkin said. I hope the next Senate will take this up and join with the rest of the world in helping make changes globally for people with disabilities.

Noting that he once delivered an entire speech on the Senate floor in sign language, Harkin turned to just one sign to close his time in Congress, pausing to teach those in the chamber the sign for America.

All of us, interconnected, bound together in a single circle of inclusion with no one left out. This is the ideal America toward which we must always aspire, he said.

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/12/16/disability-champion-leaving/19924/

This is an inspiring story done by Dave Delozier of Channel 3000/WISCTV about a man who wants to his education to help others with disabilities. He has designed several pieces of equiptment already that help people with disabilities partake in recreational activities and plans to continue to do so.

Disabled student uses education to enable others

By Dave Delozier

Twelve years ago, an accident left John Martinson paralyzed from the chest down. That day changed his life. What no one knew at the time was how many other lives would be changed as well.

Martinson, who has always enjoyed working with his hands, enrolled in the mechanical design program at Madison College. His goal was to learn the skills necessary to design equipment that could help other people with disabilities.

That means a lot to me. Ive always been a caring person and to see somebody get back to what they love to do and overcome their challenges, it is really inspiring, Martinson said.

To date he has designed a trike motorcycle that allows an individual in a wheelchair to transfer to the motorcycle. His design also has a lift system that allows the wheelchair to be put onto the back of the motorcycle.

The 54-year-old has also designed equipment that allows individuals with disabilities to ice fish. For one of his projects he designed equipment that allows an individual with special needs to hunt or trap shoot.

His instructors at Madison College said Martinsons focus on making a difference for others is evident in the classroom.

When John came into the program he was like others, coming in to learn a skill and who knows where that would take him, said Ron Olson, an instructor in the mechanical design program. Over the course of time, getting to know John it became real apparent he was here to learn that skill to help others.

Martinson said his dream job would be to work for Harley Davidson designing motorcycles for individuals with special needs. He will graduate from Madison College on Thursday.

Source: http://www.channel3000.com/news/Disabled-student-uses-education-to-enable-others/30247364

This is an interesting article inDisabled Worldabout a cool project a team at the University of Hawaii is doing. They're exploring using digital communication to provide unique experiences to people with visual impairments at national parks. This sounds like a great project!

Making National Parks Accessible for People with Vision Disabilities

By The University of Hawaii

A team of University of Hawaii at Mnoa researchers has received a $278,300 National Park Service grant for the development of new technologies to provide dynamic experiences for visitors with vision disabilities of national parks.

Led by Assistant Professor Brett Oppegaard from the School of Communications, the group will explore the use of digital communication to convert traditional "unigrid" brochures used at all national parks into an audio description-format that better serves visually impaired audiences.

"We want to make national parks more accessible to all audiences, including those who prefer audio alternatives to the traditional printed brochure," said Oppegaard. "Visually-impaired people deserve the same access to our parks as every other citizen, and audio formats enrich the media ecosystem of the parks, to include more people, in different ways."

Fostering an enriching media experience

By exploring various aspects of digital communication including media forms and storytelling styles, the research team hopes to provide a dynamic set of audio-described brochures in flexible delivery formats for pilot testing at selected park sites.

These audio files could be particularly effective for the visually impaired, especially for those who do not read braille, and for those who have other print-related disabilities, such as dyslexia.

Targeted for completion within three years, the project will involve the creation of various prototypes based at five parks throughout the nation, including one in Hawaii, complementary research studies at those parks and the development of a web tool expected to enable more audio description files to be built at even more park sites throughout the country.

Along with Oppegaard, other members of the UH Mnoa interdisciplinary research team include Assistant Professor Megan Conway and Media Coordinator Thomas Conway, both in the Center on Disabilities Studies within the College of Education. Rounding out the group is Sean Zdenek, an associate professor in the Department of English at Texas Tech University.

"The impact of this project has broader implications beyond just the National Park Service," said School of Communications Chair and Professor Ann Auman. "A successful model can be replicated at other public venues, such as museums, zoos and other state and local recreational sites, allowing individuals with disabilities to have a more engaging experience."

Source:http://www.disabled-world.com/news/america/hawaii/national-parks.php

This is a short but great article on wsau.com written by Raymond Neupert about how the elderly and people with disabilities in Wood County will have better transportation accessibility thanks to grants from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Wood County elderly resources agencies get grants for new vehicles

By Raymond Neupert

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU) Several Wood County agencies have been awarded grants from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to help upgrade and maintain transportation services for disabled residents, and for those 55 and older.

Brandon Vruwink with the countys Human Services Department says Wood County will get $117,600 to be used for two buses, including one that incorporate a new low floor design that eliminates the need for stairs or wheelchair lifts. According to Vruwink, Its an update of our current fleet. One of the buses were going to be getting is a low floor design bus thats going to make it much more accessible for folks to get in and off the bus. Opportunity Development Centers in central Wisconsin will also benefit with $25,600 for a wheelchair accessible minivan; and a $43,200 wheelchair accessible mid-sized bus is planned for The Bethel Center in Arpin to help transport area residents to health care appointments.

Residents can contact the Wood County Aging and Disability Resource Center to learn more about qualifying for transportation assistance. In Marshfield call 715-384-8479, and in Wisconsin Rapids you can call 715-421-0014.

Source: http://wsau.com/news/articles/2014/dec/11/wood-county-elderly-resources-agencies-get-grants-for-new-vehicles/

Be A Driving Force on the ADA Legacy Bus Tour

Would you like to do your part for the ADA Legacy Tour? The ADA Legacy Project is seeking a number of co-pilots to help Tom Olin reach all the stops on the ADA Legacy Tour.http://www.adalegacy.com/ada25/ada-legacy-tour

The ADA Legacy Tour bus pays tribute to the cross-disability efforts that led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The ADA Legacy Tour bus is currently traveling across the U.S. to unite communities in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ADA this comingJuly 26. To date, the bus has traveled to 18 states and more than 11,500 miles.

This bus was originally procured for the 2006-2007 Road to Freedom Tour, which sought to engage the nation on the story of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the need for amendments to further the law's impact. Both the Road to Freedom and the ADA Legacy Tours are inspired by the historic 50-state journey taken by the husband-and-wife team of Justin and Yoshiko Dart in 1988 to garner grassroots support for the yet-to-be-passed Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ADA Legacy Project & Tour (http://www.adalegacy.com/) is a collaborative effort to preserve disability rights history, generate buzz and excitement around the ADA, to educate the public, especially younger generations, on the movements leading up to the ADA and to pose the question of What will you do now to further disability rights in a post-ADA generation?

Co-pilots get great benefits. They will be traveling, sleeping, and eating on the bus with the famous social documentarian Tom Olin who, since 1985, has used photography to document disability rights history. While learning about the history of disability in the United States, co-pilots will be part of a living tour that also makes history. Co-pilots for the 35 RV and trailer must have a current drivers license, auto insurance, and a sense of humor. Experience with RV hook-ups and ability to lift boxes and attach and detach the trailer are a plus. In addition to driving the RV, duties include route navigation and set up and take down of displays at various stops. Anyone interested in marketing, media, photography, and grassroots organizing could learn amazing things from traveling with Tom Olin.

Can you be a part of that driving force to help on the ADA Bus Tour? You can sign up for sections of the tour route. Contact David Fulton, who is coordinating co-pilots atdavefulton@me.comor503-333-4288.

For more information on the ADA Legacy Project seewww.adalegacytour.com.

New Webinars on the HCBS Settings Rule Available Now

Webinar Descriptions:

A short summary by Lisa Mills, Disability Policy and Services Consulting, on the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Home and Community Settings rule. This presentation focuses on what the rule means for IRIS, Family Care, and Legacy Waivers in Wisconsin. The rule establishes specific qualities that a setting must exhibit in order for a state to qualify for federal HCBS funding including being integrated in the community, supporting independence, and involving individual choice.Link to the short presentation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkvEmfpQCZM

An in-depth overview by Lisa Mills, Disability Policy and Services Consulting, on the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Home and Community Settings rule. All states are required to implement a 5-year transition plan to meet the requirements of the new HCBS rule.Link to the longer version:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMaWdeH_sh4

Link to Survival Coalition Frequently Asked Questions on the HCBS rule changes:http://www.survivalcoalitionwi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Survival_FAQ_HCBS_100914.pdf

Here are the Survival Coalition's budget and policy recommendations for people with disabilities for 2015. It's interesting to read about all of the recommendations in the different areas.

http://www.survivalcoalitionwi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Survival-Advocacy-Recommendations-complete.pdf