News
InControl Wisconsin invites you to submit a proposal to be considered for presentation at the 4th annual Aging Empowerment Conference: Living a Self-Determined Life.
Scheduled June 6 (full conference) and June 7 (Self-Determination Summit) at the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, this unique event gathers older adults, their families, and the professionals who support them and explores self-determination and empowerment in aging.
Sponsor and Exhibitor opportunities available, invitation attached!
Click here to register online: https://www.regonline.com/AECsponsor2017
The deadline for proposal submission is February 15, 2017.
Please contact Peggy Rynearson, Conference Planner, with any questions, at608/446-4206 or prynearson@gmail.com
2017 Aging Empowerment Call for Sponsors/Exhibitors SponsorExhibitorOpportunities2017Fillable (1).pdf, 1.2MB ∞
InControl Wisconsin invites you to submit a proposal to be considered for presentation at the 4th annual Aging Empowerment Conference: Living a Self-Determined Life.
Scheduled June 6 (full conference) and June 7 (Self-Determination Summit) at the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, this unique event gathers older adults, their families, and the professionals who support them and explores self-determination and empowerment in aging.
We are seeking proposals for both the conference workshops and summit programming.
The Call for Presentations deadline for submission has been extended to March 1st.
See attached brochure for more information.
2017 Aging Empowerment Call for Presentations Call for Presentations_2017 2 AEC Fillable (1).pdf, 7.7MB ∞
Please contact Peggy Rynearson, Conference Planner, with any questions, at608/446-4206 or prynearson@gmail.com
U.S. Access Board Updates Requirements for Information and Communication Technology
By SD Network, 2017-01-10
We thank the Great Lakes ADA Center for providing us with information about updated accessibility requirements for information and technology in the federal sector. In the final rule, it also updates guidelines for telecommunications equipment. In addition to enhancing web accessibility guidelines, the updated requirements specify the technologies covered and provide both performance-based and technical requirements for hardware, software, and support documentation and services.
U.S. Access Board Updates Requirements for Information and Communication Technology
The U.S. Access Board today released a final rule that updates accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) in the federal sector covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The rule also refreshes guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act.
"This update is essential to ensure that the Board's Section 508 standards and the Communications Act guidelines keep pace with the ever-changing technologies covered and continue to meet the access needs of people with disabilities," states Sachin Pavithran, Chair of the Board's ICT ad hoc committee. "The Access Board is grateful for the input it received from the public and stakeholders throughout the rulemaking process which greatly enhanced the final product."
The rule jointly updates and reorganizes the Section 508 standards and Section 255 guidelines in response to market trends and innovations, such as the convergence of technologies. The refresh also harmonizes these requirements with other guidelines and standards both in the U.S. and abroad, including standards issued by the European Commission and with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a globally recognized voluntary consensus standard for web content and ICT. In fact, the rule references Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 and applies them not only to websites, but also to electronic documents and software.
"Throughout this process," according to Access Board Executive Director David M. Capozzi, "the Board worked very hard to ensure consistency with other consensus guidelines and international standards to promote global harmonization and facilitate compliance." He noted that, "ICT requirements that are closely aligned remove ambiguity, increase marketplace competition, and lead to better accessibility features and outcomes."
The updated requirements specify the technologies covered and provide both performance-based and technical requirements for hardware, software, and support documentation and services. Access is addressed for all types of disabilities, including those pertaining to vision, hearing, color perception, speech, cognition, manual dexterity, and reach. The rule, which will be published later this month in theFederal Register, restructures provisions so that they are categorized by functionality instead of by product type due to the increasingly multi-functional capabilities of ICT products. Revisions are also made to improve ICT usability, including interoperability with assistive technologies, and to clarify the types of ICT covered, such as electronic documents.
The Board released a proposed version of the rule for public comment in February 2015 and, before that, earlier drafts of the rule. The rule is based on recommendations from an advisory panel the Board chartered, the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee which included representatives from industry, disability groups, government agencies, foreign countries, and other stakeholders.
The rule will take effect in one year. The Section 508 standards, which are incorporated into the federal government's procurement regulations, apply to ICT procured, developed, maintained, or used by federal agencies. The Communications Act guidelines cover telephones, cell phones, pagers, computers with modems, switching equipment and other telecommunications equipment.
The Board will conduct a webinar on the rule on February 2.
For further information, visit the Board's website or contact Timothy Creagan at (202) 272-0016 (v), (202) 272-0074 (TTY), or508@access-board.gov.
We thank the Great Lakes ADA Center for providing us with information about new accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment. These standards will ensure that equipment such as examination tables and chairs, scales, and radiological equipment are accessible to people with disabilities. In addition to the final rule, which includes a discussion of the requirements and background on how they were developed, the Board released an assessment of the benefits and impacts of the standards and an overview of the rule.
U.S. Access Board Issues Standards for Medical Diagnostic Equipment
The U.S. Access Board has issued new accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) under section 510 of the Rehabilitation Act. The standards provide design criteria for examination tables and chairs, weight scales, radiological and mammography equipment, and other diagnostic equipment that are accessible to people with disabilities. They include requirements for equipment that requires transfer from mobility aids and address transfer surfaces, support rails, armrests, and other features. The Board developed the standards in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration.
"The new standards will be instrumental in ensuring access to health care services," states Regina Blye, Vice Chair of the Access Board. "The Board is pleased to fill this gap in accessibility because diagnostic equipment has remained problematic for many people with disabilities due largely to the lack of design specifications for making such equipment accessible."
Barriers to diagnostic equipment include equipment height and other dimensions, the lack of supports and features necessary for transfer, and the characteristics of contact surfaces. The standards address these as well as other features such as operable parts and patient instructions. The provisions are organized based on use position (standing, lying down, or seated) and whether transfer from wheelchairs is necessary. In addition to the final rule, which includes a discussion of the requirements and background on how they were developed, the Board released an assessment of the benefits and impacts of the standards and an overview of the rule.
The Board previously issued the standards in proposed form for public comment. Following the comment period, the Board organized a panel of stakeholders to develop consensus recommendations on how the standards should be finalized according to the comments received. The MDE Accessibility Standards Advisory Committee, whose 24 members included representatives from disability groups, equipment manufacturers, health care providers, and standard-setting organizations, among others, presented its recommendations in a report to the Board. The final standards are based on the committee's recommendations and the public comments received on the proposed standards.
As issued by the Board, the standards are not mandatory on health care providers and equipment manufacturers. The U.S. Department of Justice, which has issued guidance on access to medical care, may adopt them as mandatory requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other federal agencies may implement them as well under the Rehabilitation Act which requires access to federally funded programs and services.
Visit the Board's website for further information or contact Earlene Sesker at sesker@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0022 (v), or (202) 272-0091 (TTY).
It's pretty well known that Wisconsin has a shortage of direct care workers. A conducted survey of those who rely on direct care services revealed that 85% of respondents said that they don't have enough people to cover all shifts and 95% reported that it's hard to find workers. Some suggest solutions might include better pay and an increase to Medicaid rates. In southwest Wisconsin, high schools are offering students paid apprenticeships which come with college credits.
Thanks to a new law which recently took effect, people with disabilities can now create their own special needs trusts. Previously, these trusts could only be setup by a parent, grandparent, guardian, or a court. The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act was approved by the Senate awhile ago and passed by the House in September; however, due to some differences in the House version, it was returned to the Senate, and bundled into the 21st Century Cures Act which was recently signed by the President.
A recent report found that the percentage of people with disabilities staying in hotels has remained steady and that there has been a noticeable decline in obstacles reported during those stays. In addition to physical accessibility improving, the report also revealed that "customer service/personnel obstacles" are improving.
We thank the Great Lakes ADA Center for providing us with information about new ADA guidelines for transportation vehicles. The guidelines address things such as boarding access, fare devices, interior circulation, seating and securement, signs, lighting, and announcement systems.
U.S. Access Board Updates ADA Guidelines for Buses and Vans
The U.S. Access Board has issued a final rule updating sections of its accessibility guidelines for transportation vehicles covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The rule revises provisions in the guidelines that apply to buses and vans to enhance accessibility and to address industry trends and improvements in design and technology. The guidelines, which the Board originally published in 1991, apply to new or remanufactured vehicles (they also include provisions for rail vehicles that the Board will update separately).
The guidelines for buses and vans address boarding access, fare devices, interior circulation, seating and securement, signs, lighting, and announcement systems. The rule reduces the maximum slope for vehicle ramps because low floor buses are now ubiquitous in fixed route systems. New provisions also address level boarding systems and incorporate updated standards for wheelchair securement systems. The rule improves communication access by requiring that buses in fixed route systems with at least 100 buses have automated stop and route announcements that are visual as well as audible. Further, access to over-the-road buses, which are typically used in commuter and long-distance bus lines and charter services, is more comprehensively addressed. In addition to these substantive changes, the rule features a new format and numbering system. An assessment of the costs and benefits is included with the rule.
"The Board is eager to issue this update which will improve usability aboard buses and vans by building upon the significant engineering and technological advancements that have occurred over the years," states Access Board Executive Director David M. Capozzi. "We will now turn our attention to updating the sections on rail vehicles."
The Board previously issued versions of the rule in draft and proposed forms for public comment and has finalized the rule based on the feedback received. At a later date, the Board will propose updates to sections of the guidelines covering vehicles in fixed guideway systems, including rapid, light, commuter, and intercity rail, according to recommendations from an advisory committee it chartered, the Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee, which submitted its report to the Board last year.
The Board's vehicle guidelines serve as the basis for mandatory standards issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) under the ADA. Compliance with the updated requirements for buses and vans will become mandatory once specified by DOT in a future update of its ADA standards.
For further information, visit the Board's website or contact Scott Windley at (202) 272-0025 (voice), (202), 272-0028 (TTY), or windley@access-board.gov.
New ABLE for ALL Savings Plan helps individuals with disabilities secure greater financial and personal freedom and is available nationwide to aid families and people with disability in saving for a better life. Until now, people with disabilities couldn't save money without risk of losing their government benefits. People can use these accounts for expenses associated with living with a disability. There are certain qualifications and stipulations for these accounts, but it's available nationwide and people can sign up online.
TRAVEL WEEKLY: DOT proposes to improve airplane restroom access for disabled
By SD Network, 2017-01-04
The Department of Transportation is aiming to improve accessibility of airplane restrooms for people with disabilities. Airplane restrooms are currently too small for people who use wheelchairs. While the change wouldn't be immediate, under the proposal, beginning with airplanes delivered three years after the rule takes affect, airlines would have to take certain measures to make restrooms accessible.
The rule proposal would also improve in-flight entertainment for passengers who have hearing and visual impairments. It recommends that carriers be required to offer in-flight entertainment in closed-captioned and audio-described versions.
The Department of Transportation is expected to begin the rulemaking process for the proposal in July.