News
YAHOO: Unprecedented Opportunity for Entertainment Professionals With Disabilities in RespectAbility's New Summer Lab
By SD Network, 2019-05-22
Great entertainment requires authentic stories and genuine representation of all people. This includes diverse people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health and other disabilities. RespectAbility, the nonprofit which created The Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit, is now offering a lab series for emerging entertainment professionals.
Voice activated digital assistants have become more and more popular in households around the world. Simple voice commands can literally do thousands of tasks. However, for some people with disabilities, these amazing tools are inaccessible without some sort of augmented feedback. An engineer at Google went on a mission to change that for a very special reason--his brother has disabilities and is unable to speak. He developed a device that triggers commands to the device without having to verbalize them. It involves a button that plugs into a phone, laptop, or tablet using a wired headphone jack that can be connected via Bluetooth to access the assistant.
- Is at least 18 years old
- Has a neurological diagnosis (such as but not limited to post-polio syndrome, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis) for at least 6 months.
- Use a wheelchair (manual or power) at least 75% of your mobility time inside your home and 100% of the time outside your home.
- Has a computer with internet access.
- Is able to read and understand English.
ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING: New Research Grant Opportunity: Technologies to Enhance Independence and Community Living for People with Cognitive Impairments
By SD Network, 2019-05-22
A new grant opportunity from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at ACL has been announced.
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Enhance Independence and Community Living for People with Cognitive Impairments:NIDILRR seeks to fund research and development toward technologies that contribute to improved abilities of adults with cognitive impairment to perform daily activities of their choice in the home, community, or workplace.
The purpose of the RERC program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by conducting advanced engineering research on and development of innovative technologies that are designed to solve particular rehabilitation problems or to remove environmental barriers. RERCs also demonstrate and evaluate such technologies, facilitate service delivery system changes, stimulate the production and distribution of new technologies and equipment in the private sector, and provide training opportunities.
Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on July 15, 2019.
There's no doubt that technology has become much more accessible to people with disabilities. However, many people feel there's lots of room to improve things.Making it easier for developers to identify and correct errors in code that prevent platforms from being accessible is just one example. The good news is that companies are learning to cater to people with disabilities.
A growing collection of stock images that break stereotypes and authentically portray people with disabilities in everyday life are being compiled for use by the public. The efforts are being led by a partnership between leaders in the stock images and disability rights fields. There are over 350 images in the Disability Collection's inaugural batch of images. The images show people with disabilities participating in everyday life activities. The team took an unique approach to compiling the images. They performed focus groups and collected feedback from various disability organizations.
May 2019
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Call for Exhibitors
The Wisconsin Self-Determination Conference empowers people with disabilities to have more control over their lives. Each year, people with disabilities, their families and people who support them participate in the conference to learn more about self-determination and self-directed supports so they can live more independently, actively participate in their communities, and use public funds efficiently.
The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities is currently accepting applications to be an Exhibitor/Micro-enterprise vendor at the Self-Determination Conference. Tables will be available on Tuesday October 15th and Wednesday October 16th. Space is limited and only applications from exhibitors that directly support self-determination and self-direction in WI will be accepted. Apply to be an exhibitor 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 May, we shine the spotlight on Marilee. This advocate extraordinaire doesn’t let limitations get in the way of leading a very successful life. In addition to owning her own graphic design business, she’s very involved in ADAPT. She encourages people to get involved in disability advocacy and to never give up. Stop by this month's Member Spotlight to get to know Marilee.
"Imagine relying on assistance of another person to accomplish every single task you need to survive on Earth. For people with disabilities (born with or acquired) or health conditions, relying on other people to assist you with all of your basic needs can often seem overwhelming."
In this month's entry, Stacy discusses how having to rely on others can be very challenging at times. We encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences as well.
Take five minutes to check out what's happening on the Self-Determination Network:
- Program Extension: Legislation that the President recently signed ensures that a program that moves people with disabilities from institutions to the community can stick around while advocates push for a longer-term solution. Lean about how the program is helping move people into the community.
- Effort to Expand Respite Care: Caring for loved ones with special needs is often very rewarding, but it can also take a physical, emotional and financial toll on families. Read about a bipartisan bill that would boost respite care services across the country.
- New TV Show: A new television series chronicling the experiences of people with autism and other special needs as they search for meaningful employment is set to debut. Find out more about the show.
- Research Funding Opportunity on Family Support: The purpose of this opportunity is to conduct research, training, technical assistance, and related activities to contribute to effective support of family caregivers of people with disabilities, and ultimately to improved community living, health and function, and employment outcomes of people with disabilities who are supported by family members. This opportunity closes on June 10th.
- Neighborhood for Those with Special Needs: In recent years, more and more housing options for people with disabilities have appeared. Read about how, in Phoenix Arizona, a whole neighborhood is being developed for people with special needs.
- Advocacy Training Opportunities: PIP and YiPPE are training programs for parents and youth with disabilities to learn about the transition process in the areas of employment, education, living and health. Find out more about these great programs.
- Worries about Medicaid Changes: Advocates worry that Medicaid funding for people with disabilities could be jeopardized if some states succeed in overhauling how they receive federal dollars. Learn why advocates are worried.
- Governor Evers' First Signed Bill: Recently, Governor Evers signed his first bill into law. Find out why this bill was so significant to the disability community.
- Managed Care Providers Investigation: With many states turning to private insurers to handle Medicaid services, an investigation is underway to investigate whether these insurers are offering people with disabilities the care they're entitled to. Read about why it's being questioned.
- National Family Support Program: A research brief serves as an introduction to the National Family Caregiver Support Program and related programs administered by Administration for Community Living (ACL) that provide support to caregivers of older adults, as well as caregivers of persons with disabilities. Learn about this new program.
Here's a sample of upcoming events listed on the Self-Determination Network:
- Long Term Care Advocacy Team: May 14th, 2:30p.m. to 3:30p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee WI
- 'Intelligent Lives' Free Film Screening!: May 22nd, 6:30p.m. to 9:30p.m., Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton WI
- Transportation Consumer Advocacy Team (TCAT): May 28th, 1p.m. to 3p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee WI
- Webinar: Accessible Public Rights-Of-Way Open Q&A Session: June 6th, 1:30p.m. to 3p.m., Online
- SpecialCare Presentation: June 11th, 11:30a.m. to 1p.m, Thunder Bay Grille, Pewaukee WI
- Long Term Care Advocacy Team: June 11th, 2:30p.m. to 3:30p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee WI
- Paratransit Pizza Ranch Outing: June 17th, 10:45a.m. to 2p.m., Pizza Ranch, Waukesha WI
- Transportation Consumer Advocacy Team (TCAT): June 25th, 1p.m. to 3p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee WI
- Lynzay Legois Adaptive Water Skiing: June 28th, 12p.m. to 5:30p.m., Fischer County Park, Burlington WI
- Long Term Care Advocacy Team: July 9th, 2:30p.m. to 3:30p.m., IndependenceFirst, Milwaukee WI
- ADA Day: July 12th, 10:30a.m. to 12p.m., Capitol Library, Milwaukee WI
- Transportation Consumer Advocacy Team (TCAT): July 30th, 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.
The Wisconsin Self-Determination Conference empowers people with disabilities to have more control over their lives. Each year, people with disabilities, their families and people who support them participate in the conference to learn more about self-determination and self-directed supports so they can live more independently, actively participate in their communities, and use public funds efficiently.
The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities is currently accepting applications to be an Exhibitor/Micro-enterprise vendor at the Self-Determination Conference. Tables will be available on Tuesday October 15th and Wednesday October 16th. Space is limited and only applications from exhibitors that directly support self-determination and self-direction in WI will be accepted.