Unlock the Waiting Lists! ACTION ALERT

GET READY FOR A CHALLENGING
2010 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Bringing you up to Speed:
HB 228 restructured the Department of Human Resources, creating the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). Home and Community-based services for people with Developmental Disabilities will be funded in the DBHDD budget. The ICWP home and community-based services will remain under the Department of Community Health.

The Situation:
Georgia’s revenue has been in decline for the last 9 months – a 14.2% average decrease.
To date, $3.2 billion dollars have been cut from state agencies.
The FY 2010 cut to DBHDD was $118.6 million, a 14.7% reduction.
A higher federal Medicaid match rate from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds replaced $65.1 million, leaving a $53.5 million cut.
Georgia is under an OCR Voluntary Compliance Agreement to write and implement The Olmstead Plan.

The Need:
6309 individuals are on the waiting list for the NOW / COMP waiver. Nearly 4,000 are on the SHORT TERM list.
179 individuals are on the waiting list for the ICWP waiver.
There are not enough state family support dollars to keep people stable at home while they wait.
Over 800 people with developmental disabilities remain in state hospitals; more are in nursing facilities with both DD and physical disabilities.

The Request:
SUPPORT DBHDD’s request for 1500 NOW/COMP waiver services • $20,596,290 •
Support DCH’s request for 100 ICWP waiver slots under MFP • $1,199,652 • and cover ICWP waiting list • $1,829,854 •
Support an increase in state funded family support dollars (NOT currently included in the budget).
Support the Division of Developmental Disabilities’ request for a cost study on provider rates, and stabilize the rate structure so providers can stay in business.
Support the request for a new multi-year funding plan for Home and Community-based Services, effective FY 2011, for 5 years.

ACTIVATE! CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS! ACTIVATE! CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS!

More than 300 organizations statewide support the Unlock the Waiting Lists! Campaign
Legislative Leadership: GCDD • Two Peachtree Street NW • Atlanta, Georgia 30303 • 404.657.2126
Grassroots Coordination: AADD • 1440 Dutch Valley Place, Suite 200 • Atlanta, Georgia 30324 • 404.881.9777 x 220
www.unlockthewaitinglists.com

Facts About Healthy Hearing

From the Starkey Hearing Foundation

The complexities of health care science often obscure simple facts that every person should know. This is definitely true in the realm of hearing health, where thousands are actively doing permanent damage to their hearing without even knowing it.

So, here are things everyone should know about hearing health:

-People today are losing their hearing two-and-a-half times faster than their parents or grandparents.
-It’s not just old people at risk of hearing problems. We are living longer so making smart listening choices while we’re young is more important than ever.

Choose listening devices wisely.

-Hearing problems can contribute to many health problems, including depression, hypertension and a diminished immune system.
-In most cases, hearing problems develop slowly and imperceptibly.
Only 16 percent of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss. Ask to be screened!
-Most hearing loss can be prevented by using a little bit of common sense.
-Start protecting your hearing now.
-Within a few years, estimates have the number of Americans experiencing hearing loss at more than 40 million.
-Avoid prolonged noise and even short bursts of very loud sound, both of which can damage your hearing.
-While hearing loss is not reversible, most age-related or noise-related loss can be managed.

Just as eyeglasses are used to correct most vision problems, hearing instruments are used to treat most kinds of hearing loss. Any treatment starts with a hearing screening by a doctor or hearing professional.

Preventative Steps to Protect Your Hearing or the Hearing of a Loved One

Anyone can protect their hearing by following a few, very easy steps to keep the sounds loud and clear!

-Avoid prolonged exposure to entertainment devices, such as MP3 players, televisions, stereos, etc.
-If you are in a noisy restaurant or environment and find yourself constantly asking “what?”, the noise level may be too loud.
-If you are wearing the popular “ear bud” headsets and the people around you can hear the music, it’s too loud.
-When using personal listening devices, check manufacturer’s data on how to set noise volume controls for your children.
-When attending concerts or loud sporting events, wear filtered ear plugs to control your personal noise level. Have your children wear ear protection, too!
-Wear hearing protection when doing lawn work or operating loud equipment such as chain saws, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc.
-Set an example for your children and discuss the reason for wearing hearing protection.
-Ask your doctor to screen your hearing annually, or visit a licensed audiologist or hearing specialist. Most of these tests are free!

http://www.soundmatters.org/news_hearinghealth.php
http://sotheworldmayhear.org/aboutus/

© 2009. Sound Matters - A Starkey Hearing Foundation Initiative. All Rights Reserved. Trademarks used are properties of their respective owners. The soundmatters.org domain has been donated by Soundmatters International, Inc. http://www.soundmatters.com/

Program Helps Students With Disabilities Get Textbooks

By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, November 3, 2009

When Kevin Roberts needs a textbook he goes to his college's disabled student services office for help. The office secures digital versions of the text so that Roberts, who is blind and wears hearing aids in both ears, can use a computer program that reads the material to him.

It used to take colleges up to a month to get an alternative text delivered to students. But a new national partnership involving a Georgia group makes it possible for students to get the material in about three or four days.

"When I was in high school I didn't have access to anything like this," said Roberts, a student at Columbus Technical College. "Now I can work on my computer and study just like any other student."

More than 650 college across the country use the AccessText Network, a new online database aimed at making it easier for students who are blind, dyslexic or have other print-related disabilities to get specialized textbooks.

Federal law requires colleges to give students with disabilities equal access to course materials, but getting copies that accommodate students' needs is challenging, said Christopher Lee, director of the Alternative Media Access Center, a state-wide initiative started by the University System of Georgia to provide technology and alternative texts to students with disabilities. The center is a partner in the new network with the Association of American Publishers.

Typically, each college must track down the publisher of each textbook one of its students with disabilities needs. Then the college has to ask for an electronic file, if it exists. Then it has to be converted to a format students can use. The process can take up to a month, Lee said.

In the meantime students don't have their texts and can't complete assignments, said Sarah Rogers, who is dyslexic and a senior at Toccoa Falls College.

The new network streamlines the process by serving as a go-between for colleges and publishers, said Bruce Hildebrand, executive director for higher education at the publishers' association. The network cuts down on the paperwork required to protect copyrights and makes it possible for colleges to share the time and resources it takes to convert the textbook into files for students, he said.

Publishing companies paid about $1 million total to develop the network, Hildebrand said. The program is currently free but organizers said they will charge colleges an annual fee starting in July ranging from $375 to $500, depending on the institution's size.

Rogers, an English major, said the process makes it possible for her to read assigned books and participate in class discussions.

"You don't want to have to go to a professor and ask for any accommodations," she said. "I don't want any labels or anything special. I just want to do my work."

http://www.ajc.com/news/program-helps-students-with-184848.html
© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Korea's Invisible People

Disabled student Hyeon-bok reflects on his own life as a disabled person in South Korea and on the low visibility of disabled people in the wider community

I have cerebral palsy. So I have some difficulty walking, but I don’t let that handicap me when I am with my friends. But many people think I’m very lucky. Maybe they think I’m superman sometimes. They overemphasise my success, the fact that I have a job the same as they do. They think I work harder than people with no disability.

This may be because disabled people aren’t that visible in Korea. We’re regarded as pitiful and weak. So, they say “can I help you?” When I was younger I got irritable when I heard that. But now I’m more accepting of their help; lifting a bag, giving a seat, etc.

But I like my independent life and I think I can do pretty much anything.

In Korea I’ve stood out because, for example, I’ve been the only visible disabled person since I was an elementary school student. I didn’t see a single other disabled boy or girl in schooldays. But these days there are some disabled people attending university. And they’ve formed a group and have a meeting once a month.

In fact, I’ve found many advantages because I’m disabled. When I wanted to enter my university, I chose an affirmative action initiative for disabled students. It’s been running since 2002, and was designed to give disabled students a high-class education. Now, about 2,000 students enter university each year, and those people are more likely now to find work.

Other disabled Koreans aren’t so lucky. When I was reporter on my university’s newspaper, I saw people living in segregated accommodation. But they wanted to live independently with their own house, their job, their own leisure time. They said to me, “I save my salary, to buy my house.” But now many disabled people find getting their independent life difficult. I think their families are concerned that independent living would be very hard for them. But they still want it.

My friend who has learning difficulties said to me: “In separate accommodation, I often feel tamed because it isn’t exciting. I know I may feel uncomfortable when I live alone or with friends. But it will be good experience for me.” Some disabled people demonstrate against having to live in this segregated way. So, as you can see, the right to an independent life is a hot issue in Korea.

Most disabled people in Korea attend special school. But Korean special education doesn’t give them opportunities for social activities. So some of them prefer to enter normal school. But people with learning difficulties especially find it hard to get a normal education. Many of them go to vocational school. There are about 200 of these.

But they find it difficult to get a job because many employers think that we are less productive than non-disabled people. Korea has affirmative action named “Disability Employment Promotion Act”.

This action says: “All firms which have more than 300 workers must have two per cent disabled people in their workforce. If they don’t keep to this quota they have to pay a penalty. But many firms choose to pay the penalty rather than observe the quota.

In 2008 fewer than 1.5 per cent of Korean disabled people were in employment. Furthermore, most disabled people have basic labouring jobs. But those of us who are university graduates aspire to jobs better fitted to our skills.

To sum up, many disabled people in Korea live in poor conditions. Of course, government supports them financially with benefits and tax relief, and creating affirmative action for getting people into employment in the civil service. But this doesn’t solve the problems most people face in their lives.

If they have family, their poverty becomes worse because they can’t make money to feed their family. I think the only real solution is getting jobs for them. This is the key to a better life.


http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/world-view/koreas-invisible-people

Principals Want More Special Education Teachers, Consistency In IDEA

By Shaun Heasley
For Disabilityscoop
November 4, 2009

Lawmakers should work to increase the number of special education teachers and establish consistency in the implementation of services when Congress meets next year to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a group of school principals says.

The recommendations are just two resulting from a task force of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The group composed of middle and high school principals, assistant principals and college-level educators came together beginning in 2007 to assess the current state of IDEA and recommend changes for the 2010 reauthorization.

The recommendations released this week are:
• Help schools recruit and retain special education teachers.
• Boost opportunities for training and professional development for school staff working with students who have disabilities.
• Ensure that students have a transition plan with goals for life after high school by the time they are in the eighth grade or reach age 14.
• Research best practices for instruction and strategies to use with students who have various disabilities. Then, establish model individualized education plans (IEPs) and transition plans following these practices for school districts to base their own plans on.
• Create consistency across school districts so that student information can be easily transferred when a student moves to a new school.
• Improve year end evaluations so that IEP teams can better assess a student’s progress.
• Create incentives for highly qualified teachers to gain certification in special education as well as general education.
• Standardize language used across school districts to define a student’s disability and level of need.
• Fully fund IDEA.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/11/04/idea-recommendations/6044/

Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions click here.

People With Disabilities In UK Twice As Likely To Live In Poverty

By Michelle Diament
For Disabilityscoop
November 4, 2009

Discrimination and poverty are increasing problems for people with disabilities in the United Kingdom, an annual survey finds.

In a survey of over 1,250 adults with disabilities, the advocacy group Leonard Cheshire Disability found that 42 percent of British people with disabilities are struggling to live on their current income. That’s a 9 percent rise since the group did a similar study in 2007.

“Disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as non-disabled people,” says John Knight, director of policy and campaigns at Leonard Cheshire Disability. “With disabled people entering the recession on a profoundly unequal footing to non-disabled people, the need for a government strategy to tackle disability poverty is now more urgent than ever.”

Meanwhile, discrimination also appears to be increasing. Nearly 1 in 10 survey respondents said they had been a victim of a crime committed based on their disability. And, 43 percent reported that they lost out on job opportunities because of an employer’s attitude about their disability.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/11/04/uk-survey/6050/

Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions click here.

Bally’s Fitness Cons Man With Disabilities Into Membership, Family Says

By Shaun Heasley
For Disabilityscoop
November 4, 2009

An Indiana man with developmental disabilities was duped into a monthly gym membership by representatives of Bally’s who showed up at his door and drove him to the gym, the man’s family says.

Two men from Bally’s Total Fitness approached Mark Hannon,49, at his Indianapolis apartment and then drove him to a local gym to sign up for a year-long contract. Hannon has the functional abilities of a man much younger than his 49 years.

The contract Hannon agreed to included a $29.99 monthly withdrawal from his bank account plus $69.98 in initial fees for the first and last month of membership and a service fee.

When Hannon’s brothers went to the gym to request a refund, gym officials were unwilling to make any concessions, reports 6News, the Indianapolis ABC affiliate. To read more click here.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/11/04/ballys/6055/

Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions click here.

Announcing a Holiday Dance for Young Adults

When:
Saturday, December 5, 2009

Time:
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Location:
North Atlanta School of Performing Arts
2875 Northside Dr NW
Atlanta, GA 30305

Put on your party clothes and come join your friends for an evening of dancing and fun! We’ll have snacks and beverages and our favorite DJ, Sammy Rosenberg! Have your picture made with your friends!

$15 per person in advance
$20 per person at the door

Or, mail your name, address, phone #,
and email address with a check for $15 to
Cynthia Jones
138 Cloister Drive
Peachtree City, GA 30269

For information, contact Cynthia Jones at:
Executive_Director@AtlantaDSAA.org
404.320.3233

Teacher Fired For Reporting IDEA Violations Can Sue, Court Rules

By Michelle Diament
For Disabilityscoop
November 3, 2009

A California educator who says she was fired for speaking out about the limited services provided to her special education students can sue for retaliation, an appeals court has ruled.

Susan Barker was a resource specialist in Riverside, Calif. in 2005 when she raised red flags about the limited services provided to students with disabilities in the school district. She made a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and says her superiors in the school district promptly began intimidating her.

Barker says her colleagues stopped communicating by phone and e-mail, excluded her from staff meetings, limited her responsibilities and changed her work location. As a result, she alleged in a lawsuit against the school district that she was “constructively terminated” in August 2006 because her employer “subjected her to an intolerable work environment.”

A lower court said that Barker lacked standing to sue because she does not have a disability and was claiming retaliation for advocating on behalf of her students under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

On appeal, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said otherwise, asserting that educators do have the right to claim retaliation if they are acting on behalf of their students.

Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions click here.

The Center for Autism and Related Disorders Research Team Finds a Higher Intensity of ABA Treatment at a Younger Age Leads to Faster Learning

The Effects of Age and Treatment Intensity on Behavioral Intervention Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders article is published in the current edition of Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

LOS ANGELES, CA, October 17, 2009 /Disability News Articles/ -- Researchers at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD) found that increasing treatment hours within an early intensive behavioral intervention program resulted in greater efficiency in new skill acquisition.
This effect was the strongest in younger children within their study. In Effects of Age and Treatment Intensity on Behavioral Intervention Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, published in the September 2009 edition of Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, CARD researchers Doreen Granpeesheh, Dennis R. Dixon, Jonathan Tarbox, Andrew M. Kaplan, and Arthur E. Wilke found that an increase in treatment hours and a decrease in child age predicted an increase in the number of skills learned per hour of treatment. For example, a child between two to five years old, receiving 150 therapy hours per month would master an average of 54 skills per month. If this same child received only 40 therapy hours per month they would on average master 21 skills per month. This is contrasted to a child between five to seven years, who would master 57 skills per month if given 150 monthly therapy hours. And an average of 15 skills per month if given 40 therapy hours per month.

The 245 participants were selected from a pool of clients receiving behavioral intervention services at a CARD, a nation-wide provider of Applied Behavior Analysis-based treatment programs for children and young adults with ASDs. The participants were between 16 months and 12 years old, received an average of 20 or more hours of intervention per month, and had mastered at least one skill per month. Participants were from California, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, Virginia, and New York.

"While several studies have addressed the association between age and treatment intensity or hours of therapy received, this study is one of only two that used such a large sample of children," Tarbox said. "Plus, since CARD serves a large number of children across the United States, we were able to investigate questions at a scale that isn't normally possible. The size and geographic diversity of the study population decreases the likelihood that there are regional biases and increases the likelihood that these outcomes can be generalized across a larger region.

Only one other autism treatment study, based in Canada, included a larger number of participants. It included over 300 children residing in Ontario, Canada.

The study outcomes showed that younger children learned faster than the older children, all other things being equal. It also showed that increases in therapy hours resulted in increases in new learned skills.

"This is what we have suspected all along, but it wasn't until now that we had data across such a large group of children that really showed it clearly," Dixon said. "It's important to keep in mind, though, that this does not mean older kids on the spectrum can't learn - they certainly can and do - it just means you get a larger effect out of the same dose of behavioral treatment when the treatment is implemented early."

The study also showed no point of diminishing returns as hours were increased. Meaning that 20 hours per week was better than 10, 30 hours per week was better than 20, and 40 was better than 30. The degree of improvement did not decrease as treatment intensity approached 40 hours per week.

"It's common for therapy programs to max out at 40 hours per week, however, based on our findings the magic number of 40 hours per week may not really be the upper limit at all," Tarbox said. "We may actually be able to get even better outcomes with a larger intensity of treatment - but of course, more research would be needed before we could make conclusions such as those."

Questions regarding this study should be directed to Dr. Jonathan Tarbox, CARD Director of Research at j.tarbox@centerforautism.com or 818.345.2345.

About the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD):CARD is committed to science as the most objective and reliable approach to evaluating treatment for autism. CARD's mission is to conduct empirical research on the assessment and treatment of autism and to disseminate CARD's research findings and derived technology through publication and education of professionals and the public. While the primary focus of CARD's research is ABA-based methods of assessment and treatment, CARD's overall approach to research includes any topic which may hold promise for producing information that could improve the lives of individuals with autism.

In addition, CARD maintains a reputation as one of the world's largest and most experienced organizations effectively treating children with autism, Asperger's Syndrome, PDD-NOS, and related disorders. Following the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), CARD develops individualized treatment plans for children worldwide. For more information about CARD, visit http://www.centerforautism.com/ .

For more information about the CARD Research department, visit www.centerforautism.com/autism_research.

http://disabilitynewsarticles.com/disability_articles/2009/10/the-center-for-autism-and-related-disorders-research-team-finds-a-higher-intensity-of-aba-treatment-at-a-younger-age-leads-to-faster-learning-120685.htm

Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/

Press Release Contact Information:Daphne Plump CARD, Inc. Marketing Coordinator 19019 Ventura Blvd Los Angeles, CA USA 91356 Voice: 81834502345 Website: Visit Our Website