Next Meeting of Lifespan Cross Disability Alliance
- June 12th
On January 29th, representatives of a broad range
of disability constituencies participated in a meeting to discuss the formation
of a cross disability advocacy group. Despite bad weather and critical hearings
at the state legislature on mental health issues, 47 people attended. After the
meeting another 35 people have asked to be added to our mailing list. The group
decided that there is a need for a state-wide, cross disability group that
covers people across their lifespan that advocates for disability issues. A
steering Committee was formed and has met several times. They are in the process
of visiting the Cross Disability Coalition in Rhode Island and will be
conducting a teleconference with the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition. The
next meeting of the full alliance will be on June 12th at New England
Assistive Technology Center in Hartford. Click for a link to the flyer with
more information. All are invited!
Jury
Awards $240 Million for Long-Term Abuse of Workers with Intellectual
Disabilities
Historic
Verdict Against Henry's Turkey Service for Men Subjected to Verbal and Physical
Harassment, Housed in Substandard Facilities, Denied Medical
Care
WASHINGTON
- A Davenport, Iowa jury today awarded the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) damages totaling $240 million - the largest verdict in the
federal agency's history - for disability discrimination and severe
abuse. The
jury agreed with the EEOC that Hill County Farms, doing business as Henry's
Turkey Service subjected a group of 32 men with intellectual disabilities to
severe abuse and discrimination for a period between 2007 and 2009, after 20
years of similar mistreatment.
"The
verdict sends an important message that the conduct that occurred here is
intolerable in this nation, and hopefully will help to restore dignity and
acknowledge the humanity of the workers who were mistreated for so many
years," said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. Read More...
Able Lives
A lot of you may remember the Able Lives website that is run by the CTCDD that hosts the series of TV shows that were produced on disability issues by CPTV and the CTCDD. The Able Lives website was in need of major repairs and updates. That work has now been completed and the site is now once again available at ablelives.org. The new Able Lives also has a forum which we hope to use to start an online dialog concerning disability issues here in Connecticut. Anyone is welcome to sign up for an account at ablelives.org
Legislative Update
From Beth Leslie,
Legislative and Regulations Specialist Office of Protection and Advocacy for
Persons with Disabilities:
The website bill
tracking report and list of bills by topic have been updated on the P&A
website at www.ct.gov/opapd All the legislative
committees have finished their main work. Now committees will have to handle
bills referred from the House and Senate. There are about
four weeks left to the end of the session. If you have a bill you want passed
you should contact your legislators and remind them how important the bill
is! Beth.Leslie@ct.gov
SEEKING: CHILDREN
ON MEDICAID/HUSKY A WITH AUTISM AND IN NEED OF APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS
SERVICES
Applied Behavioral
Analysis (ABA) is a kind of therapy now well-recognized as an appropriate
treatment for children with autism, and it is required to be provided where
medically necessary by commercial insurance plans in CT. The CT Department
of Social Services is refusing to pay for these services under the
Medicaid program (also known as HUSKY A), except in very narrow circumstances.
These services must be provided under the special requirements of federal
Medicaid law applicable to children. Attorneys experienced in Medicaid and
disability cases are considering bringing a lawsuit to force DSS to provide ABA
services. They seek children whose parents or guardians are willing to have them
be plaintiffs in a lawsuit to be filed in federal court. Click on this link
for more information: http://www.ct.gov/opapd/cwp/view.asp?A=3147&Q=521824
Physician Assisted Suicide
This session there were four physician assisted suicide bills
before the legislature. None left the Public Health Committee of the General
Assembly so physician assisted suicide cannot become law this session.
Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities
People with disabilities in Connecticut experienced many challenges before, during and after Storms Irene and Alfred in 2011. In response to these challenges, the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities developed a printed and electronic brochure to assist people with disabilities in planning for their emergencies. Feel free to share these electronic and printed brochures with your friends or post them on list-sevs and any social media application(s). Click here to see the online brochure or here to see the print version.
TEXT TO 911
On December 6, 2012, the FCC Chairman announced that the four major wireless carriers – AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile – have agreed to accelerate the availability of text-to-911, with major deployments expected in 2013 and a commitment to nationwide availability by May 15, 2014. Text-to-911 will provide consumers, including millions of consumers with hearing and speech disabilities, access to emergency services by enabling them to send a text message to 911. Below are the links to the announcement:
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db1207/DOC-317786A1.doc
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db1207/DOC-317786A1.pdf
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db1207/DOC-317786A1.txt
2013 MEETIING SCHEDULE
You are invited to attend a Council Meeting and to learn more about us. Please click here to find the schedule.
VIRGIN ALANTIC AIRLANE’S ACCESSIBILITY
Virgin Atlantic Airline has a travel chair for children with disabilities aged 3-11 years. You can request it free of charge when you book. HAPPY TRAVELING!
http://www.virgin.com/travel/news/virgin-atlantic-in-travel-chair-first
http://blog.vtravelled.com/virgin-atlantic-introduces-new-improved-travelchair/
FIELD NOTES
Field Notes is a monthly newsletter published by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. The newsletter is published on the third Thursday of each month and the link to each newsletter will be posted on our website. Each issue will focus on a specific topic related to people with disabilities. Below are the links for the November and December, February, and March issues of Field Notes. Watch for the link to future editions as they are published!
http://itacchelp.org/wp-content/uploads/November_2012_Field_Notes.pdf
http://itacchelp.org/wp-content/uploads/December_2012_Field_Notes1.pdf
http://itacchelp.org/wp-content/uploads/February_2013_Field_Notes1.pdf
http://itacchelp.org/wp-content/uploads/March_2013_Field_Notes.pdf
