Program Development Associates WEBLETTER
News and Information for Disability Professionals
Volume 14– 56th Edition
December 1, 2009

Who knew in 1985 that we would be providing disability resources all the way to 2010. Thinking back to when we produced our first disability training video, no one had heard of ADA or IDEA. Community and Supported Employment were ‘pies in the sky’ for many with disabilities, institutions were still plentiful, and the term ‘inclusion’ barely existed in the educational context. How things have changed in 25 years.

There is still much work to be done. And now, just as in the past, there is no substitute for good advocacy, opportunity and supports. However, not one of these elements is possible without quality information and training. That is why we are here. Program Development Associates has been disseminating information via newsletters, training videos, curricula, reference books and documentaries for 25 years now. Our goal has always been and continues to be, to help support people with disabilities, the professionals who serve them, family members, friends and businesses, anyone who needs or wants to know more about disabilities.

With this, the 56th edition of our newsletter, we continue that service to you. As in the past 25 years we bring you disability stories and resources on advocacy, employment, community living, inclusion and education. Our Highlights section gives you links to stimulus resources and the newest DVD releases we have available. We hope you enjoy our newsletter!


IN THIS ISSUE
 
• PDA HIGHLIGHTS
• NEW RESOURCES
• QUOTES OF THE MONTH
• INCLUSION - Do Kids with Disabilities Strain or Strengthen our Schools?
• EMPLOYMENT - EEOC Takes To The Road To Promote Employment For Workers With Disabilities
• COMMUNITY LIVING - Judge's Ruling A Victory For Californians With Disabilities
• ADVOCACY - What Are The Best Words For Disabilities?
• WHEELCHAIRS AND SAFETY - Walmart Employee Uses His Wheelchair To Tackle Suspect

PDA HIGHLIGHTS

ADA QUIZ BOOK now available on CD-ROM!

If you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to train staff or business entities on topics related to the American with Disabilities Act then consider the ADA Quiz Book & CD-ROM. The ADA Quiz Book is a collection of puzzles, questions and scenarios about the ADA and disability etiquette. Authored by the Rocky Mountain DBTAC and priced at $39.95 it is an indispensable training value.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?ADA_Quiz_Book_and_CD-ROM-pid865.html

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

Our ARRA internet resource center is open for schools and organizations seeking stimulus funding. Over 90 DVD’s or curriculums are available that may help you meet stimulus funding goals.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/arra-main.php


NEW RESOURCES!
 

Our collection of over 700 resources is continuously monitored and updated to assure you are getting the most current and popular disability information and training materials available. We have listed a few here for you.

ADHD, ADD & ODD - Explores diagnosis and treatments of ADHD, ADD, and ODD, and discusses steps to help children with these challenging behaviors.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?ADHD_ADD_ODD_DVD-pid936.html

Barriers to Employment Success - Takes viewers through the five categories of barriers that often stand between individuals and employment success and helps viewers develop the attitudes, resources, and know-how to meet their needs, analyze their options and take action.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Barriers_to_Employment_Success_DVD-pid931.html

Instructional Coaching Multimedia KIT - An all-in-one multimedia resource that helps staff developers, principals and district administrators provide professional development that strengthens coaching capacity, instructional effectiveness and school-wide performance.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Instructional_Coaching_Multimedia_KIT-pid930.html

Spotlight on Careers in Education - Gaston Caperton explains how his struggle with dyslexia fueled his dedication to the promotion of education and Virginia Jose discusses what teaching means to her.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Spotlight_on_Careers_in_Education_DVD-pid872.html

Dementia: Treatments and Potential Cures - Spotlights promising medical trials aimed at halting the mental and physiological tragedy of dementia.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Dementia_Treatments_and_Potential_Cures_DVD-pid895.html

Lou Gehrig's Disease: Insight into ALS - Follows the quest for better ALS treatments, assesses the possibility of a cure, and illustrates what life is like for ALS patients today.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Lou_Gehrigs_Disease_Insight_into_ALS_DVD-pid899.html

Real Life Teens: Teens & Disabilities - Real Teens discuss students with disabilities and how the general student population can support them.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Real_Life_Teens_Teens_and_Disabilities_DVD-pid874.html

Special Kids: Body and Grooming - Teaches children all about their body and how to keep it clean.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Special_Kids_Body_and_Grooming_DVD-pid889.html

HIPAA in Home Care - Describes HIPAA guidelines and teaches home care providers about the importance of maintaining confidentiality in a variety of settings.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?HIPAA_in_Home_Care_DVD-pid866.html

Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder - Presents both the human and neurological aspects of sensory integration challenges.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Out_of_Sync_Child_Recognizing_and_Coping_with_Sensory_Processing_Disorder_DVD-pid887.html

For a complete listing of our latest additions: http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-list.php?New_Resources-pg1-cid55.html


QUOTE OF THE MONTH
 
"Nearly every teacher I have met in my travels has told me that teaching kids of varying abilities and learning styles has made them a better teacher."
- Dan Habib (First story)

INCLUSION
 

Do Kids With Disabilities Strain Or Strengthen Our Schools?
(Business Week)
October 6, 2009

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE-- [Excerpt] So what goes through your mind when you see a child with cerebral palsy using a wheelchair, an adolescent with the social short-circuiting of Asperger's, or a kid whose speech isn’t as quick and facile as his peers? Few of us are as candid as my friend Dan Habib about the prejudice he once held against kids and adults with disabilities. “When I saw people who couldn’t walk or talk . . . It’s painful to admit, but I often saw them as less smart, less capable, and not worth getting to know.”

That was a lifetime ago. Specifically, the life of Dan’s son, Samuel, a fourth grader with cerebral palsy whose odysseys and those of four others with disabilities are chronicled in Dan’s award-winning documentary, Including Samuel. The film chronicles the efforts of Dan, his wife, Betsy, and their older son, Isaiah, to involve Samuel in every part of their lives and in the public schools in their hometown of Concord, N.H.

When I first blogged about the film in May 2008 it had just been featured on the likes of Good Morning America and NPR’s All Things Considered and was catching on among advocates of inclusion, as Dan says, “giving all individuals equal opportunity to learn and engage with their peers.” The film has since spanned the globe with screenings from Iraq to Belgium and throughout this country with showings and discussions at universities, school districts, and disability rights conferences.

And Samuel, whom I first met when he was a baby at a Thanksgiving dinner shared by our two extended families, has since developed fascinations held not so long ago by my sixth-grade son: the Titanic and all things related to it, the deafening roar of a throng of boys cheering their wooden race cars over the finish line in that annual Cub Scout ritual, the pinewood derby.

Entire article: Do Kids with Disabilities Strain or Strengthen Our Schools?
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/2009/red/1006h.htm

This article is reproduced here under special arrangement with Inclusion Daily Express Disability Rights E-mail News Service. http://www.InclusionDaily.com ©Copyright 2009 Inclusion Daily Express. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed in any form or displayed on any web site without prior approval from Inclusion Daily Express. News@InclusionDaily.com.


RELATED RESOURCES FROM PDA
 

Watch a preview of Dan Habibs’ Including Samuel and examine the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Including_Samuel_DVD-pid109.html

Differentiated Grading: Why Fair Isn't Always Equal - This CD-ROM addresses hot-button grading issues in presentations that will send you back to the classroom refreshed and inspired.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Differentiated_Grading_Why_Fair_Isnt_Always_Equal_CDROM-pid896.html

Creating a Unified System - Shows how integrating general and special education is a benefit of all students.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Creating_a_Unified_System_DVD-pid409.html

For over 60 more Inclusion related DVDs, CD-ROMs and Curriculum follow this link:
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-list.php?Inclusion-pg1-cid46.html


EMPLOYMENT
 

EEOC Takes To The Road To Promote Employment For Workers With Disabilities
(InfoZone)
October 14, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC-- [Excerpt] Playing a key part in an Obama Administration-wide effort to advance opportunities for workers with disabilities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will hold town hall meetings throughout the nation and offer workshops on new federal regulations and hiring procedures.

"The EEOC is pleased to join the President in pressing to enfranchise individuals with disabilities to participate to the fullest extent possible in the American workplace," said Acting EEOC Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. "We're proud to play a lead role in the Administration's initiative, and to have the weight of the White House behind this vital effort."

Acting EEOC Vice Chair Christine M. Griffin said, “For too long, Americans with disabilities have been pushed to the rear of the hiring line. The EEOC’s town hall meetings and workshops, in concert with other Administration measures, should position workers with disabilities for a fair chance at a federal job.”

The Office of Personnel Management and the Departments of Labor and Justice will also play major roles in the initiatives, which the President announced Monday as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Entire article: EEOC to Hold Town-hall Meetings, Workshops to Advance Hiring of Workers with Disabilities
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/37846/

This article is reproduced here under special arrangement with Inclusion Daily Express Disability Rights E-mail News Service. http://www.InclusionDaily.com ©Copyright 2009 Inclusion Daily Express. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed in any form or displayed on any web site without prior approval from Inclusion Daily Express. News@InclusionDaily.com.


RELATED RESOURCES FROM PDA
 

Employing Abilities - Helps to dispel misconceptions about employees and job candidates with disabilities.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Employing_Abilities_DVD-pid343.html

Supervising an Employee With A Disability - Perfect for training businesses, agency supervisors and managers that have hired or are considering hiring someone with a disability.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Supervising_an_Employee_With_A_Disability_DVD-pid312.html

Understanding Employees and Job Applicants With Psychiatric Disabilities - Features real-life work scenarios and experts focusing on the medical and vocational aspects associated with psychiatric disabilities in the workplace.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Understanding_Employees_and_Job_Applicants_With_Psychiatric_Disabilities_DVD-pid448.html

We're All Different: Diversity in the Workplace - Teaches the value of keeping an open mind, focusing on common goals, and accepting one another for who we are.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?We_re_All_Different_Diversity_in_the_Workplace_DVD-pid501.html

Working With People With Disabilities - This book is an excellent guide for creating opportunities for people with disabilities.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Working_With_People_With_Disabilities_BOOK-pid701.html

For 126 more resources for employment professionals working with people with disabilities go to: http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-list.php?Employment-pg1-cid44


COMMUNITY LIVING
 

Judge's Ruling A Victory For Californians With Disabilities
(Oakland Tribune)
October 19, 2009

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA-- [Excerpt] A federal judge has halted a slashing of the In-Home Supportive Service program which would have affected 130,000 disabled and elderly Californians starting Nov. 1.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken issued the preliminary injunction at the end of a two-hour hearing Monday. She ruled that a written notice she had stopped the state from sending out last week would have been constitutionally inadequate, too hard to understand, and giving too little time for appeals. She also ruled the plaintiffs -- advocates for disabled and elderly Californians, along with several labor unions -- are likely to be able to prove at trial that the state was using inadequate standards to determine whose services would be cut.

IHSS workers help people with tasks such as meal preparation, food shopping, cleaning and assistance to medical appointments so they can stay in their own homes rather than require costly institutionalization. The plaintiffs say the state's cuts would have meant 40,000 Californians losing services entirely, and 90,000 more seeing their services significantly reduced.

Disability Rights California senior counsel Melinda Bird, representing the elderly and disabled plaintiffs, argued the state can do more. Wilken ordered Bird to file more court papers by noon today to explain this, and she ordered Carson to respond by noon Wednesday before she issues a written order detailing how the cuts must be halted.

Entire article: Federal judge halts IHSS cuts
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_13595101

Related: Disability Rights California
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org

This article is reproduced here under special arrangement with Inclusion Daily Express Disability Rights E-mail News Service. http://www.InclusionDaily.com ©Copyright 2009 Inclusion Daily Express. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed in any form or displayed on any web site without prior approval from Inclusion Daily Express. News@InclusionDaily.com.


RELATED RESOURCES FROM PDA
 

Consumer Direction in Personal Assistance - An important aspect of independent living is home-based and consumer-directed care. This multimedia training is a timely solution to increasing demand for consumer-managed home care workers.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Consumer_Direction_in_Personal_Assistance_DVD-pid361.html

Watch a free preview of Align Your Dreams with Your Power and take a fun and educational, journey with Nancy Shugart as she defines the three keys that every successful person with a disability has learned to master.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Align_Your_Dreams_with_Your_Power_DVD-pid132.html

Principles & Practices: Skills of Courtesy - Founded in the maxim "an institution is not a place; it is a state of mind" this instructional DVD explains that individuals who have few valued relationships and few things of value are living an "institutional life."
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Principles_Practices_Skills_of_Courtesy_DVD-pid124.html

Personal Care Attendant Training Program -provides critically needed training for personal and home care aides, one of the top 10 fastest-growing occupations in the country.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Personal_Care_Attendant_Training_Program-pid375.html


ADVOCACY
 

What Are The Best Words For Disabilities?
(Diversity Inc)
October 30, 2009

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY-- [Excerpt] Maybe it seems obvious that you shouldn't use the word "retarded," but what about other terms like "handicapped" or "special"? What language should you choose when speaking about or communicating with people with disabilities? Diversity Inc asked experts to provide guidance on choosing the right words.

Although there are several different accepted terms and words for people with disabilities, one thing is for sure: "The disability shouldn't be the focus -- it's just a condition the person has, not how we define the person," says Lori Golden, Ernst & Young's Access Abilities leader and inclusiveness consultant.

Golden adds that "'Disabilities' is a widely accepted term. 'With differing abilities' or 'differently-abled' are fine, though less common. Those last two terms are reminders that each of us has abilities that are greater or lesser -- it's just a question of what those are."

"People-first language" puts emphasis on placing the individual before the disability. Two examples are "people with disabilities," not "disabled people," or "the manager who is blind" and not "the blind manager."

Entire article: What Are the Best Words for Disabilities?
http://www.diversityinc.com/content/1757/article/6309

This article is reproduced here under special arrangement with Inclusion Daily Express Disability Rights E-mail News Service. http://www.InclusionDaily.com ©Copyright 2009 Inclusion Daily Express. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed in any form or displayed on any web site without prior approval from Inclusion Daily Express. News@InclusionDaily.com.


RELATED RESOURCES FROM PDA
 

A Credo For Support - Prompts viewers to question the common perceptions of disability, professionalism, and support. For a quick preview go to:
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?A_Credo_For_Support_DVD-pid152.html

Literally tens of thousands of people have learned and laughed with The Ten Commandments of Communicating With People With Disabilities . It's training that uses humorous vignettes to deliver a disability awareness message.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Ten_Commandments_of_Communicating_With_People_With_Disabilities_DVD-pid111.html

Getting It Right is a new best selling training program that helps co-workers interact and relate to people with disabilities.
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Getting_It_Right_DVD-pid174.html

For a complete listing of 124 Advocacy & Awareness programs visit:
http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-list.php?Advocacy_Awareness-pg1-cid35.html


WHEEL CHAIRS & SAFETY
 

Walmart Employee Uses His Wheelchair To Tackle Suspect
(Denver Post)
October 1, 2009

WESTMINSTER, COLORADO-- [Excerpt] Cameron Aulner was at work, his first day on the job in a big box retailer, when he heard someone yelling, "Stop that man!"

At first, Aulner, who uses a wheelchair, was going to back off, suspecting an in-store theft, but then the man shouted, "Stop that man, he grabbed a girl!"

So, Aulner lined up his wheelchair into the fleeing man's path, grabbed the suspect's shirt, and tackled him into a soda machine.

"Anytime anyone disrespects a woman, especially a little girl that really strikes home with me," he said today.

Kevin Salyers, 34, was arrested and was being held on suspicion of sexual assault of a child, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

Entire article: Disabled man tackles Westminster suspect
http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_13463029

This article is reproduced here under special arrangement with Inclusion Daily Express Disability Rights E-mail News Service. http://www.InclusionDaily.com ©Copyright 2009 Inclusion Daily Express. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed in any form or displayed on any web site without prior approval from Inclusion Daily Express. News@InclusionDaily.com.


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