|
ASL Workforce Development
|
|
|
American Sign Language Interpreters are becoming a rare commodity as changes in technology and a failure to develop a workforce impact the ability of people who are Deaf to interact with the hearing world around them. The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has seen the fill rate for interpreter requests plummet drastically in the last few years.
|
|
|
Home and Community-Based Sevices
|
|
|
Many people with adult onset-disabilities such as Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson’s, leukemia are left without community-based services. If they can no longer live at home, they are forced, by default, to enter a nursing home or other custodial facility where they deplete their economic resources and eventually become Medicaid eligible.
|
Bill: HB2195
|
|
Architectural Access Board Legislation
|
|
|
The Architectural Access Board (AAB) is a regulatory agency within the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety. Its legislative mandate states that it shall develop and enforce regulations designed to make public buildings accessible to, functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities.
To carry out the board’s mandate, the "Rules and Regulations", which appear in the code of Massachusetts Regulations as 521 CMR 1.00, have been developed and amended. These regulations are incorporated in the Massachusetts building code as a "specialized code", making them enforceable by all local and state building inspectors, as well as by the Board itself.
These regulations are designed to provide full and free use of buildings and facilities so that persons with disabilities may have the education, employment, living and recreational opportunities necessary to be as self-sufficient as possible and to assume full responsibilities as citizens.
|
|
|
Talking Rx
|
|
|
Talking Prescription bottles are a low cost way for people with vision, reading or language challenges to identify the contents of their prescription bottles through speech output. These devices have a 60-second digital recording device that fits on the bottom of a prescription bottle. It has a self-contained microphone, a recessed recording button, replaceable batteries and an easy to find play button.
|
Bill: SB564
|
|
508 Legislation
|
|
|
The DPC draft of legislation to keep Massachusetts in the forefront of accessible technology is based up the 15 months of effort that began in September 2005 after the announcement that the Information Technology Division wanted to move the Commonwealth to an Open Document standard.
|
Bill: HB349
Economic Development & Emerging Technologies Committee
|
|
Hearing Aids
|
|
|
The bill will provide insurance coverage for hearing aids. The majority of people needing hearing aids do not qualify for assistance under Mass Health or the Massachusetts Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It is estimated that only 25% of people who would benefit from hearing aids receive effective hearing health care. The bill being submitted by the deaf community provides for a minimum of 85% coverage for the cost of one or two hearing aids for a hard of hearing policy holder.
|
|
|
Presumptive Eligibility
|
|
|
The current system assumes an elderly person or a person with a disability being released from a hospital acute care ward will be eligible for MassHealth (Medicaid) upon entering a nursing home. The extended care facility is given 90 days to qualify the individual for MassHealth and regardless of that outcome, the person’s nursing home costs will be paid. This legislation is written to give a similar ‘presumption of eligibility for personal care services for up to 60 days. This will allow the person who needs assistance, but not
|
|