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July 25, 2011 
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Disability Policy Consortium Weekly Update
Dear william,
We're opening today with the Bunny Hop, courtesy of Charlie Washburn, VSA Arts. In case you missed it, VSA sponsored the event with Sidewalk Sam, the famous chalk artist last Thursday at South Station.
I got there in time to meet Sam and catch a glimpse of the artwork.
Why a Bunny Hop? Why not a Bunny Hop? I'm reminded of the 60's hit Everyday People by Slye and the Family Stone. "Different Strokes for Different Folks". It also why we find merit in events like Miss Wheelchair Massachusetts and Paralympic Sports.
People with disabilities celebrate the 21st anniversary of the ADA on July 26. While we often focus on what we don't have, let's take a few moments on Tuesday to celebrate the progress that has been made. We often lament that "the Movement" is getting grayer and grayer. That could be because younger folks have more options and have fewer reasons to be angry. (Please, I did say "fewer"). In Boston there are major ramp repairs all over the City. The state is making an effort with Model Employer. There are more community based alternative to nursing homes than ever before.
Progress. But more to be done, for sure.
I want to thank Martina Carroll, Stavros staff & DPC Board member for two of today's news items. Please join her in forwarding items of interest. And, I remind everyone that the Editorial or other columns are open for submissions.
Happy Anniversary!
Bill Allan
Disability Policy Consortium
wfallan@dpcma.org| 617-542-3822
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Editorial: Ah Yes, the Anniversary!
People who attended last Thursday's Consumer Oriented meeting on Integrate Care for dual eligible individuals (there were actually 3 such people in the audience - a record high) heard a report from UMass staff on the focus groups that were done in recent weeks. Forty people participated and shared their views on health care in 4 structured discussions held in different parts of the state. One was in Lawrence where the language was Spanish.
One of the Power Point slides was particularly noteworthy. People across the board said that they did not understand most of the materials they received. There were bills that weren't bills. There were many documents with confusing language for people with limited reading levels (and even those with graduate degrees like myself). The telephone system (sic ) was mentioned as an issue.
The experiences reported are only the tip of the iceberg. We were not given the demographics of the focus group participants. Blind people would report constant frustration with receiving documents they can't read, forms they can't fill out, and deadlines missed because of it. Likewise, Deaf people would have similar complaints often because of limited English skills and such. Everyone would express frustration with the telephone system where one can go 10 levels deep and still not reach a human being.
So, Happy Birthday to the ADA. Join us tomorrow on City Hall Plaza at 3:15 for more on this subject.
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Advocates Corner: ENC Question
The Employment Now Coalition has been discussing ways to support self employment and disability owned businesses.
The Commonwealth has a Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) "helping promote the development of business enterprises and non-profit organizations owned and operated by minorities or women".
ENC, Work Without Limits and others have met with SDO staff to discuss opportunities for including businesses owned and/or managed by people with disabilities. We have names of a few companies that fit this description, and we are looking for more.
If you have a business or know of a business controlled by a person or people with a disability, please let us know.
The more information the better: name of business, contact name and telephone or email will be helpful.
Please contact DeAnn Elliot, ENC Coordinator, at 617 542-3822 or delliott@employmentnowcoalition.org.
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People: Chris Griffin Returns
A Message from Secretary Bigby
Dear Leadership Team,
I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Christine Griffin as Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs. As a national leader in disability policy, she will bring an extraordinary breadth of knowledge and experience to EOHHS. She currently serves as Deputy Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, where, among other initiatives, she led the creation and development of a government-wide strategic plan for diversity and inclusion within the federal workforce. Previously, she was a Commissioner on the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We are very fortunate that Christine will lead our ongoing efforts to promote wellness, independence, and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
I know you will be impressed by Christine's background. As Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, she was responsible for the federal agencies implementation of President Obama's Executive Order on Increasing Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal Workforce, planned and implemented the first federal hiring event for people with disabilities and oversaw the creation of a newly established Government-wide Diversity and Inclusion Office. As a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she oversaw the development of enforcement policies and planned and presided over public EEOC hearings and investigations of federal employee complaints. She also established the Leadership for Employment of Americans with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative, a national outreach and education campaign to address the declining number of federal employees with severe disabilities.
Many of you may know Christine from her work as Executive Director of the Boston-based Disability Law Center from 1996 until 2005. She was responsible for the overall management of the organization, including short- and long-term programmatic planning and priority setting. She provided leadership on a range of policy issues and participated in the legislative and political process on behalf of a culturally diverse constituency.
She has also served as a member of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council; the Board of the Easter Seals Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education; and the Board of Directors of the New England Paralyzed Veterans of America. She has also been a Trustee of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Spinal Cord Research Foundation and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Christine is also a veteran who served on active duty in the United States Army from 1974 until 1977 and on reserve duty until 1979. She holds a law degree from Boston College and earned her undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Christine Griffin will join us at EOHHS on August 29. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome when she arrives.
JudyAnn Bigby, M.D.
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Calendar: Bill to Ban Aversives
The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities will take public testimony on HB77, as bill that would ban any form of treatment that inflicts pain. Sponsored by Rep. Tom Sannicandro, (D-Ashland), the bill is the latest in a 30 year effort to restrict the use of aversive treatments such as electronic shock on youth and other people with disabilities.
Please join other like-minded people who will be testifying or in the audience as a show of support.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Room B1 State House
10:30 AM |
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On the Calendar: Boston ADA Party
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
12 - 3
City Hall Plaza
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On the Calendar: DPC ADA Event
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
3:15 PM
City Hall Plaza
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News from the Net: White House Call
In order to help keep you more informed, we are hosting monthly calls to update you on various disability issues as well as to introduce you to persons who work on disability issues in the Federal government.
This call is open to everyone, and we strongly urge and ask that you distribute this email broadly to your networks and listservs so that everyone has the opportunity to learn this valuable information.
If you received this email as a forward but would like to be added to the White House Disability Group email distribution list, please visit our website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/disability-issues-contact and fill out the contact us form in the disabilities section or you can email us at disability@who.eop.gov and provide your full name, city, state, and organization.
The next call will take place on Wednesday, July 27 at 1:00 PM Eastern.
The call will feature information on technology, Section 508 of the Rehab Act, independent agencies, emergency preparedness, employment, budgetary issues and other topics.
I would encourage you to call in about five minutes early due to the large volume of callers.
The conference call information is below.
Dial in for listeners: (866) 298-7926
Title: White House Disability Call (use instead of code)
Date of Call: 07/27/2011
Start Time: 1:00 PM Eastern (dial in 5 minutes early)
This call is off the record and not for press purposes.
For live captioning, at the start time of the event, please login by clicking on the link below.
http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1796804&CustomerID=321
Please be respectful and only use this feature if you are deaf or hard of hearing.
Again, please distribute widely.
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News from the Net: Children's Survey
Please share this information widely with your extended networks of families. This is for ALL children; it is not specific to children and youth with special health needs. Bonnie Thompson Information Specialist Family to Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) at the Federation for Children with Special Needs 1-800-331-0688 ext. 301
bthompson@fcsn.org
www.massfamilyvoices.org
Dear Massachusetts Parent or Guardian, Please share your family's perspective and help identify gaps in child health care quality in Massachusetts. There is a link to a short survey at the end of this message. The survey will be open for responses until August 5th, 2011.
Massachusetts is one of 10 states that received a Federal grant to address issues of child health care quality. Forming the Massachusetts Child Health Quality Coalition is one part of this work. The Coalition is a unique partnership. Members include parents, primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, health plans, state agencies, community organizations, and policy experts.
The Coalition is working to create a coordinated system of care delivery that will improve health quality for all Massachusetts children. We need your help. Tell us about: * Gaps in child health care and services in the state * Any barriers you have encountered in trying to get and keep your children healthy * What needs to change to make services easier to access and easier to pay for * Ideas that would make it easier to be a true partner in your child's care * How to improve systems of services and care Your responses are confidential. The Coalition will use your ideas to improve the quality of the health care delivery system for children in the state.
Please answer a few questions in the short survey at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XZPHS9D
Have questions? Need more information? Please contact: Beth Dworetzky or Bonnie Thompson at Mass Family Voices at the Federation for Children with Special Needs (p) 800-331-0688, ext. 301 (email)
massfv@fcsno.org or Lauren Piccolo, Project Specialist, Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (p) 617-600-4876443 (email) lpiccolo@mhqp.org
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News from the Net: Caregiving Costs
from AARP
This report updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family caregiving using the most current available data. In 2009, about 42.1 million family caregivers in the U.S. provided care to an adult with limitations in daily activities at any given point in time, and about 61.6 million provided care at some time during the year. The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions was approximately $450 billion in 2009, up from an estimated $375 billion in 2007. The report also explains the contributions of family caregivers, details the costs and consequences of providing family care, and provides recommendations for policies that better support caregivers.
click to read entire article |
News from the Net: White Flight
July 15, 2011,
White Flight From therNursing Home
By PAULA SPAN
The number of older Americans living in nursing homes continues to fall, and the proportion of residents who are black, Hispanic or Asian has climbed sharply. But don't expect cheers from the Brown University researchers who've tracked this major shift in long-term care.
click to read entire article |
|
Editorial: Ah Yes, the Anniversary!
People who attended last Thursday's Consumer Oriented meeting on Integrate Care for dual eligible individuals (there were actually 3 such people in the audience - a record high) heard a report from UMass staff on the focus groups that were done in recent weeks. Forty people participated and shared their views on health care in 4 structured discussions held in different parts of the state. One was in Lawrence where the language was Spanish.
One of the Power Point slides was particularly noteworthy. People across the board said that they did not understand most of the materials they received. There were bills that weren't bills. There were many documents with confusing language for people with limited reading levels (and even those with graduate degrees like myself). The telephone system (sic ) was mentioned as an issue.
The experiences reported are only the tip of the iceberg. We were not given the demographics of the focus group participants. Blind people would report constant frustration with receiving documents they can't read, forms they can't fill out, and deadlines missed because of it. Likewise, Deaf people would have similar complaints often because of limited English skills and such. Everyone would express frustration with the telephone system where one can go 10 levels deep and still not reach a human being.
So, Happy Birthday to the ADA. Join us tomorrow on City Hall Plaza at 3:15 for more on this subject.
|
|
Advocates Corner: ENC Question
The Employment Now Coalition has been discussing ways to support self employment and disability owned businesses.
The Commonwealth has a Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) "helping promote the development of business enterprises and non-profit organizations owned and operated by minorities or women".
ENC, Work Without Limits and others have met with SDO staff to discuss opportunities for including businesses owned and/or managed by people with disabilities. We have names of a few companies that fit this description, and we are looking for more.
If you have a business or know of a business controlled by a person or people with a disability, please let us know.
The more information the better: name of business, contact name and telephone or email will be helpful.
Please contact DeAnn Elliot, ENC Coordinator, at 617 542-3822 or delliott@employmentnowcoalition.org.
|
People: Chris Griffin Returns
A Message from Secretary Bigby
Dear Leadership Team,
I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Christine Griffin as Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs. As a national leader in disability policy, she will bring an extraordinary breadth of knowledge and experience to EOHHS. She currently serves as Deputy Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, where, among other initiatives, she led the creation and development of a government-wide strategic plan for diversity and inclusion within the federal workforce. Previously, she was a Commissioner on the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We are very fortunate that Christine will lead our ongoing efforts to promote wellness, independence, and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
I know you will be impressed by Christine's background. As Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, she was responsible for the federal agencies implementation of President Obama's Executive Order on Increasing Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal Workforce, planned and implemented the first federal hiring event for people with disabilities and oversaw the creation of a newly established Government-wide Diversity and Inclusion Office. As a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she oversaw the development of enforcement policies and planned and presided over public EEOC hearings and investigations of federal employee complaints. She also established the Leadership for Employment of Americans with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative, a national outreach and education campaign to address the declining number of federal employees with severe disabilities.
Many of you may know Christine from her work as Executive Director of the Boston-based Disability Law Center from 1996 until 2005. She was responsible for the overall management of the organization, including short- and long-term programmatic planning and priority setting. She provided leadership on a range of policy issues and participated in the legislative and political process on behalf of a culturally diverse constituency.
She has also served as a member of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council; the Board of the Easter Seals Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education; and the Board of Directors of the New England Paralyzed Veterans of America. She has also been a Trustee of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Spinal Cord Research Foundation and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Christine is also a veteran who served on active duty in the United States Army from 1974 until 1977 and on reserve duty until 1979. She holds a law degree from Boston College and earned her undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Christine Griffin will join us at EOHHS on August 29. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome when she arrives.
JudyAnn Bigby, M.D.
|
|
Calendar: Bill to Ban Aversives
The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities will take public testimony on HB77, as bill that would ban any form of treatment that inflicts pain. Sponsored by Rep. Tom Sannicandro, (D-Ashland), the bill is the latest in a 30 year effort to restrict the use of aversive treatments such as electronic shock on youth and other people with disabilities.
Please join other like-minded people who will be testifying or in the audience as a show of support.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Room B1 State House
10:30 AM |
|
On the Calendar: Boston ADA Party
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
12 - 3
City Hall Plaza
|
|
On the Calendar: DPC ADA Event
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
3:15 PM
City Hall Plaza
|
News from the Net: White House Call
In order to help keep you more informed, we are hosting monthly calls to update you on various disability issues as well as to introduce you to persons who work on disability issues in the Federal government.
This call is open to everyone, and we strongly urge and ask that you distribute this email broadly to your networks and listservs so that everyone has the opportunity to learn this valuable information.
If you received this email as a forward but would like to be added to the White House Disability Group email distribution list, please visit our website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/disability-issues-contact and fill out the contact us form in the disabilities section or you can email us at disability@who.eop.gov and provide your full name, city, state, and organization.
The next call will take place on Wednesday, July 27 at 1:00 PM Eastern.
The call will feature information on technology, Section 508 of the Rehab Act, independent agencies, emergency preparedness, employment, budgetary issues and other topics.
I would encourage you to call in about five minutes early due to the large volume of callers.
The conference call information is below.
Dial in for listeners: (866) 298-7926
Title: White House Disability Call (use instead of code)
Date of Call: 07/27/2011
Start Time: 1:00 PM Eastern (dial in 5 minutes early)
This call is off the record and not for press purposes.
For live captioning, at the start time of the event, please login by clicking on the link below.
http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1796804&CustomerID=321
Please be respectful and only use this feature if you are deaf or hard of hearing.
Again, please distribute widely.
|
News from the Net: Children's Survey
Please share this information widely with your extended networks of families. This is for ALL children; it is not specific to children and youth with special health needs. Bonnie Thompson Information Specialist Family to Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) at the Federation for Children with Special Needs 1-800-331-0688 ext. 301
bthompson@fcsn.org
www.massfamilyvoices.org
Dear Massachusetts Parent or Guardian, Please share your family's perspective and help identify gaps in child health care quality in Massachusetts. There is a link to a short survey at the end of this message. The survey will be open for responses until August 5th, 2011.
Massachusetts is one of 10 states that received a Federal grant to address issues of child health care quality. Forming the Massachusetts Child Health Quality Coalition is one part of this work. The Coalition is a unique partnership. Members include parents, primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, health plans, state agencies, community organizations, and policy experts.
The Coalition is working to create a coordinated system of care delivery that will improve health quality for all Massachusetts children. We need your help. Tell us about: * Gaps in child health care and services in the state * Any barriers you have encountered in trying to get and keep your children healthy * What needs to change to make services easier to access and easier to pay for * Ideas that would make it easier to be a true partner in your child's care * How to improve systems of services and care Your responses are confidential. The Coalition will use your ideas to improve the quality of the health care delivery system for children in the state.
Please answer a few questions in the short survey at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XZPHS9D
Have questions? Need more information? Please contact: Beth Dworetzky or Bonnie Thompson at Mass Family Voices at the Federation for Children with Special Needs (p) 800-331-0688, ext. 301 (email)
massfv@fcsno.org or Lauren Piccolo, Project Specialist, Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (p) 617-600-4876443 (email) lpiccolo@mhqp.org
|
News from the Net: Caregiving Costs
from AARP
This report updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family caregiving using the most current available data. In 2009, about 42.1 million family caregivers in the U.S. provided care to an adult with limitations in daily activities at any given point in time, and about 61.6 million provided care at some time during the year. The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions was approximately $450 billion in 2009, up from an estimated $375 billion in 2007. The report also explains the contributions of family caregivers, details the costs and consequences of providing family care, and provides recommendations for policies that better support caregivers.
click to read entire article |
News from the Net: White Flight
July 15, 2011,
White Flight From therNursing Home
By PAULA SPAN
The number of older Americans living in nursing homes continues to fall, and the proportion of residents who are black, Hispanic or Asian has climbed sharply. But don't expect cheers from the Brown University researchers who've tracked this major shift in long-term care.
click to read entire article
|