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--- Begin Message --- COUNCIL E-NEWS- November 2, 2006
We hope Council E-News will provide resources and information about disability issues that will educate and empower advocates to form their own views on issues and advocate according to their personal needs and those of their communities. If you have comments or ideas to submit, contact Christine Dahlberg at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
8 ITEMS OF INTEREST
***REGISTRATION STILL OPEN FOR THE COUNCILS ANNUAL CONFERENCE: Regular registration and scholarships are still available although the hotel reservation deadline has passed. Walk ins are also accepted. Go to: www.in.gov/gpcpd.org for a form
***!!! DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7 !!!****
1. VOTERS- DONT FORGET YOUR PICTURE ID
2. IMPORTANT NEW INFO ON REGISTRATION AND POLLING PLACE LOCATION
3. VOTING MACHINE PROCESS ACCESS SURVEY
4. WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS VOTING
5. ARC OF INDIANA EXEC- JOHN DICKERSON LAUNCHES BLOG
6. NOV 14 FREE ADA AUDIO CONFERENCE 2-3:30 (EST)- ASK THE DOJ
7. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY DEADLINE DEC 31/06
8. FREE ::The White Book - "A Parent's Guide: Civil Rights/Education"
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VOTERS-DONT FORGET YOUR PICTURE ID ON NOV 7
Indiana requires all voters to bring a government issued picture ID with them to vote. A drivers license, State ID Card, Military ID or Passport are accepted. State ID's are issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and can be provided free of charge if you don't have one and are applying for the purpose of voting. All BMV branches are open extra hours Nov 6&7- Monday 8:30-8 and Tuesday 6-7. For more info on how to get a state ID, call your local BMV or go to: www.in.gov/bmv/ and click on Election 2006 If you cant get an ID in time or have another problem voting- ask your poll worker about a provisional ballot
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IMPORTANT NEW INFO ON REGISTRATION AND POLLING PLACE LOCATION
If you or some one you know is not sure about whether you are registered and you check the Indiana Secretary of States Website you might get wrong information. In our office 2 out of the 7 people who checked, did not find their registration recorded on the website although they were properly registered to vote. If the site shows you are not registered it will give you a number to call your County Clerk to check. If you cant call just go to your regular voting place and chances are there will be no problems. If this happens to you be sure to let Sec of State Todd Rokitas office know at 866-461-8683. To try it go to: www.in.gov/sos/elections In addition the web site can provide information on your polling place location, the type of voting machine your county is using and even a training video on how to use it.
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VOTING MACHINE AND PROCESS ACCESS SURVEY
A National Survey focusing on voting machine access as well as a few questions about polling place access. As you may know we have done a lot of work in Indiana on polling place access through Count Us IN and this would be a great way to see if its paid off. Please participate by printing out and using the survey when you vote next Tuesday. Even if you don't need access you can opt to use the accessible voting machine. This will let you try out what features are provided and whether everything works so you can complete the survey accurately. Go to: http://www.ucp.org/uploads/vvsurvey.doc
****Return the survey by mail, or e-mail to the Council at the address at the end of this E-mail instead of Verified Voting and we will use the information to inform Indiana officials with responsibility for access and then submit the surveys to the national data base. Everyone who completes and returns an access survey to the Council by November 10 will be entered into a drawing for a prize. The winner to be announced at the Council's conference during lunch on Friday. You do not need to be present to win
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WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS VOTING
If you go to your polling place and encounter problems there are several resources available to help you resolve the problems right away so you can vote. In addition, you can file a report on other problems after the elections. Please bring all problems with access to the attention of state, local, and federal contacts ASAP!
Indiana:
Secretary of State: Toll-Free Election Fraud and Accessibility Grievance Line: 866-IN1-VOTE (866-461-8683). HAVA staff will be on hand to answer the calls from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM EDT on Election Day and 8:00-4:30 on regular business days.
Protection and Advocay (P&A): If you encounter problems in voting related to disability contact Indiana Portection and Advocay Services. IPAS will have staff answering phones on Election Day from 6:00 AM until 7:00 PM EDT. They are available to answer general questions about voting and access, and also to provide information and assistance if necessary regarding the procedure for filing a grievance with the Secretary of State. Call them on or after Election Day at: 800-622-4845
County Clerk: Report any problems to your local County Clerk. Call you local county government or check the Secretary of States website for contact person.
National:
Election Protection Commission (EPC): For voting problems or if you need to talk to a lawyer, the nonpartisan EPC has launched its national voter assistance hotline (1.866.OUR.VOTE or 1.866.687.8683) This hotline is staffed by live call center operators trained to provide state specific assistance to all voters. They can also tell you where your polling place is located.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ): DOJ has set up a system to collect information on voting access anywhere in the U.S. The DOJ wants information and complaints about any problems voters with disabilities experience in voting. To report problems, you can contact DOJ's Hotline at 800-253-3931 before, on or after election day. The following site, http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting, will serve as a place to post problems or complaints for a brief time before and after election day.
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ARC OF INDIANA EXEC- JOHN DICKERSON LAUNCHES BLOG
What I Know John Dickerson Launches Blog John Dickerson writes in his first blog: Almost every call I receive starts out with, What do you know about ? I seemed like the perfect title for my blog. This is my attempt to find new ways to communicate on the critical issues that are impacting people with developmental disabilities and their families. And there certainly are many. I will use this space to give an update with topics ranging upon the most current actions at the local, state, and national level You can check out Johns blog on The Arc of Indiana web site at: http://www.arcind.org/blog/arcblog.asp Be sure to add this link to your favorites and check out the blog frequently!
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NOV 14 FREE ADA AUDIO CONFERENCE 2-3:30 (EST)- ASK THE DOJ
ADA-Indiana's November Audio Conference, "Ask the DOJ", will feature John Wodatch, Disability Rights Section Chief with the U.S. Department of Justice. In this session, the audience will have the opportunity to pose questions to the DOJ regarding their enforcement efforts on Title II and Title III of the ADA as well as seek their guidance on tough ADA policy issues. This is an opportunity for you to get clarification and/or seek guidance from DOJ on issues associated with compliance and/or your rights under the ADA. The audio conference is on Tuesday, November 14th at 2:00- 3:30 p.m. (EST) in five different Indiana locations. The session is free and no pre-registration is required.
SITE LOCATIONS:
BLOOMINGTON: Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Building L, 2853 East Tenth Street
EVANSVILLE (1:00 - 2:30 p.m. CDT):University of Southern Indiana, Science Center, Room 1212 (SC 1212)
INDIANAPOLIS: Indiana Government Center, Conference Room 5, 402 W. Washington Street
INDIANAPOLIS: Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services, 4701 North Keystone Avenue, Suite 222
W. LAFAYETTE: Purdue University - West Lafayette Campus, Purdue Memorial Union, Room 136
If you are not able to make it to one of ADA-Indiana's sponsored sites, individuals and organizations can purchase access to the audio conference by visiting www.ada-audio.org. The cost is $25.00 (for not-for-profits) and $40.00 (for-profit entities). For more information about this session and upcoming audio conferences visit www.adaindiana.org, or call Matt Norris at 800-825-4733,or send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED].
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CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY - DEADLINE DEC 31/06
Do you have heart-warming, insightful and powerfully moving stories about what life has taught you and how to live life to its fullest? The authors of the New York Times Best-selling book series Chicken Soup for the Soul are currently seeking stories to be included in a new book tentatively titled Chicken Soup for the Special Needs Community: 101 heartwarming, helpful, healing stories that offer inspiration and promise surrounding the lives of special needs individuals. Through these stories, the readers learn how others facing similar challenges can learn to overcome the many obstacles they have. They do this by connecting with emotions in the real life experience by learning they can choose peace and happiness in each situation regardless of how challenging it appears from the outside. Now you have an opportunity to contribute to this new series by sharing your strength, insights, knowledge and wisdom. We are looking for "teaching tales" that inspire the reader to draw their own conclusions and insights from the story itself. If you have a story you would like to submit, please check our website for additional guidelines and suggestions and email your stories to [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or submit through the website: http://www.chickensoup.com/ Deadline December 31, 2006 We look forward to receiving your story and thank you for reading Chicken Soup for the Soul®.Sincerely, Chicken Soup for the Soul
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FREE ::The White Book - "A Parent's Guide: Civil Rights/Education"
The White Book - "A Parent's Guide: Civil Rights/Education", an invaluable resource about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA").The 2006 edition, which replaces last year's Blue Book, has been completely rewritten following the reauthorization of IDEA in anticipation of implementing regulations. Regulations that may have changes or additions are clearly marked for your convenience. Please use the website form below to expedite your order. The White Book is available at no charge to you.
http://www.arkdisabilityrights.org/whitebook.html
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PLEASE NOTE: Council E-News is the e-mail newsletter of the Governor's Council for People with Disabilities. It is sent out on an occasional basis usually twice a month but more often when the legislature is in session. It is used to report on late breaking news and information about public hearings, policy issues, conferences and other Indiana related news. Sometimes federal level information is included, especially if it has an Indiana aspect. It is also used to pass on Action Alerts from Indiana Advocacy organizations.
Please let me know if you would prefer not to receive this info in future and I will remove you from the list. If you receive this forwarded from someone else and would like to get it directly send your name, organization, street address and e-mail to me at the address below. We use the data base for our print On Target newsletter to send E-mail News so if you sign up, you will receive both in the future.
Christine Dahlberg, Associate Director
Governor's Council for People with Disabilities
150 West Market, Suite 628
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-7774
317-233-3712 (fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.state.in.us/gpcpd
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