_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 12:54 PM To: Recipient list suppressed Subject: ADA Technical Bulletin: February 2008 DBTAC- Northeast ADA Technical Bulletin: February 2008 The DBTAC- Northeast ADA Center at Cornell University provides training, technical assistance and materials on the ADA and accessible information technology throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This monthly technical bulletin is part of our dissemination efforts and if you do not want to receive this document or would like others from your organization added to our list, please call 1-800-949-4232 or reply to this message. Thank you. Please join us for the February 19th distance learning - Disability, Aging and Older Workers Overall, 15% of Americans ages 65 and older are currently working or actively seeking work. From 2000-2015 the U.S. labor force of workers over age 54 is anticipated to grow to four times the labor force. As people age, they can experience changes in functional abilities such as vision, hearing, and mobility. Workplace accommodations can be used to facilitate job task performance, particularly for people who experience functional difficulties. While workplace accommodations are often considered for persons with disabilities, older workers who have slowly developed functional difficulties over time may not consider workplace accommodations. As the numbers of older adults in the U.S. continues to rise, coupled with the well documented increased prevalence of disability associated with aging, the growth in the need and deployment of assistive technology (AT) will be undeniable. This 90-minute presentation will discuss issues associated with employment among older adults, as well as ramifications related to disability, aging and employment. Speaker: Michael Williams, Ph.D., Rehabilitation Planning Specialist, Department of Veterans Affairs, Blind Rehabilitation Service National Program Office, Rehabilitation Strategic Health Care Group Date and Time: 2/19/2008 at 1:00-2:30pm CT To learn more or to register for the ADA Audio Conference please visit www.ada-audio.org <http://www.ada-audio.org/> . The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) : A Progress Report National Council on Disability recently published their progress report on the interplay of NCLB and IDEA. Overall, it looks as students with disabilities are fairing well with academic achievements and expectations. This 113 page report covers such topics as academic achievement, assessments, accountability, data collection and quality, best practices and stakeholders perspectives. The report can be found at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2008/NoChildLeftBehind_IDEA_Progres s_Report.html . Business Owners Share Strategies for Success with Workers with Disabilities A report has been released on a Business Dialogue on Accessible Technology and Disability Employment held recently in Florida. Sponsored by the Assistive Technology Industry Association and the US Business Leadership Network, it included business leaders across a wide range of companies in size--from Fortune 500 to small family-owned businesses. The report identified four successful strategies that enhance the employment of persons with disabilities through accessible technology: * Securing leadership by CEOs and other high level corporate executives and by a network of other internal "champions." * Making the business case including return on investment and benefits to the company, solving labor shortages or employee turnover problems, and improving productivity and/or reducing costs. * Refining and advancing corporate policies, practices, and programs to include people with disabilities in the corporate mission statements and programs. * Implementing corporate infrastructures and strategies that enable the company to realize promises such as: establishing an employees with disabilities affinity group; creating cross-functional teams; establishing centralized accommodations strategies; and establishing accountability mechanisms. For more information, please visit http://www.usbln.org/ . Accessible Sidewalk Videos Now Available Online (excerpt from the Access Board) A series of videos on sidewalk accessibility previously available on DVD can now be viewed through the Board's website. Accessible Sidewalks is a four-part video developed by the Board to illustrate issues and considerations in the design of sidewalks. The series covers access for pedestrians with mobility impairments, including those who use wheelchairs, and pedestrians who are blind or have low vision. The videos are open captioned and incorporate running descriptive audio. A recent version of the Flash player, which can be downloaded free from Adobe <http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer> , is needed to view the videos. Part I: Design Issues for Pedestrians who use Wheelchairs (10.00 minutes) Part II: Design Issues for Pedestrians with Ambulatory Impairments (7.51 minutes) Part III: Design Issues for Pedestrians with Low Vision (11.24 minutes) Part IV: Design Issues for Pedestrians who are Blind (11.19 minutes) The series on DVD is still available free from the Board. To order a copy, send a request for the Accessible Sidewalks DVD with your mailing address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or call the Board at (202) 272-0011 (v) or (202) 272-0082 (TTY). NJ WorkAbility - Health Benefits for People with Disabilities who Work in NJ The NJ WorkAbility Program offers full New Jersey Medicaid health coverage to people with disabilities who are working, and whose earnings would otherwise make them ineligible for Medicaid. NJ WorkAbility was created by the federal Ticket to Work/Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 and Chapter 116 of PL2000 of New Jersey. There are several eligibility guidelines, including age bracket (16-64), proof of employment (PT, FT or self-employed), income guideline and having a permanent disability. For additional information about NJ WorkAbility or if you would like to apply, please call the Division of Disability Services toll free at 1-888-285-3036, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. You can visit them on line at http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dds/njworkability.html. PepsiCo Airs Superbowl Commercial A pre-game Superbowl commercial was aired at the pre-game Superbowl show that was done completely in American Sign Language. The commercial featured two men, who are employees of Pepsi, using ASL driving to a superbowl party. The add was created by Enable, an employee network in PepsiCo to support disability-inclusiveness. To find out more, go to http://commercial-archive.com/node/142403 DBTAC - Northeast ADA Center 201 ILR Extension Building Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 1-800-949-4232 (TTY and voice) NY, NJ, PR, USVI www.northeastada.org [EMAIL PROTECTED]
