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National Council on Disability Monthly Bulletin - August 2009

National Council on Disability's monthly bulletin for August 2009. The Bulletin brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities.

Following is the National Council on Disability's monthly bulletin for August 2009:

The "Bulletin," which is free of charge and at NCD's award-winning Web site (http://www.ncd.gov), brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe to the NCD listserv, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov, click on "Online mailing list archives," select "NCD-NEWS-L," click on "Join or leave the list," then complete the short subscription form. Please send your editorial comments to "Bulletin" editor Mark S. Quigley (mquigley@ncd.gov).

NCD Bulletin

A Monthly Newsletter from the National Council on Disability (NCD)

An Independent Federal Agency

John R. Vaughn, Chairperson

August 2009

NCD-31 Years of Disability Policy Leadership-1978-2009

NCD Recommends Sweeping Emergency Management Changes

On August 12, NCD released its report Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities and People with Disabilities, calling on federal, state, and local authorities to make sweeping changes in emergency management practices for people with disabilities. The report was released at the International Association of Emergency Managers' 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness--The Power of Citizen Corps at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA. NCD Vice Chairperson Pat Pound discussed the report's findings and recommendations during a breakout session.

NCD will continue its rollout of this important report with additional releases by Pat Pound on September 23 at the Wireless Emergency Communications State of Technology Conference at Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta, GA, and on September 29 by NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn at the enAbled in Emergencies Conference at the Hilton Philadelphia Airport in Pennsylvania.

NCD's report offers information and advice to assist all levels of government in their work to establish evidence-based policies, programs, and practices across the life cycle of disasters.

Additional information about people with disabilities and emergency management can be found at NCD's Lessons Learned page and in NCD's 2005 report, Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning.

National Summit on Disability Policy 2010

On August 5, NCD launched the new Web page for the National Summit on Disability Policy 2010 (http://www.neweditions.net/ncd2010/index.html), which will take place July 26-27, 2010, at the Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel, 999 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC.

The results of the meetings will help shape disability policy and programs for the next decade. Topics for discussion include the following 10 tracks:

* Employment

* Civil Rights

* Education

* Healthcare

* Transportation

* Housing

* Telecommunications and Technology

* International Affairs

* Emergency Management

* Statistics and Data

The National Summit is an invitation-only event. If you are interested in attending, please review the participant information and complete an application before October 15, 2009.

The NCD Selection Committee will then invite delegates that include the full range of expertise and diversity required. Space is limited so not all registrants can be accepted. Delegate invitations will be distributed starting in January 2010.

To help ensure full participation, a limited number of scholarships are available for consumer delegates (individuals with disabilities not representing an organization). The scholarship will cover hotel and a pro rated per diem amount to assist with meals not covered as part of the Summit. Hotel and per diem assistance will be available for two or three days as needed. The delegate will be responsible for travel and other expenses. Accommodations required for participation during the meeting will be supplied. Lodging expenses for a personal attendant traveling with the delegate may also be requested. Scholarships will be awarded upon request once delegate selection is complete.

At its Summer quarterly meeting, NCD also voted to increase its financial commitment to the 2010 Summit to help assure that we will be bringing the most capable people to Washington to chart the future for disability policy.

Summit sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please contact us at ncdsummit@neweditions.net or call 866-538-9521 ext. 103 to become part of this history-making event.

NCD Web site Enhancement

On August 12, NCD further expanded its list of publications by subject to include all NCD reports and papers since 1984, when NCD became an independent federal agency. The subjects include the Americans with Disabilities Act, civil rights, disability statistics and research, education, emergency preparedness and homeland security, employment, healthcare, international, progress reports, technology, and transportation. We believe this will aid researchers in finding documents much quicker and easier.

A publications list of all NCD documents arranged chronologically can still be found at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/index.htm.

Current Issues

NCD's list of current and proposed research projects include studies and reports on:

* Current State of Healthcare for People with Disabilities

* National Disability Policy: A Progress Report

* Housing

* Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act: Implementation Evaluation and Recommendations for Re-authorization

* Workforce Infrastructure in Support of People with Disabilities: Matching Human Resources to Service Needs

* Accessibility of United States Overseas Development Projects and Embassies

* Improving Access to Health Care, Special Education, and Long-Term Services for Marine Corps Family Members with Disabilities

* Keeping up: Technology's Rapid Changes and Effects on People with Disabilities

NCD Member Activities and Events

1. On August 5, NCD Board Member Victoria Carlson became an official Commissioner of the Naperville (IL) Mayor's Advisory Commission on Disability. In addition, Ms. Carlson also briefed the Commission on NCD's latest activities and outreach.

2. NCD is delighted to announce that it has become an associate sponsor of the US Business Leadership Network's (BLN) 2009 annual conference September 15-18 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Landover, MD. This year's conference, "Connecting The Dots: Business Solutions," is the preeminent national event for business, community leaders and BLN affiliates that have an interest in hiring, retaining and marketing to people with disabilities.

For Americans with disabilities, no less than for all other citizens, the opportunity to earn a living and be self-supporting is a universally held goal. Yet in perhaps no area of public policy has the expectations gap so stubbornly resisted our efforts to achieve equality. Whatever set of statistics one chooses from among the varying estimates of employment rates for Americans with disabilities, the rate and level of employment for this population remain far too low. This conference will help address these issues. For more information about NCD and employment, please go to http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/index_subject.htm#6.

NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn and former NCD Board Member and now Assistant Secretary in the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor Kathy Martinez will also address the conference on September 16. The agenda can be found at http://www.newworkforceconference.org/agenda.html.

3. All NCD Board Members are available to make presentations at conferences and meetings. Requests should be directed to John R. Vaughn, Chairperson, National Council on Disability, 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004 or by email to ncd@ncd.gov.

Future Quarterly Meetings

Fall 2009, October 26-28, Holiday Inn Express, 920 Broadway, Nashville, TN

Winter 2010, January 19-21, Houston, TX

Spring 2010, April 26-28, Detroit, MI

Summer 2010, July 28-29, Washington, DC

Please visit NCD's Quarterly Meetings page for updated information about all meetings when that information becomes available.

About the NCD Bulletin

The Bulletin, which is also available at NCD's Web site, brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe to the NCD listserv, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/, click on Online mailing list archives, select NCD-NEWS-L, click on Join or leave the list, then complete the short subscription form.

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