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The Disabilities Rights Center wants you to have access to the information you need to advocate for yourself, your family, and all people with disabilities. Bulletins go out by email once or twice a week and contain important information about disability rights issues: news, resources, training, publications, legislation,and updates on information available on the DRC's website.

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Sample bulletins:

Disabilities Rights Center News and Resources

May 22, 2008
Wonderful news for students with disabilities!
Substantial Improvements to NH Special Education law passes Both House and Senate AND
Special Education Rules Receive Conditional Approval For Adoption. http://www.drcnh.org/edupd11008.htm

Demand For Mental Illness, Substance Use Care Outpacing New Hampshire Health Care System, Says New Report From UNH IOD
A new policy brief from the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability indicates that although demand for hospital services among people with mental illness or substance use conditions is rising, services to treat and pay for such care may not be keeping pace. The brief makes a range of recommendations, including continued assessment of the state's mental health system, improved treatment solutions for patients who have both mental illness and substance use conditions, improved availability of community resources in some rural regions of the state that experience higher need and limited facilities, and ongoing education in best practices for health care providers to ensure integrated care.
http://iod.unh.edu/5-15-08.html

New GAO Report on Nursing Homes:
Federal monitoring surveys demonstrate continued understatement of serious care problems and CMS oversight weakness.  http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08517.pdf

Disabled Kids: the Next Civil Rights Movement?
Business Week’s Working Parents blog has featured Including Samuel, Dan Habib’s documentary, and a discussion about inclusion. Read the blog and join the conversation! http://www.businessweek.com/careers/workingparents/blog/archives/2008/05/how_cool_are_we.html

Employment Accommodations from DisabilityInfo.gov
Includes new information for accommodations on  diabetes, cancer, hearing impairments, and health care workers. http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5066

Youth, Disclosure and the Workplace Why, When, What, and How
From the Office of Disability Employment Policy. http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ydw.htm

The texture of money:  Court rules that paper money discriminates against the blind 
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/NEWS03/805210392/1013

From the National Center for Learning Disabilities:
Building and Maintaining a Good Relationship with Your Child's Teacher
http://www.ncld.org/content/view/1391/456164/
Understanding the standards-based Individualized Education Program: http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/downloads/advocacy/advocates_guide/understandingstandards-basedieps.pdf

Dignity in Schools
New website for a campaign that “challenges the systemic problem of pushout in our nation's schools and advocates for the human right of every child to a quality education and to be treated with dignity: http://www.dignityinschools.org/

May 12, 2008
Individualized Education Programs (IEPS) and 504 Plans: What's the Difference?
Find this new DRC brochure and other special education information from the Disabilities Rights Center here: http://www.drcnh.org/brochures.htm#se

Get a free DRC T-shirt
…when you rate a third restaurant for the Rolling Gourmet! More: http://www.drcnh.org/RGgiftcerts.htm

The Legislative Process Training
Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, Legislative Office Building (LOB) Rooms 301-303, N. State Street, Concord, NH. For more information contact Carol Nadeau at the Governor's Commission on Disability, 603-271-6895, email carol.nadeau@nh.gov. To register contact Karen Geary, (603) 271-2773 (Voice/TTY); e-mail: Karen.Geary@NH.Gov. Registration deadline is May 21, 2008. Cost: $10.00 (to cover lunch and all materials) Scholarships are available. Sponsored by The Governor’s Commission on Disability, The Statewide Independent Living Council, The State Rehabilitation Council, Services for Blind and Visually Impaired, and Granite State Independent Living.    

GAO Report on Residential Facilities: State and Federal Oversight Gaps May Increase Risks to Youth Well-Being
Testimony before the Committee on Education and Labor, US House of Representatives
Highlights: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08696thigh.pdf
Full report: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08696t.pdf

Raising a Child with a Visual Impairment
New website: Family Connect, for parents of children with visual impairments: http://www.familyconnect.org/parentsitehome.asp  

Paths to Inclusion
A resource guide to help youth-serving organizations integrate youth with disabilities into their programs. From the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: http://www.meaf.org/docs/PathsToInclusion.pdf

Public Health Services Lending Library
The materials in this lending library are available to the public. http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/DPHS/lending-library.htm

The Riot! Self Advocacy Newsletter
From the Self Advocate Leadership Network at HSRI. The April issue in on guardianship: http://www.hsri.org/docs/Riot_Issue_16.PDF

High Hopes Foundation of New Hampshire
Dedicated to granting the wishes of New Hampshire’s severely and chronically ill children between the ages of 3 and 18. http://www.highhopesnh.org/

Patient Advocate Foundation
A national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases. http://www.patientadvocate.org/index.php

Family Caregiver Alliance
Family Care Navigator is a tool for family and informal caregivers as well as professional caregivers. It provides state specific resources and suggestions for a variety of issues pertinent to challenges of caregiving. Here’s their New Hampshire page: http://caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/fcn_content_node.jsp?nodeid=2131

April 29, 2008
Important things happening in the legislature:
HB 766, concerning special education laws:  http://www.drcnh.org/edupd11008.htm
SB 301-FN, requiring insurers to cover prescriptions for durable medical equipment filled near the patient’s residence. This bill requires that insurers cover durable medical equipment from a durable medical equipment provider within 10 miles of the patient’s residence at the same coverage terms and limits as the policy provides for any other medical equipment provider. Executive session on TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 10:00 a.m. Commerce Committee, Room 302, LOB
HB 1532, relative to snow and obstruction removal from parking spaces designated for disabled persons. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 10:45 a.m., Room 102, LOB, Senate Commerce, Labor and Consumer Protection committees,
SB 496, establishing a commission to study incentives for providers of home and community-based care. This committee will bring representatives from the home care industry, direct care workers, and appropriate state agencies together to identify and recommend incentives for providers of home and community-based care. TUESDAY, April 29, 9:30 a.m. , Room 205, LOB, Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Subcommittee work session.
There’s a regular DD Waitlist and Oversight Committee meeting May 5 Room 103, State House. 10:00 a.m

The Power of Persuasion
Judy Hallam's gentle persuasion has convinced several stores to put in automatic doors. http://www.drcnh.org/persuasion.html

Families: Take the Survey!
From NH Family Voices: This survey is designed to get feedback from families about what they feel is important healthcare for their child/children.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=BVVAT3FryMXz9vijU6cAKg_3d_3dmj

Web Sites Expand Rating Information on Nursing Homes
Medicaid beneficiaries and families searching for top quality long-term care services can find critical new information added today to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Web site “Nursing Home Compare.”
For the first time, information about nursing homes on the Compare Web site will list whether a home is or has been on CMS’ special focus facility (SFF) list.  The agency’s SFF initiative gives heightened scrutiny to nursing homes that have a history of poor performance or repeated violations of state and federal health and safety rules.
See the Nursing Home Compare website from DHHS: http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Home.asp
See the Wall Street Journal article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120900078501640265.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Discover Camp: Considerations for Sending your Child to Camp for the First Time
From the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability: http://www.ncpad.org/get/discover/index.html?PHPSESSID=d378395c7ca764c6695f514cc6141a78

Recreation Grants from Crotched Mountain
The Harry Gregg Foundation has funds available for recreational purposes. A total of $40,000 has been designated for recreational grants starting in January 2008. Last year, the HGF gave $45,000 to 169 people with disabilities for camp tuition, dance classes, fitness club memberships, horseback riding and other recreational pursuits. Grants were awarded to 83 children and 86 adults. Grants are again limited to $300 and, as always, applicants with low income are given priority. When submitting an application, please make sure all sections are complete and a separate physician's diagnosis of the applicant's disability is included. Applications cannot be processed without this documentation. Don't hesitate! As always, funds will go fast! http://www.crotchedmountain.org/crotchedmountain/html/hgreggfoundation.htm

Northeast Passage has a new electronic newsletter
http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/published.php?action=view&newsletter_id=1409666679

Computer/Electronics Accommodations program
The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) has developed closed-captioned video demonstrations of voice recognition software, screen magnification software and refreshable Braille technology. These video demonstrations of assistive technologies can be viewed on the CAP Web site. http://www.tricare.mil/cap/acc_sol/

Is your city Deaf-Friendly?
From Deaf411 online. Take the survey: http://www.deaf411online.com/

Transition Planning
Moving to Life in the Community: A powerpoint presentation from the Arc of Virginia. Check it out here: http://www.arcofva.org/

DRCNH News is brought to you by the Disabilities Rights Center of New Hampshire. Messages go out once or twice a week. To be added or removed from the list, email juliaf@drcnh.org. Feel free to forward this message to anyone who can use the information.

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