mydreamweaver

Iraq - Our leaders are thinking with an open mind.

2007-01-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is really giving the American people an ultamatum not an informed decision.

One official involved in the administration's policy discussion described it this way: "There are several strategic options to choose from. Do we cut and leave, and attempt to exit gracefully? Do we adjust the current strategy and be patient? Do we keep the current strategy without any adjustment? Or do we try to change the dynamic by increasing the troop levels and changing the strategy?

"Given an ample supply of patience on the part of the American people, [the current strategy] would work. However, the president now knows that there's not an ample supply of patience on the part of the American people…. So he has to change the dynamic…. Does he do it by reducing troops and withdrawing, or does he change the mix in a different way?"

Home ownership for people with disabilities

2007-01-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Nicholas,

I'm excited to announce that I will be hosting a FREE seminar this month on accessible and affordable home ownership. This seminar will show that owning one's own home is a real possibility for people of modest means and dealing with disability.

It is being held at the Keller Williams Realty office in Oakland on Saturday January 27th. Click here to view and print a flyer containing all the details. However, if you cannot view the flyer, all the pertinent information is described below.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in attending, please contact me at the number below. I'd also greatly appreciate it if you could print and post a copy of the attached flyer on your office bulletin board or forward this email to anyone and everyone you know who might want to attend.

SEMINAR DETAILS:
DATE: Saturday January 27th, 2006
TIME: 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
LOCATION: Keller Williams Realty - Oakland, 4341 Piedmont Avenue, Suite #200, Oakland CA (near the intersections of Pleasant Valley Road)

Light refreshments will be served

Thanks so very much,

Stephen Beard

Stephen Beard, Real Estate Consultant & Accessibility Specialist
Keller Williams Realty
4341 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
Cell: 510-364-6795, Fax: 510-743-4264
mailto:stephen@stephenbeard.net
http://www.stephenbeard.net
My Commitment is your Peace of Mind
If you do not wish to receive future emails, please click the link to Unsubscribe: Unsubscribe.

Liberalism

2006-12-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

David Duke Writes Cover Article for NYT MAGAZINE
Former KKK leader David Duke published a cover story in Sunday's NYT
Magazine, in which he suggested that the hyper rich have a moral duty to
alleviate the worst poverty in the world by giving away up to one-third
of their fortunes. Despite Duke's motive of seeking to alleviate poverty,
observers were outraged. "I don't care how worthwhile the ideas expressed
in this article were," declared Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. "Racists
do not deserve the respect that is accorded by having such a prominent
article published in the nation's leading newspaper." The Times issued a
quick apology and blamed the decision to publish Duke on "a distortion in
the editorial process."

Wait a minute. I got the names mixed up. It wasn't David Duke. It was
Peter Singer. And even though Singer advocates the right of parents to
kill infants who are disabled by such conditions as Down syndrome or
hemophilia (and in fact, under personhood theory, any infant who did not
serve the interests of the family), there were no outraged press releases
from Senator Clinton or any other major public figure decrying the Times,
nor, needless to say, was there any Times apology.

This brings up a disturbing dichotomy within the Liberal Establishment,
of which, I think it is fair to say, the Times is a leading member. Does
anyone think the Times would have published the very same article if it
were authored by Duke? Of course not because Duke is considered
(properly, in my view) a racist who is beyond the pale of respectability.
Yet, here is an irony: As far as I know, Duke has never suggested that it
would be okay to kill minority babies. But Singer has, the minority
category being disability, which makes his advocacy at least as
pernicious as Duke's--just aimed at different victims.

Here is another example of this paradox involving Singer: I once spoke at
Princeton and decried America's premier university giving Singer a
tenured chair. A faculty member spoke up and stated that Singer had
sterling credentials and having someone like Singer on campus provided a
diversity of views. I asked the professor if Nobel Prize winner William
Shockley--who clearly had sterling credentials but who was also a
racist--would ever be allowed to teach at Princeton. No, the professor
admitted, which means I guess, that being racist is not an acceptable
diverse view at Princeton, but advocating eugenic infanticide is.

Here is what I think: Liberalism used to be about protecting the equal
worth of all human beings. No longer. The respect for and acceptance of
Peter Singer by such Capital-E Establishment institutions as Princeton
University and the New York Times offers disturbing evidence of this
proposition.

Acting as Advocates and Protecting Our Rights

2006-12-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

We shall overcome......These were words echoed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Over 40 years later, people with disabilities have developed many laws that forge our civil rights movement. These principles include equal access, accesible/affordable housing, personal assistance services, healthcare, public benefits, working, and protecting laws like the ADA and the Olmstead Act. Theses rights are being threatened every day at every level and everyday as advocates we owe it to our brothers and sisters trapped in the nursing homes who are prisoners to their own disabilities. We must make sure our civil rights and the advancement of people with disabilities in our society is at the forefront of the disability agenda in this country.

Think Tank

2006-12-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today I was thinking about starting a think tank for people who have severe spasticity due as a result of Cerebral Palsy. There are many ways to treat muscle spasms. Our government is spending millions of dollars as we send our military to take over foreign land as we watch our boys come home in caskets. Our government doesn’t care about it’s own people. Because the man is so out of touch, we must use people power.

Why people call themselves dumb and stupid.

2006-11-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

I've heard more than once in the DD community, "am I dumb?, am I stupid?". I've become so outraged everytime this question is asked. It poses 2 very big concerns that the PWD community must recon with and solve. Many PWD's don't rise to get a job or go to school, but watch t.v. and mess around on the internet.

When your dealing with a family unit, you can be dealing with many different variables and relationships. A lot of PWD's who have DD, are not communicating with their parents about critical issues involving self-identity, sexuallity, and realistic issues that face everyday people who don't have disabilities.

What makes me even more angry are the people who are designed to help PWD's by providing social services and rehabilitation services. These people have low expectations and fail to teach social skills and how people can live a quality, dignified life.

There comes a time when every disabled person realizes that they may be a part of a natural community and that their social skills and knowledge of world events are left behind. This leaves PWD's in a snowball effect of isolation and not being able to socialize in different circles. In a way, this in itself, represents segregation. The real question is what can we do socially, economically, politically, and from a personal standpoint, to change these issues?

Canine Support Team

2006-10-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

For the past 12 days I have been in Temecula, CA training for a service dog. The program is truly wonderful and accomidates all disablities. The dogs do great with tsk work. Anything from turning on the lightswitch to opening a door to helping me make a purchase at a store. The new love of my life is a black lab named Kate. I hope that if anyone knows of anybody who may be interested in obtaining a support dog that they contact canine support teams. The organization is very understanding of people with disablities who are on fixed income and need financial assistance. These dogs are great for so many different disablities and can serve so many purposes. I will be attending my graduation in Temecula on the 18th of this month. It would mean a lot to me for as many of you to attend as possible. This is a very special occasion.

Nursing Home Waiver Training

2006-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

What: Training on Nursing Home Waivers
Who: All consumers, advocates, providers are invited - as is anyone else
interested in nursing home waivers.
Affects people with all disabilities, including developmental and
psychiatric and TBI, including seniors.
When: October 19, 2006; 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Where: 1) By video conference in PAI regional offices, if space is
available
2) By teleconference statewide
More information on video and teleconference below.
Why: Federal Medicaid waivers are a way for states to use federal funds
creatively. Nursing home waivers are an important tool for keeping people
out of and getting people out of nursing homes. California has always
under-used nursing home waivers. Later this fall, the California Health
and Human Services Agency will call together stakeholders to discuss
Californias nursing home waiver and hear how people think the program
could be improved.
PAI offers this training to:
Â§ Inform people on what the waivers are, how they work, who is covered,
how someone can apply for waiver services.
Â§ Equip people with the information they need to take part in the
stakeholder process
Â§ Let providers know of opportunities through the waivers
How to participate:
1) Video-conference: our regional offices are in Sacramento, Oakland, Los
Angeles and San Diego. If you want to participate by video-conference,
contact Brandon Tartaglia - see contact info below. He will tell you
whether we have space available in the location you prefer. ALL PAI
OFFICES ARE SCENT-FREE.

The story of Ryan

2006-10-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

I went to a Ranch camp as a child. It was called Skylake Ranch Camp. In 1986 I was made camper of the week. This was an award given to people who overcome many obstacles in their lives. I felt bad, in a way, I didn't feel like i had achieved much, but for the first time I was in a play, I did gymnastics, I was assisted to the top of a waterfall, participated in a 5 day camp out, hung over the side of a horse doing vaulting and regular camp stuff. I got close to people. I was proud to have my name eternally on a plaque. These plaques started in the late '60s so it was really an honor.

The next year was the last year of the camp. I was a teenager and I was in campers for leadership training. My assistant and I stayed in a cabin and were expected to act as an assistant counselor while learning the skills neccessary.

I remember there was a fellow camper who was causing a lot of problems. My friend, who was a counselor, told me that it was my responsibility to talk to the bad kid. At first I was embarrassed. I was thinking that the others would not like me because I was hanging out with a bad kid. WEll that kid and i started talking and he told me about his feelings of loneliness and the pains of growing up. I listened, and we talked. Over the next four weeks his behavior and attitude improved. I had to do the above mentioned activities in order to get him to do them. He didn't want to admit it, but he liked it. I remeber his smile after he waterskied for the first time.

At the end of the summer, with James Taylor playing in the background, The campe was awarded with camper of the week. The reason was that he had turned his ways into helping others and tried to overcome behavior patterns that were disruptive.

I heard from that camper a month later. He didn't say much, he just said hi.

This made me go into the field of helping others. That counselor, I am trying to find. His name is Lawrence Greene. He grew up in Santa Monica. As for the camper, I don't know how to track him down.

Voting Article

2006-10-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

The mechanics of voting have undergone a major change
since the imbroglio that engulfed presidential
balloting in 2000. Embarrassed by an election that had
to be settled by the Supreme Court, Congress passed the
Help America Vote Act of 2002, which provided funds to
improve voting equipment.

> From 2003 to 2005, some $3 billion flew out of the
federal purse for equipment purchases. Nothing said
"state of the art" like a paperless voting machine that
electronically records and tallies votes with the tap
of a touch screen. Election Data Services, a political
consulting firm that specializes in redistricting,
estimates that about 40 percent of registered voters
will use an electronic machine in the coming elections.

One brand of machine leads in market share by a sizable
margin: the AccuVote, made by Diebold Election Systems.
Two weeks ago, however, Diebold suffered one of the
worst kinds of public embarrassment for a company that
began in 1859 by making safes and vaults.

Edward W. Felten, a professor of computer science at
Princeton, and his student collaborators conducted a
demonstration with an AccuVote TS and noticed that the
key to the machine's memory card slot appeared to be
similar to one that a staff member had at home.

When he brought the key into the office and tried it,
the door protecting the AccuVote's memory card slot
swung open obligingly. Upon examination, the key turned
out to be a standard industrial part used in simple
locks for office furniture, computer cases, jukeboxes
-- and hotel minibars.

Once the memory card slot was accessible, how difficult
would it be to introduce malicious software that could
manipulate vote tallies? That is one of the questions
that Professor Felten and two of his students, Ariel J.
Feldman and J. Alex Haldeman, have been investigating.
In the face of Diebold's refusal to let scientists test
the AccuVote, the Princeton team got its hands on a
machine only with the help of a third party.

Even before the researchers had made the serendipitous
discovery about the minibar key, they had released a
devastating critique of the AccuVote's security. For
computer scientists, they supplied a technical paper;
for the general public, they prepared an accompanying
video. Their short answer to the question of the
practicality of vote theft with the AccuVote: easily
accomplished.

The researchers demonstrated the machine's
vulnerability to an attack by means of code that can be
introduced with a memory card. The program they devised
does not tamper with the voting process. The machine
records each vote as it should, and makes a backup
copy, too.

Every 15 seconds or so, however, the rogue program
checks the internal vote tallies, then adds and
subtracts votes, as needed, to reach programmed
targets; it also makes identical changes in the backup
file. The alterations cannot be detected later because
the total number of votes perfectly matches the total
number of voters. At the end of the election day, the
rogue program erases itself, leaving no trace.

On Sept. 13, when Princeton's Center for Information
Technology Policy posted its findings, Diebold issued a
press release that shrugged off the demonstration and
analysis. It said Princeton's AccuVote machine was "two
generations old" and "not used anywhere in the
country."

I spoke last week with Professor Felten, who said he
could not imagine how a newer version of the AccuVote's
software could protect itself against this kind of
attack. But he also said he would welcome the
opportunity to test it. I called Diebold to see if it
would lend Princeton a machine.

Mark G. Radke, director for marketing at Diebold, said
that the AccuVote machines were certified by state
election officials and that no academic researcher
would be permitted to test an AccuVote supplied by the
company. "This is analogous to launching a nuclear
missile," he said enigmatically, adding that Diebold
had to restrict "access to the buttons."

I persisted. Suppose, I asked, that a test machine were
placed in the custodial care of the United States
Election Assistance Commission, a government agency.
Mr. Radke demurred again, saying the company's critics
were so focused on software that they "have no
appreciation of physical security" that protects the
machines from intrusion.

This same point was featured prominently in the
company's press release that criticized the Princeton
study, saying it "all but ignores physical security and
election procedures." It is a criticism that collides
with the facts on Page 5 of the Princeton study, where
the authors provide step-by-step details of how to
install the malicious software in the AccuVote.

Even before the minibar lineage of the AccuVote key had
been discovered, the researchers had learned that the
lock was easily circumvented: one of them could
consistently pick it in less than 10 seconds.

If skeptics cannot believe what they read about the
ease of manipulating an election, they can watch the
10-minute online video: the AccuVote lock is picked, a
memory card is inserted and the malicious software is
loaded; the machine is rebooted, and within 60 seconds
the machine is ready to throw the election in favor of
any specified candidate.

Computer scientists with expertise in security issues
have been sounding alarms for years. David L. Dill at
Stanford and Douglas W. Jones at the University of Iowa
were among the first to alert the public to potential
problems. But the possibility of vote theft by
electronic means remained nothing more than a
hypothesis -- until the summer of 2003, when the code
for the AccuVote's operating system was discovered on a
Diebold server that was publicly accessible.

The code quickly made its way into researchers' hands.
Suspected vulnerabilities were confirmed, and never-
contemplated sloppiness was added to the list of
concerns. At a computer security conference, the
AccuVote's anatomy was analyzed closely by a team:
Aviel D. Rubin, a computer science professor at Johns
Hopkins; two junior associates, Tadayoshi Kohno and
Adam Stubblefield; and Dan S. Wallach, an associate
professor in computer science at Rice. They described
how the AccuVote software design rendered the machine
vulnerable to manipulation by smart cards. They found
that the standard protections to prevent alteration of
the internal code were missing; they characterized the
system as "far below even the most minimal security
standards."

Professor Rubin has just published a nontechnical
memoir, "Brave New Ballot: The Battle to Safeguard
Democracy in the Age of Electronic Voting" (Morgan Road
Books), that describes how his quiet life was upended
after he and his colleagues published their paper. He
recalls in his book that Diebold's lawyers sent each of
the paper's authors a letter threatening the
possibility of legal action, warning them to "exercise
caution" in interviews with the press lest they make a
statement that would "appear designed to improperly
impair and impede Diebold's existing and future
business." Johns Hopkins rallied to his side, however,
and the university's president, William R. Brody,
commended him for being on the case.

Recently, there have been signs that states are having
second thoughts about trusting their AccuVote
equipment. Officials in California, Florida and
Pennsylvania have been outspoken about their concerns.
In Maryland earlier this year, the state House of
Delegates voted 137 to 0 in favor of a bill to prohibit
the use of its AccuVote machines because they were not
equipped to generate a paper audit trail. (The state
Senate did not take up the measure and it died.)

Professor Rubin favors the use of touch screens only
for "ballot marking" -- capturing a voter's intended
choice -- then printing out a paper ballot with only
the voter's chosen candidates that the voter can
visually check. Election officials can then use the
slip to tally votes with an optical scanner made by a
different manufacturer.

Manual audits of the tallies in at least 1 percent of
all precincts, as is now required in California, would
provide a transparent method of checking for integrity.
Should a full recount be necessary, the paper ballots,
containing only the selected names, provide unambiguous
records of original intent.

"Let computers do what they do best," Professor Rubin
said, "and let paper do what it does best."

------------ --------- --------- ---
Randall Stross is an author based in Silicon Valley and
a professor of business at San Jose State University.
E-mail: digitaldomain@ nytimes.com.

Disability Proclamation

2006-10-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Subject:

From:
"Cantos, Olegario D."

Date:
Tue, October 3, 2006 4:05 pm

To:
pushinglimits@kpfa.org

TO:
Adrien Lauby
Producer
KPFA

FR:
Olegario D. Cantos VII, Esq.
Associate Director for Domestic Policy
The White House

- - - - - - - - - -

Adrien, I am pleased to inform you that, earlier today, President
George W.
Bush
signed the Proclamation, declaring October 2006 as National Disability
Employment
Awareness Month (NDEAM). Therefore, without delay, I am immediately
sending
you the
text. Please get this out to folks you know and keep me informed about
efforts to
commemorate NDEAM in your community. Also publish this Proclamation on
websites,
distribute via email to your personal network, reprint the Proclamation
in
newsletters and other publications, and engage in other activities to
promote the
fundamental importance of recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing
qualified
individuals with all types of disabilities.

Supplementing this Proclamation by the President, Labor Secretary
Elaine L.
Chao has
already established the NDEAM theme for 2006 as "Americans with
Disabilities --
Ready for the Global Workforce."

If you would like to receive a framable copy of the Proclamation which
is
worthy of
prominent display (featuring the Seal of the President in gold and the
signature of
the President), please fax requests to (202) 456-2806. (Note that such
requests are
not processed through my office.)

As we all come together to celebrate the best of what the disability
community has
to offer the American workforce, Adrien, let us all rededicate
ourselves to
making a
difference in order to pave the way for even greater opportunity for
people
with
disabilities than ever before!

--Ollie

**********

NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH, 2006
- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we pay tribute
to the
accomplishments of the men and women with disabilities whose work helps
keep
America's economy strong, and we underscore our commitment to ensuring
equal
employment opportunity for all of our citizens.

Our country has made great progress to ensure that opportunities are
accessible to
everyone who is willing and able to work. Access to jobs was
significantly
expanded
in 1990 when President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with
Disabilities Act
(ADA) into law. This important legislation has served as a foundation
for
strengthening our Nation's workforce and advancing innovation and
American
leadership in a global marketplace.

In 2001, my Administration announced the New Freedom Initiative to
build on
the
progress of the ADA and more fully integrate men and women with
disabilities
into
all aspects of life. The New Freedom Initiative has helped expand
access to
technology, training, and education for citizens with disabilities. As
a
result,
those who have a disability and seek employment are better able to
compete
for jobs.
To assist in providing additional access to employment opportunities,
we
have also
implemented the "Ticket to Work" program and strengthened training and
employment
services at One-Stop Career Centers. By visiting DisabilityInfo.gov,
individuals
and employers can learn more about the Federal Government's
disability-related
programs and receive information and resources they need to help
achieve
their
personal and professional ambitions.

To recognize the contributions of Americans with disabilities and to
encourage all
citizens to ensure equal opportunity in the workforce, the Congress, by
joint
resolution approved as amended (36 U.S.C. 121), has designated October
of
each year
as "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by
virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the
United
States, do hereby proclaim October 2006 as National Disability
Employment

Awareness Month. I call upon Government officials, labor leaders,
employers, and
the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate
programs,
ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of
October,
in the
year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the
United
States of
America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

- - - - - - - - - -

Olegario D. Cantos VII, Esq.
Associate Director for Domestic Policy
The White House
Washington, DC 20502
(202) 456-5594 [Phone/Relay]
(202) 456-5557 [Fax]
ocantos@who.eop.gov
[Email]

Berkeley T.V. This Week

2006-10-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Interview to be Aired this Week
Posted by: "Alana Theriault" expind@comcast.net expressindependence
Mon Oct 2, 2006 4:53 pm (PST)
Dear Fellow Advocates, Friends and Family,

This week a video that I and my colleagues have been working on will
be aired on public access television. If you're unable to watch it,
it will be up on the World Institute on Disability web site soon.

Our Path to Common Sense: An Interview with Alana Theriault
on Health, Benefits, Work & Disability

Interviewer: Rachel Stewart, California Health Incentives
Improvement Project
Director: Bryon MacDonald, World Institute on Disability
Producer: Wun Yip, Rhymingleaf Productions
Funded by: The California Endowment

Open Captioned

Thursday October 5
11:25 AM (Pacific Time)

Saturday October 7
7:44 AM (Pacific Time)

ON B-TV 28 Cable TV

This station only airs in Berkeley but it is streamed live on the
station's web site. People can watch on-line when it's aired at:
http://www.betv. org/ See the left column and click where it says
Watch B-TV28 Now.

Programs are not archived on-line so must be viewed during actual air
time.

We would love to get your feedback!

Alana

Service dog or not?

2006-10-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

I have been offered a service dog. For those of you that don't know, a service dog is a dog that helps people with disabilities. It can do such things as open doors, push elevator buttons, retrieve objects from shelves, and place a wallet (for example) on a table.

My dog is supposed to be coming from Canine support teams in Temecula, Ca. My home and business is in San Francisco, and the trip would cost $3000 roughly. I need to also be able to operate my homecare business, which would mean paying someone four hours a day $15 dollars an hour. It may be possible to get a dog in February..but there are no guarantees, but could give me a chance to plan better.

This is what it all boils down to:

Wait 'til february and risk them not having a dog, or go now and risk my business?

Dare To Dream Movie

2006-10-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1236817691&n=2

news report from ADAPT

2006-10-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

NEWS REPORT
#085-2006 September 30, 2006 - Saturday
REMEMBER: REGISTER TO VOTE! SEE CDCAN WEBSITE FOR INFO. DECISIONS ARE
MADE BY THOSE WHO SHOW. SHOW UP - REGISTER AND VOTE - AND PARTICIPATE IN
CDCAN TOWN HALL TELEMEETING OCT 2 FEATURING COUNTY REGISTRARS OF VOTERS
INCLUDING LA COUNTY, SACRAMENTO COUNTY AND OTHERS!
Marty Omoto, Director/Organizer
To Respond to THIS email report reply to: martyomoto@rcip. com CDCAN
website: www.cdcan.us

Action By Governor
* GOVERNOR SIGNS AB 1169 BY ASSEMBLYMEMBER TORRICO
* MAJOR VICTORY FOR TENANTS OF RENTAL HOUSING
* BILL REINSTATES 60-DAY NOTICE TO END RENTAL AGREEMENTS

SACRAMENTO - In a major victory for hundreds of thousands of tenants of
rental housing in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1169
by Assemblymember Alberto Torrico (Democrat - Fremont).saying the bill
"strikes a reasonable balance between the needs of tenants and those of
property owners". The bill has major impact on hundreds thousands of
people with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors, their in-home
and and other support workers, especially families with low incomes,
who live in rental housing across California.

The bill renacts previous State law that expired last January, that
requires, until 2010, an owner of a residential rental to give at least
60 days' notice of the owner's intent to terminate a periodic tenancy
(month to month) when the tenant has resided in the dwelling for one
year or more. This bill does change the previous State law, authored by
Sen. Sheila Kuehl (Democrat - Santa Monica) by specifying that the
60-day notice requirement only applies where every tenant and resident
in the dwelling has lived in the dwelling for one year or more.

The Governor said, on signing the measure that "...California faces
significant challenges in its housing market and I believe that AB 1169
strikes a reasonable balance between the needs of tenants and those of
property owners. Most importantly, this bill will better ensure that
groups in need of special accommodations, such as the elderly and the
disabled, have sufficient time to find new housing when asked to leave
their current rental property"
The Republican Governor assured property owners who fiercely opposed the
bill that "As a landlord for many years, I am acutely aware of the
burdens faced by property owners and managers.... This bill does not
change existing law, which ensures the right of landlords to undertake
eviction proceedings against tenants that are damaging property, failing
to pay rent or violating the law. "

Background of Bill
* AB 1169 l passed the Legislature narrowly in August, with the bare
minimum number of votes. It passed the State Senate 21-15 on August 10,
2006, and the Assembly on August 22 by 41-36. The bill takes effect on
January 1, 2007 and stays in effect until 2010.
* In 2001, SB 985 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl (Democrat - Santa Monica)
authorized a pilot program in the Los Angeles area. That pilot program
required landlords in those regions to give 60 days notice before
terminating a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy if the tenant had
lived in the dwelling for a year or longer.
* In 2002, SB 1043, (Chapter 301, Statues of 2002) also by Kuehl, was
passed and signed by then Gov. Davis which expanded the pilot for three
years for the entire State. This notice requirement was expanded to the
* Democrats in 2004 (SB 1145 by Sen. John Burton) and 2005 (SB 51 by
Sen. Kuehl) to extend the State-wide pilot beyond 2006. Both bills
failed on the Assembly floor.

AB 1169 - HOUSING: EXTENSION OF NOTICE OF RENTAL AGREEMENT
AUTHOR: Assemblymember Alberto Torrico (Democrat - Fremont)
MOST CURRENT ACTION 09/30/06: Approved by Governor.
NEXT STEPS: Bill takes effect January 1, 2007 and expires in 2010.
PREVIOUS ACTIONS
Passed State Senate 21-15 on 08/10/06. Passed Assembly 41-36 on 08/22/06.
MESSAGE FROM GOVERNOR ON SIGNING THE BILL:
To the Members of the California State Assembly:
I am signing Assembly Bill 1169, which reinstates a law requiring
landlords to give 60 days notice before ending a rental agreement with a
tenant who has resided in a dwelling for over one year. As a landlord
for many years, I am acutely aware of the burdens faced by property
owners and managers. I support property owners' ability to maximize the
use of their properties in an economically advantageous manner. That
said, California faces significant challenges in its housing market and
I believe that AB 1169 strikes a reasonable balance between the needs of
tenants and those of property owners. Most importantly, this bill will
better ensure that groups in need of special accommodations, such as the
elderly and the disabled, have sufficient time to find new housing when
asked to leave their current rental property. This bill does not change
existing law, which ensures the right of landlords to undertake eviction
proceedings against tenants that are damaging property, failing to pay
rent or violating the law. Further, this law will be in place only until
2010, giving policy makers time to review its impact on both tenants and
property owners. I look forward to reviewing this law at that time and
making any appropriate alterations.
Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger
SUMMARY OF BILL:
* Provide, until January 1, 2010, that, in the case of a tenant or
resident who has resided in the dwelling unit for less than one year,
notice shall be given 30 days prior to the proposed date of termination.
* Provide, until January 1, 2010, that an owner need only provide 30
days notice if all of the following conditions are met:
a) The dwelling or unit is alienable separate from the title to any
other dwelling unit;
b). The owner has contracted to sell the dwelling or unit to a bona
fide purchaser for value and has established an escrow with a licensed
escrow agent or a licensed real estate broker
c). The purchaser is a natural person or persons;
d). Notice is given no more than 120 days after the escrow has been
established;
e) Notice was not previously given to the tenant pursuant to this
section; and,
f) The purchaser in good faith intends to reside in the property for
at least one full year after the termination of the tenancy.
* Allow, until January 1, 2010, a tenant, after being served with a
60-day notice of termination, to give 30 days' notice, provided the
notice is for a period at least as long as the periodic tenancy and
terminates before the owner's proposed termination date.
IMPACT TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS & SENIORS
Major impact to people with disabilities, mental health needs and
seniors, especially those with low incomes, who live or want to live in
rental housing. The issue of affordable and accessible housing is
critical - one that advocates say is linked equally to affordable and
accessible transportation, employment, education, support services, and
healthcare that are key to successful implementation of the 1999 US
Supreme Court Olmstead Decision and other existing federal and state
rights for poeple with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors.

CDCAN News Reports and Alerts
These CDCAN Reports are partially funded by a small grant from the USC
UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on Developmental
Disabilities. The opinions expressed or content in these reports do not
necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the USC UCEDD.
The California Disability Community Action Network is a non-partisan
link to tens of thousands of Californians in every community, including
people of color, people of every type of disability, including people
with physical disabilities, people with developmental and other
disabilities, people with traumatic brain and other injures, people with
mental health needs, seniors, people with MS, Alzheimer's and others,
and all of their families, community organizations and providers, direct
care and other workers, and other advocates. These action alerts and
news reports is for all of them. If you would like to get on this
distribution (and conversely, get off of it) please send an email with
that request to: martyomoto@rcip. com OR sign up via the NEW CDCAN
website at www.cdcan.us Sharing information is part of our organizing
effort. Please feel free to forward or copy this (attribution is nice
but not necessary). We're all in this together!
MANY THANKS to Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA,
Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR), CHANCE Inc, Parents
Helping Parents, Arriba, Strategies Toward Empowering People, Parents
Helping Parents, Asian American parents groups, Resources for
Independent Living and many other Independent Living Centers, several
regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other self
advocacy and family support groups, developmental center families, and
hundreds of individuals. Thanks also to partnerships and the good
people with the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and also
the Department of Health Services, the Department of Developmental
Services, Department of Social Services and the CA Health and Human
Services Agency and other agencies, and the State Legislature and staff,
the Legislative Analyst Office. Good people who do good things can make
a difference together.

Autism

2006-10-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Print | Close
Challenges for adults with autism
Friday, September 29, 2006

By BOB IVRY
STAFF WRITER

DANIELLE P. RICHARDS / THE RECORD
Scott Robertson, right, diagnosed himself with Asperger's syndrome when he was in college.

Photo Gallery: Austism in Adults
(please enable pop-ups to see the gallery)

A bus comes to Jonathan Lam's home in Tenafly every weekday morning and takes him to a private school for autistic children in Rockleigh. His education is paid for by the Tenafly school district. It's an entitlement mandated by law.

But four years from now, when Jonathan turns 21, the entitlement goes away. So does more than half of the money the government pays for his care. So does a guaranteed place for Jonathan to go during the day.

And if Jonathan's parents don't plan ahead, so does all the progress their son has made over the course of two decades -- the very skills he needs to find his way in the world.

"When the bus stops coming, there will be nothing," says Jonathan's mother, Natalie. "It's scary."

In Autism's Grip

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Challenges for adults with autism

Life with Asperger's:
One man tells his story

David Bloom:
On his own, in a new world

Tony Meyer:
Autism diagnosed at age 56

Editorial:
Congress drops the ball

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Complete coverage: In Autism's Grip

Forum: A place for parents, teachers and others to discuss the broad spectrum of autism's effects.

The public face of autism is young and cute. When most people think of autism, they think of children. But children grow up. They stop being cute. At 21, they stop getting the help they need.

"It's like falling off a cliff," says Larry Lam, Jonathan's father.

North Jersey suffers from a severe shortage of day programs that cater to the specific needs of autistic adults. The situation is even more desperate for those who need a place to live: There are 8,000 developmentally disabled adults on the waiting list for group homes or supervised apartments.

These problems will get worse in the coming years as the first wave of what some experts call the "autism epidemic" reaches adulthood.

For many parents, it's a race against time. Geoff Dubrowsky's autistic son is only 11, but he's already worried.

"I can't die without knowing that my child is in a safe environment where he knows he'll be protected," Dubrowsky says.

People with autism age out of entitlement programs at a time when many are just coming into their own. At 21, many have attained a level of maturity that eases some of the problems they have fitting into their communities. Their expensive education is finally starting to pay off. Many are ready to hold jobs or learn how to live on their own.

"How do you tell a parent there's nothing for their child?" asks Leslie Long, director of adult resources for a leading advocacy group, the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community, or COSAC.

"It's a dilemma nobody wants to deal with," she says. "But you have kids aging into a system that's so ill-prepared. Parents will be unemployed because they'll have to stay home with them. It's tragic."

Planning is crucial

Parents are forced to navigate an often tangled bureaucratic system in order to get on the right waiting lists, secure available money and apply to suitable programs. The problem is, many parents are so overwhelmed caring for a child with endless needs they can't see past the end of the week, let alone plan ahead five or 10 years.

The price of a rocky transition to adulthood is high. Experts say autistic adults with nothing to do will regress. Faye Schwartz Grossman watched it happen to her son, Daniel.

In 2004, when Daniel Grossman aged out of the Advantage Program, an academic and vocational training school in Ridgefield Park, the Teaneck mother says she was assured that her son would be able to get a job. After all, he'd already worked shelving videos and CDs at the Fort Lee Library and sorting mail at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

But he fell through the cracks when it came to adult programs. Though he can prepare a meal for himself, walk alone to the neighborhood synagogue for evening prayers and converse intelligently about his favorite subject, music, he doesn't know how to make friends. Some of his verbal quirks -- he raises his voice when he's excited and asks the same question again and again -- make him different from other 23-year-olds.

He was too smart for the available slots in sheltered workshops, where the work would have bored him, and the other workers -- developmentally disabled adults without autism -- were too noisy for him. On the other hand, he didn't have the social skills to succeed in a job without support. Grossman says the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation offered to have a job coach help her son adapt to a new job -- but the coach would be able to spend only 30 hours total with him.

"Daniel would love to work around music," his mother says. "He could conceivably work in the music department at Barnes & Noble. But give him only 30 hours to get used to it and it's not going to fly."

So the young man was stuck at home during the day while his mother, who teaches middle school in Maywood, worked.

"He was going crazy," says Grossman, a single mother. "It was extremely frustrating. "

He began having temper tantrums. He clung to his mother when she returned home from work, and to his younger sister, Ahuva.

"He became a little bit more physical," his mother says. "He wouldn't do this in public, but, within the family confines, he'd strike out. He'd hit. Which was never, ever an issue before."

For two years, Grossman could find nothing for her son.

She says she got "a lot of misinformation" from caseworkers -- a common complaint among parents. Only after she contacted COSAC in frustration did Grossman learn her son was entitled to a social worker's assessment to determine what programs would be a good fit. He was also eligible for transportation to and from work and state money for a home health aide to help him get ready in the morning.

"There's a gap," Grossman says. "It's a type of discrimination. If my kid can't avail himself of what's out there, you're discriminating against him."

With COSAC's help, Grossman found a workshop for her son at the Daughters of Miriam Center, a nursing home in Clifton. This month, he started assembling folders for doctors' offices.

Grossman noticed an immediate change in her son.

"The difference just the first day -- he came back a totally different person," she says. "He said to me, 'I did it. I went.' There was a sense of accomplishment. "

One day, she hopes to find an even better job for her son.

New state efforts

There are many cases like Daniel Grossman's throughout the state -- capable but idle graduates of solid special-education programs who create a needless strain on their families, says Linda Walder Fiddle, whose Ridgewood-based Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation funds programs for autistic adults.

"Look at it from a financial viewpoint," Fiddle says. "It costs a tremendous amount for special education -- and we need to make that investment. If we drop the ball when these people become adults, they won't contribute to society and we're creating a burden. They're capable of contributing, and it's not just the high-functioning individuals. We're talking about individuals who have very little language and not exceptional skills who can go from being tax burdens to taxpayers."

State officials say they're working to make the transition to adulthood less onerous. The Division of Developmental Disabilities started a program called Real Life Choices, which allots families up to $28,000 a year to spend on programs they choose for their adult autistic children. The division also has begun setting up informational meetings for families with children expected to age out of the educational system in coming years, says Carol Grant, acting chief of staff of the Department of Human Services and the former director of the disabilities division.

"It's been a priority of ours since 2002 to ensure the transition is as seamless as we can make it," Grant says. "We need the resources to do that."

Part of the problem is a lack of money. Running an adult day program -- which offers a range of programs, including job training, life-skills instruction (like managing money and cooking) and baby-sitting -- is a money-losing proposition. While school districts spend up to $78,000 a year per special-education student, the state gives adult programs between $13,000 and $28,000 per client a year. COSAC estimates that adult programs need $30,000 to $60,000 a year per client. Most programs get by only with the help of grants and parent fund-raisers.

Typically, if parents are savvy enough to apply -- and have been careful to keep financial assets out of their child's name -- an autistic man or woman begins receiving supplemental Social Security income at age 18. At age 21, a mix of federal Medicaid money and state funds doled out by the Division of Developmental Disabilities is available for programs that replace school. Adults with higher skill levels can get help finding jobs through the state Department of Labor's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Going it alone

More troubling than the lack of money is the difficulty parents have finding appropriate services. Six years ago, when Jim and Jennifer Hoppe began searching for an adult program for their daughter, Jaimie, they were so disheartened they decided to start one of their own.

If anyone could make a go of it, they figured, it was Jim. After all, he was chief financial officer for Citigroup. The Wyckoff father quit his job in 2000, enlisted 11 other families from the Alpine Learning Group, Jaimie's school in Paramus, and organized the Quest Autism Foundation.

The Hoppes signed a sweetheart deal with the Wyckoff YMCA. If they established a pilot project, one that could be duplicated at other YMCAs, Quest could rent 1,700 square feet of space for $1 a year for 40 years.

The result is the Quest Autism Foundation Adult Day Program, which opened in June 2005 with Jaimie and one other participant. This summer, two more young adults joined. All four have jobs sorting mail, setting tables, collecting recyclables and bagging groceries.

"People with autism have the same life span as typical people," Jenn Hoppe says. "You can't wait for someone to provide it for you. Sometimes you have to be a pioneer."

But the expense can be daunting. With just four participants, the Quest program costs $300,000 a year, Jim Hoppe says. They get $100,000 through state grants and tuition. That leaves a $200,000 gap that must be filled by fund raising, like a dinner dance scheduled for October.

"It's a lot easier to raise money for a cute child than it is for an adult," Jim Hoppe acknowledges.

"We compete against the Cancer Society and other charities like that," he says. "When people hear we help four families, we're not on the radar screen."

Nowhere to live

Finding a place for autistic adults to live is even more difficult.

Jeffrey Douma's parents want him to live on his own like the adult he is. They also want the peace of mind that will come with his future being settled.

"More terrifying than what happens after graduation is what happens to him when we're gone," says Cathy Douma, his mother.

Jeffrey works part-time cleaning offices in Morristown as part of a program called The Daily Plan It. He's a handsome man who plays the piano, but whose verbal skills are childlike. He'll ask his parents or his 19-year-old sister, Erica, bizarre questions over and over, such as "Air Bud or Air Buddy?" -- referring to the children's movies. When he's bothered by noise, he plugs his ears with his thumbs. Sometimes, he hits his mother.

Every once in a while, he approaches a stranger in, say, the supermarket, and touches her. He's gentle, his mother says, but still. She has to explain it to the startled stranger.

Cathy Douma wants to find her son a place where he is safe and happy.

The good news: Because she just turned 55 and her husband is 59, their son qualifies for the priority waiting list for a group home because he has older parents.

The bad news: 7,912 others are ahead of him. It could be eight years before he moves out. That means she and her husband could be 63 and 67 before they are relieved of the day-to-day stress of caring for an autistic son -- a job they've already held day and night since he was born 22 years ago.

"It's sort of like, I did my job," the Morris Township mother says. "We're ready to go to the next phase. You feel like you put in your time, but you can't stop. You have this responsibility. "

The housing crisis is only going to get worse. Beginning in 2010, the swelling number of children diagnosed with autism will begin aging out of school. So far, the state hasn't allocated any money to pay for more group homes or supervised apartments.

For Robin Sims, the best option for her 23-year-old daughter is the Hunterdon Developmental Center, a place often dismissed as an "institution. "

New Jersey has seven developmental centers -- large residential and vocational facilities for people with all kinds of developmental disabilities. Together, they house about 3,000 people, most of whom have nowhere else to go. Just about everyone in the disabled community lobbies for them to be shut down. Even the U.S. Supreme Court, in its 1999 Olmstead ruling, called for moving people into "community settings" and out of places like Hunterdon.

Sims, however, says Hunterdon saved her family.

"I got lucky," she says.

Heather was a frustrated, stubborn teenager. For some reason -- Sims isn't sure why, because her daughter can't speak -- Heather didn't like her school. In April 1997, when she was 14, Heather took it out on her family. She broke every window of their home in Bloomfield and pounded holes in the walls. Sims has a video showing the bloody cuts those tantrums left on her daughter's wrists.

"One day we couldn't take it anymore and we called 911," Sims says.

Hunterdon is currently admitting new residents on an emergency basis only. Most emergency admissions, like Heather's, are court-ordered.

The center, set on rolling hills in Clinton, has been Heather Sims' home for nine years. It is where she and 600 disabled people live, work and play. She has a tightly structured schedule. She holds a paying job on site packaging Sleep-Snugs -- plastic clips that hold bed sheets in place -- that are sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond. She swims in the indoor pool, bicycles, Rollerblades, takes trips to the beach and, Sims says, has a young man interested in her, though she's done nothing to encourage him.

Sims says her daughter respects the Hunterdon staff and doesn't let her frustration bubble over into violence nearly as often as she did at home.

"The environment is predictable and dependable, so she does well," Sims says. "She's been happy and healthy and functioning. She knows she won't always get her way. With me, she'd destroy herself. It's amazing that she's happy."

Sims is well aware of the stigma attached to what she calls state institutions. A caseworker once accused her of trying to get rid of her daughter. But when Sims could no longer control her and she became a danger to herself and others, what alternative was there?

"Every parent wants to quit the [I-have-an-autistic -child] club, and you get to a certain point and you realize you're not quitting the club," she says. "So you realize there's a point where your desires end and hers begin. It's not what I want for her, it's what she wants for herself."

E-mail: ivry@northjersey. com

__._,_.___

Outrageous MADD Commercial

2006-09-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

MADD Commercial Outrageous

Here is the link to the commercial for those of you who want to see this: http://www.madd.ca/english/news/pr/madd_best_friend_1.mov

All can write letters to the address below.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving National Office

511 E. John Carpenter Frwy. Suite 700

Irving, TX 75062

9/24/06

Dear Mr. Birch,

I am writing this letter because as a person with a disability, I am very concerned about a recent commercial that was pulled from the air. The issue has to do with the way the commercial portrays and stereo-types people with disabilities.

Your organization has a wonderful mission which says, "a nation without drunk driving" is truly a worthwhile and admirable cause. I strongly support MADD because in elementary school I was in a play with a young woman, who was supposed to be the star, and her mother. They were both tragically killed by drunk drivers while waiting for a tow truck. Given the sincerity of your message about drunk driving, I am puzzled and offended by a commercial recently pulled from the airwaves.

This commercial portrays incorrect stereo-types about people with disabilities. The commercial that I am referring to is a scene shot from a window where a man is sitting on a bench and a young woman approaches. They embrace and the camera then pans back to someone sitting in a wheelchair in a room. No one in the commercial used or referred to alcohol and in the final segments a black screen come on and says, "you have too much to lose".

To myself and other people with disabilities, we face challenges of being treated equally in all aspects of our lives. This commercial basically tells society that people with disabilities and people who use wheelchairs are forever doomed, never able to have a relationship, or carry on a life. I certainly hope that this lack of education about people with disabilities is not portrayed incorrectly ion the future. In my own personal opinion, I fear that this commercial may have gotten out to the public. I would like to know about MADD's education of people with disabilities and how training is conducted and how the decisions regarding disabilities are made. It is a well known fact that many people with physical disabilities have been injured by drunk drivers and would not want to be portrayed this way.

I ask for a timely response in writing to my letter. Thank you for your time and I am anxiously awaiting your response. I hope that MADD and the large community of people with disabilities can come together and educate each other about disability related issues and why this commercial does not portray the reality of people living with disabilities.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Feldman

Monday Monday

2006-09-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

MONDAY MONDAY

The weekend was great. Started at Joe's on Friday, and Saturday went to Berkeley for a meeting and lunch with a friend. Sunday went to the Folsom St. Fair, had dinner and then back to work today.

Saw the MADD commercial and wrote a letter to their president. Hope others do the same.

Overall good weekend.

Interesting Article from the New York Times

2006-09-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

Judge rules against women who sued to get out of nursing homes

By Kathy McCormack, Associated Press Writer | September 29, 2006

CONCORD, N.H. --A judge has ruled in favor of the state in a nearly
7-year-old lawsuit that accused it of unfairly keeping disabled people
institutionalized.

Bonnie Bryson and Claire Shepardson sued the Department of Health and Human
Services in late 1999, arguing the state is violating the federal law by
failing to provide support services that would allow them to live at home.
The matter became a class-action lawsuit.

A U.S. District judge ruled in their favor two years later, but the state
appealed.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe found in favor of the state
and closed the case, saying the state's program is sizable and that its
commitment to moving people out of institutions into community-based care is
"genuine, comprehensive and reasonable, though obviously not complete."

Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen said he was pleased with
the ruling. "It affirms what we've said all along," he said. "We are fully
committed to doing everything we can to move people with disabilities into
the community as quickly and appropriately as possible."

The women sued on behalf of themselves and others with acquired brain
disorders -- people who are significantly disabled from accidents, strokes
or degenerative neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis. They
wanted to force the state to pay for services that would let people move
from nursing homes, psychiatric facilities and rehabilitation centers to
private apartments or group homes.

The state participates in a Medicaid program to help some disabled people
live independently, but there is a waiting list. The state has argued that
it is not required to provide services beyond what it can afford under the
Medicaid program.

Currently, the state funds 132 slots in the program, and slots are filled as
they become available. That list holds steady at about 20 to 24 people,
McAuliffe noted, adding that the cap on the number of participants has
steadily increased through the years.

Since 2001, the state has increased the budgeted allocations for the program
from $6.6 million to about $11.2 million, and the state plans to seek more
funds in the next budget.

But Bryson and Shepardson argued that the state has a broader obligation
under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act to help disabled people
live in the "most integrated settings" possible. The case went to trial.

McAuliffe said the basic point of contention is whether Bryson and
Shepardson are entitled to relief that would force the state to obtain
enough program slots to afford placement in the program to all eligible
candidates.

"Under the circumstances presented in this case, they are not," McAuliffe
wrote. He said the request would constitute a "fundamental alteration of the
state's program," which is not required by the Americans with Disabilities
Act.

"Although more can always be done, the reality is that states must make
difficult decisions when allocating necessarily limited resources,"
McAuliffe said. Federal law does not require states to "raise, appropriate,
and spend whatever amount is necessary to immediately afford all qualified
disabled persons community-based services, without regard to other needs and
spending priorities."

In recent years, both Bryson and Shepardson were moved off the waiting list
to receive home or community-based care.

Shepardson, who was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy when
she was 18, spent 23 years in a Nashua nursing home before returning home in
2001. Bryson, who has multiple sclerosis, spent several years in a Boscawen
nursing home before, she, too, began receiving community-based care.
(c) Copyright 2006 The
New York Times Company

Accessible Home Ownership Seminar

2006-09-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Nicholas,

I'm excited to announce that I will be co-hosting a seminar on accessible and affordable home ownership this month in Hayward CA..

In cooperation with the Communtiy Resource for Independent Living (CRIL), we will be presenting a a seminar on many of the critical issues of concern for people with disabilities who are interested in home ownership. The seminar will include information on California's terrific 3% home loan for people with disabilties and their families. It will also show that owning one's own home is a real possibility for people of modest means and dealing with disability.

It is being held at the First United Methodist Church in Hayward on Saturday September 16th. Click here to view and print a flyer containing all the details. However, if you cannot view the flyer, all the pertinent information is described below.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in attending, please contact me at the number below. I'd also greatly appreciate it if you could print and post a copy of the attached flyer on your office bulletin board or forward this email to anyone and everyone you know who might want to attend.

SEMINAR DETAILS:
DATE: Saturday September 16th, 2006
TIME: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION: First United Methodist Church, 1183 B Street, Hayward (near the intersection of 2nd and B Streets)

A light lunch will be served
Please refrain from wearing scented products to this event.

Thanks so very much,

Stephen Beard

Stephen Beard, Real Estate Consultant & Accessibility Specialist
Keller Williams Realty
4341 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
Cell: 510-364-6795, Fax: 510-743-4264
stephen@stephenbeard.net
www.stephenbeard.net
My Commitment is your Peace of Mind

Unemployment Crisis for People with Disabilities: You Can Help!

2006-09-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Tell Your Representatives to Help People with Disabilities Find Work

Labor Day is a holiday to honor workers. It is a day of festive outings, spending time with family and hosting cookouts.For millions of unemployed people with disabilities, however, the holiday is bittersweet. Only 35 percent of people with disabilities report being employed compared to 78 percent of those who do not have disabilities, with three times as many living in poverty. The majority of people with disabilities report that their disability has made it difficult to find a job.People with disabilities want to work, and they can work, but the government must do more to ensure they are provided employment opportunities.

Sadly, this unemployment crisis is rarely mentioned during political campaigns. This problem cannot be ignored any longer. Please challenge your Representative and Senators to share their ideas during their election campaign on how they will alleviate this crisis: send them a quick e-mail now.
Take Action!
And don't forget to tell your friends to take action as well!

Feeding homeless outlawed

2006-08-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

ACLU calls measure unenforceable
By DAVID MCGRATH SCHWARTZ
REVIEW-JOURNAL

If someone looks like he could use a meal, be warned: Giving him a sandwich in a Las Vegas park could land you in jail.

The Las Vegas City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday that bans providing food or meals to the indigent for free or a nominal fee in parks.The measure is an attempt to stop so-called "mobile soup kitchens" from operating in parks, where residents say they attract the homeless and render the city facilities unusable by families. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada called the ordinance blatantly unconstitutional, unenforceable and the latest attempt by the city to hide and harass the homeless instead of constructively addressing their plight.

"So the only people who get to eat are those who have enough money? Those who get (government) assistance can't eat at your picnic?" asked ACLU attorney Allen Lichtenstein. "I've heard of some rather strange and extreme measures from other cities. I've never heard of something like this. It's mind-boggling." The city's new ordinance, which officials could begin enforcing as early as Friday, defines an indigent as a "person whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance" from the government under state law.Mayor Oscar Goodman, who has been a vocal advocate of cracking down on the homeless in city parks, dismissed questions about how marshals, who patrol city parks, will identify the homeless in order to enforce the ordinance, the violation of which would be a misdemeanor.

"Certain truths are self-evident," Goodman said. "You know who's homeless." City officials said they instituted the law in part because of recommendations from some who work with the homeless who say offering food separately from other services, such as counseling and drug treatment, is counterproductive."This is not a punishment; this is to help people," Goodman said. "The people who provide sandwiches have good intentions, but they're enabling people not to get the help that is needed."Residents near Huntridge Circle Park, on Maryland Parkway near Charleston Boulevard, say people who bringing food to the homeless draw them to the area.

But one advocate who feeds the homeless at the park said she will continue to do so.
"I'm going to do whatever I think is necessary to keep people alive," said Gail Sacco.Sacco has been cited twice while feeding the homeless, for holding a gathering of 25 or more people without a permit.That ordinance is currently the subject of litigation by the ACLU of Nevada, and Gary Peck, the group's executive director, said the ordinance adopted Wednesday probably will be included in the lawsuit. City Attorney Brad Jerbic said the city tried to negotiate with the ACLU and Sacco, including attempting to find a place where Sacco could provide food to the homeless.
Peck said negotiations "ended badly because, from our perspective, they're not negotiating in good faith. They're trying to figure out ways of making homeless invisible or kicking them out of our community." Sacco said the city's approach has been to spout rhetoric and push the problem out of view, instead of offer constructive solutions."If the city and county and nonprofits are getting out there doing outreach to the people, then (the homeless) won't be at Circle Park and I won't have anyone to feed down there," Sacco said. "If they're just putting people in jail, the city is making it look like they are doing a wonderful job on the homeless issue. It's just a farce."Sacco said in addition to providing food, she works to get the homeless housing, treatment, identification and jobs.

For the past month, the city has been cracking down on the homeless at Circle Park, arresting those inside the park before it opens at 7 a.m. and citing others for trespassing if they're on private property.Neighbors have applauded the city's efforts, which have also included threats to increase the number of mentally ill homeless that they force to be hospitalized.But Peck said despite residents' concerns, any sweep or crackdown has to be done in a legal manner. "It doesn't matter if they're unsightly, if neighbors don't like them. It doesn't trump the Constitution," he said.

The council unanimously passed the ordinance. Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian was absent.
Councilman Steve Wolfson, who last week raised concerns that the measure would prohibit someone from giving a sandwich to a homeless person, said after talking with Jerbic he felt comfortable with how the ordinance would be enforced."The marshals will get specialized training on enforcement," Wolfson said. "If you bought a couple of burgers and wanted to give them out, you technically would be in violation, but you wouldn't be cited."Jerbic said police make judgment calls based on the severity of the crime, and this would be no different.Lichtenstein said the city's statements were a clear indication they intend to use selective enforcement, which is unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

"Thanks Kendra Nicole"

Nicholas Feldman
Dare to Dream Attendant Services, LLC
275 5th St. #203
San Francisco, CA 94102
(800)988-9927
Fax: (415)541-8590
www.daretodreamattendantservices.com
(Assistant may answer the phone)

What to know before you take that flight

2006-08-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Due to enhanced security measures, liquids, gels, lotions, and other items of similar consistency will not be permitted in carry-on baggage. These types of items must be packed in your checked baggage. Additionally, liquids, gels,and lotions purchased beyond the checkpoint must be disposed of before boarding the aircraft.

PERMITTED ITEMS

* Baby formula, breast milk, or milk if a baby or small child is traveling.
* Liquid or gel prescription medicines with a name that matches the passenger's ticket (name on bottle must match your ticket).
* Liquids (to include juice and water) or gels for persons with diabetes or other medical conditions in quantities up to 5 oz per container.
* Essential non-prescription liquid and gel medications up to 4 oz per container (to include saline solution, eye care products, and KY jelly).
* Gel-filled bras and similar prosthetics worn for medical reasons.
* Gel-filled wheelchair cushions.
* Life support and life sustaining liquids (bone marrow, blood products,
body organs).

We encourage everyone to pack gel-filled bras in their checked baggage. We recognize the sensitivity of the issue, and we are reaching out to key women's medical associations to assist passengers and make information available to them while respecting their privacy. Passengers with medical gel prosthetics will be permitted through security checkpoints. All disability-related equipment, aids, and devices continue to be allowed through security checkpoints once cleared through screening.

Disability and medically-related items permitted beyond the checkpoint include: Wheelchairs; scooters; crutches; canes; walkers; prosthetic devices; casts; support braces; support appliances; service animals; any and all diabetes related medication, equipment, and supplies; orthopedic shoes; exterior medical devices; assistive/adaptive equipment; augmentation devices; ostomy supplies; medications and associated supplies; hearing aids; cochlear implants; tools for wheelchair disassembly/ reassembly; personal supplemental oxygen; CPAP machines; respirators; CO2 personal oxygen concentrators; baby apnea monitors;Braille note takers; slate and stylus; tools for prosthetic devices; and any other disability-related equipment and associated supplies.

TSA's Checkpoint Security Screening Procedures for persons with disabilities, medical conditions, and the mature have not changed as a result of the current threat situation.

People with Disabilities, those with prosthetic devices, and those with medical conditions DO NOT have to remove their shoes during this heightened security level, nor has this been the case during routine travel times. Those who keep their shoes on will be subjected to additional screening that includes a visual/physical and explosive trace detection sampling of their footwear.

You are permitted to bring solid cosmetics and personal hygiene items such as lipstick, lip balm, and similar solids. Please remember these items must be solid and not liquid, gel, or aerosol. Only the items mentioned above are permitted in your carry-on bags and through security checkpoints once theyhave been screened. If you have questions or doubts on certain items, place those in your checked baggage.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

To help you understand what you should or should not bring in your carry-on baggage, we have provided the following list of common items you may be traveling with. Remember, liquids, gels and aerosols are prohibited. Please leave those items at home or pack them in your checked baggage:

* Makeup and Personal Items.
* Aerosol spray bottles and cans.
* All creams and lotions including Neosporin or first-aid creams and ointments, topical or rash creams and ointments, suntan lotions, moisturizers,etc.
* Bug and mosquito sprays and repellents.
* Deodorants made of gel or aerosol.
* Hair styling gels and spray of all kinds including aerosol.
* Hair straightener or detangler.
* Lip gels such as Carmex or Blistex.
* Liquid lip glosses or other liquids for lips.
* Liquid bubble bath including gel or liquid filled bubble bath balls or bath oils or moisturizers.
* Liquid foundations.
* Liquid, gel or spray perfumes or colognes.
* Liquid sanitizers.
* Liquid soaps.
* Liquid mascara.
* Make up removers or facial cleansers.
* Mouthwash.
* Nail polish and removers.
* Shampoos and conditioners.
* Toothpaste.

Food and drinks:
* All beverages.
* Cheese in pressurized containers.
* Gel-based sports supplements.
* Jellos.
* Pudding.
* Whipped cream.
* Yogurt or gel like food substances.

Other items:
* Gel-type candles.
* Gel shoe inserts.

Please keep in mind that, while we cannot provide an exhaustive list of items that cover all eventualities, all liquids, gels, or aerosols of any kind are prohibited at security checkpoints, in airport sterile areas, and aboard aircraft. You may pack these items in your checked baggage.

We ask for your cooperation in the screening process by being prepared before you arrive. We also ask that you follow the guidelines above and try not to over-think these guidelines. Please pack liquids, gels, and aerosols in your checked baggage even if you do not normally check a bag.

Travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, and the mature may want to consider the following:

* Arriving at the airport well in advance, 2-3 hours prior to flight.
* Following all published rules on carry-on items and medications.
* Viewing TSA website tips for persons with disabilities and medical conditions and other TSA screening advisements located on TSA's website under"Our Travelers".
* Bringing documentation on medications, devices, and medical conditions where possible. (This is not a requirement and will not exempt a passenger from the screening process.)
* Packing medications in a clear bag separate from other carry-on items/bags.
* Ensuring that medically-prescribe d medication bottles (name on bottle) match your ticket.
* Exercising patience with the lines, delays, and stringent screening procedures.

WHERE TO GO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For additional information on transportation security, the Transportation
Security Administration Contact Center may be reached at:

1-866-289-9673 (Voice/Relay)
tsa-contactcenter@dhs.gov (Email)
http://www.tsa.gov (Web)

For concerns about potential rights violations, contact the TSA Office of Civil Rights at:

1-877-336-4872 (Voice)
1-800-877-8339 (TTY)
tsa-contactcenter@dhs.gov (Email)

For information about overall air travel accessibility, contact the Air Carrier Access Act Hotline of the Department of Transportation at:

1-800-778-4838 (Voice)
1-866- 754-4368 (TTY)
airconsumer@ost.dot.gov
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov (Web)

- - - - - - - - - -

Olegario D. Cantos VII, Esq.
Associate Director for Domestic Policy
The White House
Washington, DC 20502
(202) 456-5594 [Voice/Relay]
(202) 456-5557 [Fax]
ocantos@who.eop.gov [Email]

_____________________________________________

"Thanks to Maggie Dee!"

Nicholas Feldman
Dare to Dream Attendant Services, LLC
275 5th St. #203
San Francisco, CA 94102
(800)988-9927
Fax: (415)541-8590
www.daretodreamattendantservices.com
(Assistant may answer the phone)

AB 2536 (Montanez): Overtime – Passed the Senate floor with a vote of 24/13

2006-08-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

"AB 2536 (Montanez): Overtime – Passed the Senate floor with a vote of 24/13. The measure now moves over to the Assembly for the vote for concurrence on the amendments that were accepted in the Senate."
Most of the bad stuff for people with disabilities has been thankfully removed – thanks to the hard work of many good advocates.
CFILC is opposed to the Bill as it stands because we don't want to see that definition of personal attendant as it is in AB 2356 be codified into law and would rather see a definition that encompasses the work of a personal attendant, rather than the work of a babysitter trying to squeeze a definition for children into a definition of what personal attendants for adults do... currently wage order 15 PA workers are limited to bathing, feeding and supervising..
A lot of effort went out to make a poorly worded bill work, but sometimes it just can't be done. This bill was a real community divider.
My hope is the Governor does not sign the bill into law, but that is a 50/50 bet at this point.
Assuming we get a second shot at it next year, lets hope they do it right and have us at the table this time before the bill is written.

Bob Roberts
Executive Director
Marin CIL
710 4th St.
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-459-6245

Axis Dance Company

2006-08-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Since 1987, AXIS Dance Company has created an exciting body of work developed by dancers with and without disabilities. They are in the forefront of paving the way for a powerful and inclusive dance form, “physically integrated dance”. AXIS has performed in theaters and dance spaces at its home base in the Bay Area, on tour throughout the U.S., as well as in Germany and Siberia. Described as a "visual and physical discovery, creating fascinating works of movement art, " the Company has become internationally known for its high artistic and educational standards and innovative movement vocabulary. Under the Artistic Direction of Judith Smith, their stellar repertory includes works by choreographers, Stephen Petronio, Bill T. Jones, Joe Goode, Joanna Haigood, Sonya Delwaide, Victoria Marks and Ann Carlson.

FALL SESSION 2006:

September 19 - November 16, 2006

All Classes are at Malonga Casquelourd Center
1428 Alice Street (between 14th & 17th Sts.)
3rd Floor, Studio E, Oakland, CA
* The Teens class this session will take place in Studio A on the second floor of the Malonga Center

Physically Integrated Dance Class for Teens: Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00pm
(*This class will take place in Studio A on the second floor of the Malonga Center)
This class focuses on students ages 13-21 with and without physical disabilities who have prior dance and movement experience including those who use wheelchairs, have a neuro-muscular disability such as cerebral palsy or spinabifida or have an amputation. Classes focus on exploration of individual dance vocabulary while building confidence, cooperation skills and developing appreciation of each other’s creative _expression.

Connect Mentoring Program for Teens:
Connect is a mentoring program for youth ages 12-21.The program focuses on teenage girls with disabilities who are interested in dance. Activities include field trips to see dance performances, visits to AXIS rehearsals and mentoring by AXIS dancers. Teens in Dance Access/KIDS! classes encouraged to get involved.

Adult Physically Integrated Dance Class: Thursdays, 6:30pm -8:00pm
This dance class is for adult students with and without physical disabilities who have intermediate/advanced level dance experience. Classes will range from more traditional modern dance technique classes that address fundamental principals of alignment, strength, flexibility and movement initiation, to classes in choreographic process and development.

Adult Improvisation & Creative Movement: Thursdays, 1pm-2pm
For dance enthusiasts with any level of dance experience interested in exploring movement by using improvisation.
Fees & Registration Information
Pre- registration is required for all classes! Please download a registration form below, complete and mail or fax to the AXIS office. Or you may contact our office at 510-625-0110 or email alisa@axisdance.org to be mailed the registration packet. Class fee is $80 for 8- week session. Registration deadline is September 15th.

Dance Access/KIDS! & Teens Registration Form

Dance Access Adults Registration Form

Class Placement:
At the time of initial registration, the appropriate placement for your child will be assessed on the basis of an intake interview with the parent or guardian. The initial level of placement may be adjusted at the teachers’ discretion within the first week of participation. Once the final placement has been made, it is our policy to keep a child in that level for a full year of classes before they may advance. This is to ensure the best possible experience for your child as she or he becomes familiar with our classes. Dance Access/KIDS! classes are appropriate for students interested in taking a creative dance class, students who can follow direction and participate socially as well as initiate their own movement response.

Locations
MOST DANCE ACCESS CLASSES and MASTER CLASSES take place at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts , 1428 Alice St (at 14th St), Oakland.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Dance Access/KIDS! class in San Francisco
Fridays, September 22 - December 15th, 5-6pm
Final Showing December 17th
AXIS offers a Creative Dance Class for kids with and without disabilities ages 7-12 in the spacious ODC Dance Commons. Kids will have fun while moving creatively and exploring individual dance vocabulary. Classes focus on building cooperation skills and developing appreciation of each other's own creative _expression.
ODC Commons, 351 Shotwell St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
For more information call ODC School: 415-863-9830, info@odcschool.org

Work for PWD(People with disabilities)

2006-08-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

It is said that roughly 75% of PWD's want to work but don't because they are afraid of loosing their benefits. There are programs which do allow PWD's to work. Ticket to Work and other federal programs allow PWD's to keep their benefits while working. A PWD can now make a maximum of $40,000 per year for 2 years and still keep their benefits. What the government fails to look at is that SS is connected to in-home supportive services which allow PWD's to pay for 8 hours a day of in-home care at a rate of no more than $10.50 an hour which is a very big expense at a cost to an individual of $84.00 a day. This is over $2,700 a month not including the benefits provided by unions. If the government looked at this figure and understood that on top of the $2,700 a month the person must come up with food, shelter, clothing on a SS check of no more than $900 a month.

What the government needs to do is create a dollar for dollar matching program where if a PWD is working legitimately they will be reimbursed for all of their out of pocket expenses. I want to know what people think about how to reform SS. It is a very important issue that affects seniors and PWD's of all ages. Just to add to my idea above the government should invest a lot of energy into home ownership programs. For example: If some on SS for 40 years at $900 that’s 10,800 a year not including COLAS. It would make sense for the government to help PWD's purchase homes because the government would end up making money when the real estate market was good. When it was bad at least it our government would not be strained to pay everyone's rent. It makes sense if you count and figure out the numbers.

Nicholas Feldman
Dare to Dream Attendant Services, LLC
275 5th St. #203
San Francisco, CA 94102
(800)988-9927
Fax: (415)541-8590
www.daretodreamattendantservices.com
(Assistant may answer the phone)

Having Fun While the Weather's Still Nice

2006-08-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

Stress yes. Busy yes. I believe that when you start your own business and you have a disability there are so many challenges and so many rewards. The people who I meet in doing this work are people who mostly have a desire to help other people. These people are usually hard and dedicated with a very strong work ethic. There are those who don't even show up to interviews, and then there are the social workers. They try and pull it all together in their own bureaucratic way. There are the people who I pay my bills to for my business who have no idea that the guy on the other end of the phone has CP. I have a lot to balance in my own life and in my business life, but somehow I manage to get it all done. I have a barrage of work appointments and a lot of doctor’s appointments who are telling me what I can not do. I look at the person cynically and I say to myself” is it really worth explaining all of it to you". The disability, my job, my life, I hate it when people say you can't handle it. What am I supposed to do? Simply stop working and live off the $900 a month I get from SSDI. More to come......

Having Fun While the Weather's Still Nice

It is very important for people with disabilities to get out and have fun while the weather is still nice. This is why Dare to Dream Attendant Services has developed some new programs. Visit our web site and drop us a line. Or even better sign up for some services. There all geared toward having fun, indoors and outdoors.

Nicholas Feldman
Dare to Dream Attendant Services, LLC
275 5th St. #203
San Francisco, CA 94102
(800)988-9927
Fax: (415)541-8590
www.daretodreamattendantservices.com
(Assistant may answer the phone)

The Dependence Upon Family Syndrome

2006-08-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

It is so familiar these days, to see family members taking care of other dependent children or their own aged parents. Some of their tasks, that family members are involved with, are feeding, lifting, toileting, supervision, reminders etc. This is with either very little, or no pay depending on circumstance.

The conversation that we hear about people getting older and having to take care of loved ones are becoming numb to the human consciousness. When its one of your own relatives or a dependant child, the advice of take it easy sounds quite insulting, given that you are caring for a loved one.

Too often we hear about how people will go to lift or assist a family member in need of help, and wind up injuring themselves in the process. It is always better to have just one person to take care of than two.

We are hearing from younger people with disabilities that ailing parents are cause for isolation, depression and lack of proper care. They dont get out much because its too hard for mom and dad to put Joey in his wheelchair, when Joey is thirty and quite a bit bigger than either of his parents. The need for more home care is great because we dont want to injure the ones we love.

by: Nicholas Feldman

Some HomeCare Agencies give workers an undecent wage

2006-08-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

I was in a meeting yesterday and found out that homecare workers who are working for a nationwide homecare agency are only getting paid $8 before taxes.I have been working with personal care attendants since 1994 and I think that the work that they do is much more valuable than that measly amount.I'm not saying that Dare to Dream Attendant Services can pay a huge salary but we pay a living wage and so if by chance you see this and you like working with people with disabilities young and old, Dare to Dream Attendant Services would love to have you.I know how much it costs from the employer side but I do not sympathize with people who get away with highway robbery.I think some of our most hardest working illegal immigrants get paid more in hotels. IHSS support workers get paid and despite the wages ,they get health,dental, and vision insurance.Thank you Public Authorities!To the homecare agency I think that you'll be understaffed and under appreciated if you don't raise your workers' rates.The real people that suffer are the clients who are paying for services and getting workers who probably have a high turnover rate or just don't show up.

A day in the office

2006-08-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

I did some work in the morning and in the afternoon I had to got to the Regional Center. I was told that I was putting words in my friends mouth... I was just trying to help her communicate not trying to control what she said. She needs more help and they are just not giving it to my friend the way they are supposed to. I'm pissed! I left the meeting and afterwards I had another meeting, and that was okay. But I'm still pissed. I hope that when someone is trying to help me talk about complicated issues, I hope they would not be accused of putting words in my mouth.

Give me advice on this one.

Dare to Dream new services

2006-08-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Getting Out There- This is a program for seniors where they will have daily outside and inside acctivities. This is designed so that seniors and their community can get to know each other. The Cost: $400

Bingo Night- Designed for young and old. Everyone can play bingo. If you could not make it to the location we'll hook you up over the telephone.
Thursday Nights. 6:00 to 9:30 PM. $10 per person

Everybody Dance Now- This program is done through music and dance. People will have the opportunity to hear great tunes and have a good time. You can dance and sing or simply hangout with friends. $5 No Alcohol but beverages will be provided.

General Disabliity Peer Support Group- This is a group designed for people coping with day to day issues around disability. This is a FREE and SAFE place to get togather and support one another. An interview will be required before you are told the time and location of the group.

Ness Ness Va Art Class- Long time staff member and artist Vanessa Castro will work with children, adults and seniors to do different forms of art. This will include drawing, painting, paper mache, clay, string art and much more. Vanessa is a wonderful artist and writer. Her website is
www.vanessa-castro.com
$25 per person per hour class.

All of the above classes will be held in groups. No less than 3 people per group.

MindFreedom Weekly News Hour Live Free Internet Radio

2006-08-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

MindFreedom News -- 8 August 2006
http://www.MindFreedom.org

Public Service Announcement:

MindFreedom Weekly News Hour Live Free Internet Radio.

Featured guest: Leonard Roy Frank- author and electroshock survivor activist.You may e-mail in questions & comments live.

This Tuesday, 8 August 2006 at 1 pm eastern time, 10 am pacific time
click on http://www.theprn.org or listen to the archive later.

You will hear Leonard Roy Frank as a guest on the MindFreedom Weekly News Hour Internet radio show. Leonard will be interviewed by host David Oaks on the live free show which is part of the Progressive Radio Network. You'll also hear the latest news and resources for a nonviolent revolution in the mental health system.

Leonard is widely considered one of the central figures in the history of resistance to psychiatric oppression, especially electroshock.

Here's a very brief autobiography from Leonard:

"Born in Brooklyn in 1932. Univ. of Pennsylvania graduate. Real estate salesman. Moved in 1959 to San Francisco where I soon became interested in nonviolence, history, philosophy. What turned me around was Gandhi's autobiography which I read at that time".

"Committed to a psychiatric institution in 1962 and labeled 'paranoid schizophrenic.' Seven-plus months and 85 shock treatments later I was released -- with a 3-year memory gap".

"Joined the staff of Madness Network News staff in 1972 and co-founded the Network Against Psychiatric Assault in 1974, both in San Francisco. Engaged in a number of civil disobedience acts during the next 10 years in the U.S. and Canada. Edited and published "The History of Shock Treatment" in 1978.

"Between 1998 and 2003 Random House published 8 books I edited,including the Random House Webster's Quotationary (20,000 quotes in 1,000 alphabetized categories). In June of 2006 "The Electroshock Quotationary", an illustrated, 154-page history of psychiatry's most controversial procedure in chronologically arranged quotations, was published on the Internet. It can be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Coalition for the Abolition of Electroshock in Texas."

The link to download a free copy of The Electroshock Quotationary is:http://www.endofshock.com/102C_ECT.PDF

YOU may e-mail your questions and comments before, during or after the show at radio@mindfreedom.org. Your comments and questions may be read live during the show.

Independence Maintained

2006-07-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

"Independence Maintained" is a 12 week intensive independent living skills program. Focusing on such topics as attendant care and management, transportation, housing, employment and educational goals. This is all complemented with the independent living philosophy. The ideal candidate for Independence Maintained is for someone who is physically disabled and highly motivated to transition in to community living. The class runs for 12 weeks and costs $5,000 for each person in between the ages of 16 to 24. The person must have a desire to live more independently, complete assignments both written and practical. The severity of the disability is irrelevant because most class material will be on line. This course runs 5 days a week for 12 weeks. The class is from 9 to 5 PM and can either be taught in a group or individually. You may bring your own provider if you choose. We hope that by doing this program we expose people with disabilities to their community's and to real life experiences. At the end of our program certificates are given to all successful participants.

Call the office to sign up. Space is limited, classe begin soon, sign up now!
daretodreamattendantservices@yahoo.com

Music, Myth & Poetry in Concert @ Redwood Gardens 7/27 & Plymouth Church 7/29

2006-07-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Songwriter/Performer
JUDITH-KATE FRIEDMAN
and
Mythsinger/Storyteller/Poet/Author
DANIEL DEARDORFF
in an Evening of Song, Stories & Poems for the Heart and Soul

Thursday July 27, 7pm
REDWOOD GARDENS
Community Room
2951 Derby (between College and Claremont)
Berkeley, CA
Suggested donation $10
To benefit "Songwriting Works" and "The Mythsinger Foundation"
For further info and directions, contact: Peni Hall (510)548-1645

and

Saturday July 29, 7:30pm
PLYMOUTH CHURCH
Fireside Room
424 Monte Vista (at Oakland Av.)
Oakland, CA
Suggested donation $10
To benefit "Songwriting Works" and "The Mythsinger Foundation"
510/654-5300

Both venues are wheelchair accessible.

For downloadable flyers of both concerts, go to:
http://www.mythsinger.com/events/myth_events.html

For information on the beneficiary organizations, please visit:
www.mythsinger.org and www.songwritingworks.org

The artists:

Daniel Deardorff is a "Singer" in the old sense of that word, which involves being a musician, a storyteller, and a maker of ritual. He has been a composer and a performing artist for more than three decades. As an independent scholar of myth Deardorff's emphasis is on mythopoesis [myth-making] and the performative aspects of mythic_expression. He is the author of "The Other Within: The Genius
of Deformity in Myth, Culture, & Psyche" published by White Cloud Press. www.mythsinger.com

Judith-Kate Friedman writes passionate songs. Her folk/roots sound springs from improvisation and tradition, with touches of jazz and a
poet's eye on the world. An eloquent vocalist and award-winning songwriter, she draws audiences in close with finely etched images,infectious guitar grooves and captivating melodies. Her powerful,spirited performances celebrate heritage, justice and the courage to make change. www.judithkate.com

To subscribe to the lists of the artists or the beneficiary organizations,
reply to: songwritingworks@aol.com

####

Judith-Kate Friedman, Founding Director
Songwriting Works TM,
Giving Voice to Communities Since 1990
2023 East Sims Way #271
Port Townsend, WA 98368
local/office: 360/385-1160
mobile: 510/710-4878
www.songwritingworks.org
songwritingworks@aol.com

Stop more people from getting autism

2006-07-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Cure Autism Now Celebrates the Senate HELP Committee Passage of the "Combating Autism Act of 2006"

On Wednesday, July 19, the 20 members of the Senate HELP Committee unanimously voted to send the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (S.843) to the full Senate for approval. This represents a tremendous victory for the entire autism community, including the many organizations that formed a coalition to advance this legislation. We anticipate the bill will pass the Senate by a unanimous consent vote prior to the summer recess, which begins August 4.

With the leadership of our original sponsor, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and his staff, and the assembly and involvement of the autism community consensus group, the CAA of 2006 has emerged as a historic $1 billion single-disease authorization bill for autism that serves as an acknowledgment by the United States Senate that autism is a national public health crisis.

The Combating Autism Act of 2006 was originally drafted by Cure Autism Nows Government Relations representative and Chapter Leader Stuart Spielman, and much of the legislative strategy was planned and implemented by CANs lobbying team. The CAA of 2006 began as a reauthorization of the autism section in the Childrens Health Act of 2000, which was also introduced by CAN and became the first landmark piece of autism legislation.

Cure Autism Now would like to thank all members of the HELP Committee for their unprecedented commitment to fulfill the promise of meaningful research, timely intervention and an accelerated path to a cure for autism. In addition to our champion Senator Santorum, our gratitude goes to HELP Committee Chairman Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Ranking Member Edward Kennedy (D-MA), sponsor Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and their tireless staffs for their tremendous effort in crafting the Combating Autism Act of 2006 .

Once the bill passes the Senate, our attention will shift to the House of Representatives where we have 136 co-sponsors to date. Visit www.combatautism.org to find out if your Congressman is a co-sponsor. If not, please contact them while they are in district for the August recess and ask them to co-sponsor the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (H.R. 2421).

Cure Autism Now thanks the many autism organizations in the community that have actively participated in these efforts and we thank our families and friends who have reached out to their legislators to help us combat autism.

Medcare Part D. Falling through the gaps. (and comment from Michai)

2006-07-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

It seem like a no win situation. Most medicines are needed to conteract side effects and cause their own havoc on the body. Most medicines are very expensive and are increasingly becoming out of reach of being subsidized by public and private agencies. Unfortunately, this trend is going to get worse. However, new therapies to relieve pain and debilitating conditions through complementary medicine will become common place due to cost saving and proven results. I feel if more parents of children with disabilities and newly disabled people had access to alternative methods like biofeedback, acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy, acupressure, restorative nutrition, and affirming body messages that their bodies works rather than being beaten bown by the medical model there would be less drug reliance for treatment in the disabled and senior community.

Michai

Sales Position Dare to Dream Attendant Services

2006-07-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

We are looking for someone to do assessment and outreach on a commission basis. The commission is as low as 25 dollars and as high as 100 dollars depending on how many hours the client needs. If the client stays with Dare to Dream for over 90 days, you will make .50 cents of every hour of service the client gets. The idea behind the concept is that the person who takes the job, sees the opportunity in home care and desires a meaningful career helping people with disabilities and the elderly remain in their own homes and communities. Please call our office if you are experienced and would like more information. 1-800-988-9927. Ask to speak to Bill or Nick, and be clear about which position you are applying for.

Accessible Voting Pads: A comment from the disabled community

2006-07-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hi,

A couple of days this week I was able to try using the Vote-Pad voting equipment. I have to admit that one question kept coming to mind which was"Why?" . Vote-Pad uses non-computer parts, most of which have been available in some form for decades. Why does it ignore the computer technology which has been developed in the past quarter century?

Vote-Pad has a number of concerns for me. One is that I'm not sure that it really addresses the needs of voters with disabilities like cerebral palsy where the person's hand may make random movement. I'm not clear how the protect clear plastic shield prevents all voters with random hand movements from accidently marking two choices in the same race. If this were to happen, the ballot would probably have to be discarded and a new ballot started. If the voter did this to three different ballots on an election day, the law would prohibit that voter from trying a fourth ballot.As a result, the voter would be disenfanchised because of the design of the voting equipment.

I believe that various voters with visual impairments might have problems using the Vote-Pad audio player. Voting using the Vote-Pad audio requires the voter to manually keep the current location on the plastic cover in sync with what is being said on the audio. What if the visually impaired voter is elderly, on anti histamines, has blindness and neuropathy because of diabetes or has one arm/wrist broken? When it comes to saying whether or not Vote-Pad is accessible for various visually impaired voters, an analogy comes to mind. Suppose there's a picnic table with two parallel paths approaching it. One is very smooth and flat and used by most people for reaching the table. The other one has nails, broken glass and holes of various depths and is used by a few other people.Now imagine a person who reached the table by the smooth, flat path leans over and tells a person who used the other path "What are you complaining about? You still reached the table and isn't that's all that's important?"

I have a hard time understanding why Vote-Pad should be certified when it doesn't seem to provide a number of advantages that computer-based voting equipment can offer to many people with disabilities.

Scott

Google Accessible Search for the Visually Challenged

2006-07-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Google Inc. will today launch Google Accessible Search, a search tool that ranks results based on the simplicity of the site's page layout. Pages with a large number of headings and that lack extraneous images and text --factors that make the page easier to read with a screen reader -- will rank higher, saving blind Internet users the time of navigating to results they won't be able to comprehend. The search tool is at labs.google.com/accessible.

Seniors Begin Falling into Plan D Coverage Gap

2006-07-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

The following news brief was published by The NewStandard, an independent,nonprofit news project that is in need of your support.

Seniors Begin Falling into Plan D Coverage Gap
by Jessica Azulay (bio)

A health-policy organization is warning that millions of seniors and people with disabilities will soon be hit with high out-of-pocket drug expensesunder the new Medicare plan.In a report released yesterday, the Institute for America's Future describes a coverage gap written into the Medicare Part D prescription drug program that will force patients with over $2,250 in drug costs to begin paying the full costs of their medications ~ even while continuing to pay premiums to their insurance companies.

In what has been dubbed the "doughnut hole" by Part D opponents, the programcaps regular coverage for all but the poorest seniors and people with disabilities at the $2,250 mark. Once a patient reaches the cap, he or shemust pay full price for drugs until they have reached total costs of $5,100.If the patient manages to pay the $2,850 in out-of-pocket expenses and still needs more medication, "catastrophic coverage" kicks in, and the insurance company once again picks up most of the tab.

Medicare enrollees with the lowest incomes who have applied for special subsidies will not face the coverage gap. But some recipients have already run into it.In its report, Institute for America's Future narrates the stories of some who have already "fallen into the doughnut hole."According to the Institute's calculations, the average senior enrolled in the program will hit the doughnut hole on September 22; "doughnut hole day" for the average mental-health patient enrollee will be August 6.

Nutrient dense prepared food delivered to your door

2006-07-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

I welcome you to check out our new Berkeley based company's website.We make nutrient dense food that can be delivered to your door or picked up at our kitchen in west Berkeley. I am a cancer survivor and feel that this high level of nutrition is a large factor in my currentgood health. http://www.Threestonehearth.com

The foods we offer are those recommended by Sally Fallon and the
Weston A Price foundation. (WAPF) http://www.westonaprice.org/index.html

SF Chapter of the WAPF website.Besides being a partner in this business cooperative, I am the Chapter leader for the SF Weston A Price chapter. We also have a booth at the Saturday Berkeley Farmers market. Come by and visit.I can answer any of your questions at 415-647-8216 and Larry@threestonehearth.com

Medication errors injure more than 1.5 million yearly(another comment)

2006-07-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's great to have some of this info be more public.As far as a data-base goes, British Columbia has had that going for quite a while, I don't know about the rest of Canada. It is still horribly mired in allopathy, like so many countries.The medical industry doesn't want to be held responsible for its mistakes. The industry has been able to hold on to its monopoly. I suspect that with better, complementary medical care, some permanent disabilities would not develop.

Norman Cousins cured himself with laughter decades ago. The book got quite a bit of media coverage for a short while. But you didn't see the medical industry jumping into researching it. Where's the money in that? Curing disease would put them out of business.The whole system is screwy. Doctors want to be treated as unquestioned gods, and clinics are all set up to encourage it. Psychological manipulation makes
the patient feel even more vulnerable than a sick person already feels--putting you in a cold room all alone, making you wait ridiculously long times when you've made an appointment--hell, they set up 4 appointments at the same time for the same doctor. Arg. The only legal *medical* documentation necessary to show disability, etc has to come from a corrupt, inefficient, often incorrect industry. I've had a number of doctors prescribe drugs that were inappropriate for me, not even asking if I'm taking any other drugs, or what vitamins I take. One fool doctor precribes some psyche drug for me because I was upset about something very hard to deal with. I didn't ask for it. I said, "Don't you think this is situational?" She said, "Just take it, you'll feel better." What an idiot.

Before you prescribe psyche drugs, (or any drugs) you need to ask questions about sleep patterns at the very least. Needless to say, I didn't take the drug. I forget the name, but it has come out recently in the news that it causes quite a few problems.In Canada, on the web sites I've found on searches for prescribed drugs, they mention that the doctor should ask about any supplements or vitamins the patient takes. And most pharmacists meet with you and discuss your intakes of whatever pharmaceuticals you are taking (they know because of the database), also asking about vites and stuff.Not having a database is great for the many, many people who abuse prescription drugs like oxytocin, vicodin, etc. I.ve known a number of people who went to a few different docs and got prescriptions, no questions
asked.

Doctors are legal drug-dealers.
Human error in hospitals and pharmacies can always occur. Hospitals are soooo scary.

Medication errors injure more than 1.5 million yearly

2006-07-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

I recently saw on PBS TV a program about this one hospital that said it was time to change things, they employed the Toyota auto manufacturing attitude which says if something isn't right, or isn't working right, they keep asking questions until they find solutions. They went way down as far as deaths, infection rates, medication mistakes, even wheelchair theft or chair hogging, they found solutions, so we know it can be done. and theysaid it did not cost them anything to implement these things, in fact, they saved money!

Tamar Raine
tamarmag@earthlink.net
Now serving tee shirts! and soon to come, Maui posters and other items;
www.cafepress.com/tamarmag

Superfest International Disability Film Festival

2006-07-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Access Services of the San Francisco Public Library in association with the San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability and the Corporation on Disabilities and Telecommunication (CDT)presents a "Superfest International Disability Film Festival Showcase"

In honor of the 16th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 5 award-winning films of, by and for the Disability Community will be shown on:

Wednesday, July 26, 2006
1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Main Library 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
Koret Auditorium - Lower Level

Films to be shown at the Superfest Disability Film Festival Showcase:

Abnormally Funny People (45 min.) [U.K.] Merit Award
documentary about five comedians with disabilities under stress as they put together a show for the demanding and unforgiving Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Producers: Jane Stephenson, Simon Minty (There will be a "Meet the
Maker/Question and Answer Session" with Simon Minty following the film.)

Georgian Song (4 min.) [Georgia] Outstanding P.S.A. Award
Music video featuring dozens of lively singing, dancing school children shown nationally to encourage Georgian schools (once part of the old U.S.S.R.) to become more inclusive. Producer: Cultural Disability Center, Tanadgoma

Equilibrium (4 min.) [U.S.] Pamela K. Walker Award
A powerful and provocative artistic short that explores the chaos and cacophony of input that can result from moving from a non-hearing to a hearing world because of cochlear implants or the adjustment to hearing aids. Producer:Adrean Mangiardi

About Love (25 min.) [Russia] Excellence Award
A humorous, unsentimental series of interviews of Moscow school children with
disabilities about their surprisingly rich love lives. A charming and engaging look at life from the philosophical vantage point of some already wise Russian gradeschoolers. Producer: Tofik Shakhverdiev

Nectar (16 min.) [U.K.] Merit Award
With glorious cinematography and exquisite attention to detail, established British Director Liz Crow weaves a poignant tale of love involving a deaf,champion swimmer in the early 20th century who struggles to make his own life decisions against a tile of public expectations. Producer: Abigail Davies

The Main Library is accessible to persons using wheelchairs. All films will be audio described and captioned. Film introductions will be ASL interpreted. Assistive listening devices will be available. Programs will be available in large print and braille. Please call 557-4557 (v) or 557-4433 (tty) or e-mail mgoddard@sfpl.org with questions or requests for other accommodations.Requesting accommodations by Friday, July 21st will help to ensure availability.

In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illness, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, please avoid using perfumes or other chemical-based scented products.

All programs at the Library are free.
San Francisco Public Library
Main Library 100 Larkin Street (at Grove) www.sfpl.org

A Strong Body for a Stronger Memory

2006-07-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

ELDER JOURNAL:"A Strong Body for a Stronger Memory"
by Paul Takayangi

The importance of being physically fit and maintaining memory skills is becoming more apparent through numerous studies nationwide. There are a number of reasons why researchers are correlating stronger memory with a strong body. A study by the MacArthur Foundation found that exercise had a profound effect on the brains of adult subjects of a major research project. The study found that an increase in exercise had a simultaneous increase in chemical substances in the brain that promotes new brain cell growth. The findings suggested that exercise enhances memory function. Another national study found that older people who have a regular exercise routine do better on memory tasks. The same study found that immediately after exercising, people are able to learn and remember new information more effectively than if they were sedentary.

Exercise increases the blood flow of the entire body and gives your brain more oxygen and other important nutrients. In addition, research has shown that increased exercise promotes feelings of well-being and can reduce depressive feelings in older people. Endorphins, the brain's natural "feel good" chemicals, are released when you exercise. This is important because people diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and their caregivers often report feelings of depression in their daily lives. A regular exercise program for both persons with dementia and their caregivers can help to alleviate or reduce these feelings. Studies have also shown a correlation between feelings of depression and cognitive dysfunction. Sometimes, what appears to be dementia is actually acute depression. This is why it is imperative for a person to be clinically assessed for depression who has recently begun to display dementia symptoms.

It is important for every person who has dementia to participate in some form of physical exercise no matter what stage of the disease they are experiencing. Here are some real life examples of persons in each stage of Alzheimer’s Disease, early, moderate and late, and their exercise programs.

Identifying and Reducing Stress in Your Life

2006-07-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Identifying and Reducing Stress in Your Life
by Shirlee Ann Stokes, RN, EdD, FAAN and Susan E. Gordon, RN, EdD

We all experience stress in our lives. Sometimes we feel more stressed than at other times. Stress is anything that the person sees as stressful. It is like pain, if an individual states they have pain, then they have pain. If an individual perceives a situation as stressful, then it is stressful. Stress is self-defined.

Stress is associated with difficult events or situations. Events such as loss of a driver's license, death of a loved one, and being hospitalized are indeed stressful events or stressors. In these instances stress is associated with negative situations. But remember: stress can be elicited from happy occasions as well. Going on vacation, moving to a retirement community, or visits from family can also produce stress. These times might be happily anticipated, but can be fraught with feelings of anxiety and stress. Will everything go well? Are all the plans set? Have I packed everything I need?

We all know that big events in our lives can be stressful. Death of a child or being audited by the IRS are strong and well understood stressors. These stressors mark profound changes in our lives to which we must adjust. Along with the big stressors, the little daily hassles can also take their tool. Situations such as, being a passenger in a car with an erratic driver, having your refrigerator breakdown, getting an unexpected bill, suffering from chronic discomfort or pain, completing the myriad number of forms needed for Medicare, taxes, and insurance are everyday stresses we all face. These smaller chronic, long term stressors can be just as debilitating as a single large event.

Dr. Shirlee Ann Stokes received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Ohio State University. She earned her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Stokes' clinical specialty area is adult and gerontologic nursing and her major research area has been stress and aging. With Dr. Susan Gordon, they have developed a tool to measure level of stress in individuals 65 years of ages and over. Currently, Drs. Gordon and Stokes are conducting studies related to stress in the elderly, including the development of an Instrument (Health Diary) to Measure Health in the Elderly.

Governor Signs 2006-2007 State Budget

2006-07-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

CDCAN
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
#068-2006 June 30, 2006 - Friday afternoon
Advocacy Without Borders:
Connecting people with disabilities & seniors to rights and unified action

BREAKING NEWS
* Governor Signs 2006-2007 State Budget
* Major Funding Increases for People With Disabilities & Seniors Approved
* SSI/SSP Cost Of Living Increase for January 2007 in Budget
* Supported Employment Program Gets 24% Increase
* Line Item Vetoes on Some Medi-Cal and Special Education Budget Items

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, signed the 2006-2007 budgetbill, AB 1801, Friday morning (June 30) on the last day of the 2005-2006 State budget year in a press conference at the State Capitol saying that the "real winners" were the people of California. The Governor signed the $131 billion budget - the largest of any state budget in the nation -approving nearly all of the major funding increases made by the
Legislature for programs for people with disabilities and seniors, including additional increases in funding for supported employment andwork activity programs for persons with developmental disabilities.

Advocates for people with disabilities and seniors generally had high praise for the Governor and Legislature for the budget that saw increases in several programs after several budget years of reductions and cuts. Still, some advocates raised concerns about the need for additional critical funding and worried about the possibility of another large budget deficit next year, which state officials say could be well over $3 billion.

More on the story HERE

FAPE IS NO LONGER "FREE"

2006-07-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:35 pm (PST)
EducationNews.Org published Wyner & Tiffany's commentary on the recent Supreme Court Decision in Arlington Central Sch'l Dist. v. Murphy (June 26, 2006), which held that parents cannot recover expert witness fees in special education cases even when the parents are the "prevailing party."

FAPE IS NO LONGER "FREE"
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Steven Wyner
Attorney at Law

The Supreme Court appears bound and determined to create an obstacle course for families pursuing the rights of their disabled children. Approximately 8-months ago, in Schaffer v. Weast, the Court held that families must prove that their disabled children have been denied a FAPE. Today the Court has held in Arlington Central Sch l
Dist v. Murphy, that families cannot recover expert witness fees under the IDEA.

The Court reasoned that the term "costs" is a "term of art," as used in the IDEA provision allowing for an award of "reasonable attorneys' fees as part of the costs" that may be recovered by families as a "prevailing party." As a matter of statutory analysis, the Court held that the term "costs" does not "include reasonable expenses and fees of expert witnesses," even though legislative history, including the Conference Committee Report, expressly stated that Congress intended expert witness fees to be recoverable as part of reasonable attorneys' fees.

The Supreme Court has again ignored the realities faced by parents seeking to enforce their children's federal and state rights. With rare exception, parents must offer the testimony of expert witnesses in order to prevail in administrative due process proceedings. In the absence of an expert witness, how can parents sustain the burden of proof and prove that a school district has denied their children a FAPE? The school districts rely upon the testimony of their teachers, behavioral specialists and aides, speech and language specialists, occupational therapy specialists, etc. (all of whom are generally viewed by hearing officers as experts), to testify about a
student's progress and to vehemently defend challenges to the school's educational program. Those school district experts are not likely to testify that a student has been denied a FAPE.

The Court's current decision will have the greatest effect upon financially disadvantaged families, who may be unable to find experts who previously testified based upon the understanding that should the parent prevail, the expert would recover fees for participating in the proceedings. As keenly observed by Justice
Breyer in a well-reasoned, socially conscious dissent:

"In a word, the Act's statutory right to a free an appropriate education may mean little to those who must pay hundreds of dollars to obtain it."

These two most recent Supreme Court cases make it clear that the schools and families are no longer playing on a level field. All too soon, we may find that only families that can afford to hire experts to help their failing children will be able to enforce the rights and remedies secured by the IDEA. FAPE is no longer "free."

Steven Wyner
Attorney at Law

Wyner & Tiffany
970 W. 190th Street
Suite 302
Torrance, CA 90502

(310) 792-8999 x305
(310) 792-8988 (fax)
(310) 291-5595 (cell)

swyner@specialedlaw.org

I thought you all will be interested.

High Dreams Low Expectations

2006-07-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have high dreams and they have low expectations. Thls is the way it has been since I was young. Now that I am, in the world's eyes, an adult, I feel the need to express with much discontent the lack of expectations for people wlth Cerebral Palsy.

Because of my new business, I have the opportunity to meet with many different community based organizations that serve people with Cerebral Palsy and other developmental disabilities. I always got the feeling when I was a kid that the adults and other authority figures in my life were always thinking, "if we give him something to do, he will never form his own identity." When I visited all of the different community-based organizations, I saw the same attitude that I saw twenty-five years ago firsthand. I went to several day programs where participants had access to wonderful computer technology but did not have a power wheelchair.This really gets me mad. I was 9 years old when I got my first power chair. It gave me the freedom to go where I wanted,hang out with who I wanted to, and go away from situations that I didn't want to be a part of. Also, professionals have forgotten allmost entirely about independent living skills,which matter so much in today's world where people with disabilities are easily taken advantage of.

My independent living skills course I outlined as "Nlck 101 ."See, I learned everything backwards and always had to hit"rock bottom" before being able to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. This course was not taught in a classroom,but it was taught in the experience of my independent living.I didn't know how to manage attendants or my checkbook and my life fell apart. It took me years to understand how to balance a checkbook.The thing that really infuriates me is that people with disabilities, including people with CP, have really left high dreams behind and have accepted low expectations.

Nicholas Feldman resides in San Francisco with his fiance.He runs his own business, Dare To Dream Attendant Services, and attended UC Berkley studying social work and education. Nicholas also worked in independent living centers throughout California and helped run a local emergency attendant service as well as an independent living skills program. He has been an activist for disability rights and continues to work on expanding his business and living everyday more productively.

Nicholas Feldman
Owner and Founder
Dare to Drearn Attendant Services
275 5th St. #203
San Francisco, CA 94109
(800) 988 9927
Cerebral Palsy Magazine - June 2006

There are many reasons why a son admires his father

2006-06-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons why a son admires his father. Perhaps, it is the similarities that they share....

1) We have to be right or convinced otherwise.
2) We both understand good cooking:)
3) We call each other "Buck"
4) We understand social justice.
5) We are both business owners.
6) We are both re-born environmentalists.
7) We both strive for success and happiness.
8) We lose our temper and say things we dont mean.
9) We have both rode on Thunder Mountain Rail Road and yelled "JESUS H. CHRIST!"
10) We both have the "want things to happen right away" syndrome.
11) We both love dogs.
12) We both love technology, when it works.
13) We both like to do the dolphin in the swimming pool.
14) We understand practice versus preaching.
15) We love to hear ourselves talk.
16) We both fight for equality.
17) We are both risk takers.
18) We have big hearts.
19) We have good ideas, that will make us lots of money one day.
20) We both love our partners.
21) We both love to just be able to kick back and watch a football game.
22) We both get up early.
23) We both used to dance to Thriller.
24) We like watching the news.
25) We are both liberal.
26) We both know who the "guy" is.
27) We both believe in spirituality.
28) We both like to look work casual.
29) We both like the color green.
30) We are both related.

Nick

"Seniors moving out of Nursing Homes"

2006-06-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is a great article about how states should have more waivers for people who live independently and wish to remain in their own homes. Free our people now !

Nick

"Seniors moving out of Nursing Homes"

By CANDICE CHOI, Associated Press Writer Wed Jun 14, 3:19 AM ET

ALBANY, N.Y. - Three months after Herman Schneider checked into a nursing home with severe depression, he was ready for life on the outside again so he moved into an assisted-living facility.

Schneider, a 78-year-old retired microbiology researcher, said the
nursing home experience was difficult."I've been a thinking individual all my life - it was an atmosphere that was totally foreign to me," he said.

Around the country, nursing homes once consider life's final stop are experiencing a growing number of residents who are packing up and moving out, as more and more seniors receive the help they need through home care or in assisted living settings.

The New York State Health Department, which estimates that caring for seniors in home and community settings can cost up to half as much as nursing homes, is responding to the trend: State officials hope to get a federal waiver this summer that will let up to 5,000 elderly and disabled nursing home residents on Medicaid get the same care elsewhere.

Over the past several years, a majority of states have applied for similar waivers. For many seniors, the shift is welcome news.Schneider transitioned from a nursing home into an assisted-living home with the help of his daughter and wife. His life is now punctuated with weekly field trips to restaurants and historic sites around the state, organized by the facility.

Occasionally, he and his wife go out for dinner."We never did that in a nursing home. That was a restricted environment.I was anxious to get out of there," Schneider said.

He's not alone.

"My wife doesn't care for the idea of leaving. We built this house 42 years ago," said 76-year-old Edward Drozdowski, an Albany resident who recently moved home after spending several weeks in a nursing home while he recovered from kidney failure.While it was nice having people help him with daily tasks, he couldn't adjust to the confines of the environment."At home, if I want to have dinner a little later than 5:30, we can do that," said Drozdowski, who used to work in the restaurant business.When the time comes, he and his 73-year-old wife plan to get a home health aide so they can stay in their home as long as possible.

A recent review by the state Health Department found up to 14 percent of nursing home residents were healthy enough to be in more independent settings not currently offered to them.One problem is elderly patients who are sent to nursing homes for short-term treatment wind up as permanent residents. Also, hospitals tend to discharge patients to nursing homes rather than look for more appropriate alternative care options that might be in short supply, said Mary Kahn, a spokeswoman for the federal Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.Under the federal waiver system, social workers and nursing home administrators work to identify seniors and people with disabilities who can thrive in assisted-living centers or at home with relatives with the help of professional aides.

For some residents who have become accustomed to the fixed routine of a nursing home, the prospect of sudden independence can be daunting, said Susan Dooha, executive director for the Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York City, a group that has long helped seniors and the disabled move out of nursing homes.

"It's a big psychological barrier for someone who's in a nursing home to
imagine they can resume their lives in the community," she said.The waiver system smooths the transition by covering bills like moving costs and utility installation fees and training in independent living skills like bill paying.Once they're back in the community, Dooha said initial apprehensions quickly vanish.

That was the case for Schneider, who moved into an assisted-living facility with the help of his family. Now, he enjoys eating and coming and goingon his own schedule again."My time in the nursing home was good for me, but I'd never go back," he said.

New website under construction

2006-06-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

Dare to Dream Attendant services is always ready to lend a helping hand, however our web site is undergoing some renovations.Our contact information can be found on the sidebar.Thank you.

Life in the Office with Bill and Myself

2006-06-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

Bill and I arrive around 9:00am. I walk to the office from my house and Bill comes on a bus from his home. We check emails, attend meetings, talk to our clients, talk to our staff, do weekly billing, attend phone conference calls, attend outreach activities. Bill and I are both excited to have Linda Davis as our new nursing care coordinator and Alain Bandalan who does our outreach. I believe that in the coming months, Dare to Dream Attendant Services will be able to develop through several different counties, nursing and personal care on-call components to Dare to Dream Attendant Services. We are also strongly looking into a residential transitition independent living skills program. I'd love to hear from all of you. Bill and I both, really value community input. I've been noticing that it has been really nice outside in terms of the weather in San Francisco. If you are able to get out there and enjoy the weather, please do it.

It's all about C.A.R.E. ing

2006-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Community – is a place for everyone. People with disabilities and seniors deserve the right to live at home with quality care, consumer choice and maximum independence. Due to my own disability, I use a wheelchair, and have started this business to make sure that people with disabilities and seniors alike, get to participate in the universal dream of a life of as much freedom and independence as possible.

Ability – We believe that everyone has the ability to live their own lives and make their own decisions. Our providers help facilitate the abilities of the individual. The disability is put aside when there is above average care that can be provided on a personal or non-personal care level.

Respect - Our providers understand that everyone has different needs and different capabilities. We respect the right of the individual to be involved in the process of care. We also respect the array of different cultures that exist in our world. The people who Dare to Dream Attendant Services employs are people who we demand respect and integrity from, from the time they walk in the door. There is a strict application and fingerprinting process from the Department of Justice. I, myself, if you haven’t already figured it out from the front cover, require assistance 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, so I understand the real meaning of respect from many different levels. Part of respect means having to be on-time; to be a hard worker, but most importantly, love what you do and who you work with.

Empowerment – To be empowered means, to someone with a disability, the right to be able to live life the same way everyone does. We empower people with disabilities and seniors by giving them choices in everything they do. Everyone deserves to feel good about their mind, body, and spirit. Our caregivers understand this and do their job well the first time. Dare to Dream Attendant Services hopes to empower more and more seniors and people with disabilities.

Do you know someone who needs our services?

A message from Nicholas Feldman

2006-06-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Conceptualized in 2005, Dare to Dream Attendant Services strives to keep people with disabilities and seniors comfortable in their homes. So often in today’s world, we isolate the elderly and disabled by putting people into facilities, where they are often prevented from a life of choice and stripped of dignities. Every human being deserves the right live by their own choices and if need be, let the persons care be done by a personal assistant or a registered nurse. As the owner of Dare to Dream Attendant Services and a person with a disability myself, I know what it is like having to depend on people and trust people coming into my home and seeing the very intimate details of my life. I feel, as the president of this company, it is my highest regard to expect nothing less than the best from my staff.