AAPD NEWS February 2002 - Volume 4, Issue 1 Special Leadership Gala Issue AAPD H0STS FIRST ANNUAL LEADERSHIP GALA FEBRUARY 27 Eight Awards to Be Presented During the Evening's Festivities AAPD's first annual Leadership Gala will honor seven emerging leaders in the disability community and one visionary whose work has helped to redefine the disability experience in the United States. The Honorable Tony Coelho, the former Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives and an author of the ADA, will serve as the event's Master of Ceremonies. Coelho and Richard T. Ellis, Director of Federal Affairs of Verizon and an AAPD Board member are co-chairs of this historic awards event. The Leadership Gala is a celebration of achievement, leadership, and progress toward AAPD's vision of political and economic empowerment for individuals with disabilities. It is a forum for recognizing, empowering, and supporting both emerging and established leaders in the disability community, as well as inspiring and mobilizing all attendees to increase their advocacy in support of realizing the promise of the ADA. The Leadership Gala committee is made up of the following individuals: Co-chairs: The Honorable Tony Coelho Richard T. Ellis, Director of Federal Affairs, Verizon Members: Alvenia Rhea Albright, American Express Don Emery, SmartForce Gregg Howard, Independence Technology Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., Marwood Group LLC Jeffrey Klare, Equality Staffing Jennifer Nordheimer, Issue Dynamics, Inc. Preston Padden, The Walt Disney Company David Schmickel, Shaw Pittman Michael Takemura, Compaq Computer Corporation Richard Thompson, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Advisory Committee Co-chairs: Mrs. F. James Sensenbrenner, WI Mrs. Byron L. Dorgan, ND AAPD is most grateful for the time and energy of all the volunteers who helped with the planning and implementation of this historic event. Additionally, AAPD is most thankful to the contributing sponsors of this evening's program. AAPD salutes the corporations, foundations, and organizations who have supported the Leadership Gala in a special section on page six and seven of this newsletter. MARY LOU BRESLIN SELECTED TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS BETTS AWARD Mary Lou Breslin, a co-founder of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and a highly passionate, respected, and effective advocate on behalf of people with disabilities for more than 25 years, has been selected by a national jury to receive the prestigious Henry B. Betts Award. The presentation of a $50,000 cash award will be jointly made for the first time by AAPD and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which established the Henry B. Betts Award in 1989 with the Prince Charitable Trusts. Breslin's pioneering efforts to promote disability civil rights date back to the 1970s, when section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act made it illegal for federal funds recipients to discriminate on the basis of disability. In 1978, she headed the 504 Training Project at the Disability Law Resource Center, which is DREDF's organizational predecessor. In that capacity and later at DREDF, Breslin organized and trained thousands of disability advocates in what the new federal requirements meant and how to advocate for their effective implementation and enforcement. In 1979, she co-founded DREDF, the nation's first cross-disability civil rights law and policy center, with the goal of significantly changing this country's disability rights landscape. She subsequently served as DREDF's deputy director and executive director, as well as its president and chair of the board of directors. In 1993, Breslin founded the DREDF Development Partnership, a corporation that is dedicated to supporting DREDF programs. Breslin's tireless efforts throughout her career have led to the passage and enactment of many laws that serve to benefit and improve the quality of life of people living with disabilities, most notably, the passage in 1990 of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to her colleagues, much of Breslin's success on behalf of DREDF and the entire disability rights movement has to do with her ability to rally, organize, and inspire other advocates in the disability community and broader civil rights community. "She has all the qualities of the general and all the qualities of the soldier; she blazes the trail and maintains it; and she can persuade through forceful advocacy or quiet diplomacy," explains Arlene B. Mayerson, Directing Attorney for DREDF. "Mary Lou Breslin exemplifies the mission of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which is, in part, to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities through education and advocacy," comments Wayne M. Lerner, DPH, FACHE, President and CEO of the Institute. "She sets an example for others of what can be achieved through hard work and determination." The Prince Charitable Trusts and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago established the Henry B. Betts Award in 1989, to annually honor, acknowledge and support the work of one individual who has, during the course of his or her career, ade extraordinary contributions to the quality of life of people with disabilities. The award is named in honor of Henry B. Betts, M.D., a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation medicine who started his career with the Institute in 1964, and made it the base for his career as an advocate for people with physical disabilities as well as for his success as a leader in the field of rehabilitation medicine. Dr. Betts, an accomplished physiatrist, has devoted himself entirely to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. Previous award recipients include AAPD board member Judith E. Heumann, who went on to be Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U. S. Department of Education; former AAPD board chair Lex Frieden, who President Bush has nominated to chair the National Council on Disability (NCD); and Marca Bristo, tapped by President Clinton to chair NCD. A MARKET OR AN OBLIGATION ? DEAR AAPD MEMBER, In January, the new Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Ralph Boyd convened a meeting of disability and business leaders in Washington, D.C. to discuss how we could all work together to help realize the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The meeting was well attended on both sides and will hopefully lead to a collaboration between business, government, and the disability community to increase access and opportunities for customers and employees with disabilities. Early in the meeting, AAPD's immediate past Board Chair Pat Wright posed a question to the representatives from the business community in attendance. "Do you see people with disabilities as a market," she asked, "or an obligation?" As we approach the 12-year anniversary of the ADA's enactment, I think it is useful for us to reflect on the significance of Pat Wright's question. If people with disabilities, our family members, and supporters are viewed by the business community as a market, then businesses have a bottom-line reason to want to understand and meet our needs. Designing products that work for people with a wide range of abilities, hiring employees with insights into our community based on their personal experiences, improving the accessibility of places of business, and using marketing strategies and messages that resonate with us all become savvy ways for businesses to increase their market share. On the other hand, if the more than 56 million children and adults with disabilities, our families and supporters are viewed as an obligation, then compliance with the spirit and letter of the ADA becomes a concern for lawyers, architects, and human resources professionals. The problem with this scenario is that businesses don't have the same incentive to compete with one another to cultivate this market, and managers don't have the same bottom-line motivation to make sure that accessibility and equal opportunity become a core part of a company's culture. With a decade of experience with the ADA under our belts, I think it is past time for businesses and covered entities to recognize the bottom-line benefits of wooing customers and employees with disabilities. For all of us who support the ADA, we need to help with this process by emphasizing the business case for cultivating a market that spends in excess of $250 billion a year, according to Advertising Age. By bringing together disability and business leaders, Ralph Boyd demonstrated the value of adopting a creative approach to enhancing the impact of the ADA on the daily lives of people with disabilities and our families and friends. I encourage AAPD's members and allies around the country to convene similar meetings and seek out collaborative strategies to improve access and opportunities for customers and businesses develop and mature, our colleagues in the business community will come to recognize the size and scope of our community as a market. Over time, this will mean greater access, more and better jobs, and more visibility for the disability community as an engine of commerce. Andrew J. Imparato AAPD President and CEO ImparatoA@aol.com MARIANA NORK JOINS AAPD AS VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS Mariana Nork, a 20-year veteran in charitable fund raising and not-for-profit management has been named AAPD Vice President for Development and Communications. Nork has extensive experience in program development, board and volunteer leadership training, public relations, special events, strategic planning, and coalition building. Prior to joining AAPD, she was the senior associate for a nationally recognized consulting firm. Prior to that she was Vice President/CDO of the Club Foundation at the Club Managers Assoc. of America and Director of Corp. Relations at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C. MEMBER CHAT: FAQ'S and Facts Diane DeAngelis, Director of Member Services A big "Thank You" to all of our members who sent in their surveys from our December newsletter. We will have the results for you in our next issue of AAPD News. If you haven't had a chance to return yours, there's still plenty of time to do so. We are very close to putting the finishing touches on some wonderful new benefits, including discounts on pharmacy, financial and telecommunications services. FAQ's - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q. I am finding difficulty getting the social services I need. Can AAPD help me with this? A. AAPD works on a national level advocating for political empowerment and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities and does not directly provide social services to consumers. However, as a benefit to our members, we do provide informationand referrals concerning disability issues. We also suggest that you contactyour local Center for Independent Living (CIL). These Centers work with individuals with disabilities to help them make their own choices and decisions in order to take charge of their lives and become as self-sufficient as possible. CIL's are staffed by people with disabilities who have successfully established independent lives of their own. They are strongly committed to assisting other people with disabilities in achieving independence. CILs provide information and referrals to people with disabilities, family members, and professionals, as well as the general public. Their staff is knowledgeable about services available in the community that help persons with disabilities live independently, including accessible housing, transportation, employment opportunities, personal assistants, sign-language interpreters, and readers. For a CIL in your area contact: The National Council on Independent Living 1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209 Arlington, VA 22201 Voice: (703) 525-3406 TTY: (703) 525-4153 Fax: (703) 525-3409 Email: ncil@ncil.org. NCIL also provides a state directory of CILs on their web site: www.ncil.org. Q. I am disabled and I want to work, but I can't find a suitable job. What can I do? A. Contact your state Vocational Rehabilitation Commission/Depart-ment for the local office nearest you. In addition to providing information and referral services, they will determine if you are eligible for job placement services. They can also provide you with information concerning such benefits as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Stamps, Personal Assistance Services, and health benefits. Also, post your resume on AAPD's career center at www.aapd-dc.org and check for job postings in your area. Fact: The Smithsonian National Museum of American History offers a wonderful online Exhibit, with photos, of the Disability Rights Movement. Visit their site at: www.americanhistory. si.edu/disabilityrights. If you have any questions about your member benefits, contact Diane at AAPD 258 Main Street, Suite 203 Milford, MA 01757 (V/TTY) Toll free 866-241-3200 (V/TTY) 508-634-3200 FAX 508-634-5427 Email dianedeangelis@earthlink.net. LEADERSHIP GALA HONORS RECIPIENTS This year's Paul G. Hearne/ AAPD Leadership Award recipients will be recognized at AAPD's Leadership Gala. These individuals, whose biographies are in the December 2001 issue of AAPD News, were selected on a highly competitive basis from almost 400 applications. Each will receive a cash award of $10,000 to further his/her current work in the disability community. They are as follows: Alicia Contreras, San Francisco, CA Daniel Davis, Berkeley, CA Ann Forts, Center Harbor, NH N. Linn Hendershot, Hagerstown, MD Kristen Jones, Houston, TX Frances Priester, Elgin, IL Gerard White, Washington, DC The Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation established The Paul G. Hearne Leadership Awards in 1999 to recognize and carry on the work of Paul G. Hearne, a renowned leader in the national disability community and AAPD's founder. Administration of this program was passed in 2000 to AAPD and the program is now referred to as the Paul G.Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards. Additional funding for this year's awards was provided by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, The California Endowment, The Bodman Foundation, and the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation. WASHINGTON UPDATE DISABILTY CAMPAIGN PROMISES AND THE NEW FREEDOM INITIATIVE How does the Administration measure up after one year in office? According to sources at the White House, the Administration has made several inroads toward implementing the goals and promises of the presidential campaign and the New Freedom Initiative. However, in light of the war and military spending, the request for more military funding, the decreasing surplus, the downsized economy, and the determination of the President to establish more tax cuts, the willingness of Congress to fund all the President's disability initiatives is likely to decline. Additionally, withmore states finding themselves in financial stress, matching funds may simply not be available. In fact, many states are looking for ways to reduce their expenditures on key programs like Medicaid. Therefore, we must continue to contact our elected officials at both the national and local levels and ask them to support issues that are important to the disability community. Status Report on Promises Made Double the federal Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers' budget for technologies to assist people with disabilities. The Administration requested $20 million (nearly double) for the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers to begin fulfilling the commitment. Congress approved full funding in the Labor/Education/Health and Human Services appropriations bill. Create a new fund to help bring new technologies to market. The Administration requested $5 million for the Assistive Technology Development Fund administered by the Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) program. Congress approved full funding in the Labor/Education/Health and Human Services appropriations bill. The President also requested $3 million, substantially increasing the funding (was $350,000/yr) for the Interagency Council on Disability Research administered by Department of Education's NIDRR program. Congress approved in the same appropriations bill. Provide $20 million to states to help people with disabilities work from home. The Administration requested $20 million in matching telework grants to states to help people with disabilities work from home, administered by Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services program. Congress approved in the Labor/Education/Health and Human Services appropriations bill. Provide $45 million for pilot transportation programs. The Administration requested $45 million for the Department of Transportation's pilot transportation programs. Congress denied funding. Provide $25 million to help small businesses comply with the ADA. The Administration requested $5 million for the Small Business Administration to help small businesses comply with the ADA. Congress denied funding. During the campaign, Governor Bush promised to request $5 million annually to help small businesses comply with the ADA. Establish a $100 million matching grant program for community-based transportation alternatives. The Administration requested $100 million for the Department of Transportation for a matching grant program for community-based transportation alternatives. Congress denied funding. Issue an executive order implementing the Supreme Court's Olmstead ruling, which requires moving people with disabilities from institutions to community-based facilities when possible. On June 18, the President signed Executive Order No. 13217, "Community-Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities." The Order called upon the federal government to assist states to implement swiftly the Olmstead decision. On December 21, 2001, Secretary Thompson submitted to the President a status report of agency efforts to meet the Executive Order directive, entitled "Delivering on the Promise: Preliminary Report of Federal Agencies' Actions to Eliminate Barriers and Promote Community Integration." It sets forth a summary of the actions that 10 federal agencies propose to take in several key areas such as health care structure and financing, employment, housing, caregiver support, and personal assistance. Increase funding for low-interest loan programs to help people with disabilities purchase devices to assist them. The Administration requested $40 million in matching grants to states for micro loans to purchase assistive technology. Congress approved $35 million, administered by the Department of Education's NIDRR program in the Labor/ Education/Health and Human Services appropriations bill. Increase funding for special education to meet the federal obligation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Administration requested an increase of $1 billion for special education to raise the federal contribution of the cost of providing children with disabilities a free and appropriate education as guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Congress approved an increase of a little over $1.3 billion in the Labor/Education/Health and Human Services appropriations bill. Create a national commission to recommend reforms of the mental-health service-delivery system. The commitment to create the commission was included in the New Freedom Initiative announced on February 1. The commission is expected to be announced soon. Create a national commission to recommend reforms of the mental-health service-delivery system. The commitment to create the commission was included in the New Freedom Initiative announced on February 1. The commission is expected to be announced soon. Provide $10 million in matching funds annually to increase access for people with disabilities to organizations exempt from Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, such as churches, mosques, synagogues and civic organizations. The President's budget proposed $20 million to improve access to ADA-exempt organizations. Revise the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 rent subsidies to people with disabilities to permit them to use up to a year's worth of vouchers to finance down payments on homes. HUD announced pilot program in 11 states on June 19. This is HUD's "Project Access." We will continue to update the status of the New Freedom Initiative. In the meantime, we will keep monitoring other activities in Congress that have a direct impact on funding. We hope that the Administration will work toward other disability issues in a bi-partisan fashion as they did with the education bill. MEDICAID FACING CUTS A Report From Families USA On August 4, 2001, President Bush and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced a new policy regarding Section 1115 waivers for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Although the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability Initiative is being touted as a way for states to increase the number of people covered by Medicaid and SCHIP, the new initiative does not provide any extra funds to states to expand coverage, and it is likely to result in significant benefit cuts, increased cost-sharing, and possibly the widespread use of caps on enrollment in Medicaid. In fact, it is unclear that states must even expand coverage to use this waiver. However, should a state apply for a waiver to expand coverage, the severe restrictions on federal funds available to states for expansions imposed by this new policy would require that states drastically reduce benefits for current Medicaid beneficiaries in order to garner enough cost-savings to pay for the expansion. The proposal also gives states the option to increase cost-sharing for many people who are currently eligible for Medicaid, potentially creating a barrier to enrollment and making health care unaffordable for those most in need. For more information: http://www.hcfa.gov/ medicaid/hifademo.htm SOCIAL SECURITY'S TICKET TO WORK PROGRAM KICKS OFF IN DELAWARE Jo Anne Barnhart, Commissioner of Social Security, delivered the first tickets in the Social Security Administration's (SSA) new Ticket to Work Program, February 5 in Delaware. This Program is designed to help people with disabilities go to work. Under the program, Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive a ticket that may be redeemed to obtain vocational rehabilitation, job training, and other support services from a network of employment service providers. Delaware is one of the first 13 states to participate in the Ticket to Work Program, which will be implemented nationwide by January 2004. Over the next five months, about 21,000 Social Security and SSI beneficiaries with disabilities in Delaware will receive a Ticket to Work. The mailings will be staggered, based on the last digit of a beneficiary's Social Security number. Anyone who wants a Ticket immediately can call 1-866-968-7842 (1-866-YOURTICKET). TDD/TTY users should call 1-866-833-2967 (1-866- TDD2WORK). Individuals may take their Ticket to any of the employment service providers who offer services in Delaware. These providers are called Employment Networks. A list of participating networks can be found at www.ssa.gov/work, by clicking on service providers. Here's how the program works: a Ticket holder gives the Ticket to an Employment Network. The network and the Ticket holder together design an individual employment plan outlining the services to be provided to assist the beneficiary in reaching his or her employment goal. The Ticket Program is voluntary. Social Security and SSI beneficiaries who receive a Ticket are not required to work, but may choose to use their Ticket to attempt to go to work. Employment Networks are not required to accept Tickets. Individuals will receive services from an Employment Network for free. SSA will pay the Employment Networks for successfully helping a beneficiary go to work. The Ticket Program is the cornerstone of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in December 1999. Other provisions of the law are already in place to help support people with disabilities as they go to work. These provisions include expanded health care coverage. Between February and June, approximately 2.4 million beneficiaries will receive tickets in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin. The second phase of the Ticket Program is scheduled for late 2002 in the following states: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia, and in the District of Columbia. The final phase of the Ticket Program is scheduled for 2003 in Alabama, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Those who have questions about the Ticket Program should call Maximus, Inc. at 1-866-968-7842 (1-866-YOURTICKET). TDD/TTY users call 1-866-833-2967 (1-866-TDD2WORK). Internet users visit www.yourtickettowork.com. For general information about the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, please go to SSA's Internet website www.ssa.gov/work - The Work Site. LEGISLATIVE VICTORY FOR HEALTH CARE AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY By Peter W. Thomas, Esq. Powers Pyles Sutter and Verville, P.C. Late in the 2001 congressional session, Congress passed by wide margins the Defense Reauthorization Act of 2001 and President Bush signed the bill into law on December 28 (Public Law 107-107). Among other things, the bill addresses the Department of Defense health care program known as TRICARE, formerly CHAMPUS, which serves active duty military, their dependents, and retirees. The new law dramatically improves the TRICARE benefit package to better meet the needs of TRICARE enrollees with disabilities and chronic illnesses, especially in the area of coverage of assistive technologies and rehabilitation therapies. The new package of covered devices and services will benefit thousands of people with disabilities served by the TRICARE program. The greater significance of the new law, however, may be in its precedential value for sister federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, the Veterans Administration and private health plans. The new TRICARE benefit package is a model for modernizing coverage of health care benefits required by people with physical disabilities and chronic conditions. Senator Kennedy (D-MA) spearheaded the new law with strong support from Senators Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Warner (R-VA), ranking member of the committee. The Bush administration endorsedthe new package of benefits, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing access to assistive technologies for people with disabilities. The new law stands in stark contrast to the existing TRICARE benefit package. "Any durable medical equipment" and "any rehabilitative therapies" that improve, restore, or even prevent deterioration in the function of a patient are considered covered benefits. Hearing aids are no longer excluded but are covered in certain circumstances. Augmentative communication devices (AAC's) are specifically covered as voice prostheses without restrictions. Prosthetics (artificial limbs) and orthotics (braces) continue to be covered benefits but all accessories and supplies, as well as training in the use of these devices are covered as well. The new law also calls for a study on the adequacy of TRICARE's mental health benefits and institutes meaningful changes in TRICARE's long term care benefit. In short, the new TRICARE benefit package sets a strong example for other federal programs and private payers and may lead to government-wide/industry-wide expansions of coverage in this important area of health care benefits. FAMILY OPPORTUNITY ACT STALLED WITH MORE THAN 280 SPONSORS The Family Opportunity Act would ensure that thousands of families with children with severe disabilities would no longer have to choose between declaring bankruptcy, going on welfare, or turning the custody of their children over to the government. For the first time ever, families could continue to increase their income while their children remained eligible for Medicaid coverage. And, the families would buy the Medicaid coverage. Yet, the Family Opportunity Act, S321 and HR600, is sitting in Congress with 75 Senate sponsors and 208 House sponsors and not moving fast enough for its potential target family. The bill, also known as the Dylan Lee James Act, would allow families with incomes up to 300 percent of the poverty level to "buy into" Medicaid, which would cover their children's needed health care services. The Family Opportunity Act requires eligible families to take personal financial responsibility by paying an income-related premium for coverage of the affected child. Because Medicaid coverage would continue even when the family's income grows (up to 300 percent of poverty level), this bill would allow these parents to improve the economic status of their families without threatening the health and well-being of their children with disabilities. Funding for the Congressional Budget Office's estimated full cost of this bill was earmarked in the adopted Fiscal 2002 Budget Resolution, HConRes83. This amount totaled $7.9 billion from FYs 2002 through 2010. For FY 2003 the cost would be approximately $200 million. More than 300 national organizations have endorsed this bill. The diversity of this bill's chief sponsors - Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Reps. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) - demonstrates its broad national bipartisan support. The Family Opportunity Act builds directly on the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA) that permits adults with disabilities to improve their economic status without losing access to critically needed health benefits. Call your elected officials and ask them to pass S321 and HR600. HR3612 (MICASSA) IS INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE The Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act (MICASSA), a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act, was introduced in the House January 23, 2002 and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill will provide individuals with disabilities and older Americans with equal access to community-based attendant services and supports. The bill needs moresponsors. Contact your representatives and ask them to sponsor HR3612. Ask them to contact Representative Danny Davis' office. AAPD SALUTES OUR LEADERSHIP GALA SPONSORS Corporate America has always placed a high value on the qualities of leadership in individuals. On February 27 many businesses, foundations, and organizations celebrated with us AAPD's work to nurture and reward leadership among people with disabilities and those working with people with disabilities. AAPD thanks and congratulates its corporate and foundation sponsors for their vision and donations. Listed below are the 2002 Leadership Gala sponsors. Please also read the statements from some of our key donors, as they talk about their partnerships with AAPD and what these mean to them and their businesses. American Express Company American Express Company considers it a privilege to have the opportunity to be the lead corporate partner for such an important educational and "life-changing" event. As we strive to ensure that all customers receive the highest quality of service possible, we recognize and accept the challenge of becoming "improved" sensitive, responsible, and informed corporate leaders. While we aggressively fulfill our mission to forge business partnerships across all diverse markets, we are determined to pave the way and set the example for many others to follow. Today, we are honored to demonstrate our commitments of support to our partners and our customers in the disability community. We recognize and applaud the tremendous impact these leaders have made upon our community and our nation as a whole. Indeed we are humbled by the enormity of effort that your life work requires. We will work to better serve, inform, and support this great community of business customers as we listen and learn from you about the needs of your community. We will strive to follow your example of excellence, commitment to purpose, and relentless self-determination that is superbly exemplified in the 2002 AAPD award recipients. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to each of you as we celebrate your achievements and successes in the important life-works that you have pursued and mastered. AOL Time Warner AOL Time Warner is proud to be a sponsor of the AAPD Leadership Gala and values our relationship and partnerships with AAPD. As a member of AOL's Accessibility Advisory Committee, AAPD provides important feedback about AOL products and services that are helping our company better serve consumers with disabilities. America Online is also a proud sponsor and active participant in AAPD's National Disability Mentoring Day - a project that is an exciting and important step towards increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities. AOL Time Warner is delighted to participate in this wonderful event! Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is proud to be a sponsor of the 1st annual AAPD Leadership Gala and for its work in honoring leaders within the disability community. We salute AAPD for its efforts in ensuring that the more than 56 million children and adults with disabilities within the U.S. have an equal opportunity to achieve their maximum potential. Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson company The American Association of People with Disabilities tonight celebrates the lives of people who have made a difference. A difference that is not measured by financial gains, global expansion, mergers or acquisitions. Instead, we gather this evening to celebrate the human spirit, through the inspirational dreams of a few noble hearted Americans, who believe that life for people with disabilities can be, and should be better. And each of them, through their unique leadership, is helping make it better. At Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson company, we too believe that dreams, when inspired by leadership, can produce achievements for the common good - at all levels of our society. We also believe that technology, when linked with human innovation and corporate determination, can expand the boundaries of our universe, increase people's independence, charter new ground, and take us to places we may never have imagined. The leadership we honor here tonight is helping shape a new world order. A world where differences in gender, age, race, and physical or mental abilities will no longer be issues that divide, but issues that bring us together. At Independence Technology, our mission is to help make the journey just a little bit easier. Our heartiest congratulations to all of the honorees. National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is proud to support the American Association of People with Disabilities. America's local broadcasters make giving to their communities a part of their daily business. In fact, community service and localism have always been the lifeblood of the broadcasting industry. As such, we salute the AAPD as an organization that represents the values that broadcasters hold in high esteem. Their work to educate Americans about people with disabilities, to foster leadership among those with disabilities and all of their efforts to enhance the lives of those with disabilities make NAB proud to support AAPD. 2002 LEADERSHIP GALA SPONSORS* $150,000 Prince Charitable Trusts (in support of the Henry B. Betts Award) $100,000 Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation (in support of the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards) $50,000 - Platinum American Express Company $35,000 - Reception Sponsor AOL Time Warner $10,000 - Gold The Bodman Foundation (in support of the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company The California Endowment (in support of the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards) Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson company Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (in support of the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards) National Association of Broadcasters Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation (in support of the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards) Verizon $5,000 - Silver BellSouth Corporation Equality Staffing Genentech Hart Intercivic Microsoft Corporation Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, P.C. Sagamore Associates Sequoia Pacific Voting Machines The Walt Disney Company Volkswagen of America, Inc. $2,500 - Bronze Darden Restaurants, Inc. HSBC Bank USA Motion Picture Association of America Novartis Corporation Paralyzed Veterans of America Raytheon Corporation Recording Industry Association of America The Honorable F. James Sensebrenner, Jr. and Mrs. Sensebrenner Wisconsin Energy Corporation Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. $1,000 - Patron anonymous (1) Leslie Harris & Associates Motorola, Inc. $500 - Friend Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Emerson Group Grocery Manufacturers of America Learning Disabilities Association of America National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. Rehabilitation Technology Works, Inc. In-Kind Blistex 3M MidWest Express Liz Claiborne Olay Pierre Cardin Southwest Airlines, Co. AAPD HAS RECEIVED A $50,000 GRANT FROM THE JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, JR. FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF OUR WORK ON VOTING. AAPD has received a $50,000 grant from the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation in support of our work on voting. Funds will be used to train election officials, policy makers, and poll workers on how to effectively address the needs of voters with cognitive disabilities. The grant is for year one of a three-year project; AAPD will submit additional requests in 2002 and 2003 for grants of $50,000 each, or total Foundation support of $150,000. More than six million of the seven million Americans with intellectual disabilities are eligible to vote. Voter turnout for this population has been low. Through the Disability Vote Project, AAPD hopes to dramatically increase voter turnout by people with intellectual disabilities at the 2004 presidential election and improve the ability of poll workers and election officials to make voting accessible for this population. WORK/FAMILY POLICY IS A DISABILITY ISSUE by Nancy Segal, Legal Director Program on Gender, Work & Family After the events of September 11, there has been a heightened national awareness on the importance of caring for and spending time with family. Yet, the U.S. continues to lag far behind other industrialized countries in alleviating the challenges that workers face in balancing job and family care giving responsibilities. While other countries have shortened the work week and provide paid time off to care for family members, U.S. employees continue to face the impossible choice of either meeting work expectations at the expense of the health and safety of their families, or caring for family members at the risk of losing their jobs. Similarly, other countries guarantee flexible work arrangements and promote good part-time work opportunities - thereby enabling workers with young children, workers caring for sick parents or children, workers with disabilities, and the elderly - the flexibility to fulfill their potential on the job without risking their own welfare, or the welfare of family members who rely on them to provide care. The absence of work/family policy has a particularly strong impact on individuals with disabilities. In the United States today, 56 million people live with some level of disability and the unemployment rates for people with disabilities are shockingly high. Of the 16.9 million working-age Americans with health conditions or impairments that limit their ability to work, 12.1 million, or 72.2%, do not have jobs. As a result, on average, people with disabilities are three times as likely to be poor than those not limited in working. In addition to the economic effects of unemployment, individuals with disabilities who lack jobs also face social isolation and loss of self-esteem. Work/family policy - such as limits on mandatory overtime, promoting good part-time work opportunities, and guaranteeing parity in wages, benefits, training and advancement opportunities to part-time workers - would enable more individuals with disabilities, as well as workers caring for individuals with disabilities, to find work in good paying jobs, with benefits and opportunities for advancement. Seventy-nine percent of individuals with disabilities who are without jobs would prefer to be working and many possess the skills and abilities needed to hold a job. Yet, a significant proportion of those with a work disability are limited in the kind of jobs they can perform because of the length of their workday or workweek. In other words, the lack of good job opportunities with controllable or flexible schedules render it difficult, if not impossible, for many people with disabilities to find a job. Control over work hours and the increased availability of good part-time jobs would open up more job opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as for workers who need to care for children and other family members with disabilities, and help raise them out of poverty. In addition, a decent job can enhance self-worth, provide educational opportunities and skills training, give one's life structure and purpose, increase social contacts, and offer important fringe benefits such as health insurance and retirement benefits. Part-time parity will also help to decrease the other social costs incurred as the result of the high unemployment rate of people with disabilities. The U.S. government currently spends forty times as much on cash benefits for people with disabilities as it does on enabling them to work. It is time that our work policies reflect our national priorities - and that we take steps to structure the workplace around the values that people hold in family life. VOTER REGISTRATION IS IMPORTANT AS PRIMARIES BEGIN If Americans with disabilities vote at the same rate as people without disabilities there would have been at least five million additional votes cast on November 7, 2000. A major reason for the failure of most Americans with disabilities to vote is they are not registered to vote. The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA"Motor Voter") was signed into law in 1993. Section 7a of the NVRA requires all public and private agencies serving people with disabilities to offer voter registration to their clients at in-take, re-certification, and change of address. If an agency's services are not provided in agency offices, the person who provides services must also offer voter registration services. Make sure that your disability service provider is offering voter registration. If the disability community is going to be heard and taken seriously - we must be seen as a voting bloc. The first step is voter registration. For more information on voter registration and AAPD's Disability Vote Project, visit AAPD's website (www.aapd-dc.org). COURT WATCH SUPREME COURT LIMITS THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT Tuesday, January 8, the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the ADA by ruling that an assembly line worker with carpal tunnel syndrome was not entitled to a reasonable accommodation on the job. The Court ruled unanimously that Ella Williams' partial disability did not obligate her employer, car manufacturer Toyota, to tailor a job to suit her wrist, arm and shoulder problems. Although Williams' disability did not prevent her from doing many tasks at home and at work, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio found that she was disabled under the ADA because her physical problems substantially limited her ability to perform manual tasks at work. The Supreme Court said in cases like Williams', "the central inquiry must be whether the claimant is unable to perform the variety of tasks central to most people's daily lives, not whether the claimant is unable to perform the tasks associated with her specific job. Disability cannot be assessed by looking only at someone's fitness to work." The ruling does not mean that anyone with carpal tunnel syndrome is automatically excluded from protection by the ADA. But it does, once again, chip away at the ADA. Williams' lawyers and disability advocates said that a person with limited disabilities requiring some modest accommodations on the job should be able to go to work with the expectations that her/his employer would meet those accommodations. Williams said that her work on a Toyota engine assembly line damaged her hands and arms so much that she has trouble brushing her hair and buckling her shoes. Toyota did try to accommodate Williams for a time, with a job inspecting paint, but that truce broke down when the company required her to swab cars with an oil that highlighted paint flaws. The task, which involved keeping her arms extended, aggravated her symptoms. Upon hearing the Supreme Court decision, AAPD issued a national media release. In that release, AAPD's Andrew J. Imparato said "These cases are about whether victims of disability discrimination get their day in court. Ignoring Congress's explicit use of an inclusive definition of 'disability' in the ADA, the Supreme Court today and in earlier decisions has gone out off its way to narrow the definition of 'disability' and thereby limit access to the courts for victims of discrimination." "Today's ruling needs to be considered in the context of the staggering fact that more than two thirds of working age people with disabilities are not working. When the Court makes it harder for workers with disabilities to get needed accommodations and remain employed, it exacerbates a serious social problem of unemployment and underemployment among adults with disabilities. The issue in an employment discrimination case should not be whether the worker was disabled enough to qualify for fair treatment, but whether they were treated fairly," Imparato added. Enable America!: Employment Through Political Action Enable America! is the only political action committee (PAC) focusing on increasing the employment of people with disabilities. Enable America! is financially backing candidates of both parties who support favorable disability policies. Disability policy needs to be a part of the decision-making process (for both candidates and voters) that determines where the nextsession of Congress will lead our country. To find out more about Enable America!, visit www.enableamerica.com.