AAPD TO HOST DISABILITY MENTORING DAY OCTOBER 24 Be A Part Of This Event In Your Area Wednesday, October 24, 2001, AAPD will serve as national host of Disability Mentoring Day: Career Development for the 21st Century (DMD). DMD, established in 1999 as a part of a White House effort to increase the awareness and effectiveness of National Disability Employment Awareness Month celebrated every October, is a national effort designed to promote the employment of students with disabilities through the time-tested success of personal mentoring. That first year three dozen students participated. Last year more than 250 students participated in 14 states with more than two dozen businesses also participating. This year AAPD is proud to be working with two public sponsors; the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. AAPD is also grateful for the support of 13 corporate sponsors. Those include AOL Time Warner; Booz Allen & Hamilton; Cingular Wireless; Citigroup Corporate & Investment Bank; Compaq Computer Corporation; Darden Restaurants and its operating companies, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahamas Breeze, and Smokey Bones; Hewlett-Packard; Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson Company; Microsoft Corporation; Monster.com; Pitney Bowes; SmartForce; and Verizon. AAPD President and CEO Andrew Imparato said, "AAPD is proud to serve as this year's National Host of Disability Mentoring Day. We applaud the support of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities as a complement to President Bush's New Freedom Initiative. We are also grateful for the financial contributions and participation of our national corporate sponsors." Disability Mentoring Day creates opportunities for employers, students with disabilities, job placement and vocational rehabilitation professionals, and educators. For employers, the day can create a pipeline of talented and qualified disabled students who will give them a leg up on their competitors in a tight labor market and enhance their diversity recruiting strategies. For students, the day brings important exposure to the world of work and careers that can lead to greater direction and motivation, not to mention paid employment, in the future. For job placement and vocational rehabilitation professionals, Disability Mentoring Day can enhance relationships with local employers and become a critical part of school-to-work transition plans. Finally, for educators, the day will provide a valuable supplement to classroom learning and can lead to better educational outcomes for students that participate. DMD enables students to spend part of a day visiting a business or government agency that matches their interests and have one-on- one time with volunteer mentors. Local coordinators are the key to a successful Disability Mentoring Day. If you are an employer, organization, educator, or student interested in participating, contact AAPD to learn if a local coordinator has already been identified for your area. If your area does not have one, contact AAPD for information about recruiting/designating a local coordinator. Whether or not DMD is a success in your community depends on you. AAPD has all of the leadership, coordination, and resource materials you need to make Disability Mentoring Day successful in your area. Additionally, AAPD is encouraging employers, students, educators, and organizations to get involved nationally. For more information, visit AAPD's Website at www.aapd-dc.org and click on the link for Disability Mentoring Day or call Jonathan Young, AAPD's National Coordinator for Disability Mentoring Day, at 1-800-840-8844 (V/TTY) or email him at ndmd@aapd- dc.org AAPD gratefully acknowledges the National public and corporate sponsors for this year's Disability Mentoring Day. Further, we also wish to thank the corporations listed here for their underwriting of this issue of AAPD News. Agencies and corporations sponsoring DMD are as follows: U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities AOL Time Warner Booz Allen & Hamilton Cingular Wireless Citigroup Corporate & Investment Bank Compaq Computer Corporation Darden Restaurants and its operating companies; Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahamas Breeze, and Smokey Bones Hewlett-Packard Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson Company Microsoft Corporation Monster.com Pitney Bowes SmartForce Verizon On October 25, 2000, Anabele Rios visited Americaid Corp. as part of Disability Mentoring Day in Houston, TX. "I will remember my Disability Mentoring Day experience my whole life," she says. "As a result of my Disability Mentoring Day experience, I was able to settle on a college major and define my career objectives." GETTING INTO POLITICS Dear AAPD Member: My mentor Justin Dart has often admonished me and countless others: "Get into politics like your life depends upon it… because it does!" I agree. What does "getting into politics" mean? For me, it means taking an active role in the political and policy-making bodies that affect our local, state, national, and international communities. It also means recognizing that we have an important perspective grounded in our own disability experiences, and that this perspective does not get enough attention. If you are a high school or college student, it could mean running for student government. If you work in a company, it could mean organizing a diversity committee or disability advisory committee to help inform company leaders on how to develop recruitment, retention, and marketing strategies that will tap the markets of talented employees and customers with disabilities. If you are the Secretary of State of Rhode Island and your name is James Langevin, it meant running for Congress and winning. If you like pizza and staying up late, it could mean volunteering for a political campaign. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party member or not affiliated with a party, you have an important perspective and duty as a supporter of disability rights. Bottom Line: Getting into politics means making our voices heard in places where decisions get made that affect us. Politics has been defined as the process by which we decide who gets what and how. So, why do AAPD members need to be part of that process? For one thing, most of the bad decisions that get made in the area of disability are not made out of malice or ill will toward people with disabilities. Many times bad decisions simply get made out of ignorance or thoughtlessness. These errors happen because we are not at the table explaining the unintended consequences of poor decisions to the decision-makers before their course is set. If we roll up our sleeves and engage in the messy business of politics and policy, we can and do make a difference by preventing bad choices and supporting good ones. In the two years when Jonathan Young, a talented young leader with a disability, staffed the Office of Public Liaison in the Clinton White House, we saw dramatic improvement in the disability-related decision making that occurred in that important place. Similarly, in the weeks since President Bush brought on another talented leader with a disability, Jennifer Sheehy, to work in the office of policy development within the White House Domestic Policy Council, we have seen tangible improvement in how the Bush Administration interacts with the disability advocacy community. I am confident that Jennifer's presence will lead to more informed decision making over time just as Jonathan's did. If we want to change society, we need more Jonathans and Jennifers to step up and get involved locally across the country. You can become the head of the parent teacher association at your child's school. You can chair a committee at your local place of worship. You can organize a letter writing campaign for a neighborhood association. Better yet, you can organize a get out the vote drive in your neighborhood on Election Day. The point is that nothing is going to change until we go out there and make it change. From time to time we have AAPD Member Action Alerts in AAPD News. Usually those involve calling or writing your elected officials about a piece of legislation that is important to people with disabilities. Watch for them and make that call or send that letter. I know sometimes it seems like we keep fighting but nothing ever changes. To quote another mentor, Bob Kafka of ADAPT: "Don't mourn, organize." Andrew J. Imparato AAPD President and CEO ImparatoA@aol.com AAPD MEMBER ACTION ALERT Contact your U.S. Representative and ask him/her to support H.R. 1170. Additionally, AAPD's Disability Vote Project is asking AAPD members and other advocates to visit their polling place and report any inaccessibility to their state's election officials. (See article on page 8) To get more information about polling place access or to receive a polling place access guide along with a survey you can take to your own polling place contact Adina Topfer at the AAPD Disability Vote Project at (202) 955-6114 (V/TTY) or email her at adinatopfer@earthlink.net. AAPD HIRES NEW DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES AND OPENS NEW MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE Diane DeAngelis, an experienced corporate marking director, joined the staff of AAPD this past June as Director of Member Services. Diane will be headquartered in AAPD's new Milford, Massachusetts office. Diane will be overseeing and improving member benefits and services. She will also be responsible for new member recruitment. Currently, Diane is redesigning and maintaining AAPD's Website to ensure that it remains fully accessible, user friendly, timely, and informational. Beginning with this issue of AAPD News, Diane will answer questions about membership and membership benefits in a column titled FAQS AND FACTS ABOUT AAPD MEMBERSHIP. She would like to hear your comments, suggestions, and questions. Contact her at (508) 634-3200 (V/TTY) or toll-free at 866-241-3200 (V/TTY). Diane can be faxed at (508) 634-5427 or emailed at dianedeangelis@earthlink.net. FAQS AND FACTS Frequently Asked Questions About AAPD Membership and Fun Things to Know By Diane DeAngelis AAPD Director of Member Services dianedeangelis@earthlink.net toll free (866) 241-3200 (V/TTY) Q. How can I tell when my AAPD membership expires? A. Just look at your mailing address on your copy of AAPD News. Your membership expiration date is opposite your membership number, above your name. Q. How are my member dues used by AAPD? A. Your dues help to fund the programs/events and advocacy AAPD sponsors and works toward, the publication costs of AAPD News, AAPD's member benefits program, AAPD's Website, and the many other activities of your organization. Q. I recently received an American Express mailing, with a credit card application, in an AAPD envelope. Does AAPD sell its membership list? A. AAPD has a firm policy of never selling our membership list. This mailing was done in partnership with American Express because we felt it was important to let our members who might be small business owners know that with the American Express Community Business Card, 1% of all card charges would go toward supporting microenterprise organizations that provide loans and technical assistance to minority communities. One of the targeted micro-lenders is the Abilities Fund, which exclusively supports small business owners with disabilities. An article about this project appeared in the June 2001 issue of AAPD News. Q. I find your web site useful but I would like to see more information about upcoming national events. Will you be expanding your site? A. In the past 6 months AAPD has experienced tremendous growth in the number of people who use our web site. We are presently in the process of a total redesign and update of our site to better serve our members and others who look to us for legislative updates, information about national events, news and resources of interest to the disability community, new member benefits and other items of note. We plan to make our site secure so you can renew your membership, join AAPD or make a donation on-line with complete confidence in your privacy. You can continue to access our site at www.aapd-dc.org. JUSTICE FOR ALL MERGES WITH AAPD This past July 26 "Justice For All"(JFA) closed its doors as a formal organization and merged with AAPD. JFA has been well known throughout the disability community for its commitment to protect the Americans with Disabilities Act and the large national following of disability rights supporters it built through its JFA listserv and related activities. Under the stewardship of AAPD, the JFA Email Network will continue to operate with virtually no change as a part of this merger. "Justice For All" was founded in January 1995, at a meeting of fifty disability rights leaders in Washington D.C. who were concerned about the conservative victories in the 1994, mid-term congressional elections, which put the Republican Party in control of both the U.S. House and Senate for the first time since 1932. At the heart of this group was a core of five dedicated activists: Justin and Yoshiko Dart, Fred Fay, Becky Ogle, and Mark Smith. Their goal was to protect the ADA against those who would dismantle, rewrite, or amend the act. What was needed, it was decided, was a way to inform and rapidly mobilize activists all across the country. First, information would have to be gathered about specific bills, amendments, public hearings, etc., relating to threats to the ADA, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Then, this information would have to be disseminated as widely as possible to folks in the community, along with suggestions on how best to respond. "We weren't a non-profit," says Fred Fay, former AAPD Board Member. "We never incorporated, or registered as a lobbyist. This allowed us to do things, to say things, that most other disability organizations couldn't, because they were bound by all the restrictions of being a non-profit." "It was a connection," says Becky Ogle, "an unconditional coalition between disability rights leaders in Washington and the grassroots across the country. And it was also important that it was coming from the eyes and ears of people with disabilities." Thousands of disability rights leaders and grassroots advocates, in every state and from every disability community, became tied together by JFA's e-mail network. Once up and running, the network hummed with alerts, notices of public hearings and demonstrations, sample letters to elected officials and the media, and editorials about disability rights. In making the transition JFA founders believe that AAPD is ideally suited to carry on the torch of "Justice For All." AAPD is a national, cross-disability, membership organization dedicated to furthering the goals of the ADA -- equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. In recent years AAPD has become a powerful voice for people with disabilities. According to Andrew Imparato, President and CEO of AAPD, "AAPD is honored to carry on the work of such well respected disability rights leaders as Justin and Yoshiko Dart, Fred Fay, Becky Ogle, and Mark Smith. 'Justice For All' has played a major role in disability rights in America. AAPD will continue the JFA Website and e-mail network with the same commitment to preserving the ADA and IDEA and advancing their goals in public policy." All AAPD members with Internet access are encouraged to join AAPD's free "Justice For All" listserv. It is a great way to keep abreast of what is happening in Washington and nationally in between issues of AAPD News. If you are currently a subscriber, you will remain a subscriber. The Website at www.Jfanow.org includes the archives of all past JFA postings. Please visit the site and sign up today. VOTING IN AMERICA AAPD'S DISABILITY VOTE PROJECT For the past two years AAPD has been actively involved in voting rights in America. Working with other advocacy organizations, AAPD led the way to increased voter registration and participation among people with disabilities last November. However, as progress was made it also became clear that thousands of polling places in America remain inaccessible and millions of Americans are denied the right to a private and secret ballot. Moreover, although voter turnout increased for people with disabilities between 1996 and 2000, Americans with disabilities still lag behind other Americans in voter turnout. With this in mind, AAPD, as a part of its commitment to equal rights for all Americans, established a Disability Vote Project with the mandate to further increase the political participation of Americans with disabilities-35 million of whom are of voting age. AAPD opened a special office for the project and hired experienced field organizers to spearhead this important initiative. Polling Place Access We do not know precisely how many polling places across the country are still physically inaccessible. In 1984, Congress passed a law with the intent of making every polling place in the nation wheelchair accessible. A Federal Election Commission report states that nearly 20,000 polling places nationwide are inaccessible to people with disabilities, but there is a great deal of anecdotal evidences that puts this number much higher. Of the City of Philadelphia's 1,600 polling places only 46 are accessible. As a result of an Arkansas court settlement, election officials and disability advocates surveyed every polling place in the state and found 44% to be physically inaccessible. Maryland, one of the most disability aware states in the country, recently completed a similar survey and found that 12% of its polling places are inaccessible. AAPD believes that nationally there are in the neighborhood of 40,000 polling places that are inaccessible. Moreover, the vast majority of the nation's ten million blind and low-vision citizens are unable to cast a secret ballot. The nation's voting system is antiquated and inaccessible. Election Reform As AAPD News went to press September 4, the Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001 (S-565) was expected to pass in the Senate. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) introduced the bill. An identical bill, H.R. 1170, has been introduced in the House by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI-14). The Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001, the first election reform bill that would mandate access to the polls for voters with disabilities, is by far the strongest election reform legislation in Congress today. The Act requires that by November 2004 all polling places across the country be physically accessible to voters with disabilities. In addition, it requires that all voting systems offer a secret, independent, and verifiable ballot to all voters regardless of disability. The bill mandates that a provisional ballot be available to voters whose name does not appear on the voting rolls on Election Day and requires that sample ballots be mailed out to all registered voters prior to Election Day. Additionally, the bill states that voting systems/machines must permit ballots to be verified before tabulated, notify the voter if duplicate votes are cast, notify the voter if a ballot is left blank, provide an audit trail, be accessible to voters who have disabilities and/or are limited-English speakers. It also establishes a national acceptable error rate for voting systems. AAPD submitted voter accessibility recommendations to the Senate Rules Committee, which oversees election reform, prior to the introduction of S-565. A copy of those recommendations can be found in this issue of AAPD News under AAPD Vice President Speaks to Senate Committee on Voting Rights Bill. AAPD's Disability Vote Project is working with members of Congress, the White House, and other advocacy organizations to make polling places and voting systems accessible and accessibility a priority for Congress in election reform legislation. As the 2002 election approaches, the Disability Vote Project will be working with field organizers around the country to increase voter registration and turnout among the 35 million potential voters with disabilities, thus helping to close the election gap. AAPD VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS SPEAKS TO U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON VOTING RIGHTS BILL June 27, 2001, Jim Dickson, AAPD's Vice President for Governmental Affairs testified before Senator Chris Dodd's Committee on Voting Rights in America. Dickson's testimony addressed the lack of accessibility in our election system and the equal voting rights recommendations of AAPD. Highlights of Dickson's testimony follow here. A complete copy of his remarks can be found on the AAPD Website at www.aapd-dc.org or call 1-800-840-8844 (V/TTY). Testimony of James C. Dickson Vice President, Governmental Affairs American Association of People with Disabilities Senator Dodd and distinguished panelists: I am Jim Dickson. I have worked on elections for more than thirty years, ten as a volunteer and twenty as a professional. I am Vice President for Governmental Affairs at the American Association of People with Disabilities. The nation's entire disability community wishes to thank Senator Dodd for holding these hearings and for pointing out the need for mandatory national standards. More than 14 million voters with disabilities cast their vote in the 2000 presidential election. This was an increase of more than 2.7 million from the 1996 election. Unfortunately, more than 21 million voting aged people with disabilities did not cast a ballot. A recent Harris Poll survey commissioned by the National Organization on Disability found that about 41% of people with disabilities voted in the November election. This is up from 31% in the 1996 election, but still far below the national average of about 52% of the public voting. The low voter turnout of people with disabilities is due to a number of causes, but a major piece of the problem is inaccessible polling places and voting systems. The majority of Americans take for granted their right to privacy at the polling place. According to the U.S. Census more than 10 million voters with disabilities are unable to exercise this right because their visual impairment makes it difficult or impossible to see print. These voters cannot cast a secret ballot; they must rely on the courtesy of family members, friends or even sometimes strangers to cast their vote for them. This is completely unacceptable. I am blind. Everyday I walk down the street, catch a bus to go to work, get off at my stop, enter my building, board the elevator, push the button for my floor, enter my office, turn on my computer, download my emails, and begin my day at work. I do this every day, by myself. Millions of people just like me do these very same things, independently. But when I go to my polling place I have to bring my wife or my ten year-old daughter with me. Someone else has to cast my vote. Once, after my wife cast my ballot, she said to me, "Jim I knew that you loved me, but now I know you trust me because you think I marked your ballot for that idiot." The point of that anecdote is there is always some level of uncertainty when another person marks your ballot. We need accurate, effective, and accessible voting systems. These systems already exist. Money cannot be a reason to purchase inaccessible systems and continue the disenfranchisement of the nation's largest minority. Texas has already led the way. In 1999, the state legislature passed and Governor Bush signed into law, legislation that requires any new voting system purchased to be fully accessible to voters with disabilities and the system must offer a secret and independent ballot to voters who are blind or who have low vision. (The Texas legislation and regulations are available on the web at http://info.sos.state.tx.us) This means computer systems with a simple adaptation that offers speech synthesis so that I, and others like me, can hear the ballot. Another simple adaptation is the use of special switches that allow voters who have arm or hand disabilities and are unable to hold a pen to cast their ballot privately. According to the Federal Election Commission, 20,000 of the nation's 120,000 polling places are physically inaccessible to voters with disabilities; other estimates put it as high as 50,000. This means voters who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices are unable to enter their polling places. In order to allow citizens with disabilities to exercise their franchise with the same freedom and independence as the rest of the population, the American Association of People with Disabilities submits the following recommendations. •All polling places must be physically accessible to voters who use wheelchairs and/or have mobility impairments…. •In every polling place there should be at least one polling device that would offer a secret ballot to all voters with disabilities…. •The election community should conduct a coordinated outreach effort through the disability community in order to recruit people with disabilities to be poll workers…. •Poll workers must be educated about disability etiquette in their training sessions. They must learn how to appropriately serve voters with disabilities…. •Any materials prepared by election officials to educate the voter on the candidates or voting procedures must be made available in alternative formats, so that people with visual impairments and other disabilities can listen to or read this information. Compliance with these points needs to be enforceable by an individual or organization's right to sue and if the individual or organization prevails, they should be entitled to reasonable attorney's fees. In addition to these disability specific recommendations, the American Association of People with Disabilities also believes that any effective election reform legislation should mandate the following non-disability specific requirements. •A provisional ballot must be offered to any person who appears at a polling place and is told that she or he is not eligible to vote. The voter should then be promptly notified, in writing, whether or not the ballot was counted and if not, why. •Language minority access must be available; specifically including written ballots and Bi-lingual poll workers (the audio ballot for the blind can be easily and inexpensively translated into a foreign language allowing those citizens who may never have been taught to read in their native country to cast a ballot with privacy and without embarrassment). •The Voters Bill of Rights must be prominently displayed in all polling places and be widely distributed before an election. On behalf of the Disability Vote Project and the American Association of People with Disabilities, I wish to commend and thank you, Senator Dodd, for your interest and for the important service you will be providing the nation when you pass legislation that mandates these reforms. MAINE VOTING VICTORY On August 12 a federal judge struck down a section of the Maine Constitution that bars mentally ill people under guardianship from voting. In his decision, U.S. District Judge George Singal concluded that the restriction adopted by the state in 1965 violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Singal ruled on a lawsuit filed in October by the Maine Disability Rights Center on behalf of three mentally ill women. They claimed that the state unfairly singled out mentally ill people regardless of whether they were able to understand the voting process. The ruling could set a precedent for the 42 or 43 other states with similar provisions that limit people with disabilities from voting. Singal concluded that disenfranchisement deprived mentally ill people of due process and violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. He also ruled that the state's restrictions ran afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more in formation visit AAPD's JFA Website at www.JFAnow.org. AAPD HONORS FOUR SENATORS AND THREE GRASSROOTS LEADERS AS PART OF 11TH ANNIVERSARY OF ADA On July 26 and 27, AAPD as a part of a Bi-coastal celebration of the 11th anniversary of ADA and the merge of "Justice for All" with AAPD (see related article), seven individuals were presented with "Justice for All Disability Rights Awards." These annual awards, presented for the first time this year, recognize individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in support of the economic and political empowerment of all Americans with disabilities. The first five Justice for All Disability Rights Awards went to the four primary Senate champions of the ADA, an individual community organizer from Jackson, Mississippi who built an extraordinarily effective disability coalition in that state, and the co-founders of the newly formed The National Disability Students Union (NDSU). The four Senate champions honored were Bob Dole, Tom Harkin, Orrin Hatch, and Ted Kennedy. The individual organizer is Mark Smith, of Jackson, Mississippi. The co-founders of NDSU are Daniel Davis of the University of California at Berkley and Sarah Triano of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Photos of the awards presentations can be found in this issue with the ADA Anniversary photos. CONGRESSIONAL WATCH Editor's Note: The following report is up-to-date to the time AAPD News went to press September 4. HOUSE AND SENATE VERSIONS OF THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT CONTAIN DISCIPLINE AMENDMENTS Both versions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ( H.R. 1 and S-1) contain amendments that would allow school districts to long-term suspend or expel students with disabilities from public school without providing any services at all. If these amendments are agreed to they will overturn the Zero Reject provision that has been the cornerstone of IDEA for more than 25 years. Currently the bill is in conference but is expected to be voted out in September. Listed below are the Senators and House members who serve on the conference committee. If your Senator or House member is listed here call or email him or her and ask him/her to remove the discipline amendments that deny education to students with disabilities. Conferees include the following: Senators: Kennedy (D-MA) Dodd (D-CT) Harkin (D-IA) Mikulski (D-MD) Jeffords (I-VT) Bingaman (D-NM) Wellstone (D-MN) Murray (D-WA) Reed (D-RI) Edwards (D-NC) Clinton (D-NY) Lieberman (D-CT) Bayh (D-IN) Gregg (R-NH) Frist (R-TN) Enzi (R-WY) Hutchinson (R-AR) Warner (R-VA) Bond (R-MO) Roberts (R-KS) Collins (R-ME) Sessions (R-AL) DeWine (R-OH) Allard (R-CO) Ensign (R-WY) Representatives include: Boehner (R-OH) Petri (R-WI) Roukema (R-NJ) McKeon (R-CA) Castle (R-DE) Graham (R-SC) Hilleary (R-TN) Isakson (R-GA) Miller, Geo (D-CA) Kildee (D-MI) Owens (D-NY) Mink (D-HI) Andrews (D-NJ) Roemer (D-IN) For more information visit the Center for Law and Education www.cleweb.org, or TASH www.tash.org. PATIENTS BILL OF RIGHTS TO GO INTO CONFERENCE A Senate and House version of the Patients Bill of Rights has passed the full floor in both houses and the bill is headed to a year-end conference. The Senate version, supported by Democrats and moderate Republicans, would allow for a $5 million cap on lawsuits against health providers and would allow such suits to take place in state courts. The House version, supported by many Republicans, carries the Bush/Norwood amendment that would only allow consumers to seek limited damages in state courts. The House version would allow lawsuits to reach state courts after denials are made based on medical judgement. Once there, cases would use federal court rules on caps for damages. Pain and other non-economic damages would be limited to $1.5 million. Normally there are no limits on punitive damages in state courts. For an analysis of the impact of both bills on people with disabilities visit AAPD's "Justice for All" Website at www.JFAnow.org. And, stay tuned for a battle between the Democrats and the Republicans. A NEW AND IMPROVED MICASSA WAS INTRODUCED A new and improved version of the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act has landed in the 107th Congress with three new additional sponsors, Democratic Senators Edward Kennedy (Mass.), Joseph Biden (Del.), and Hillary Clinton (N.Y.). MICASSA's original sponsors remain Senators Tom Harkin (D- IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA). The new bill (S-1298) has more federal match for states to fund direct services and more money for developing local service infrastructures. MICASSA (S-1298) will most likely end up being heard sometime in early 2002 in the relevant committees. MENTAL HEALTH PARITY PASSES OUT OF SENATE COMMITTEE A bill that requires insurers that cover mental health conditions to treat them as they would any other medical problem passed through the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions last month. The bill does not require companies to offer mental health coverage as part of their employee health benefits, but companies that do must provide the same level of coverage for mental health that they do for physical conditions. Because Democrats have the support of several moderate Republicans, the bill is expected to clear the full Senate this fall. ELECTION REFORM LEGISLATION See related article under Voting in America. NEED PROGRAM OR MEMBER INFORMATION? For membership information call or email Diane DeAngelis (508) 634-3200 (V/TTY) or toll-free at 866-241-3200 (V/TTY), email dianedeangelis@earthlink.net For information on Disability Mentoring Day call or email Jonathan Young at 800-840- 8844 (V/TTY), email ndmd@aapd-dc.org. For information on AAPD's Disability Vote Project call or email Adina Topfer (202) 955-6114 (V/TTY), email adinatopfer@earthlink.net. For information or additions to AAPD News email edit2456@aol.com. For information on the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards call or email Jessa Steinbeck at 800-840-8844 (V/TTY), email AAPD@aol.com. ANNOUNCEMENTS AAPD RECEIVES MAJOR GRANT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT This past July AAPD was awarded a $25,000 grant from The California Endowment. The funds will be used to promote AAPD membership and programs in the state of California. FEDERAL WEBSITES REQUIRED TO BE ACCESSIBLE FOR DISABLED On June 21, new regulations took effect requiring federal Websites to be accessible by patrons who are blind, deaf or have other disabilities. Government purchasing agents now have to observe detailed regulations when buying equipment ranging from computers to telephones to photocopiers. The new rules require software programs purchased by federal agencies to use text, not just screen icons, to identify functions. Web sites for federal agencies must be designed to minimize obstacles for disabled users. For more information visit www.Section508.gov. BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES COORDINATED DISABILITY EFFORT Fulfilling a campaign promise, the Bush administration announced on July 26 a coordinated effort among six Cabinet agencies to assess and overcome barriers faced by people with disabilities. The effort includes a nationwide information-gathering campaign and formation of an Interagency Council on Community Living. The council will report to the president by mid-October with recommendations for improving the lives of Americans with disabilities. For more information on Olmstead and the current administration visit the Health and Human Services Website at www.HHS.gov. MINNESOTA ENACTS LEGISLATION ALLOWING SUITS AGAINST STATE EMPLOYERS The State of Minnesota has enacted legislation in 2001 that legislatively waives sovereign immunity in suits under Title I of the ADA (and other civil rights laws). This will allow state employees to bring Title I ADA damage claims against the state in state court. This is important in light of the US Supreme Court Decision in Garrett v. University of Alabama. There are a number of other states working on measures in response to the Garrett Decision. For more information on post-Garrett proposals contact any of the following: Kathy Hagen, Minnesota Protection & Advocacy (612) 332-1441, email khagen@midmhlegal.org,; Steve Brown, R.I. ACLU, (401) 831-7171, email naclu@aol.com; or Sharon Masling, NAPAS, (202) 408-9514, email Sharon@napas.org. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING ONLINE RESOURCE The National Council on Aging just launched its online resource (BenefitsCheckUp.org) that enables people with disabilities and seniors to determine what federal benefit programs they may be able to access by virtue of age or disability. The nice thing about this resource is the ability to remain anonymous while receiving geographically-specific information about valuable benefit programs. The only identifying information needed is a zip code and date of birth. A list of potential benefit programs is then produced, which lists the nearest office and phone number where additional details are available or where you can apply. There's also a link to the Webmaster (webmaster@ncoa.org), if difficulty is encountered while navigating through the site. ALL THAT AND THEN SOME ON THE MARKET All That & Then Some, a new book about life and love written by four African American women is due on the market this September. The first story in the book, which the collection takes its title from, is authored by Tracee Garner, a northern Virginia resident who has been active in promoting leadership opportunities for young people with disabilities nationally and in her home state. The book should be available wherever books are sold. ONLINE GUIDE AVAILABLE FOR SSA CLAIM FORMS The Social Security Administration is trying to eliminate some of the frustrations of applying for Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Income by providing forms and instructions on line. By going to their Website at www.ssa.gov individuals can access/download the agency's application form and easy to understand and read instructions. Sign up for AAPD's listserv at www.JFAnow.com. HHS and DOL Celebrate 11th Anniversary of ADA Former Senator Bob Dole and Jamie Watts, sophomore at the University of Missouri, at the U.S. Department of Labor's 11th Anniversary of ADA Celebration on July 26. Singer Teddy Pendegrass on stage at DOL event. Secretary of Education, Roderick R. Paige; Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao; Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy G. Thompson at HHS event wearing their "Spirit of ADA" pins. Secretary Chao and Teddy Pendergrass surrounded by young people participating in training programs for youth with disabilities administered by the Department of Labor. July 27th Rally for Disability Rights at Berkley, CA Andy Imparato and Tamar Michai Freeman, 2000 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awardee Helena Berger, AAPD COO, presenting Daniel Davis, Co-founder, the National Disabled Students Union with his Justice for All Disability Rights Award. Andy Imparato and Jan Garrett, Executive Director, Center for Independent Living, Berkley Mark Beckwith, Northern CA, ADAPT speaks during the July 27 Bay Area Rally for Disability Rights Choose to Work Rally – July 25 Andy Imparato and Michael Arthur Taylor at the July 25 Choose to Work Rally in Washington DC sponsored by the Association for Persons in Supported Employment.