THE INFORMATION NEWSLETTER FOR APPD MEMBERS AAPDnews SPRING 2005 AAPD recognizes and thanks IBM for sponsoring this issue of AAPDnews. Medicaid in Crisis: Congress Moves to Weaken Critical Program for Disability Community On April 28, 2005, Congress approved a fiscal year 2006 budget resolution that included approximately $10 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next five years. These cuts will shift huge financial burdens to already financially strained states and cause healthcare cut backs to millions of Americans with disabilities, as well as low-income children and seniors. According to a 2003 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicaid serves more than 50 million low-income people, including 8 million people with disabilities under the age of 65. Medicaid was established in 1965 as Title XIX of the Social Security Act. Today, the federal government pays for approximately 60 percent of Medicaid funding. Because of this funding, many state's Medicaid programs have been able to go beyond the federal minimum requirements in providing coverage and service supports in the community to help people with disabilities live independently — instead of in costly, inappropriate, and segregated nursing homes or institutions. The $10 billion in Medicaid budget cuts are considerably larger than the Bush Administration's initial proposal that would have reduced federal Medicaid funding by $7.6 billion. In March, the Senate voted that Medicaid budget changes should not be arbitrarily decided but should only occur after a bipartisan commission has had the opportunity to determine the program's future directions. On April 26, the House adopted a similar resolution. Medicaid is the only primary public source of funding for long-term services and supports for people with disabilities of all ages. It is unique among public and private insurance programs in that it provides a mix of acute and long-term care benefits designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. For people with a variety of disabilities, such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, or amputations, Medicaid is usually the only way to access durable medical equipment like wheelchairs or prosthetic devices, as well as assistive technology. Medicaid is also essential to the viability of the nation's health care system and more effective than the private market at reining in health care costs. It keeps private insurance premiums lower than they otherwise would be because it covers the people with the greatest health care needs and the highest costs. Medicaid's spending has grown at a much slower rate than private health insurance. From 2002 to 2004, per-person spending in Medicaid rose 6.7 percent, almost half the 12.5 percent rate of the private market. Many states are already proposing Medicaid cuts in their state budgets. Some are not. This past February, Utah passed a Joint Resolution urging Congress to reject cuts to Medicaid and work with the states to institute Medicaid reform. In Missouri, the governor has proposed slashing Medicaid eligibility levels for parents from 75 percent of the federal poverty level to 30 percent. This will cause 60,000 parents to completely lose their Medicaid coverage. In Tennessee, the governor proposes to cut 300,000 people from the Medicaid rolls. In Florida, the governor proposes more involvement from private industry and giving low-income individuals dollars to purchase their own health care. Studies have shown this is not likely to work. For example, when private industry got involved in managing health plans for seniors on Medicare, prices went through the roof. The number of Medicaid recipients for Florida in 2000 was 1.8 million, of which more than 21 percent were people with disabilities. According to the charts accompanying this article and the $10 billion in program cuts, in 2007 Florida's Medicaid program will only be able to serve a small fraction of the 1.8 million individuals. Medicaid currently covers some of the 45 million uninsured individuals in America. If Medicaid benefits are cut, where will they go for services? They will go to a costly emergency room for last- minute services or, they won't go anywhere and sick children, people with disabilities, and many elderly will not get healthcare. People with disabilities will once again have to look at nursing facilities as an alternative, but nursing homes will also receive major cuts. There are no savings in Medicaid cuts. Under the cuts, individuals will lose healthcare, the insured will pay more, and many people with disabilities will no longer be able to live productive lives within their community and, therefore, will require more government funding for living and nursing expenses. AAPD urges its members to contact their elected officials and educate them about what the $10 billion cut in Medicaid really means to them and how the costs outweigh the cuts. State-Level Impact of Federal Budget Agreement on Medicaid The table below shows how much the $10 billion cuts could cost each state (if the cuts were distributed across the states in proportion to their current federal Medicaid funding levels) and how much each state could lose in 2007 alone (when the cuts begin) if these cuts were distributed equally over a four-year period. How Much Could My State Lose If Congress Cuts $10 Billion From Medicaid From 2007-2010* State Federal Dollars Lost State Federal Dollars Lost Alabama $144,160,000 Montana $29,803,000 Alaska $34,477,000 Nebraska $53,222,000 Arizona $223,363,000 Nevada $37,150,000 Arkansas $125,437,000 New Hampshire $37,010,000 California $1,042,414,000 New Jersey $240,363,000 Colorado $79,292,000 New Mexico $99,423,000 Connecticut $111,540,000 New York $1,371,843,000 Delaware $24,387,000 North Carolina $313,123,000 Dist. Of Col. $48,295,000 North Dakota $20,086,000 Florida $449,953,000 Ohio $417,467,000 Georgia $245,716,000 Oklahoma $111,012,000 Hawaii $32,854,000 Oregon $106,396,000 Idaho $40,695,000 Pennsylvania $504,743,000 Illinois $286,631,000 Rhode Island $55,758,000 Indiana $190,848,000 South Carolina $155,686,000 Iowa $86,463,000 South Dakota $24,676,000 Kansas $71,758,000 Tennessee $267,099,000 Kentucky $161,568,000 Texas $608,304,000 Louisiana $189,493,000 Utah $56,746,000 Maine $76,622,000 Vermont $29,189,000 Maryland $139,433,000 Virginia $131,301,000 Massachusetts $282,203,000 Washington $167,318,000 Michigan $275,990,000 West Virginia $84,461,000 Minnesota $159,365,000 Wisconsin $144,006,000 Mississippi $151,967,000 Wyoming $13,788,000 Missouri $232,288,000 U.S. Total* $10 billion * Numbers do not add up due to rounding. Charts courtesy of Families USA. More information on the methodology used to derive these numbers is available from Families USA's website www.familiesusa.org. FY 2006 Federal Budget Process at Halfway Point Budget Reflects Enormous Cuts in Human Service Programs The first half of the federal budget process is over, but it is not too late to contact members of Congress and tell them how harmful many of the budget cuts will be to Americans with disabilities. In May, House and Senate committees will begin a several week schedule to reconcile budget cuts with available programs. The budget process began two months ago when President Bush submitted his budget blueprint to Congress. Republican legislators stayed close to his basic outline of program cuts and on April 28 Congress approved a fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget resolution. The FY 2006 resolution, which passed by only 52-47 in the Senate and 214-211 in the House, included, for the first time since 1997, reconciliation instructions to several committees with jurisdiction over mandatory programs. Mandatory programs are those funded automatically, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. The instructions mandated major cuts to many human service programs. The reconciliation instructions mark the beginning of the second phase of the process for mandatory programs. Congressional committees must produce a bill by September 16 that cuts programs under their jurisdiction by the specified amount. For example, the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid and Medicare, must find $10 billion in savings over the next five years; the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee must find $13.7 billion in savings; the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been charged with finding almost $15 billion in savings between 2006 and 2010, and the House Ways and Means Committee must find $1 billion in savings from programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, Social Services Block Grant, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and maybe Medicare. According to the Coalition on Human Needs, the total mandated cuts may be a floor and not a ceiling and any reconciliation bill will be difficult to defeat. Reconciliation bills cannot be filibustered and require just 51 votes for passage in the Senate. Also included in the FY 2006 budget resolution are cuts to programs that must be appropriated each year, known as "discretionary" spending. Spending on domestic discretionary programs will be cut by $23 billion in 2006, as compared to 2005 levels, adjusted by inflation. This amounts to a 6 percent cut. Which programs will be cut is left up to the appropriators. House Appropriations Committee Chair Jerry Lewis (R-CA) has asked all work be completed on House appropriations bills by July 4. The Coalition on Human Needs projects education, veteran's health care, housing and community development, workforce training, child care, Head Start, WIC, home energy assistance, environmental programs, and many other discretionary programs will be cut profoundly in the coming years if Congress sticks to its appropriation guidelines. The budget resolution also includes $100 billion in tax cuts over the next five years. The resolution does not specify which taxes will be cut but, according to our sources, it is widely anticipated the tax cuts will include extending the capital gains and dividend tax breaks, which would otherwise expire in 2008. September 16 is the deadline for committees to produce legislation-cutting funds for mandatory programs. September 23 is the deadline for the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee to produce a tax cut reconciliation bill. After the bills are passed on the House and Senate floor, they will go to a conference committee to iron out the differences. Work must be completed on appropriations (annual spending/discretionary programs) by October 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year. For the next several weeks, AAPD and other disability groups will be sending letters to key members of Congress educating them about the harm many of these budget/program cuts can do to millions of U.S. citizens with disabilities. Please write or contact your elected officials. What's Wrong with Eliminating the Filibuster? Everything! The filibuster, though sometimes used for ill in its history, is a necessary tactic that personifies the purpose of the Senate — to keep a check and balance between Congress and the Administration. It allows a minority of Senators to keep talking or use other tactics until a majority of 60 stops them by voting to end debate, otherwise known as invoking "cloture." It is the one tool that keeps the majority from riding roughshod over the minority. Since the Senate's beginning, any Senator's right to hold the floor has been held in highest respect. Cloture was not adopted until 1917, and, even then, could not be applied to Presidential nominees. That was added in 1949 and invoked only twice until 1980. Now, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is pressing for the "nuclear option," which would allow Senators to stop debate with a simple majority vote, rather than 60 votes, therefore killing the filibuster. A precipitating factor in Frist's action is the fact that Senate Democrats have used the filibuster to prevent confirmation votes for seven of President Bush's appellate court nominees. These are the same Bush judicial nominees the Democrats held back in his first term. Bush currently has a 95 percent confirmation rate for his nominees. However, knowing that at any time any party can be in the minority, some Republican senators are troubled about the prospect of being left without the filibuster. AAPD, along with a coalition of national disability organizations, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), has strongly opposed the Senate Majority leader's attempt to junk the filibuster. The following was stated in a recent letter sent to Congress by CCD, "We recognize that the filibuster can work for or against any given constituency, including people with disabilities, at any given time. The current plan to diminish the power of the filibuster is, nonetheless, of great concern to us. It could set a dangerous precedent and drastically weaken the Senate's constitutional duty of advice and consent." AAPD In Its Second Decade Dear Members: On July 26, all of us will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This July 26 marks an important milestone for AAPD as well — the tenth anniversary of our organization's founding. It's hard to believe that AAPD is already 10. Many of us can remember the organizational meetings and events back in 1995 with Paul Hearne, Senator Bob Dole, John Kemp, Justin Dart, Tony Coelho, Pat Wright, Jim Weisman, Lex Frieden, Sylvia Walker, Paul Marchand, Fred Fay, I. King Jordan, Denise Figueroa, Judi Chamberlin, Bill Demby, Deborah Kaplan, Nancy Bloch, Max Starkloff, Mike Auberger, Neil Jacobson, Ralph Neas, Ron Hartley and others helping to get the organization launched and leading the organization through its critical early years. As I look back at the more than five years during which I have been privileged to lead AAPD as its first full-time President and CEO, some of the most memorable experiences for me have been events that have connected us most directly with our grass roots members and constituents — the Spirit of ADA Torch Relay that took us to 24 cities in two months to mark the 10th anniversary of the ADA in the summer of 2000; the March for Justice in October of 2000 that brought together thousands of disability activists with civil rights leaders like Wade Henderson, Jesse Jackson, and Dick Gregory to call attention to the importance of the Supreme Court for the future of civil rights; the 2003 Conference for Women with Disabilities and their Allies that we sponsored in partnership with the National Organization for Women; the events in Boston and New York timed to coincide with the 2004 major party conventions; last year's Disability Mentoring Day national kickoff event with Mayor Bloomberg in New York City; and a series of galas and Justice for All Award ceremonies that have lifted up the well-known national champions and over 40 emerging leaders with disabilities who are helping to move society forward. As we celebrate our first 10 years, AAPD is grateful to our more than 110,000 members and our many allies in other disability and civil rights organizations, in the business community, and in the policy community. A lean organization with only ten full-time staff cannot accomplish as much as we do without vital partners like our more than 200 volunteer local coordinators for Disability Mentoring Day, the many cross-disability coalition leaders who spearhead our non- partisan get-out-the-vote campaigns, and our 24 volunteer national Board Members who have shepherded the organization to where we are today. Looking forward to the next ten years, I have been working with a long-range planning committee chaired by AAPD's immediate past chair and co-founder John Kemp to develop nine key goals that will help shape our priorities and activities. We plan to announce these goals publicly on July 26, but I wanted you as AAPD members to have an opportunity to review them and provide me with any feedback that you would like the committee to consider before we go public with our plan. The goals flow from AAPD's vision statement and mission statement, so I will begin by sharing those two statements. AAPD's vision is "a world where all people with disabilities are able to make choices, have careers, live independently, and contribute as full participants in all aspects of society." AAPD's mission is to empower, politically and economically, all people with disabilities in the U.S. In pursuit of its vision and mission, AAPD will work externally with its members, the broader disability community, and diverse partners so that people with disabilities will: • Exercise power through civic participation; • Achieve economic success; • Transform society by changing attitudes and improving access; and • Build disability pride and cultural identity. To pursue most effectively its vision and mission, AAPD will work internally to: • Maintain and develop a diverse disability leadership and control of the organization; • Achieve long-term fiscal integrity; • Foster a culture of excellence, leadership, creativity, professionalism, and ethics in its staffing and management practices; • Establish its long-term presence as a leading national organization through the acquisition and construction of a universally-designed headquarters facility in Washington, D.C.; and • Deepen the relationship between AAPD and its members and other stakeholders around the U.S. I look forward to your feedback on these nine goals (please email me at ImparatoA@aol.com), and to working with you over the next ten years to grow AAPD's influence and impact as the most effective disability rights organization in the world! With warm regards, Andrew J. Imparato AAPD President and CEO Disability Community Opposes Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act A collaboration of disability and other civil rights organizations spent the week of May 9 – 13 contacting members of Congress, urging them to vote against the Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act. Consent decrees are an efficient means for willing parties in a lawsuit to enter into a negotiated agreement without long, drawn-out and expensive court proceedings. Many disability lawsuits against state and local governments, including institutional closure litigation, education litigation, and civil rights litigation are settled with consent decrees. The Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act (S. 489/HR 1229), introduced by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Representative Roy Blunt (R-MO), would impose unfair burdens on people protected by a wide array of federal laws, such as people with disabilities who often rely on consent decrees to ensure that civil rights, health care, education, and other laws that protect them are upheld. The proposed legislation would allow a state or local government (the defendant(s)) to file a motion to vacate or modify a consent decree four years after the decree is entered or after the election of a new top state or local official. In order for a consent decree to continue, the original plaintiff(s) would be required to prove again in court that their federal rights continue to be violated, and a judge would have to rule in their favor, all within 90 days of the state or local government. It is not too late to contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to oppose the Consent Decree Fairness Act. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATIONS COULD BE CUT AAPD, along with other disability organizations, is requesting the funding of $38.5 million be included in the FY 2006 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (L-HHS-ED) appropriations bill to fund the recently reauthorized Assistive Technology Act (ATA) projects. This figure includes $31 million for state and territory Title I assistive technology programs, $6 million for Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT) program and $1.5 million for training and technical assistance. The Assistive Technology Act was reauthorized last year, unanimously endorsed by the House and the Senate, and signed into law by President Bush in October. Over the past 15 years the programs funded under the Act have made a significant impact on the lives of people with disabilities who depend on assistive technology. The Title I state Assistive Technology Act programs have proven to be instrumental in ensuring access to assistive technology for people with disabilities. State PAAT programs have provided advocacy to individuals with disabilities of all ages who have been denied funding for needed technology. AAPD believes that it is imperative that this important system that ensures access to assistive technology and information technology for people with disabilities be maintained. Please contact your elected officials and ask them to fund this vital program. NCD RELEASED REPORT ON EMERGENCY PLANNING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES The National Council on Disability (NCD) has released a report calling for immediate federal changes in emergency planning for people with disabilities. The report, Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning can be found at www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/ 2005/publications.htm. WHEELCHAIR NATIONAL COVERAGE RULE RELEASED The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its proposed National Coverage Determination regarding Mobility Assistive Equipment (MAE). This ruling replaces the "bed or chair confined" standard with function-based clinical criteria that considers whether a Medicare beneficiary has a personal mobility issue that sufficiently impairs their participation in mobility-related activities of daily living (MRADL) (for example, toileting, feeding, dressing, grooming, and bathing) in the home setting. The ruling fails to address the controversial "in the home" restriction which limits coverage of mobility devices to only those that are considered necessary within the home. A beneficiary, who may not need a mobility device to fully function at home but needs such a device to access his or her community, work, school, physician's office, etc. would not be eligible for a wheelchair under this restriction. Currently, a bi-partisan "Dear Colleague" letter is being circulated in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Charlie Bass (R-NH). The letter asks Members to sign onto a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, requesting modification of the in the home restriction to improve access to the community for people with disabilities. Please call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative's office. Then, ask to speak to the Health Legislative Assistant and request that the Member sign onto the Bass/ Langevin In The Home Letter. Proposed HUD Changes Could Devastate Programs for People with Disabilities Senate Housing and Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Wayne Allard (R-CO) introduced the State and Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005 this past April. The bill is the Administration's proposal to block grant the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005 (S. 771/H.R. 1999) would end the existing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program and replace it with a new Flexible Voucher Program. The current Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program is the only program remaining in the safety net of federal housing programs for people with the most severe disabilities who must survive on a monthly income of $600 per month or less. According to the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC), a disability advocacy group, the provisions of the Flexible Voucher Program would be disastrous for people with disabilities and particularly to those who rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The Flexible Voucher Program would undermine critically important federal housing policies that benefit people with disabilities. It would also eliminate valuable civil rights and fair housing protections that help people with disabilities access federal housing programs. Housing disability advocate Steve Gold says the introduced legislation will drastically change how affordable housing programs operate and whom they serve. According to Gold, the bill will affect the Section 8 voucher program, the public housing program, and residents of project-based Section 8. In a recent media release from TAC, sources reported the effects of the new legislation would include the following: • The proposal would eliminate all targeting to the lowest income households at or below 30 percent of area median income. The current Section 8 voucher program has helped hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities live in the community. • Eligibility for vouchers would be expanded to higher income households who are already the primary beneficiaries of many other federal housing programs, including the HOME program and the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. • Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) would be permitted to use the funding exclusively for homeownership for higher income households — closing the doors on many people with disabilities who need rental housing. People with disabilities could be required to pay much higher rents than they can afford. • In direct opposition to federal fair housing laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act, PHAs would be permitted to adopt tenant selection policies that would have the effect of excluding some disability sub-populations in favor of others. For more information on the new HUD legislation, go to AAPD's website at www.aapd-dc.org. AAPD urges its members to oppose the forthcoming HUD bill by calling or writing their Senators and Representatives. An Interview with Dr. Benjamin J. Soukup Dr. Benjamin J. Soukup is an entrepreneur, humanitarian, educator, leader, lobbyist, and political activist for Deaf and hard of hearing people. He is the founder, chief executive officer, and president of Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. (CSD), one of the largest Deaf and hard of hearing telecommunications and human service agencies in the world. CSD employs more than 3,000 people in 42 locations across the United States. Each year it is estimated that CSD provides assistance to 15 million Deaf and hard of hearing consumers through relay telecommunications, human services, interpreting, communications technology, training, and development. We asked Dr. Soukup some questions and here are his answers. How did you prepare for the job? Soukup — Postsecondary training is, of course, highly recommended. I received much of my undergraduate training from the University of Colorado and Gallaudet University. On the other hand however, real life experiences were probably my best teacher. As a Deaf child in a Deaf family, I saw firsthand the negative impact of discrimination, oppression, and stereotypical attitudes. I made it my life's goal to help ensure this cycle did not continue to happen to others, or at least, give Deaf the hard of hearing people the resources necessary to battle ignorance, apathy, and paternalism. My greatest form of preparation was actually my own life experiences and my belief in CSD's mission and dedication to Deaf and hard of hearing people in totality. What do you believe are the most important issues facing people with disabilities today in America? Soukup — When the ADA was signed into law, that was a huge step towards access and functional equivalence for all disability groups. However, because of the mammoth deficit recently incurred from the U.S.'s role in global politics, lawmakers and judges are compelled to scrutinize some of the bigger ticket items like Social Security, Medicare, and healthcare. Economically speaking, our nation is in a dangerously precarious situation. We are spending more while taking in less resulting in cutbacks for social programs, which often directly affect seniors, people with disabilities, and others in need. Disability groups need to be extremely vocal in these times and we also need to be astutely aware of new judicial appointments, because those judges may interpret the law differently, which may have a negative effect on the ADA. We must be vigilant so that after all these years of fighting for disability rights, we do not take a step backward. We must always move forward and never overlook the important contributions that citizens with disabilities can make. We must not be put aside or be forgotten. How can a young person make a difference as a disability advocate? Soukup — The first thing we all have to realize is that each one of us has the power to make a difference, and we all have a voice. One person can make all the difference, and, collectively, we are a powerful force to be reckoned with. Remember that the door you may open for yourself may also open the way for untold people who come after you. You don't have to start on a national level; start by being an advocate in your own community. Be aware and be involved. What advice can you give young people with disabilities entering college or the world of work? Soukup — Clichι as it may sound, nothing worthwhile comes easy. Don't be afraid of hard work. If you are entering college, select an area about which you are passionate. The reason I have been working at CSD for 30 years is because I believe in what I do, and I am passionate about my work. Lastly, don't be afraid of failure. Failure can be your greatest teacher. Learn from it and persevere. Telephone Voting: An Accessible Step Forward Can you imagine sitting in the privacy of your home, picking up the telephone, and voting? It may be possible sooner than you think! In May of 2003, thousands of United Kingdom (U.K.) voters in 17 cities voted by using their home telephone. AAPD staff has begun researching the U.K. vote by phone system and is making the information available to advocates and election officials in the U.S. We are particularly researching how this technology will work for the Deaf and hard of hearing community. How did the U.K. do it? Each voter received two cards in the mail; the first was an access card and the second card had a Personal Identification Number (PIN), similar to the PIN on a bank debit card. Voters dialed a toll-free number and followed the simple instructions to enter the numbers from both cards to activate the process. Once completed, the phone voting system used a program similar to voice mail to select the candidates for each office. After the voter reviewed his/her ballot and pressed the # key, he/she received an immediate confirmation that his/her vote was securely and accurately recorded. The voter's name was reported as a completed vote and removed from the file to ensure no one would be able to vote twice. Using specialized and complex encryption data at each internal security layer, completed phone voting ballots were privately, randomly, and securely recorded and counted in each of the 17 cities. When polled by election authorities in the U.K., the Electoral Commission reports that 93 percent of the users rated the system as very or fairly good, 99 percent of phone voting users said it was convenient, and 92 percent said it provided privacy. In May of 2006, the U.K. will launch the second phase of telephone voting in a larger number of cities to further develop the system. In the U.S., Oregon is leading the nation in developing a phone voting system. Oregon Senate Bill 1046 is pending approval for the use of telephone voting by people with disabilities. For voters with disabilities, the testing of phone voting represents a significant step forward in privacy and access including the following: • Voters won't have to make special arrangements for transportation back and forth from their polling place. • Approximately 70 percent of the nation's polling places are inaccessible — imagine the potential for barrier-free access as other states follow Oregon's example. • Voters who are out of town or unable to leave their homes can simply pick up the phone and vote. • Voters won't have to wait in line at the polling place. • Voters will be able to vote independently, without a pollworker. Voting by phone not only benefits people with disabilities, it also provides an accessible solution to people who are not fluent in written English and who have low levels of literacy. To be able to vote using a telephone represents privacy, security, and secrecy in the voting process — elements that are not always present when people with disabilities exercise their right to vote. If you would like to see phone voting come to your state, go to http://www.nass.org/sos/sos.html, contact your Secretary of State, thank them for their efforts to make voting accessible, and encourage your Secretary of State to consider a phone voting test election. If you'd like more information on telephone voting in your state, email Angela Katsakis at aapdvote@earthlink.net or call (800) 840-8844 (V/TTY). 2005 AAPD Leadership Gala — A Celebration of Leadership and Anniversaries The 2005 AAPD Leadership Gala, AAPD's signature fundraising event, was held March 9 in Washington, DC. Master of Ceremonies, The Honorable Tony Coelho, led the fourth-annual Gala — a wonderful celebration of AAPD's 10th anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). New this year, AAPD incorporated an exhibit area preceding the dinner/awards ceremony, with more than 14 companies displaying information about their accessibility and hiring practices. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta provided welcoming remarks, speaking passionately about his personal commitment to the movement. He was followed by keynote speaker White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, whose comments, both personal and on behalf of the Administration, were heartfelt and passionate. The highlight of the event was the presentation of awards. The Henry B. Betts Award recipient, Paul Longmore, Ph.D., was unable to travel to Washington to personally accept his award, but his pre-taped acceptance remarks were shown. AAPD also made three Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards presentations, with the assistance of Members of Congress: Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) presented an award to Berhanu Joffe Deboch, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) presented an award to Elise Roy, and Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) presented an award to Alan Muir. The extraordinary skills and leadership of these four award recipients were captured on short video productions. Additionally, AAPD presented its annual Linda Chavez-Thompson Award to Richard Womack, Assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO. Womack has been a consistent voice for disability rights and empowerment within the labor movement. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) made this award presentation. AAPD appreciates the generosity of corporate and individual sponsors — almost 100 in all. Representatives of the Lead Sponsors, Independence Technology and Time Warner Inc., were able to share their personal remarks at the podium. We also thank Rabbi Lynne F. Landsberg for her invocation. Corporate sponsorships helped AAPD keep Gala individual ticket prices affordable to many individuals. Additionally, they also provide significant, year-round subsidization of AAPD's core national programs and nonpartisan advocacy efforts. AAPD is also indebted to the members of the Leadership Gala Steering Committee, which was skillfully co-chaired by Cheryl (Mrs. Jim) Sensenbrenner, Deni (Mrs. Norman) Mineta, and Sandie (Mrs. Joe) Knollenberg. We invite you to visit the AAPD website (www.aapd-dc.org) to learn more about the Gala, view additional photos, and review the complete bios and videos of the award recipients. AAPD is grateful for the generosity of the following 2005 Leadership Gala sponsors of $5,000 and higher: $100,000 Independence Technology Time Warner $25,000 American Airlines Bank of America Boeing Pfizer SAP $10,000 ACS Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP AT&T BellSouth Bristol-Myers Squibb CTIA, The Wireless Association CSX Corporation Darden Restaurants IBM Lockheed Martin Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation National Association of Broadcasters National Structured Settlements Trade Association NISH Oracle Recording Industry Association of America United Spinal Association Verizon Viacom Wal-Mart $5,000 AARP Altria Group Booz Allen Hamilton Cingular Wireless Continental Airlines DaimlerChrysler Hewlett-Packard Macromedia Microsoft Motorola National Cable & Telecommunications Assoc. NEC Foundation News Corporation SBC US Airways Walt Disney Company Accessibility: It's Good for Business IBM founder, Thomas J. Watson, Sr., hired the fledgling company's first employee with a disability back in 1914. Why? Because the applicant was the best qualified person for the job. Ever since, IBM has been committed to diversity in its hiring, retention, and promotion practices. In the process, the corporation has built a diverse workforce based on what employees can do rather than on what they can't. As part of its commitment to diversity, IBM embraces the concept of accessibility. As IBM defines it, that concept says that IBM will provide to its employees, customers, and business partners information technology that is easily accessible to users, regardless of their physical limitations or their age. "Accessibility is the right thing to do for individuals and for society. But it's also good business," said Frances West, director of IBM's Worldwide Accessibility Center. The way to encourage the world's employers to adopt accessibility is to demonstrate the business value, West said. Here are her top five reasons that accessibility resonates well with businesses: 1 Accessibility helps companies hire and retain the best workers. In today's competitive world, companies want to have their choice of skilled employees. IBM has long bolstered the pipeline of job candidates with disabilities by running science summer camps for kids and internships and job training programs for young adults with disabilities. 2 Accessibility helps businesses win new customers. Customers today like to do business with companies that understand them and their needs. That's why IBM won a bid at the University of California at San Francisco to design a new, accessible website for students and faculty. 3 Accessibility allows businesses to enter new markets. With more governments around the world requiring accessibility, the companies that do business with governments must comply. This creates a new opportunity for companies that offer accessible technology to do business with government agencies. IBM is expanding its business by offering accessible IT solutions to local, state, and federal agencies. Recent clients include the State of Arizona, the Senate in Italy, and the Gifu Prefecture in Japan. 4 Accessibility allows businesses to work with a greater variety of suppliers and partners. When a company commits to running accessible IT systems, the business is able to attract a greater variety of partners. Those partner companies may be owned and operated by people with disabilities or they may serve that market. IBM has just launched a project with an independent software vendor that develops and markets sales tax and voter registration applications to its government clients. Working together, IBM and Hamer Enterprises will make those applications accessible, making it easier for citizens to access government information and services. 5 Accessibility allows businesses to expand into developing areas of the world. Information technology that is accessible and affordable is an attractive idea in countries that are just developing their information technology infrastructures. IBM is opening Accessibility Centers in Brazil and China, among other developing nations, to take advantage of that opportunity. As more and more employers recognize the business advantages of accessibility, the result will be good for individuals, for business, and for society. AAPD invites your company to become an AAPDnews sponsor. We'll be happy to share your news with our readers. Leadership Development Meeting Held March 10 On March 10, AAPD hosted its annual meeting of leaders and emerging leaders of the disability community for a discussion about the future directions of the disability movement and the roles of leaders in the movement. AAPD has traditionally held similar meetings the day after the Gala for current and past Hearne Award recipients, but a great addition to this year's meeting agenda was the inclusion of Ethel Louise Armstrong (ELA) scholars. The Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation promotes, through grants and scholarships, the inclusion of people with disabilities in the areas of arts, advocacy, and education, and awards scholarships to women with physical disabilities who are pursuing graduate education. AAPD has long had a vision that ELA Scholars and Hearne Award recipients be afforded the opportunity to meet, brainstorm, and idea share. The meeting was facilitated by AAPD President and CEO Andrew J. Imparato. Attendees were the three current Hearne Award recipients, Berhanu Joffe Deboch, Alan Muir and Elise Roy; past recipient Alison Ashley Hillman; ELA scholars Maria Barrera, Selene Faer Dalton-Kumins, Rachel Dubin and Terry Uttermohlen; ELA Foundation Executive Director Deb Lewis; and AAPD staff members. Panelists sharing their personal stories and perspectives on what it takes to show leadership and be successful were NCIL Executive Director John Lancaster; Kathleen Behan, a litigation partner at Arnold & Porter and co-chair of its Pro Bono Committee, whose leadership is partly motivated by her personal experience as a person living with lupus; and Cynthia Richardson-Crooks, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at George Washington University . Items under discussion included at what point a person becomes a leader, how that person's direction is molded, and who does the molding. One participant said, "I think one of our challenges as a movement is how do we make sure people in leadership are ready, and if they need help, we need to be providing it or encouraging them to ask for the help." This was the first of, hopefully, many similar meetings, and AAPD intends it to foster ongoing discussions between these individuals. Imparato says, "Collectively, there are more than 70 ELA Scholars and Hearne Award laureates out there. This many people working together, and all demonstrating their leadership in the disability rights movement, can accomplish a lot of great things!" AAPD and NCD Sponsor Civil Rights Policy Forum Same Struggle, Different Difference On March 29, 2005, AAPD and the National Council on Disability (NCD) hosted a one-day policy forum that included policy experts from the disability and broader civil rights communities. The forum also received support from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) and AARP. More than 90 individuals from 47 civil rights and disability rights organizations attended the forum. Each attendee specialized in one of the topic areas: education, diversity-friendly workplaces, and civil rights restoration. Milton Aponte (NCD), Wade Henderson (LCCR), and Andrew Imparato (AAPD) gave remarks. Theda Zawaiza, Chief of Staff for Congressman Major Owens (D-NY), also spoke to the group. The following three policy priorities emerged from the forum: Civil Rights Restoration: The group addressed the erosion of disability and civil rights legislation in federal courts, as well as the erosion of the passion, understanding, and support of civil rights in our society. They sought to identify ways to acknowledge, expose and address the concerted, well-funded efforts to roll back civil rights and build an understanding and support of civil rights beyond advocacy circles. Diversity-Friendly Workplace: The group identified four main priority areas: healthcare reform including support of the Healthy Families Act; education/training reform including Section 504 enforcement at institutions of higher learning; workplace reform such as encouraging government to award points to government contract applicants with progressive workplace strategies and developing Section 508 for the private-sector; and attitudinal reform such as a media campaign to engage politicians, celebrities, and college students to reach mainstream America. Educational Excellence & Equity: The group identified the No Child Left Behind Act as a top priority for collaboration between civil rights and disability rights communities. They agreed upon the immediate need to advocate for the proper enforcement of the No Child Left Behind Act. They also identified a need to publish a compilation of case studies that demonstrate the impact of the Act for advocacy efforts. For more information and notes from the forum go to www.aapd-dc.org Removing Barriers in the Policy Environment By Andrew J. Houtenville, Ph.D. and Bonnie O'Day, Ph.D. Over the next five years, AAPD, in collaboration with Cornell University, will conduct research and host forums to discuss policies that would reduce barriers to the employment of people with disabilities. These efforts are part of an Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EP- RRTC), funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Since passage of the ADA, removing environmental barriers through new construction and building renovation, modifications to transit systems, and installation of curb cuts, has been the primary focus of attention. But over the last 15 years, we have seen that full participation means more than just the removal of physical barriers. Often, governmental programs — the policy environment — can pose significant barriers to participation that, until recently, have been under-explored. This is most apparent in the area of employment. For example, Medicaid can be used to subsidize the purchase of assistive devices. However, many people with disabilities become eligible for Medicaid through the Social Security disability programs, and these programs often place limitations on employment — thus the subsidization of assistive devices in this manner becomes a potential barrier to the employment of people with disabilities. There are currently numerous initiatives to remove programmatic barriers, or at least test their removal — the Medicaid Buy-in, Ticket to Work, One Stop Centers, a pending test of new work incentives under the Social Security Disability Insurance program, etc. As these initiatives proceed, it is important that they become pieces of a consistent and comprehensive system that removes barriers to employment, rather than being ineffectual or unintentionally adding to existing barriers. Are You Receiving JFA Email Alerts? If not, would you like to receive these critical alerts distributed by AAPD? Subscribe by sending an email to: majordomo@jfanow.org. HOW TO CONTACT US: For additional AAPD membership information or to join, call toll-free (866) 241-3200 (V/TTY), or visit the AAPD website at www.aapd-dc.org. SAVE THE DATE! Disability Mentoring Day – October 19, 2005 AAPD 1629 K Street NW, Suite 503 Washington, DC 20006 AAPD MEMBER SERVICES 258 Main Street, Suite 203 Milford, MA 01757 (866) 241-3200 (V/TTY) AAPD WEBSITE www.aapd-dc.org To request an alternate format call Member Services.