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2009-09-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

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America Supports You: Wounded Vets Connect With Resources

2008-03-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2008 – Wounded servicemembers have a helping hand available when it comes to transitioning back into their communities.

The VetConnect program is designed to “provide wounded warriors with a critical link to resources … and to engage local community and business leaders in the reorientation of disabled veterans to their communities,” Scott Heintz, the program’s director, said.

The program is run by “Enable America,” a non-profit group dedicated to increasing employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities. VetConnect also offers early intervention support by matching wounded warriors with casualty mentors and coordinating their participation in wellness activities, he said.

This program has been expanded to wounded special operations troops through the Care Coalition Recovery Pilot Program.

The program, similar to VetConnect’s mentoring program, was developed and implemented with the help of U.S. Special Operations Command.

“The objective of the pilot program is to improve the recovery outcome of special operations forces wounded warriors through the early introduction of casualty mentors and wellness activities designed to boost wounded warriors’ confidence and self-esteem,” Heintz said.

The mentors, wounded warriors themselves, are matched with a newly wounded warrior and trained to provide support and guidance throughout and beyond the recovery process.

The matches are made based on similarity of injures, unit affiliations and family situations.

“Mentors offer valuable insight and counsel from the perspective of someone who has successfully navigated similar physical and emotional challenges,” Heintz said.

“Spouses and family members of wounded (special operations force members) also serve as mentors and provide guidance to their counterparts.”

When servicemembers and their family members are ready to try Enable America’s wellness activities, the organization will help them find the right one.

All of the activities -- camping, skiing, yoga and photography, to name a few -- are offered through organizations that are able to accommodate the participant’s needs.

“As their recovery progresses, Enable America provides wounded warriors and their families with access to a comprehensive network of community and employment resources,” Heintz said.

“The final component of the program is that of providing the wounded warrior with an employment resource network that will (offer) them meaningful and challenging work that is commensurate with their unique skill sets.”

Enable America recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving and home and abroad.

“(America Supports You) provides us with the opportunity to network with other supporting organizations as well as to increase our exposure to those who would benefit from our services,” Heintz said.

By: Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Source: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48954

Wounded Vets Connect With Resources

2008-03-03T11:50:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON – Wounded servicemembers have a helping hand available when it comes to transitioning back into their communities.

The VetConnect program is designed to “provide wounded warriors with a critical link to resources … and to engage local community and business leaders in the reorientation of disabled veterans to their communities,” Scott Heintz, the program’s director, said.

The program is run by “Enable America,” a non-profit group dedicated to increasing employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities.

VetConnect also offers early intervention support by matching wounded warriors with casualty mentors and coordinating their participation in wellness activities, he said. This program has been expanded to wounded special operations troops through the Care Coalition Recovery Pilot Program. The program, similar to VetConnect’s mentoring program, was developed and implemented with the help of U.S. Special Operations Command.

“The objective of the pilot program is to improve the recovery outcome of special operations forces wounded warriors through the early introduction of casualty mentors and wellness activities designed to boost wounded warriors’ confidence and self-esteem,” Heintz said.

The mentors, wounded warriors themselves, are matched with a newly wounded warrior and trained to provide support and guidance throughout and beyond the recovery process. The matches are made based on similarity of injures, unit affiliations and family situations.

“Mentors offer valuable insight and counsel from the perspective of someone who has successfully navigated similar physical and emotional challenges,” Heintz said. “Spouses and family members of wounded (special operations force members) also serve as mentors and provide guidance to their counterparts.”

When servicemembers and their family members are ready to try Enable America’s wellness activities, the organization will help them find the right one. All of the activities — camping, skiing, yoga and photography, to name a few — are offered through organizations that are able to accommodate the participant’s needs.

“As their recovery progresses, Enable America provides wounded warriors and their families with access to a comprehensive network of community and employment resources,” Heintz said. “The final component of the program is that of providing the wounded warrior with an employment resource network that will (offer) them meaningful and challenging work that is commensurate with their unique skill sets.”

Enable America recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving and home and abroad.

“(America Supports You) provides us with the opportunity to network with other supporting organizations as well as to increase our exposure to those who would benefit from our services,” Heintz said.

Source: American Forces Press Service : http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,161999,00.html?wh=benefits

NPR interview with Jim Gibbons

2008-02-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

Link to NPR interview with Jim Gibbons : http://audiok.unm.edu/news/082907-completeblindvet.mp3

Facts about the 2008 Stimulus Payments

2008-02-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Media Relations Office Washington, D.C. Media Contact: 202.622.4000
www.IRS.gov/newsroom Public Contact: 800.829.1040

Facts about the 2008 Stimulus Payments

FS-2008-15, February 2008

Starting in May, the Treasury will begin sending economic stimulus payments to more than 130 million individuals. The stimulus payments will go out through the late spring and summer.
The vast majority of Americans who qualify for an economic stimulus payment will not have to do anything other than file their 2007 individual income tax return to receive their payment this year. They will not have to complete applications, file any extra forms or call the Internal Revenue Service to request the payment, which is automatic. The IRS will determine eligibility, figure the amount and issue the payment.

Stimulus payments will be direct deposited for taxpayers selecting that option when filing their 2007 tax returns. Taxpayers who have already filed with direct deposit won't need to do anything else to receive the stimulus payment. For taxpayers who haven't filed their 2007 returns yet, the IRS reminds them that direct deposit is the fastest way to get both regular refunds and stimulus payments.

Basic Eligibility

The IRS will use the 2007 tax return to determine eligibility and calculate the basic amount of the payment. In most cases, the payment will equal the amount of tax liability on the return with a maximum amount of $600 for individuals ($1,200 for taxpayers who file a joint return) and a minimum of $300 for individuals ($600 for taxpayers who file a joint return).

Even those who have little or no tax liability may qualify for a minimum payment of $300 ($600 if filing a joint return) if their tax return reflects $3,000 or more in qualifying income. For the purpose of the stimulus payments, qualifying income consists of earned income such as wages and net self-employment income as well as Social Security or certain Railroad Retirement benefits and veterans’ disability compensation, pension or survivors’ benefits received from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in 2007. However, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) does not count as qualifying income for the stimulus payment.

Low-income workers who have earned income above $3,000 but do not have a regular filing requirement must file a 2007 tax return to receive the minimum stimulus payment. Similarly, Social Security recipients, certain Railroad retirees, and those who receive the
veterans’ benefits mentioned above must file a 2007 return in order to notify the IRS of their qualifying income.

The IRS emphasized that people with no filing requirement who turn in a tax return to qualify for the economic stimulus payment will not get a tax bill. People in this category will not owe money because of the stimulus payment.

Limitation

To be eligible for a stimulus payment, taxpayers must have valid Social Security Numbers. Anyone who does not have a valid Social Security Number, including those who file using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN) or any other identification number issued by the IRS is not eligible for this payment. Both individuals listed on a married filing jointly return must have valid Social Security Numbers to qualify for a stimulus payment.

Eligibility for the advance payment is subject to maximum income limits. The payment amounts will be reduced by 5 percent of the amount of income in excess of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for those with a Married Filing Jointly filing status.

Individuals who pay no tax and who have less than $3,000 of qualifying income will not be eligible for the stimulus payment.

Additional Payments for Parents and Others with Qualifying Children
Parents and anyone else eligible for a stimulus payment will also receive an additional $300 for each qualifying child (subject to income phase-outs). To qualify, a child must be eligible under the Child Tax Credit and have a valid Social Security Number.

Anyone who is not eligible for the basic payment amount due to the phase-out provision or any other exception will not be eligible for this additional amount for children.

Special Circumstances for Recipients of Social Security, Railroad Retirement and Certain Veterans Benefits

Individuals who receive Social Security benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits and certain veterans’ benefits may have to follow special filing requirements in order to receive the basic amount:

Those who have already filed a 2007 return reflecting qualifying income of $3,000 or more do not have any additional filing requirements and do not need to do anything more to receive their payment.

Those who have already filed a 2007 return showing less than $3,000 in qualifying income and did not list their Social Security, Railroad Retirement or certain veterans benefits should file a Form 1040X to list those non-taxable benefits and qualify for a payment.

Those who are not required to file a 2007 return but whose total qualifying income including Social Security, certain Railroad Retirement and certain Veterans benefits would equal or exceed $3,000 should file a return reporting these benefits on Line 14a of Form 1040A or Line 20a of Form 1040 to establish their eligibility. Please note the form lines just mention Social Security, but use these lines even if your only benefits were Railroad Retirement or veterans’ benefits.
Notices

Most taxpayers will receive two notices from the IRS. The first general notice from the IRS will explain the stimulus payment program. The second notice will confirm the recipients’ eligibility, the payment amount and the approximate time table for the payment. Taxpayers will need to save this notice to assist them when they prepare their 2008 tax return next year.

Anyone who moves after they have filed their 2007 tax return should notify the IRS by filing Form 8822, Change of Address, and also notify the Post Office.

Exclusions

Individuals who file Form 1040NR, 1040PR or 1040SS are not eligible for the stimulus payments. These returns are normally filed by Nonresident Aliens, residents of Puerto Rico and residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Residents of U.S. possessions will be receiving their rebates directly from the possessions.

Also ineligible are individuals who can be claimed as dependents on someone else’s return.
Dividends, interest and capital gains income is not included when determining qualifying income. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) does not count as qualifying income for the stimulus payment. Also not included in qualifying income are non-veterans or non-Social Security pension income (such as those from Individual Retirement Accounts).

Stimulus payments will be subject to offset against outstanding tax and non-tax liabilities in the same fashion as regular tax refunds.

In addition, the IRS emphasizes the stimulus payments will not count toward or negatively impact any other income-based government benefits, such as Social Security benefits, food stamps and other programs.

Free Tax Help Available

Low- and moderate-income workers, including veterans, can get free tax help through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Call 1-800-906-9887 to locate the nearest VITA site.

The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program provides free tax help to people age 60 and older. As part of the IRS-sponsored TCE Program, AARP offers the Tax-Aide
counseling program at more than 7,000 sites nationwide during the filing season. To find an AARP Tax Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit the AARP Web site.

For Additional Information

The IRS.gov Web site is the best source for additional information and answers to questions regarding the stimulus payments. The site will soon have an online tool which will allow taxpayers to calculate the amount of their advance payment and to check on the status of their specific payment.

Rule would provide better court access to the disabled

2008-02-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

By Jan Pudlow
Senior Editor
The Florida Bar News

The art of compromise paid off for Matt Dietz, who honed a new rule to make it easier for persons with disabilities to attend court proceedings.

At the close of the Rules of Judicial Administration Committee meeting January 17, Dietz, chair-elect of The Florida Bar’s Equal Opportunities Law Section and chair of the Disability Independence Group, smiled triumphantly.

Moments earlier, the committee had voted unanimously not only to approve EOLS’ proposal to bolster Rule 2.540, “Notices to Persons with Disabilities” — but to expedite the matter so that it will be heard in the current rules cycle while Fred Lewis is still chief justice, rather than wait until 2012. Now, the new proposed rule is on the way to The Florida Bar Board of Governors for comment and the Supreme Court for approval.

“I am very happy. This is a wonderful experience in developing a process that will ensure that people with disabilities — no matter who they are who need to use the court process — will be able to,” Dietz said.

Dietz said he wanted the proposed rule in this year’s cycle “as an acknowledgement to Chief Justice Lewis’ leadership. It should be noticed that he is the person from the top who actually brought this issue to a place of prominence within the Bar and bench.”

Seven months ago, Dietz faced an uphill battle when he first presented the proposed rule to the committee at the Bar’s Annual Convention, arguing Florida’s existing rule was inadequate because there was no guarantee of standard statewide procedures, accommodations were limited to persons compelled to attend court, and accommodations for disabled lawyers must be paid by their employers.

The matter was close to sputtering to a halt, until the committee decided to allow 18th Circuit Judge Lisa Davidson — chair of a subcommittee that originally voted against the rule change — to reconstitute a work group with more members, including EOLS members and persons with disabilities.

During those seven months, the work group members sympathized when deaf attorney Scott Harrison personally appeared to detail why he had sued the state because he was denied real-time court reporting services in criminal trials unless he paid for it himself, an expense he said he couldn’t afford. But work group members were uneasy taking on interpretations of substantive law that dangled unsettled in Harrison’s pending federal case.

The proposed rule Dietz originally brought to the September meeting, Judge Davidson said, “had not only procedural issues, but policy issues, and substantive issues.”

Meanwhile, Harrison reached a settlement with the Office of State Courts Administrator granting him the accommodation he sought. Immediately, Chief Justice Lewis approved new statewide guidelines that spell out that attorneys who are deaf or hard of hearing will now be provided with real-time court reporting services at court expense in county and circuit court criminal trials.

Dietz came back with a revised proposed amendment he described as ensuring full compliance with Title II of the ADA and to promote access for persons with disabilities for court programs and services.

In November, the work group met via two teleconferences to hammer out procedural issues, while working to incorporate suggestions contained in memos from Debbie Howells, statewide ADA coordinator of OSCA.

“I am thrilled,” Judge Davidson said, after the unanimous vote January 17 at the Bar’s Midyear Meeting in Miami, on what she described as “99.9 percent” Dietz’s rule.

“It was wonderful working with Matthew Dietz. He was willing to compromise where compromise was needed. He didn’t dig his heels in. He was willing to say, ‘Alright. That makes sense. We want to compromise here; that is important there.’ He was really very, very amenable to compromise and understood what the Rules of Judicial Administration work does, and what our authority is — and that is procedure,” Judge Davidson said.

In a nutshell, Dietz said the proposed rule “will bring more order and less ad hoc decisionmaking on what is a proper accommodation to court programs and services, for any individual with a disability.”

He said the revised proposed rule “adopts grievance procedures similar to that on the Supreme Court’s Web site, but has only been adopted by a few counties.” It gives step-by-step procedures on what notice has to be given, and if the accommodation has not been granted, how the person with disabilities may appeal.

“This does not change any of the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but facilitates that accommodations are given and justice is given, not only to litigants or parties, but any user of the system,” Dietz said.

At the work group’s September 6 meeting at The Florida Bar’s General Meeting in Tampa, when Harrison detailed his plight as a deaf lawyer, Third District Court of Appeal Judge Alan Schwartz abstained from voting, declaring it not an appropriate issue for a rules committee.

But at the January 17 meeting — after the proposed two-page rule succinctly stuck to procedural matters — Judge Schwartz was the one who moved that the rule be adopted.

“At first, I was very much against it because of the substantive provision of the rule and the issue of whether a lawyer was a ‘participant.’ I didn’t think it was appropriate for us to take a position in rulemaking,” Schwartz told the group.

“Meantime, OSCA in that litigation caved and said what everyone thought should be said — that a lawyer is a participant in litigation and this accommodation will be given to the particular lawyer in that case and any other similar situation.”

Schwartz said he also thought there was no practical need for the amended rule.

“But I believe the rule as proposed has been worked out on a very high plane with both sides: the side dealing with the content of the rule, and Matthew on his side representing the interests of the people he represents. It’s a source of a great deal of work and a terrific product, for what it is. Since it is before us and the work is done, I move that it be adopted.”

The next step EOLS will take, Dietz said, will be on the legislative front.

“One issue we have with the rule is the problem that these records that may be required, if someone requests accommodation, that they be open for inspection. So the next issue we are going to do is to ask for an exemption to the Sunshine Law for requests for accommodation,” Dietz said.

“You never want a request for accommodation to be used as a litigation tool or as a way to invade someone’s privacy. The goal for accommodation is to ensure participation in the process. Participation in the process should be without consequences.”

Source: http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/8c9f13012b96736985256aa900624829/abe47665acd7658b852573e70059bfc4?OpenDocument

Offering New Roles to Wounded Marines

2008-02-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO — Two marines enter the Iraqi village and take aim.

“Tell me when,” one of them, Brent Callender, calls out, positioned just inside the flapping curtain of a doorway.

“Action!” the other, Ben Bagby, yells and takes aim — with a video camera.

Mr. Callender, 22, walks, leaning on his cane. Mr. Bagby, 24, shoots him, take after take, practicing tracking shots on a mock-up Iraqi village that was situated on a movie studio lot here where marines train for combat.

They are among 19 marines in one of the more unconventional film and media production schools around, the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation, a 10-week apprenticeship program guided by film industry veterans.

Here, a student casually peels off his shirt to reveal indentations and stitches crisscrossing a shoulder nearly obliterated by rifle fire. Another hikes up a pant leg to explain how his prosthetic limb works. And one, in the quiet of a “mess hall,” a store house for props, speaks of the nightmares that rob him of sleep.

But it is also a place where marines, most them in their 20s, see a path to dreams and a way to overcome their disabilities, with the guarantee of membership in the main production crew union at the end and producers already calling for their services.

Mr. Callender, of Downey, Calif., who was a lance corporal, said the program rescued him from despair over his injuries and his future. He broke his spine, pelvis, kneecaps and other body parts in September 2005 when he was shot by a sniper and then ejected from a vehicle that moments later hit a roadside bomb in the Anbar Province.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Mr. Callender, who in December retired from the Marines because of his injuries. “I was very depressed and just trying to figure out how I was going to be mobile and just get on with life after being wounded.”

An aspiring film editor, he shot a video of a rusting crane that served for him as a metaphor.
“It still has a control panel, but it is not working anymore,” he said. “I was thinking how something so immense can still be destroyed, whether by time or misuse or whatever.”
He added, “I’m a big guy, but I still fell.”

Advocates for disabled military personnel said there was a growing need for such programs as the wounded, 29,000 in action in the Iraq war, come home and are released from treatment. The government, mainly through the Department of Veterans Affairs, runs an array of career programs for wounded service members, but Marine officials said they believed the film program could encourage more private and nonprofit involvement in retraining.

“Certainly, any successful training program can become a model for other groups who want to support wounded warriors in many different ways,” said Lt. Col. Stanley Packard, a spokesman for the Marines.
Ryan Kule, a 26-year-old Army veteran who lost his left leg and right arm in Iraq and runs a retraining program for the Wounded Warrior Project, an advocacy group, said wounded service members often have difficulty there because of injury-induced physical and mental challenges. Mr. Kule said he and others were pushing employers to more readily accept wounded service members.

“There are some employers willing to accept the challenges with hiring someone with an injury, and some would like more education on it,” Mr. Kule said, “but the majority are definitely willing to work with us because they understand the dedication, what the warriors have done for the country.”

The film program is the brainchild of Kevin Lombard, an Emmy-winning cinematographer and documentary filmmaker, and his wife, Judith Ann Paixao, who has assisted in his productions. A friend with ties to the Marines suggested that Mr. Lombard make a documentary on the wounded, but Mr. Lombard struck on another idea.

“Why not give these marines the tools to tell their own stories?” he said.

The Lombards sold their house in Connecticut and raised money from corporations and foundations. Through connections, they met with Stu Segall Productions here and were given space in a building next to the Iraqi village set. Most importantly, they won the approval of Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant.

“Once we had the commandant’s blessing, the waters parted,” Ms. Paixao (pronounced pie-SHOUN) said.

They whittled down scores of applicants to a first class of 19 and plan to offer another class in the fall. It cost about $2 million, largely from foundations and private donors, for this inaugural class and they are raising money to keep the program afloat.

Mr. Lombard said representatives from several production companies had expressed interest in hiring the students, and the crew union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, had also promised to help find them jobs when they graduate in March.

The dozen faculty members, culled through industry connections, marvel at the speed with which the marines have picked up skills.

“These guys are basically trained to train,” said Barry Green, who teaches cinematography.
The students said they approached class with the discipline and resolve of a military mission.
“They, like me, are trying to translate their skill set into something concrete,” said Nick Popaditch, who lost an eye and has severely reduced vision in the other after a rocket-propelled grenade hit his tank. “You get into this weird world in the hospital where you are stuck there for long periods in this ghostlike status. You feel like your life is on hold, when you are used to moving through goals.”

Mr. Popaditch, 40, is among the oldest students. He has taken it upon himself to conduct morning muster and serve as the Marine conscience at the school, where posters of military-themed movies line the hallways and students obey a dress code of khaki pants and blue knit shirts. The presence of the Iraqi village caused some initial concern; simulated gunfire and grenade explosions occasionally pierce the air when the Marines and the San Diego Police Department train there. A few students refuse to enter that set; others take it in stride.

One, Jamil Brown, stepped into a house on the set and remarked, “Oh, I think this is where I got blown up. But it doesn’t freak me out that much anymore.” Joshua J. Frey, 31, of Tampa, Fla., whose arm was nearly blown off in combat, said he got depressed during his recovery and started drinking. But, he said, the program has given him new purpose.

“A lot of people come to the hospital and say they want to do this and that for you,” he said. “But these people took every step to actually get this going. They are so giving of every trick of the trade. I feel that love again.”

International Herald Tribune

Transportation and housing vie for NYC top billing.

2008-01-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

Just as transportation for persons with disabilities took center stage, affordable housing for persons with disabilities jumped on to garner the lime light in New York. The transportation report released on Sunday, January 13, 2008 contained rather startling findings. And for the housing, it took a lead role in the Governor’s “State of the State” address the following evening. If only these concerns were an anomaly unique to the “Big Apple”.

Traveling throughout our nation Enable America has found repeatedly that both transportation and housing are consistently within the top five “impediments” between persons with disabilities and the communities in which we live. Surprising, however, were many of the indisputable findings contained in NYC’s City Council transportation report. Housing has, topped the list of concerns surveyed in our “Listening Tour” that took us into the city for Community Connection Meetings on several occasions. It was hard to digest, for example, how, after spending $350 million only 10% of MTA’s subway stations were wheel chair accessible. And hard to swallow, the lack of sensitivity attributed to bus and van drivers. On the other hand, the mere fact that there is a report based on analytical research and input from focus groups that included 83 PWDs, is an extraordinary accomplishment in and of itself; now onto accessible and affordable housing.

If not already available, and we have not completed an exhaustive search, perhaps City Council should take on affordable/accessible housing for persons with disabilities next. While fortunate to have several good organizations that provide interim housing for the advancement of independent living skills, “independent” should remain the operative word. Some of us will always need assistance, to some degree. But, how much, depends on a variety of factors including, the opportunity to “push the envelope”.

Recently we learned of an independent living arrangement that was organized, privately, by the families of several PWDs in Illinois. Several apartments in a complex were secured, roommates paired, and transportation arrangements confirmed. With minimal assistance, a dozen young people live on their own with minimum but consistent outside support. They all have jobs and while trained on how to ask (call) for help, a support person only checks in on them periodically to make ensure all is in order and that their shared house keeping assistance is keeping up with them and their needs.

Governor Spitzer has called for $400 million to be spent on affordable housing is, indeed, to be commended. But what kind of road map will there be to guide the progress of his initiative toward truly fulfilling the needs of PWDs in the city?

With both transportation and housing on stage and the media helping the audience to focus on them now is the time to turn up the stage, foot and house lights. One of the precepts upon which Enable America was founded and forges ahead is “civic engagement” by and among persons with disabilities. There could not be a better time for us to join together, both persons with disabilities and our able bodied families and friends, to join together in developing a road map, advancing it through a ground swell of momentum in so doing we encourage our civic and political leaders to take heed and take action on what, has in New York, and is pervasive elsewhere in our great nation, been vividly identified as basic – priority requirements that can be readily addressed.

Richard Salem is the Chairman of Enable America, a national organization endeavoring to increase employment among persons with disabilities and social inclusion, civic engagement through building grass roots and grass top, community, business and vet “connections.” Join us at http://www.enableamerica.org

Praise and Questions for $400 Million Housing Plan

2008-01-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

By TRYMAINE LEE
The New York Times

In what he called “the biggest housing initiative in a generation,” Gov. Eliot Spitzer said in his State of the State address on Wednesday that he would propose a $400 million affordable housing fund to help working-class New Yorkers, the poor and people with special needs.

While some lawmakers lauded the proposal, others said they needed details about how the governor would pay for it, given an anticipated $4 billion deficit for the fiscal year that begins in April.

“When the governor said no new taxes, how do you get to achieve these goals with the economy softening, with revenue softening?” asked Senator John J. Bonacic, a Republican from Mount Hope and the chairman of the Senate’s Housing Committee.

Nevertheless, Mr. Bonacic added that he thought the governor’s proposal was “not a good thing” but “a wonderful thing.”

“Housing, generally they give lip service to it in the past, or it’s not so high on the radar screen,” Mr. Bonacic said.

Education, health care and transportation typically gobble up the bulk of the state’s annual funding. And the interest groups that support those issues have generally been able to trump the housing issue and the nonprofits that advocate on its behalf.

The governor’s proposed Housing Opportunity Fund, in addition to the state’s regular funding, would more than triple the amount normally allocated for affordable housing, according to Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, a Brooklyn Democrat and the chairman of the Assembly Housing Committee.

The new fund would also be used to develop housing for those with mental and physical disabilities, as well as those dealing with addictions, Mr. Spitzer said.

“This is an issue the state has abdicated over the years,” he said after an appearance in Brooklyn on Sunday. “Especially in New York City, it has resulted in the exodus of our middle class and our work force. Our teachers, our firefighters, our hospital workers have found it impossible to find housing that they can live in.”

The bulk of the money to pay for the program would come from the state’s Mortgage Insurance Fund and proceeds from the state’s mortgage tax, according to Mr. Lopez.

More will be known about the initiative next week after Mr. Spitzer presents his budget, but it appeared that the assistance would mainly be provided through state bonds for housing construction and rehabilitation.

Tom Dunham, a spokesman for Senator Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican and the deputy majority leader of the Senate, said Mr. Skelos would reserve judgment on the proposal until he learned its details.

The increase would be a divergence from the housing policy of Gov. George E. Pataki.

During much of Mr. Pataki’s tenure, nearly every developer building rental apartments who asked the state for tax-free bonds got them as long as they agreed to set aside 20 percent of the units for low- and moderate-income tenants for 20 years. The 80-20 program, as it was known, meant millions for developers. But critics said the program overly benefited developers of luxury projects that were out of reach for poorer residents.

Funding for affordable housing had remained “flat” at about $180 million a year for about the past 15 years, Mr. Lopez said.

Advocacy groups that have long sought to have the state put muscle behind initiatives to lower housing costs for New Yorkers applauded Mr. Spitzer’s proposal.

“We think it’s great that the governor is really looking at the crisis of affordable housing across the state, and he is making that link between housing and economic development,” said Josh Lockwood, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of New York City.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/nyregion/15spitzer.html

Spitzer pitches affordable housing plan

2008-01-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

By Jordan Lite
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Gov. Eliot Spitzer made a sales pitch Sunday for his proposed $400 million affordable housing plan, saying it was “a moral obligation” and “an economic imperative” to keep working families in New York City.

Spitzer made his remarks after touring the Rheingold Houses in Bushwick, which he called “a wonderful, wonderful example of all we are trying to create.”

The housing plan, to be hashed out during Spitzer’s budget address later this month, still needs the approval of the Legislature. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who supports it, said he expected it to get Senate backing.

“I believe the Senate will be supportive of it as well,” Silver said Sunday. “We need this program.”

Housing advocates say the plan would be the most substantial commitment to affordable housing by the state, and take considerable burden off of strapped local agencies such as the New York City Housing Authority.

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/01/14/2008-01-14_spitzer_pitches_affordable_housing_plan.html

Better Transit for City’s Disabled Is Urged

2008-01-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

By RAY RIVERA
The New York Times

The City Council assailed the state of transportation for the disabled in the city, and recommended a system of improvements, in a new report released on Sunday.

In addition to problems that have long plagued the public transit system, like the dearth of subway stations with elevators and a shortage of taxicabs that are wheelchair-accessible, the report also cited problems — including rude paratransit drivers, insensitive subway employees and poorly maintained equipment — that council members believe can be quickly and inexpensively corrected.

The report recommended better training for Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees who provide paratransit services, and increased inspections and maintenance of wheelchair lifts and other accessibility components on buses.

“I think sometimes when you look at systemic problems, you throw your hands in the air and say, ‘Sure, if we have a billion dollars and 10 years we could fix it,’ ” said Councilman Eric N. Gioia, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, one of three committees that collaborated on the report. “But we found that a lot of things we heard complaints about are really quite simple to fix.”

The 84-page report relied on data collected by 11 focus groups, which included 83 disabled riders, from April 30 through June 7, 2007. The study was conducted in conjunction with the City University of New York’s office of student affairs and graduate program in disability studies.

Officials at the transportation authority said on Sunday that they had not yet seen the report, but cited a number of improvements the agency had already made to enhance service for disabled passengers, including having spent more than $350 million since 2001 to provide wheelchair access at subway stations. The report, however, notes that 90 percent remain inaccessible.

“We look forward to reading the report and working with the Council to identify ways we can improve our service,” the agency said in a statement.
Some of the report’s harshest criticism was directed at the authority’s Access-A-Ride program, which provides van service for people who are unable to use the subways, buses or commuter railroads.

Passengers in the study who use the service said that drivers often refused to help them enter or exit the van or to assist them with their packages, claiming that Access-A-Ride policy prohibited them from leaving the vehicle, according to the report. One passenger recalled being stuck in his snow-covered driveway while the paratransit van driver refused to get out and help him board.

“Oh no! I’m not coming out to help you — it’s not my job,” the passenger quoted the driver as saying.

According to the authority’s guide to Access-A-Ride, a driver can assist a passenger as long as he does not lose sight of the vehicle and is within 100 feet of it.

The report also recommended that wheelchair vans display their vehicle and driver identification in a more conspicuous place inside the van so riders can report complaints more easily.

The report cited complaints of buses’ moving before program participants had found a seat, and of drivers’ refusing to lower or “kneel” the bus or lower the wheelchair lift for them, saying either that the equipment was broken or that they did not have the proper key to operate it.

One focus group participant who had difficulty walking said a bus driver refused to lower the lift for her because she was not in a wheelchair. She then had to slowly pull herself up the steps as impatient and angry customers waited to board behind her.

Bus drivers and subway personnel also often refused to offer any assistance to disabled passengers, including helping out when other passengers refused to give up seats reserved for the disabled, the report said.

Focus group members also complained of taxis that refused to transport them with their guide dogs, and one said she was charged extra to transport her wheelchair. The report recommended that the Taxi and Limousine Commission, as well as all other city agencies, conduct more regular enforcement to assess the prevalence of discriminatory practices.

The taxi and limousine commissioner, Matthew W. Daus, said that he had not seen the report, but added that the agency already conducted routine sting operations, using undercover inspectors and police officers posing with service dogs, to uncover discrimination.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/nyregion/14disabled.html

Disabled face unfare obstacles

2008-01-16T06:27:00.000-08:00

By BILL EGBERT
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Buses and subways are supposed to help disabled New Yorkers get around - but broken elevators and bus lifts often leave them stranded, a new City Council report finds.

Simple solutions could address chronic problems, said disabled advocate Michael Harris, who uses a wheelchair and once had to try boarding five buses before one had a working lift.

"A simple thing like cycling the lift before sending a bus out in the morning would go a long way to improve things," Harris said. "Disabled people pay fares. We deserve fair treatment."

CUNY researchers and disabled advocates who worked on the report highlighted other simple fixes, like having cleaning staff test elevators and intercoms, announcing broken elevators at train stops before passengers get off and putting GPS on Access-A-Ride vans.

"The city has both a legal and a moral obligation to do better," said Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens), chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee.

"Most of the recommendations are common-sense steps than can be implemented almost immediately."

NYC Transit said it had not seen the report but has launched a new elevator maintenance program and is posting information about broken elevators online.

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/14/2008-01-14_disabled_face_unfare_obstacles.html

2007-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

ENABLE AMERICA PARTICIPATES IN REHABILITATION SERVICES EXPO -
VHA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Services - Rehabilitation Services Conference & Exposition 2007

Enable America (www.enableamerica.org), located in Tampa, Florida is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to work with all members of the community – including individuals with disabilities, service providers, government agencies, advocacy groups, existing organizations and employers – to eliminate barriers to employment and bridge the gap between job seekers with disabilities and the employers who want to hire them.

On Wednesday, December 12, 2007, Enable America exhibited at the conference themed: “VA Amputation Rehabilitation -- Teams, Treatment, and Technology." The purpose of this first annual Amputation focused conference was to provide education on current and emerging issues facing Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Services staff and other clinicians serving wounded OIF and OEF veterans with amputations.

VetConnect (http://www.enableamerica.org/vetconnect.asp) is an Enable America program designed to enhance existing rehabilitation programs for wounded warriors and to actively engage local civic, business and community leaders in the reorientation of disabled veterans to their communities.

Scott Heintz, VetConnect Director:
Thousands of returning wounded warriors receive treatment and rehabilitative services and are sent on their way. Our goal is to improve their recovery outcome through the early introduction of mentors with similar injuries who are completing or have completed the recovery process and wellness activities that boost the wounded warrior’s confidence and self esteem. We also engage communities and employment network resources on behalf of the wounded warrior to better facilitate their reintegration into the community and the workplace.

Enable America works closely with the USSOCOM Care Coalition, whose vision is to support Special Operations Forces (SOF) wounded warriors and their families for life. The USSOCOM Care Coalition strengthens the readiness of Special Operations by advocating for SOF wounded warriors, supporting SOF component family programs and partnering with both government and non-government organizations to ensure existing support and benefits are provided to SOF wounded warriors who have led the fight on the Global War on Terrorism.

Enable America provides support at a variety of locations including: Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Washington, DC); Brooke Army Medical Center (Fort Sam Houston, TX); Naval Medical Center San Diego (San Diego, CA); and Veterans’ Affairs Hospitals in Tampa, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Palo Alto, California.

ENABLE AMERICA HOSTS PROGRAM MENTORS FOR INFORMATIONAL SEMINAR

2007-12-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

ENABLE AMERICA HOSTS PROGRAM MENTORS FOR INFORMATIONAL SEMINAR - 2nd VetConnect Mentor Training Session

Tampa, Hillsborough December 17, 2007 Non Profit

(PRLEAP.COM) Enable America (www.enableamerica.org), located in Tampa, Florida is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to work with all members of the community – including individuals with disabilities, service providers, government agencies, advocacy groups, existing organizations and employers – to eliminate barriers to employment and bridge the gap between job seekers with disabilities and the employers who want to hire them.

On Saturday, December 8, 2007, Enable America held its second VetConnect Mentor Training Session. The meeting focused on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which has been called the signature injury of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wounded warrior mentors and family members heard from a variety of speakers including experts from Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) and Quality Living, Inc. (QLI), an Omaha-based rehabilitation center for people with TBI.

VetConnect (http://www.enableamerica.org/vetconnect.asp) is an Enable America program designed to enhance existing rehabilitation programs for wounded warriors and to actively engage local civic, business and community leaders in the reorientation of disabled veterans to their communities.

Scott Heintz, VetConnect Director:
Thousands of returning wounded warriors receive treatment and rehabilitative services and are sent on their way. Our goal is to improve their recovery outcome through the early introduction of mentors with similar injuries who are completing or have completed the recovery process and wellness activities that boost the wounded warrior’s confidence and self esteem.

Enable America works closely with the USSOCOM Care Coalition, whose vision is to support Special Operations Forces (SOF) wounded warriors and their families for life. The USSOCOM Care Coalition strengthens the readiness of Special Operations by advocating for SOF wounded warriors, supporting SOF component family programs and partnering with both government and non-government organizations to ensure existing support and benefits are provided to SOF wounded warriors who have led the fight on the Global War on Terrorism.

Enable America provides support at a variety of locations including: Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Washington, DC); Brooke Army Medical Center (Fort Sam Houston, TX); Naval Medical Center San Diego (San Diego, CA); and Veterans’ Affairs Hospitals in Tampa, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Palo Alto, California.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dave Mikes Enable America Email Enable America 8132223227

Talents recognized

2007-11-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

Whether a blind criminal investigator or a deaf FBI Agent, the talent exhibited by persons with disabilities should not be underestimated or overlooked. Admittedly, some of us are more gifted in one manner than other, and to some extent, some of us are more fortunate than others in being able to act on opportunities. Being ever vigilant for that “knock” when an opportunity presents itself is one of the many adages often heard and tested to be true.

A few years ago, when Enable America was in the midst of a nationwide “listening tour” we had an opportunity to meet Sue Thomas and hear her story. As a young FBI agent she had been regulated to the Fingerprint Bureau for an extended assignment. As a deaf person, neither she nor the agency quite knew where advancement opportunities lied. Without forewarning, she was confronted by two “suits” from headquarters one morning. She looked up from a table full of fingerprints that she was comparing at the time and asked what she could do to be of help.

Knowing that having 2 guys from headquarters show up in the fingerprint lab could not be “good news” she was very apprehensive. They inquired, rather timidly and politely, whether she could read lips. Her first thought was to say “no” and see what happened then; but, how else would she have known what they were asking. They went on to ask if she watched movies. Again, she demurred but replied in the affirmative. Would she come over to headquarters the next day?

Sue went on to be an undercover investigator for the FBI watching surveillance films and translating the words that could not be heard but emanated from the lips of suspects. Sitting in dark corners of restaurants and observing suspects in clandestine conversations reporting their every word and, to star in a TV series, that ran for a while, FBEYE.

In a recent New York Times article a similar extraordinary experience and opportunity was highlighted (“In Fight Against Terror, Keen Ears Undistracted by Sight” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/world/europe/17vanloo.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin). Sacha Van Loo a criminal investigator in Belgium, who put his talent to work listening to interviews and recorded clandestine conversations, had more information in them than was being gleaned by the criminal unit. He went to work identifying background noises and inflections that led to answers that solved many mysteries. And, he has now been given the opportunity to build an investigation unit with others who, anxiously, top their blindness as a key qualification for admission to the group.

These are understandably, both entertaining and exemplary feats in using what we have as opposed to focusing on the limitations of our disabilities. They do, however, hold true for the most simple and mundane of tasks. How much pride I remember taking in learning how to put our household’s refuse cans on the curb for weekly collection. That is, until, I found myself lost on the street one night with neighbors, no cane and no way to get reoriented and find my way home. Thankfully, my wife had a twinge of concern before turning in and retrieved me from a neighbor’s driveway; perhaps that was not the best use of my talent after all.

November 17, 2007

THE SATURDAY PROFILE

In Fight Against Terror, Keen Ears Undistracted by Sight

By DAN BILEFSKY

ANTWERP, Belgium - SACHA VAN LOO is not your typical cop. He wields a white cane instead of a gun. And from the purr of an engine on a wiretap, he can discern whether a suspect is driving a Peugeot, a Honda or a Mercedes. Mr. Van Loo is one of Europe’s newest weapons in the global fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime: a blind Sherlock Holmes whose disability allows him to pick up clues sighted detectives do not see. “Being blind has forced me to develop my other senses, and my power as a detective rests in my ears,” he said from his office at the Belgian Federal Police, where a bullet-riddled piece of paper from a recent target-shooting session was proudly displayed on the wall. “Being blind also requires recognizing your limitations,” he added with a smile, noting that a sighted trainer guided his hands during target practice “to make sure no one got wounded.”

Mr. Van Loo, 36, a slight man who has been blind since birth, is one of six blind police officers in a pioneering unit specializing in transcribing and analyzing surveillance recordings in criminal investigations. An accomplished linguist who speaks seven languages, including Russian and Arabic, and taught himself Serbian for fun, he laments that he is not entitled to carry a gun on the job or to make arrests.

But his sense of hearing is so acute that Paul Van Thielen, a director at the Belgian Federal Police, compared his powers of observation to those of a superhero. When the police eavesdrop on a terrorism suspect making a phone call, Mr. Van Loo can identify the number instantly by listening to the tones. By hearing the sound of a voice echoing off a wall, he can deduce whether a suspect is speaking from an airport lounge or a crowded restaurant.After the Belgian police spent hours struggling to identify a drug smuggler on a faint wiretap recording, they concluded he was Moroccan. Mr. Van Loo, who says he has a “library of accents” in his head, listened and deduced that the man was Albanian; the arrest proved him right. “I have had to train my ear to know where I am,” Mr. Van Loo said. “It is a matter of survival to cross the street or get on a train. Some people can get lost in background noise, but as a blind man I divide hearing into different channels. It is these details that can be the difference between solving and not solving a crime.”

Grappling with his blindness, he says, has also given him the thick emotional skin necessary for dealing with the job’s stresses. “I have overheard criminals plotting to commit murder, drug dealers making plans to drop off drugs, men beating each other up,” Mr. Van Loo said. “Being blind helps not to let it get to me because I have to be tough.” The blind police unit, which became operational in June, originated after Mr. Van Thielen heard about a blind police officer in the Netherlands and was looking for ways to improve community outreach. He hoped that blind people would prove more adept than the sighted at listening to surveillance recordings and interpreting them.

THE police also recognized that blind officers like Mr. Van Loo could be particularly valuable in counterterrorism investigations because surveillance recordings are often muffled by loud background noise, requiring a highly trained ear to discern voices. Alain Grignard, a senior counterterrorism officer at the Brussels Federal Police, noted that wiretaps proved instrumental in the recent arrests of a large terrorist cell in Belgium that was recruiting for the insurgency in Iraq. The Belgian police said they were amazed at the number of qualified blind applicants for the six posts in the unit. Scoring high on a hearing test was a prerequisite, as was being at least 33 percent blind. Mr. Van Thielen, the police chief, said he had to turn away dozens of applicants whose sight was too good, including one “blind” man who shocked recruiters by driving to his interview. Recruiting blind people posed other challenges, Mr. Van Thielen recalled. Because they would be used mostly for electronic surveillance, they were given special status under a 2006 law tailored for forensic work that grants civilians some police powers but forbids them to make arrests or carry guns.Mr. Van Thielen, a no-nonsense police veteran, also had to deal with officers who feared that having blind colleagues would be a burden. Others felt awkward about how to behave in front of blind people and wondered if saying “au revoir” — literally “see you again” — would give offense. To assuage their concerns, Mr. Van Thielen arranged for sensitivity training sessions with blind volunteers. The hints included this one: Don’t leave computer cables trailing on the floor where blind officers can trip over them.

“At first when members of the police heard that blind people were coming to work here, they laughed and told me that we were a police force and not a charity,” Mr. Van Thielen said. “But attitudes changed when the blind officers arrived and showed their determination to work hard and be useful.”It was not only attitudes that needed updating. In addition to installing elevators with voice-activated buttons at the police station, the force issued each blind officer a special computer equipped with a Braille keyboard and a system that translates images on the screen into sound.As Mr. Van Loo transcribed a wiretap recording on a recent day, he wore earphones and passed his index finger over a long strip of Braille characters on the bottom of the keyboard. When he goes outside, he carries a compact police-issued global positioning system device with a voice that directs him to his destination, street by street.

A FATHER of two, Mr. Van Loo attributed his success to having parents who taught him at an early age to be independent. He recalled that when he was a young child, his father, a film buff, took him to movies. His father also taught him to drive a car by hoisting him on his lap and guiding his hands on the steering wheel.

His ability to adapt, he said, was reinforced by attending a regular high school. He also attended a school for the blind, where he learned to maneuver with a cane and to read Russian in Braille. To relax, he skis, rides horses and plays the Arabic lute.

“My parents accepted my blindness, which also helped me to accept it,” he said. “That they were not risk averse also helped.”

Mr. Van Loo said he remained determined not to let his disability overwhelm him. “Being blind isn’t always very easy,” he said. “I don’t focus on it. I don’t deny it. But it is rather tragic that a blind policeman is still viewed as an exception.”

The correct steps by Richard Salem

2007-10-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

Memories of the Disability Mentoring Day kickoff breakfast at Tavern on the Green that almost faded when the import of the words spoken and the feelings expressed that morning came home to roost. Across the conference table sat a scientist. He recounted the meticulous steps taken in his quest to convert swine waste into fuel. Before revealing his secret to success, hopeful of landing a grant for a prototype, there came a moment of enlightenment.

A year or so ago he had approached our Farm Pilot Project organization to explain his discovery and gather information to submit a funding application. That turned out to be a fateful day. As he explained “I was a bit distracted then. My daughter was in the hospital, having been diagnosed with an embolism at the base of her brain. We were hopeful that surgery would not be necessary. But, it was”. Somewhat hesitant to ask, we pressed on to inquire whether she had experienced any setbacks since.

What we heard was all too familiar. This brave 7 year old feared not, and had started anew as a child with a life-altering disability. Her left side was partially paralyzed, her speech impaired, and she was learning a bit slower than her able-bodied peers. The uphill climb with the school system. The encouragement not to shy away from new friends but, rather, give them a chance to get to know her. And, the development of a mantra so difficult for most of us, and almost impossible for a first grader; be patient with others, be patient with yourself and be patient for those things that are most important to you.

In less than a week of “preaching to a choir of believers” at Tavern on the Green and thanking Mayor Bloomberg for his support, we sat across the table from a parent wondering, hoping and praying that his daughter would be given a chance to experience the American dream.

In short order the scientist, as a father, asked, “What steps do you suggest we take?”

I said, "Do exactly what you have done in coming here today for your business, keep identifying resources and making the connection to access them. And, importantly, remember you are not by yourself; in fact, you are never more than 2 ½ persons away from someone who has or is experiencing the daily challenge of managing a life altering disability."

Networking resources paint the picture

2007-10-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

On a sunny and cool morning in a town not known for its art, but where it is plentiful, an article in the USA Today, “Disabled Artists Get Broad Strokes of Resilience” got my attention. Its author, Kate Naseef, took us through a brief account of Dennis Francesconi’s extraordinary experience in learning to express his ideas, through painting, after being unexpectedly paralyzed from the neck down.

The piece described in the article, Freedom, America Remembers, will comprise six paintings and stand 6 feet tall. Dennis found a support structure, Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA), and learned from the experience of others how to best leverage his talent. Its “self help not pity” that motivates the artist, a director accounts. And, to that end, Dennis moved from sitting idle to visiting at veterans’ hospitals and speaking with our wounded war fighters over the course of a few short years.

The story struck me not because of Dennis’ determination and beautiful art alone, but, also because of what is not said.

I work with Enable America and traveling throughout the country allows us to meet persons with disabilities. Without exception, each has a gift, a talent, a love of life and passion to share. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know how Dennis reconnected with his passion and found the MFPA? So many of us struggle so hard, daily, to manage the distractions that naturally flow from managing to live in a world best suited for the able bodied. Little time or energy is left to think of much else or do anything.

Understanding what resources are available to us and connecting with them is often easier said then done. As Enable America’s volunteers work in the field we strive to identify and learn about the depth and variety of programs offered through community based organizations. It is through networking theses “hometown” resources with other local, national and international programs that follow will have resources readily available to assist them in becoming “artists” in their own right.

On leaving Las Vegas, a city short on water and workers, we can only wonder how many of those casino patrons knew of MFPA or other organizations that were at the ready. Please take a moment to help us continue to build a network of networks, for a word of guidance or a helping hand need not be more a phone call or click away. Visit http://www.enableamerica.org for more information.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-21-disabled-artists_N.htm

Choosing limitations in Virtual Worlds

2007-10-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

The emergence of a “virtual world” through sites such as Second Life are both cause for hope and concern. With so much information and real time access to those in the know, we are all bound to learn a great deal about ourselves and others. But, as President Bush reminded us over a year ago, our nationwide community was built on people building relationships and working with one another in real life (RL). Here is a person with a life-altering disability, for example, likely to find comfort and respite living though an avatar. Or will that “Second Life” provide them with the confidence and courage to recognize that RL is the true hope to fulfilling dreams. A copy of Bob Stein’s article, “Real Hope in a Virtual World,” that appeared in the Washington Post on October 6, 2007, follows.

Real Hope in a Virtual World
Online Identities Leave Limitations Behind

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 6, 2007

After suffering a devastating stroke four years ago, Susan Brown was left in a wheelchair with little hope of walking again. Today, the 57-year-old Richmond woman has regained use of her legs and has begun to reclaim her life, thanks in part to encouragement she says she gets from an online "virtual world" where she can walk, run and even dance.

Roberto Salvatierra, long imprisoned in his home by his terror over going outdoors, has started venturing outside more after gaining confidence by first tentatively exploring the three-dimensional, interactive world on the Internet.

John Dawley III, who has a form of autism that makes it hard to read social cues, learned how to talk with people more easily by using his computer-generated alter ego to practice with other cyber-personas.

Brown, Salvatierra and Dawley are just a few examples of an increasing number of sick, disabled and troubled people who say virtual worlds are helping them fight their diseases, live with their disabilities and sometimes even begin to recover. Researchers say they are only starting to appreciate the impact of this phenomenon.
"We're at a major technical and social transition with this technology. It has very recently started to become a very big deal, and we haven't by any means digested what the implications are," said William Sims Bainbridge, a social scientist at the National Science Foundation.

In addition to helping individual patients, virtual worlds are being used for a host of other health-related purposes. Medical schools are using them to train doctors. Health departments are using them to test first responders. Researchers are using them to gain insights into how epidemics spread. Health groups are using them to educate the public and raise money.

These increasingly sophisticated online worlds enable people to create rich virtual lives through "avatars" -- identities they can tailor to their desires: Old people become young. Infirm people become vibrant. Paralyzed people become agile.

They walk, run, and even fly and "teleport" around vast realms offering shopping malls, bars, homes, parks and myriad other settings with trees swaying in the wind, fog rolling in and an occasional deer prancing past. They schmooze, flirt and comfort one another using lifelike shrugs, slouches, nods and other gestures while they type instant messages or talk directly through headsets.

Because the full-color, multifaceted nature of the experience offers so much more "emotional bandwidth" than traditional Web sites, e-mail lists and discussion groups, users say the experience can feel astonishingly real. Participants develop close relationships and share intimate details even while, paradoxically, remaining anonymous. Some say they open up in ways they never would in face-to-face encounters in real support groups, therapy sessions, or even with family and close friends in their true lives.

"You're in this imaginary world. People don't know much about who you really are. In that anonymity, in that almost dreamlike state, people express things about themselves they may not otherwise," said John Suler, who studies the psychology of the Internet at Rider University in New Jersey, noting the experience can be especially useful for people with disabilities and those in remote areas where support groups or therapists are far away.

While the emergence of these worlds has generated controversy over the gender-bending, sexually outrageous, profiteering and even violent virtual behavior of some participants, their usefulness for meeting health needs has just begun to draw attention.

"There is a fundamental irony here," said Thomas H. Murray of the Hastings Center, a medical ethics think tank in Garrison, N.Y. "Avatars tend to be young, beautiful, and never age or get sick. But at the same time they can serve as an important way to share information about health."

Murray and others, however, worry that participants may neglect potentially more helpful real-life relationships, or have unrealistic expectations about what virtual worlds can do. Users and health-care providers may be rushing ahead, they say, without validating the usefulness of these worlds or identifying the dangers.
"We've seen the power of the Internet and what it can do," said Albert "Skip" Rizzo, a University of Southern California psychologist who treats traumatized Iraq war veterans with virtual reality. "But as we all know there can also be negative consequences. We really need to step back and think, 'What are the practical and ethical things we can do in the area of health, and what can't we do?' "
The emotional punch of virtual worlds make them fertile breeding grounds for false, misleading and possibly dangerous information. Sick, lonely and psychologically fragile people are particularly vulnerable.

"You have the same risks as elsewhere on the Internet," Murray said. "A lot of the information is garbage. There is always the possibility fraudsters will try to gain people's confidence to peddle phony cures or otherwise do things that are not in people's interests."

Still, an increasing number of major health organizations are trying to take advantage of virtual worlds for public health education, patient support and fundraising.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested a small "office" in the popular virtual world Second Life "staffed" by Hygeia Philo, an avatar named after the Greek goddess of health, and is now planning a bigger, permanent presence. The American Cancer Society has an elaborate "island" offering virtual lectures by avatar doctors, support group meetings and other activities, such as an annual fundraising marathons that last year raised more than $115,000 in real money. The March of Dimes is building a virtual neonatal intensive-care unit to warn about the dangers of preterm births. The National Library of Medicine is helping fund HealthInfo Island, where users can get reliable medical information.

Meanwhile, scientists are beginning to study virtual worlds for insights into real-life health problems. Two teams analyzed a virtual epidemic of "corrupted blood" that devastated the World of Warfare online game for clues to how people might react during a real pandemic. Another examined a pox that infects avatars in a children's virtual world called Whyville, which the CDC is using to learn better ways to boost pediatric flu vaccination rates in the real world.

Medical schools and health departments have also started using virtual worlds. A University of California psychiatrist developed a virtual psych ward echoing with disembodied voices to help caregivers better understand schizophrenia. Stanford University doctors built virtual operating and emergency rooms to train young doctors. Britain's National Health Service constructed an entire virtual hospital.
So much is happening in virtual worlds that researchers at Harvard Medical School are planning to explore the possibilities at a seminar later this month, and the National Defense University in Washington is hosting a conference next month about ways that federal agencies, including the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, can use the phenomenon.

Individual practitioners, meanwhile, are discovering virtual worlds on their own. After meeting other health-care professionals in Second Life, which with 9 million members is among the largest, Lawrence Whitehurst, a family doctor in Culpeper, Va., founded the Second Life Medical Association.

"I don't diagnose, and I don't treat. What I try to do is provide medical advice and support for people undergoing real-world medical problems," Whitehurst said.
Some therapists, however, have started using virtual worlds to treat patients for a host of problems, in both their real and virtual lives.

"It doesn't work for everybody, but it works for a large majority of patients," said Brenda Wiederhold of the Virtual Reality Medical Center in San Diego, who uses the virtual world DigitalSpace to help patients overcome fear of public speaking and severe shyness.

While Wiederhold said she treats only patients she has counseled in her office first, others are offering therapy to patients they have never met or know little about.

"My clients' problems range from domestic love tangles to complex and difficult real life situations," Elena Mangan, who counsels patients anonymously in Second Life from Britain, wrote in an e-mail.

Such anonymous counseling disturbs many therapists. Internet therapy denies counselors vital clues from subtle body language, affect and tone of voice, they say. And anonymity can carry risks.

"How do you ensure the patient's safety?" said Richard Bedrosian, a clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "Suppose they say, 'I'm going to shoot my girlfriend or kill myself.' How do you protect that person? How do you intervene?"

But the biggest users of virtual worlds for health purposes so far appear to be individual patients. Dozens of support groups have formed by and for those with cancer, paralysis, strokes, depression, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, autism and other ailments.

Susan Brown, the stroke victim, said encouragement from other survivors in Dreams, one of several protected areas in Second Life for people with disabilities, and the experience of seeing herself walking again, aided her recovery.

"It helped me visualize," Brown said through her avatar, Marie Hightower, during an interview in a virtual field near a virtual home she built in Dreams, as virtual butterflies flitted past. "I stumbled here just like I stumbled in RL [real life]," she typed.

Salvatierra, the agoraphobic, Dawley, the patient with Asperger syndrome, and others tell similar stories.

"It's kind of like getting your life back again, but even better in some ways," said Kathie Olson, 53, who uses a wheelchair, lives alone and rarely leaves her home near Salt Lake City. In Second Life, she roams about as Kat Klata, a curvy young brunette who runs the Dragon Inn nightclub. "I've met so many people. I can walk. I can dance. I can even fly. Without this I'd just be staring at four walls. Mentally it's helped me so much."

For Stephanie Koslow, 48, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., her virtual life is helping sustain her as she fights advanced breast cancer.

"It's not real, but it's real in a way," said Koslow, whose avatar is a pink fox named Artistic Fimicoloud. "I might spend an afternoon trying on silly wings and laughing with friends. And laughter heals."

Richard Salem is the Chairman of Enable America, a national organization endeavoring to increase employment among persons with disabilities and social inclusion, civic engagement through building grass roots and grass top, community, business and vet “connections.” Join us at http://www.enableamerica.org

ENABLE AMERICA PROMOTES DISABILITY MENTORING DAY 2007

2007-10-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 12, 2007, Tampa, FL - Enable America is proud to be a part of Disability Mentoring Day on October 17, 2007 nationwide.

Disability Mentoring Day offers an opportunity for people with disabilities to get hands-on, real-life employment exposure by bringing together job-seekers with businesses to open doors, provide mentorship and explore career opportunities.

Disability Mentoring Day started as National Disability Mentoring Day in 1999 in the White House, as a program to increase the profile of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is celebrated every October.

Enable America was founded in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem in Tampa as a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment and live independently. It is the first organization dedicated solely to reducing unemployment among people with disabilities.

To better understand the issues facing the disability community, Enable America traveled across the nation and conducted Disability Town Hall Meetings in more than 20 cities in 17 states during a three-year period of time. This listening tour gathered together members of the disability community, business people, educators, service providers, civic organizations and political leaders in cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa, Chicago, San Diego and Los Angeles. Participants identified five key concerns among individuals with disabilities: employment, health care, affordable housing, transportation and benefits.

Enable America is committed to raising awareness of employment-related disability issues on a local and national level.

Good things happen when people have jobs. Visit www.enableamerica.org for more information.