Assistive Technology Center Opens in Eastern CT

Today was the opening day for the new Eastern CT Assistive Technology Center. The center is the result of a partnership between the CT Tech Act Project (CTTAP) and the Windham Regional Community Council, Inc (WRCC)

The center is housed in WRCC's office at 872 Main Street, Willimantic. It will be open part time, by appointment only, to showcase assistive technology in the workplace, as well as help you determine what assistive technology might help you, at work, at home, and in the community.

To make an appointment, call 423-4534.

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY! GET OUT AND VOTE

DNEC is not endorsing any candidate, however we offer the following information so that you can make an informed choice. In September, the Ohio Legal Rights Service prepared a side-by-side comparison of the Presidential candidates' positions on disability-related issues.

http://www.olrs.ohio.gov/prescompare.htm

EVERY VOTE COUNTS!

DISABILITY LAW LOWDOWN PODCAST in ENGLISH, SPANISH, and AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

PRESS RELEASE
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacquie Brennan
DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
713.520.0232
jbrennan@bcm.edu

October 23, 2008 - The Disability Law Lowdown is a podcast series devoted to disability law issues. It is available for free download on both iTunes and the Disability Law Lowdown website at http://www.disabilitylawlowdown.com/. Listeners can subscribe to the podcasts to have shows automatically delivered to them. The podcasts are also available on the DLL website, where transcripts of the shows are simultaneously available.

New episodes are available today, including The ADA Amendments Act (the English podcast), Employment Discrimination and the ADA (the Spanish podcast), and Law Enforcement and the ADA (the ASL podcast).

The Disability Law Lowdown brings listeners the latest information about disability rights, disability case law updates, obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other disability-related topics.

Disability Law Lowdown is brought to you by the Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC), which is a national network of ten ADA Centers, offering technical assistance and training in the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related laws.

To subscribe or listen, look for the Disability Law Lowdown podcast on iTunes, or go to the website at http://www.disabilitylawlowdown.com/.

Mental Health Parity Legislation Heads to the President’s Desk for Signature

Mental Health Parity Legislation Heads to the President’s Desk for Signature: Congratulations, Advocates!

Today we are one step closer to ending discrimination based on mental illness. Advocates have worked countless years to achieve this victory, and we applaud you! Congratulations on this historic day.

Your phone calls, email, faxes to and meetings with Members of Congress paid off. Congress included Mental Health Parity in their economic bailout package that is on its way to the President’s desk for signature! NCIL worked in coalition with Mental Health America and the Mental Health Liaison Group to enact this critical legislation. Below is a summary by MHA:

Mental Health America Hails Approval of Federal Parity Legislation

Bill Broadly Outlaws Health Insurance Discrimination; Recognizes Importance of Mental Health to Overall Health

Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588-Office or (202) 744-6341-Cell or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (October 3, 2008) — Mental Health America today hailed as “a great civil rights victory” the approval of mental health parity legislation that will broadly outlaw health insurance discrimination against Americans with mental health and substance-use conditions in employer-sponsored health plans.

The legislation, which recognizes the importance of mental health to overall health, bans employers and insurers from imposing stricter limits on coverage for mental health and substance-use conditions than those set for other health problems. It will provide parity for 82 million Americans covered by self-insured plans and another 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.

It is estimated that roughly 67 percent of adults and 80 percent of children requiring mental health services do not receive help, in large part because of discriminatory insurance practices
Mental Health America, which has worked for years to pass mental health parity, applauded Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), as well as Senate and House leadership key committee chairmen for championing the legislation and their long-standing commitment to ending this civil rights inequity. This victory also owes much to tireless champions such as Rosalyn Carter, David Wellstone and tens of thousands of Americans who have pressed for this historic reform.

“This is a historic day and a great civil rights victory for millions of Americans who have been unable to access mental health treatment,” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. “With approval of this bill, we will tear down the walls of stigma and discrimination and the open the doors to the power and promise of treatment and recovery. It recognizes that mental health disorders are every bit as debilitating, and just as treatable, as cancer and diabetes.

“With economic problems making it even harder for Americans to afford treatment and driving up rates of depression and family difficulties, passage of this law is even more important.”
The legislation, called the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, builds on the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the recent approval of Medicare legislation that reduces discriminatory co-payments for mental health services. Dr. Shern said the law’s approval should spur further action to improve mental healthcare.

“This law sends a powerful message that we as a nation must address mental health conditions with the same urgency as other health problems,” he said. “We must continue to enact policies that embrace that principle.”

The legislation applies to group health plans of 51 or more employees. The bill takes the following steps:

• There is no requirement as to what conditions must be covered. But when a mental health or substance-use condition is covered, it must be at parity with medical coverage (except to the extent that a state parity law requires broader coverage). Specifically, it prohibits group health plans that offer coverage for any mental health or substance-use conditions from imposing treatment limitations and financial requirements on those benefits that are stricter than for medical and surgical benefits.

• If a plan offers out-of-network benefits for medical or surgical care, it must also offer out-of-network coverage for mental health and addiction treatment and provide services at parity.

• Strong state parity and consumer protection laws are preserved while extending parity protection to 82 million more people who are not protected by state laws and 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.

State parity laws vary widely from state to state (for a map of state laws, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/parity/states).

The legislation also establishes an important oversight mechanism to determine if insurers are discriminating against certain conditions or failing to cover some treatments.

In 2007, Mental Health America helped mount a nationwide tour that galvanized support for mental health parity. Led by Reps. Kennedy and Ramstad, the series of town hall meetings heard testimony from Americans living with mental illnesses, business leaders who have benefited from workplace mental health programs, experts on mental health and addiction, and administrators of programs that bear the huge cost of untreated mental illness.

For fact sheets on the legislation and more information, go to http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/parity

CT Association of Centers for Independent Living
151 New Park Ave. Suite 106
Hartford, CT 06106-2191

860-656-0430 Voice
860-656-0486 Fax
860-656-2353 TDD

FIRST EVER ASL VIDEO PODCAST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacquie Brennan
DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
713.520.0232, jbrennan@bcm.edu
FIRST EVER ASL VIDEO PODCAST from the
DISABILITY LAW LOWDOWN

August 21, 2008 – The first ever video podcast series in American Sign Language announces new episodes on the Disability Law Lowdown website at ASL.DisabilityLawLowdown.com. The Disability Law Lowdown ASL podcasts bring a new level of service to the Deaf community by expanding traditional audio-only podcasts to include video that allows subscribers to see native Deaf speakers signing the show’s content. The podcasts deliver the latest in disability law information every other week via American Sign Language, captioning, voice-over, and transcripts to maximize accessibility. Free subscriptions to the ASL podcasts are available to have shows automatically delivered to MP3 players. The ASL podcasts are also available on the Disability Law Lowdown website, where transcripts of the shows are simultaneously available. And for the fastest viewing, the ASL podcasts are available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/disabilitylawlowdown.

Topics currently available include: Your Legal Rights as a College Student, Legal Obligations of the Hospitality Industry, Requesting an Interpreter, and an Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The hosts for the ASL Disability Law Lowdown are native Deaf signers Danny Warthling and AJ Roupp. They will provide the latest information about disability rights and obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other disability-related topics. Subscription is free and RSS feeds are available to automatically download the shows to video iPods, computers, phones, and other video-capable devices.

Disability Law Lowdown is provided by the Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC), a national network of ten ADA Centers across the country, offering technical assistance and training in the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related laws. DCRE Labs developed the Disability Law Lowdown website and brought together several new technologies as part of the Disability Law Lowdown project.

To subscribe, look for the ASL Disability Law Lowdown podcast on iTunes, or visit http://www.ASL.DisabilityLawLowdown.com .

YOUR SUPPORT NEEDED to pass ADA Amendments Act of 2008

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008, referred to earlier this year as the ADA Restoration Act, awaits action in the U.S. Senate. It passed the House of Representatives (HR 3195) by a 402-17 margin in June.

When the Senate reconvenes in September, we need to have them pass the new and improved ADA so we can get it signed into law before Congress breaks again for the November election. Senators Dodd and Lieberman need to hear from their CT constituents that the ADA Amendments Act has your support.

To contact Senator Lieberman:
Tel: (202) 224-4041
Fax: (202) 224-9750
For TTY Call 711

or for his CT office:
(860) 549-8463
(800) 225-5605
(860) 549-8478 Fax
For TTY Call 711

To e-mail a message, go to:
http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact

To contact Senator Dodd:
Tel: (202) 224-2823
Fax: (202) 224-1083

for his CT office:
(860) 258-6940
(800) 334-5341
Fax: (860) 258-6958

To e-mail a message, go to:
http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3128

ACT NOW TO SUPPORT DISABILITY RIGHTS

The regulations governing accessibility standards required by the ADA are being revised, and there are many items about which we need to be concerned.

The proposal includes many items that affect private businesses as well as the accessibility of state and municipal government activities.

We have until August 18 to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Justice.

To review the proposed regulations, go to the Department of Justice website:
www.ada.gov/NPRM2008/ADAnprm08.htm.

The Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund (DREDF), perhaps the most respected disability rights organization in the country, has prepared draft comments for your review.

To review DREDF's draft visit www.dredf.org/DOJ_NPRM.

Act now to support disability rights!

New Rules Proposed to Implement the ADA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
www.USDOJ.GOVCRT
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888

The Department of Justice Proposes New Rules to Implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice announced today its intent to solicit comment on proposed amendments to its regulations implementing Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The proposed regulations will, for the first time, establish specific requirements for the design of accessible public facilities such as courtrooms and an array of recreation facilities including playgrounds, swimming pools, amusement parks, and golf courses, making it easier for individuals with disabilities to travel, enjoy sports and leisure activities, play, and otherwise participate in society.

The ADA is a landmark law that protects the civil rights of the more than 50 million persons, including 5 million children ages 3 to 14, with disabilities, and was intended to provide individuals "equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency." The ADA bans disability-based discrimination by state and local governments and by public accommodations. Public accommodations are defined as private businesses that are generally open to the public, such as hotels, restaurants, retail stores, theaters, and health care facilities. Additionally, the ADA aims to prevent discrimination as it applies to the design and construction of commercial facilities such as office buildings, factories and warehouses.

The proposed amendments are intended to implement revised guidelines published by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), and to adopt changes necessary to address issues that have arisen since the publication of the original regulations in 1991. The amendments, which represent more than 10 years of collaborative efforts with disability groups, the design and construction industry, state and local government entities, and building code organizations, also are intended to provide greater consistency between the ADA Standards and other federal and state accessibility requirements.

Among other provisions, the proposed amendments to the regulations provide:

* accessible swimming pools, miniature golf courses, boating facilities, amusement rides, and other recreational activities;

* accessible playgrounds;

* captioning of emergency announcements in large stadiums;

* identification of accessible hotel room features, and require guaranteed reservations of such rooms to the same extent as the entity guarantees reservations for others;

* the availability of accessible seating in public venues, such as theaters and sports stadiums, for purchase by people with disabilities; and

* the availability of auxiliary aids, such as video interpreting services, to ensure that people who are deaf or have limited hearing can receive and convey vital information in medical and other settings.

Moreover, the amendments reiterate the requirement for covered entities to permit the use of service animals by people with disabilities, and highlight the distinction that a service animal must be a dog or other common domestic animal that is trained to perform specific tasks to assist its owner. The amendments also provide a "safe harbor" for establishments that comply with the current ADA standards, such that retrofitting to meet new accessibility standards is not required unless the building element is being altered or replaced.

Advance text of the proposed amendments are now available on the Department of Justice's web site at www.ada.gov They will soon be published in the Federal Register, and the Department will seek public comment on the proposals and on related issues that have been identified in the preambles. In compliance with the time period established in the Federal Register, public comment will be accepted at www.regulations.gov. The Department anticipates holding a public hearing on the proposed regulations in Washington, D.C. in July 2008.
http://www.ada.gov/.

More information about the ADA, the proposed regulations, and a public hearing can be obtained on the Department of Justice's ADA home page at http://www.ada.gov/.
Information about the ADA is also available the Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).