Disability Funders Network
Resources
Please note: Some documents in this section require Adobe Reader®, which may be downloaded for free from Adobe’s Web site. We have also included a link to the accessibility section of Adobe’s site for other software users may find useful.
- Adobe Reader — standard version
- Adobe Reader — accessible versions
Note that the latter are specific to computer type (PC or Mac), operating system (Windows or Mac OS) and language. - Adobe’s general accessibility page: http://access.adobe.com.
Accredited Online Colleges And Disability Education
Finding a sustainable, accommodating job can be difficult for someone with a disability; while the unemployment rate for those without disabilities is about 8%, for individuals with a disability, it is a whopping 15%. As with the general population, the level of education and training after high school that a person with disabilities receives is a key factor in their ability to find work. The unemployment rate for all groups with a four-year degree or higher is only about 4%.
http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/
BrainTrack Scholarship Search Engine
http://www.braintrack.com
BrainTrack’s Scholarship Search Engine offers several advantages for visitors to your Disability page, including:
Search only high-quality sites: We’ve hand selected thousands of government, college, university, library, and free scholarship search sites to help users save search time and avoid spammy results.
- Pinpoint searches: Users can speed up research by pinpointing results with in-depth search phrases, such as for specific locations, degree studies, schools, organizations, disabilities, and so on.
- Filter searches: Searches can be further narrowed and sped up through the use of filtering tabs that limit results to only government, college, or scholarship search sites.
- Broad financial aid coverage: Our scholarship engine is a part of our financial aid resources, which include over 30 original articles offering guidance on obtaining aid from the federal government, state governments, colleges and universities, private organizations, community service, scholarships, and more. The articles link to dozens of other references to enable further research.
- About BrainTrack: Established in 1996, BrainTrack is cited by thousands of sites, including universities like Stanford, Harvard, and Yale and publishers like Elsevier and the New York Times. We help visitors make academic and career decisions through our content, which features a directory of over 10,000 higher education institutions from over 190 countries. For the US we help visitors research education and careers of interest through our Colleges and Career Guide (http://www.braintrack.com/colleges-by-career).
Youth Organized! Disabled and Proud
http://www.yodisabledproud.org/ connects, organizes and educates youth with disabilities! YO! gives youth leadership opportunities, social networks, resources and more. YO! is for youth with disabilities to be PROUD of who we are and what we can achieve!
AmeriGlide
www.AmeriGlide.com is an online retailer of disabled lifts for the elderly, their products include stair lifts, lift chairs, and walk in tubs.
The Social Security and Disability Resource Center
www.ssdrc.com provides answers to questions concerning how to apply for disability, how to appeal a claim in the event of a denial, how to navigate the federal system, and how to avoid certain mistakes that are commonly made by applicants filing for either SSD (social security disability) or SSI (supplemental security income) benefits.
General
VA Publishes Final Regulation to Aid Korean War Veterans
Exposed to Agent Orange Will Provide Easier Path to Health Care and Benefits
WASHINGTON – Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea will have an easier path to access quality health care and benefits under a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) final regulation that will expand the dates when illnesses caused by herbicide exposure can be presumed to be related to Agent Orange.
“VA’s primary mission is to be an advocate for Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki “With this new regulation VA has cleared a path for more Veterans who served in the demilitarized zone in Korea to receive access to our quality health care and disability benefits for exposure to Agent Orange.”
Under the final regulation published today in the Federal Register, VA will presume herbicide exposure for any Veteran who served between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, in a unit determined by VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to have operated in an area in or near the Korean DMZ in which herbicides were applied.
Previously, VA recognized that Agent Orange exposure could only be conceded to Veterans who served in certain units along the Korean DMZ between April 1968 and July 1969.
In practical terms, eligible Veterans who have specific illnesses VA presumes to be associated with herbicide exposure do not have to prove an association between their illness and their military service. This “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits and ensures that Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.
Click on these links to learn about Veterans’ diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure at http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp and birth defects in children of Vietnam-era Veterans at http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth_defects.asp.
VA encourages Veterans with covered service in Korea who have medical conditions that may be related to Agent Orange to submit their applications for access to VA health care and compensation as soon as possible so the agency can begin processing their claims.
Individuals can go to website http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get a more complete understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.
Additional information about Agent Orange and VA’s services for Veterans exposed to the chemical is available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register website at http://www.ofr.gov/.
The Disproportionate Impact of the Great Recession on Workers with Disabilities
Disability measures recently introduced into the U.S. Current Population Survey offer an unprecedented opportunity to track, month by month, the labor force status of working-age adults with disabilities in the midst of a major economic downturn. Over a one-year period, the number of employed workers with disabilities declined at a rate more than three times that of workers without disabilities, and the unemployment rate rose dramatically to levels far exceeding that of other workers.
A basic synopsis of this article is, “Between October 2008 and October 2009, the number of employed working-age adults with disabilities declined by 13.6 percent, more than three times the 4.2 percent drop among working-age adults without disabilities.
Thank you to H. Stephen Kaye, Ph.D., Institute for Health & Aging, University of California San Francisco for providing the following article which is a great statistical resource on how people with disabilities have been disproportionately affected by the downturn.
This article offers clear evidence of the disproportionate effect of the economic downturn on workers with disabilities compared to their counterparts without disabilities. Does this evidence also support the hypothesis expressed in the introduction, that people with disabilities are “the first to be laid off in a recession and the last to be hired when conditions improve”? As for the “first to be laid off” part, probably so: Workers with disabilities were losing their jobs in large numbers, and at a far higher rate than they were finding new jobs, even early on in the recessionary period. And a comparison with other disadvantaged populations (Figure 5) shows that the 13.6 percent one-year decline in the workforce for
workers with disabilities was far larger than that for African American workers (6.0
percent) or Latinos (3.2 percent).”
- Great Recession & WWD (.docx)
Employment Opportunities
Your resource for data on employment and people with disabilities StateData offers information on employment services and outcomes for people with disabilities. With data going back 25 years, users can generate customized trend charts and tables, download data from numerous data sources, and conduct their own analyses. Additionally, our downloadable publications analyze critical issues in the area of employment and disability.
Mortgage Loans
A comprehensive consumer guide on housing and mortgages for veterans and active military. It covers what VA loans are, its benefits, how to apply for one, special protections against foreclosure, etc. If you need a loan not such a great as martgage, you are welcome to issue a 1000 dollar loan. The funds are deposited almost the same day of application has been processed. Nothing special should be done to be approved, meet several requirements to get a 1000 dollar loan online and cope with your financial problems.
http://www.mortgageloan.com/veterans/
ADA
In case you were totally confused by the new 2010 ADA Design Standards, the DOJ has put on line the new standards and guidance on the new standards. You, or your architect or project manager or building manager, operations/facilities person, etc can download them at:
http://www.ada.gov/2010ADAstandards_index.htm
The Houtenville Report
- Download
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer Resource
National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month
- Earnest & Young Meeting Minutes
- Poster
Influenza
- Here are great new resources on H1N1 for children and adults with disabilities from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Disability and the Centers for Disease Control.
- Persons with Disabilities and the Flu http://www.hhs.gov/od/
- You may also go directly to flu.gov Persons with Disabilities and Flu, by following this link http://www.flu.gov/individualfamily/healthconditions/disabilities/index.html
- To be taken directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published 2009 H1N1 Flu Information for People with Disabilities and Their Caregivers or Personal Assistants, please follow this link http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/disabilities/
Wheelchairs
Mental Health
New Media Resources
Awareness – Attitudinal Change
Difference Is Normal – music video from the Middle East: Brahim, Shafic, Ghassan, Ahmad, Kholood, Hamad, Marwan, Mayssa and Hanadi live their lives despite their disabilities, and all they want is to be accepted and respected. The song is about revealing their beauty and overcoming barriers imposed by society in their daily lives.
Creature Discomforts will help you see disability in a new light. Disabled people are just like everyone. They just want to live life to the full and do normal, everyday things like go to work, catch buses, buy clothes, play sport, go to the pub, travel abroad, watch television and moan about the weather. Leonard Cheshire Disability campaigns to change the way people think about, and respond to, disability. Creature Discomforts is a series of animations based on the experiences of real disabled people. They’re lovely characters and this is where you can find out all about them.
I define me! – a video about the way others define people with disabilities. I define me! comes from the ideas of people with developmental disabilities: what they wanted non-disabled folks to know about what it is like to have a disability. Disabled folks want everyone to know the kinds of labels people put on the disabled. I define me! shows how some disabled folks feel about being labeled. This video has been sent to Canadian TV stations as a public service announcement. Visit www.proudtobedisabled.com to find out more
Clip from “Talk” by the Disability Rights Commission (United Kingdom): You’ve got a job interview, but suddenly you’re in the minority. A tale worthy of the Twilight Zone with a disability twist.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy – OriginsofCerebralPalsy.com provides useful information on causes or orgins of cerbral palsy: the etilogy of CP – aetiology, causal pathways.
Cheap Colleges
Cheap Colleges – Determining what college program or university best matches your needs is a challenging, but rewarding, experience. It takes a lot of effort and time to compare schools, prepare for standardized tests, and to get an idea for what you want to study.
Finance Degree and Programs
Finance Degree and Programs – If you’re interested in studying finance, we say go for it. Why? Many schools offer finance degrees at all education levels, both online and in the classroom. And the job market needs finance graduates to fill a number of positions in a variety of sectors.
Film Festivals
8th International Disability Film Festival – A short of the films that were presented in 2008. Launched in 1999, the London Disability Film Festival has grown in size, quality and impact every year. The festival returns in February 2008 with a new creative team and a host of new ideas to put the festival firmly back on the map. The festival has served as a model for other disability film festivals in Finland, Canada, Greece and Turkey. Its insistence on accessible premises and access facilities and programming has resulted in its becoming a beacon of best practice
Sprout Film Festival: People with developmental disabilities as subjects and performers remain marginalized in the media. The Sprout Film Festival aims to raise their profile by showcasing works in all genres featuring this population.
Human Rights/International
Advocates celebrate new disability rights treaty: The harpist Myra Kovary, a member of the disability community started off the celebration of the entry into force of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in the UN General Assembly hall. The convention was adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006 and its negotiation is considered one of the fastest for international treaties, even though it involved extensive consultations with civil society groups representing the disabled. Lex Grandia chairs the International Disability Alliance Forum on the convention, which he says is taking over the advocacy work of the disability caucus that worked on formulating the convention.
Mental Health Visions #4 Gábor Gombos – Speak Truth to Power: Gábor Gombos’ work to outlaw the use of caged beds in psychiatric institutions in Hungary has been recognised by the Speak Truth to Power Project, which has honored 51 human rights defenders from around the world including the His Holiness the Dali Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Czech President Vaclav Havel.
Senator Tom Harkin on restoring the American with Disabilities Act: Senator Tom Harkin discussing the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act. This would strengthen and clarify the original ADA, which Sen. Harkin helped pass in 1990
HIV/AIDS
John’s Story: Deaf, Gay, HIV+, Proud: John tells his story of being a deaf, gay man in South Africa, and how he found out he was HIV positive. Using sign language to tell his story, John describes the difficulties of communicating with a doctor, and the discrimination he’s faced within the deaf community as an HIV-positive gay man.
Inclusive Communities
Including Samuel – Photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about inclusion before he had his son Samuel seven years ago. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Habib’s documentary film Including Samuel examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities as a civil rights issue.
Living Proof: The Right to Live in the Community – Living Proof provides a voice for members of society who are all too often ignored. Stigma and discrimination perpetuate a social welfare system that keeps people with intellectual disabilities from realizing their fundamental right to live independently. By describing the experiences and presenting opinions of people with intellectual disabilities, this film demonstrates the importance of achieving change in the social welfare system and in society as a whole. “Everyone should leave the institutions and be in apartments the way I am. …they would be better off, like me. They would have their own lives,” said Ivka Krzelj, one of the people interviewed in Living Proof. In Croatia, however, one in three people with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities lives in a long stay institution, isolated from society.
Sports
Fanfare for the Uncommon Athlete: The Sports Biz section in Newsweek’s Aug. 24, 2008, issue examined how paralympians are starting to attract commercial endorsements from major corporations such as McDonald’s, Hilton Hotels, VISA, The Hartford and Nike. See Tatyana McFadden’s McDonald’s cup.
“Wheelchair Racing’s Rising Star”: Josh George, 24, is the United States’ top Paralympic medal contender in races from 100 meters up through the marathon. Here is a look at George’s wheelchair and at his technique, which can propel him to speeds in excess of 20 m.p.h.
Movie trailer for Murderball: Featuring fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, and larger-than-life personalities, Murderball – about tough, highly competitive wheelchair rugby players – won the Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Right to Risk is a documentary that accompanies eight individuals with physical disabilities on a 15-day 225-mile whitewater raft trip down the Colorado River through Arizona’s Grand Canyon. The film is about every individual’s right to choose what they are willing to do and risk in pursuit of their dreams. The documentary is the foundation of a comprehensive national outreach campaign that engages some of our country’s largest nonprofits in a cooperative effort to raise awareness of the issues of disability.
Youth
Going to School: Before Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975, millions of children received inadequate special education services, and at least one million children were prevented from attending public schools altogether. Going to School, a film documentary, details the effort of the Los Angeles Unified School District to include students with disabilities in the curriculum and provide them with the same educational opportunities as other students.
I’m Tyler: Tyler is a typical high school student who happens to have cerebral palsy and some other challenges. He has taken on a mission to educate the world about Ability Awareness. He believes that what a person, any person, CAN do is much more important than what he/she can’t.
Succeeding in College and at Work: Students with Disabilities Tell Their Stories – In the videos, students with disabilities share strategies to successfully stay in school, graduate and get jobs. Students reveal their struggles with self-reporting their disability, and negotiating accommodations in school and at work.