Human Services

The National Council on Disability (NCD) assesses the nation's response to the United States Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999) that the unjustified institutionalization of people with disabilities is a form of discrimination.

Notice of invitation to participate in the Housing Work Group.The Housing Work Group will provide a means for grantees to network with peers and to engage in open a discussion on how to develop affordable, accessible, and integrated housing choices for persons with disabilities. Each monthly call will focus on a specific issue or challenge and may include an expert presenter.

Communities of Power is a source of information about issues of importance in Michigan's Disability Community and maintained by the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC). MDRC works to build opportunities for people with disabilities so they may live fully integrated lives within their chosen communities, now and in the future. Full citizenship is the expected role that people with disabilities will play, and their hopes and dreams parallel those of citizens without disabilities.

Final report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (issued July 22, 2003). The Commission is part of the \"President's New Freedom Initiative\" to eliminate inequalities for Americans with disabilities. The report outlines goals for mental health and recommendations for achieving them.

Workers are affected by chronic conditions in two critical ways — by their own conditions and by the need to care for family members with chronic conditions. Better health technology and disease management programs, as well as flexible work policies, are helping many people affected by chronic conditions function in the workplace. Changes in the workplace need not be expensive, and policies and programs that address the needs of workers are beneficial to employees and employers alike.

A paper from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute demonstrates how five \"tools\" successfully used for community-building activities may be adapted to help former welfare recipients move toward economic independence and more fulfilling lives. Three of the tools are inventories and two involve support groups.

Community associations ranging from Bible study groups to block clubs may hold the key to social reform and revival in the 21st century, according to IPR's director of community studies, John McKnight . In this new report, McKnight unveils a revised \"social map\" that pushes large bureaucratic service systems to the fringes of the community and replaces them with newly empowered associations as the primary support for families.

This paper analyzes and answers the critical question: Does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) apply to commercial and other private sector Web sites, and if so, what does it require. Much discussion of this question seems to be conducted without careful attention to the case law and other authorities that have already built-up around this question.

This Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report of September 9, 2003, describes South Carolina's pilot program that allows Medicaid beneficiaries to receive coverage for at-home care.

Assistive technology often makes a critical difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses, yet it remains underutilized and poorly understood. This paper discusses the concept of assistive technology and offers suggestions for finding resources to assist individuals to make better use of assistive technology to achieve independence.