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The Job Accommodation Network represents the most comprehensive resource for job accommodations available. JAN's mission is to facilitate the employment and retention of workers with disabilities. Their website is designed to make this happen. The site categorizes employers, individuals, and others separately and includes an Accommodation Search and Disabilities Glossary. Hot topics, Publications & Resources, What’s New? and a Website Tour also facilitate the users access to this information.

This outcome evaluation, by The Center for Outcome Analysis, Inc., (their website is included), measures whether microenterprise participants and their direct support workers experienced changes in the qualities and quantities of work life. The results found within this study affirm that microenterprise options do offer a viable alternative to “adult day programs” and “sheltered workshops” for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In this report, the authors present the results of an assessment that involved review of the literature on emergency preparedness risk communication and public health messaging strategies; the compilation of educational and outreach materials for emergency preparedness communication with vulnerable populations; and site visits in three states and the Washington DC area to identify gaps in the practice of risk communication with vulnerable populations.

Waivers allow people to pay for needed home health and personal assistance so they may live in community rather than institutional settings. Little research has examined how effectively these programs ensure proper use of health care services or how they improve the health of people with disabilities or at how effective these programs are when people move from institutional to community settings. The bottom line? People with disabilities continue to have unacceptably high rates of disease.

The CMS website has been updated with the new 508 compliant MSIS Medicaid eligibility and claims tables for federal fiscal years 2005 through 2008 for 31 states. Individual or groups of tables may be selected using the identified dynamic list options. The standard MSIS fiscal year tables will be updated periodically as additional states submit their data for the full fiscal year.

Leading health reform proposals in both the House and Senate include a Medicaid expansion to help eliminate state variation in the current program and to broaden health coverage. Because Medicaid is jointly administered and financed by states and the federal government, changes will have direct impact on states. While health reform legislation could have many implications, this brief highlights some of the potential benefits and costs associated with Medicaid expansion in the reform proposals.

This fact sheet discusses the status of Medicaid and state budgets in light of the continuing recession and the federal fiscal relief provided to state Medicaid programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The ARRA money has helped address budget shortfalls, preserve Medicaid eligibility and soften program cuts. But ARRA funds are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2010, which may prompt some states to turn to cost-saving measures such as restrictions on Medicaid eligibility.

Transition to adulthood can be difficult for young people with disabilities, and changes in public policy are needed to give them the support to find meaningful work, stay employed, and reduce their dependency on federal and state benefits. This brief highlights the importance of improving policy, reviews lessons from research, and considers transformative policies and why such changes might be tested. It also discusses an example of the Transition to Economic Self-Sufficiency (TESS) program.

Looking for interesting on-line training opportunities? Train.org offers a number of web-based studies, webcasts and seminars. Topics include workforce development, disability, emergency management, evaluation, home care, mental health, program development. You can search by subject or course title such as Ready, Willing and Able, a seminar about assisting people with disabilities during disasters. Many on-line courses are offered at no charge.

PHI Policy Works has released an updated State chart book on wages from personal and home care aides, 1999-2008. The chart book tracks wages in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1999-2008. It shows that nationally, the median real wage (adjusted for inflation) for personal and home care aides has decreased by 3 percent over nine years, from $7.50 to $7.31.