Accessibility

The Homeownership Coalition for People with Disabilities in Springfield, IL and Home Options, a program through Community Service Options in Chicago, receive funding from a Real Choice Grant to enhance services to people with disabilities. Each program coordinates services and funding including: pre-and post-purchase counseling, home buyer education, down payment & closing cost assistance, home modification funding, home maintenance classes, early delinquency intervention, and in-home services.

This is the official website for the Elimination of Barriers Initiative (EBI)-an eight State demonstration project designed to support and evaluate efforts to address the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illnesses. The EBI uses public education, contact, and reward methods to achieve this goal. The website also features public service announcements, brochures, toolkits, resources for addressing stigma in school and workplace settings and information in Spanish.

At the heart of the April 28 Forum in Griswold, CT was a presentation by Greg Ryan of CT Assets Network, Inc. Asset Based Community Development is based on the work of Kretzman & McKnight, authors of Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path For Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets. It works on the principles that each person in the community, including people with disabilities, has gifts to offer, and can contribute their gifts & resources for mutually beneficial problem solving.

The April 5, 2005 Forum in Westport, CT was attended by 54 individuals from 9 towns. They included representatives from senior centers, public schools, police departments, social services, parks and recreation, YMCA, advocacy organizations, persons with disabilities and family members. Following an introduction by Diane Goss Farrell and an overview by the Forum facilitators, the attendees broke up into three smaller discussion groups to share ideas and experiences relating to inclusion.

The West Virginia Inclusion Campaign was created as an initiative to counteract the effects of social bias and discrimination against people with disabilities or people living with long-term illnesses. Part of the project has been to develop outreach materials. Please review their program brochure, Disability Awareness Guide and Reporter’s Guide.

Communities for Everyone is a two-day institute held June 23rd and 24th that will explore innovative approaches to building inclusive communities and creating sustainable systems change to support all residents to be full participants in community life. Workshops and keynote presentations will provide information that reflects current practices as well as future designs to create welcoming, accessible, and inclusive communities that support all residents.

The Children with Special Health Care Needs programs of Nevada assists children with special needs and their families through a variety of health and support services. The Real Choice Systems Change Project has partnered with the Nevada Broadcasters Association to air the various media information on Nevada's television and radio stations. They also host a website with links to support, advocacy, assistance and education.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invite proposals for grants in three categories: a. Family-to-Family Health Care Information and Education Centers b. Systems Transformation Grants c. Aging & Disability Resource Centers. In FY 05, during the consolidated appropriations process, Congress appropriated $39 million to fund a new round of RCSC grants. States and other eligible organizations, in partnership with their disability & aging communities, may submit proposals until 7/7/05.

For older adults and individuals with disabilities, some website designs can pose access problems. Users may be unable to use a website’s navigational menu, fill out online forms, or even access content. Addressing accessibility issues is important. This brief addresses the adaptation of standard website construction techniques to meet the needs of the target populations. It includes considerations & strategies for design that are informative, functional and useful for these populations.

This is the third in a series of newsletters produced at the Exchange to provide assistance to our CMS Real Systems Change grantees. This newsletter is produced biannually. Topics include: Physicians’ Role in Determining Level of Care, Nurse Practice Policies for Home and Community Living, ADRC Toolbox, Massachusetts Connecting the Dots, Making Medicaid Work in the 21st Century, Assessment Instruments, HCBS Quality Management Roles & Responsibilities, Family Caregiving, and Housing.