Newsletter - March/April,2003

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RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Pew Grant
The Institute on Disabilities is very proud of being awarded its first PEW Foundation Grant, thanks to Institute efforts of Dr. Rosangela Boyd, Carol Marfisi and Bonnie Moulton. This grant will fund two-year program promoting Healthy Lifestyles Among Adults with Cerebral Palsy and a commitment to healthy aging. The program will include a series of workshops and will be recruiting college students for attendance and participation.

United Way Grant
The Institute on Disabilities is also proud of receiving its first United Way Grant, thanks to the coordinated efforts of Mary Mikus, Kathy Miller and Celia Feinstein. This grant will benefit young children with and without disabilities and parents through the C2P2-PL (Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking/ Parents as Leaders) training program. The program is open to parents interested in focusing on preparing children for kindergarten. Parents of children with and without disabilities who live in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery Counties are welcome. This United Way funded program is coordinated by Mary Mikus.

VIDEO RELEASES

The Institute on Disabilities has produced two new videos. The first entitled "End The Silence," focuses on people with disabilities who have been victims of crime.

The second entitled "Self-Determination: In Search Of An Everyday Life," tells the stories of four self-advocates who are engaging in self-determination. Both videos are open captioned, and available for purchase.

IN THE CLASSROOM

Disabilities Studies is coming The Institute on Disabilities recently won the unanimous approval of the Graduate Board for a Disability Studies Certificate Program; the result of collaborative efforts of Dr. Diane Nelson Bryen, Dr. Rosangela Boyd, Dr. Michael Dorn, Dr. Allison Carey, Carol Marfisi, Bonnie Moulton, and Sigi Shapiro. Special thanks to everyone who helped lay the groundwork for this great achievement.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

New Mini-series this Spring
The collaborative efforts of Celia Feinstein, Kathy Miller, Jan Knuth and Raissa Schickel have resulted in two mini-series courses for the anxiously awaited Spring season. The first to take place in Harrisburg on May 7 will focus on Aging and Disability. The second is scheduled for June 5th in Pittsburgh on the topic of self-determination.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

The Sequel -
The second of two on-line courses on Assistive Technology premiered in February. "Making It Happen: Obtaining Assistive Technology in the Twenty-first century" focuses on funding assistive technology devices and services through public "systems" and private resources. Contact Dr. Rosangela Boyd or Amy Goldman for more details.

Coming in April: "In-person" Collaborative Studies in Assistive Technology, with a focus on computer access. Contact Dr. Rosangela Boyd or Kevin Cohen for details.

PUBLISHER's CORNER

Look Who's Writing!
Celia Feinstein and Dr. Guy Caruso co-authored a chapter on Independent Monitoring for Quality in Pennsylvania for Bradley and Kimmich's book entitled Quality Enhancement in Developmental Disabilities: Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing World, published by Paul Brookes.

Celia Feinstein, with collaborators Jim Lemanowicz and Robin Levine published the Statewide Summary for Independent Monitoring for Equality based on face-to-face interviews with 5,400 people who receive services through the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Retardation.

Trish Creegan and the Institute on Disabilities in partnership with
Education-For-All Coalition has published the first of three trainers curriculum modules entitled Supporting Diverse Learners In School And In The Community. The series is comprised of three modules:
1) An Introduction To Inclusive Education;
2) Friendship Facilitation; and
3)Collaborative Teaming and Creative Problem-solving

Through the work of Dr. Carol Kann, with the assistance of Amy Goldman and Janice Knuth, the Institute has developed a curriculum for training trainers in increasing the awareness of accessibility issues in information technology. "Helping Tools for Access to IT in Education Settings" premiered in December, 2002, and is now being implemented throughout the Commonwealth.

Congratulations to Sandi McNally on her recent appointment as editor for the PATL Library newsletter.

RESEARCH

Networking Toward Employment: Experiences of People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (Potts, Carey, Bryen& Cohen) research found that social networks play a central role in overcoming barriers to obtaining employment and in creating flexible, meaningful and satisfying jobs. For a complete abstract or more information contact Dr. Allison Carey.

Ending the Silence: Adults Who Use Augmentative Communication and Their Experiences as Victims of Crimes (Bryen, Carey & Frantz) findings from this study are forthcoming this June in AAC and reveal that 45% of 40 adults surveyed (who use AAC) experienced crime or abuse; 97% knew the perpetrators; 71% were victimized on more than one occasion; and only 28% reported their experiences to the police. The research also revealed disturbing long-term effects. For more detailed information contact Dr. Diane Nelson Bryen.

New Research Project: The Institute will be collaborating with Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) to strengthen the ability of communities and professionals in Bucks County to assist and provide services to victims of crime with disabilities. For more information contact Beverly Frantz.

COMMUNITY

The Parent Consultant Network (PCN) is a new initiative dedicated to developing and supporting the expertise and leadership skills of parents of children with disabilities who are being educated in general education settings. The PCN is a network of parents who are available to provide training and technical assistance to schools, institutions of higher education and other parents on emerging best practices in inclusive education. If you are interested in participating as a parent trainer or would like to receive training from the PCN, please contact the Project Coordinator, Trish Creegan. This initiative is funded by the Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) to support the Education-For-All Coalition.

The Education-For-All Coalition meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at KenCrest in Plymouth Meeting @ 5:00. Parent, teachers and anyone interested in inclusive education are encouraged to attend.

ITS THE LAW

Recent Amendments
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Susan Tachau, who worked with disability groups and the General Assembly to achieve the passage of an amendment to the PA Telecommunications Device Distribution Program.

Eligibility is now extended to people with any disability that
interferes with their ability to access telephone services (although they must also be "low income", 6 years old or older, and have the ability to learn how to use the equipment.) Susan Tachau, Amy Goldman and Ginny DelSordo are presently working with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to implement this important change.

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EVENTS

Partners in Justice IV (June 1-3)

Keynote Speaker: Robert Perske. Also featuring Robert D. Dinerstein, Esq., and Dr. Terri Pease. Celia Feinstein, will moderate a panel of self-advocates, talking about personal victimization and the criminal justice system. For more information contact Beverly Frantz.

Early Childhood Conference 2003: With a Child's Heart - We Play, We Grow, We Learn (March 14 & 15)

The conference will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Mary Mikus will present a workshop on Exploring the Gifts of Friendship: Strategies to Encourage Positive Social Relationships in ALL Children. Amy Goldman will present two workshops on assistive technology for infants and toddlers.

Society For Disabilities Studies Organization

Dr. Rosangela Boyd, Dr. Mike Dorn and Robin Levine will be presenting a seminar this June in Washington, D.C. on Developing the New Model for Graduate Disabilities Seminar.

American Association on Mental Retardation

Celia Feinstein, James Lemanowicz, Robin Levine, Dr. Guy Caruso and Beverly Frantz will have papers presented at the national meeting in Chicago in May. Papers will be presented in the areas of Independent Monitoring for Quality and the National Academy for Equal Justice.

NEED MORE INFORMATION? Contact the Institute on Disabilities at 215.204.1356 (voice/TTY), or visit our webpage for a complete listing of staff and projects.




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