The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - March 20, 2010

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - March 20, 2010

THE TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities

U.S. Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Labor

April 26, 2010

http://www.usajobs.gov/DisabilityHiringEvent.asp

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) are sponsoring a historic day-long Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities. Representatives from many agencies will be reviewing resumes prior to the event, and inviting prospective candidates for interviews.

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The DBTAC: Southeast ADA Center is currently putting together the Spring issue of the ADA Pipeline. It will hopefully be posted to our website in May. The main, but not exclusive focus, will be the 20th ADA Anniversary.

Please take a moment and briefly tell us the ADA-related changes you’ve experienced over the past 20 years. We hope you will also permit us to provide your name and organization along with your comments. Please send your comments to [email protected].

All comments and thoughts about are welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks….and, bragging is permitted and encouraged.

Brought to you by the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Http://www.deafadvocacy.org

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DO YOUR SHOPPING AT OUR WEBSTORE.

We have lots of new items and our webstore count stands at over 660 items!

Lots of products for the deaf, and blind, and other disabilities. Remember your parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters, family members, co-workers who need adaptive equipment. Employers can shop here for equipment and accessories for their hearing impaired workers.

Buy Here, Buy Now, Pay Less with our ADA kits! This includes long term savings associated with ADA compliance.

Stop by http://stores.ebay.com/OCDAC-Adaptive-Equipment-and-More today to start your shopping.

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THE GRAPEVINES

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Work Incentives:
You CAN Work Webinar
Thursday, March 25th 2-3:30pm

Join us on Thursday, March 25th from 2:00-3:30PM for a FREE online training webinar entitled Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Work Incentives: You CAN Work. This webinar will feature engaging presenter and benefits expert, Karla Bell. Karla will provide an overview of the SSI Work Incentives and online resources.

This training is mainly geared toward service providers (including Medi-Cal county eligibility workers, Department of Rehabilitation, Independent Living Center, Regional Center, One-Stops, benefits planners, etc.) but consumers are also welcome to attend! The webinar will provide practical information on the following topics:

Overview of the SSI Work Incentives including:

• How earnings affect SSI payments

• Impairment Related Work Expenses

• Blind Work Expenses

• Student Earned Income Exclusion

• 1619(b)

• Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

• Ticket to Work

To register for the webinar, please click on the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KJRPVMR

During registration, you will be provided with instructions on how to access the webinar. Once you complete your registration, please keep a copy of the instructions on the second page of the survey. We will also send out a reminder email prior to the webinar.

You may need to work with your IT department to install and test the Webinar application in order to participate. Your IT department may also need to unblock access to the Webinar from your computer.

Instructions and the Webinar application can be found at:

http://onlineconferencingsystems.com/chiip/

Please note that the webinar will be closed-captioned.

Please feel free to distribute the save the date notice to your networks.

If you have any questions or comments please contact Karla Bell at [email protected].

Thanks and we hope you will join us on 3/25/2010!

Karla Bell
Project Specialist
California Health Incentives Improvement Project, CHIIP
SDSURF/Interwork Institute
3590 Camino Del Rio North
San Diego, CA 92108
619-594-5381

Brought to you by The Orange Deafie Blog Http://www.deafadvocacy.org/blog/blog.html

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FACE TO FACE TIMES

Dear Community Partners with the California Work Group, the CWG:

Good partners endure!

The World Institute on Disability was the sponsor of AB 1269 (Brownley), now the law of the land which will improve Medi-Cal's California Working Disabled Program (CWD) in significant ways for its enrollees for years to come.

The WID Staff and Board of Directors would like to extend our enduring appreciation to each of the organizations and individuals who worked hard to get AB 1269 signed into law October, 2009.

Your hard work and perseverance these last few years made the difference and lead to a great victory for economic empowerment within the disability community.

AB 1269 will allow those enrolled in the California Working Disabled Program to save their earnings with no cap, no maximum ceiling to those savings. The law allows those who lose their job to find another one within 26 weeks without losing this vital health coverage. The new law exempts Social Security retirement income in this program for the first time, so folks can work into their retirement years when they choose and keep this health coverage.

While we are all at risk of losing our jobs in these hard economic times, we know that people with significant disabilities are at even higher risk. Every day we hear of more cuts to social services which hurt Californians with disabilities.

Thank you for keeping this critical health coverage program at the center of California public policy, especially in these harsh economic times.

Know this: we could not have done this without you and your partnership with the author Assembly Member Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica).

We will of course keep you posted as to when the new law's provisions take effect; this will not happen for some months to come due to the current federal funding supports in place right now to the State of California and its fiscal crisis.

If WID missed listing your organization by accident on the AB 1269 Honor Roll please contact Arlette Moreno at [email protected] or (510) 251-4340 and she will add immediately.

Sincerely,

Anita Aaron Bryon MacDonald
Executive Director Program Director
Staff and Board of Directors California Work Incentives Initiative

World Institute on Disability
And its
California Work Group, the CWG

510 16th St Suite 100
Oakland, California 94612
Phone 510-251-4304
Fax 510-763-4109

Brought to you by Modern Deaf Communication http://www.moderndeafcommunication.org

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MAXED OUT ON YOUR CREDIT CARDS?

Get yourself an OCDAC credit card through a special program at http://www.cardpartner.com/enduser.aspx?AEID=D0974

We get a $50 donation for each person who completes the signup, and uses the card.

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THE FINGER BOWS

Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities

April 12th & 13th

www.pacrim.hawaii.edu

The Pacific Rim International Conference (Pac Rim) on Disabilities has been widely recognized over the past 25 years as one of the most diverse gatherings in the world. The event encourages and respects voices from diverse perspectives across numerous areas,including: voices from persons representing all disability areas; experiences of family members and supporters across all disability areas; responsiveness to diverse cultural and language differences; evidence of researchers and academics studying disability; stories of persons providing powerful lessons; examples of program providers, natural supports and allies of persons with disabilities and; action plans to meet human and social needs in a globalized world.

Each year the conference hews to its traditional areas which have bred much of the interdisciplinary research and educational advances of the last three decades. But each year new topics are introduced to foment discussion and change. The intent is to harness the tremendous synergy as generated by the intermingling of these diverse perspectives, thus, creating a powerful program which impacts each individual participant in his or her own unique way.

Brought to you by ASL News http://www.aslnews.com

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Take a look and bookmark our new search page! Http://www.deafadvocacy.org/search.html . It's a good source of information you can use.

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THE SOUR ORCHIDS

The HOME Investment Partnership program allocates federal housing funds both to State housing agencies and to local participating jurisdictions. The amount of federal funds depends on the population size. This program has existed since 1992.

State and local recipients have discretion regarding how to allocate these funds: (1) homebuyer assistance, (2) homeowner rehabilitation, (3) construction, rehabilitation or acquisition for rental units, OR(4) Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA). TBRA is a rental subsidy which is like housing vouchers/Section 8 vouchers.

A TBRA could be used to help people leave institutions - IF the State decided to use its HOME funds for this purpose. It's that simple!!!

Here's how your State HOME agency used its HOME funds since 1992 only with regards to TBRA.

The number of people who received a TBRA are:

Alabama 0
Alaska 197
Arizona 708
Arkansas 4,127
California. 1,428
Colorado 484
Connecticut. 463
Delaware 0
D. C. 1,811
Florida. 1,884
Georgia. 86
Hawaii. 807
Idaho 0
Illinois 97
Indiana 295
Iowa. 1,981
Kansas 11,762
Kentucky 11,292
Louisiana 397
Maine. 608
Maryland 95
Massachus 420
Michigan 1,661
Minnesota 0
Mississippi 2,693
Missouri 4,276
Montana. 708
Nebraska 0
Nevada. 0
New Hampshire. 0
New Jersey. 6,355
New Mexico 3,973
New York 383
North Carolina. 1,754
North Dakota. 10,258
Ohio 2,729
Oklahoma 229
Oregon 11,573
Pennsylvania 11
Rhode Island 16
South Carolina. 2,583
South Dakota. 280
Tennessee 0
Texas 6,571
Utah 216
Vermont 0
Virginia. 7
Washington. 9,790
West Virginia 0
Wisconsin 1,976
Wyoming 0

Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Brought to you by the other Orange Deafie Blog at http://ocdac.wordpress.com/

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COME TO OUR MEETUPS!

The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup Group - http://asl.meetup.com/37/ - and the Orange County Deaf & Hearing
Impaired Meetup Group http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ meets each 3rd Fridays of the month.

We are currently pondering a new locations for all of our meetup events because our competition appears to have hijacked the excitement, prestige, and normalcy of our cherished monthly gatherings.

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FROM THE BLOGSPHERE

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 20% of Americans have a disability. Similar statistics obtain in every industrialized nation worldwide. Current U.S. projections indicate that the population level of those with disabilities "severe enough to impair their activities" will grow to about TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT by the year 2020.

Brought to you by the Hearing For Life Foundation Http://www.hear-for-life.org


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DO YOU HAVE TINNITUS? ARE YOUR EARS RINGING ALOUD BY ITSELF? DO YOU WANT THAT TO STOP?

Tinnitus affects people with or without hearing loss.

Tinnitus is the ringing sensation that occurs in the ears. Severe tinnitus can be painful and disable a person. Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center has two people serving in a patient advocacy council. Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center wants to help people retain their productivity by helping them manage tinnitus.

We are introducing a nutraceutical cocktail of Ginkgo Biloba, Zinc, and Garlic to manage tinnitus (ringing) in the ears. New studies show that a combination of these three working together helps manage tinnitus. We have the research that suggest the cocktail helps manage tinnitus.

This cocktail doesn't create the flush reaction you get from using high dosage of Niacin taken to manage tinnitus.

Tinnitus management kit contains Ginkgo Biloba, Zinc, Garlic, pill minders box, carrying case, and 2 sets of ear plugs.

Kit is assembled by people with disabilities.

If you care about your ears, please shop through our paypal link below now

Tinnitus 2 month management kit $79.99 - Free Shipping On All Orders! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8502596

Refills each month $29.99 (Link will be mailed to you with your order)

The funds generated from this offering will be returned to the community in the form of assisted housing, education, advocacy, free equipment, outreach, and conference activities.

***These Statements have not been evaluated by the US FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. There is no guarantee this will help you manage tinnitus. This may work on some people and this may not work on some people too.

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FROM THE VLOGSPHERE (VIDEO BLOGGING)

It’s sad that the first and only bridge out of the Deafvideotv monopoly has to close down. Its also sad that most deafie vloggers aren’t coughing up the due respect Visual Vlogs deserves for opening the door to other vlogging sites.

They’re trashing the owner and the website instead and, recently, making cruel accolades over the announcements of Visual Vlogs’s closure. Things like these could only accelerate the mitigation of deaf society. I will use this childishness against the deaf society, you have my promise.

Shery and V‎isual Vlogs deserves a big “Thank You” and is going to be getting that from me and the folks here at Eye Fire Vlogs.

Brought to you by the Eye Fire Vlogs Http://eyefirevlogs.com

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Please donate to Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. We have a lot of work to do on behalf of people with hearing and speech impairments and we have a donation form ready for your use.

Donation form : http://partners.guidestar.org/controller/searchResults.gs?action_donateReport=1&partner=networkforgood&ein=33-0806007

Thank you very much for the time youve taken to read this newsletter and clicking on the donation link above.

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FROM THE NEWSLETTER READERS

Greetings,

We would like you to invite you to participate in a new survey on what informational resources you use to find out about your disability and assistive technology solutions. The goal of the study is to determine better methods of providing individuals with disabilities information about disability and technology devices that may assist them. The survey should take you about 5 minutes.

You do not have to take this survey. You may choose not to answer any question, or stop taking the survey at any time. There is very little risk to you in taking this survey. You should be aware that the survey is not being run from a "secure" server, so there is a small possibility that responses could be viewed by third parties (for example, computer hackers). However, this survey will not ask you any questions that identify you in any way, so there is little risk that third parties will acces your personal information.

The Georgia Institute of Technology IRB and Office of Human Research Protections may review the responses. We will protect your privacy to the extent allowed by law. You donot waive any of your legal rights by completing this survey.

You will not benefit from taking the survey. However, results will be posted back to the CCN. As a result, you may indirectly learn of a resource that you were not aware of that may benefit you. You will receive no payment for completing this survey, and there are no costs to you.

If you have any questions about the survey, you may contact Maureen Linden at 404.894.0561. If you have any questions about your rights as a research volunteer, call Melanie Clark at 404.894.6942.

By completing the survey, you have agreed to take part in this study. To complete this survey, please follow the link below.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/230755/informational-resources-used-by-individuals-with-disab
ilities

Thank you for your interest.

Maureen Linden
Research Scientist

Brought to you by Deaf Paradise Http://deafparadise.ning.com/

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**** DISCLAIMER ****
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The OCDAC Newsletter is designed to share information of interest to people with disabilities, their friends, associates, and relatives and promote advocacy in the disability community. Information circulated herein does not necessarily express the views of The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. The OCDAC Newsletter is non-partisan. OCDAC Newsletter does not sell advertising space.

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is a community based organization that puts people with disabilities first in their advocacy for equal opportunities in safety, health, and productive living.

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center provides services for disabled individuals and their families in our community who need help in navigating the social services maze. Every day people go without proper food, shelter, and essential medical care every day due to a variety of factors including low wages, job loss, injuries, illness, age, domestic violence, or divorce. While all of us are susceptible to hard times, disabled individuals are at the most risk. With the generous support of people like you, we are able to help many of these families and individuals not only to meet essential daily needs, but to work toward a brighter future with programs in job training, education, counseling, elderly assistance, and temporary housing.

Feel free to forward this email message IN ITS ENTIRETY to anyone and any of your personal mailing lists so we can get the important messages out far and wide and encourage them to sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Our physical address is 2960 Main Street suite #100, Irvine California 92614 and this email is in compliance with CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.

To subscribe to this newsletter go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdacnewsletter/ or send a blank email to [email protected]