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FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Disability and Community Development
Research, Programs, Services, and Policy
Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities, The University of Montana Rural Institute

People with disability make up a substantial proportion of the population. A community's environment significantly affects their ability participate in community life. The Journal of the Community Development Society announces a call for manuscripts for a special issue on disability and community development. The purpose of this issue is to highlight how community development strategies can promote participation in community life of people who experience disability, and how disabled people and disability service organizations contribute to community development. Manuscripts may address Across-disability issues, people who experience disability due to any impairment or chronic condition, including disability due to injury and chronic disease, mental illness, sensory impairments, and cognitive impairments. Topics may include housing, environmental design and community accessibility, advocacy, community leadership, transportation, telecommunications, demographics, community health issues such as long-term care or health promotion, employment and economic development, citizen involvement, programs and services, or planning and policy. Papers may address adult and children's issues, as well as rural and urban contexts. Manuscripts that report research, program demonstrations, unique service collaborations, and policy studies are encouraged. Book reviews are also welcome.

To be considered, manuscripts should be received by January 3, 2005. To discuss whether your potential submission falls within this topical area, call: Tom Seekins, Guest Editor (406) 243-2460.

Submissions should be sent to:
Tom Seekins, Guest Editor
Journal of Community Development
RTC:Rural
52 Corbin
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812

You can learn about relevant issues by visiting the following web sites:

Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities: http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umtedu/

Community Development Society: http://comm-dev.org/new/indexhtml

UPCOMING EVENTS

Webcast - Employer Focused One-Stops: Business Getting the Most for Their Investment
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Center for Workforce Preparation

September 21, 2004

1:00 - 2:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

http://www.uschamber.com/cwp/events/default (Scroll down to the link to the September 21 st webcast)

Hundreds of One-Stops across the country are meeting and exceeding employers' workforce needs. And the Center for Workforce Preparation has the names of the businesses and their stories to prove it.

• Discover the innovative ways that One-Stops are reaching out to employers to meet their unique hiring and training needs.
• Gain insight into how local chambers foster relationships among community partners to address the workforce development issues that employers face.
• Obtain information about a new Web-based tool that showcases more than 200 employers who have successful experiences with One-Stops.

Access the URL for registration information and to register online. There is no charge to participate in this web cast. You may also contact, the CWP Program Officer Todd Cohen at 202-463-5905 or tcohen@uschamber.com .

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs)

http://www.adata.org/dbtac.html

Are you connected with your DBTAC? The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) established these regional centers (there are 10 of them to cover the United States, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico) to provide information, training, and technical assistance to employers, people with disabilities, and other entities with responsibilities under the ADA. The centers serve as a comprehensive resource on ADA issues in employment, public services, public accommodations, and communications. Each center works closely with local business, disability, governmental, rehabilitation, and other professional networks to provide ADA information and assistance. Programs vary in each region, but all centers provide the following:

• Technical Assistance
• Education and Training
• Materials Dissemination
• Information and Referral
• Public Awareness
• Local Capacity Building

Access the URL to find the contact information for your DBTAC.

Employment and Disability Institute
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR)

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/

[Taken from the website.]

The Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) conducts research and provides continuing education and technical assistance on many aspects of disability in the workplace. Since 1968, researchers and practitioners at the Cornell ILR School with expertise in disability have helped companies, labor organizations, government agencies, schools, and communities throughout the United States and abroad to accommodate and integrate individuals with disabilities. The EDI team consults with policy makers, disability advocates, and rehabilitation program professionals.

EDI contributes to developing inclusive workplace systems and communities in a variety of ways. The EDI team engages in research and produces scholarly articles, develops training materials, conducts training sessions domestically and internationally, and offers technical assistance on a wide array of disability-related matters. EDI expertise embraces legal mandates and operational issues, an all-encompassing perspective that enables us to help transform public policy into practice.

EDI provides technical assistance, training, and research in the following topic areas:

• ADA, Accommodation, & Accessible IT
• Disability Statistics Research
• Disability Benefits and Return to Work
• Transition Planning for Youth
• Disability Employment Research
• Workforce Development & Community Inclusion
• International Disability Policy Research

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database

http://www.eric.ed.gov/

[Taken from the website.]

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, produces the world's premier database of journal and non-journal education literature. The new ERIC online system, released September 2004, provides the public with a centralized ERIC website for searching the ERIC bibliographic database of more than 1.1 million citations going back to 1966. Effective October 1, more than 107,000 full-text non-journal documents (issued 1993-2004), previously available through fee-based services only, will be available for free.

PUBLICATIONS OF THE WEEK

U.S. Department of Labor Releases Report on State of the Workforce on Labor Day: America's Dynamic Workforce

August 2004

http://www.dol.gov/asp/media/reports/workforce/toc.htm

The report "surveys the state of America's workforce, the changing nature of the workforce and the new opportunities that are developing in the 21st Century. The report highlights ways to improve the nation's job training programs to help more workers acquire in-demand skills.

To view the report, access the URL listed above. To read the news release, access:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/opa/opa20041765.htm

DisabilityInfo.Gov: A Federal Government Web Portal on Disability-Related Information

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/

The following information can be found on the DisabilityInfo.Gov website, a federal interagency web portal on disability-related information from many government programs. The links below are two of the topic areas that can be found under the "Employment" section of this site. The website also includes links to other disability-related resources on other topics such as Education, Housing, Transportation, Health, Income Support, Technology, Independent Living and Civil Rights.

Work Incentive Programs

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=42

• 2004 Red Book on Work Incentives & Employment Supports
  Guide to work incentives and employment supports available to people with disabilities under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
• Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS)
  Information on the PASS program, a work incentive program for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program beneficiaries.
• State Work Incentives Activities
  State by state links to information on initiatives, activities and programs (including the Ticket-to-Work Program, demonstration projects, cooperative agreements and grants) that can help people with disabilities who want to work.
• Ticket to Hire
  A free, national referral service from the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work Program to assist employers in hiring motivated, qualified workers with disabilities.
• Ticket to Work & Work Incentives Advisory Panel
  Panel that advises the Social Security Commissioner, the President and Congress on issues related to work incentives programs.
• Ticket to Work Program Information
  Contains links to information about the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999.
• Virginia Commonwealth University Benefits Assistance Resource Center
  Information on the Benefits Assistance Resource Center, funded by the U.S. Social Security Administration to provide technical assistance and training to the Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach Programs under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement Act of 1999.
• Work Incentives
  Information and publications on work incentive programs for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries.
• WorkWorld
  Free software for personal computers designed to help people with disabilities find employment and higher net income through federal and state work incentives and benefits.
• Working While Disabled, How We Can Help
  A portal to the Social Security Administration, with links to its disability-related programs and contact information.
• Your Ticket to Work
  Comprehensive information about the Ticket to Work Program, including a service locator for accessing available employment networks.

Workplace Accommodations

There are many job accommodations that can assist people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a job. Resources in this section provide information and technical assistance to identify and secure accommodations for employment for people with disabilities.

The accommodations are separated into three subcategories:

For Employers

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5066

For Job Seekers & Workers

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5067

For the Agriculture Industry

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5068

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