SUPPLIMENT TO DEAF WATCH----MARCH, 1998 Greetings Everyone! Since the recent March newsletter, I have been blitzed with news and I feel you should be updated with the latest information before this info turns yellow like a newspaper left out on the front yard. This is just a suppliment to the March Newsletter. The Editor ************************************************************* DEAFWATCH.COM NEWS 1) We have added a new mirror in Washington D.C. 2) New 'Disabled Helping Disabled' award program set to begin April. 3) News ticker has been added to the front page. Changes every day! 4) New maingate page set to solve occasional traffic problems. ************************************************************* WANTED: FUTURE DISABILITY LEADERS JUSTICE FOR ALL jfa@mailbot.com Wanted: Future Disability Leaders Today's youth are tomorrow's leaders. If you know young persons with disabilities (ages 17-24) who might have leadership potential please share the following with them! -- REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE JUNE 22-24, 1998, WASHINGTON, D.C. Dear Sirs/Madams: Attached please find an application form for the National Council on Disability's (NCD's) Second Annual Youth Leadership Development Conference in Washington, D.C. NCD is pleased to host this event from June 22-24 at the Washington Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. NCD's goals for the conference are to: (1) create a model conference that empowers youth with disabilities and their families by establishing a base of knowledge and contacts to facilitate on-going education and training which includes federal disability policy and disability civil rights laws, self-advocacy and ability to access enforcement, technical assistance resources, and other government supports and services, for youth participants and their families; (2) involve youth with disabilities who reflect geographic, racial/ethnic, and disability diversity; (3) build alliances within and external to the existing disability community through a mentoring process; (4) demonstrate assistive technology as a tool to enhance access to education, employment and independent living with methods focused on specific problem resolutions; and (5) obtain information and recommendations from youth participants and any accompanying family members in public policy areas of school to work transition, transition from income supports (e.g., SSI/SSDI) to employment, rehabilitation, higher (post-secondary) education, secondary education, employment, income supports, health care and long-term services and supports, technology, and independent living. If you know of youth with disabilities who were between the ages of 17 and 24 on March 1, 1998, please encourage them to fill out the attached application and submit it, along with one letter of reference, by March 27, 1998, to Brenda Bratton, National Council on Disability, 1331 F Street, N.W., Ste. 1050, Washington, D.C. 20004. Any youth who requires help with their application form may enlist the help of another person to complete the form. In addition, the application may be submitted in alternative formats if the applicant so desires. Applications will be reviewed and youth selected to participate will be notified by April 30, 1998. This conference is being cosponsored by the Social Security Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Department of Education. Stipends are available to reimburse travel, food and accommodation expenses for selected participants and an accompanying attendant or family member, if one is necessary. Also, if organizations wish to sponsor youth to attend, NCD welcomes such sponsorships but requires that sponsored applicants submit a completed application form by the deadline. Thank you for your assistance in identifying qualified applicants. Any questions may be directed to Brenda Bratton at NCD at 202 272-2004(v) or 202 272-2074(TTY). Sincerely, Marca Bristo Chairperson National Council on Disability Attachment --------------------------------------- Dear Future Leader with a Disability: Are you between the ages of 17 and 24? Are you interested in learning about the disability rights movement and federal programs that serve people with disabilities? Would you like to participate in a national discussion about public policy affecting youth with disabilities? Would you like to hone your leadership skills? If so, apply to participate in the National Council on Disability's Second Annual Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. on June 22-24, 1998. The form is attached, and must be received along with a letter of reference by March 27. APPLICATION FORM NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY SECOND ANNUAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE JUNE 22-24, 1998 WASHINGTON, D.C. NAME________________________ ADDRESS____________________________ _____________________________________ DATE OF BIRTH_____________ _____________________________________ PHONE _____________________ EMAIL ADDRESS _________________________ SCHOOL (HIGH SCHOOL/POST-SECONDARY) _________________________ GRADE LEVEL __________________________ RACE/ETHNICITY __________________________ DO YOU LIVE NOW OR DID YOU GROW UP IN A RURAL AREA? YES NO ARE YOU A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY? YES NO IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY, WHAT TYPE OF DISABILITY OR DISABILITIES DO YOU HAVE? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ HAVE YOU HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS (PLEASE CIRCLE THE ONES THAT YOU HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH)? SPECIAL EDUCATION SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS (SSI OR SSDI) REHABILITATION MEDICAID NON-DISABILITY-RELATED CASH ASSISTANCE (AFDC/TANF/OTHER) Second Annual Youth Leadership Development Forum Application Form (page two) WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GET OUT OF THE CONFERENCE, AND WHY DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE? (please try to limit your response to no more than 250 words) COMPLETED APPLICATIONS, ALONG WITH A LETTER OF REFERENCE FROM A PERSON NOT RELATED TO THE APPLICANT (E.G. TEACHER, MENTOR, PEER, COUNSELOR, ETC.) MUST BE RECEIVED BY NCD BY MARCH 27, 1998. Applicants should feel free to enlist the help of another person in completing the application if necessary, and should feel free to submit the application in an alternative format (e.g. audio tape, video, etc.) if they prefer another format. COMPLETED FORMS SHOULD BE SENT TO: BRENDA BRATTON, NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY, 1331 F STREET, N.W., STE. 1050, WASHINGTON, DC 20004, 202 272-2022 (FAX), EMAIL ADDRESS: aimparato@ncd.gov Andrew J. Imparato General Counsel and Director of Policy National Council on Disability 1331 F Street, N.W., Ste. 1050 Washington, D.C. 20004 202 272-2112(direct-voice) 202 272-2074(TTY) 202 272-2022(fax) email address: aimparato@ncd.gov -- Fred Fay Justice For All Moderator jfa@mailbot.com ************************************************************* GEORGIANS RALLY IN DC FOR MICASA - HR 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Georgians Rally in DC for MiCASA- HR2020 with Fellow Americans Community Attendant Service Act- FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: ZenGarcia@aol.com, Leonard Roscoe (800) 239-2507; Jennifer Burnett (717) 238-0172FAX: (717) 238-8663; webpage: www.adapt.org Speaker Gingrich and Minority Leader Gephardt to testify at Hearing this Thursday at 10 am March 12, 1998. Advocates and more than 300 groups rally f or community-based services rally for REAL Choice --our homes, not nursing homes!--- Dear Abby's headline on March 2nd reads: "MiCASA bill would help our seniors." Abby's reader is right on target, and on March 12, at 9AM ,several hundred members of ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), NCIL (National Council on Independent Living) and other disability and aging groups will show support for H.R. 2020, Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act (MiCASA) a press conference and rally in front of the Rayburn House Office Building. The press conference, sponsored by ADAPT and NCIL, will feature Justin Dart who recently won the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the nation's highest civilian honor. Leonard Roscoe , a Georgian ADAPT organizer institutionalized because of his disability for 24 years , and other disability leaders who have been locked away in institutions will also speak at the rally. Details on H.R. 2020, including the disability and aging community's position, will be shared prior to the hearing inside the building. The House Health and Environment Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee will hold the hearing at 10AM, in the Rayburn House Office Building. H.R. 2020 was introduced by Speaker Newt Gingrich on June 24, 1997, and it soon gained bi- partisan support when Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Missouri) signed on as a co- sponsor, just weeks later. H.R. 2020 had been stalled in the House Commerce Committee, until ADAPT visited the office of Chairman Michael Bilirakis last November, and won a commitment to hold hearings. Both Gingrich and Gephardt will present testimony, as well as Assistant U.S.Attorney Holly Caudill. Currently 43 Representatives co-sponsor MiCASA (HR2020). Last September, Caudill, a quadriplegic, spoke with the President about the need for a national attendant care policy and in the White House Roosevelt Room, a moved Clinton promised Caudill, "Get me the legislation and I'll sign it". H.R.2020, when passed, will give 2.3 million Americans living in nursing homes and other institutions a REAL choice. People who need supportive services will be able to choose to receive services they need in their own homes rather than being forced into nursing homes or other institutions. Money will follow the individual rather than be attached to a facility. Under current Medicaid policy, nursing homes are considered an entitlement for people who need that level of care. States must provide nursing home care. However, community-based care is fragmented with each state setting it's own policy, and some offering none. Some states have complicated "Home and community-based Waivers", through HCFA, allowing people to remain in their own homes. Others offer nothing. In fact, 80% of the Medicaid budget going towards long-term care is spent on institutions, while a mere 20% goes to community-based services. MiCASA would change that, and allow people to choose home, with appropriate support and services, instead of a nursing home or other institution. "There's a lot of rhetoric endorsing community-based services," says national ADAPT organizer Bob Kafka from Austin. "It's Mom and apple pie. Everybody loves disabled people and elderly people. But the rhetoric doesn't convert into public policy. That's why we must pass MiCASA." FOR MORE INFORMATION on American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT)Please visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/(512)442-0252 Leonard Roscoe (800) 239-2507 For direct inquiries regarding this press release please email adaptpr@adapt.org ************************************************************* DEAF SUCCESS GROUP SETS TO SUPPORT HOMEBASED DEAF BUSINESS The Deaf Success Group (DSG) was formed in Feburary 1998 to provide FULL TIME support for deaf people who are interested to make profits at home. Membership is FREE! DSG will send DSG Newsletter every week to members by E- mail. It will be packed with helpful tips for deaf people to succeed in their networking business. Also members will learn how to do business like hearing people do on the Internet and offline as well. Top program will be selected for DSG members but anyone who is deaf is welcome to become a member of DSG if they are with different companies. Membership and Newsletter are always FREE! For more information: E-mail to DEAF GROUP@aol.com or Visit our DSG website at http://members.aol.com/deafgroup ************************************************************* NCD RECOMMENDATION LEADS TO EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WASHINGTON-The National Council on Disability (NCD) fully supports today's executive order establishing a National Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities that will create a coordinated and aggressive national policy to bring working-age individuals with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate approximating that of the general adult population. During a White House ceremony announcing the executive order, President Clinton stated, "It's time, really it's past time, to design a strategy to make equality of opportunity, full participation, inclusion, and economic self-sufficiency realities for all 30 million working-age Americans with disabilities." The Task Force, which will be chaired by Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, is charged with developing policy recommendations to reduce employment barriers for persons with disabilities. According to NCD Chairperson Marca Bristo, a participant at the White House event and member of the newly-created Task Force, "I am proud to say the this executive order stems from a recommendation developed at NCD's 1996 National Summit on Disability Policy by a diverse group of more than 300 people, chosen to represent the broad array of persons with disabilities. The recommendation was then published in NCD's 1996 report Achieving Independence: The Challenge for the 21st Century." NCD recommended that "The President should issue an executive order directing the Secretary of Labor to promote the employment of people with disabilities and to establish employment goals for people with disabilities to be reached by the year 2006. Establishing national goals is an effective way to galvanize public attention, build broad support, and provide a public mechanism for policy accountability. The nation has effectively used this process in campaigns to improve the health of the nation's citizenry and decrease infant mortality. The Secretary of Labor should work in conjunction with other relevant federal agencies and the disability community to establish employment goals." "Today's executive order and other NCD proposals on removing barriers to work for people with disabilities will enable many people to fulfill the dream of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)," Bristo added. NCD, an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress on disability issues affecting people with disabilities, will work closely with Secretary Herman and the Task Force to ensure that it addresses the core remaining barriers to employment faced by people with disabilities. Other Task Force members include the Chairman of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. For more information, contact Mark S. Quigley at 202-272-2004 or by e-mail (mquigley@ncd.gov). Publications can be accessed at NCD's Web site (http://www.ncd.gov). ---------- THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release March 13, 1998 EXECUTIVE ORDER - - - - - - - INCREASING EMPLOYMENT OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to increase the employment of adults with disabilities to a rate that is as close as possible to the employment rate of the general adult population and to support the goals articulated in the findings and purpose section of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Establishment of National Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. (a) There is established the "National Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities" ("Task Force"). The Task Force shall comprise the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Commissioner of Social Security, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Trans-portation, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Chairperson of the National Council on Disability, the Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, and such other senior executive branch officials as may be determined by the Chair of the Task Force. (b) The Secretary of Labor shall be the Chair of the Task Force; the Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities shall be the Vice Chair of the Task Force. (c) The purpose of the Task Force is to create a coordinated and aggressive national policy to bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate that is as close as possible to that of the general adult population. The Task Force shall develop and recommend to the President, through the Chair of the Task Force, a coordinated Federal policy to reduce employment barriers for persons with disabilities. Policy recommenda-tions may cover such areas as discrimination, reasonable accommoda-tions, inadequate access to health care, lack of consumer-driven, long-term supports and services, transpor-tation, accessible and integrated housing, tele-communications, assistive technology, community services, child care, education, vocational rehabilitation, training services, job retention, on-the-job supports, and economic incentives to work. Specifically, the Task Force shall: (1) analyze the existing programs and policies of Task Force member agencies to determine what changes, modifications, and innovations may be necessary to remove barriers to work faced by people with disabilities; (2) develop and recommend options to address health insurance coverage as a barrier to employment for people with disabilities; (3) subject to the availability of appropriations, analyze State and private disability systems (e.g., workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, private insurance, and State mental health and mental retardation systems) and their effect on Federal programs and employment of adults with disabilities; (4) consider statistical and data analysis, cost data, research, and policy studies on public subsidies, employment, employment discrimination, and rates of return-to-work for individuals with disabilities; (5) evaluate and, where appropriate, coordinate and collaborate on, research and demonstration priorities of Task Force member agencies related to employment of adults with disabilities; (6) evaluate whether Federal studies related to employment and training can, and should, include a statistically significant sample of adults with disabilities; (7) subject to the availability of appropriations, analyze youth programs related to employment (e.g., Employment and Training Administration programs, special education, vocational rehabilitation, school-to-work transition, vocational education, and Social Security Administration work incentives and other programs, as may be determined by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Task Force) and the outcomes of those programs for young people with disabilities; (8) evaluate whether a single governmental entity or program should be established to provide computer and electronic accommodations for Federal employees with disabilities; (9) consult with the President's Committee on Mental Retardation on policies to increase the employment of people with mental retardation and cognitive disabilities; and (10) recommend to the President any additional steps that can be taken to advance the employment of adults with disabilities, including legislative proposals, regulatory changes, and program and budget initiatives. (d) (1) The members of the Task Force shall make the activities and initiatives set forth in this order a high priority within their respective agencies within the levels provided in the President's budget. (2) The Task Force shall issue its first report to the President by November 15, 1998. The Task Force shall issue a report to the President on November 15, 1999, November 15, 2000, and a final report on July 26, 2002, the 10th anniversary of the initial implementation of the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The reports shall describe the actions taken by, and progress of, each member of the Task Force in carrying out this order. The Task Force shall terminate 30 days after submitting its final report. (e) As used herein, an adult with a disability is a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits at least one major life activity. Sec. 2. Specific activities by Task Force members and other agencies. (a) To ensure that the Federal Government is a model employer of adults with disabilities, by November 15, 1998, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Labor, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shall submit to the Task Force a review of Federal Government personnel laws, regulations, and policies and, as appropriate, shall recommend or implement changes necessary to improve Federal employment policy for adults with disabilities. This review shall include personnel practices and actions such as: hiring, promotion, benefits, retirement, workers' compensation, retention, accessible facilities, job accommodations, layoffs, and reductions in force. (b) The Departments of Justice, Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services shall report to the Task Force by November 15, 1998, on their work with the States and others to ensure that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act is carried out in accordance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, so that individuals with disabilities and their families can realize the full promise of welfare reform by having an equal opportunity for employment. (c) The Departments of Education, Labor, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, the Small Business Administration, and the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities shall work together and report to the Task Force by November 15, 1998, on their work to develop small business and entrepreneurial opportunities for adults with disabilities and strategies for assisting low-income adults, including those with disabilities to create small businesses and micro-enterprises. These same agencies, in consultation with the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, shall assess the impact of the Randolph-Sheppard Act vending program and the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act on employment and small business opportunities for pe ople with disabilities. (d) The Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development shall report to the Task Force by November 15, 1998, on their examination of their programs to see if they can be used to create new work incentives and to remove barriers to work for adults with disabilities. (e) The Departments of Justice, Education, and Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Social Security Administration shall work together and report to the Task Force by November 15, 1998, on their work to propose remedies to the prevention of people with disabilities from successfully exercising their employment rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 because of the receipt of monetary benefits based on their disability and lack of gainful employment. (f) The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor and the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, the National Council on Disability, and the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities shall design and implement a statistically reliable and accurate method to measure the employment rate of adults with disabilities as soon as possible, but no later than the date of termination of the Task Force. Data derived from this methodology shall be published on as frequent a basis as possible. (g) All executive agencies that are not members of the Task Force shall: (1) coordinate and cooperate with the Task Force; and (2) review their programs and policies to ensure that they are being conducted and delivered in a manner that facilitates and promotes the employment of adults with disabilities. Each agency shall file a report with the Task Force on the results of its review on November 15, 1998. Sec. 3. Cooperation. All efforts taken by executive departments and agencies under sections 1 and 2 of this order shall, as appropriate, further partnerships and cooperation with public and private sector employers, organizations that represent people with disabilities, organized labor, veteran service organizations, and State and local governments whenever such partnerships and cooperation are possible and would promote the employment and gainful economic activities of individuals with disabilities. Sec. 4. Judicial Review. This order does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by a party against the United States. ************************************************************* MORE DEAF SLAVERY FOUND......AGAIN.....UGGH!!!!!! From the newsroom of Reuters, Thursday, March 12, 1998 ................. 09:31 PM ET 03/12/98 Three arrested in Texas for enslaving deaf couple EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - Three people were arrested for allegedly enslaving a deaf and mute couple from Mexico and their children for four years and forcing them to sell trinkets in cities across the U.S. Southwest, authorities said on Thursday. U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service spokesman Dan Kane told reporters that the victims were lured to the United States with promises of work and good living conditions. The names of the victims were not released. "In fact, they were tortured and beaten while in their custody," he said. "They took their passports and forced them to work 12 hours a day seven days a week, and turn over all their profits at the end of the day," Kane said. The three people arrested are Theresa Lozano, 33, her sister Guadalupe Lozano, 26, and Guadalupe's husband, Samuel Zamora Hernandez, 29. The three are also deaf and mute. The suspects face up to life in prison if convicted on a variety of federal charges including extortion and holding a person in involuntary servitude. The four victims were the couple and their children, ages 14 and 15. The children are not deaf or mutes. The family was kept locked up in a trailer near the home of the suspects in the town of Fabens, Texas, 15 miles southeast of El Paso on the U.S.-Mexico border. Kane said they were let out only to sell trinkets. Authorities were alerted to the situation by "a member of the deaf community," Kane said. Kane said the arrests were the latest in a string of similar cases in other cities. "We are committed to cracking down on these gross violations of human rights," he said. (from - NJ-L News) ************************************************************* FREE SIGNWRITER SHAREWARE Our free SignWriter shareware can now be downloaded directly from our SignWriting Web Site. To download, go to: http://www.SignWriting.org/sw128.html When you access this page, you will also find instructions explaining how to expand the shareware file, and how to start the program. This should be an improvement, because before today, our shareware was located on the SIMTEL shareware library. It took longer to download because it was not as direct, and SIMTEL did not always have it available. Now our shareware is under my control and it will always be there for you :-) If you have any questions when using the shareware, please feel free to write to me anytime :-) All good wishes - Valerie :-) mailto:DAC@SignWriting.org http://www.SignWriting.org Valerie Sutton at the DAC Deaf Action Committee For SignWriting Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA (619)456-0098 voice (619)456-0010 tty (619)456-0020 fax SignWriting is a way to read, write, and type the movements of signed languages. ************************************************************* FRESH TOMATO SAUCE IN POT OF BAD STEW -- JIM BUNNING STRIKES AGAIN BY : HON. JIM BUNNING in the House of Representatives WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1998 •Mr. BUNNING. Mr. Speaker, today, on behalf of myself and Barbara Kennelly, I am introducing the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Act of 1998. This legislation helps Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability recipients return to a life of economic security and self-sufficiency. •Social Security programs are vital to all Americans. The disability program is particularly important because it protects workers and their families against severe financial hardship that occurs when workers sustain severe illnesses or disabling conditions that prevent them from working. •Due to advances in medicine, technology, and the field of rehabilitation, there are people who, despite serious disabilities, want to work and who could work if they were provided the kind of rehabilitation services they need. The disability program is like a big black hole--once people fall into the program they never seem to make their way out. In fact, less than 1 percent of disabled recipients ever leave the rolls because of work. •Our legislation is very simple. We remove many of the barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from climbing out of that hole. •The consumer--the recipient with a disability--is number one. They choose the services they want from the providers they want. Generally, the provider of those services is paid for outcomes and long-term results. The payment process is designed to ensure that as many providers as possible are available to serve the consumer. •One of the primary obstacles facing disabled recipients who attempt to leave the Social Security rolls to work is the fear of losing health care. To help alleviate that fear, our bill will extend Medicare coverage for 2 additional years. This means that recipients would have Medicare coverage for a total of 6 years from the time they first make an attempt to work. •Due to the nature of their disability, many individuals incur extraordinary costs in trying to get a job and maintaining that Job. This legislation creates a tax credit of 50 percent of impairment-related work expenses up to $10,000 per year. •To better help consumers transition into work, the bill includes a requirement that SSA test a gradual offset of SSDI cash benefits by reducing monthly benefits $1 for every $2 in earnings over a determined level. •Through this legislation we are asking the Social Security Administration to become more than just a disability program administrator, we want them to be an ability program administrator. The Commissioner benefits from the counsel of an advisory panel, made up of consumers, providers, and employer representatives. And the program will be gradually phased in, closely monitored, and thoroughly evaluated over time. •I am excited about the possibilities this bill creates for individuals with disabilities. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in suporting this effort. ------------------------------------------------------------- - DEAF WATCH - Federal ID Number : 33-0765412 - Circulation by EMAIL : 305 Subscribers - Chief Editor/Editor : Richard Roehm - Orange County, California - Internet : Deaf@activist.com - Nesmuth@hwsys.com - ICQ #: 7389913 | Handle: SilentKnight - DEAF WATCH Http://www.deafwatch.com - Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/deaf.htm - Visit Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/nez.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- - Education is the best gift that lasts a lifetime! - Help someone subscribe to The Deaf Watch Newsletter ---------------------------------------------------------- - SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - To be added to the mailing list, send "SUBSCRIBE" - To be deleted from the mailing list send "DELETE" - to this address NESMUTH@HWSYS.COM - - Mailing lists are not sold/given to anyone. ------------------------------------------------------------- - Need to stay on the net? 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