White House Urged To Fully Fund IDEA

A federal agency and more than 130 members of Congress are calling on President Barack Obama to allocate more funding for special education in his upcoming budget proposal.

In separate letters to Obama, the National Council on Disability and a group including both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are asking the federal government to increase special education spending for the coming year and to establish a 10-year plan to fully fund the program.

“We owe it to all students to provide a quality education that will help them graduate and enter successful careers,” reads a letter from more than 130 members of Congress that’s expected to be released Tuesday. “The federal government needs a plan to move us toward full funding for IDEA.”

When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was enacted in 1975, Congress committed to funding 40 percent of the cost of special education, but the federal government has never actually paid more than 18.5 percent.

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Feds Expand Mental Health Coverage

Health insurers must cover mental health services at the same level as physical ailments under new federal rules.

The Obama administration released final regulations late last week requiring that most insurance plans offer an equivalent level of coverage for mental health as they do for medical and surgical needs.

Traditionally, individuals in need of mental health services have incurred higher out-of-pocket costs and often faced limits on the number of doctor visits or days spent at an in-patient facility.

Under the new rules, however, co-payments, deductibles and limits on the number of visits to mental health providers cannot differ significantly from those imposed for more traditional medical treatments.

“This final rule breaks down barriers that stand in the way of treatment and recovery services for millions of Americans,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius who indicated that the changes will make treatment “more affordable and accessible.”

The rules were long-awaited by mental health advocates, coming five years after Congress passed a law to ensure mental health parity. The new regulations detail how the law will be administered.

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Thousands Rally Behind Worker With Asperger’s

When a customer berated a supermarket employee with Asperger’s syndrome for working too slowly, the story quickly went viral with tens-of-thousands coming to the worker’s defense.

Jamie Virkler, 43, took to Facebook over the weekend after her brother, Chris Tuttle, 28, came home from his job at a Clay, N.Y. Wegmans store upset that a customer yelled at him.

Tuttle said he was helping out at the cash registers because the store was busy. When bagging a customer’s groceries, Tuttle said the woman yelled at him for working too slow. Tuttle told The (Syracuse, N.Y.) Post-Standard that he finished the job, smiled and thanked the woman for shopping at the store.

Still unhappy, however, the customer reportedly complained to the manager and yelled such that everyone could hear.

After hearing about her brother’s experience at work, Virkler wrote about the incident in aFacebook post asking others to help cheer him up.

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What The Shutdown Means For Disability Services

As the first U.S. government shutdown in more than 17 years takes hold, some programs benefiting people with disabilities will continue with business as usual while others grind to a halt.

The shutdown, which began Tuesday, comes after Congress failed to reach a deal to fund the federal government for the new fiscal year starting in October. Under a shutdown, some services considered “essential” will continue operating while many other government activities will come to a standstill as 800,000 federal workers are sent home until a new budget takes effect.

Here’s a look at how the shutdown will impact programs that people with developmental disabilities rely on:

SOCIAL SECURITY Benefit payments will continue to be distributed on schedule to individuals receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. Local offices will be open, but only to perform select services.

MEDICAID Services provided by Medicaid will largely proceed as usual since an advance appropriation ensured that states receive funding for the program on Oct. 1. However, disability advocates say they are worried that the shutdown could exacerbate payment delays that providers of long-term services and supports are already facing. “The long delays have put many of our affiliates in almost untenable cash flow positions and further delays may cause some to cease Medicaid services,” said Katy Neas, senior vice president of government relations at Easter Seals.

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Center To Bridge Divide Between Disability Community, Police

 first-of-its-kind national center is in the works with an eye toward improving interactions between individuals with developmental disabilities and law enforcement.

The Arc said it has received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to establish the new initiative which will address both victim and offender issues involving those with disabilities.

The effort comes less than a year after the death of Robert Ethan Saylor, a Maryland man with Down syndrome, at the hands of law enforcement after he refused to leave a movie theater. The incident prompted national outrage and calls for better police training and awareness.

Serving as a clearinghouse, the new center will offer a resource library, directories of attorneys, victim advocates and other experts in addition to a database of relevant state laws, organizers said. Technical assistance as well as in-person and web-based training sessions will also be offered.

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Motor Skills Linked To Autism Severity

The ability to throw or catch a ball may be a predictor of social skills success in children with autism, researchers say.

In a new study looking at 35 children ages 6 to 15 with high-functioning autism, researchers found that kids who had greater difficulty with so-called object-control motor skills — activities like throwing a ball — also displayed more trouble with social and communication skills.

“So much of the focus on autism has been on developing social skills, and that is very crucial,” said Megan MacDonald of Oregon State University and the lead author of the study published in the July issue of the journal Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly. “Yet we also know there is a link between motor skills and autism, and how deficits in these physical skills play into this larger picture is not clearly understood.”

Researchers say the finding raises questions about whether children with autism are holding back on the playground, for example, because of social skills deficits or due to physical weaknesses.

The good news, MacDonald said, is that motor skills can be taught.

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Autism Gets Hollywood Treatment In ‘Story Of Luke’

A feature film debuting at movie theaters across the country this week is giving big-screen attention to the desire among many with developmental disabilities for independence as they become adults.

“The Story of Luke” focuses on a 25-year-old with autism who is adjusting to life with relatives after his grandmother — and long-time caretaker — dies. Luke resolves to make it on his own and embarks on a journey to find a job and a girlfriend.

The fictional account is rooted in the real-life experiences of the film’s writer and director, Alonso Mayo, whose mother runs a school for those with developmental disabilities in Peru. Mayo said he was inspired to write the script after seeing many kids from his mother’s school grow into adults who yearned for the same opportunities as their typically developing peers.

“They wanted a girlfriend, they wanted to live on their own,” Mayo said. “I started seeing these young adults having the same issues everyone else has around relationships and independence.”

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Reporters Get New Guidance On Disability Lingo

In a first, the “journalist’s bible” will include guidance for reporters on how to write about mental illness and conditions like autism.

Officials behind the influential Associated Press Stylebook say they’ve added a new entry for “mental illness.”

The addition to the guide — which is relied upon by reporters at news outlets nationwide — advises journalists not to mention a diagnosis of autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other mental disorders unless it is germane to the story and properly sourced.

What’s more, when mentioning a person’s mental illness in a news story, the AP Stylebook urges reporters to be as specific as possible about their diagnosis and include examples of symptoms. Journalists are advised to “avoid descriptions that connote pity,” stay away from terms like insane, crazy, nuts or deranged and told not to assume that mental illness is associated with violent crime.

“It is the right time to address how journalists handle questions of mental illness in coverage,” said Kathleen Carroll, executive editor and senior vice president at the AP. “When is such information relevant to a story? Who is an authoritative source for a person’s illness, diagnosis and treatment? These are very delicate issues and this Stylebook entry is intended to help journalists work through them thoughtfully, accurately and fairly.”

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Kids With Autism Face Increased Suicide Risk

Children with autism are much more likely than other kids to consider taking their own lives, new research suggests.

In what’s believed to be the largest study to date looking at suicide and autism, researchers found that children with the developmental disorder were 28 times more likely than typically developing kids to contemplate or attempt suicide. Among those with autism, kids who were bullied or teased and those with depression or behavior problems were at highest risk.

The study published recently in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders looked at nearly 800 kids with autism, almost 200 without the developmental disorder and 35 kids with depression and no autism diagnosis, all between the ages of 1 and 16. Researchers reviewed interviews with the children’s mothers and looked at clinical data on the kids.

Among those with autism, 14 percent had talked about harming or killing themselves or had attempted suicide. The severity of their diagnosis and IQ score did not appear to impact whether or not a child was at risk, but certain demographic factors did. Children with autism who were male, black or Hispanic, age 10 or older and those with lower socioeconomic status did appear to be more likely to have thought about suicide.

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As Cuts To Special Education Loom, Congress Takes Break

Within days, severe budget cuts are slated to hit nearly every federal program — including special education and other disability supports — and there’s no sign of a deal on the horizon.

The sweeping automatic spending cuts will take effect March 1 unless Congress acts. For people with disabilities, the across-the-board reductions are expected to touch everything from employment assistance to housing programs, education, mental health initiatives and research dollars.

The funding chop is coming under a process known as sequestration, which was triggered in 2011 after Congress failed to reach a budget deal. The cuts were designed to be so dire that neither political party would want them to go through and the two sides would be forced to reach a deal. So far, however, that has not happened. Lawmakers already delayed the cuts once when they were were originally scheduled to take effect in January, but now hopes are dimming that another deal with be struck to avert the reductions.

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Woman With Disability Battles Mother Over Independent Living

In a hotly-contested case, a court is set to decide whether a 28-year-old with Down syndrome or her mom should determine if the young woman lives in a group home or with her friends.

Margaret “Jenny” Hatch has been living in a group home since last summer after being placed into guardianship against her will. The Virginia woman had previously lived semi-independently, for a time with her friends, Jim Talbert and Kelly Morris.

Hatch says she wants to return to Talbert and Morris’ home, but on Thursday a judge transferred the woman’s guardianship from a nonprofit organization to her mother and stepfather.

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In First, Sesame Street Goes Sensory Friendly

First it was the movies, then Broadway. Now, Sesame Street Live will do a performance designed to meet the special needs of those with autism and other disabilities.

The show Friday night at the Fox Theatre in Detroit will not be altered, but will feature several accommodations for the audience. Organizers say they are providing parents with production notes in advance so that kids can be prepared. What’s more, there will be quiet areas at the venue for anyone needing a break during the performance and extra space will be offered in the seating areas so that audience members can move around.

The performance of Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” will be the first to offer an autism-friendly experience, but those behind the show hope to do more, according to Tom Riopelle, Midwest regional director at Autism Speaks, who helped organize the event. Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Bullying Takes Toll On Kids With Autism

Children with autism are experiencing high rates of bullying and face significant emotional consequences as a result, a new study finds.

In what’s believed to be the largest look ever at autism and bullying, researchers found that 38 percent of children with the developmental disorder were bullied over a one-month period, in many cases repeatedly. What’s more, of those who were victims, 69 percent experienced emotional trauma and 8 percent were physically harmed as a result.

The findings were published this month in a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. They are based on a survey of parents of more than 1,200 kids with autism from across the country.

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High Bar Urged For Youth With Disabilities

A new federal effort is encouraging young people with disabilities — and those who come into contact with them — to set high expectations.

In a public service campaign that launched Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment is highlighting the experiences of seven Americans with varying disabilities who’ve excelled at work, sports and in life because of the support of others.

“Many people who achieve success and have found satisfaction in their careers have done so because one person believed in them and urged them to set their expectations high,” said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. “This PSA challenges viewers to rethink their ideas about what people with disabilities can achieve and consider what they might do to encourage young people with disabilities to pursue their personal and career goals.”

Those featured in the campaign include a Virginia man with Down syndrome who works for a caterer and an artist with Asperger’s syndrome who credits a teacher for helping him see his talent.

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Mom Who Abandoned Teen With Disability Won’t Face Charges

An Illinois woman who abandoned her daughter with developmental disabilities at a Tennessee bar earlier this year will not face charges, officials say.

Eva Cameron’s 19-year-old daughter — who is said to have the intellectual abilities of a 3-year-old — was found alone at a bar in Caryville, Tenn. in June without any identification, more than 500 miles from her Algonquin, Ill. home.

While saying that Cameron’s conduct was unacceptable the district attorney general in Campbell County, Tenn. said this week that the woman will not be charged.

“There is no disagreement that the actions of the mother, Eva Cameron, in this case were inexcusable,” reads a release from Lori Phillips-Jones, the district attorney general. “However, Tennessee law has not anticipated such behavior and thus the Grand Jury was faced with conduct which was not necessarily indictable.”

Officials from Phillips-Jones’s office indicated that they will be working with state lawmakers to enact new legislation to address this type of situation in the future.

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Despite Advances, Many Preemies Still Face Severe Disabilities

More babies born premature are surviving, but they are just as likely to experience serious disabilities, researchers say.

In two new studies comparing the experiences of children born premature in 1995 versus 2006, British researchers found that medical advances led to a 13 percent increase in the survival rate for babies in their first week after birth.

What’s more, when the kids were assessed around age 3, those born in 2006 were 11 percent more likely to have no disability at all.

However, the chance that children born premature in either year had developed some type of severe disability was virtually no different, according to the studies published this month in the British Medical Journal.

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Senate Rejects UN Disability Treaty

In a vote that fell almost entirely along party lines, supporters were unable to secure the two-thirds majority of senators needed to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The treaty calls for greater community access and a better standard of living for people with disabilities worldwide. The measure’s chief supporter, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said that ratifying the treaty would not require any change to U.S. law, but would afford the nation a leadership role in the international community on disability rights issues. What’s more, Kerry said participation would help ensure that Americans with disabilities would have the same protections abroad as they do domestically.

“This treaty is not about changing America, but about America changing the world,” Kerry said just before the vote, adding that the issue had become unnecessarily controversial in the deeply-partisan body. “This treaty is a test of the Senate. It’s a test of whether this body is still capable of voting for change.”

Eight Republicans joined all Senate Democrats in voting for ratification in the 61 to 38 vote. Former Republican Sen. Bob Dole, who was injured in World War II, also came to the Senate floor to support the treaty.

However, a majority of Republicans, led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, fought hard against ratification arguing that the treaty would compromise U.S. sovereignty and threaten the ability of parents to determine what’s best for their kids, statements that supporters insisted were not based in fact.

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Congress Urged To Create Tax-Free Disability Savings Accounts

Disability advocates are launching a major push to pressure Congress to pass legislation before year’s end that would offer a new way to save money without jeopardizing government benefits.

A broad coalition of three-dozen national organizations is backing the effort to support legislation known as the Achieving Better Life Experience Act, or ABLE Act. The bill would allow people with disabilities the ability to create special savings accounts where they could accrue as much as $100,000 without losing access to benefits like Social Security or Medicaid.

Advocates with the National Down Syndrome Society, Autism Speaks and The Arc are convening a press conference this Thursday on Capitol Hill to mark the one-year point since the bill was initially introduced and to revive their efforts to get the proposal enacted.

With 240 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives and 38 in the Senate, Sara Weir, vice president of advocacy at the National Down Syndrome Society, says momentum behind the bill is strong and advocates intend to capitalize on it. Weir’s group is targeting key members of Congress by flying in a group of 20 self-advocates and parents of those with disabilities from their districts across the country to lobby lawmakers in Washington this week.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Widespread ADA Violations Found On Capitol Hill

It’s been more than 20 years since Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, but today the grounds of the U.S. Capitol are still largely inaccessible to people with disabilities, a new report finds, with everything from sidewalks to bathrooms posing barriers.

The findings come from the first analysis of physical accessibility at the Capitol and the legislative office buildings surrounding it conducted by Congress’ Office of Compliance, an independent federal agency.

Investigators found 154 “barriers to access” outside House office buildings, 84 of which were deemed to pose safety risks to those with disabilities. In numerous areas, inspectors found “ramps or sidewalks that could cause wheelchairs to flip backwards or fall sideways.” Meanwhile, a random check of six restrooms in the congressional buildings found none that met standards of the ADA.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Accessible Frank Lloyd Wright Home Added To Historic Register

The only fully-accessible home ever designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright is among the latest properties to be named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The U.S. Department of the Interior recently added the Laurent House in Rockford, Ill. to its list of historic places.

The home was designed by Wright in 1949 for Kenneth Laurent, who was paralyzed while serving in World War II. In addition to switches, built-in desks and other features and furnishings designed to accommodate an individual using a wheelchair, Wright crafted the house so that it’s beauty could be appreciated from a seated position.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.