National Council on Disability Monthly Bulletin for March 20

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WASHINGTON, March 25 / PRNewswire-USNewswire / - The following is the National Council on Disability's monthly bulletin for March 2009:

NCD Bulletin

A monthly bulletin of the National Council on Disability (NCD)

John R. Vaughn, President

March 2009

NCD - 30 years of political leadership of disabled people - 1978-2008

NCD Releases veterans Paper

On 4 March NCD issued a report recommending changes in the continuum of care provided to service members and veterans of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The report, Invisible Wounds: Serving veterans and service members with PTSD and TBI (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2009/veterans.doc) deals with the experience of service members Veterans and risk of developing PTSD and TBI, and made 10 recommendations that should lead to improvement.

According to NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn, "The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are injuries resulting from the deactivation of services of many members, and can be debilitating for even more. These injuries are unprecedented in putting on families and relationships: the strain that may contribute the seriousness of the failure of member services at the time. "

"The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Administration (VA) launched a number of improvements in the delivery of health care for veterans and service members with PTSD and TBI. They are to be congratulated for these efforts, but much remains to be done, "said Vaughn.

Updated quarterly meetings

Spring NCD quarterly meeting will be held March 30 and April 1, 2009, at the Academy for Educational Development Conference Center, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

Tuesday, March 31 NCD hear Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President on disability policy, which will inform the Board on the disability policy. Later in the morning, from 10:15 h to 11:00 h, NCD published a document entitled "Federal Employment of People with Disabilities, which examines the employment situation of persons with disabilities in the federal government and makes recommendations for improving the federal hiring and promotion of disabled persons. It follows as a result of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, published in 2008 which drew attention to the problem and have also raised alarm about the decline in the percentage of federal employees with disabilities over the past years.

On Tuesday afternoon, from 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm, NCD will release its annual report to the President and Congress on Disability Policy: A Progress Report, which is mandated by Congress a snapshot of the current state of disability in the United States. Also, on Tuesday afternoon, Congress will hear NCD staff members on Capitol Hill news, and will host a reception at the place starts to 5:30 pm This is an opportunity to meet the members and staff of non-communicable diseases and offer your comments during the public comment sessions.

The agenda will include sessions on emergency preparedness, health care, employment, housing, civil rights and many other topics of interest to the disability community.

Times are designated to receive comments from the public, supported by a toll free phone line, and the contribution is greatly appreciated and encouraged. Individuals or organizations can also provide written comments by e-mail, fax or mail. Public comment sessions will be held on Monday 30 March from 11:30 to noon (EDT) and Tuesday 31 March from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm The toll free number to call 888-790 -- - 6568, and the password is "NCD Meeting."

Further details on the meeting will be posted on the NCD website www.ncd.gov when available. The agenda was also posted.

Summer NCD's quarterly meeting will be held July 20-22, 2009 Marriott City Center, 30 South 7th Street Minneapolis, MN. The autumn meeting will be held October 26-28 in Nashville, TN. The next winter quarterly meeting will be held in January 2010 in Houston, TX. Please visit http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/quarterly/quarterly.htm for details on all meetings.

Current Issues

NCD current list of issues and projects for 2009 and beyond studies and reports on:

- The current state of health care for people with disabilities - Effective Security Practices for use by communities and people with disabilities - National Disability Policy: A Progress Report - 2008 Housing Initiative - an intellectual disability and assistance from the Bill Rights Act: Implementation Evaluation and Recommendations for Reauthorization - Workforce Infrastructure in Support of People with Disabilities: Matching Human Resources needs to -- improving the participation rate of persons with disabilities in the federal

2010 National Summit on Disability Policy Update

NCD 2010 National Summit on Disability Policy will be held July 26-27, 2010 in Washington, DC.

The Summit will be a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law on July 26, 1990. We expect 300 people with disabilities and eminent speakers, including federal, community and the inability of private sector experts will be invited to participate and exchange ideas on issues significant for all disabled people and of develop recommendations for the next decade.

After the documents are still being developed to identify key factors surrounding the issues, and become the basis for discussion by delegates of the Summit as they craft recommendations for the future. Topics include civil rights (including issues of voting rights), employment (including the accumulation of assets and finances), Disability Statistics and data on education, care health (including mental health care, ie any health), security (including emergency preparedness), Housing, International, Telecommunications and Technology, and transport.

NCD is currently seeking sponsors who May be interested in supporting this important initiative. Interested parties should contact NCD executive director Mike Collins ncd@ncd.gov. NCD's first summit of disability policy took place in 1996. This resulted in a report entitled Achieving independence: The challenge for the 21st Century (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/1996/achieving.htm).

A Summit of the dedicated web page is nearing completion. Please visit http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2009/2010NationalSummit.html this spring to find the link.

NCD Launches Speakers Bureau

NCD has launched a Speakers Bureau to provide a more personal touch in the dissemination and sharing of information on initiatives NCD (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/current_issues.htm), the Documents, reports and recommendations (http:/ / www.ncd.gov / newsroom / publications / index.htm). Through this awareness, NCD board members are available to make presentations at conferences and meetings. NCD requests presentations at meetings or conferences should be addressed to John R. Vaughn, President, National Council on Disability, 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004 or email ncd@ncd.gov.


NCD Activities

On 24 March, Vice-President Pat Pound NCD presented information from the NCD Keeping Track: National Status of Persons with Disabilities and program performance indicators (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2008/Indicators_Report . html) and report of activities during the NCD Network of Community Options and Resources' management practices conference and trade show in San Francisco.

Board Members NCD Victoria Carlson and Anne attended the Rader 2009 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services money follows the person conference, held March 2-4 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Gallaudet University Honors

On 23 March Representative C. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) introduced a concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 77) to the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize and honor the signing of legislation authorizing the creation of college programs to Gallaudet University (http : / / www.gallaudet.edu/) by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. The resolution also welcomes Gallaudet University 145 years of unique and exceptional service for deaf citizens of the United States and worldwide deaf community.

Board member Robert R. NCD current Davila, Ph.D. is president of the university.

About NCD Bulletin

The Bulletin, which is also available on the NCD Web site (http://www.ncd.gov), brings you the latest news and issues affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe to the list of noncommunicable diseases, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/, click on the mailing list archives online, select NCD-NEWS-L, click on Join or leave the list, then complete the short subscription form.

Editorial comments can be sent to Bulletin editor Mark S. Quigley at mquigley@ncd.gov.

SOURCE National Council on Disability

CONTACT: Mark S. Quigley of the National Council on Disability, +1-202-272-2008, mquigley@ncd.gov



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