Thursday, September 20, 2012
Register to Vote
Register to vote at EmpowerTech every Wednesday between 3:30 and 6:00 until October 22, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Justice Department Settles with Pennsylvania School for $715,000 Over Exclusion of Child with HIV
Justice Department Settles with Pennsylvania School for $715,000 Over Exclusion of Child with HIV
The Justice Department announced today that it and the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania have reached a settlement with the Milton Hershey School of Hershey, Pa., to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement resolves allegations that the school violated the ADA by refusing to consider a child, known by the pseudonym Abraham Smith, for enrollment due to the fact that he has HIV.
Under the settlement agreement, the school is required to pay $700,000 to Smith and his mother, adopt and enforce a policy prohibiting discrimination and requiring equal opportunity for students with disabilities, including those with HIV, in the school’s programs and services, and to provide training to staff and administrators on the requirements of the ADA. T he school must also pay a $15,000 civil penalty to the United States.
“Children should not be denied educational opportunities simply because they have HIV,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “This settlement sends a clear message that unlawful discrimination against persons with HIV or AIDS will not be tolerated.”
“This is a very significant case, affirming the rights of persons with HIV, and we applaud the school for working so cooperatively to amend its position on this matter,” said Zane David Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The ADA requires public accommodations, including private schools such as the Milton Hershey School, to provide individuals with disabilities, including people with HIV, equal access to goods, services, privileges, accommodations, facilities, advantages and accommodations.
The Department of Justice provides a webpage specifically dedicated to information about the ADA and HIV at www.ada.gov/aids. Those interested in finding out more about these settlements or the obligations of public accommodations under the ADA may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or access its ADA website at www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed by email to ada.complaint@usdoj.gov.
The Justice Department announced today that it and the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania have reached a settlement with the Milton Hershey School of Hershey, Pa., to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement resolves allegations that the school violated the ADA by refusing to consider a child, known by the pseudonym Abraham Smith, for enrollment due to the fact that he has HIV.
Under the settlement agreement, the school is required to pay $700,000 to Smith and his mother, adopt and enforce a policy prohibiting discrimination and requiring equal opportunity for students with disabilities, including those with HIV, in the school’s programs and services, and to provide training to staff and administrators on the requirements of the ADA. T he school must also pay a $15,000 civil penalty to the United States.
“Children should not be denied educational opportunities simply because they have HIV,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “This settlement sends a clear message that unlawful discrimination against persons with HIV or AIDS will not be tolerated.”
“This is a very significant case, affirming the rights of persons with HIV, and we applaud the school for working so cooperatively to amend its position on this matter,” said Zane David Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The ADA requires public accommodations, including private schools such as the Milton Hershey School, to provide individuals with disabilities, including people with HIV, equal access to goods, services, privileges, accommodations, facilities, advantages and accommodations.
The Department of Justice provides a webpage specifically dedicated to information about the ADA and HIV at www.ada.gov/aids. Those interested in finding out more about these settlements or the obligations of public accommodations under the ADA may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or access its ADA website at www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed by email to ada.complaint@usdoj.gov.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Eliminating Phantom Limb Pain for People with Limb Loss
By Guest Blogger Katherine Bomkamp, CEO/President, Katherine Bomkamp International
My father recently retired after a 20 year career in the U.S. Air Force. My family lived a nomadic life, moving constantly from one military base to another. Seven states, 10 schools (K-12th grade), and 20 years later, I realize how truly lucky I was to be raised in the military community. Growing up, my parents instilled values in us that are personified by the military – one of the most important being to do everything in your power to help those around you. At 16 years old, I identified a problem experienced by many of our wounded Veterans, and I decided to do something about it.
With my father’s most recent duty station being the Pentagon, the turmoil in the Middle East was a very visible part of my daily life. On occasion, I would go with my dad to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and I will never forget my time there. I would see young people with amputated limbs who had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with their lives completely changed. Many of these men and women were not much older than me. I started researching amputations and came across phantom limb pain, or pain in a non-existent limb, which I had recently heard about in the news. Phantom pain effects 80 percent of the world’s 10 million amputees, and ranges from merely annoying to completely debilitating. Every person experiences the pain differently, and some common manifestations of the pain are cramping, burning, itching and tingling sensations.
I found that there was no medication approved on the market for phantom pain, and that most amputees are commonly prescribed antipsychotics and barbiturates, drugs that are both expensive and have a high potential addiction rate. After a challenge from my 10th grade chemistry teacher to think creatively to solve a problem in our community, at 16 years old, I decided to see what I could do to make this pain one less obstacle in our wounded Veterans’ rehabilitative process.
I came across the concept of thermal biofeedback, very concentrated and controlled heat, which had been used by researchers in Europe to completely cure a man’s phantom pain by delivering heat through electrodes placed on his skin. The heat stimulates the severed nerve endings in the residual limb, and forces the brain to focus on the heat rather than to continue to send signals and commands down to a limb that is no longer there, signals that are getting blocked in the nerve endings.
Keeping our active Veterans in mind, I decided to incorporate this concentrated heat into the prosthetic socket (where the residual limb fits into the prosthetic device) and make this therapy mobile. I embedded heating elements between a double walled prosthetic socket, which heats up and stimulates the severed nerve endings. After conversations with people with amputated limbs, a reoccurring theme seemed to be a feeling of lost control over their situation, so I decided to make the socket activated by remote control, with different heat settings so the person can choose their own heat setting based on the amount of pain they are experiencing. This gives the user control over their own pain management and allows them access to relief at anytime throughout their day.
I call my device the Pain Free Socket (PFS). In five years, I’ve taken the PFS through three stages of prototyping, filed two patents and created a company around the idea of building products to make daily life more comfortable for people living with disabilities. The PFS is currently being further commercialized, and funding will hopefully be secured soon to start proof of concept testing. I’m contacted daily by amputees wanting to be a part of testing as well as people who suffer from general chronic pain, and it is my goal for the Pain Free Socket to be commercially available by 2014.
I consider my biggest accomplishment so far to be the fact that I saw a problem in my military community and have worked hard to hopefully bring about a solution. My father’s military career in many ways has shaped me into the young adult I am today, and at the end of the day, I’m very blessed to be my father’s daughter.
My father recently retired after a 20 year career in the U.S. Air Force. My family lived a nomadic life, moving constantly from one military base to another. Seven states, 10 schools (K-12th grade), and 20 years later, I realize how truly lucky I was to be raised in the military community. Growing up, my parents instilled values in us that are personified by the military – one of the most important being to do everything in your power to help those around you. At 16 years old, I identified a problem experienced by many of our wounded Veterans, and I decided to do something about it.
With my father’s most recent duty station being the Pentagon, the turmoil in the Middle East was a very visible part of my daily life. On occasion, I would go with my dad to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and I will never forget my time there. I would see young people with amputated limbs who had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with their lives completely changed. Many of these men and women were not much older than me. I started researching amputations and came across phantom limb pain, or pain in a non-existent limb, which I had recently heard about in the news. Phantom pain effects 80 percent of the world’s 10 million amputees, and ranges from merely annoying to completely debilitating. Every person experiences the pain differently, and some common manifestations of the pain are cramping, burning, itching and tingling sensations.
I found that there was no medication approved on the market for phantom pain, and that most amputees are commonly prescribed antipsychotics and barbiturates, drugs that are both expensive and have a high potential addiction rate. After a challenge from my 10th grade chemistry teacher to think creatively to solve a problem in our community, at 16 years old, I decided to see what I could do to make this pain one less obstacle in our wounded Veterans’ rehabilitative process.
I came across the concept of thermal biofeedback, very concentrated and controlled heat, which had been used by researchers in Europe to completely cure a man’s phantom pain by delivering heat through electrodes placed on his skin. The heat stimulates the severed nerve endings in the residual limb, and forces the brain to focus on the heat rather than to continue to send signals and commands down to a limb that is no longer there, signals that are getting blocked in the nerve endings.
Keeping our active Veterans in mind, I decided to incorporate this concentrated heat into the prosthetic socket (where the residual limb fits into the prosthetic device) and make this therapy mobile. I embedded heating elements between a double walled prosthetic socket, which heats up and stimulates the severed nerve endings. After conversations with people with amputated limbs, a reoccurring theme seemed to be a feeling of lost control over their situation, so I decided to make the socket activated by remote control, with different heat settings so the person can choose their own heat setting based on the amount of pain they are experiencing. This gives the user control over their own pain management and allows them access to relief at anytime throughout their day.
I call my device the Pain Free Socket (PFS). In five years, I’ve taken the PFS through three stages of prototyping, filed two patents and created a company around the idea of building products to make daily life more comfortable for people living with disabilities. The PFS is currently being further commercialized, and funding will hopefully be secured soon to start proof of concept testing. I’m contacted daily by amputees wanting to be a part of testing as well as people who suffer from general chronic pain, and it is my goal for the Pain Free Socket to be commercially available by 2014.
I consider my biggest accomplishment so far to be the fact that I saw a problem in my military community and have worked hard to hopefully bring about a solution. My father’s military career in many ways has shaped me into the young adult I am today, and at the end of the day, I’m very blessed to be my father’s daughter.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Student Story...Finds a Job!
One of our ultimate goals of our programs here at EmpowerTech is empowering our students to live a more socially inclusive life through the use of assistive technology. We recognize the fact that some of our students will never know what it’s like to get up in the morning and leave for work, earn a paycheck, go on a break with one of their work colleagues or use their training they’ve learned here to send out an interoffice email.
But to me, as the executive director it is my private wish that they could all get a job so that they can find the fulfillment that I get working every day (well almost every day) in the position that I have at an organization I love.
Last week my private wish came true for our student Max.
Many of you have met Max our chatter box, with a huge vocabulary that he uses to greet all that walk through our door. Max is known for his inquisitive questions about everything (and I mean everything), he is also known in our program as one of our mentors as he caught on very quickly to MS Office Suite and likes to help his classmates. Max is a complete Southern Californian “dude” with the surf attire and sense of humor all his own. I am always kidding him that he never send me any emails of his work like some of the other students do, he jokingly replies, that it’s on his to-do list.
Last week as I was looking through my inbox I saw an email address that I didn’t recognize, to my surprise and delight it was from Max.
Here’s our email exchange.
“ Hi,
I will be working at 20th Century Fox Entertainment near Century City Mall. I start sometime in the middle of June, but I don't know what day in June yet. Rachel from Best Buddies will give me my start date. As soon as I find out what day I start, I will let you know. She is going to try to work around my schedule.
I will be printing 6,000 emails a month, filling different papers and attachments. It will be a fun job for me. I was very excited that I got the job.
Best,
Max”
“Max, you have come a very long way with your computer skills. I am very proud of you and the work you are doing. You will be a great addition to the team over at Century Fox
Be well,
Joan”
“I bet I will do a nice job.”
Please join me in congratulating Max on his new job!
But to me, as the executive director it is my private wish that they could all get a job so that they can find the fulfillment that I get working every day (well almost every day) in the position that I have at an organization I love.
Last week my private wish came true for our student Max.
Many of you have met Max our chatter box, with a huge vocabulary that he uses to greet all that walk through our door. Max is known for his inquisitive questions about everything (and I mean everything), he is also known in our program as one of our mentors as he caught on very quickly to MS Office Suite and likes to help his classmates. Max is a complete Southern Californian “dude” with the surf attire and sense of humor all his own. I am always kidding him that he never send me any emails of his work like some of the other students do, he jokingly replies, that it’s on his to-do list.
Last week as I was looking through my inbox I saw an email address that I didn’t recognize, to my surprise and delight it was from Max.
Here’s our email exchange.
“ Hi,
I will be working at 20th Century Fox Entertainment near Century City Mall. I start sometime in the middle of June, but I don't know what day in June yet. Rachel from Best Buddies will give me my start date. As soon as I find out what day I start, I will let you know. She is going to try to work around my schedule.
I will be printing 6,000 emails a month, filling different papers and attachments. It will be a fun job for me. I was very excited that I got the job.
Best,
Max”
“Max, you have come a very long way with your computer skills. I am very proud of you and the work you are doing. You will be a great addition to the team over at Century Fox
Be well,
Joan”
“I bet I will do a nice job.”
Please join me in congratulating Max on his new job!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
New low-cost handheld device offers independence for millions of Americans with low vision
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA: Enhanced Vision, America’s leading manufacturer of magnifying solutions for people with low vision, launched a powerful new lightweight hand-held device today that can bring affordable independence to the 15 Million+ Americans with low vision , such as macular degeneration. At just $295 and weighing less than 4 ounces, “Pebble-mini” is an exciting new vision device that gives users the freedom to read menus, check price tags, write checks, and much more while on the go.
Pebble Mini
The Pebble features:
•Bright, 3.0” high resolution LCD display that magnifies words and objects from 2-10X the normal size
•Choice of 28 viewing modes
•“Freeze image” feature with capability to magnify and change modes
•Image capture with save and recall
•Adjustable brightness
•Charge with USB into outlet or pc and
•Protective pouch and neck strap
•Hands-free reading stand
•2 year warranty
Currently, more than 15 million people in the United States are diagnosed with low vision, such as Macular Degeneration which makes everyday activities like reading, writing, and ordering at restaurants a real challenge. And with America’s aging population, this number is expected to double by 2020. Leading eye care specialists have discovered that video magnification is a solution for these individuals to regain and maintain their independence.
“With the Pebble-mini, we’re giving people the confidence to do everyday activities again with a single, simple device,” said Barron Javaheri, President at Enhanced Vision. “Instead of carrying around multiple magnifiers, Pebble-mini adapts to a wide range of situations, so it grows as a user’s condition changes. And at a price that’s hundreds of dollars less than competing products, it’s the ideal solution at this challenging time.”
Swiss company develops app for blind people to recognize products
Europe Apr 30, 2012
Codecheck, the Swiss company has developed app that help people who are blind and low vision to recognize products. The app detects and reads what is written on the package.
By filming the barcode on the packaging, the app recognizes the product. The bar code contains the unique number by which each product can be identified worldwide.
The checkcode database has 9 million products baring this number in it.
Since it is difficult for people who are blind and low vision to find the barcode on the package, Codecheck has collaborated with the Swiss Federation for the Blind and people who are blind and low vision and developers to augment Scandit barcode scanning SDK with a function called “ScanGuide,” which guides the user through the barcode recognition process from start to finish.
Once the user’s camera has reached an ideal position, the Codecheck app scans the barcode and walks the user through the process of accessing product information such as ingredients, quality labels, environmental impact, and reviews. The auxiliary function guides the user with an artificial voice and gives him directions to find the bar code on the package.
Codecheck’s app is free and available for Swiss users, and the new “ScanGuide” feature is available for the price of 24,99 Euro.
By Aqeel Qureshi
Codecheck, the Swiss company has developed app that help people who are blind and low vision to recognize products. The app detects and reads what is written on the package.
By filming the barcode on the packaging, the app recognizes the product. The bar code contains the unique number by which each product can be identified worldwide.
The checkcode database has 9 million products baring this number in it.
Since it is difficult for people who are blind and low vision to find the barcode on the package, Codecheck has collaborated with the Swiss Federation for the Blind and people who are blind and low vision and developers to augment Scandit barcode scanning SDK with a function called “ScanGuide,” which guides the user through the barcode recognition process from start to finish.
Once the user’s camera has reached an ideal position, the Codecheck app scans the barcode and walks the user through the process of accessing product information such as ingredients, quality labels, environmental impact, and reviews. The auxiliary function guides the user with an artificial voice and gives him directions to find the bar code on the package.
Codecheck’s app is free and available for Swiss users, and the new “ScanGuide” feature is available for the price of 24,99 Euro.
By Aqeel Qureshi
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
What’s in a definition? Everything when it comes to a diagnosis of autism.
By Guest Blogger Taryn Williams, Policy Advisor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
A recent debate among mental health professionals, families and disability advocates is flaming passions about what it means to be an individual with autism. The American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.), the standard reference for mental health professionals, is in the process of being updated. The APA, which defines autism, is proposing a new and more restrictive criterion for the disorder. That process, and the potential for a narrowed definition, is pitting families and advocates against the experts who traditionally work with them.
During the period of public comment, experts and parents revealed high levels of concern about the new definition, including that some children may not exhibit all of the behavioral and social interaction deficits necessary to meet the new standards. The intensity of the debate is indicative of the level of emotion surrounding the need to ensure that every individual has access to the supports and services he or she need to become successful. Underlying these concerns are worries by parents that their children will not be deemed autistic, and therefore will be ineligible for the specific services that can help ensure future success. What this means: Parents may be forced to emphasize the functional limitations of their child’s particular behaviors in order to access services and supports.
While there has been an abundance of media coverage detailing the concerns of parents, numerous articles explaining the concerns of mental health professionals, few describing the implications to youth. Recently Temple Grandin shared her concerns about the “downside of Autism Awareness.” In an article published earlier this month on Salon.com, she says, “I visit people in [autism] meetings, and a 9-year-old will come up and want to talk about his autism. I’d rather talk about his science project. You get fixated on your favorite thing as a kid, and now kids are getting fixated on autism instead of dogs or medieval knights. I’d rather get them to fixate on that something that could give them a career.”
Further, what impacts might a continued focus on functional limitations have on the expectations that are so critical to later success? What message do we send to youth with autism when we are forced to focus not on what they can do, but on what they struggle to do?
Research conducted by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth and its funder, the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, suggests that there are a series of supports and services that all youth, including youth with disabilities such as those with autism, need in order to successfully transition. These supports, which include strong academic preparation; career and work based learning; youth development and leadership; connection to outside supports such as healthcare, transportation and housing; and family involvement, are the keys to the transition into adulthood for all youth.
In the past few decades, a number of strategies have been identified that enable individuals with disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive employment. One such strategy is customized employment, which pairs an individual’s strengths, skills and interests with an employers needs in the workplace.
As the debate rages on, I hope that the conversations broaden to include a focus – beyond the label – on what steps can be taken now to prepare youth for future self sufficiency no matter if they are on or off the spectrum.
For more information:
A recent debate among mental health professionals, families and disability advocates is flaming passions about what it means to be an individual with autism. The American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.), the standard reference for mental health professionals, is in the process of being updated. The APA, which defines autism, is proposing a new and more restrictive criterion for the disorder. That process, and the potential for a narrowed definition, is pitting families and advocates against the experts who traditionally work with them.
During the period of public comment, experts and parents revealed high levels of concern about the new definition, including that some children may not exhibit all of the behavioral and social interaction deficits necessary to meet the new standards. The intensity of the debate is indicative of the level of emotion surrounding the need to ensure that every individual has access to the supports and services he or she need to become successful. Underlying these concerns are worries by parents that their children will not be deemed autistic, and therefore will be ineligible for the specific services that can help ensure future success. What this means: Parents may be forced to emphasize the functional limitations of their child’s particular behaviors in order to access services and supports.
While there has been an abundance of media coverage detailing the concerns of parents, numerous articles explaining the concerns of mental health professionals, few describing the implications to youth. Recently Temple Grandin shared her concerns about the “downside of Autism Awareness.” In an article published earlier this month on Salon.com, she says, “I visit people in [autism] meetings, and a 9-year-old will come up and want to talk about his autism. I’d rather talk about his science project. You get fixated on your favorite thing as a kid, and now kids are getting fixated on autism instead of dogs or medieval knights. I’d rather get them to fixate on that something that could give them a career.”
Further, what impacts might a continued focus on functional limitations have on the expectations that are so critical to later success? What message do we send to youth with autism when we are forced to focus not on what they can do, but on what they struggle to do?
Research conducted by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth and its funder, the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, suggests that there are a series of supports and services that all youth, including youth with disabilities such as those with autism, need in order to successfully transition. These supports, which include strong academic preparation; career and work based learning; youth development and leadership; connection to outside supports such as healthcare, transportation and housing; and family involvement, are the keys to the transition into adulthood for all youth.
In the past few decades, a number of strategies have been identified that enable individuals with disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive employment. One such strategy is customized employment, which pairs an individual’s strengths, skills and interests with an employers needs in the workplace.
As the debate rages on, I hope that the conversations broaden to include a focus – beyond the label – on what steps can be taken now to prepare youth for future self sufficiency no matter if they are on or off the spectrum.
For more information:
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