| NCD Bulletin
A Monthly Publication of the National Council
on Disability (NCD)
Marca Bristo, Chairperson
July 1999
The Bulletin, which is free of charge, and at NCD’s award-winning Web site (http://www.ncd.gov), brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the NCD listserv, send a blank e-mail to add-bulletin@list.ncd.gov or remove-bulletin@list.ncd.gov. No need to write anything in the subject line or body. Please send your editorial comments to Bulletin editor Mark S. Quigley (mquigley@ncd.gov).
White House Forum on Disability and Cultural Diversity
On July 26, NCD released the executive summary from its report,
Lift
Every Voice: Modernizing Disability Policies and Programs to Serve
a Diverse Nation, at a White House forum on disability and cultural
diversity that also celebrated the ninth anniversary of the passage
of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The forum, convened
by the White House and NCD with support from the Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights (LCCR), focused on how to improve outcomes in education,
employment, and civil rights enforcement for people with disabilities
from diverse cultural backgrounds.
NCD chairperson Marca Bristo commended the senior White House and
Administration officials and members of Congress who, by making
time to participate in the forum, recognized the importance of addressing
the ongoing barriers faced by people with disabilities from diverse
cultural backgrounds. LCCR played a pivotal role in the passage
of ADA. During her remarks, LCCR chairperson Dr. Dorothy I. Height,
an icon in the civil rights movement, acknowledged NCD's report
and said she was looking forward to working with the disability
and civil rights communities to elevate the voices of minorities
with disabilities and thereby make the policy landscape more inclusive
and responsive to the needs of this important population. The list
of forum speakers also included Representative James E. Clyburn
(D-SC); Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA); Representative Steny H. Hoyer
(D-MD); Representative Robert C. Scott (D-VA); Alexis M. Herman,
secretary, U.S. Department of Labor; Janet Reno, attorney general,
U.S. Department of Justice; Richard W. Riley, secretary, U.S. Department
of Education; Rodney E. Slater, secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation;
Kenneth S. Apfel, commissioner, Social Security Administration;
Mary Beth Cahill, assistant to the president and director of the
White House Office of Public Liaison; Ida L. Castro, chairperson,
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Tony Coelho, chairman,
President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities;
William E. Kennard, commissioner, Federal Communications Commission;
Justin Dart, disability advocate; and LaDonna Fowler, founding member,
American Indian Rehabilitation Rights Organization of Warriors.
The full NCD report, which will be released later this year in
English, Cantonese, Spanish, and in alternative formats, follows
up on a groundbreaking 1993 NCD report entitled Meeting
the Unique Needs of Minorities with Disabilities. NCD's report
contains a number of recommendations for the President and Congress,
including a proposed multi-agency initiative to provide ongoing,
intensive "know-your-rights" seminars in diverse communities
throughout the country that would cover a range of disability civil
rights laws and disability assistance programs.
NCD Convenes Youth Transitioning Conference
On July 21, NCD convened a policy roundtable discussion on the
transition of youth with disabilities to employment and postsecondary
education. The conference, which was sponsored by NCD and the Social
Security Administration, was designed to formulate policy recommendations
for the President and Congress.
Paul Hearne Leadership Awards
On July 5, the American Association of People with Disabilities
(AAPD) announced the Paul G. Hearne Leadership Awards for People
with Disabilities. Named in honor of the disability leader and former
NCD executive director who spent his life opening doors and removing
barriers to achievement for people with disabilities, the program
is cosponsored by AAPD and the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation.
For an application, please contact the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation,
60 East 42nd Street, Suite 1651, New York, New York; 212-687-7735;
212-697-5495 fax. Applications must be postmarked by August 31,
1999.
Telecommunications Update
On July 21, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules
and policies to implement Section 255 of the Telecommunications
Act of 1996 and Section 251 (a)(2) of the Communications Act of
1934, which require manufacturers of telecommunications equipment
and providers of telecommunications services to ensure that such
equipment and services are accessible to and usable by persons with
disabilities, if readily achievable. These rules will give people
with disabilities access to a broad range of products and services,
such as telephones, cell phones, pagers, callwaiting, and operator
services that they cannot use today.
NCD Announces Fellowship Program
On July 19, NCD announced the establishment of the National Disability
Fellowship Program in Washington, DC, which will identify and develop
new leaders with disabilities to enhance NCD's policy capacity.
The annual program will provide experience, training, and contacts
to qualified individuals with disabilities. Selected fellows will
receive benefits (including health insurance), a competitive stipend
to cover living expenses, and reasonable relocation expenses. The
first appointment, which will not exceed one year, will begin in
January 2000. To be considered for the fellowship, applicants must
be U.S. citizens with at least a baccalaureate degree at the time
of application and must self-identify as individuals with disabilities.
For copies of the application, contact NCD's Stacey Brown at 202-272-2004,
202-272-2074 (TTY) or 202-272-2022 (fax).
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