NCD Bulletin
A Monthly Publication of the National Council on Disability (NCD)

Marca Bristo, Chairperson
December 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).

IDEA Report Release Update

NCD will conduct a news conference to highlight the release of its report Back to School on Civil Rights on Tuesday, January 25, 2000, at 9:00 a.m., not 10:00 a.m. as indicated in the November issue of NCD Bulletin. The location remains the same--Room 902, Senate Hart Office Building, Second Street and Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC. Back to School on Civil Rights is the second in NCD's "Unequal Protection Under Law" series of independent analyses of federal civil rights enforcement for Americans with disabilities. This report will assess a quarter of a century of federal enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and will offer recommendations to the President and Congress for how IDEA can be better enforced.

Work Incentives Update

On December 17, President Clinton signed into law the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, Public Law 106-170, which allows individuals with disabilities to retain their Medicare benefits longer than had been previously allowed, and removes limits on the Medicaid buy-in option for workers with disabilities. The law also modernizes the employment services system for people with disabilities, and extends tax provisions for working families, education, the environment, and scientific research. This law affirms the basic principle stated in the Americans with Disabilities Act: that all Americans should have the same opportunities to be productive citizens. NCD commends the inexhaustible efforts of the disability community's grassroots organizations in working with congressional leaders to bring this bipartisan measure to fruition. The Work Incentives Improvement Act now moves to the states, where the nuts-and-bolts work of enabling greater participation for individuals who are disabled will take place.

According to the White House, this was the last piece of legislation signed by the President in this century. The event took place at the FDR Memorial.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) contracted with the Gallup Organization to perform a market survey and analysis of the availability of organizations, either public or private, to serve as employment networks (ENs) in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These ENs will be responsible for coordination and delivery of services to disability beneficiaries under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. Participation in this survey is NOT a part of the eligibility application process. SSA is researching the characteristics of the organizations that are likely to apply for eligibility.

In late January 2000, survey questionnaires will be mailed to potential ENs from a list compiled by Gallup. The list is not comprehensive, and all public and private organizations providing employment, vocational rehabilitation, or other support services are encouraged to participate in this survey. The questionnaire will also be available on the World Wide Web.

If you have any questions or your organization would like to be included in this study, please call Gallup's toll-free hotline at 1-800-497-1065 or send an email to SSA_EN@gallup.com. Please leave the name of your organization, the name of a contact person at your organization, your organization's address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address. For more information about the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, please visit the Social Security Administration's Web site at http://www.ssa.gov/work/legislation.htm.

Initiative 2000 Update

Initiative 2000 (I2K), which will highlight the passage of the 10th anniversary of ADA and more, will begin its "Torch Across America" relay by lighting the torch at a celebration on February 24 in Houston, Texas. The actual relay will begin on June 11 in Houston, Texas, and conclude on August 7 in New York City. The relay will help focus on the positive changes brought about by ADA. Currently, more than 500 activities are being planned across the country. Three Web sites will be supplying information on the activities. The primary site (http://www.inititative2000.org) will continue to act as a one-stop shop for networking. A separate torch relay site is under development, along with the American Association of People with Disabilities site (http://www.aapd-dc.org). More I2K information will be forthcoming in February. NCD is among the more than 30 organizations pledging support for these activities.

International Update

Dr. Yerker Andersson, who facilitates NCD's Foreign Policy Team, represented NCD at the Interregional Seminar and Symposium on International Norms and Standards relating to Disability in Hong Kong, December 13-17. The symposium was hosted by the Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission and the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, in cooperation with the United Nations. Fifty-four participants attended from 11 countries.