Living Forward

National Center on Accessibility in Indiana

ewilliams — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:11:00 GMT

When a person has a disability, there are times when certain areas may not be accessible to them. That unfortunate fact can be even more applicable when a person uses a wheelchair or other mobility device.

This problem is becoming more apparent to companies and organizations. In the past, parks and other recreational areas have sometimes lacked accessible features. Because of the need for universal design, as well as the teamwork and compassion of companies such as the National Center on Accessibility (NCA), more parks are becoming accessible.

What is the National Center on Accessibility?
The National Center On Accessibility (NCA) is an organization that works to be sure local parks, recreation areas and tourist spots are accessible to all. Universal design plays a role in helping make that possible. Together, with the cooperation of the National Park Service, the NCA actively promotes inclusion of people with disabilities through accessible design.

What are Some Services of the NCA?
The NCA provides educational training courses to help parks and other recreational facilities become accessible using universal design. Also offered are distance learning courses and specialized training.

The distance learning courses are designed to further educate park designers, programmers and even those with disabilities or other consumers. Some of the distance learning courses on universal design are free of charge. Course topics include accessibility guidelines, research findings on universal design implementation, rulemaking and much more.

An active role in the research of accessibility and universal design is taken by the NCA. For instance, studies are being done on the installation and ease of use of assistive devices on beaches. Campgrounds policies are also being researched.

Sports arenas and other cultural venues are being studied to improve accommodation policies and accessibility for persons with disabilities. Research is also being done on outdoor picnic features with regards to universal design. These are just some of the many research projects the NCA has been or is involved with regarding accessibility and universal design.

Research publications and videos are also available through the NCA to anyone interested in learning more about accessible and universal design. Some of the research materials are provided at no charge. Materials available include videos, such as "Retrofitting for Accessibility," which is made for parks, and explains the standards for the restrooms, parking, entrances and more.

How Can a Person or Organization Benefit From the NCA?
Many with disabilities can benefit from the services provided by the NCA, as these services help make public recreational areas more accessible through universal design. Universal design allows inclusion that may not have been as readily available in previous designs.

Organizations benefit through knowledge, which allows them to create more accessible designs through a more universal design plan. Another benefit for organizations and individuals could simply be the feeling one gets from helping others. The NCA also accepts volunteers.

Source:
National Center on Accessibility

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Rebecca Ogle and Joyce Bender Advocate for Disability Rights

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:09:00 GMT

Are you a person with a disability who is unemployed due to discrimination in the work place? You are not alone. Rebecca Ogle and Joyce Bender are here to help.

Both of them believe that a person should be hired based on their skills, not rejected based on their disabilities. Because of the persistence of these two individuals, many more Americans with disabilities have been able to enter the workforce.

Who is Rebecca Ogle?
Rebecca, or Becky, Ogle is a Tennessee native who was born with spina bifida. She felt her disability gave her a disadvantage at school because back then, as she says, "the school systems were pretty much ineffective and inadequate." She later accepted her disability and noted that it was at that moment of acceptance that she felt her greatest joy.

In college, Becky majored in social work. However, it was difficult because during that time period, she could only take the courses that were accessible to her, which excluded some things. Although she admits that schools have improved immensely, she says, "We still have a long way to go to ensure that children with disabilities receive an appropriate education."

Based on her unfair experiences she throughout life, as well as the influence of her mother, Becky decided she would advocate for people with disabilities.

Who is Joyce Bender?
Joyce Bender, like Becky Ogle, advocates for those with disabilities. For 10 years, Bender dealt with the symptoms of epilepsy, not knowing what it really was. Doctors continually misdiagnosed the seizures and loss of consciousness she was experiencing as flu symptoms.

It wasn't until a severe seizure caused her to crash to the floor that she found out her real diagnosis of epilepsy. Because of that incident and the ear fracture that occurred, Bender experienced a 40 percent hearing loss in one ear. It is that experience that led her to wonder how many individuals, like her, had trouble returning to work due to disabilities.

What Have These Two Accomplished?
In 1989, Becky Ogle acted as the director of governmental affairs and advocacy for the Spina Bifida Association of America. This position allowed her to play an active role in lobbying for the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In addition to her work continuing to protect the ADA, Becky also was head to Project: Access Ability at the National Association for Medical Equipment Services, worked with the Clinton-Gore campaigns of 1992 and 1996, acted as a consultant, headed up a coalition for raising the caps on lifetime insurance and was appointed as executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities in 1998.

Joyce started a firm called Partners in Placement. In this firm, she helped place those with disabilities with companies needing employees. Prior to starting Partners in Placement, Joyce was placing people on her own, but realized there was a greater need than she could satisfy. Partners in Placement allowed a way for more people with disabilities to get placed in jobs. Bender also started a second company, in which individuals with disabilities could receive training, as well as job placement.

Source:
Amputee Coalition

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National Rehabilitation Information Center Helps Those with Disabilities Get What They Need

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:46:00 GMT

The National Rehabilitation Information Center is a 25-year-old organization dedicated to being an information clearing house for anyone wanting information on disability and rehabilitation information. The National Rehabilitation Information Center features more than 70,000 articles on disability and rehabilitation topics and is actively working to make the entire collection accessible online.

Disability Topics

Types of Disabilities Covered
Visitors to the National Rehabilitation Information Center Website can search on a broad range of disability subjects including advocacy, housing and employment issues; a broad range of conditions, including mental health conditions; disaster preparedness and more.

Contact Information
If you have a complex question or trouble finding what you're looking for, you can contact the National Rehabilitation Information Center directly at (800) 346-2742 or (301)459-5984 for TTY users. Information specialists can help you with your information requests during normal business hours Monday through Friday.

Getting Help Online
The National Rehabilitation Information Center now has an online chat facility that allows you to contact an information specialist directly online. If you have a query outside of regular business hours, they'll get back to you within a day.

The National Rehabilitation Information Center also has a particularly useful search feature that's designed specifically to research assistance tools for those interested in disability and rehabilitation issues. These include needs assessments, checklists and surveys.

Publications
Like many organizations with a focus on disability advocacy and information, the National Rehabilitation Information Center offers a range of publications, including RehabWire, which is available online in both PDF and HTML formats. The site also offers brochures featuring librarian-selected content on eleven critical issues such as assistive technology, spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury and children with special needs.

Subscribing to a Monthly Newsletter
Monthly electronic alerts on dozens of subjects are also available for subscription. You choose the topics you're interested in, and they are combined into a single, personalized monthly newsletter. Topics range from concerns like burn injuries and self-care to information on grants and research projects, making this newsletter feature suitable to a range of audiences. Subscriptions to this resource are free, but the National Rehabilitation Information Center recommends limiting yourself to five topics. They add so much new content each month that it is possible for the newsletters to become too large for your inbox!

Available in Spanish
While not all of the National Rehabilitation Information Center's resources are available in Spanish, they do offer a list of organizations that are Spanish language focused or have specific Spanish language resources available on a range of disability and rehabilitation topics.

A National Rehabilitation Information Center directory isn't your last stop in searching for the information you need when living with a disability, but its comprehensive resources make it a fantastic starting place, whether you are looking for information or a pointer to services for you or your family.

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P&A: Protection and Advocacy Agencies Give Justice to People with Disabilities

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:42:00 GMT

People with disabilities have PADD to protect them from discrimination.

PADD is the acronym for federal Protection & Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, a key service from the National Disability Rights Network, based in Washington, D.C. Support comes from the federal government.

A person with a disability who seeks representation is referred to a trained protection advocate, or P&A, close to where they live. This allows the P&A to serve and function in a grassroots manner, rather than as part of a huge bureaucracy.

PADD Services

Employment
For example, a P&A can help a person with a disability find employment. The person then will want to know what will happen to their disability benefits. A trained P&A knows all the ins and outs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, housing, food stamps, transportation and even TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families).

If a person believes they were not hired because of their disability, or were given a different type of job because of the disability, then a P&A offers legal representation. The same is true if a person perceives they were not given the help they needed to perform their job, or if supervisors or co-workers were not providing fair treatment.

Criminal Justice
Criminal justice is another concern. A P&A will assist a person with a disability who winds up in jail or a prison cell, not just with basic rights, but also getting medications. If a person with a disability is in danger of harming himself or herself, a P&A will take action.

A person who is imprisoned may receive a letter stating that they are losing Social Security benefits because of "fugitive felon" status. Sometimes this happens wrongly or mistakenly, and the P&A will serve as a contact with Social Security in order for the benefits to be restored.

Services for Children with Disabilities
Many children with disabilities are placed into special education. A P&A will work to ensure that the youngster receives a proper curriculum, assistive technology and an IEP (Individual Education Program). The IEP must be updated annually.

Issues with nursing homes and other group living facilities can be resolved through a P&A.

The Web site to find a P&A in your home state is www.ndrn.org, and the telephone number is (202) 408-9514. Persons with hearing disabilities may call (202) 408-9521.

National Disability Rights Network staff members may refer a person to the Client Assistant Program, which is slightly different from services offered by a P&A. Either way, the person with a disability receives assistance.

Source:
www.ndrn.org

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NDRN: National Disability Rights Network Advocates for All

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:29:00 GMT

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is known as landmark legislation.

Lesser known, but also very important, is the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000. This legislation created the National Disability Rights Network, or NDRN, based in Washington, D.C.

The NDRN provides the Client Assistance Program and Protection & Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, through localized assistance available in all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and all United States territories. NDRN is the largest provider of legal advocate services to people with disabilities in the United States.

NDRN's Mission
The mission of the nonprofit National Disability Rights Network is "to create a society in which people with disabilities are afforded equality of opportunity and are able to fully participate by exercising choice and self-determination."

Client Services
People who qualify have physical, mental, cognitive and sensory disabilities. NDRN is their client advocate for receiving basic rights in health care, education, employment, housing, transportation and within the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

In addition to personal services for people with disabilities, NDRN also lobbies for government action. An example is the ADA Amendments Act, which would overturn U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have resulted in some people with disabilities failing to qualify under the original ADA. For example, epilepsy might not be considered a disability if prescription medicines were taken to "moderate" its effects.

"Bipartisan Congressional action sent a strong message to the federal courts that they have incorrectly interpreted the coverage of the ADA," stated Curt Decker, executive director of NDRN. "The ADA Amendments Act rightfully restores full coverage (to) a vast majority of people with disabilities to receive their day in court on issues of discrimination that they face. Congress intended the ADA's coverage to be broad, to cover anyone who faces unfair discrimination because of a disability."

Plans for NDRN
The National Disability Rights Network's next step will be monitoring the implementation and enforcement of the ADA Amendments Act, just as it monitors all existing laws. This often includes interacting with a variety of federal agencies.

NDRN, on occasion, has filed amicus briefs in court cases that were started by other individuals or organizations. One example is a case to require movie theaters to provide seating for people with disabilities at all levels, not just in the front row. Another helps people with disabilities qualify for employment driving light trucks.

The address for the National Disability Rights Network is 900 Second St., NE, Suite 211, Washington, D.C. 20002. The phone number is (202) 408-9514, or for people with hearing disabilities, (202) 408-9521. General inquiries may be sent to info@ndrn.org.

Source:
www.ndrn.org

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Larry Fair Founds Live Internet Weddings, Accessible to Everyone

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:25:00 GMT

Seven years ago, Larry Fair of Waikiki was watching a couple take vows in a small "destination wedding" on the exotic island of Oahu, Hawaii. Trade breezes were blowing, the palm trees were swaying, the sands were white, and the waters and the sky were brilliant shades of blue.

"Hmmm," Fair thought. Family and friends could be watching on the Internet. That simple thought generated the concept for Live Internet Weddings, which now produces and webcasts about three nuptials per week.

His clients have come from as far as England, Iraq, Japan and Australia, as well as from the United States mainland.

Fair's son, Joshua, quit a corporate office job in Indiana in 2004 to join the enterprise.

Larry Fair says he came up with the idea at the right time. In the 1990s, people were getting hip to the Internet, but few had the broadband connections necessary for streaming video. Nowadays, Nielsen/NetRatings reports that two-thirds of U.S. computer users subscribe to broadband.

Why not just make a video of the wedding and show it later? Well, that's still possible, but Fair says that the thrill comes with having loved ones able to watch live. The professional DVD becomes a personal keepsake, complete with music and animated effects. If a couple wants to be old fashioned, however, they can still get a slide show.

Instead of invitations, Live Internet Weddings sends out "e-vites" to tell folks when and how to watch.

Larry and Joshua Fair make sure they are well-rewarded for each wedding, with a typical fee of several thousand dollars, depending on the selected options. Still, a live wedding on the Internet is a whole lot cheaper than flying relatives and friends to Oahu. Many of their clients have said that this modern-day option leaves them more cash for the honeymoon.

As far as the honeymoon, Live Internet Weddings also works with resorts and hotels to provide travel and booking arrangements.

Joshua Fair says that because of the Internet option, couples choose to marry in Hawaii when they otherwise may not have chosen to carry out such a dream. No longer must they be concerned with mom and dad missing the ceremony, or grandma and grandpa not being there. Viewers may feel "a little jealous" in seeing all the sun and surf, but they can at least watch. This also can be an advantage for loved ones with disabilities, who may find travel difficult.

Larry Fair is a 50-something man who worked for Indianapolis Power & Light Company before he made the mid-life move to Oahu. When he came up with the idea for Live Internet Weddings, he said he needed to persuade Joshua to join him, because Larry lacked expertise with cameras, video equipment and webcasting.

Father and son, says Larry Fair, taught themselves, made mistakes and struggled a bit. Now they are glad they made the decision. So are dozens of newlyweds.

Live Internet Weddings can be contacted toll free at 1-888-859-5455 or through the company's Website, where couples can sample an array of scenic locations and make their choices.

Sources:
http://www.liveinternetweddings.com
http://liveinternetweddings.com/the%20boston%20globe.htm

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Isaac Lidsky Leads the Way as U.S. Supreme Court's First Blind Law Clerk

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:16:00 GMT

Isaac Lidsky has gone from child acting star to U.S. Supreme Court law clerk, all before the age of 30. In the process, he has served as a role model for refusing to allow a major disability to stand in his way.

Lidsky became the high court's first blind law clerk in June 2008. His work requires hours upon hours of reading petitions and writing decision drafts, but he says these aren't problematic tasks because modern, assistive technology is available.

Becoming a Star
Lidsky's story has been told on the CBS television news magazine show, 60 Minutes, and in other media venues.

He still had his eyesight during the early 1990s when he starred as the character "Weasel" on NBC's Saved by the Bell: The New Class. But at the age of 13, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a retinal degenerative disease, and during the next 10 years gradually lost his sight.

Lidsky had a good idea what he would face, because two of his older sisters also have retinitis pigmentosa. He decided to take a new direction instead of acting. He enrolled in applied mathematics and computer science at Harvard and in 1999 graduated with honors.

Establishing a Business
Isaac Lidsky wasted no time in "applying" his math and computer skills. Within a month of graduating, he joined his brother-in-law, Joseph Zawadski, and a friend, Theodore Shergalis, to establish an Internet advertising company called Poindexter Systems in Manhattan.

Poindexter Systems remains a success, and Lidsky made some good profit on the ground floor. He decided to sell his share in the business after only two years to take on another challenge. He is the son of a lawyer and always dreamed of following in the same footsteps. He returned to Harvard to pursue a law degree, and this time he got involved with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, where he had spent many of his previous college years as a filter reader.

Lidsky's Work History
Lidsky's main interest was cyber law. Even while hitting the books for his regular classes, he got involved in several Berkman Center projects, including the World Wide Content Initiative. Lidsky served a stint as its chief executive officer, achieving status as a Berkman Center Fellow. He also assisted various professors with research, preparation for seminars and teaching in their classrooms. He was active with the Harvard Law Review.

Life in the U.S. Supreme Court
To serve the U.S. Supreme Court, Lidsky resides in a Capitol Hill townhouse with his wife of four years, Dorothy. He logs onto the Internet and uses his reading machine to find the latest court updates, often working from his home. He has previous experience serving as a law clerk in federal circuit court.

Finding Support
Lidsky praises the Harvard family for helping him to achieve both his undergraduate diploma and his law degree. He says Harvard provided cane training and access to his courses, notes and textbooks.

However, Lidsky says people with vision impairment disabilities, such as retinitis pigmentosa, sometimes do not receive such favorable support. He is active in various support groups and founded Hope for Vision, a nonprofit group that has raises millions of dollars for research. He sees strong potential for gene therapies, biotech chip implantations and artificial retina.

Sources:
Harvard University Isaac Lidsky profile
Wikipedia profile of Isaac Lidsky
Isaac Lidsky on Google Groups

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Informational Interviews: What You Need to Know

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:58:00 GMT

An informational interview is an opportunity for a job seeker to gather information about a career field or position they're interested in by asking workers in that field questions about their employment. Informational interviews can offer insight into the day-to-day responsibilities, demands and rewards of a particular job.

In any job-related interview, a person with a disability will often enter into a sort of balancing act.

How to Prepare for an Informational Interview
While informational interviews are usually an opportunity to learn more about a company, as opposed to interviewing for a specific and available job opening, interviewees should always go prepared to answer any question and make a positive impression on any potential employer.

You want to present yourself as reasonable and respectful, but at the same time you want your civil rights to be honored.

This balancing act can generally be summed up as bringing an open mind to the person (or people) participating in the informational interview.

Update Yourself on the ADA
A good starting point is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, soon to be updated with the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. This law prohibits the potential employer from asking about medical conditions, past hospitalizations or the nature and severity of disabilities. Many employers and managers are sophisticated enough to know this provision in regards to the ADA and disability employment, especially those trained at larger companies, but others are unaware and will ask prohibited questions.

Determining the Progress of the Interview
Again, your balancing act comes into play if this happens, and perhaps you will face some judgment decisions. Does the interviewer appear to be ignorant of the ADA and simply sympathetic? Or do you suspect you are being asked these questions because the potential employer wants to avoid offering employment because of your disability?

You have the option to "self-identify," or inform the manager of your disability, without the manager inquiring. This could happen in your letter of application, when the interview begins, or at some point later in the discussion.

Steps for Disclosing Your Disability
If you choose to self-identify, here are some recommended steps:

Take 10 to 15 minutes to prepare a verbal script to properly disclose your disability during a job interview. It should be no more than a few sentences. This will help you say what you want to say, similar to a political candidate preparing with "talking points" for an important appearance.
Decide the point in time for the disclosure of this information. If a disability is physically visible, you may want to address the question sooner rather than later.
Be honest about both your abilities and limitations, with more emphasis on abilities. Share openly and don't be defensive but do not linger too long. Move the interview back to your qualifications.
Talk about your work history and how you overcame your disability to complete school or perform volunteer service. Talk about career goals.
Tell potential employers about how your special needs may be met, especially with today's modern assistive technology.

Regardless of whether you choose to self-identify or not, the Americans with Disabilities Act contains many provisions to protect your civil rights. Employers should not ask about gaps in past employment that may have been related to a time when the disability was more severe. Most important, an employer should accommodate your special needs, not just because it is "considerate," but because reasonable accommodation is part of the law.

Sources:

Illegal Interview Questions

Preparing for and Conducting an Effective Job Interview

How to Properly Disclose a Disability in a Job Interview

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Seizure Dogs Enable Independence for Epileptics

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:05:00 GMT

When diagnosed by her childhood doctor with epilepsy and told she would always have to live with others, Joann Weber, now 55, believed him. For years, her seizures, which include complex partial seizures, repetitive motion, grand mal, and status epilepticus (which can be life threatening), kept her from living independently.

In her 30s, Joanne discovered seizure response dogs and now lives on her own, confident that her golden retriever will respond before or when a seizure occurs.

“Dogs are wonderful,” Joanne says. “And they provide a lot more than just assistance. The keys to minimizing seizures are food, rest, meditations, low stress, and exercise. My dog provides companionship, nudges me when my medication alarm goes off, gets me out walking daily, and provides comfort and stimulation during a seizure.”

The Benefits of Seizure Dogs
Joanne is now on her third dog since her second dog, Willie, passed away last year at age 14. Since owning seizure dogs, Joanne’s seizures have become less frequent and less severe. She also credits her decreased seizure activity to improvements in medications.

Interest in seizure response dogs first arose in the 1980s when the news media reported that a woman’s dog seemed to know when she was about to have a seizure.

What They're Trained to Do
Nowadays, seizure assistance dogs are trained to pick up dropped objects, brace themselves to help their owner get up after a fall, retrieve a phone, and even call for assistance by hitting preprogrammed buttons on a phone or hitting a wall or floor-mounted push plate that notifies a neighbor, spouse, or 911.

Joanne’s phone is prerecorded in her own voice with a message that her service dog has pushed the call button and that she needs assistance. Some organizations claim they can train a dog to alert their owners of an impending seizure seconds or up to 45 minutes before it happens, but currently, research has not supported this claim.

“We do not believe that the alert can be trained,” says Deb Davis, Communications Manager for Paws With A Cause, the nation’s largest provider of Service Dogs trained to deal with seizure disorders. Deb has, however, seen this develop after a dog is placed in the home. “We believe the dogs learn this ability on their own based on the deep bond that develops with their owner, ” she says.

A Dog's Response to a Seizure
Willie developed this ability within six months of being with Joanne. When he sensed a seizure coming on, Willie would nudge her and be insistent that she stop what she was doing. One particular late evening when Joanne was up on a ladder rearranging things in the kitchen, Willie started nudging her. Thinking he was just reminding her it was the time they usually went outside, she ignored his cues. Unfortunately, he was right on in his warning. Joanne had a seizure, fell and hit her head on the counter. Willie retrieved the phone, called for help, and then stayed with her providing stimulation through licking until help came. After a two-day stay in the hospital, Joanne was able to return home. Other dogs have been reported to lick their owner’s hands, bark at the owner’s face, or act restless and pace prior to the person’s seizure.

While many different breeds can be trained to serve as seizure assistance dogs, Paws With A Cause generally uses golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers or a mix between the two, building on their “God-given” talent of retrieving.

Joanne just trained with her third seizure dog, Mitchell, from March to July. While Mitchell doesn’t yet predict seizures, Joanne is confident that he will develop the ability.

“I think it will just be a matter of time until Mitchell learns to forewarn seizures,” she says. “Thanks to my dog, I can live independently, secure enough that whatever happens, I’ll be okay.”

Resources
Delta Society—search for assistance dogs by state, country, or internationally

Paws With A Cause

Photos courtesy of Paws With A Cause

He Built on Entrepreneurship — and Then Some

Herb Drill — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:11:00 GMT

View the exterior of the first accessible house built in Jacksonville, Fla., by Coppenbarger Homes and odds are, you won’t identify any of six accessibility features before you roll inside.

Tip your hat to busy commercial contractor, former residential builder Sherman “West” Westmoreland, president of Jaguar Builders. He heads a few other companies, including Accessibility Specialists.

That road had speed bumps. At 27, West was 6 feet, 4 inches tall. After a motorcycle accident, he was 4 feet, 6 inches, he claims. That's how he feels when people bend down to speak with him in his motorized wheelchair — “or to look through” him when “uncomfortable” with his disability.

Never Mind
The crash broke West’s neck in four places; he’s an incomplete quadriplegic. Business associates applaud West's gutsiness: He doesn't cry in his beer and “sucked it up and moved on.”

Several weeks in Baptist Medical Center's acute care center preceded seven months in Memorial Regional Rehabilitation Center and 12 months as an outpatient. Once discharged, poverty was not an option. He got a job; the company flopped. He built wheelchairs and found “feast or famine.” He expanded to in-house modifications for the disabled: pay dirt.

Still, West needed financing to anchor Jaguar Builders and do light industrial contracting. “Banks laugh at you," West argues.

Let “Brown” Do It!
Business Week magazine reports United Parcel Service (UPS) (nicknamed “Brown”) is trying to boost customer demand by loaning money to entrepreneurs/small businesses. On Sept. 9, UPS unveiled Cargo Finance to help small customers with funds to keep orders flowing.

“We found entrepreneurs would love to have someone provide working capital,” says UPS Capital senior managing director, Chris Vukas.

No one would back him, until Glen Trotter, vice president for commercial lending at Jacksonville’s Atlantic Coast Federal. Objectively, Trotter saw “cold business facts;” subjectively, he noted “strength of character, honesty, integrity, and references. I didn't see any handicap there."

An Accident Away
Daryl Singleton has had two spinal cord injuries, with some paralysis. "We're all just an accident or illness away from being disabled," he asserts. So, Omni Quest Realty—where he’s managing partner—works with disabled home buyers/sellers on sales, property management, rentals, consulting, and condo/community association management.

Singleton picked Coppenbarger Homes for its accessibility features. The home builder, with Westmoreland, helped a disabled couple on design changes, such as, widening the walkway to the front door, wider doorways, a special driveway cutout, and a roll-in shower in the master bathroom.

West’s accident never altered the Jacksonville native's work habits: "In the office at 7 a.m., home at 7 p.m.—work on Saturdays and sometimes a half-day on Sundays."

Often cited for his professional and civic contributions, West was among 20 area builders honored for their community service by the Northeast Florida Builders Association and Jacksonville Homebuyer magazine, joint sponsors of the Good Neighbor Awards.

West’s view: “It takes honesty, determination, and good luck. I’ve had a guardian angel watching over me. I've stepped in dog poop so many times in my life and come out smelling like a rose.”

In his wheelchair in Jacksonville, FL, Herb Drill heads Able Me & Associates. His e-mail address is herbdrill@ableme.com. He has Muscular Dystrophy.

Deadline Looming for Disability Leadership Award

Debbie Marsh — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:36:00 GMT

Sept. 30 marks the deadline for the Paul G. Hearne Leadership Awards. These awards, worth $10,000 each, are given to three individuals who are gaining recognition in the cross-disability civil rights movement. They must demonstrate leadership skill, advocacy, and dedication to and for the disability community as a whole.

The American Association of People with Disabilities created the award to memorialize its namesake, Paul G. Hearne. A man with a lifelong disability, osteogenesis imperfecta, that limited his height to four feet and caused his bones to break hundreds of times, this Washington lawyer achieved success and was a mentor to countless others with disabilities. His sense of humor and positive outlook propelled Hearne to positions as nonprofit executive, foundation president and federal agency director.

One of Hearne’s passions was to cultivate leaders who would support the disability rights movement. In 1999, a year after Paul’s death at age 48, the Paul G. Hearne Leadership Awards were founded.

Who Should Apply?
Candidates need to show:

Achievements that have had an impact on a broad section of people with disabilities
The ability to help people make connections
A positive vision for people with disabilities
The skills to work with other leaders
The ability to work at a national level

Emerging leaders of any age and with any disability can apply. The 44 previous winners, ages 11 to 56, have gone on to assume leadership positions in organizations as diverse as the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, the National Council on Independent Living, Access Living in Chicago, Mental Disability Rights International, and the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

How to Apply
Applications may be submitted on paper, via e-mail, on audiocassette or by videotape. For specific instructions and more information, please visit The American Association of People with Disabilities.

Using His Paraplegia to Advance Social Cause: Mark Mathew Braunstein

Cherl Petso, Disaboom — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:06:00 GMT

Google the name Mark Mathew Braunstein, what do you see? You’ll find that three themes pop up: marijuana, vegetarianism, and prostitution. Each of these is a facet of this bearded, quirky, incredibly intelligent nonconformist.

Out of all the nonconformists, art curator Mark Mathew Braunstein takes the vegan, marijuana-laced cake.

Medicinal Marijuana

When asked about how he felt about being the poster child for medicinal marijuana, he clarified, “I have to admit, I’m in it for recreational promotion as well.” Mark smoked marijuana medicinally before he broke his neck 17 years ago and continued to use it for medicinal purposes when his disability left him dealing with painful spasms which he refused to treat with pharmaceutical medications. In fact, he bans all pharmaceutical drugs in his life, even refusing pain meds while in traction the week following his L2-L3 spinal cord injury (SCI). Why marijuana? “It made sense for me to use marijuana because it relieves both pain and spasms, which is quite unique for one substance.”

Controversy

You would think that a public penchant for marijuana use could cause controversy in Mark’s life. He’s never been shy about his use and has been very public about his advocacy in various forms of media. In fact, when General Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Policy, claimed that marijuana had no use medicinally in a 1996 interview, Mark was furious and wrote a rebuttal to McCaffrey, which was also published in The Hartford Courant.

Despite his very public views on his marijuana use, Mark hasn’t received any repercussions from a legal standpoint. Additionally, Mark works at Connecticut College as an art curator, photographing the college’s collection of work. Not only that, but Mark lives in a first-floor unit in the college’s arboretum. Despite this combination of working and living on school property and being open about his use (2-3 times a week in his home), he has never faced retribution. Why is this the case? “If I were to be arrested,” Mark said, “what a media circus that would be! Being visibly disabled is the only way I’ve gotten away with it. My paraplegia has helped me advance social causes that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to.”

Vegetarianism and Animal Rights

Continuing Mark’s penchant for the strange, out-there passions, he has two other pursuits: vegetarianism and animal rights.

For example, in From There to Here, a book which compiles 45 personal stories about SCI survivors and their journey, Mark submitted a chapter, titled, “Take the Pain.” He discusses his herb usage and talks about his love of nature, mentioning how being at a lower level (in his wheelchair) makes him less intimidating and therefore more approachable to animals. For a long time before his accident, he made a habit of scaring away the ducks near his house during hunting season, making it difficult for the hunters to shoot the flapping birds. The year he was recovering, he anxiously sat in his house hearing the shots that he was powerless to prevent. He angrily vowed to get back out there next year.

And that he did.

The next year, Mark had gained enough strength to ambulate on crutches. He was back to his duty in fine form, scaring the sitting ducks. There was one hitch in his plan this year though--the local police. Mark, arrested for ”hunter harassment,”written up inthe local paper in an article titled, “Lone Cripple with Crutches Arrested for Harassing Four Hunters with Guns.” Mark went to court, where he was championed by many animal (and Mark) supporters. The charge was to be dropped, but only if Mark would promise to ”be good.” He knew he couldn’t do that, so he refused. He was then offered another deal: the charges would be dropped if he handed over his foghorn. He conceded.

All the attention to the duck-hunting debacle was noticed by various animal-rights groups in the area. They soon investigated the close proximity the hunters were to residences and banned hunting from the area. It was a beautiful victory for this Lone Cripple.

Veganism

Mark became a vegetarian at age 15 for ”all the reasons:” environmental, animal-rights, and health. He intensified that practice by becoming vegan 3 years later. In the article “Can Bee Venom Cure Incontinence,” published in New Mobility 2007, Mark credits his veganism to health benefits he experiences as a person with an SCI. Many people with an SCI get numerous urinary tract infections; however, Mark has never had one in his 17 years of being a paraplegic. He’s also avoided the inevitable weight gain that comes with being in a chair. He shared his thoughts on veganism in his first book, Radical Vegetarianism (Panacea Press, 1993), which discusses in depth the ethics of being a vegetarian. His upcoming book, Good Girls on Bad Drugs, covers subject matter of a different sort.

Which leads us to…

Prostitution

Mark has been working on Good Girls on Bad Drugs for 10 years. Its purpose is to show that drug addicts aren’t terrible people—“they’re just born with the addiction gene,” says Mark. He specifically chose prostitutes rather than drug dealers for various reasons: drugs are everywhere, even in small towns nearby, and many of these women get their start in prostitution by trading sex for drugs. Also, Mark feels safer with a female, and he can find and pick these women up. He also has a perfect alibi. “Because I’m paraplegic, I don’t have sexual function, so I freely admit that to the media. I have no sensation on the genitals, orgasm for me means no ejaculation, so that’s why they have nothing they can offer me. Most people wouldn’t admit that, but I let it all hang out. Again, I’m using my paraplegia to advance a social cause.”

Good Girls on Bad Drugs will be made up of two parts: one of photographs and the other of text. Mark has photographed 133 women for this book, which he’s hoping will come out next year.

A Passionate Advocate

This off-beat pot-smoking, vegan, prostitute-chasing, bearded, bespectacled man has found a silver lining in his paraplegia: an ability to advance the social cause of his various passions without ridicule or repercussion. Being in a wheelchair has been Mark’s golden ticket to promoting the taboo and the capability to live his life in a way that makes him happy and pain-free. Of happiness Mark says, “Being happy and paraplegic are not an improbable combination.”

Love and Transferable Skills: A Woman Blind Since Birth Helps Others Find Their Way in Life

Laurie Meier — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:45:00 GMT

Buna Dahal specializes in building careers. Buna was born in the third world country of Nepal and she has been blind since birth. Armed with her belief that life was meant to be lived - not endured, she moved to the U.S. when she was 18.

She stumbled into the business of helping people find their places after she left an interview with a placement advisor for a social work program. She was feeling uncomfortable. The school and that field of study was just not right for her. It was a vague feeling, but she listened to it.

What is that Saying, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road”?
Not even an hour after that interview, Buna hopped a bus to Columbia College in Chicago and made an appointment to see an admissions counselor. “I didn’t know how I would pay; I didn’t even know how to get there,” she said. She did arrive, and it was the right place for her. It wasn’t all luck; she paid for tuition with a merit based scholarship and “the bus drivers were very helpful.”

When she was refused a job at Columbia’s career placement office, she requested an interview anyway. After Buna asked the director, “What do you need?” The director determined what they needed was Buna and she was hired as an assistant to the director.

Buna quickly made her own accommodations in the office. She labeled files two times, first in braille with her paper punch stylus and then with her typewriter. “People in the office said that they knew when I handled a file because it was always in the right place. I used to mark the place of a file with a 3-by-5 card, it was simple,” she said. She could also work fast.

After she settled in, people noticed how well-liked she was and she became the spokesperson for the placement center The center noticed a surge in interested students after she attended student meetings and talked to students about placement services. Her responsibilities continued to grow and she began to edit reports for the director.

Her extremely strong language skills helped her to succeed. Learning to speak English as a second language late in her life made her extra careful with spelling and grammar. Computers, even adapted ones, don’t correct your writing mechanics. “You have to be able to do it all in your head” Buna said.

Looking at the Whole Person
Vitality and love are the forces behind Buna and her achievements. Her aunt and uncle gave her the security she needed to discover her vocation. “I never had to worry about food or a roof over my head.”

Buna now helps people discover their vocations with her own business, Dynamic Buna. She practices a “holistic” approach to career building. She listens to her clients dreams, and asks about their lives - what they can do, what they have done, what do they need now, and she even asks about their childhoods. Taking the time to discover who her clients are allows her to offer people with disabilities and able-bodied people, ideas that work.

As part of her holistic approach to career building, Buna views employers as partners in community building. She provides workshops for employers on promoting cultural diversity, accessibility or designs individual workshops to target special problems in the workplace.

The lessons she learned in her college days are still with her. Accessibility accommodations don’t have to be complicated. She still uses her stylus from her grammar school days in Nepal.

Buna keeps a busy schedule of networking locally stating “You have to be there.”There is no other way to understand if a business needs a full time receptionist or spokesperson, or to build a trustworthy community partnership.

Sharing Enriches Everything
Lessons she learned when she was very young have stuck with her, too. Buna’s mother was married at 12 and never had the chance for a higher education. The Dahal’s believed that education was the key to a better life and a good education could only be found in the city. So, without jobs or a place to live, the family moved from their small village to Dharan in Eastern Nepal.

When I was growing up, my parents never made us feel that we had nothing to share. Even if it was just one peach for all of us, it was enough. It's important to feel like you have something to give”

When Dahal left her family 16 years ago, she told them she would not return until she had made her way in the America. She returned home in 2006. They fulfilled a lifelong family dream, to travel together to visit the Taj Mahal.

“I felt the serenity of the place. I heard the birds and the rivers that flow to it, I could feel how open it was,” with her brother on one side to narrate and her mother on the other side to share the experience.

Buna knows that she was very fortunate to attend a great school for the blind in Nepal and to receive one of the few scholarships to the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. She's also been lucky with teachers. They had always kept high expectations and believed in her.

Last year she traveled with the group of rehabilitative professionals to share their best practices with specialist in Turkey on behalf of the Blind Corps. “We taught people life skills and more. We taught them to believe in themselves and counseled them on how to convince family members that they can do more, that they are not burdens.”

Buna stated the Turkish government is very open to new programs and she looks forward to working there again.

Resources
For more information on Buna Dahal and her business, visit Dynamic Buna.

For more information on Buna Dahal, see Overcoming Obstacles: Littleton Woman Makes Dreams Come True after Leaving her Home Country, by Paige Ingram, Littleton Independent, Feb. 21, 2008

For information organizations and schools for the blind, visit Blind Corps and the Overton School.

Entrepreneur Takes Natural Approach to Protecting Amputees’ Limbs

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:24:00 GMT

David Harper’s White Mountain Naturals began to take shape after Harper, an independent Baptist evangelist from New Hampshire, lost his leg in August 2004. When he returned home from the hospital, he realized that he needed to find a hobby to keep him busy. He found a basic recipe for soap, then began searching for essential oils that could help with cleansing an amputated limb.

Harper’s research led him to infuse his soap with tea tree oil, which he says is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antimicrobial. It’s also trans-dermal, which means it easily penetrates the skin and delivers the healing properties of the other ingredients in his products. Harper said his customers – some of them without amputations - have credited his products for helping to alleviate several skin problems, including jungle rot, nail fungus and psoriasis.

Harper agreed to share his experiences as an entrepreneur with a disability to help others considering this path for themselves. Both his strong religious faith and his sense of determination come through in his answers below.

SD: Were you initially fearful of starting your own business, and if so, how did you overcome that?

DH: Yes, I believe anyone who has any common sense at all is going to have some fear, apprehension, and doubt concerning their decision to begin a new business.

I overcame these concerns and fears by believing first in my idea for the products I wanted to create. Believe me, if you do not have any confidence in what you are trying to accomplish or do, then you will surely fail, not because your business idea was flawed, but because you talked yourself out of your own success.

In many situations you have to overcome those around you, friends and family, who may have some negativity towards what you are trying to do. Just get away from the negative people and move forward believing you are in the right. In my heart I had to believe that what I wanted to do was within God’s will for my life and it was a greater fear for me in disappointing my Lord by not going forward when the right time came.

SD: Did you have any help from agencies like the Small Business Administration?

DH: No I did not. Because of past medical bills from countless surgeries and medical set backs over the last eleven years since I first was hurt, my credit rating was virtually nonexistent, so that avenue was not available to me.

I have a very good friend who is a pastor, and he and his wife came for a visit in February 2007. I noticed that his wife had several skin problems and offered her a couple of bars of soap that I had made for my family’s use. She called me several days later to tell me that her skin conditions had virtually vanished and she was elated. Her husband then called me and asked about the direction I would go if I had the opportunity to turn my soap-making into a business.

I simply told him what was in my heart and mind, that I would market my products to other amputees and diabetics whom I thought would benefit most from what I was trying to do, but that I did not have the resources to do it and that was why it had taken more than two years after my amputation before I was able to move forward.

My friend (who is now my business partner) said, you now have the resources, we will initially finance the creation of your White Mountain Products Company and get you going! It was as easy as that, I had prayed for over two years for the funds to get started and the Lord heard my prayers and decided to answer them.

SD: What kind of marketing do you do, and to whom do you market your products?

DH: We have been advertising in In Motion, a national magazine for amputees, and have done many articles on the Internet as well as word-of-mouth advertising. We have not been able to afford to do a lot of advertising because of the cost involved, so we have grown very slowly. However, the people that have purchased our products seem to be very satisfied and have been very faithful with reordering on a regular basis.

We are simply attempting to target the end users who need our product most and those are the people we market to.

SD: Do you also sell person-to-person in addition to online?

DH: Yes. If I or my partner speaks to someone who looks as if they could benefit using our products then we will tell them about what our products are and what they may or may not do for them. We are very careful, whether in person, online, or in our brochures, to help people understand that we do not practice medicine nor do we diagnose medical conditions. We simply want to offer what we believe are the best tools available to them through education and then let them decide if they wish to try them or not. You will never find heavy-handed pressure tactics used by anyone in our company.

SD: Do you do everything on your own, or do you have employees?

DH: Being a fairly new and small family owned company, we have no employees to speak of. Our goal is to keep our costs as low as possible and do as much as we can ourselves until we grow sufficiently to justify hiring employees, which at the proper time will come. For example, we contract our product manufacturing to a laboratory that verifies our proprietary formulas and then produces and packages our products under strict quality guidelines to ensure our customers receive the best products available for their money.

SD: Did you face any obstacles in starting your business? Anything specific to having a disability, or did having your own disability help you in starting your business? If so, in what way did it benefit you?

DH: This is a question with many facets, so it may take a little time to answer properly. Having a disability, especially the loss, of a leg hindered my ability to get around and function (as a normal) person, whatever that is or means. It affected my confidence and my ability to dream as I once did about what I wanted to do with my life. I learned that an obstacle is nothing more than an opportunity waiting to be overcome! I had to learn to overcome or else I would never believe in myself again.

I had two sons to whom I needed to be an example and a wife who needed to see that her husband was a man and had a backbone, and that he was no quitter. My sons had to see that no matter what Dad been through he was going to fight back and not give in, fall, yet get up, trip or stumble but not stay down. For them I needed to be as strong as possible so that if anything ever happened in their lives they could look back and see that their Dad never quit, he never gave up, so why should I!

My disability or liability became the focal point of trying to continue on. As a Christian, I knew the Lord did not want me to give up or give in, after all, He allowed this to happen to me. He may not have caused it, but He allowed it, and I believe He did in order to see what I was going to do. Was I going to sit back as many do or was I going to take my “liability and turn it into an asset!”

I decided to take the challenge that Jesus Christ laid out before me and seek His help in becoming what He wanted me to be, simply a man of faith. I believe He wanted me to help as many people in my condition as possible and by His grace I believe I am doing just that with the help of my friend and business partner. He believes in me also and has helped in every way he could to help us carry on with this dream. I also believe it has been a way for me to share with others the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that this is far more important than selling products to folks.

SD: Do you belong to any organizations for entrepreneurs or small-business owners with disabilities, or any non-disability-specific ones?

DH: No, I do not. I read a lot of books about business and marketing, but I do not belong to any organizations outside of Church related groups, such as prayer groups and so forth. I am an Independent Baptist Evangelist and when I am well enough I preach the Gospel in as many Churches that will allow me to come.

SD: Any advice for budding entrepreneurs with disabilities? Such as things to avoid, or to make sure you do or to think about?

DH: Yes, never give up or give in, never stay down. Life is hard and will kick you in the face every chance it gets. Friends and family will often discourage you and tell you to give up because it is hard, or it’s not worth it. Many will say, I tried to start a business and it failed and I lost everything, so what. Try again; do you think that success comes without failure?

Listening to negativity will make you negative, big surprise, huh? Fight for your dreams and don’t give up just because some one else didn’t have the guts to fight on…Men, women, put a rod down your backs and stand tall, it doesn’t matter if you stand from a wheel chair, a bed, or with a prosthetic leg! Stand, stand, stand!

The best advice I can give you is that if you are married ask you husband or wife to believe in you and stand by your side no matter what. To fight for you and help you get up if you fall. Encourage you when it seems everyone around you wants to see you fail. I have a wife like that and if you ever called her husband a failure, well, I wouldn’t want to be around when she unleashes her womanly fury on your sorry tail…

If you’re a single person then find a friend to stick by you and who will encourage you every step of the way.

One final piece of advice I would like to give to you all. Don’t do anything for the money, do it because it is right the right thing to do and because in your heart you want to help those around you. If you do it with this philosophy in mind then everything else will fall into place naturally. Create a business plan and if you can finance your beginning great! Remember all that you borrow must be paid back, so don’t go too far into debt.

My father always said,” Son, if it’s worth doing, it will pay for itself, keep the bankers out of it!” If you can start your business with a little and grow, then one day, with patience you will have a strong business!

Where White Mountain is Today
White Mountain Naturals now offers four products for amputees on its website: Limb Defense Wash & Liner Cleanser, Limb Defense Skin Conditioner & Moisturizer, Effective Pain Relief Capsicum Cream and Super Skin Defense. Harper said he plans to first expand upon the success of his current product line, then branch out into making products to relieve pain caused by other disabilities such as fibromyalgia and diabetes.

Harper said he takes pride in the fact that his company hasn’t raised prices since launching in 2007, especially considering the economy’s downward momentum. In order to keep his prices low, he said he has resisted financing or overspending on advertising. By sticking with his patient approach and letting his business grow organically, Harper said he hopes to avoid the pitfalls of either growing too quickly or slowly.

“If you grow at the right speed, you’ll be able to keep product quality where it needs to be and customer service where it needs to be,” he said.

A great recipe for success for any entrepreneur, regardless of disability.

Check out Harper's Products here

Troupe is a Dream Come True for Performers with Disabilities

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:55:00 GMT

Beijing is home to an estimated 1 million people with disabilities. Accordingly, the wealthy Chinese capital’s subways feature chair lifts, its new airport is equipped with ample ramps, and some buses are now wheelchair accessible. A minimum living cost program was also established to assist people with disabilities.

One Man Making a Change
But these societal advancements aren’t widespread—the poorer countryside remains vastly disability-unfriendly as do many popular attitudes toward people with disabilities. But Deng Pufang, the first son of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, is working to change all of that. Pufang was paralyzed from the waist down during the Cultural Revolution after being tortured and thrown out of a window.

History of the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe
Since becoming a paraplegic, Pufang has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of people living with disabilities in China. As part of his effort, in 1997 he established the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe (CDPPAT). At first, the group simply and informally brought together a few artists with disabilities. Since its inception, however, it has grown to be a professional troupe that has performed in more than 30 countries and regions in the world as well as all over China.

The Performers
The Troupe’s website highlights the talents (and struggles) of several performers, saying:

“Sun Yan, a blind pianist, does not see the black and white keys of a piano. But striking the keys, he can produce the sound of gurgling streams, the breathing of the forests, and the roaring of the high seas. Serious rheumatism forced Gan Lirong, an actress, to lie on the bed for 10 years. But she has stood up and found back her sweet voice. With a song titled "Sentimental Attachment" that she wrote and composed herself, she won three awards at the Fifth All-China Disabled Persons, Joint Performance. Huang Yangguang lost both arms at the age of 5. He has been meeting the challenges of life with his legs. In his dance, "Green Rice Seedlings", he carries seedlings on an armless shoulder and irrigates the field with legs.”

The Troupe boasts 88 performers, which includes 55 with hearing impairments, 28 performers with visual impairments, and five performers with other disabilities. The average age of the performers, who hail from all over China, is 18.

Types of Performances
And it’s no wonder they’ve seen so much success the world over—audiences are treated to world class, traditional Chinese dance, music, and poetry. “My Dream” is perhaps the Troupe’s most acclaimed musical and features blind musicians, including some who play the piano and urhu (a two-string traditional Chinese instrument). Dynamic and modern Chinese dances and ballet by blind and deaf artists also take center stage.

“We performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Builders of the hall could not have dreamed that this premier venue for performing arts in the world would play host to us, a group of special performing artists from China,” said Zhang Jigang, CDPPAT art director. “The audiences were enthralled, seeing the charms of the artists from the Orient for the first time.”