National Council on Disability Releases Latest Edition of Monthly Bulletin

10/3/2003

From: Mark S. Quigley of the National Council on Disability, 202-272-2004 or mquigley@ncd.gov

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The following is the latest edition of the NCD Bulletin, a monthly publication of the National Council on Disability (NCD):

NCD Publishes Abridged Olmstead Report

On September 29, NCD released an abridged version of its report Olmstead: Reclaiming Institutionalized Lives. The report measures progress to date in the implementation of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), and related federal and state government initiatives. It concludes that community-based services work, but more needs to be done.

The abridged version is available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/reclaimabridged.html. Single print copies can be obtained from Mr. Stacey Brown. The full-length, online version is available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/reclaimlives.html.

Foreign Policy Update

On September 9, NCD released Foreign Policy and Disability: Legislative Strategies and Civil Rights Protections to Ensure Inclusion of People with Disabilities ( http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/foreign03.html ) at a news conference featuring Senator Tom Harkin, Representative James Langevin, and NCD's Kathy Martinez. The report concludes that the inclusion of people with disabilities in U.S. foreign policy will be achieved only when specific legislation is enacted.

The report examines legislative changes that will ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities in all foreign assistance programs under the direction of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. It is a follow-up to NCD's 1996 Foreign Policy and Disability report ( http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/foreign.html ), which found continued barriers to access for people with disabilities in U.S. foreign assistance programs.

A panel discussion followed the news conference. Participants included: John D. Kemp, president, United States International Council on Disabilities and former NCD member; Eric Rosenthal, executive director and founder, Mental Disability Rights International; Victor Pineda, international disability activist and student, University of California Berkeley; Holly Burkhalter, U.S. policy director, Physicians for Human Rights; Sue Suter, president, Center for International Rehabilitation; Arlene Kanter, professor of law and director of Clinical Legal Education at Syracuse University College of Law; and NCD board members Milton Aponte and Kathleen Martinez.

Higher Education

On September 15, NCD released People with Disabilities and Postsecondary Education in anticipation of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Students with disabilities, who now are estimated to represent nearly 10 percent of all college students, currently experience outcomes far inferior to those of their nondisabled peers, despite research that shows they are more likely to obtain positive professional employment outcomes after degree completion than their peers. The purpose of this paper is to provide background that might guide reauthorization of the HEA to better support students with disabilities to achieve equal postsecondary outcomes.

The paper is available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/education.html.

MiCASSA Rally

On September 17, ADAPT conducted a Free Our People Rally at the Upper Senate Park in Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to support MiCASSA. The crowd heard remarks from members of Congress, the Administration, NCD, people with disabilities, and many more. See NCD's MiCASSA statement at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/r03-437.html.

NCD To Purge Report Mailing List

Beginning in November, NCD will purge its existing report mailing list and start anew. This process is required by federal regulation. The report mailing list is a list of those who are interested in receiving hard copies of all NCD reports. The report mailing list differs from the NCD Bulletin mailing list, which distributes only NCD's monthly newsletter. Those interested in being placed on the new report mailing list should send requests to Mark Quigley, NCD, 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004 or mquigley@ncd.gov.

NCD November Quarterly Meeting

NCD's next quarterly meeting will be held Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 23, from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA.