Resource of the Week

Real estate services for people with disabilities

The Beard Realty Team, Keller Williams Realty

www.accessiblehomesforyou.com

There are very few realtors who specialize in services for people with disabilities and their families, and The Beard Realty Team offers expertise in this area. Check out their website for a wide range of real estate and financial planning resources for people with disabilities, including:

• Online listing of available accessible properties in the Bay Area
• Lenders who offer special financing programs for people with disabilities
• Contractors with experience in accessible home modifications 

Consider attending a Free Accessible Home Ownership Workshop in Walnut Creek, organized by the Beard Real Estate Team and MetLife!

DATE: Saturday April 17th, 2010

TIME: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

LOCATION: MetLife, 2001 N. Main Street, Suite #380, 
Walnut Creek, CA

Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact:

Stephen Beard, Real Estate Consultant & Accessibility Specialist
The Beard Realty Team, Keller Williams Realty
4341 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611   DRE #: 01432150
510-899-8163  

Resource of the Week

Social Security 2010 Red Book
http://www.ssa.gov/redbook/

The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related provisions of Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities.

Access the URL to link to download full PDF versions of the 2010 Redbook in English and Spanish.

What’s New in 2010

[This information has been excerpted directly from the website.]

• SSA increased the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) amount for individuals with disabilities, other than blindness, from $980 to $1000 for 2010.
• The SGA amount for individuals who are blind is $1,640 for 2010. The amount is unchanged from 2009.
• SSA increased the monthly earnings amount that it uses to determine if a month counts for the Trial Work Period (TWP) from$700 to $720 for 2010.
• For 2010, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Federal Benefit Rates (FBR) is $674 for an eligible individual and $1,011 for an eligible couple. The amounts are unchanged from 2009.
• For 2010, the income amounts that will have no effect on eligibility or benefits for SSI beneficiaries who are students is unchanged from 2009. For 2010, the monthly amount is $1,640 and the yearly maximum is $6,600.
• For 2010, the monthly Medicare Part A Hospital Insurance Base Premium is $461, and the 45 percent Reduced Premiums is $254. The Part B Supplementary Medical Insurance monthly Base Premium is $110.50.

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK service for One Stops: Each week the Disability Program Navigator (DPN) will highlight a  tool including resources on hot topics, policies, tools from other DPNs statewide, and special issues in SF disability services. Featured resources will be posted on this blog, so bookmark http://disabilityprogramnavigator.blogspot.com and check back weekly!

National Stuttering Association Event

The Bay Area Chapters of the National Stuttering Association

and the

Office of Disability Services at

Alliant International University is proud to sponsor an evening with

Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D,:

"Translating recent stuttering research into info you can use"

When: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:00
Where: Alliant International University, Room 135
1 Beach Street, Suite 100
San Francisco, California 94133 (across from Pier 39)
RSVP to Nina Ghiselli at drghiselli@yahoo.com or 415-955-2164

Dr. Ratner is the co-author of the book, Handbook on Stuttering, Professor and Chairman, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland at College Park. She holds degrees in Child Development, Speech-Language Pathology and Applied Psycholinguistics. Dr. Ratner is the editor of six volumes, and the author of more than 30 articles and 20 chapters addressing stuttering and language acquisition in children. She currently serves as Co-editor of Seminars in Speech and Language, Associate Editor of the Journal of Fluency Disorders and The American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and is Coordinator of the Steering Committee for ASHA's Special Interest Division #4 (Fluency and Fluency Disorders).

The local chapters of the NSA are pleased to sponsor this esteemed speaker and would like to thank Dr. Ratner for her willingness to reach out to the stuttering community in the Bay Area.

For more information on the Bay Area Chapters of the NSA: BayAreaNSA.com.

Information on Dr. Ratner: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/hesp/facultyStaff/Ratnern.htm

Quarterly Training

Quarterly DPN Training for One-Stop Staff March 26, 2010 on Assistive Technology!

Did you enjoy the Legacy Trainings last Fall? Then don't miss the next exciting training from your Disability Program Navigator...

Register online today!

(Registration form below)

Friday, March 26, 2010

MOEWD Office, 50 Van Ness, 1st Floor, San Francisco, CA 

9:00AM - 2:00PM

All San Francisco One-Stop Managers and Staff are warmly invited to attend this basic overview of assistive technologies. Trainer Jane Vincent is an expert in this field. Find out how these technologies can help everyone not just people with disabilities. Information tailored for seasoned One-Stop staff and newcomers alike. You won't want to miss this essential training!

Topics include:

• Computer software: JAWS, ZoomText, NaturallySpeaking, Utilities built into Windows
• Computer hardware: Large trackball, Large-print keyboard
• Adjustable tables
• Braille typewriter
• Videophone and TTY

Questions? Contact Patrick (415) 544-0124 or Cristina (415) 637-2499.

Resource of the Week

Ever have a customer ask you a befuddling question about disability benefits and employment? Wonder where you can go to find the answer your customer needs about Medi-Cal for the Working Disabled, Social Security Disability Programs or State Disability Insurance? Look no further! Answers to these questions and more can be found on the DB101 website (http://www.disabilitybenefits101.org/).

DB101 is an extremely valuable resource that deserves a bookmark in your Internet browser right now! Hosted by the World Institute on Disability, DB101 is a comprehensive resource on the rules for health coverage, benefits, and employment programs that people with disabilities may want to access. In addition to extensive information, there are nifty features such as a host of different benefits calculators, planning directory, glossary, forums, trainings and workshops, and case studies, i.e. for youth with disabilities.

Check out the Most Popular Pages for the most accessed resources within DB101 such as FAQs for Medi-Cal or Cal-COBRA.

Resource of the Week

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic medical condition characterized by symptoms that the affected person attributes to exposure to low levels of chemicals. Commonly suspected substances include smoke, pesticides, plastics, synthetic fabrics, scented products, petroleum products and paints. Symptoms may be vague and non-specific, such as nausea, fatigue, and headaches.

The Chemical Sensitivity Foundation has put together a 15-minute video that introduces the issue of MCS.

Curious about what kinds of accommodations you may need to think about for employees with MCS? The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has an excellent briefing that addresses this very issue.

Resource of the Week

In the publication, Special Report: 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase Organization Accessibility, disability & workforce development expert Lisa Jordan advises One Stop staff to have common forms and materials available in alternate formats such as large print, Braille and other languages.

Many have considered printing important information in other languages and even perhaps large print, but do you have your most important materials at your One Stop available in Braille?

No need to fear! The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired will convert everything from a simple letter to a technical manual to Braille. They are a tremendous resource located right in Van Ness Avenue near City Hall. They will offer a non-profit discount to One Stops at $45/hour versus $60/hour. There is a 1/2 hour minimum per job.

Access Both Lisa Jordan's report the LightHouse information from the online Disability Resource Library today.

Office of Disability Employment Policy Listening Tour visits the Bay Area!

"A New Day: We're Listening" Office of Disability Employment Policy Listening Session Event

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and its Federal partners are touring 6 states to seek YOUR input. The Bay Area listening tour will be in Berkeley, CA on Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

Hotel Shattuck Plaza

Berkeley, CA 94704

AM Session: 9 AM - 12:30 PM

PM Session: 2 PM - 5 PM

View Larger Map

Register today and share your views on:

(1) Employment of women, Veterans and minorities with disabilities.
(2) Effectively collaboration between Federal and state systems successfully employing for people with disabilities.
(3) The top focus issues for the Federal government to support an increase in labor force participation for people with disabilities.

SPACE IS LIMITED! Follow this link to register today!

https://www.disabilitylisteningtour.com/register/index.php?cityclicked=San%20Francisco

For more information:
Telephone/TTY: (703) 684-0029
Online: http://www.dol.gov/odep/disabilitylisteningtour.htm

Resource of the Week

ADA Information Line
http://www.ada.gov/infoline.htm

The U.S. Department of Justice provides information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through a toll-free ADA Information Line. This service permits businesses, State and local governments, or others to call and ask questions about ADA requirements including questions about ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

800 - 514 - 0301 (Voice)
800 - 514 - 0383 (TTY)

Resource of the Week

 

In Fall 2009, the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) released a policy brief entitled “Supporting Transition to Adulthood Among Youth with Mental Health Needs: Action Steps for Policymakers.” This policy brief provides specific recommendations to aid policymakers across youth-serving systems to better serve youth with mental health needs.

NCWD/Youth has published four major reports released in the last few years focusing on transition-age youth with mental health needs. 

This policy brief calls attention to the challenges faced by youth and young adults with mental health needs during their transition to adulthood and provides information to help policymakers at the state and local level develop and improve service delivery systems for this population.