John R. Vaughn, Chairperson
April 2007

The Bulletin, which is free of charge and at NCD’s award-winning Web site (www.ncd.gov), brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe to the new NCD listserv, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov, click on Online mailing list archives, select NCD-NEWS-L, click on Join or leave the list, then complete the short subscription form. Please send your editorial comments to Bulletin editor Mark S. Quigley (mquigley@ncd.gov).

NCD Selects New Executive Director

On April 30, NCD announced that Mike Collins of Sacramento, California, would become NCD’s new executive director on June 18.

Mr. Collins was the first executive director of the California State Independent Living Council, which was created in 1997, and comes to NCD from this position. He is a long-time disability advocate who is very familiar with disability and long-term-care-related programs and services, the wide variety of disability civil rights laws, and vocational rehabilitation practices and regulations at the federal and state levels. Mr. Collins also is very familiar with the concerns and characteristics of people with all types of disabilities, as a peer, consultant, trainer, and through administration of a statewide agency addressing their needs on a daily basis.

Mr. Collins was a key participant in California’s efforts to implement changes in state policies resulting from the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision that has increased the demand for community-based services. He is an expert in emergency preparedness and homeland security for people with disabilities—active at local, state, and national levels.

For more information about Mike Collins and this appointment, please go to http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2007/r07-533.html.

NCD Research Opportunities

On April 5, NCD announced a prerelease notice for a study on The Vocational Rehabilitation Act: Transition Outcomes and Effects (http://www.ncd.gov/research_opportunity/040507prerelease.html). Application materials will be available on May 7.

NCD is seeking researchers to assess the implementation of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, specifically related to transition from school to work and/or post-secondary education, as well as collaboration with post-secondary educational systems. Traditionally, the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program has been justified as a good investment, with supporters pointing to cost-benefit studies showing high positive ratios of earnings gains of former clients to money spent on program services and administration. But questions have been raised about whether the program is able to serve all those who are eligible and desire services, whether the services provided are sufficient in scope and suitably targeted to meet the needs of a diverse clientele, and whether the program’s effects persist over the long term.

Now, more than ever perhaps, effective vocational rehabilitation programs are necessary. Those responsible for decisions about the state-federal VR program need information about how those with disabilities are being served and what works. Individuals with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed or living in poverty than are Americans without disabilities. But many individuals, especially those with severe disabilities, are also in need of education, skill training, and other assistive services to effectively prepare them to take advantage of work opportunities. There is a persistent high rate of unemployment among people with disabilities. Though the high unemployment rate is due to a number of factors, there does appear to be a correlation between employability and education and training. To be competitive in today’s world, one most often needs education and training beyond the secondary school level.

NCD expects that the resulting report will be used by policymakers and the public to refine and strengthen the on-going implementation of the Rehabilitation Act.

The closing date is June 15.

On April 23, application materials were posted (http://www.ncd.gov/research_opportunity/currentstate_04-23-07.htm) for NCD’s study on The Current State of Health Care for Americans with Disabilities. This study will examine the current state of health care for Americans with disabilities, with a particular focus on service members and veterans with disabilities, women with disabilities, and individuals with communication disabilities. The closing date is June 4.

New Report on the Future of Disability in America
The Future of Disability in America (http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3740/25335/42494.aspx), a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, examines the pros and cons of continuing barriers that limit the independence, productivity, and participation in community life of people with disabilities. This book offers a comprehensive look at a wide range of issues, including the prevalence of disability across the lifespan; disability trends; the role of assistive technology; barriers posed by health care and other facilities with inaccessible buildings, equipment, and information formats; the needs of young people moving from pediatric to adult health care and of adults experiencing premature aging and secondary health problems; selected issues in health care financing (e.g., risk adjusting payments to health plans, coverage of assistive technology); and the organizing and financing of disability-related research. The Future of Disability in America is an assessment of both principles and scientific evidence for disability policies and services. This book's recommendations propose steps to eliminate barriers and strengthen the evidence base for future public and private actions to reduce the impact of disability on individuals, families, and society.

Atlanta Quarterly Meeting
NCD’s Atlanta quarterly meeting was held April 16–17 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Buckhead. Before the meeting began on April 16, NCD board members and staff toured the Shepherd Center, a nationally known rehabilitation facility, with host Mark Johnson, director of advocacy for the Center.

About 50 members of the public attended the two-day quarterly meeting and many addressed NCD board members during three public comment sessions. During the meeting, NCD conducted two panel presentations. The first panel discussed livable communities/best practices, which highlighted initiatives in the region that are working to help people with disabilities live independently.

The second panel addressed emergency preparedness, and included experts from Florida, Georgia, and Texas, and will assist NCD in fulfilling its mandated and ongoing advisory role to FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the needs of the disability community are factored into all emergency preparedness plans. A reception also was held for the Atlanta disability community, enabling NCD members and stakeholders to share ideas.

The information gathered at the meeting will be used for future and ongoing research and NCD action, including the NCD mandated goal of promoting policies, practices, and programs that enhance the lives of people with disabilities.  

Future Quarterly Meetings
NCD’s summer quarterly board meeting will be held July 24–26 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro, Chicago, Illinois.

NCD’s fall quarterly board meeting will be held September 17–19 at the Hyatt Regency Boston, Boston, Massachusetts.

These meetings are open to the public. People with disabilities are encouraged to attend and participate in the public comment segments of the meetings that now occur at all NCD quarterly board meetings.

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Mark S. Quigley
Director of Communications
National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004