Wireless RERC - Legislative

App Factory Releases 2014-2015 Call for Proposals

blippincott4 — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Each year, the Wireless RERC’s App Factory invites experienced organizations or individual developers based in the U.S. to submit proposals for financial support to develop assistive and/or accessibility apps for mobile platforms (e.g., Android, Blackberry 10, iOS, Windows Phone).

Apps developed through this program include AccessNote by the American Foundation for the Blind, BrailleTouch by BrailleTech, LLC, and Sprint ID Accessibility Packs, Currency Identifier, and IDEAL Group Reader by Apps4Android.

Proposals for 2014-15 are due on June 30, 2014. Selection of proposals for funding will be on October 15. More information can be found in the PDF of the Call for Proposals below.

Related Files:

Attachment	Size
App Factory_RFP_2014.pdf	242.61 KB

24th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act

mz22 — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 14:53:28 +0000

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Presidential Proclamation

July 2014 — President Barack Obama encouraged the nation to celebrate the 24^th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in a recent Presidential Proclamation honoring the day. The proclamation acknowledged that while there is still work to be done, the Obama Administration has worked diligently to expand access to community living, healthcare, and employment for people with disabilities. President Obama concluded his proclamation by noting that that Anniversary of the ADA allows us to “celebrate [the accomplishments of people with disabilities], stand against discrimination in all its forms, and honor all who sacrificed so future generations might know a more equal society.”

President Signs Workforce Development Bill

mz22 — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 14:47:42 +0000

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

Workforce Investment Act of 1998

H.R. 803 Bill Text

H.R. 803 Bill One-Pager

Remarks by President Obama on Signing WIOA

July 2014 — President Barack Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) [H.R. 803], a bill to amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The Act, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in June, reorganizes the current workforce development system, which includes many provisions for people with disabilities such as education and vocational rehabilitation. Working to streamline workforce development, WIOA eliminates 15 current programs and creates new standardized metrics to help evaluate remaining programs. Additionally, the Act includes provisions to enhance pre-employment transition services for youth with disabilities, which will work to provide additional support as youth transition from education to the workforce. Through reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act, Independent Living Programs, such as the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), will relocate from their current position under the Department of Education to the Administration of Community Living in the Department of Health and Human Services, aligning these programs with a department to better serve their mission. Under WIOA, a reconfiguration of the National Council on Disability will also occur, as the council will be reduced from 15 to 9 members and will receive a minor increase funding.

In signing the bill, the President noted, “[WIOA] will help us bring [job-training programs] into the 21st century by building on what we know works based on evidence, based on tracking what actually delivers on behalf of folks who enroll in these programs -– more partnerships with employers, more tools to measure performance, more flexibilities for states and cities to innovate and to run their workforce programs in ways that are best suited for their particular demographic and their particular industries. And as we approach the 24th anniversary of the ADA, this bill takes new steps to support Americans with disabilities who want to live and work independently.”

The Act will take effect on July 1, 2015, with specific provisions for State Unified Plans taking effect on July 1, 2016.

House Passes Social Media Emergency Response Bill

mz22 — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 13:45:43 +0000

Social Media

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Social Media Working Group Act of 2014

Social Media, Public Emergencies & Disability

July 2014 – With the continuous growth of emergency response on social media, the House passed the Social Media Working Group Act of 2014 [HR 4263] allowing the Department of Homeland Security to establish social media use standards in the event of terrorist attacks. The bill encourages the federal government to communicate with citizens by establishing a social media working group to report emergency preparedness support technologies, social media response activity, and social media use recommendations to DHS and Congress. Bill sponsor, Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Indiana) stated, “Social media is transforming the way the nation responds before, during, and after a terrorist attack.” Recent research by the Wireless RERC indicates that people with disabilities are active user of social media, generally, and their use of social media platforms for receipt and sharing of emergency information is on the upswing.

Legislation to Reorganize Workforce Development Impacts Disability Programs

mz22 — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:49:51 +0000

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

Workforce Investment Act of 1998

H.R. 803 Bill Text

H.R. 803 Bill One-Pager

July 2014 — In June, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate approved the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) [H.R. 803], a bill to amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The bill, which is expected to be signed into law this month, will reorganize the current workforce development system, which includes many provisions for people with disabilities such as education and vocational rehabilitation. Working to streamline workforce development, WIOA will eliminate 15 current programs and create new standardized metrics to help evaluate remaining programs. Additionally, WIOA reauthorizes the Rehabilitation Act. Under this reauthorization, Independent Living Programs, such as the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), will relocate from their current position under the Department of Education to the Administration of Community Living in the Department of Health and Human Services, aligning these programs with a department to better serve their mission. Under WIOA, a reconfiguration of the National Council on Disability will also occur, as the council will be reduced from 15 to 9 members and will receive a minor increase in funding.

Conference Concerning Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

mz22 — Thu, 15 May 2014 12:50:07 +0000

U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

Conference of States Parties 7th Session

May 2014 – The Conference of States Parties will hold its 7^th session on June 12, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The session discussions will include the following topics: “Incorporating the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provisions into the post-2015 development agenda; Youth with disabilities; and National implementation and monitoring.” The conference will cover committee membership elections, debates and topic specific roundtables. The deadline for CSOs to register online for the convention is May 30^th. Registration is required in order to attend. For further details and documents please see the link below.

Does your State Have a Tech Savvy Lawmaker?

mz22 — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 17:59:50 +0000

Legislators

Government Technology

Government Technology Interactive Map

April 2014 — Government Technology has released an interactive map detailing legislators with the most involvement in technology-related policies and legislation. Using information provided by the National Association or State Chief Information Officers, the National Association of Counties, The National Association of State Legislatures and other experts, Government Technology found 13 state senators and representatives who qualified as “tech savvy” based on the legislation they have introduced or sponsored, “the technology-related committees they sit on, and any other roles they have held with regard to technology.” Among those included on the list are Illinois Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), who has focused on increasing telehealth in Illinois, Minnesota Senator Matt Schmit (DFL- Red Wing), who has worked to increase access to broadband in rural areas, and Oklahoma Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie), who has pushed for open government and IT modernization in Oklahoma. The interactive map is meant to be a living document, adjusting as “legislators leave office or new names warrant inclusion”

Class Action Suit Highlights Accessibility Issues of Government Website

mz22 — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 17:54:01 +0000

Web Accessibility

General Services Administration (GSA)

Class Action Suit

Nextgov: Lawsuit Says GSA Discriminates Against Blind Contractors

April 2014 — Federal contractors have filed a class action suit against the Government Services Administration (GSA) regarding the accessibility of the System for Award Management website, www.SAM.gov, run by GSA. The case highlights that, among many responsibilities, GSA is responsible for ensuring that all “federal contractor programs and activities are Section 504 compliant and accessible to [individuals with disabilities].” Use of SAM.gov is essential for all federal government contractors, as contractors are required to register with the site before any work can begin. Contractors must also renew this registration annually. Yet the plaintiffs note that SAM.gov is not screen reader accessible and does not allow for keyboard navigation. Additionally, technical assistance staff employed by the SAM.gov helpdesk lack training to assist individuals who are blind or have low vision. In a quote to Nextgov, attorney Matthew Handley noted, “It would be one thing if [the Environmental Protection Agency’s] website wasn’t compliant with screen reader software, but this is all the more troubling because this is the agency that’s supposed to be policing all the other agency websites and it doesn’t appear to be policing its own websites.”

NCD Testifies on Behalf of Parents with Disabilities

mz22 — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 17:38:46 +0000

National Council on Disability (NCD)

NCD’s Robyn Powell’s Statement

April 2014 – Robyn Powell, Attorney Advisor for the National Council on Disability (NCD), testified before the Massachusetts legislature concerning the rights of parents with disabilities. The legislature met regarding Massachusetts House Bill 1379 which “seeks to prohibit discrimination against parents with disabilities in family and juvenile court proceedings.”- In her testimony, Powell addressed the history of discrimination towards parents with disabilities, biases and lack of accommodations toward these individuals when pursuing assistance through the Child Welfare System and the family court system. Specifically, Powell cites the 2012 NCD report entitled, Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children, as a key policy study. This NCD report provides specific case studies of parents and future parents with disabilities in situations including “family law and dependency proceedings, adoption, and access to assistive reproductive technology.” With regard to the Massachusetts House Bill 1379, Powell stated, “NCD encourages the legislature to pass legislation ensuring the rights of prospective parents with disabilities to access adoption and assistive reproductive technologies, as well, in accordance with the model legislation in the Rocking Cradle report.”

DOJ Settlement Regarding Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

mz22 — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:41:09 +0000

DOJ: Rhode Island Settlement

April 2014 — The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has entered into a 10-year, statewide settlement agreement with the State of Rhode Island. The settlement follows an investigation of Rhode Island’s statewide day-activity service system for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The investigation found that Rhode Island depended heavily on segregated services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, while those individuals were also subject to low wages and “little or no contact with persons without disabilities.” Under the Supreme Court decision made in Olmstead v. L.C., individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities have the right to integrated services and community living rather than institutionalization. Accordingly, under the settlement, Rhode Island will redirect State funding to more integrated services including those which support individuals in finding improved employment, provide more integrated non-work activities, and provide better transition services for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Of the agreement, U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha for the District of Rhode Island stated, “It ushers in a new day of opportunity – opportunity for Rhode Island residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities to live, work and spend their recreational time alongside their fellow Rhode Islanders.”