The Open Hands Open Access (OHOA) Intervener Learning Modules are a national resource designed to increase awareness, knowledge, and skills related to intervention for students who are deaf-blind and are being served in educational settings (ages 3 through 21).
Applications must be received by the November date to be considered for assistance from the FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The deadline only refers to the last day survivors can apply. Disaster funds will continue to flow beyond that date.
“One month may seem like a long time but it’s surprising how fast it can slip by, especially at this time of the year,” said Michigan State Police Capt. Chris A. Kelenske, State Coordinating Officer and Deputy State Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. “Michiganders who have not registered should do so today, so we can see how we may help.”
Storm-affected homeowners and renters in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties may be eligible for federal grants to help cover various disaster-related expenses including essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.
This lawsuit was about the failure of New York to support PWD during the hurricane disaster......
Disability and Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) Coordinator and Community Panel
The City will hire a Disability and Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) Coordinator, who will be the lead City employee responsible for seeing that the City’s emergency plans meet the needs of people with disabilities and comply with state and federal law. The City will also create DAFN Coordinator positions at key City agencies that are involved in emergency response.
A Disability Community Advisory Panel will be established so that the City can gather expertise and feedback from the disability community regarding the City’s current and future emergency plans. The City will hold an annual forum for the public on issues relating to emergency planning for people with disabilities.
Plus much more.....
The Accessibility team is based in Sunnyvale, performs user studies and works side-by-side with our product teams during development to make sure that our mobile and web products can be used and enjoyed by everyone. Some of the ways our products become more accessible are through the use of high-contrast colors, resizable text, alt-text (descriptions) for images and user interface elements, and support for closed captions and subtitles on videos.
The suit, filed in September, says the changes pose numerous accessibility issues in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The suit states it was filed on behalf of Michael Harris, of Westland, who uses a wheelchair, and is the executive director of the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Karla Hudson, of East Lansing, who is blind. They are represented by Southfield attorneys Jason M. Turkish and Melissa M. Nyman.
The suit says the Ground Transportation Center presents numerous accessibility problems and is patently out of compliance with the ADA.
Thanks to Michael Harris and PVA. First link file is a pdf of lawsuit filing, second is overview of issue.....
Karla Hudson of East Lansing and Michael Harris filed a lawsuit and a request for an emergency temporary restraining order in federal district court on Friday, saying that the current McNamara stop adequately serves people with disabilities, while the new stop at the Ground Transportation Center violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
They aren't alone in their complaints. Many seniors and frequent passengers of the Michigan Flyer/AirRide service have gone on record with emails explaining why they don't want the boarding area moved. The popular bus line serves East Lansing, Ann Arbor and DTW.
Earlier this summer Gov. Rick Snyder wrote the Wayne County Airport Authority encouraging them to reconsider, saying the current stop "provides convenient, direct access and ideal customer service." And on Sept. 18, Jerrold Jung, chair of MDOT's State Transportation Commission, wrote the Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Tom Naughton asking him to delay the move.
But that didn't sway the authority, which has photos of congestion at the current International Arrivals stop and cars passing the Michigan Flyer on the right, endangering passengers.
"Once we observe that a safety hazard exists, we're obligated to address it ... it's a vehicle or pedestrian accident waiting to happen," Wayne County Airport Authority spokesman Michael Conway told MLive.
Attorney Jason Turkish of Southfield-based Nyman Turkish PC disagrees. He's representing Hudson and Harris in their federal suit.
The deal resulted from a federal class action lawsuit brought in 2011, a year before Superstorm Sandy left many disabled residents stranded in high-rise buildings and other areas, unsure where to turn for help. It calls for disaster centers to be upgraded to accommodate 120,000 disabled people by September 2017, with improvements to accommodate from 10,000 to 17,000 people by the middle of this month, advocates said.
"We think this is really significant," said Christine Chuang, senior staff attorney at Disability Rights Advocates, a nonprofit law firm that pursues litigation to help the disabled in a city with the most high-rise buildings in America.
She said the dramatic increase in available shelter space and improved communications would make the city better equipped to care for those with special needs during emergencies than any other U.S. city.
Among improvements, the plan calls for the city by August 2017 to have in place a canvassing operation in which people will go door to door after a disaster to assess the needs of the disabled, including their access to food, water, electricity, medical care and medical equipment.
The city's top attorney, Zachary Carter, said in a statement he was "extremely pleased." He said the deal will put "our city at the forefront of emergency preparedness nationwide in assuring that individuals with disabilities will have meaningful access to essential services during emergencies."
Victor Calise, commissioner of Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio's Office for People with Disabilities, said the city hoped to be "the leader in providing equal access to emergency services for every individual regardless of their ability."
Rehearsal is not a diagnostic specific support. Lots of people could benefit from rehearsal before the first time they fly.....
Participants pack their bags, ride to the airport, pass through security, and continue through the whole flying process including boarding, “flying” and deplaning.
These “dress rehearsals” help to prepare individuals with autism for flying. When the time comes children with autism will know what to expect and the environment will not be as foreign to them. Hopefully over time the experience of flying will become as pedestrian as it currently is for most of us.
Here are 15 airports currently offering a Airport Rehearsal Program: