Congress Must Pass H.R. 3229 and S. 2196 to Protect Access for People with Disabilities
Updates
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Texas ABLE Survey Available
The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program was created to encourage and assist individuals and families in saving funds for the purpose of supporting individuals with disabilities to maintain health, independence and quality of life; and to provide secure funding for qualified disability expenses on behalf of designated beneficiaries with disabilities that will supplement, but not supplant, benefits provided through private insurance, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, the Medicaid program, the beneficiary’s employment and other sources.
The federal ABLE Act was signed into law in December 2014. The Texas ABLE Program was signed into law in June 2015. The Texas Comptroller’s office will administer the Texas ABLE Program through the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board.
Complete the Survey at the link below:
http://texasable.org/survey/
The deadline for completing the survey is Dec. 15, 2015.
Disability History Month Facts: Friday, October 30, 2015: ED BOSSON: Father of Video Relay Service (VRS) (1945 – Present)
Office of the Governor – Greg Abbott
Committee on People with Disabilities
Disability History Month Facts: Friday, October 30, 2015:
ED BOSSON: Father of Video Relay Service (VRS) (1945 – Present)
Roy “Ed” Edward Bosson is commonly known as the Father of Video Relay Service (VRS), a form of telecommunication that enables people with hearing disabilities who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with voice telephone users through video equipment, rather than through typed text.
Ed Bosson, who became deaf as a young child, earned a degree in psychology from Gallaudet University. After a diverse career in various positions, he eventually became the first chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) Relay Texas Advisory Committee, where he used the opportunity to introduce many new features to the Texas Relay Service, including VRS. Texas became a national leader in this innovative feature. PUC Commissioners authorized him to manage the first video relay service trials, conducted by Sprint, which eventually led to statewide, and then nationwide, use of VRS.
Bosson has received numerous national and state awards for his advocacy, including an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University and recognition from Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc (TDI) as a person who has produced the greatest impact on telecommunications accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing citizens.
Attributions:
Gallaudet Clerc Award: http://www.gallaudet.edu/institutional-advancement/alumni-relations/alumni-association-(guaa)/awards/clerc-award.html
DeafPeople: http://www.deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/ed_bosson.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Bosson
Convo: http://www.convorelay.com/company.html
FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/video-relay-services
The Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities (Committee) provides GovDelivery updates for informational purposes on a variety of disability related issues for a diverse audience. Updates may include information provided by external sources. The inclusion of this external information does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Committee or the Office of the Governor of any information, policy, product, or service offered by an external source.
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DOT Supplements Rules on Airport Accessibility under the Rehabilitation Act
On August 5, the Department of Transportation (DOT) supplemented regulations for airport terminals receiving federal funding to improve access for passengers with disabilities, including those who use service animals. Under the new rules, at least one relief area for service animals must be provided in each terminal within one year. Airports must consult service animal training organizations on the relief area’s design, size, and maintenance.
Provisions also improve access for people with hearing or mobility disabilities. High-contrast captioning is required at all times on airport TV and audio-visual display screens with captioning functionality. In addition, existing requirements for boarding access by lift or ramp where level-entry loading bridges is not available are reorganized and their application broadened to cover foreign carriers in addition to U.S. carriers. The rule revises regulations issued under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires access to programs and services that are funded or conducted by federal agencies, and is consistent with requirements DOT issued previously under the Air Carrier Access Act.
The new rule is available on regulations.gov. For further information, contact DOT at (202) 366-9342.
Press Release – Congrats Regina Blye!
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2015
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced the appointment of the following individuals to key Administration posts:
· Regina Blye – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Boar
· Christopher Stephen Hart – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
· Mathew McCollough – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
· Victor Santiago Pineda – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
· Karen Tamley – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them.”
President Obama announced the appointment of the following individuals to key Administration posts:
Regina Blye, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Regina Blye is the Executive Director of the Texas State Independent Living Council (SILC). Ms. Blye is a member of several national and statewide boards, including SILC Congress, National Council on Independent Living, Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council, Access Empowerment, and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. She has been a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board since 2011. Ms. Blye received an M.P.A. from the University of Texas and a B.S. from West Texas A&M University.
Christopher Stephen Hart, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Christopher Stephen Hart is a consultant specializing in the Americans with Disabilities Act and Universal Design whose principal work is serving as the Technical Advisor for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Boston’s disability community. Previously, he was the Director of Urban and Transportation Projects for the Institute for Human Centered Design. Mr. Hart formerly served as an appointed member of the Governor’s Transportation Advisory Reform Committee in Massachusetts and the National Steering Committee for Project ACTION, a national organization dedicated to promoting universal access to transportation for people with disabilities. Mr. Hart currently serves as a board member for LivableStreets Alliance, Disability Law Center, and Agassiz Village. He has been a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board since 2011. Mr. Hart received a B.A. from the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Mathew McCollough, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Mathew McCollough is the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC), which promotes independence and equal opportunity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to assuming the current position as the DDC Executive Director, he served as the Communications Manager for the D.C. Office of Disability Rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance office for the District Government. Previously, he served as a grants manager and trainer with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and for the National Service Inclusion Project – a training and technical assistance provider that advocates on the behalf of individuals with disabilities to fully participate in service and civic-minded programs within their communities. He has been a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board since 2011. Mr. McCollough received his M.P.A. in Public Administration from American University and his B.A. from James Madison University.
Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda is President of the World Enabled and the Pineda Foundation, positions he has held since founding the organizations in 2003. Dr. Pineda was the University of California, Berkeley Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Academic Diversity and an Adjunct Professor in City & Regional Planning at University of California, Berkeley, positions he held in 2012. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the World Institute on Disability in 2011. Dr. Pineda was a Summer Associate at the Department of the Treasury in 2006, a Researcher at the Institute for Urban and Regional Development in 2005, a Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley Kujacic Endowment in 2004, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee of the National Council on Disability in 2003, and a Principal Investigator with Energenz do Brasil in 2002. He has received numerous grants and awards, including a National Science Foundation Innovation research grant, a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship, and the AAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award. Dr. Pineda received a B.A., B.S. and M.C.P. from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles
Karen Tamley, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Karen Tamley is Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities for the City of Chicago, a position she has held since 2005. Ms. Tamley co-founded the Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing, where she served as a National Organizer from 1994 to 2004. She was Director of Programs at Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago from 1996 to 2005. Previously, Ms. Tamley was Housing Director at Atlantis Community, Inc. from 1992 to 1996 and an Executive Assistant at the National Disability Action Center from 1990 to 1992. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Meals on Wheels Chicago, the Board of Directors of Pace Suburban Bus, the National Advisory Panel of the Institute for Human Centered Design, and the Transit Access Advisory Committee of the Regional Transportation Authority. Ms. Tamley received a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley.