November 30, 2009
Editorial"Commuters Beware

The train wreck last summer that killed nine commuters and injured 80 in the
nation’s capital laid bare a deadly paradox: the safety failures at the heart of
the collision occurred on a subway track devoid of the strong federal
crashworthiness standards in place on Amtrak’s immediately adjacent railroad
line. Regional systems of light-rail and subways are not subject to the federal
government’s more stringent safety requirements.

The Obama administration wisely wants to end this disjunction by proposing that
Congress extend federal standards to subway and light-rail lines now haphazardly
regulated in more than two dozen city and regional systems. The safety rules and
monitoring are shockingly toothless in too many jurisdictions, with the systems
averaging less than one overworked safety worker.

The Washington accident happened on the second-busiest subway line in the
nation. It is theoretically monitored by a tri-state committee that was found,
however, to have no regulatory authority or enforcement workers.

Under the administration’s approach, the safety of subway and light-rail lines
could remain under the jurisdiction of local authorities only if they agreed to
upgraded equipment and monitoring standards set by the Department of
Transportation. The alternative would be direct federal regulation. Federal
money already subsidizes subway and light-rail growth, and it should be cut off
to systems that cling to risky standards.

The government was barred from regulating subways and light rail in 1965 when
home rule was a priority. But new systems have boomed since then, along with
collisions and derailments. The National Transportation Safety Board has warned
about the dangers for decades.

The choice for Congress is stark: Improve safety on light rail and subways, or
wait for the next train wreck.


EM Prentiss

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Brain Power
Surgery for Mental Ills Offers Hope and Risk
By BENEDICT CAREY NYT 11/27/09

One was a middle-aged man who refused to get into the shower. The other was a
teenager who was afraid to get out.

The man, Leonard, a writer living outside Chicago, found himself completely
unable to wash himself or brush his teeth. The teenager, Ross, growing up in a
suburb of New York, had become so terrified of germs that he would regularly
shower for seven hours. Each received a diagnosis of severe obsessive-compulsive
disorder, or O.C.D., and for years neither felt comfortable enough to leave the
house.

But leave they eventually did, traveling in desperation to a hospital in Rhode
Island for an experimental brain operation in which four raisin-sized holes were
burned deep in their brains.

Today, two years after surgery, Ross is 21 and in college. “It saved my life,”
he said. “I really believe that.”

The same cannot be said for Leonard, 67, who had surgery in 1995. “There was no
change at all,” he said. “I still don’t leave the house.”

Both men asked that their last names not be used to protect their privacy.

The great promise of neuroscience at the end of the last century was that it
would revolutionize the treatment of psychiatric problems. But the first real
application of advanced brain science is not novel at all. It is a precise,
sophisticated version of an old and controversial approach: psychosurgery, in
which doctors operate directly on the brain.

In the last decade or so, more than 500 people have undergone brain surgery for
problems like depression, anxiety, Tourette’s syndrome, even obesity, most as a
part of medical studies. The results have been encouraging, and this year, for
the first time since frontal lobotomy fell into disrepute in the 1950s, the Food
and Drug Administration approved one of the surgical techniques for some cases
of O.C.D.

While no more than a few thousand people are impaired enough to meet the strict
criteria for the surgery right now, millions more suffering from an array of
severe conditions, from depression to obesity, could seek such operations as the
techniques become less experimental.

But with that hope comes risk. For all the progress that has been made, some
psychiatrists and medical ethicists say, doctors still do not know much about
the circuits they are tampering with, and the results are unpredictable: some
people improve, others feel little or nothing, and an unlucky few actually get
worse. In this country, at least one patient was left unable to feed or care for
herself after botched surgery.

Moreover, demand for the operations is so high that it could tempt less
experienced surgeons to offer them, without the oversight or support of research
institutions.

And if the operations are oversold as a kind of all-purpose cure for emotional
problems — which they are not, doctors say — then the great promise could
quickly feel like a betrayal.

“We have this idea — it’s almost a fetish — that progress is its own
justification, that if something is promising, then how can we not rush to
relieve suffering?” said Paul Root Wolpe, a medical ethicist at Emory
University.

It was not so long ago, he noted, that doctors considered the frontal lobotomy a
major advance — only to learn that the operation left thousands of patients with
irreversible brain damage. Many promising medical ideas have run aground, Dr.
Wolpe added, “and that’s why we have to move very cautiously.”

Dr. Darin D. Dougherty, director of the division of neurotherapeutics at
Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of psychiatry at
Harvard, put it more bluntly. Given the history of failed techniques, like
frontal lobotomy, he said, “If this effort somehow goes wrong, it’ll shut down
this approach for another hundred years.”

A Last Resort

Five percent to 15 percent of people given diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive
disorder are beyond the reach of any standard treatment. Ross said he was 12
when he noticed that he took longer to wash his hands than most people. Soon he
was changing into clean clothes several times a day. Eventually he would barely
come out of his room, and when he did, he was careful about what he touched.

“It got so bad, I didn’t want any contact with people,” he said. “I couldn’t hug
my own parents.”

Before turning to writing, Leonard was a healthy, successful businessman. Then
he was struck, out of nowhere, with a fear of insects and spiders. He overcame
the phobias, only to find himself with a strong aversion to bathing. He stopped
washing and could not brush his teeth or shave.

“I just looked horrible,” he said. “I had a big, ugly beard. My skin turned
black. I was afraid to be seen out in public. I looked like a street person. If
you were a policeman, you would have arrested me.”

Both tried antidepressants like Prozac, as well as a variety of other
medications. They spent many hours in standard psychotherapy for
obsessive-compulsive disorder, gradually becoming exposed to dreaded situations
— a moldy shower stall, for instance — and practicing cognitive and relaxation
techniques to defuse their anxiety.

To no avail.

“It worked for a while for me, but never lasted,” Ross said. “I mean, I just
thought my life was over.”

But there was one more option, their doctors told them, a last resort. At a
handful of medical centers here and abroad, including Harvard, the University of
Toronto and the Cleveland Clinic, doctors for years have performed a variety of
experimental procedures, most for O.C.D. or depression, each guided by
high-resolution imaging technology. The companies that make some of the devices
have supported the research, and paid some of the doctors to consult on
operations.

In one procedure, called a cingulotomy, doctors drill into the skull and thread
wires into an area called the anterior cingulate. There they pinpoint and
destroy pinches of tissue that lie along a circuit in each hemisphere that
connects deeper, emotional centers of the brain to areas of the frontal cortex,
where conscious planning is centered.

This circuit appears to be hyperactive in people with severe O.C.D., and imaging
studies suggest that the surgery quiets that activity. In another operation,
called a capsulotomy, surgeons go deeper, into an area called the internal
capsule, and burn out spots in a circuit also thought to be overactive.

An altogether different approach is called deep brain stimulation, or D.B.S., in
which surgeons sink wires into the brain but leave them in place. A
pacemaker-like device sends a current to the electrodes, apparently interfering
with circuits thought to be hyperactive in people with obsessive-compulsive
disorder (and also those with severe depression). The current can be turned up,
down or off, so deep brain stimulation is adjustable and, to some extent,
reversible.

In yet another technique, doctors place the patient in an M.R.I.-like machine
that sends beams of radiation into the skull. The beams pass through the brain
without causing damage, except at the point where they converge. There they burn
out spots of tissue from O.C.D.-related circuits, with similar effects as the
other operations. This option, called gamma knife surgery, was the one Leonard
and Ross settled on.

The institutions all have strict ethical screening to select candidates. The
disorder must be severe and disabling, and all standard treatments exhausted.
The informed-consent documents make clear that the operation is experimental and
not guaranteed to succeed.

Nor is desperation by itself sufficient to qualify, said Richard Marsland, who
oversees the screening process at Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I., which
works with surgeons at Rhode Island Hospital, where Leonard and Ross had the
operation.

“We get hundreds of requests a year and do only one or two,” Mr. Marsland said.
“And some of the people we turn down are in bad shape. Still, we stick to the
criteria.”

For those who have successfully recovered from surgery, this intensive screening
seems excessive. “I know why it’s done, but this is an operation that could make
the difference between life and death for so many people,” said Gerry Radano,
whose book “Contaminated: My Journey Out of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”
(Bar-le-Duc Books, 2007), recounts her own suffering and long recovery from
surgery. She also has a Web site, freeofocd.com, where people from around the
world consult with her.

But for the doctors running the programs, this screening is crucial. “If
patients are poorly selected or not followed well, there’ll be an increasing
number of bad outcomes, and the promise of this field will wither away,” said
Dr. Ben Greenberg, the psychiatrist in charge of the program at Butler.

Dr. Greenberg said about 60 percent of patients who underwent either gamma knife
surgery or deep brain stimulation showed significant improvement, and the rest
showed little or no improvement. For this article, he agreed to put a reporter
in touch with one — Leonard — who did not have a good experience.

The Danger of Optimism

The true measure of an operation, medical ethicists say, is its overall effect
on a person’s life, not only on specific symptoms.

In the early days of psychosurgery, after World War II, doctors published scores
of papers detailing how lobotomy relieved symptoms of mental distress. In 1949,
the Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz won the Nobel Prize in medicine for
inventing the procedure.

But careful follow-up painted a darker picture: of people who lost motivation,
who developed the helpless indifference dramatized by the post-op rebel McMurphy
in Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” played by Jack Nicholson
in the 1975 movie.

The newer operations pinpoint targets on specific, precisely mapped circuits,
whereas the frontal lobotomy amounted to a crude slash into the brain behind the
eyes, blindly mangling whatever connections and circuits were in the way. Still,
there remain large gaps in doctors’ understanding of the circuits they are
operating on.

In a paper published last year, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in
Sweden reported that half the people who had the most commonly offered
operations for obsessive-compulsive disorder showed symptoms of apathy and poor
self-control for years afterward, despite scoring lower on a measure of O.C.D.
severity.

“An inherent problem in most research is that innovation is driven by groups
that believe in their method, thus introducing bias that is almost impossible to
avoid,” Dr. Christian Ruck, the lead author of the paper, wrote in an e-mail
message. The institute’s doctors, who burned out significantly more tissue than
other centers did, no longer perform the operations, partly, Dr. Ruck said, as a
result of his findings.

In the United States, at least one patient has suffered disabling brain damage
from an operation for O.C.D. The case led to a $7.5 million judgment in 2002
against the Ohio hospital that performed the procedure. (It is no longer offered
there.)

Most outcomes, whether favorable or not, have had less remarkable immediate
results. The brain can take months or even years to fully adjust after the
operations. The revelations about the people treated at Karolinska “underscore
the importance of face-to-face assessments of adverse symptoms,” Dr. Ruck and
his co-authors concluded.

The Long Way Back

Ross said he felt no difference for months after surgery, until the day his
brother asked him to play a video game in the basement, and down the stairs he
went.

“I just felt like doing it,” he said. “I would never have gone down there
before.”

He said the procedure seemed to give the psychotherapy sessions a chance to
work, and last summer he felt comfortable enough to stop them. He now spends his
days studying, going to class, playing the odd video game to relax. He has told
friends about the operation, he said, “and they’re O.K. with it — they know the
story.”

Leonard is still struggling, for reasons no one understands. He keeps odd hours,
working through most nights and sleeping much of the day. He is not unhappy, he
said, but he has the same aversion to washing and still lives like a hermit.

“I still don’t know why I’m like this, and I would still try anything that could
help,” he said. “But at this point, obviously, I’m skeptical of the efficacy of
surgery, at least for me.”

Ms. Radano, who wrote the book about her recovery, said the most important thing
about the surgery was that it gave people a chance. “That’s all people in this
situation want, and I know because I was there,” she said while getting into her
car on a recent afternoon.

On the passenger seat was a container of decontaminating hand wipes. She pointed
and laughed. “See? You’re never completely out.”


EM Prentiss

____________________________________________________________
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1st Mon 3-4 PM The Forgotten Constituency: How Voter Engagement Builds Power &
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1st Tue 12:30-2 PM, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Support Group (BCID, 27 Smith
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1st Tues 8-30-10 PM, ACB Women’s Concern - Support Group for woman w/ vision
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2nd Tues 6:45 PM Monthly Adult Support Group Meetings (New York Branch
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2nd Wed, 2-3 PM, Women's Group (BCID, 27 Smith St Fl 2, B’klyn WC acc)
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3rd Wed 3-5 PM Bx Mental Health Council (Montefiore, Klau Pav Conf Rm 1, 111 E
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2nd & 4th Wed 1 PM, Discovery Series- Informative & engaging educational
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2nd Thu 10-noon, B’klyn System Change Network (BCID, 27 Smith St Fl 2, B’klyn WC
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3rd Fri 7-10 PM, Fri ASL Tour (Rubin Museum of Art,150 W 17 St WC acc) learn
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Every Sat 10-noon, Writing Workshop (B’klyn Vet Center) creative ways to
mitigate PTSD symptoms Tim Brennan 718-624-2765

Every Sat 2-4 PM, Free Creative Writing Program/Writing Workshop for Gulf,
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explore the basics of the craft of writing Zachary Sussman, 212-992-9809 or
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10/02 – 06/02 Housing Clinics and Workshops (Goddard Riverside, 647 Columbus
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12/11-19, 28th Annual Perspectives on Employment of PWDs Conf (Bethesda, MD)
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01/11-29 Getting on Board! (For IL Boards of Directors) Reg Deadline: 12/18
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1/28-2/1 NYC 2nd Realabilities Film Festival http://www.realabilities.org/

02/01-03/01, Customized Employment - a process for individualizing the
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06/07-25 Building an Effective Peer Support Program Reg Deadline: 05/12
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12/02 Wed 8 PM, ADD & OCD Book discussion Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me!"(92nd
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*NEW 12/03 Thu, 6–7:30 p.m.  Health Care Reform -- How Will It Affect People
with Serious Diseases? (SHARE, 1501 Broadway # 704A, 43-44)  Facilitator:
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12/03 3-4:30 PM, Documenting Disparities in Obesity & Disability –first of a
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include disability as a diversity and equity factor in federal and community
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disparities and improving the quality and visibility of disparity and inequities
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12/03 Thu 6-9 PM, Man Adult ADD Support & Discussion Group (West End Collegiate
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12/04 Fri NYS Bar Assoc: Finding the Bottom Line Rights Of PWDs In NYS (The New
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12/04 Wed 8-4:30 PM, Unfolding the Secrets of the Brain (Joint Disease 301 E 17)
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*NEW 12/04 Fri, 11-4 PM,Health Care for All NY Annual Meeting (Westminister
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*NEW 12/04 Fri, 6 PM, An Evening of Art & ASL: A gallery talk (with voice
interpretation) on Abstract Expressionism (Met Museum of Art, 000 Fifth Ave WC
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reception will follow.  Accommodations other than ASL by 11/30 Voice: 
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12/05 Th 5:30-8 PM, Albany: Have we reached the tipping point? (League of Women
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12/06 Sun 6:30-8:30 PM, Celebrate the Life and Work of Eleanor Cooper (The
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*NEW 12/08 5:30 PM, Altered Pol;itical Landscape- City Hall 2010 (Baruch
College, Newman Conference Center, Library Building, 151 E 25 St, 7th floor,
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*NEW 12/08 Tue 6-7:30 PM, Time management strategies  (LIU, 1 University Plaza,
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*UPDATED 12/09 Wed 6:30 PM, disTHIS! Film Series: War Against The Weak (NYU 5
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12/10 Th Transition from School to Adult Services (AHRC, 83 Maiden Lane,
Penthouse) RSVP Jennifer 212-895-3446
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12/10 Thu 6:30-9 PM, Man Adult ADD - ADD & Anxiety Disorders (Seafarers &
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*NEW 12/11 Fri Dance- Diagnosis of a Faun (La MaMa Annex, 74 E 4 St) Special
Performance with Q&A $25 or 15 if you use code Disabilities Network, Groups of
22+ $15. Beverly 212-254-6468

12/12 Sat 8:30 -5 PM, NYC Food, Climate Summit (NYU, 566 LaGuardia P{l;ace WC
Acc)

12/12 Sat 2-5 PM, Helping Hands Holiday Party (127 W 26 St, 2nd floor,  between
6- 7 Aves, ring intercom 3003) RSVP Alice Crespo 718-728-0868

12/14 Mon 5:55 PM, stolen kisses ADDing in the Love (St. Thomas More Church, 65
E 89 St, Madison -Park Ave) 212 721 0007 addrc@...  www.chadd.net/107

12/15 1-3:30 PM, Man BP Disabilities Task Force (1 Centre St 19 floor south WC
acc) Clarice Brown 212-669-8300

*NEW 12/15 Tue 6-7:30 PM, Nutrition principles and Healthy Eating (LIU, 1
University Plaza, #519 Flatbush – DeKalb B’klyn) Designed to assist families &
and caregivers of children WDs Childcare and refreshments Register: Brooklyn
Parent Center (BCID) 718.998.3000

01/13, The power of Social Networking Sites for PWDs
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

01/30 Sat 11-3 PM Resources for Children with Special Needs, - Special Camp Fair
(Church of St. Paul the Apostle, entrance Columbus Ave. and W. 60 St)

02/25, DNNYC Disability Summit

03/09, 37th Annual Conference on Dyslexia & Related LD (NYU Kimmel WC ac)

*NEW 03/10 MHANYS Legislative Day

03/10, Best Practice in Developing and Disseminating Documents Electronically
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

04/23 Enhancing Community Capacity to Meet the Needs of Returning Service
members & Families (Fordham, 60 St & Columbus Ave WC acc)
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,d43940aa-8734-4086-8e3b-2c21e4757b4d

05/12, Successful Accommodations: Assistive Technology and Accessibility Working
Together http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

07/14, Return on Investment: The Business Case for Accessibility - discussing
the myths surrounding accessibility & demonstrate how accessibility benefits a
wide range of people.  
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

09/08, Creating Accessible Videos for Your Website
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=yV7qHT9UPntZJxsBcrjfaA_3d_3d Survey of
Captioning of TV Ads: It is trying to ascertain how much or how little
captioning there is in advertising by national brands on TV. The researcher is
an MBA student, John Slone, who is deaf, The results will be used to advocate
for more and better captioning in advertising.

  http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/11-20-09.cfm On 11/21/09 Title II of
the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) took effect. It prohibits
discrimination by health insurers & employers based on individuals' genetic
information..

suzannejoblonski@...  is writing a story for a feature writing class on
the topic of accessible voting. I would like to get your thoughts and opinions
on this topic. If you're interested and willing to be quoted

http://www.segurosocial.gov/pubs/10040.html Changes to Medicare Part D Extra
Help As of 01/01/10, life insurance policy will not be counted as a resource &
help received regularly from someone else to pay your household expenses—food,
mortgage, rent, heating fuel or gas, electricity, water, and property taxes will
not be counted as income.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/openenrollment.asp Information about the 2010
Medicare Health & Rx Drug Plans open enrollment periods. CMS encourages
beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug
plans to review their current health and drug plan coverage for any changes
their plans may be making for 2010 before the annual enrollment period
11/15-12/31

www.resourcesnyc.org 2009-2010 Free Training Series For Families and
Professionals Needing Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities Gary
Shulman, MS.Ed.:212-677-4650 gshulman@...

COMMENT/Proposals PERIODS

01/08 - FDA is accepting public comments on a motion to reclassify ECT Do you
think shock is safe? Have you evidence you want FDA to consider, including
personal experience? This motion is being made, after 30 yrs of it in Class III,
without evidence that ECT isn’t dangerous. www.regulations.gov go to “Notices”
click on the docket number FDA-2009-N-0392.For more information Philip Bennett,
917-657-7290



EM Prentiss

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See a special performance with Q&A including yours truly on Friday,
December 11! At that evenings performance anyone using the
code---DISABILITIES NETWORK---will get $15 tickets instead of the regular
price of $25. Use the code at other performance as pay just $20 at the box
office.

At any point for any performance groups of 22 or more can pay $15. Call
and speak with Beverly at 212-254-6468 to arrange.

Best to all,

Lawrence

===============================

New York Times
November 25, 2009
Learning His Body, Learning to Dance
By NEIL GENZLINGER

Gregg Mozgala, a 31-year-old actor with cerebral palsy, had 12 years of
physical therapy while he was growing up. But in the last eight months, a
determined choreographer with an unconventional résumé has done what all
those therapists could not: She has dramatically changed the way Mr.
Mozgala walks.

In the process, she has changed his view of himself and of his possibilities.

Mr. Mozgala and the choreographer, Tamar Rogoff, have been working since
last winter on a dance piece called “Diagnosis of a Faun.” It is to have
its premiere on Dec. 3 at La MaMa Annex in the East Village, but the more
important work of art may be what Ms. Rogoff has done to transform Mr.
Mozgala’s body.

“I have felt things that I felt were completely closed off to me for the
last 30 years,” he said. “The amount of sensation that comes through the
work has been totally unexpected and is really quite wonderful.”

Cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder in which the brain does not send
the proper signals to the muscles, affects gait and other movements. Those
with severe cases use wheelchairs.

Mr. Mozgala’s condition is less severe but disruptive enough to have
caused him to walk for most of his life like “a human velociraptor,” as he
put it: up on his toes, lower extremities turned in, seesawing from side
to side to maintain balance.

“My knees were going in, my hips were totally rotated inward,” Mr. Mozgala
said. “Gravity was just taking me down. So my upper body — arms and chest
— overcompensated, curling back and up.”

That is how he looked when Ms. Rogoff saw him in March 2008 playing the
male lead in a production of “Romeo and Juliet” by Theater Breaking
Through Barriers, a group whose shows mix actors with disabilities and
those without. Ms. Rogoff has often worked outside normal dance parameters
— with prison inmates, for instance — and knew immediately that she wanted
to try to create a piece for Mr. Mozgala.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do for him,” she said, “but I just knew
he was inspiring to me.”

Originally, she envisioned a simple study, maybe 10 minutes long. Mr.
Mozgala’s expectations when he agreed to the project were equally narrow:
he said that he thought that she would either merely create a dance that
made use of the physical abilities he already had or, after seeing his
limitations, tell him, “Thanks but no thanks.”

Once they began working together, though, Ms. Rogoff realized that a
broader approach was needed.

“Every time he tried to move in a way that wasn’t specific to his habitual
pattern, he would fall down or just not know how to address it,” she said,
“because he had a certain amount of patterning linked to his C.P., and I
was asking him to step out of these patterns. I realized I couldn’t ask
him to do that unless I supported it with a lot of body knowledge.”

She introduced Mr. Mozgala to a tension-releasing shaking technique, and
it was immediately revelatory.

“My body just really took to it,” Mr. Mozgala said. “I did that for about
20 or 30 minutes, and when I stood up, I was walking completely
differently. My feet were flat on the ground.”

They knew they were onto something. They began doing intensive one-on-one
sessions they call body work, Ms. Rogoff using her knowledge of the body
and dance-training techniques to help Mr. Mozgala “find” individual bones,
muscles and tendons that he had had no command of before.

They started at the top and worked down — sternum, sacrum, knees — with
Mr. Mozgala’s body and brain opening paths of communication that had not
existed.

“There’s a lot of howling, screaming, crying, sweating,” Ms. Rogoff said.
But “we often have these huge eureka moments.”

The other day, for instance, it was brain, meet lower-leg tendon.

“I said today, ‘I can feel my Achilles,’ ” Mr. Mozgala said. “You have to
realize, I have never felt my Achilles before.”

Dr. Stephen A. Paget, chief of rheumatology at the Hospital for Special
Surgery in Manhattan, who has been acting as a sort of sounding board for
Ms. Rogoff during the project, said the changes being wrought in Mr.
Mozgala support a relatively new way of thinking about neurological
impairments.

“In the past, people thought that a neurological deficit was fixed and
immutable,” Dr. Paget said. “Now there’s this whole concept of
neuroplasticity: the neurological system has this ability to change itself
and constantly grow.”

Apparently Mr. Mozgala’s has done just that. Before, his gait was extreme
enough that it would draw stares on the street. (“The lurch,” he and Ms.
Rogoff have come to call it.) Now, when he is fully concentrating, a
passer-by might have to look twice to realize he has a disability at all.

Unlike his earlier physical therapists, he said, Ms. Rogoff has given him
knowledge of his body and specific instructions that he can employ while
going about his everyday life: “Sternum down, tailbone up,” and so on.

“I have the key now,” he said. “Before, I was always being manipulated by
someone else.”

Ms. Rogoff, whose father was a doctor, said that she knew little about
cerebral palsy when she and Mr. Mozgala began, and that she had made a
point of not learning too much. “That way I didn’t have any ideas about
what he could and couldn’t do,” she said.

The physical changes Mr. Mozgala has experienced have had ramifications
beyond the gym and the studio. Since high school, he has had a comical
routine he would employ when he fell (“falling with style,” he called it)
as a defense mechanism, to get people on his side; that is now gone.

So are the swings of self-image in which he would go from not caring if
people were staring at him to feeling like “John Merrick on Fleet Street,”
as he put it.

As Mr. Mozgala changed, so did Ms. Rogoff’s concept for the dance. The
10-minute study she had envisioned is now a work of more than an hour,
with a cast of four. The piece has antecedents in “Afternoon of a Faun,”
the Nijinsky ballet. Mr. Mozgala plays a 5,000-year-old Faun who turns up
in a modern-day hospital as the work explores the intersection of science
and art.

Emily Pope-Blackman, an experienced dancer who has a very physical,
sensuous duet with Mr. Mozgala in the piece, had the task of helping him
translate the progress he was making in the body-work sessions onto the
dance floor. It was, she said, a slow process of “finding out between the
two of us how much force, as he got stronger, we could risk: how hard
could I pull him toward me; how much could he push me over without falling
over himself.”

The piece, which also features Lucie Baker and Dr. Don Kollisch (a
real-life family physician), is financed with a grant from VSA Arts, a
nonprofit group that supports arts by people with disabilities. After its
New York run, it will be seen at the VSA International Arts Festival in
June at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Ms. Rogoff calls Mr. Mozgala “the best student I’ve ever had.” Yet both of
them are emphatic about what they have not achieved.

“This isn’t a cure,” Mr. Mozgala said. “I’m always going to have cerebral
palsy.”

But now he doesn’t feel so enslaved by it.

“Everybody told me there was nothing I could do,” he said. “That’s just
what you hear, from the time you’re 5 to adulthood. Tamar gave me an
option.”

Whether the methods they have used can translate to others remains to be
seen. But Dr. Paget said their progress held a message for anyone with a
neurological impairment.

“It’s not over,” he said. “There’s always a chance to change. You should
not — you dare not — give up.”

Posted by:

Lawrence Carter-Long
Executive Director, Disabilities Network of NYC

Next @ the disTHIS! Film Series:
Wednesday, December 9th

Open Captioned and Audio Described Screening of
War Against The Weak

Doors open at 6:30pm. Screening starts promptly at 7.  Suggested donation $5
Location: NYU, 5 Washington Place (Room 101) between Mercer and Broadway
in NYC

“It began on Long Island; ended at Auschwitz…and yet it never really
stopped.”

Based on Edwin Black’s acclaimed book of the same name, WAR AGAINST THE
WEAK translates the exhaustive 600 page tome into a comprehensive, damning
documentary indictment of the Eugenics movement in a smooth-moving horror
show that’s all at once shocking, inventive and seductive.

Find out what they neglected to tell you in history class about the
American origins of the holocaust and how our not so distant past is still
rocking the United States, and the world, today. Screened with live audio
description by Joel Snyder.

Producer, Peter Demas, and director, Justin Strawhand, will answer YOUR
questions following the screening!

Shown with Justin Edgar’s THE HUNGER HOUSE (5 MINUTES). Set in Germany
during World War Two when the Nazis operated Aktion T4, a euthanasia
program of aimed at exterminating disabled people. Using disabled actors,
The Hunger House follows the final days of two young friends who are
caught up in the Nazi death machine. THE HUNGER HOUSE is shown in
partnership with the Reelabilities Film Festival, January 28–February 1,
2010 http://www.reelabilities.org

ABOUT US: The disTHIS! Film Series: disability through a whole new lens, a
program of the Disabilities Network of New York City in partnership with
the NYU Council for the Study of Disability is a monthly showcase of
festival quality, cutting edge short, documentary, feature and
experimental films that offer ground-breaking interpretations of the
disability experience beyond "movie of the week" cliches.

Acclaimed by film lovers with and without disabilities, throughout our
3-year history disTHIS! has been featured in Disability Studies Quarterly,
the Tribeca Trib, the New York Nonprofit Press, Able News and the New York
Times Sunday Style section (above the fold!) for presenting quality
disability cinema with the promise of "No handkerchief necessary, no
heroism required!" disTHIS! films are frequently funny (and meant to be),
remarkably sexy (just like our audiences), often controversial (because we
like that sort of thing). Throughout our history, we've teamed with Film
Comment, the BBC, IFC, and MTV, among others, to bring audiences the
cutting edge of disability-themed cinema and television.

disTHIS! is a program of the Disabilities Network of NYC. We are made
possible by our partners at NYU's Council for the Study of Disability and
the generous support of the Fund for the City of New York, the Screen
Actors Guild, the NYU Community Fund and our members.

Never miss an event! For more information, to get on our email list, or
become a fan on our Facebook page visit:   disTHIS.org

Greetings all...

I know this is last minute, but some organizations have asked us to
re-send information for 2010 membership via postal mail and I'd like to
get it out before Thanksgiving. If you can make it out, volunteers are
needed tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov 24 from 10am - until 1pm to help us complete
the task.

If you're available to help us label envelopes, fold, stuff, etc. between
those times, we'd really appreciate it.

If you can help please email me back at: Lawrence@... or call me at
212-590-9493 so we know how many people to expect. Also, let us
know what time you plan to arrive so we can look out for you!

Our NEW address is 121 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave), 6th floor
(between Broome and Watts) at the offices of the Fund for the City of New
York. Wheelchair users should use the accessible entrance at 55 Broome
Street which is also used by THE DOOR school.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All best,

Lawrence Carter-Long
Executive Director, Disabilities Network of NYC
212-590-9493

*NEW 11/24 Tue 10-Noon, HOUSING RALLY: for the rights of those in Adult homes
(Governor’s NYC office, 633 Third Ave, 40-41 St.)    RSVP to Carla at
212-780-1400 x7726

A Federal Court ordered the Governor to allow 4,300 adult home residents to move
out over the next 3 years. The Governor says NY can only afford to allow 1,000
residents out of Adult Homes over the next 6 years.  Keeping people in adult
homes costs more than providing supported housing! It cheats people with
disabilities of their civil rights and wastes taxpayer dollars.

Join a coalition of advocates as we tell the Governor that:His plan is too
little, too late

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Think about the possibility for this as a WC accessible garden program


Business of Green:The Rooftop Garden Climbs Down a Wall
By KEN BELSON NYT November 19, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/business/energy-environment/19WALLS.html?_r=1&\
scp=1&sq=growing%20walls&st=Search

ROCHESTER

IN most ways, the Barthelmes Manufacturing Company is a typical sheet metal
fabricator. Five days a week, machines here stamp out thousands of computer
cases, electrical patch panels and other items for companies like United
Technologies.

Yet a growing part of the company’s business is being devoted to something
decidedly unindustrial: edible walls — metal panels filled with soil and seeds
and hung vertically.

They may sound like a piece of Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. In fact, they
are the latest development in green roof technology. Like green roofs, edible
walls include a thick layer of vegetation on the outside of buildings to provide
insulation and reduce heating and electricity costs.

But unlike green roofs — and their vertical cousins, green walls — edible walls
also produce fruit, vegetables and herbs in far less space than typical gardens.
That’s why advocates of urban farming have embraced them as a way to lower food
costs, increase nutritional quality and cut fuel consumption and carbon
emissions by using fewer delivery trucks.

“The traditional metal fabrication industry is shrinking, and green is an
emerging area,” said Larry Lehning, the chief executive at Barthelmes, whose
sales of green products have doubled this year and make up 15 percent of the
company’s revenue. Edible walls — descendants of espalier, or trees grown
against walls that were popular during the Middle Ages in Europe — are just one
small attempt to grow food in cities. For instance, Valcent Products builds
greenhouses filled with hundreds of trays of hydroponic vegetables stacked on
conveyor belts. Sky Vegetables hopes to build commercial farms on the flat roofs
of hospitals, schools and food banks.

Dickson D. Despommier, the director of the Vertical Farm Project at Columbia
University, envisions entire skyscrapers turned into indoor farms capable of
growing 100 different crops.

All of these solutions, though, require large investments and considerable
technology. Edible walls, by contrast, can be built for a fraction of the cost,
do not need computers or greenhouses and require far less maintenance.

The leader in this niche area is Green Living Technologies, another company in
Rochester that has built edible walls here, in New York City, Los Angeles,
Detroit and elsewhere.

“Instead of bringing food to the city, we’re bringing the whole farm,” said
George Irwin, the chief executive and founder of the company. “What we’re
implementing is back to basics.”

The idea for the edible wall, which is often portable and hung from a structural
wall, was inspired by Mr. Irwin’s young son and daughter about five years ago.
Mr. Irwin, who was installing green roofs and green walls, was asked by his
children if they could plant some lettuce seeds in a wall. Not expecting much,
Mr. Irwin plopped the seeds into the soil in a panel that he was using for a
sloped green roof. A few days later, they sprouted.

Mr. Irwin saw the potential for these vertical planters in cities where space is
tight and food costs high. They can be hung in backyards, parking lots and other
spots. He has sold them mostly to homeowners and schools, but he hopes to
persuade restaurants and supermarkets to buy them so customers can pick their
own food.

Uninterested in being a manufacturer, Mr. Irwin has contracted with Barthelmes
and other companies for 2-foot-by-2-foot stainless steel and aluminum panels and
other products.

The panels have intersecting slats inside that create 24 cells for seeds to be
planted. The slats have long holes in them so roots can migrate between the
cells, strengthening the soil and plants.

Mr. Irwin, who has an online column as the Green Wall editor, holds two-day
seminars where landscape designers pay $800 to learn how to install products
made by Green Living Technologies. One of the nearly 500 resellers is Kari
Elwell Katzander, a landscape designer in New York City. She comes up with
designs for her customers and then calls Plant Connection, another of Mr.
Irwin’s partners, which recommends plants to grow and then cultivates them for
two to five months at its nursery on Long Island.

In early November, Ms. Katzander installed three panels, each four inches deep,
for Brad Zizmor, who has a backyard deck at his first-floor apartment in
Manhattan.

Ms. Katzander and Plant Connection decided on 10 plants, including strawberries,
lettuce, chives, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme. The panels, which weigh
about 50 pounds each when filled, were hung on a wooden wall that surrounds the
deck.

To irrigate the plants, a quarter-inch hose with tiny holes was draped across
the top of the panels and attached to a larger hose. Ms. Katzander figured out
how often to feed the plants to avoid runoff and to ensure that the plants would
not be too dry or wet.

“What’s nice is you can be surrounded by the food you’re eating,” Mr. Zizmor
said.

Mr. Zizmor is considering whether to keep several panels cultivating on Long
Island so he can swap them out each season.

AT about $125 a square foot, or $500 per planted panel, plus more for design,
delivery and maintenance, edible walls do not make sense for every home, or even
cities where there is open land.

Still, Mr. Irwin has shown that edible walls can work on a larger scale. At four
locations in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, there are walls with more than
4,000 plants growing: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach, leeks, even
baby watermelon. At one location, a homeless shelter, residents tend to a
six-foot-high, 30-foot-long wall, eating some food they harvest and selling the
rest.

The project, urban farming advocates say, is just the start of something larger.

“We have 30 miles of rooftop in New York City and maybe 3,000 miles of walls,”
said Paul Mankiewicz, the executive director of the Gaia Institute in New York.
“It’s basically about maximizing the productivity per square foot.”



EM Prentiss

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Google to Caption YouTube Videos
By MIGUEL HELFT NYT November 20, 2009

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — In the first major step toward making millions of videos
on YouTube accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired people, Google unveiled new
technologies on Thursday that will automatically bring text captions to many
videos on the site.

While the technology can insert captions only on English-language speech, Google
is giving users the choice of using its automatic translation system to read the
captions in 51 languages. That could broaden the appeal of YouTube videos to
millions of other people who do not speak English but could use the captioning
technology to read subtitles in their native language.

The speech recognition technology that Google uses to turn speech into text is
not new; Google currently uses it to transcribe voice mail messages for users of
its Google Voice service. But Ken Harrenstien, a deaf engineer who helped
develop the automatic captioning system, said the technology had never been
applied on such a large scale.

“This is something that I have dreamt of for many years,” Mr. Harrenstien said,
speaking through an interpreter. “To see it happen is amazing.”

YouTube already has several hundred thousand videos that have closed captions,
which typically come from broadcast networks that include them in their
programs. Some other online video sites like Hulu and AOL also have some
professionally created videos with closed captioning.

But Mr. Harrenstien said a vast majority of clips on YouTube did not have
captions and the new Google technology would generate them automatically.
YouTube is initially applying the captioning technology only to a few channels,
most of them specializing in educational content. They include channels from
universities like Stanford, Yale, Duke, Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, PBS and National Geographic, and Google itself — its corporate
videos will be captioned. The company plans to gradually expand the number of
channels that work with the automatic captioning technology.

“Because the tools are not perfect, we want to make sure that we get feedback
from the video owners and the viewers before we roll it out for the whole
world,” Mr. Harrenstien said. “Sometimes the auto-captions are good. Sometimes
they are not great, but they are better than nothing if you are hearing-impaired
or don’t know the language.”

Google also introduced a related service to give anyone who uploads a video to
YouTube the option of uploading as well a text file of the words spoken in the
video. Google will turn the text file into captions, automatically matching the
spoken words with the files.

The technology, which Google calls “auto-timing,” will make it easy for anyone
to add captions to their videos. It will be available to YouTube users
worldwide, and Google said it would be particularly useful for videographers who
shoot from a script, since they already have a file of the text spoken in the
video.

In addition to helping people who are deaf or do not speak English, the captions
will make it easier for anyone to search text inside videos and find specific
snippets within a video.

Google announced the new features on Thursday at an event in Washington. The
company said they would be available by the end of the week.


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HI-
THEOTHER NUMBER FOR AAR IS:
718-393-4999
YOU CAN ALSO CALL THIS NUMBER WHEN YOU ARE OUT OF TOWN BECAUSE THE 877 NUMBER DOES NOT WORK OUTSIDE OF A CERTAIN DISTANCE
PAM BATES

With 1105 "votes" cast on Nov. 19, 89% of voting Washington Post readers
said it doesn't matter that a nondisabled actor plays a wheelchair user.

My question: Why on Earth is this in the "Health" Section?

All best,

Lawrence

=======================

WASHINGTON POST: For "Glee," a wheelchair misstep?
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Washington Post, Health Section
November 16, 2009; 7:00 AM ET
Categories:  Disabilities
Link:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/11/for_glee_a_wheelchair_misstep.h\
tml

Fox Broadcasting Company's breakout hit show "Glee" tackled a tough issue
in the episode aired last Wednesday evening: Is it possible for
able-bodied high-school kids to really understand what life is like for a
kid in a wheelchair?

The plot, in brief: Glee club advisor/teacher William Schuester is
disappointed when the kids in the club are content to have their one
wheelchair-bound club-member ride to a competition in his father's car
rather than raise money to rent a wheelchair-accessible bus. So he obtains
a bunch of wheelchairs and insists that all the glee-clubbers spend at
least three hours a day in them -- and perform a song-and-dance number in
them, too. Enhanced appreciation ensues.

But the episode, clearly intended to raise awareness of the challenges
people in wheelchairs might face in going about their daily business, has
met with criticism from advocates for disabled people.

The issue: The gifted young actor who plays the student in the wheelchair
is not himself in a wheelchair. The advocacy group argues that there are
plenty of young performers in wheelchairs who could have been cast in that
role. The "Glee" people counter that they've worked hard to make their
cast inclusive and that finding a star who can sing, act and radiate
personality the way actor Kevin McHale does was daunting enough.

IMHO, "Glee" is the best thing to happen to television in years. It's one
of the few shows you can watch with your teen-aged kids knowing that
everyone will love it. It has juicy story lines that don't get too edgy,
and it's bursting with toe-tapping music. If you haven't tuned in already,
I recommend you give it a try.

I was going to blog about one of the show's weaker story lines involving a
woman who's faking a pregnancy to keep her husband (the glee-club advisor)
in line. How common is it for women to fake pregnancies? I'll come back to
that question another day. Because this wheelchair issue is much more
compelling.

I can see both sides of the story. Perhaps there is a young person in a
wheelchair out there who could act the role of Artie as well as -- or
better than -- McHale has. On the other hand, the show's creators clearly
are trying hard to do right by people of varying races and ethnicities,
sexual orientations and levels of high-school popularity.

The episode featuring the wheelchairs also features a subplot about a
student with Down syndrome, played by a young actress with Down syndrome,
and another involving a mentally handicapped person, again played by an
actress who appears to be mentally handicapped.

So I'm inclined to give "Glee" a pass on this. How about you? Please share
your point of view in the comments section, and register your opinion in
today's poll:

Should the glee-club-member-in-a-wheelchair be played by an actor who
actually uses a wheelchair?
	 Yes: Casting someone who really uses a wheelchair would have sent a vital
message and signaled support for the disabled community.
	 No: It's more important that the role be so expertly played that nobody
even stops to wonder about whether the actor who plays it uses a
wheelchair in real life.

This is a non-scientific user poll. Results are not statistically valid
and cannot be assumed to reflect the views of Washington Post users as a
group or the general population.

To vote, go to:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/11/for_glee_a_wheelchair_misstep.h\
tml

Posted by:
Lawrence Carter-Long
Executive Director, Disabilities Network of NYC
http://dnnyc.net
Founder/Curator, The disTHIS! Film Series
http://disthis.org

We don't know why, but the BBC's OUCH Talk Show (once again) risked
international incident by inviting Lawrence Carter-Long back -- this time
to co-host the October 2009 edition with Liz Carr. Daring to discuss
disability stereotypes was only the beginning. Listen in at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/podcast/ouch_talk_show_44_-_october_2009.shtml

Join Brendan Costello, in studio with TK Small, Chris Noel and yours
truly, Lawrence Carter-Long, for the latest edition of the LARGEST
MINORITY radio show today at 11am on 99.5FM in NYC and worldwide on the
internet at WBAI.ORG

On this edition we'll be talking with NY State Assembly member Jonathan
Bing, Chair of the special Task force on people with Disabilites, and
Susan Dooha of Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York.  We'll
touch on a number of topics regarding recent hearings and the
ramifications of the ins and outs of Albany politics for people with
disabilities.

We'll also speak with a couple of writers whose work appears in a new
audio zine, Cripping Femme, which is making its New York Launch this
Saturday at Bluestockings Bookstore.

It all begins at 11am EST. Join us!

Best to all,

Lawrence Carter-Long
Executive Director, Disabilities Network of NYC

To submit an event edith@...

3rd Th of the month 11 AM The Largest Minority Radio Program (WBAI 99.5 FM) As
of 12/10, air time will increase from once a month to twice.on the 2nd & 4th
Thus programs are archived at www.wbai.org

*NEW 11/23 Mon 1 PM, City Council Hearing: Oversight - Are Parks Serving All
People? - An Update on Accessibility for PWDs (250 Broadway 14 F hearing room WC
acc)

11/23 Deadline, Public Comment Invited on Proposed Changes to ADA Regulations
http://www.eeoc.gov/ada/amendments_notice.html  with a question-and-answer guide
_______________________________________________________________________
1st Mon 3-4 PM The Forgotten Constituency: How Voter Engagement Builds Power &
Participation in PWDs Conference: 605-990-0700 (SD) Code: 1025647# Learn how
non-partisan state-wide disability vote coalitions have succeeded in increasing
PWDs voter turnout

1st Mon 5:55 PM, CHADD (Children & Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders) (65
E 89 St WC acc) Harold Meyer, 212-724-9699 or addrc@...

1st Mon noon-2PM, Rights for Imprisoned People w/ Psychiatric Disb (Urban
Justice Ctr, 123 William St,16th Floor) lortega@... 646-260-6575

2nd Mon, ASL interpreted tours (Jewish Museum 1109 Fifth Ave, 92 S WC acc)
pre-registration required access@... or 212.423.3225 (TTY 212.660.1515)

1st Tue 12:30-2 PM, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Support Group (BCID, 27 Smith
St Fl 2, B’klyn WC acc) 718-998-3000

1st Tues 8-30-10 PM, ACB Women’s Concern - Support Group for woman w/ vision
loss & breast cancer 605-475-4850 (not a free call -Meeting ID: 727660 #)

2nd Tues 6:45 PM Monthly Adult Support Group Meetings (New York Branch
International Dyslexia Association, Inc.71 W 23 St #1527, 6 Ave)

3rd Tues10 AM, B’klyn Consumer Council (25 Flatbush Ave 2 Fl) 718-642-8512 or
brooklyncomsumercouncil@...

4th Tues 1-2:30 PM, Man BP Disability Task Force (1 Centre St 19 floor south WC
acc) Clarice Brown 212-669-8300 In Nov & Dec 09 will meet on thr 3rd Tuesday

3rd Tue 1-3 PM, Queens BP’s Advisory Council for PWDs (Queens Boro Hall 120-55
Queens Blvd Kew Gardens WC acc) Seema Rambaran 718-286-2680 Fax: 718-286-2698
srambaran@...

Every Tue & Fri 7-8:30 PM Wheelchair Dancing (Chelsea Studios, 151 W. 26 St,
6-7Ave WC acc) www.wheelchairdancesportusa.org wdsportusa@... 212 245
0004

1st Wed 1:30-3 PM free Open House: Computer Center for Visually Impaired People
(Baruch College, 151 E 25 St # 655, Lex -3rd Aves, WC acc) Reservations
required!: 646-312-1420.

1st Wed 6-8 PM Mutual Support Grp (HILC, 289 St. Nicholas Ave Lower Level,
125-124 WC acc) by & for people with both physical & mental disabled Mike
917-805-9139 /Steven 212-354-7900 x. 7146

2nd Wed, 2-3 PM, Women's Group (BCID, 27 Smith St Fl 2, B’klyn WC acc)
718-998-3000

3rd Wed 3-5 PM Bx Mental Health Council (Montefiore, Klau Pav Conf Rm 1, 111 E
210 St, Bx WC acc) 718-231-3400 x 202 or jdiblasi@...

3rd Wed 2-3 PM, Men's Group (BCID, 27 Smith St Fl 2, B’Klyn WC acc) 718-998-3000

2nd & 4th Wed 1 PM, Discovery Series- Informative & engaging educational
programming on topics related to computer & software accessibility
target-center@...

Last Wed 1-2:30 OMH Office of Consumer Affairs webinars for recipients of MH
service, friends & loved ones. https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/274082098.

Every Wed 6-8 PM Music Lessons & Activities Program for Children & Adults WDs
(Woodrow Methodist Church, 1075 Woodrow Rd SI) Julianna 718-356-4737
julianna@...

*NEW LOCATION 2nd Thu 9-11 AM (most months), Man. Mental Health Council
(Fountain House   425 W 47 St, 9-10 Ave, WC acc) Martha Seymour, Co-Cons chair
212-924-2797

2nd Thu 10-noon, B’klyn System Change Network (BCID, 27 Smith St Fl 2, B’klyn WC
acc) 718-998-3000

3rd Thu, ASL interpreted tours (Jewish Museum 1109 Fifth Ave, 92 St)
pre-registration required access@... or 212.423.3225 (TTY 212.660.1515)

Every Thu 1-3 PM, BCID Peer Support Group (BCID, 27 Smith St Fl 2, B’Klyn WC
acc) 718-998-3000 call to make there a meeting week

Every Thu 6:30-8 PM, Women Vets Art Program: (SVA, 32 W 21 St, 3rd Floor, 6-7
Ave) Val Sereno 212-592-2419 or vsereno@....

3rd Fri 7-10 PM, Fri ASL Tour (Rubin Museum of Art,150 W 17 St WC acc) learn
about the culture, history, religions & sacred art of the Himalayas 212 620 5000
x328 lbrooks@...
http://www.rmanyc.org/information/accessibility-tours.xml?context=information/ac\
\cessibility-tours.xml

Every Fri 1 PM, Orientation (registration required) Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy
Center (2090 AC Powell Jr Blvd, floor 12 WC acc) 212-865-0775 x 0; STARR (Steps
to a Renewed Reality; ACE (Assisted Competitive employment) & Peer Specialist
training

Every Sat 10-noon, Writing Workshop (B’klyn Vet Center) creative ways to
mitigate PTSD symptoms Tim Brennan 718-624-2765

Every Sat 2-4 PM, Free Creative Writing Program/Writing Workshop for Gulf,
Afghanistan & Iraq Vets (NYU WC acc) a free, small non-partisan program offers
an opportunity to express yourself on paper, bear witness to experiences, & to
explore the basics of the craft of writing Zachary Sussman, 212-992-9809 or
zachary.sussman@....

Every Sat 5:30-7 PM, NAMI-NYC weekend social & support group. (NAMI-NYC Metro,
505 Eighth Ave #1103, 35 St WC acc) Food & refreshments 212-684-3264

MULTI SESSION EVENTS OR TIME LIMITED RECURRENT EVENTS

09/14-12/13 Supported Employment Web-Based Certificate Series
http://www.worksupport.com/registration/webcourse/index.cfm

09/17 –12/03 (no session 11/26) Th 6-8 PM,  Creative Writing Workshops (CIDNY,
841 Broadway, 13-14 St #301 WC acc) Space is limited; please sign up as soon as
possible. Register: Jocelyn Jackson 646-442-4164  jjackson@.... Light
refreshments will be served.

10/02 – 06/02 Housing Clinics and Workshops (Goddard Riverside, 647 Columbus
Ave, 92 St WC acc) 11/04 Harassment; 12/02 HPs Repairs, Bedbugs & Cockroaches;
02/03 Preferential rents; 03/03 City-wide housing campaigns; 04/07 DHCR; 05/05
Owner’s use; & 06/02 Succession Rights mweithman@... or 212-799-9638

*NEW 11/30 – 12/01 Mon & Tu Work Incentive Training Seminar (Port Jefferson LI)
Register
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/regTraining.cfm?&trainType=WIIN

*NEW 12/9 (1-5 PM) 10 (2-9 PM) & 11 (9-4 PM) Wed, Th & Fri. Audio Description
Training: (UJA-Federation of NY, 130 E 59 St, Learn to provide audio description
for persons who are blind or who have low vision   Park-Lexington, WC acc)
Lawrence@...

12/11-19, 28th Annual Perspectives on Employment of PWDs Conf (Bethesda, MD)
http://www.graduateschool.edu/Conferences/Perspectives/index.php

01/3-6 SILC CONGRESS 2010 (Las Vegas, NV)

01/11-29 Getting on Board! (For IL Boards of Directors) Reg Deadline: 12/18
http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

1/28-2/1 NYC 2nd Realabilities Film Festival http://www.realabilities.org/

02/01-03/01, Customized Employment - a process for individualizing the
employment relationship between a job seeker and an employer in ways that meet
the needs of both. It is based on a match between the unique strengths, needs,
and interests of the job candidate with a disability, and the identified
business needs of the employer or self-employment. $60 per individual
http://www.worksupport.com/registration/webcourse/index.cfm

02/08-26, Implementing Olmstead: ABCs of Nursing Home Transition Reg Deadline:
01/20 http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

02/10-12 CIL NET Presents: A National Onsite Training: Perfect Nonprofit Boards:
Myths, Paradoxes & Paradigms (Arizona Bridge to Independent Living – ABIL 5025
E. Washington St. Phoenix)
https://secure.xo.com/ncil.org/store/catalog.php?p_category=2

03/01-04/04 Into Adulthood: Transition to Work for Individuals with Autism -
provide the in-depth understanding of the concepts related to positive
transition planning Cost $298.07/participant
http://www.worksupport.com/registration/webcourse/index.cfm

03/01-19 Financial Management for CILs Reg Deadline: 02/10
http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

04/05-30 Orientation for New CIL/SILC Personnel Reg Deadline: 03/17
http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

05/03-21 Medicaid and New Community Options Reg Deadline: 04/14,
http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

06/02-05 SDS 2010, 22nd Annual Conference Disability In The Geo-Political
Imagination  (Institute on Disabilities, Temple University, Philadelphia)
conference@...

06/07-25 Building an Effective Peer Support Program Reg Deadline: 05/12
http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

08/02-20 Community Needs Assessment for SILCs, Reg Deadline: 07/14
http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

09/13-10/01 Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living
Councils
Reg Deadline: 8/25, http://www.ilru.org/html/forms/online_registration.htm

05/21-23, Abilities Expo (Edison, NJ)

07/26-27, NCD’s 2010 National Summit on Disability Policy Steering (Wash, DC)

SINGLE EVENTS

11/19 Th 11:00 AM Gallery Talks FM Assistive Listening Devices American Stories:
Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765-1915 (Met Museum, 1000 Fifth Ave, 79 St WC acc
Meets at exhibition entrance) free with Museum admission

11/19 Th 8:00-4:30 PM, Certified Inclusivity Assessor Training (Downstate
Conference Post-institute, White Plains) Pre-registration Required:
laurie.penneymgee@..., or 607-753-4833. CECs are available for $8 at
the training. Request accommodations when you register. www.nysirrc.org

11/19 Th 6-8 PM, 34th St Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis Public Meeting
(Hotel Pennsylvania, Madison Room, 401 7th Ave, 33-32 St, WC acc)

11/19 Th 6-8 PM, Dealing With Challenging Behaviors (AHRC, 83 Maiden Lane,
Penthouse) RSVP Jennifer  212-895-3446
http://www.ahrcnyc.org/services/services.htm

11/19 Th 6:30-8 PM, Open-Captioned Tenement Talk When Everything Changed: The
Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present.” (Tenement Museum
Visitor Center, 108 Orchard St, Delancey). This is a free service and no
reservations are required.

11/19 Th 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Emotional Development Matters: A Holistic Approach to
Helping Young People with LD (NYBIDA, 71 W 23 St # 1527, 6th Ave WC acc) Members
Free / Non Members $5.00 RSVP: Diana Naples 212-691-1930 ext 12 info@...

11/20 Fri 8:30-noon, Creating an Inclusive Society: Revisiting the American
Dream (LaGuardia Comm College, 31-10 Thomson Ave, LIC) Breakfast Info
212-983-4800 x 120 queensforum.gmail.com
www.communityuplink.nrt/americandream.htm  RSVP by 11/10

11/20 Fri 10-Noon, NYNAMSS meeting (JASA Cooper Square, 200 E. 5 St, Bowery WC
acc) Update on Medicare & Health Care Reform -- Myths vs. Facts, and Action
Plans

*NEW 11/20 Fri 2-3:15 PM, Strategies to Address Disability Disparities - a panel
of experts on specific strategies, interventions & tools for addressing
disability disparities toward their elimination.
http://www.vcu-projectempowerment.org/registration/webcast/index.cfm?webcastID=1\
55

*NEW 11/21 Sat 7PM Reading: Leslie Freeman "Cripping Femme" Bluestockings,  172
Allen St, Delancy – E Houston WC acc) radical crip cultures & the voices of
dis/abled femmes of color including Martina Robinson
martina_robinson@...

*NEW 11/23 Mon 1 PM, City Council Hearing: Oversight - Are Parks Serving All
People? - An Update on Accessibility for PWDs (250 Broadway 14 F hearing room WC
acc)

12/01Tu 10 AM, Census 2010: Making sure PWDs Are Counted! (HILC, 289 St.
Nicholas Ave Lower Level, 125-124 WC acc & ASL) REVP 212-222-7122  or
curry.hilc@...

12/01 Tu 12:30pm: book signing  "Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me!" w/ Howie
Mandel (Barnes & Noble, 555 Fifth Ave, 45-46  St WC acc)   
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/61427

12/01 Tu 5:30-6:30 PM, RA & Osteoporosis (Hospital for Special Surgery,  353 E
70 St, 2nd floor Conference Center) registration is required. Arthritis
Foundation 212-984-8730 or ayanawoods@...

*NEW 12/02 Wed 3-4:30 PM, NCIL & AoA: Creating Successful Aging and Disability
Partnerships
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dDNwTjBXaXl5QktLMFJGRnhPST\
JhNmc6MA

12/02 Wed 8 PM, ADD & OCD Book discussion Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me!"(92nd
Street Y, Lexington Ave, 92 St WC Acc) w/ Howie Mandel & Gail Saltz, MD $27
www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T%2DLC5GS04

12/03 3-4:30 PM, Documenting Disparities in Obesity & Disability –first of a
two-part series on disparities research focusing on the disparities in obesity
experienced by PWDs, potential consequences of those disparities, and efforts to
include disability as a diversity and equity factor in federal and community
health-promotion programs. Part 2 will focus on strategies for addressing these
disparities and improving the quality and visibility of disparity and inequities
research.http://survey.sedl.org/efm/wsb.dll/s/1g71

12/03 Thu 6-9 PM, Man Adult ADD Support & Discussion Group (West End Collegiate
Church, 245 W 77 St, West End Ave) 845-278-3022 or maaddsg@...

12/04 Fri NYS Bar Assoc: Finding the Bottom Line Rights Of PWDs In NYS (The New
York Hilton, NYC) Intermediate-level may be used for NY MCLE credit by all
attorneys, 6.5 Total Credits To request accommodations: Cindy O’Brien
518-487-5585 or cobrien@... registration: www.nysba.org/disabilitynyc

12/04 Wed 8-4:30 PM, Unfolding the Secrets of the Brain (Joint Disease 301 E 17)
$150 /$75 students http://www.bianys.org/events.html#2

*NEW 12/05 Th 5:30-8 PM, Albany: Have we reached the tipping point? (League of
Women Voters, 4 W 43 St, 5 Ave) RSVP: 212-725-3541

12/06 Sun 6:30-8:30 PM, Celebrate the Life and Work of Eleanor Cooper (The
Center, 208 W 13 St WC acc)

*NEW 12/09 Wed 6:30 PM, disTHIS! Film Series: War Against The Weak (NYU 5
Washington Place, Room 101, B’way -  Mercer WC acc) Suggested donation: $5. The
director & producer will be in attendance for a discussion following the
screening. RSVP disTHIS@...

12/10 Th Transition from School to Adult Services (AHRC, 83 Maiden Lane,
Penthouse) RSVP Jennifer 212-895-3446
http://www.ahrcnyc.org/services/services.htm

12/10 Thu 6:30-9 PM, Man Adult ADD - ADD & Anxiety Disorders (Seafarers &
International House, 123 E 15 St, Irving Place) 845-278-3022 or maaddsg@...

12/12 Sat 8:30 -5 PM, NYC Food, Climate Summit (NYU, 566 LaGuardia P{l;ace WC
Acc)

*NEW 12/12 Sat 2-5 PM, Helping Hands Holiday Party (127 W 26 St, 2nd floor, 
between 6- 7 Aves, ring intercom 3003) RSVP Alice Crespo 718-728-0868

12/14 Mon 5:55 PM, stolen kisses ADDing in the Love (St. Thomas More Church, 65
E 89 St, Madison -Park Ave) 212 721 0007 addrc@...  www.chadd.net/107

12/15 1-3:30 PM, Man BP Disabilities Task Force (1 Centre St 19 floor south WC
acc) Clarice Brown 212-669-8300

01/13, The power of Social Networking Sites for PWDs
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

01/30 Sat 11-3 PM Resources for Children with Special Needs, - Special Camp Fair
(Church of St. Paul the Apostle, entrance Columbus Ave. and W. 60 St)

02/25, DNNYC Disability Summit

03/09, 37th Annual Conference on Dyslexia & Related LD (NYU Kimmel WC ac)

03/10, Best Practice in Developing and Disseminating Documents Electronically
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

04/23 Enhancing Community Capacity to Meet the Needs of Returning Service
members & Families (Fordham, 60 St & Columbus Ave WC acc)
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,d43940aa-8734-4086-8e3b-2c21e4757b4d

05/12, Successful Accommodations: Assistive Technology and Accessibility Working
Together http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

07/14, Return on Investment: The Business Case for Accessibility - discussing
the myths surrounding accessibility & demonstrate how accessibility benefits a
wide range of people.  
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

09/08, Creating Accessible Videos for Your Website
http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/Schedule/

http://www.pcdcny.org/index.cfm?organization_id=128&section_id=2047&page_id=8777
Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Manual

suzannejoblonski@...  is writing a story for a feature writing class on
the topic of accessible voting. I would like to get your thoughts and opinions
on this topic. If you're interested and willing to be quoted

disabilityresourceexchange.com is seeking photos of WC users “doing cool things”
(sports, dance, PSAs) for a campaign to promote positive perception of WC users

http://www.youtube.com/user/AAPDvideo#p/a (AAPD) 15 second PSA will be featured
on the CBS SuperScreen in New York City's Times Square during November.

http://www.segurosocial.gov/pubs/10040.html Changes to Medicare Part D Extra
Help As of 01/01/10, life insurance policy will not be counted as a resource &
help received regularly from someone else to pay your household expenses—food,
mortgage, rent, heating fuel or gas, electricity, water, and property taxes will
not be counted as income.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/openenrollment.asp Information about the 2010
Medicare Health & Rx Drug Plans open enrollment periods  CMS encourages
beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug
plans to review their current health and drug plan coverage for any changes
their plans may be making for 2010 before the annual enrollment period
11/15-12/31

www.resourcesnyc.org 2009-2010 Free Training Series For Families and
Professionals Needing Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities Gary
Shulman, MS.Ed.:212-677-4650 gshulman@...

COMMENT/Proposals PERIODS

01/08 - FDA is accepting public comments on a motion to reclassify ECT Do you
think shock is safe? Have you evidence you want FDA to consider, including
personal experience? This motion is being made, after 30 yrs of it in Class III,
without evidence that ECT isn’t dangerous. www.regulations.gov go to “Notices”
click on the docket number FDA-2009-N-0392.For more information Philip Bennett,
917-657-7290



EM Prentiss

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I had a similar problem a week ago Monday, from 4:15 on the line was
busy.

Bobbi Linn

-----Original Message-----
From: Fern <fec139@...>
To: DNNYC@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, Nov 17, 2009 9:54 am
Subject: [Disabilities Network of NYC] AAR Phone snafu?

 
Yesterday I was out all day and when I returned at 4:15 to my apartment
I tried to call AAR to book a trip for today.  Yes, I know I should
have called earlier in the day, but I have done this before, in fact
even called at 4:45 one day and had no problem booking a trip for the
next day.  For the whole 45 minutes I got a recording saying "your call
cannot be completed as dialed".  When I tried a relay call, the relay
operator dialed several times and got a busy signal.  I couldn't get
through to the main number  877-337-2017. At about 5:10, for the hell
of it, I called and got through but of course option 2 said "call back
during normal business hours", so I had to cancel my plans in Manhattan
today.  Was there a problem with the AAR phones yesterday?  Is there an
alternate number we can call if this happens again?  Just wondering.....

Fern in Rego Park

I will be reading at bluestockings in NYC Saturday as part of this event.  I
don't like the the way they wrote dis/abled, but no one asked me!  Please come. 
No wheelchair accessible bathroom though.  Pee before arrival.

Saturday, November 21st @ 7PM - Free
Reading: Leslie Freeman "Cripping Femme"
Come out for the the release of "Cripping Femme," a print and audio zine by
queerly feminine folks with dis/abilities. Please join contributors Leslie
Freeman, Arden Hill, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasihna and Sassafras Lowrey for a
hot mess of intersectional identities, centralizing radical crip cultures and
the voices of dis/abled femmes of color.


Thanks Much,
Martina

From: "Marc D. Klein" <mklein@...>
Subject: Vehicle Production Group Announces MV-1 Production Will Start October
2010 With Ford Engine
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:01:28 -0800





http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Vehicle-Production-Group-prnews-3637928320.html?x=\
0&.v=1

Vehicle Production Group Announces MV-1 Production Will Start October 2010 With
Ford Engine

Press Release
Source: The Vehicle Production Group LLC
On 11:18 am EST, Tuesday November 17, 2009

MIAMI, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vehicle Production Group LLC (VPG) announced
today that volume production of the MV-1, the first factory-built and assembled
wheelchair-accessible vehicle designed to meet the unique needs of the
paratransit, taxi and consumer market, will commence in October 2010. The new
vehicle will be powered by the rear wheel drive Ford 4.6L 2V EFI V8 engine and 4
speed automatic transmission and will be available in either gasoline or
dedicated Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) models.

The MV-1 is the first and only vehicle built from the ground up in the United
States to meet or exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) vehicle
guidelines. Unlike other wheelchair-accessible vehicles, it is not a conversion
or aftermarket retrofit. Safe, durable, and less expensive than other accessible
vehicle choices, the MV-1 was specifically designed to meet the demands of
paratransit and taxicab fleets as well as individual consumers.

The MV-1 production will commence at the AM General plant in Mishawaka, Indiana
with volume production beginning in October. AM General, which designs and
produces the military HUMVEE and assembles the HUMMER H2, has a world-renowned
reputation for building rugged vehicles, based on eight decades of successful
innovation and growth. Durability and safety are critical to MV-1 customers and
AM General is best positioned to help deliver on those needs.

The MV-1 is the only vehicle in its class with an OEM-engineered and factory
assembled dedicated CNG fuel system option to ensure the same durability,
reliability and quality that fleets demand from gasoline powered vehicles. The
clean-burning CNG vehicle features a range of 250 miles and best-in-class cargo
compartment volume. As a result of a strategic partnership between VPG and Clean
Energy Fuel Corp., Clean Energy intends to expand its CNG fueling infrastructure
in key US markets to support fleets operating the CNG powered MV-1.

The new MV-1 features 56-inch high and 36-inch wide rear doors for easy
wheelchair entrance via a wide ramp that carries a 1200-pound capacity yet
easily stores beneath the floor inside the vehicle. The MV-1 can accommodate
five passengers plus the driver, including up to two forward facing wheelchair
riders. With an interior floor to ceiling height of nearly 5 feet, the MV-1 can
easily accommodate even the largest electric wheelchairs and provides easy entry
and exit for all passengers with or without mobility challenges.

VPG is taking preproduction reservations at this time. Visit www.vpgautos.com or
contact VPG at sales@..., 786-230-2100 to reserve an MV-1 today.

About Vehicle Production Group

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, The Vehicle Production
Group LLC (VPG) designs, develops and markets purpose built specialty vehicles
to meet the needs of large niche vehicle segments that have historically been
served by converting or retrofitting general use vehicles. The first vehicle
segment VPG has addressed is the wheelchair accessible paratransit, taxi and
consumer markets throughout North America. In 2008, VPG received financing from
Perseus, a merchant bank and private equity fund company.



Marc Klein
EVP – Business Development
Vehicle Production Group LLC
Website: http://www.VPGAUTOS.com
(O) 847-345-6725
(M) 917-470-9300
(F) 847-656-2329

____________________________________________________________
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Yesterday I was out all day and when I returned at 4:15 to my apartment I tried
to call AAR to book a trip for today.  Yes, I know I should have called earlier
in the day, but I have done this before, in fact even called at 4:45 one day and
had no problem booking a trip for the next day.  For the whole 45 minutes I got
a recording saying "your call cannot be completed as dialed".  When I tried a
relay call, the relay operator dialed several times and got a busy signal.  I
couldn't get through to the main number  877-337-2017. At about 5:10, for the
hell of it, I called and got through but of course option 2 said "call back
during normal business hours", so I had to cancel my plans in Manhattan today. 
Was there a problem with the AAR phones yesterday?  Is there an alternate number
we can call if this happens again?  Just wondering.....

Fern in Rego Park

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, KINGS COUNTY
RENAISSANCE PLAZA at 350 JAY STREET
BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11201-2908
718-250-2000
CHARLES J. HYNES
District Attorney

ORGANIZATION:
Kings County District Attorney’s Office Victim Services Unit

START DATE:
Immediate

POSITION:
Deaf/HOH Specialist

LOCATION:
Victim Services Unit
350 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY

PRIMARY DUTIES: Conduct outreach and training, develop relationships with
community members and organizations to enhance services for Deaf victims
of crime.  Provide crisis counseling to Deaf and other crime victims.
Provide extensive case management, including intake, assessment, advocacy
and referral services for crime victims.  The greater majority of cases
will involve crime victims who are not hearing or speech-impaired.

QUALIFICATIONS: Proficiency in American Sign Language required.  A
Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology of closely
related field is preferred.  Strong communication and advocacy skills;
some knowledge of counseling interventions with domestic violence and
trauma victims.

SALARY:
This position is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009.  As such, a non-negotiable salary of $42,000 is being
offered.  The projected duration of this position is one year.


CONTACT PERSON:
Beth Scullin, Director, Victim Services Unit
Phone:  718-250-3886
E-mail resume and letter to:  scullinb@...

The Kings County District Attorney’s Office is an Equal Employment
Opportunity Employer.

Bob - Sorry for any confusion. WAR AGAINST THE WEAK will be show at the regular
location, 5 Washington Place, Room 101, between Broadway and Mercer on
Wednesday, December 9. Doors open at 6:30pm. Screening starts at 7. Suggested
donation: $5. The director and producer will be in attendance for a discussion
following the screening.

All best,

Lawrence

=============


I am a blind member of the list, and I am actually in the film War Against the
Weak.  I was a bit confused by the email, and am not sure where the film will be
shown with audio description.  Can someone clarify for me? Where and when?

thanks so much.

Bob