LIST OF ARTICLES

Connecticut Disability October 2005 Bulletin

Disabled Face Scarcer Jobs, Data Show

High Court Clashes Over Assisted Suicide

Lowering the Barriers for Disabled Visitors

US Census Bureau Facts About Disability

Enhancing the effectiveness of disability activism by organizing and empowering individuals, families, groups and organizations

Disability Rights is a Civil Rights Issue

October, 2005

Disability Advocacy Collaborative Update

[PLEASE NOTE: SOME LINKS MISDIRECT.] 

Organizing continues across the state as the Collaborative seeks to create regional networks 
of disability activists. Networks are in various stages of development in the Mansfield area,
Groton/New London area, Hartford area, Waterbury area, Danbury area, Bridgeport/Stratford 
area, and the New Haven/Hamden area. Anyone interested in getting involved in a network near 
where you live contact Jayne Kleinman or Stan Kosloski at the addresses listed at the top of 
this newsletter.

The Collaborative Statewide Steering Committee has also organized five committees to begin 
planning for the Disability Convention, set for September 16, 2006 at the Hartford Expo Center. 
These committees are the Candidates Forum Committee, the Sponsors and Vendors Committee, 
the Agencies and Organizations Committee, the “Fun” Committee (to make sure participants 
enjoy themselves, and to provide activities for children), and the Public Relations and Fund 
Raising Committee.

New Jersey has run Disability Conventions for several years and two convention organizers

will visit us on Saturday, October 29 to share their experience. The event will be held at 

the Center for Disability Rights in West Haven (764A Campbell Avenue) from 1-3 pm.

Members of the State Steering Committee and the regional networks are invited to attend.
Watch for more news in the November Bulletin.

Building Code Challenged by Homebuilders

Every five years, the Connecticut Building Code is revised to incorporate changes in technology,

construction methods, standards, law and policy.  The latest revision has made its way through 
a lengthy process of public comment, review and deliberation by the Department of Public 
Safety’s Codes and Standards Committee.  The last phase of the approval process was scheduled 
to occur on September 27, 2005 when the legislature’s Regulations Review Committee took 
final action. While far from perfect, the proposed Code generally maintains good accessibility 

standards and merited adoption. Enter the homebuilders and their lobbyists.

While hardly a mandate for universal accessibility, the proposed code reflects a reasonable attempt to balance various competing factors, and to protect the public interest in safe, accessible and economically feasible construction.  However, well financed development interests (i.e., homebuilders) are opposing its requirements for accessible housing.  Citing much lower requirements for accessible multi-family housing in other states (2% - 5%), and the fact that other states do not require accessibility in townhouse construction, the home builders are urging legislators to strip those requirements from the proposed code before it is finalized. In response to the homebuilders’ lobbying efforts, the Regulations Review Committee rejected the Code as it was presented to them and asked the Department of Public Safety to consider revisions to the multi-family housing sections. The Committee also suggested that the homebuilders meet with access advocates to try to iron out differences.
The Collaborative will keep readers informed as the dialogue continues.

  Medicare Part D -The New Prescription Drug Bill

A new law known as the Medicare Modernization Act, or the MMA, will take effect January 2006, and many seniors and individuals with disabilities are concerned, and rightly so. As Medicare Part D takes effect, low-income persons will have their existing Medicaid drug coverage replaced completely by Medicare Part D private plans, with a new cost structure and new drug formularies. (drugs will no longer be available if they are not on your particular Part D drug plan's list).

The stated purpose of the Medicare drug benefit is to assist the senior population and individuals with disabilities in paying for their medications, not make paying for them more difficult. But read on…. The need for action is now!

Unless the state legislature acts before January by adopting a full "wraparound" approach, the 
combination of unaffordable co-payments and the use of "closed formularies" will present severe 
drug access problems for low-income Medicare recipients. On Friday, October 7, 2005, United 
Seniors in Action (USA) called on the state General Assembly to fix the problem 
when it goes into special session on Tuesday (10/11/05). Governor Rell has called the 
legislature into session that day to deal with campaign finance reform, but the agenda does 
not have to be limited to that topic.

There will also be an informational hearing on coverage gaps for Medicaid participants 
who, because they were dually eligible for Medicare, are being forced onto Medicare Part D, 
and stand to lose coverage.  The hearing will be held on October 19 at 1:00 pm in Room 1C 
at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford before the Select Committee on Aging, 
Human Services & Public Health.

And lastly, Kate McEvoy of the Connecticut Association of Area Agencies on Aging 
(CAAAA) is looking for stories from people currently on Medicaid or ConnPACE who 
will be negatively affected when the new Medicare Part D drug benefit goes into 
effect. It is entirely possible that drug coverage for certain "dual eligibles" (Medicaid recipients who
also are on Medicare) will end, while drug coverage under ConnPACE will become far more limited.  

Specifically, CAAA is asking for stories that identify situations in which:

a) dually-eligible individuals will be unable or will have great difficulty
 making the required co-payments ($1 to $5 per prescription);

b) dually eligible and/or ConnPACE participants require a certain drug and
 will be negatively affected because such a drug is either unavailable 
on a formulary or is later removed from the formulary of the plan that they 
have selected or requires a co-pay beyond their financial means;

c) ConnPACE participants will be unable to pay, or will have great difficulty 
in the gap period paying, the differential between the cost of their prescribed drug 
and a lower cost drug in the same therapeutic class, as will be required of them 
starting January 1st; or

d) individuals have in the past had to appeal a drug denial and can describe the 
difficulty of that process.

CAAA is also seeking individuals who would be willing to be profiled in their materials, are willing 
to speak to the press, and/or to be photographed (individuals should be made aware that they may
 be asked to use their names, town of residence, photo and if applicable to describe them as 
"low-income", and that AARP will be the organization contacting them).

Interested parties should forward a brief summary and contact information (name, town of 
residence, and telephone number) for any willing individuals to Kate at the following address: 

Kate McEvoy, J.D. - Assistant Director 

Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut, Inc.

One Long Wharf Drive - New Haven, CT  06511 

Telephone: (203) 785-8533.

To obtain more detailed information about the new program go to: www.nsclc.org/issues_health_medicareD_con.htm .

 Beginning in mid-October, Medicare’s Web site, www.medicare.gov, and its 24-hour toll-free number, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800 633-4227), will have specific information about the new program available  To get a plan that works beneficiaries should make a note of any current drug coverage, their prescription drugs and their preferences about pharmacies or additional coverage. A map of the prescription drug plan and Medicare Advantage plan regions can be found at www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/mmaregions/. For more information, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/map/map.asp .

 Congratulations to FAVOR, Inc.!

FAVOR, Inc., whose primary purpose is to foster the strengthening and expansion of the children’s mental health family movement in Connecticut, was notified last week that they are the recipient of a $165,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a Family to Family Information and Education Center. The award is a part of the federal government’s initiative to implement Systems Change strategies throughout the United States. The grant will allow FAVOR to provide information, education, and training opportunities for families with “special health care needs”. For more information contact Molly Cole at FAVOR, Inc.-2138 Silas Deane Highway - Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Phone: (860) 563-3232. Email: favorct@aol.com.

 UPCOMING EVENTS

 Special Ed Training Opportunities

 AFCAMP (African-Caribbean-American Parents of Children with Disabilities, Inc.) is sponsoring 
a series of events for parents and advocates using the USE (Understanding Special Education) 
model. The events will run on October 13, 20, and 27 from 5-8 pm at HARC, located at 
900 Asylum Avenue in Hartford. Advance registration is required, so call 860-297-4358 if 
interested in attending. Transportation is available for residents of Hartford, and child care will 

be provided.

Call AFCAMP at 860-297-4358 for more information, or to register.

Career Success Workshop

for College Students and Alumni with Disabilities

October 19, 2005
Alumni Hall
Central CT State University – New Britain
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

§          Learn how to market your abilities to a wide variety of potential employers

§          Develop critical networking skills

§          Sharpen resume writing and interviewing skills

§          Gain valuable job search strategies

§          Explore important questions:  Should I disclose a “hidden” disability to a potential employer?  Do I need accommodations in the workplace?  Would assistive technology
help me succeed on the job?

The Career Success Workshop will be followed up with a Career Fair on Wednesday, November 9, 2005. To register for the Career Success Workshop, please RSVP by calling the CCSU School of Business at  (860) 832-3205.

 Community Assets

 On October 19-21, the Northeast Assets Leadership Project will sponsor a leadership forum at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Meriden. Jody Kretzmann, Co-Director of the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute at Northwestern University in Chicago, and Mike Green, faculty member at the ABCD Institute, are among the speakers. A track dedicated to those interested in the ABCD basics will be offered, as well as “advanced labs” for experienced practitioners.
For more information, e-mail or call John Walker (207-799-2580) or jwalker3@maine.rr.com
or Greg Ryan (860-571-8463) or ryan@ctassets.org.  

Employment Awareness Month Celebration

The State Bureau of Rehabilitation Services will celebrate Employment Awareness Month by 
featuring John Kemp as the Keynote Speaker on October 25, 2005. The event will be held at the 
new Connecticut Convention Center and will run from 8:30 am – 3:00 pm. Kemp is a widely 
respected attorney and advocate. 

For more information contact Nora Bishop at 860-424-5047.

Towards Civic Responsibility

 An exciting conference on the ADA and municipalities will be held at UConn Law School in  Hartford on October 27 (9:00 am – 3:30 pm). The keynote address will be given by John Wodatch, the chief of the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Wodatch was a chief developer of the Sec. 504 and ADA regulations.

 Breakout sessions topics include: employment issues, making recreation and events accessible, 
emergency planning, law enforcement and individuals in psychiatric crisis, website access, and 
zoning issues. The target audience for this event is municipal leaders and municipal attorneys 
but is open to anyone interested in these topics. Please encourage your local municipal officials 
to attend. If you have any questions please contact Michelle Duprey at 203-946-7651 or email 
adaconference@sbcglobal.net . The cost is $35 per person.

Connecticut Housing Coalition - Annual Conference

The Connecticut Housing Coalition's Annual Conference is being held on October 27 at the new Convention Center in Hartford (8:15 am – 5 pm). The Connecticut Housing Coalition represents a broad network of community-based affordable housing activities across the state. The 250-plus member organizations that comprise the Coalition include non-profit developers, human service agencies, resident associations and other housing practitioners and activists. Founded in 1981, the Coalition is the primary communication link for local housing efforts, and is the mechanism through which organizations and individuals concerned about housing share information and advice, learning from each other's experiences. Their annual conference is the state's largest gathering of affordable housing professionals, resident leaders and other housing activists.

The Coalition is located at 30 Jordan Lane in Wethersfield and can be reached at 860-563-2943.

DD Council Workshops

A reminder: the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities is offering two workshops that may be of interest to parents, adults with disabilities, and advocates:

 Tuesday, October 25, 2005

"Adaptive Strategies for Families Who Have Children with Impairments for Working with Schools." This workshop will focus on assisting families to build better relationships with their school systems. Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Tuition: FREE

Registration Deadline: October 18, 2005.  Limited to 50 participants.

Presenters: Ed Wilson has worked in human services for 17 years, the last 7 years working with families, students and school systems in Massachusetts.  Carl Cignoni has worked in the field for 30 years in a variety of roles, currently with children in schools, in direct service, with families, and in planning with school systems in Massachusetts.   

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

"Carrying A Big Stick:  Issues Of Power And Control That Lead To Violence In Human Services." This workshop is a follow up to the Council’s May 2005 workshop on “Restraints.” Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Tuition: FREE – Registration Deadline: October 26, 2005.  Limited to 50 participants.

Presenter: Marc Tumeinski is the Training Coordinator of the SRV Implementation Project in Massachusetts and he is a service worker.  He supports people with physical and intellectual impairments at home, school and work.

For more information contact Ed Preneta at the DD Council at: ed.preneta@po.state.ct.us.

National Association for Rights, Protection and Advocacy Conference

“Reclaiming Freedom: A CALL TO ACTION” is being held on November 17-20, 2005 at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel.  Keynote speakers will include Judi Chamberlin, a psychiatric survivor and activist since 1971, an author - “On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System” - and the co-founder of the National Empowerment Center; Professor David Cohen, Ph.D. an author, researcher, and expert on psychiatric medications; Peter Cubra, J.D., Children's Rights Attorney and Founder, Advocacy, Inc. - Albuquerque, NM; Aaryce Hayes, M.S.W. from Advocacy, Inc., Texas; and Mark Davis, Advocate and a 20-year veteran of the consumer/survivor movement.

For a complete listing of workshops and presenters contact NARPA via the web www.narpa.org/narpa.2005.htm or call 334-491-6277.

SRV Events in Massachusetts

The SRV (Social Role Valorization) Implementation Project and the Massachusetts Alliance for Personal Action are offering several events for human services workers over the next several months. The events will lay out a helpful framework for service workers to use in implementing relevant and effective service in the lives of vulnerable, socially devalued people. Four-day workshops on “Introduction to Social Role Valorization” will take place in Massachusetts on February 6-9, 2006, and April 3-6, 2006. A practicum with SRV using the PASSING tool will be held November 13-18, 2005. This 5 ½ day event, done in teams, will give participants an opportunity to work with the ideas of SRV to craft a vision of good service, and is particularly helpful for those designing services and/or assessing service quality.

For more information call Carl Cignoni at 413-320-5367 (cvcignoni@msn.com) or Jack Yates at 508-946-9718 (yatessns@aol.com).  

 Discouraging News

Despite the ADA and the concerted campaign of disability leaders, the number of people with disabilities who have jobs continues to drop.  A report to be released this week by Cornell University's Employment & Disability Institute shows that the employment rate has fallen from 40.8% in 2001 to 38.3% in 2004.

Among the reasons for the falling numbers are the outsourcing of jobs overseas and the increase in low-paying service jobs that don't offer adequate health-care coverage.

Sadly, the statistics reflect a long-term trend.  Notes Andy Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, "The employment rate for people with disabilities hasn't improved in the last twenty years, even when times were good." 
You can read more in a Wall Street Journal article of October 5, 2005. [SEE ARTICLE BELOW.]

 Disability Rights Rally

A disability rights rally was held on October 5 in Washington, D.C. prior to oral argument before the Supreme Court on two major disability cases: Gonzales v. Oregon (assisted suicide) and Schaffer v. Weast (burden of proof in education cases).

Activists from the group Not Dead Yet showed their opposition to the physician assisted suicide law. As reported in the New York Times, Carrie Ann Lucas, an advocate for people with disabilities who lives in Denver, said she came to Washington because she believed that the medical system would abuse such laws. "People with disabilities are devalued by doctors, by nurses, by hospitals and by H.M.O.'s," she said. In a narrow sense the debate was over states' rights, Ms. Lucas said. But because the civil rights of people with disabilities were at stake, she went on, that should tip the balance against the Oregon measure.

Schaffer v. Weast, the Court heard oral arguments on the burden of proof in special education cases. In a dispute between parents and school officials, should schools be required to prove that the plans they propose are adequate and appropriate, or should the burden of proof rest with the families?

For more information on Gonzales v. State of Oregon go to www.notdeadyet.org/docs/ gonzalesbkgd091405.html ,and for information on Schaffer v. Weast go to www.wrightslaw.com/news/05/schaffer.oral.argument.htm.

 Current Threats to Ventilator Users in Cost-Cutting Proposals from
Medicaid and Other Medical Insurance 

State governments in the United States are currently under intense pressure to limit or reduce Medicaid expenditures. The Post-Polio Organization is asking that we make our voices heard or there may be serious consequences for ventilator users -- new restrictions that limit their access to community-based care and independent living arrangements. The International Ventilator Users Network is urgently concerned about these developments, and seeks support for a resolution developed by its Consumer Advisory Committee. The resolution regarding “Current Threats to Ventilator Users in Cost-Cutting Proposals From Medicaid and Other Medical Insurance,” is online www.post-polio.org/ivun/index.html .

 Kathleen Martinez Appointed Executive Director of
World Institute on Disability

Kathy Martinez has been named Executive Director of the World Institute on Disability. "I am truly honored to be selected to direct this organization of innovators and mavericks who, since WID's beginnings have been unafraid to create and test new ways to reduce the obstacles facing people with disabilities." Blind since birth, Martinez, 47, is an internationally recognized disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, and diversity and gender issues. Since 2000 Kathy has supervised WID's technical assistance, international employment, poverty reduction and training projects. She is one of 15 Presidentially appointed members of the National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency, and has just been appointed one of eight public members on the State Department's Committee on Disability and Foreign Policy.  
Based in Oakland, California WID is an influential public policy and research center, founded in 1982 by international disability rights and independent living leaders. More information about WID can be found on their web site: www.wid.org .

 ADAPT Gets Commitment from HUD Secretary Jackson
on Voucher Implementation 

Just to be sure HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson got that ADAPT wants HUD vouchers for people transitioning out of nursing homes and institutions into community living, ADAPT delivered the message simultaneously at Jackson's home in Alexandria, Virginia, and HUD headquarters in Washington, D.C. On September 20^th the strategy paid off when Secretary Jackson came down to HUD plaza to personally meet with protestors, and commit to work with ADAPT on voucher implementation.

 "We are pleased that Sec. Jackson did what no HUD Secretary before him has done, namely, come to us in the street, outside the HUD fortress, and pledge to work together to improve the lives of people with disabilities." According to Shona Eakin, Pennsylvania ADAPT Organizer. "We have made real progress in recent years getting people out of nursing homes using our own ingenuity, perseverance, and the Medicaid System Change Grants. Lack of accessible, affordable, integrated housing remains the greatest barrier to community living for people who are currently warehoused in nursing homes and other institutions.”

 The dearth of housing surpasses even the universal lack of adequate community based services and supports. According to statistics compiled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, more than 300,000 of the million and a half people in the nation's nursing homes want to move back into the community. That will only be possible with enough accessible, affordable, integrated housing, and community-based services and supports. For more information contact Bob Kafka 512-431-4085 or Marsha Katz 406-544-9504, or go to the ADAPT website: www.adapt.org/ .

 Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to Develop Broadcaster Tool Kit on Persons with Disabilities in TV

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) submitted to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) its research report titled “The Presence, Portrayal and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Television Programming”. The Report provides extensive detail on the issues and barriers facing persons with disabilities, in society and in television programming alike. It further provides a series of recommendations for the development of a broadcaster tool kit to help promote greater inclusion of persons with disabilities within the broadcasting industry, and to address issues of presence and portrayal on-screen. The 100-page report and research study is the culmination of the work set out in the CAB Action Plan submitted to the CRTC in August 2004. The full report and research study can be found at: www.cab-acr.ca/english/social/diversity/disabilities.shtm .

Right to Travel with a Service Animal in the Airline Cabin
Threatened by DOT Proposed Rule

The United States Department of Transportation has issued proposed rules permitting airlines to charge disabled passengers traveling with large guide, hearing or service dogs for an extra seat. The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) is quite upset by this turn of events, and has suggested the following alternative language be substituted: "You may offer the passenger sitting in a seat adjacent to the disabled passenger traveling with a large service animal a seat in the same class of service in another part of the cabin.  If no seats are available in that class of service, you may ask for a volunteer willing to occupy the seat next to the disabled passenger requiring sharing of leg room. If no volunteer is forthcoming and seats are available in another class of service in another part of the cabin, you may ask the adjacent passenger or the disabled passenger to occupy a seat in that other class of service." These suggestions would place no financial burden on the airlines nor would it inconvenience other passengers according to the IAADP. The organization feels that political pressure may be the only viable approach to change the rules.

 New PAS Users and Nursing Home Resources
Available on the Center for PAS Website

The Center for Personal Assistance Services website has a newly revised home page designed for PAS users. The site provides information and resources to assist in living independently, as well as provide a place for PAS users to learn from experts and each other. For more information, go to http://pascenter.org/pas_users/index.php .

The website also has a new Institutional Services page that provides links and a library on nursing home information. The Center feels that in order to better understand home and community services, it is useful to compare these services to institutional care. The PAS Center has therefore developed this section to provide detailed information on nursing homes and other institutional services. The information includes statistics on the supply, residents, and quality of services by states and across the nation. For specific questions about institutional care, please contact the Center. For more information, go to www.pascenter.org/nursing_homes/index.php .

Please relay this Bulletin to your membership including those who do not have email access. Suggest your membership go to the library and go onto www.kleinmanconsulting.com to view or print a copy. If you would like to see previous issues of the Bulletin, read about the background of the Collaborative or if you would like to be added to the mailing list, you may also go to www.KleinmanConsulting.com. 

How can you find your federal Representatives and Senators? Go to  www.congress.org and find the box under the heading “Write Elected Officials.” Type in your Zip code and press the “Enter” key. Then, when the names of your elected officials come on the screen, click on the word “Info” under the name of the elected official you want to contact. The telephone number will be listed on the page that comes up next. You may also call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 1-888-818-6641.
The best way to contact your Member of Congress is via phone (or ideally in person). The best time to call either in CT or in Washington, D.C. is early in the morning.

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October 5, 2005
Wall Street Journal

Disabled Face Scarcer Jobs, Data Show

By Kris Maher

          Outsourcing and the growth of low- paying service positions are likely to make it tougher for disabled workers in the U.S. to find jobs, despite advances in technology and more favorable attitudes among employers, experts say.

          According to a report to be released today by Cornell University, based on Census Bureau data, the employment rate for Americans age 21 to 64 with sensory, physical, mental, or self-care disabilities fell to 38.3% in 2004, from 40.8% in 2001.

        Disability researchers say the data offer a clearer picture of the situation than previous statistics from the Labor Department’s Current Population Survey, because the new data rely on a larger sample size and a more precise definition of disability. “A lot of people have been hammering the CPS for a long time for not being very accurate,” says Andrew Houtenville, senior research associate at Cornell’s Employment and Disability Institute. “This really says things are indeed getting worse” for disabled workers.

        Doug Kruse, an economist at Rutgers University, says disability benefits keep some disabled workers from accepting jobs, because they can lose several hundred dollars a month in Social Security Disability Income after earning more than $830 a month for nine months. “That’s a whale of a disincentive to work,” says Mr. Kruse.

        Others say that outsourcing abroad has cut jobs often done by the disabled, such as call-center positions. “Unfortunately [moving jobs overseas] means that blind and visually impaired people are not doing those jobs” in the U.S., says Karen Wolffe, director of the professional development department at the American Foundation for the Blind.

        In January, Doug Schalk lost his position as a customer representative at Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc.’s Alamo Rent A Car, when the company transferred his call center’s work to India and a different location in the U.S. Mr. Schalk, who is blind, was able to land a job with Willow CSN Inc., a Miramar, Fla., company that manages call centers through a network of about 2,000 home-based workers. But he says that six of 10 blind former coworkers remain unemployed

        The employment figures highlighted by the Cornell study are consistent with long-term job trends for disabled workers. “The employment rate for people with disabilities hasn’t improved in the last twenty years, even when times were good,” said Andrew Imparato, president and chief executive of the American Association of People with Disabilities, an organization with 115,000 members.

        Mr. Imparato and other disability advocates blame a variety of factors, including inadequate job training and negative attitudes among some hiring managers. But they also point to more recent employment trends, such as the abundance of low-paying service-sector jobs that often don’t provide adequate health benefits to meet disabled workers’ needs.

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 ROSANGELA BERMAN-BIELER brings a certain sensitivity to her work as an expert on disability issues in the Caribbean for the World Bank. Ms. Berman-Bieler, who lives in Washington, is also a quadriplegic who relies on a wheelchair. Just getting off a plane in a place like St. Lucia, she said, presents problems because there are no Jetways.

"I had to be carried down the stairs by the personnel at the airport," she said about her arrival at the Hewanorra International Airport in April. Being carried by airport personnel who are normally not trained for disabilities, she said, means "putting in jeopardy our lives and their backs."

 Her experience was not unusual, according to a study of disabled travelers released last month by the Open Doors Organization; (773) 388-8839, www.opendoorsnfp.org, a nonprofit group based in Chicago, with the Travel Industry Association of America. More than 21 million disabled people have traveled the last two years, according to the study. Of the 1,373 adults who were surveyed online and by telephone, 82 percent had problems at airports and 60 percent said they had problems with accommodations.

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, guaranteeing equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.

37.5 million -- Number of people age 5 and over in the civilian noninstitutionalized population with at least one disability, representing 14 percent. These individuals fit at least one of the following descriptions: they are 5 years old or older and have a sensory, physical, mental or self-care disability; they are 16 years old or older and have difficulty going outside the home; or they are 16 to 64 years old and have an employment disability.

8 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls ages 5 to 15 have disabilities.

10.8 million -- The number of people age 5 or older with a sensory disability involving sight or hearing. This group accounts for 4.1 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 5 or older.

$33,109 -- According to the March 2001 supplement to the Current Population Survey, these are the mean earnings in 2000 of year-round, full-time workers 16 to 64 with work disabilities. By comparison, those without work disabilities earned an average of $43,269.

2.5 million -- Number of veterans who received compensation for service-related disabilities as of 2003. Of these vets, 414,000 served in World War II; 164,000 in Korea; 848,000 in Vietnam; and 476,000 in the Persian Gulf (the data cover service from Aug. 2, 1990 to Sept. 30, 2003). See Table 515 at U.S. Census Bureau - Statistical Abstract of the United States (www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html).

Source: Access New England, Summer 2005: Vol. 9, No. 3:4-5

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