February 29, 2016
Disability Policy Consortium Weekly Update

Dear (Contact First Name),

Today only comes once every four years; February 29th, ti's pretty cool to type that date.

First, there is some great news to report.  The AAB Bill, S1323 was reported out of Senate Ways and Means favorably and will now move to the full Senate for a vote this week.  Please call your Senator and ask them to support this bill.

We have lots of meetings in our calendar section.  We also have two interesting employment opportunities for you.  

Lastly, we have a link to a most interesting and scary disability protest.   
 
As always  happy reading.

John Winske
Disability Policy Consortium
Calendar:  Two events
 
We wanted to make sure you are aware of two other important events.

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Legislative Action Day: Thursday, March 3, 9:00-3:00 at the Great Hall in the State House. The Alternative Housing Voucher Program is one of the priorities for the day, and people with disabilities will be among the speakers. You can register at this link.

Day of Mourning to remember disabled people murdered by family members or caregivers: Sunday, March 6, 12-2 pm in Brattle Square (part of Harvard Square), Cambridge. Facebook event at this link. More information about observances throughout the country is at this link.
Calendar:  Calendar: Our Space, Our Place Career Exploration Workshops

Save the date for these upcoming workshops.

1. A Day of Science

When: Saturday March 12, 2016, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Where: The Aquarium, Boston, MA

This workshop is for middle and high school students who are blind. Are you curious? A career in science may be just the thing for you. Join us and take part in  hands-on experiments and meet scientists who are blind.
  • Participate in hands-on experiments
  • Explore careers in STEM, interacting with scientists who are blind
  • Together plan ways to continue learning and experimenting
A light breakfast and lunch will be provided
For more information call: Our Space Our Place, Inc.  Phone: (617) 459-4084.  

2. World of Careers

When: Thursday March 24, 2016, 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Where: Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, MA

This workshop is for middle school, , high school and college students and adults who are blind. Meet professionals who are blind and learn about specific tasks for different jobs.

Learn directly from professionals in a variety of fields. You will have 10 minutes to conduct an informational interview with a professional: at the end of the ten minutes a bell will sound and you now have another ten minutes to conduct another informational interview with a new professional and so on and so on.

To request an accommodation, please let us know by Thursday March 10, 2016.

For more information, please call: (617) 459-4084

Register at:
Calendar: MOD Regional Meeting
 
When:  Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 11 A.M. - 2 P.M.

Where:  Levi Lincoln  Chambers, Room 309, Worcester City Hall, 455 Main Street, Worcester, MA 

The Massachusetts Office on Disability will be holding a regional meeting for members of local Commissions on Disability and interested people hosted by the Worcester Commission on Disabilities. 

It will be an opportunity to hear from David D'Arcangelo, Director, Massachusetts Office on Disability.

Discussion will include the impact of the budget on people with disabilities and an update on what MOD has been doing throughout the state as well as other initiatives that involve the COD's. There will also be time allowed for a general discussion among commission members to network with one another.

This will provide an opportunity to share what your commission has accomplished in the past year as well as time to discuss any roadblocks you may be encountering. Light refreshments will be provided.

We hope you all can join us. Anyone who is interested in this Regional Commission meeting should contact me by March 2, 2016 at the above number. Please advise me no later than March 2, 2016 if you need an accommodation.

Please be aware of the following:
1.   This meeting is open to all COD's and their membership; however, physical mailings only went out to COD's around the Worcester region. 
2.    For other  Regional Commission on Disability Meetings, please visit our website.  There may be an upcoming meeting closer to your region.
3.     Pre-Registration is required.  Contact me if you are interested in attending this meeting by the dates listed above.

Jeffrey L. Dougan
Assistant Director for Community Services
jeff.dougan@state.ma.us

Massachusetts Office on Disability
One Ashburton Place, Room 1305
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-727-7440
Fax: 617-727-0965
www.mass.gov/mod
Calendar :  Massachusetts Annual Independent Living Education Day at the State House
 
When: Thursday, March 10, 2016, 11am-3pm

Where: Great Hall (2nd floor), Massachusetts State House

Lunch will be provided.

On March 10, members, consumers and staff of all 11 Independent Living Centers in Massachusetts will gather at the State House to educate our legislators about top priorities for people with disabilities. Please join us to tell your legislators what matters to you!

Please contact your local Independent Living Center to let them know if you will be attending.  They may be able to help you set up meetings with your State Representative or Senator.

We will be speaking out for these priorities:
  • Improve architectural access by aligning Massachusetts Architectural Access Board regulations with the Americans with Disabilities Act (bill SD 1323)
  • Create more job opportunities for people with disabilities (bill SD S.86, HD.110)
  • Expand Mass Rehab Commission's assistive technology programs in the state budget
  • Increase affordable housing for low-income people with disabilities by adding $2.5 million to the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (line item 7004-9030)
  • Protect the Independent Living Center line item (4120-0200) in the state budget and increase it by $500,000

See you on March 10th!
 

Calendar:  The BCIL Marie Feltin Award

When:   Friday, March 18, 2016 from 6 P.M. - 9 P.M.
 
Where:  Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel Ballroom,
138 St James Ave, Boston, MA 02116

This year's honorees are:

Kate Nordahl - Spirited Leader for Innovative Medicaid Policy and Programs in Massachusetts

Neil Cronin - Tenacious Activist and Strategist for Disability, HIV, and Poverty Issues for Three Decades

Peggy Johnson and Lauren Easton - Inspired Champions and Designers of Community-Based Mental Health Services

This event honors individuals and institutions who exemplify the pioneering spirit of the late Dr. Marie Feltin, a tireless advocate for disabled and chronically ill patients. Marie was a founder of Boston's Community Medical Group, East Boston Health Center's Home Care Program and the Urban Medical Group, neighborhood healthcare services that focused on encouraging patients to become actively involved in their care as a critical means to bettering their health. Marie was always available for her patients and was a modern day pioneer in providing medical are to society's most neglected and vulnerable populations.

The ceremony is held in support of BCIL, and as a tribute to Marie's legacy which epitomizes BCIL's mission of empowering individuals with disabilities to take control of their lives and live independently. BCIL promotes the civil rights of all people with disabilities and its energized advocacy supports and helps create equal access to healthcare, affordable housing, accessible transportation, and ADA compliance for thousands of Greater Boston residents each year, leading many to jobs, an education, and self-sufficiency for themselves and their families.

For sponsorship information, tickets, or questions about the event, please contact Susan Smith at 617-338-6665 x232 or by email at ssmith@bostoncil.org.
Employment Opportunity: Spanish Bilingual and Outreach Ombudsman (SBOO), One Care Ombudsman (OCO) Program

SUPERVSIOR: OCO Deputy Director
WORK HOURS: 40 hrs/wk

SALARY: $42,000 per annum
FUNDING: Funds committed until 12/30/16 
Funds anticipated through 12/30/18
BENEFITS: Worker's Comp, Health Insurance Premium Coverage: 50% Family and 75% Individual, Sick Leave, Vacation Pay, and Business Travel Mileage Reimbursement. Non-robationary full-time employees have the option of telecommuting two days per week.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD: 3 months
TRAVEL: Required, moderate
CORI Check: Required

POSITION SUMMARY

Principle duties of the Spanish Bilingual and Outreach Ombudsman:
1) Identify, investigate, resolve and report complaints
2) Work with One Care Plan eligible individuals and enrollees as well as One Care Plans to explore and assist them in determining options to help resolve conflicts, problematic issues or concerns and assist in filing appeals and grievances.
3) Address the Ombudsman concerns and needs of Spanish speaking individuals, families and communities
4) Manage the OCO's outreach strategy and planning, with special focus on the delivery and evaluation of the success of the program's outreach.
5) Bring systemic concerns and patterns to the attention of the OCO Director

The Spanish Bilingual and Outreach Ombudsman concurrently provides ombudsman services and manages OCO Outreach and Marketing activities. The Ombudsman operates in a manner to preserve the privacy and confidentiality of those seeking services and maintains an independent, neutral/impartial position with respect to the concerns raised. The OCO Ombudsman operates under the general direction of the OCO Deputy Director and in accordance with contractual requirements.

Net News:  Manager, Events and Stewardship, Easter Seals of Massachusetts

Department: Development
Reports to: Director of Development
FLSA: Exempt

The role of the Easter Seals Massachusetts events manager is to develop strategies and implement major events and fundraising initiatives. The goal of the events manager is to maximize philanthropic support by building relationships and developing and executing fundraising strategies to secure successful events for Easter Seals MA.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • To meet the goals of Easter Seals MA, the events manager is responsible for cultivating and soliciting new corporate and individual donors for all events and programs, while meeting the funding needs outlined.
  • In enhancing the awareness of Easter Seals throughout Massachusetts, the events manager is responsible for volunteer recruitment, orientation, training, organization, delegation and oversight of all related volunteer committees to ensure successful implementation of special event action plans.
  • The event manager also oversees all promotion of events by developing written communication and creating event outreach collateral in conjunction with marketing, public affairs, and outside vendors.
  • The events manager must demonstrate excellent organizational, interpersonal, planning, project and event management and problem solving skills.
  • Strong computer skills are required especially Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Raiser's Edge, as well as ability to design, edit and update web pages and social media platforms in conjunction with Marketing and Easter Seals National.
  • Utilizes sales skills and constituent-focused strategies to retain top donors/volunteers (i.e. team captains), retrieve lapsed top donors/ volunteers, and recruit top donors/volunteers.
For a complete job description please click here.
Net News: Two Stories for You 
 
On Saturday, the Boston Globe had a great article by Carol Steinberg titled "The indignity of the pat down".  You   can link to it here.

On Sunday, the BBC ran a picture of what I can only call the most interesting disability protest I have ever seen.  It was in Bolivia.  A group of wheelchair users  were suspended, wheelchair and all, from a bridge over a roadway.  You can see it here
In This Issue
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Disability Policy Consortium
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Malden, MA 02148
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