Dearborn Commission on Disability Concerns

Good news from the White House

selfdetermination — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:34:38 +0000

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 22, 2009

President Obama Commemorates Anniversary of Olmstead and Announces New Initiatives to Assist Americans with Disabilities

On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama today celebrated that anniversary and launched “The Year of Community Living,” a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities.

Specifically, the President has directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. As part of this effort, later today, Secretaries Sebelius and Donovan will announce several new initiatives including details about increased numbers of Section 8 vouchers and enhanced interagency coordination to address this critical civil rights issue. The initiative also will include listening sessions conducted by HHS across the country to hear the voices and stories of Americans and to keep the President’s pledge to be as open and transparent as possible.

“The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: Having the choice to live independently,” said President Obama. “I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration’s commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation.”

In the Olmstead case, the Court held that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since that time, progress has been made. Many individuals have successfully transitioned to community settings, but waiting lists for community services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to receive community services are not able to obtain them.

To help remedy that problem, the Obama Administration provided over $140 million in the Recovery Act funding for independent living centers across the country. The Administration acknowledges that strides have been made, and knows and accepts that there is much work to do in order to maximize the choices and opportunities for individuals to receive long-term services and supports in institutional and community settings.

The President noted that his Administration looks forward to continued engagement with the disability community to achieve these goals.

Read what Sonya had to Say!

selfdetermination — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:36:37 +0000

Great coverage!

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2009/06/07/news/doc4a2aa5936e502655321016.txt

Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President on Disability Policy

selfdetermination — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:09:40 +0000

Vice President Joe Biden Announces Chicago Attorney Kareem Dale as Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy

Kareem Dale. (PRNewsFoto/R.J. Dale)

CHICAGO, IL UNITED STATES

CHICAGO, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Vice President Joe Biden has announced that Chicago Attorney Kareem Dale will serve as Special Assistant to President Barack Obama for Disability Policy.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090216/AQM074)

Biden made the announcement recently at a stop in Boise, Idaho, with Dale present, at a Special Olympics’ Healthy Athletes Event he attended as Presidential Delegation leader at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Dale, 35, who is partially blind, will have direct access to President Barack Obama in this role, and will be responsible for coordinating the Administration’s efforts to ensure that people with disabilities are on a level playing field with all Americans.

“I am indeed honored to be appointed to this very important post,” said Dale. “The Obama Administration is committed to programs designed to improve the livelihood of Americans with disabilities and special needs. As advisor to the Obama Administration, I will represent the voice of the disabled and recommend policy changes needed to make life better for those with disabilities in this country.”

A native of Chicago, Dale previously served as the National Disability Director for the Obama for America Campaign. He also served on the Arts Policy Committee and the Disability Policy Committee for then-Senator Obama.

Prior to being appointed Special Assistant for Disability Policy, Dale was founder and chief executive officer of The Dale Law Group (DLG) in Chicago, a firm that specialized in areas of personal injury, products liability, mass tort litigation, contract disputes and other general commercial litigation.

Dale spent eight years in the Litigation Department of Winston and Strawn, where he honed his litigation skills before he founded DLG in 2007.

Very active in community work and affairs, Dale served as chairman of the board of directors at Black Ensemble Theater for three and one-half years, and prior to that, served in various other roles at the theater, such as secretary and vice president. Under his direction as chairman, Black Ensemble secured a $6 million TIF from the City of Chicago to purchase the theater’s current building, located at 4440 N. Clark. Also under his chairman leadership, the theater began its $20 million capital campaign.

He has received several community recognition awards for his community work and many honors, among them:

    -- Featured in the 2006 Inaugural Edition of Who's Who in Black Chicago
    -- Honored in Ebony Magazine as one of the 30 Leaders of the Future
       Under 30

Dale received his bachelor’s degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He graduated Cum Laude with a law degree and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May, 1999.

Inclusive Home Design Act Introduced

selfdetermination — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:06:52 +0000

Inclusive Home Design Act Introduced

From Access Living of Chicago (March 11, 2009)

For Immediate Release:

CHICAGO – Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago applauds the introduction of new federal legislation called the Inclusive Home Design Act (IHDA). The new legislation, introduced on March 10 by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, will dramatically increase the number of homes accessible to people with disabilities.

The Inclusive Home Design Act aims to increase the number of homes accessible to people with disabilities by applying visitability standards. The principle of visitability seeks to create homes that are affordable and sustainable, and utilize a design approach that integrates accessibility features into newly-built homes.

The legislation intends to reverse a national trend that locks people with disabilities out of the housing market. Currently, 95 percent of new single-family homes and townhouses built with federal assistance fail to incorporate accessibility features, making it impossible for many people with disabilities to live in or visit the homes.

For the Full Release go to
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2009/03/inclusive-home-design-act-introduced.html