World AIDS Day - December 1, 2009

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988. This annual observance provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic. Find out more about what you can do to help reduce stigma around HIV and promote HIV testing.

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/health/news_%26_events.

 

What Happens to Medicaid Buy-In Participants After They Leave the Program?

The Medicaid Buy-In program makes it easier for people with disabilities to work without losing health benefits. The program allows states to expand Medicaid coverage to workers with disabilities whose income and assets would ordinarily make them ineligible for Medicaid. This issue brief looks at the prevalence and characteristics of Medicaid Buy-In participants who leave the program, as well as their participation in other public programs and their employment outcomes after they are no longer enrolled.

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/employment/research_%26_statistics.

Myths & Realities about Supportive Housing

Fact sheet from the Supportive Housing Network of New York which responds to common misunderstandings about supportive housing such as "Supportive housing is like a shelter" and "Supportive housing is developed overwhelmingly in poor minority neighborhoods".

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/housing/housing_assistance/supportive_housing.

Disability.gov Federal Employer Resources Update: JAN's Federal Employer Winter Webcast Series

Register for all or one of the Job Accommodation Network's (JAN) winter training events for federal employers. Topics include hiring, best practices in employment of people with disabilities and the reasonable accommodation process.

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/employment/employing_people_with_disabilities/federal_employer_resources.

Disability.gov Transportation Laws & Regulations Update: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel--Request for Public Comment

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has been asked to eliminate a provision of the Air Carrier Access Act that requires documentation and 48 hours advance notice for users of psychiatric service animals. DOT is now seeking comment on this petition. This document is not a notice of proposed rulemaking. DOT has not decided whether to grant the petition by initiating rulemaking action, or to deny the petition and keep the provisions without change. Comments must be received by December 17, 2009.

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/transportation/laws_%26_regulations.

Disability.gov Responds to Federal Computer Week Articles on Federal Web Site Accessibility

In response to the articles entitled "Gov 2.0: Transparency without accessibility?" and "Putting Web sites to the test" that ran in the November 16, 2009 edition of Federal Computer Week, the Disability.gov Web team would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that Disability.gov is fully compliant with both Section 508 and W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines based on extensive testing that has been done on the site by both our in-house 508 specialist and additional accessibility specialists.

Disability.gov was completely redesigned at the end of July 2009 in order to make the site both more useful and more accessible to all of our users. We have conducted extensive accessibility and usability testing of the redesigned site on a variety of machines using various Web browsers, screen readers and other assistive technology. Our 508 specialists and other accessibility experts found Disability.gov to be fully compliant and accessible based on requirements of Section 508 and W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We are truly committed to going above and beyond those standards to ensure that Disability.gov is accessible for all of our visitors.

If you have any questions about Disability.gov and accessibility, please contact us at disability@dol.gov.

Disability.gov Crime Victims with Disabilities & Civil Rights Information Update: 2008 Hate Crimes Statistics

In the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the victim of a hate crime may be an individual, a business, an institution, or society as a whole. The Nation's law enforcement agencies reported that there were 9,691 victims of hate crimes in 2008. Offenders targeted 85 victims, or .9%, of a hate crime due to a bias against a disability.

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/civil_rights/crime_victims_with_disabilities.

Title II of Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Takes Effect

On November 21, 2009 Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) took effect. GINA prohibits discrimination by health insurers and employers based on individuals' genetic information. Genetic information includes the results of genetic tests to determine whether someone is at increased risk of acquiring a condition (such as some forms of breast cancer) in the future, as well as a person's family medical history.

For more information visit: http://www.disability.gov/civil_rights/laws_&_regulations/employment.

Disability.gov Research & Statistics in Health Update: Parent Training Complements Medication for Treating Behavioral Problems in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Treatment that includes medication plus a structured training program for parents reduces serious behavioral problems in children with autism and related conditions, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

For more information visit http://www.disability.gov/health/research_%26_statistics.

 

Disability.gov California Update: SSA Asks Inspector General to Investigate California and Hawaii Disability Determination Services

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, has asked the agency's Inspector General to investigate allegations that the states of California and Hawaii have recently implemented practices that deny applicants the right to receive full consideration of their Social Security disability claims.

For more information about benefits in California, visit http://www.disability.gov/state/california/benefits.