Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind the source for blindness news and information since 1907

By Joseph Shapiro © NPR Health — On Election Day last year, the Government Accountability Office sent investigators to 720 polling places around the country to see if people in wheelchairs, or who were blind deaf or had other disabilities, could easily cast a ballot. The results were mixed. There was some barriers, from the parking lot to the voting booth, in more than two-thirds of the polling places. But it turns out this was a significant improvement over what GAO investigators had found when it did a similar survey in 2000. The findings prompted us to call Jim Dickson, an activist who’s taught a lot of people about the problem of polling places that often exclude people with various disabilities. Dickson, with the American Association of People with Disabilities, knows a lot about this because of his own advocacy, and because he’s got personal experience. He’s a blind man and, for years, he had to rely on others to help him fill out a ballot…. READ ARTICLE

PRNewswire, CLEVELAND — While the public has made accommodations for 54.4 million people with disabilities, many researchers regularly exclude people who cannot read, hear or write from participating in their research projects. That’s about to change. The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (FPB) at Case Western Reserve University will develop research tools and strategies to include individuals with vision and hearing impairments in future research. Shirley Moore, Edward J. and Louise Mellen Professor of Nursing and director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Center for Self-Management Research (SMART Center) at FPB, is the lead investigator for the two-year, nearly $400,000 National Institute for Nursing Research-funded project, “Full Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (FIND) in Self-Management Research.”… READ PRESS RELEASE

By Sunlen Miller © ABC News — President Obama today held a separate reception to note the signing of the hate crimes legislation, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, within the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. Quoting President Johnson’s words when he signed civil rights legislation into law in 1968, Obama said that “the bells of freedom ring out a little louder,” today when he signed the Act into law. “You understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits — not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear,” Mr. Obama said, “You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights — both from unjust laws and violent acts. And you understand how necessary this law continues to be. “ The long-sought hate crimes provision extends federal hate crimes law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability…. READ ARTICLE

PRNewswire, ATLANTA — The cutting-edge of assistive technology–including both commercially available and next-generation AT products–will be showcased at the Assistive Technology Pavilion at Abilities Expo (www.abilitiesexpo.com/atlanta) on November 6-8, 2009 at the Cobb Galleria Convention Center. Thousands of people with disabilities, their families, caregivers and healthcare professionals are expected to attend this free, three-day expo and conference for a taste of the latest technologies, techniques and tips for improving their physical, technological and social environs. The following products–many of which are still in development–will impact people of all ages with a wide range of physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities…. Auditory Menus and Deaf911 Phone: Exciting demonstrations of experimental technology currently under development for people with visual and manual limitations (Auditory Menus) and hearing loss (Deaf911 Phone; Robotics technology: Displays on robots that retrieve and deliver objects using a laser pointer. Visit www.abilitiesexpo.com/atlanta/pavillions.html for more.

By Michelle Diament © Disabilityscoop.com — The Senate approved legislation Thursday to make crimes committed against a person based on their disability a federal offense. The hate crimes legislation, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, is an expansion of the 1968 hate crimes act. Currently crimes committed based on a person’s race, color, religion or national origin are protected under federal law. The new legislation would add disability, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected statuses…. READ ARTICLE

The National Council on Disability will conduct its next quarterly meeting at the Holiday Inn Express, 920 Broadway, Nashville, TN, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, October 26, 2009, and ending at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. This meeting is open to the public. The agenda is posted at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/quarterly/2009/agenda_oct26-28,2009new.htm.

Via Businesswire, Los Angeles — California is leading the international community in efforts to ensure successful disability management and will host the fifth International Forum on Disability Management (IFDM). The forum is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on September 20-22, 2010, and will be hosted by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC), in collaboration with the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC)…. READ PRESS RELEASE

By Jackie Calmes © The New York Times — President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to authorize a second $250 stimulus check to be sent early next year to an estimated 57 million Social Security recipients, veterans and people with disabilities. In effect, the payment would be in lieu of a cost-of-living increase for Social Security beneficiaries next year. The White House request, and receptive statements from Congressional Democratic leaders, anticipated an announcement on Thursday from the Social Security Administration that there would be no cost-of-living adjustment for 2010 because the inflation rate has been negative as the recession has driven down prices…. READ ARTICLE

From MSNBC © The Associated Press, WASHINGTON — There will be no cost of living increase for more than 50 million Social Security recipients next year, the first year without a raise since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975…. READ ARTICLE

By Christian Boone and Kristi E. Swartz © The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia — A group of disabled advocates who forced their way into the State Capitol on Monday spent Tuesday morning in the courtyard of the Sam Nunn Federal Center, again calling for better long-term care options. It was their second stop of the day, having started at 9:30 a.m. at Centennial Park. At 1 p.m. they will meet with Gov. Sonny Perdue’s chief of staff…. READ ARTICLE