October Disability Awareness Spotlights

What is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?
Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The Office of Disability Employment Policy has the lead in planning NDEAM activities and materials to increase the public's awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. Various programs carried out throughout the month also highlight the specific employment barriers that still need to be addressed and removed. This effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment actually began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week."

In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month." http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/employment/disability-employment-awareness.php

Found at the above site is a data comparison of disabled and nondisabled workers from the Department of Labor.  In August 2009, the unemployment rate of persons with a disability was 16.9 percent, compared with 9.3 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted. The employment-population ratio for persons with a disability was 18.4 percent, compared with 64.6 percent for persons with no disability. 

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Disability.gov

In conjunction with the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Labor has re-named and re-launched DisabilityInfo.gov as Disability.gov. Available at http://www.disability.gov/, the site offers comprehensive information about programs and services to better serve more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, their family members, veterans, employers, educators, caregivers and anyone interested in disability-related information."The Department of Labor is pleased to be the managing partner of Disability.gov and to help advance the independence and full participation of people with disabilities in the workforce, the classroom and their communities," said Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary for the Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). The site is organized into 10 subject areas: benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, employment, health, housing, technology and transportation. By selecting a category, visitors are directed to useful information on federal and state government programs and services, news and events, grants and funding opportunities, and more.

http://disabledperson.com/ - annual scholarships for college students with disabilities in the United States. http://youreducationportal.com/results.aspx/disability source of financial aid for students with disabilities.

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Welcome

The Office of Disability Service (ODS) staff and faculty would like to welcome all new and returning students to Austin Peay State University (APSU). The Advocate is the newsletter sent each month to all students registered with ODS. Each issue contains news and information designed to be of help to you during your time here at APSU. ODS exists to ensure equal access for all individuals with disabilities and it is our goal to help you move towards independence. Feel free to stop by ODS between 8 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday (UC 114). With warm regards and much success in the coming school year!

Parking Information Reminders
ODS would like to remind our students to familiarize yourselves with the campus parking regulation for parking spaces for persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities require either a permanent disability parking decal issued by the campus police or a temporary disability parking decal issued by Health Services in order to use indentified parking spaces for persons with disabilities. If you feel that there are not enough parking spaces for persons with disabilities based upon the current APSU formula, please send a comment of your concerns to APSU Public Safety .

ΛEΖΝ

Lambda Epsilon Zeta Nu
Lambda Epsilon Zeta Nu (Zeta Nu) is a support group made up of people dedicated to helping people. Zeta Nu is officially registered at Austin Peay State University to act as a bridge between students with disabilities and the general student body, staff, faculty and administration. We are currently seeking new and returning members. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Beulah Oldham in Disability Services at 221-6230 or e-mail her at ODS@apsu.edu.

Our next meeting will be held on October 7, 2009 in UC room 303 from 1-2 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. to express your interest even if you are unable to attend.

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Emergency Preparedness

Did you know that September was declared National Preparedness Month?-According to Secretary Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security, “National Preparedness Month is about building a culture of personal preparedness and shared responsibility across our country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This month, we ask all Americans to visit Ready.gov to learn what they can do to help their families, businesses and communities stay safe during an emergency—whether it be hurricanes like Katrina, the fires we are fighting in California or pandemic influenza.”

Click on the link http://www.ready.gov/america/about/_flash/movie14.txt to view recommended preparedness information especially for American's with Disabilities.

The ODS stresses continued efforts to practice safe hand washing techniques and invites you to stop by and observe the proper hand washing video if you haven't seen it already. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) emphasizes the need to follow good hygiene practices for H1N1 virus prevention http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/recommendations.htm.                         

According to the CDC, certain groups appear to be at increased risk of complications and may benefit most from early treatment with antiviral medications. Approximately 70% of persons hospitalized from 2009 H1N1 influenza have had a recognized high risk condition (approximately 60% of children and approximately 80% among adults). These high risk conditions are the same conditions that increase the risk of complications from seasonal influenza infection.

However, the risk for severe complications from seasonal influenza is highest among:
 Children younger than 2 years old.
 Children younger than 5 years old.
 Adults 65 years of age or older
 Pregnant women

And individuals with the following conditions:
Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus); Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV;
Persons younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy, because of an increased risk for Reye syndrome.  

We want YOU!  If you have a piece of artwork, comments about a previous newsletter article, a photograph, a poem, a story about how you overcame a challenge, a favorite recipe, a tech. tip, or an announcement that you would like to publish in the Advocate, please send it via email to ODS@apsu.edu with the subject line "Advocate submission", or drop your submission off at the ODS front desk.  Don't forget to include your name, contact information, and any special instructions.  Please make sure your submission is typed and legible.