Disability.gov LinkedIn

Disability.gov's LinkedIn group strives to build and foster relationships with people with disabilities and others with an interest in disability-related resources, especially students transitioning from school to work, job-seekers, workers and employers. Its public group offers members an "employment-focused" platform for discussions and news-of-interest.

Disability.gov understands that third-party social media platforms and Web sites may not be accessible to all users, including some individuals with disabilities. Therefore, any information posted by Disability.gov on LinkedIn will be available in an accessible format in this folder.

For more information about Disability.gov's social media policy, please refer to its Social Media User Agreement.

FEBRUARY LINKEDIN ACTIVITY

DISCUSSION from Stephanie Bostaph, Communications Specialist, Disability.gov

Using Humor in a Campaign to Encourage the Employment of People with Disabilities. What do you think?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/business/media/29adco.html?emc=eta1

DISCUSSION from Stephanie Bostaph, Communications Specialist, Disability.gov

Follow Up to the Think Beyond the Label campaign - What do you think about the Campaign for Disability Employment's PSA? Which campaign do you think will be more successful in long run and why?

Accessible version: http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org/blog/index.php/video

APRIL LINKEDIN ACTIVITY

DISCUSSION from Stephanie Bostaph, Communications Specialist, Disability.gov

What Will YOU Do? Focus on Ability - The Campaign for Disability Employment

New guest blog post by Tracie Saab, Job Accommodation Network (JAN). Check it out! http://blog.govdelivery.com/usodep/

DISCUSSION from Stephanie Bostaph, Communications Specialist, Disability.gov

New Guest Blog on Disability.Blog - Get the Most Out of Your Internship Experience by Jennifer Kemp, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor

http://blog.govdelivery.com/usodep/

What would you add to her list?

DISCUSSION from Stephanie Bostaph, Communications Specialist, Disability.gov

Restraint and Seclusion in Schools by Jeff Sell, Esq., Vice President of Public Policy for the Autism Society

"Parents of special-needs children shouldn't be afraid of sending their children to school, and even more importantly, children should feel safe in their educational setting." New guest blog post on Disability.Blog. Check it out at http://blog.disability.gov

JUNE LINKEDIN ACTIVITY

DISCUSSION from Robert G. Goldstraw, Web Content Manager, Disability.gov

Bookmark and Share

DISCUSSION from Robert G. Goldstraw, Web Content Manager, Disability.gov

President Obama on 11th anniversary of Olmstead

DISCUSSION from Robert G. Goldstraw, Web Content Manager, Disability.gov

Laws & Regulations: Education: Disability.gov

DOJ-ED Letter to College & University Presidents on Electronic Book Readers

NOVEMBER LINKEDIN ACTIVITY

DISCUSSION from Kevin Connors, Program Director, Disability.gov

Federal Computer Week article on accessibility of federal Web sites

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, I 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. In late July of this year, Disability.gov was completely redesigned to make the site both more useful and more accessible to our users. We are truly committed to making the site not only compliant with 508 and W3C guidelines, but going above and beyond those standards to make Disability.gov accessible to all of our visitors. 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, and our 508 specialist and other accessibility experts found Disability.gov to be fully compliant and accessible based on these guidelines. We feel the articles that ran in FCW do not reflect an accurate representation of Disability.gov. If you have experienced any accessibility issues while using the site, please let us know so that we may take any necessary steps to ensure the site if fully accessible. Many thanks.

DISCUSSION from Robert G. Goldstraw, Web Content Manager, Disability.gov

Check out Disability.gov's blog (http://blog.govdelivery.com/usodep/) to comment on recent posts about people w/ disabilities in volunteer service programs, a Section 508 compliant video player & more.

QUESTION from Dylan Wadlington, Owner of Wadlington Remodeling, LLC

What funding resources are available for home modifications to enable independant and CGA use of the home?

Can anyone reccommend funding alternatives for individuals who need home modifications. Often, those that need them the most can afford them the least. It can be heart breaking to know how much better someones life could be if they didn't have to worry about getting in & out of the tub every day. Imagine how much mental energy is exerted that could be spent thinking about anything else if the barrier were removed. Often my clients are on fixed incomes and have never had to put their hand out before. So asking for help has stigma that can be outweigh the benefits the project could bring.

RESPONSE FROM DISABILITY.GOV posted by Stephanie Bostaph, Communications Specialist, Disability.gov

Have you checked Disability.gov? Disability.gov offers a wide range of resources on home modification, accessibility, universal design and independent living. To find services and programs near your clients, select your state from the drop-down menu under "Information by State" on Disability.gov's home page (www.disability.gov) and select "Housing" from the subject list.

You may also wish to visit the Housing (http://www.disability.gov/housing/accessibility%26_universal_design) and Independent Living (http://www.disability.gov/community_life/independentliving) sections of the site.

Other resources that may be helpful:

The National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification lists state-specific information on community resources that may help with funding (http://www.usc.edu/dept/gero/nrcshhm/directory/pa.htm) and a fact sheet on home modification that answers frequently asked questions (http://www.homemods.org/FAQ/index.shtml).

The Council for Disability Rights Home Modification "Funding" page (http://www.disabilityrights.org/mod3.htm).

Rebuilding Together (http://www.rebuildingtogether.org) offers assistance in making home modifications to help older Americans and people with disabilities, including veterans (http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/section/initiatives/veteran_housing), remain in their homes and live independently.