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May 5, 2010, Washington, DC:--The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) thanks Senators Mark Pryor (AR) and John Kerry (MA) for introducing the “Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act” (S. 3304).  The measure is a major step forward for people with disabilities in ensuring accessible technology. Also co-sponsoring are Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, both from North Dakota. Similar to the “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act” (H.R. 3101) introduced in the U.S. House,  S. 3304 would modernize disability accessibility mandates in the Communications Act, bringing existing requirements up to date as television and phone services connect via the Internet and use new digital and broadband technologies.

Our mission is to promote and provide equal access to communication and learning through described and captioned educational media. The ultimate goal of the DCMP is for accessible media to be an integral tool in the teaching and learning process for all stakeholders in the educational community, including students, educators and other school personnel, parents, service providers, businesses, and agencies.

This project explores the life stories of thirteen leaders in the self-advocacy movement and their perspectives on key issues and leadership challenges. Part of the broader disability rights movement, the self-advocacy movement is unique in that it has been led and informed by the individual and collective experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite its widespread existence nationwide and internationally, few works have explored the rich history, culture, and significance of the self-advocacy movement. To help fill this void, Joe Caldwell, Ph.D., Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, undertook this life history project and donated transcripts to The Bancroft Library for its Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement collection. More about Self-Advocacy Movement oral history project.

Summer is always an exciting time to kick back, have fun, and spend quality time with the family. In between family vacations, trips to the zoo, playing video games, and sitting around the house bored, many parents are also searching for activities that are not only fun, but also constructive. Look no further.

Spearheaded by a group of 20 teenagers, a national campaign is kicking off this month designed to reshape youth perceptions of inclusion and ideas about what’s “normal.” The “I am Norm” campaign is centered on online videos, social networking and a series of advertising buys slated for next year, which organizers say they hope will spark conversation about inclusion of people with disabilities and what it really means to be normal.

Click here to register for this event | Click here to download the full brochure (PDF) When: February 26 & March 5, 2011 9:00am to 1:00pm Mountain Where: MSUB College of Education, Room 122  Billings, MT What: Google Sites is a tool that allows students and teachers to create custom web pages. You can easily create and update these pages adding content, attachments, and embedded media from many other services, including Picasa Web Albums, YouTube video, and Google Apps. A site can be created for a class, a school, or any other group that needs to quickly share information and ideas—even a team or a club. The easy-to-use editor makes it possible to build a site in minutes using templates for specific types of pages, such as announcements, dashboards, file cabinets, or lists. You also have control over who has access to the page; share with everyone, or only specific individuals. The workshop will show how you can set up and maintain your own personal website in Google Sites with knowing limited HTML. Participants must bring a laptop computer.

Click here to download the full brochure with registration (PDF) Click here to register for this conference online Topic: Restitution: Helping Children Make the Right Choices When: May 19-20, 2011 Where: Best Western Heritage Inn Great Falls, MT Additional Information: Day 1: Diane Gossen is the author of It’s All About We: Rethinking Discipline Using Restitution, Restitution: Restructuring School Discipline, the Restitution Facilitator’s Guide, and My Child is A Pleasure. In addition Diane has published thirty training guides and numerous videos for implementation of the Restitution model in schools, residential settings, and for mental health practices. Day 2: Breakout Sessions: See full brochure for more information.

Subcommittee Hearing - Getting the Most Bang for the Buck: Quality Early Education and Care

It's Our Story is putting the voices of America's disability activists online, public and accessible, for the world to see.  We've already released testimonies from some of the most influential disability leaders of our time.

Click here to register for this webinar -- $39 What: Switch Blitz v.2011 is an idea generating session, a blitz of many items and strategies yet in a step by step format that will help you get started with switch use, motivate the stagnate switch user and progress the present switch user to higher levels. Switch Blitz v.2011 is a session with plenty of demonstrations and information that will take you from assessment to implementation. First we will touch on basics, and then progress to assessments, tools, strategies and resources. You will see demonstrations of switch software as well as FREE online switch resources. Participants will enjoy seeing video case examples of successful kids using their switches at the computer and for powered mobility. When: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Presenter: Cindy Nankee, OTR/L, ATP, Universal Technology for Learning & Living (UTLL) Full Abstract – Including speaker biography and learning points

Click here to register for this webinar What: The Real Lives, Real Stories webinar will give VR personnel specific, real cases of 3-6 transition age individuals with autism who have achieved competitive employment or are in the process of seeking and achieving competitive, customized employment. This webinar will address the stories and lives of at least 3 individual (Ian’s Story, Chelsea’s Story, Katelyn’s Story, Vincent’s Story, Ashley’s Story, and/or William’s Story) and will cover: An overview including video of the individual. The process of how their goals are decided and a description of the employment outcome. The personal supports each person needs and how they are provided. The paid supports each person needs and how they are provided. Where the person is now and plans for near future. It is expected that VR staff who participate the webinar will learn about the variety of interests, skills, and needs of individuals with autism and the possibilities for employment. In addition, staff will be given general; and specific information about specific types of paid, unpaid, formal, and natural supports individuals may need. When: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 10:00am - 11:00am Mountain Registration: Click here to register for this webinar Deadline for registration is Sept. 5, 2011 The webinar is free of charge.

Librarians and media specialists are secretly saying "I told you so" about the Walt Disney Company’s decision to issue a full refund on the Baby Einstein videos that parents have bought by the millions over the last five years.

This Web site contains information about living college life with a disability. It’s designed for high school students and provides video clips, activities and additional resources that can help you get a head start in planning for college.

LAND O' LAKES - About 155 sign language students at Sunlake High School are communicating each week with students from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine - from their classroom here. The students see and sign each other with the use of Skype technology: a computer program that enables communication through video and blog-style message blocks.

Children in Montana are more likely than their fellow American kids to engage in physical activity daily, spend less time watching television or playing video games and are less likely to have a television in their rooms. Thirty-two percent of U.S. children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese, compared with 26 percent of Montana children. This information comes from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, which included telephone interviews with 1,800 Montana households.

My Next Steps: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Autism

A first-time diagnosis of autism in a child can be an overwhelming and stressful time for parents and families. My Next Steps: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Autism serves as a roadmap for parents dealing with this challenging period and seeks to provide answers to the many questions that arise during the journey from autism diagnosis to treatment. The DVD is produced by the University of Washington Autism Center and funded by Washington State legislature. Through interviews with experts and treatment providers, My Next Steps familiarizes parents with topics that are crucial in providing the best support for their child.

A first-time diagnosis of autism in a child can be an overwhelming and stressful time for parents and families. My Next Steps: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Autism serves as a roadmap for parents dealing with this challenging period and seeks to provide answers to the many questions that arise during the journey from autism diagnosis to treatment. The DVD is produced by the University of Washington Autism Center and funded by Washington State legislature. Through interviews with experts and treatment providers, My Next Steps familiarizes parents with topics that are crucial in providing the best support for their child.

To share the story of the emotional journey that his family has taken to come to terms with Sam’s autism, Todd Drezner has made a smart and deeply affecting documentary called Loving Lampposts, which is available today for purchase on DVD, on Netflix, and as a download on iTunes.

Rory Hoy takes us on a journey through his world and explains autism along the way.

Are current drug policies failing? According to Dr. Hart's book, yes. He explains why with his landmark, yet controversial studies of race, poverty,, and drugs as well as the relationship between drugs and pleasure, choice, and motivation, both in the brain and in society. Hart relates his own story that started in a tough Miami neighborhood and resulted in a career as a neuroscientist and Columbia University's first tenured African American professor in the sciences.