Blog [with]tv

MoMA's new Create Ability Program - January 22nd - Larger than Life: Mural Painting!

Connie Kuusisto — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:16:09 -0800

Throughout 2012, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 W. 53rd Street, New York City, is hosting a free Sunday series. Create Ability is a program for individuals with learning and developmental disabilities and their families. Each month, participants focus on a different theme, exploring various artworks in the galleries and creating artworks in the classroom.

The first session on January 22nd is Larger Than Life: Mural Painting. Sign up now and reserve your place!

Victoria Renensland, daughter of [with]tv Founder and CEO, Howard Renensland, putting talent to work, in art lessons through MoMA's Create Ability Program!

Create Ability

Sunday, January 22
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (ages five–17)
2:00–4:00 p.m. (ages 18 and up)

Plan now to attend Larger than Life: Mural Painting - Space is limited
and preregistration is required—register online today!

[with] tv 2012 - Your Broadcast Community for Inclusion News, Success Stories and Emerging Technologies for Mobility and Achievement

Connie Kuusisto — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 10:47:07 -0800

‘Reading For Inclusion’ Gets Kids Talking About Disabilities

Connie Kuusisto — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:35:25 -0800

Submitted by Karen Moyes Stallings
A unique program at one Burlington, VT school is allowing kids to engage firsthand with adults who have disabilities and talk candidly about how differences can affect a person’s life, all through reading.
The effort, known as Reading for Inclusion, is modeled after the national Reading to End Racism program, which brings individuals from different cultural backgrounds into classrooms to read books and discuss racial prejudice.
For the inclusion program, guest readers with special needs ranging from autism to cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury visited Champlain Elementary School to read to students and discuss what it’s like to have a disability. During the events, students were free to ask questions like, “why are you in a wheelchair?”
The idea behind the program, organizers say, is to help youngsters understand that just because a peer may have differences doesn’t mean that they don't deserve lindness. It was developed after school officials heard stories from parents who said that their kids with disabilities were often left out when it came time for birthday parties or even recess.
After interacting with 10 guest readers, the message of inclusion appears to be sinking in. “Just because somebody has a disability doesn’t mean they can’t play with you,” one 11-year-old student told the Burlington Free Press.

Submitted by Karen Moyes Stallings, Rossi Fund Coordinator for the Developmental Disabilities Council of North Carolina. Karen has long been active in the fight for inclusion for people of all abilities.

Lives Worth Living On PBS: Independent Lens, October 27

Connie Kuusisto — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:20:00 -0700

Click the following links for details of the recent PBS program, Lives Worth Living, which aired on Thursday October 27th, a compelling documentary on the disability rights movement, and its profiles of courageous people in the Independent Lens series.

Trailer for Lives Worth Living Photos and Press Kit for Lives Worth Living

The Emerging Disability Industry: Purchasing Power On The Rise

Connie Kuusisto — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:42:46 -0700

From MediAbility Factsheet: An Impressive Emerging Market by Vince Staskel, MS, VPS MediAbility Consulting, and retired Legal Rights Advocate in IDEA, ADA, SSA Claimant Legal Representation, and Media Arts Inclusion. He is very active in the promotion of performers-with-disabilities in the entertainment industry:

As baby boomers age, and we see an inclusive media ascendency of performers, producers, writers, and filmmakers coupled with an emerging disability media industry, there is huge marketing potential.
Recent disability marketing statistics reveal that of the 54 million persons with long-term disability:

- 73% are the heads of households
- 46% are married
- 58% own their own homes
- 77% have no children
- 48% are principal shoppers

The aggregate income of persons-with-disabilities tops $1 trillion. As the disability marketing statistics show, this is more purchasing power than the pre-teen and teen markets combined. Including families of pwds, companies can reach four out of ten consumers in the disabled community.We are very confident there is a bright future developing here.

First and foremost, we must utilize and advertise to the pwd community. Although the recent 2009 Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) report of $1 trillion a year in spending has been criticized as “happy fluffy numbers” because it included family and friends, that should be the point of the study. Disability appending DOES include family and friends.They are

themselves consumers and/or supporters in the cause. Do not overlook them in your marketing strategy. Even if there is some fluff, this is still powerful consumerism.

Promotion Is Key
Our philosophy of promote one and all are promoted is a driving force in our marketing strategy. Every opportunity to share information, events, and products increases tremendously within the pwd community. Take advantage of those social media postings that show great marketing potential. Again, they are disseminated to all persons viewing the webpage.

Property Tax Forgiveness as a Means of Promoting Social Inclusion

Connie Kuusisto — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:38:28 -0700

From a post by Gary Norman, Commissioner of the Maryland Civil Rights Commission -

Accessible parking, seating and restrooms at theaters, curb cuts, and an ever-increasing presence of assistance dogs in public venues constitute but a few examples of the outcomes of a “comprehensive declaration of equality”which the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, and its corollary statutory schemes have enacted in the several states.

The majority of people with or without disabilities desire to be integral to the social fabric of their community, to age in place within their homes and to participate in the social life of their neighborhoods. The 2010 survey entitled, The ADA, 20 Years Later, revealed that people with disabilities still constitute the poorest members of our communities, bereft of equal opportunities for living, learning, and earning. My concise set of thoughts, following, will provide one strategy to ensure that people with disabilities of any age and older adults who may not self-identify as being disabled have the same access to these fundamental privileges, fostering their inclusion in communities.

In the experience of this attorney and Civil Rights Commissioner with a disability, there is continued need for translation of this law enacted 21 summers ago into practice in a way that maximizes the integration of the largest and poorest minority population in our neighborhoods, people with disabilities. Read more ....

For there to be a genuine translation of the law into daily acceptance and compliance, people with disabilities of any age need to be regularly visible and active within the marketplace, the workplace, and in the schoolhouse. A personal regular experience might clarify this point. Partnered with a guide dog, it is rare that my wife and I observe more than just us and my furry sidekick Pilot at an upscale bistro, spa, or hotel. An approach that this Civil Rights Commissioner believes states should increasingly apply to ensure that more and more of our citizens can be fully integrated or “age in place” is property tax forgiveness to homeowners with disabilities of any age or homeowners with military or first responder related service disabilities.

Even twenty-one years after President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law in a ceremony on the lawn of the White House, people with disabilities are simply not visible within our neighborhoods. They are unlikely to be at a restaurant, unlikely to be participating in a recreational sporting league, and unlikely to be homeowners.

Presuming an absence of discrimination for the moment, one obstacle that is an issue in the full inclusion of people with disabilities of any age is the cost of adaptations or even the mere hassle of acquiring adaptations. Specifically, adaptations to daily life of this population, less wealthy overall, such as retrofitting homes to be accessible, can be cost prohibitive.

States should consider enacting legislation that either provides for new programs or expands existing ones to increase the financial resources of homeowners that have impairments or conditions meeting the definition of disability under the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. The countervailing argument is that a meaningful reduction in property taxes would devastate governmental services. However, what public policy officials need to consider is whether property taxes, such as they are, can be refocused to increased habitation and commerce by a range of people, including those with disabilities.

The mechanics of and the reason to support this proposal are not obtuse. In the Mid-Atlantic region, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have property tax waivers or property tax forgiveness programs with various levels of reductions of or credits towards property taxes. In these states, and in all states, disabled citizens should be able to apply to the state taxation department, thereafter allocating 100 percent of what they would have paid in property taxes towards home renovations, transportation, or aides that help with daily living or personal commerce and functioning, such as renovating front entrances. As Oregon requires of its related property tax deferral program, proof of homeowner’s insurance and a minimal time for home occupancy would be legitimate conditions for participation in this program.

Impairments or conditions, many of which could rise to the level of a legally defined disability are often correlated to the aging process. The President of the American Association of Retired Persons testified before Congress in 2011 that one out of every five citizens in the United States would be an older adult by 2030. Therefore, an additional reason to formulate innovative programs such as 100 percent property tax forgiveness is the aging of America.

Autistic children use iPad at Toronto school to reach out and communicate

Connie Kuusisto — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:13:27 -0700

TORONTO - May 18, 2011 - Pat Hewitt, The Canadian Press
(excerpt submitted by Karen Moye Stallings)

Four-year-old Satu Kuisma smiles as she finds a picture of herself and touches it on the screen. When teacher Sabrina Morey asks the kindergartner to tell her what she did in class that day, Satu taps away on the iPad, selecting pictures for eating, drawing and playing on swings.

Communication can be a struggle for Satu, who has a rare chromosome disorder. Born at just 2 1/2 pounds, she has had developmental delays, one of the most prominent being her speech. But she's among dozens of non-verbal children at a Toronto school who are learning to communicate through touch technology. Satu and the other students at the Beverley School are involved in a research project with University of Toronto professor Rhonda McEwen aimed at determining if devices like iPads make it easier for developmentally challenged children to communicate and interact with others.

So far, McEwen says, the answer is yes."These touch devices are in some ways bridging communications deficits that students who are non-verbal and who have some kind of developmental disorder have," says McEwen. Beverley is a school for students with a range of physical and mental challenges, including autism and deaf-blindness. In November 2009, Morey brought her iPhone to class and kids who had been reluctant to communicate using picture cards "were immediately hooked," she says.

Morey and fellow teacher Stacie Carroll developed a program where the pupils use an iPad or iPhone in 13 classrooms. Their curriculum includes about 230 applications, such as Proloquo2Go, which features text-to-speech voices and almost 8,000 symbols, and iCommunicate. McEwen ... has found on average, a 20 per cent improvement in students' ability to communicate using symbols. Satu uses a few words, sign language and pictures to communicate. Her mother Suvi Kuisma is pleased with her daughter's progress and hopes she will use her iPod Touch at home and school to communicate any time she wants.

"We think some of the apps and videos she's been watching have helped reinforce what she's learning at school, like her recognition of the alphabet, numbers and colours as well as her vocabulary," Kuisma says. Autistic kids and children who have limited hearing or eyesight have also improved communications skills using the devices, says McEwen. "They'd find a little game... and go up to another child and attempt to communicate and get joint attention which is one of the big areas that autistic children struggle with," says McEwen.

Four-year-old Farhan Ahmod, who has autism, is just learning how to use the iPad. With help from Carroll, he points to the images for noodles and a drink box he wants for lunch. "A lot of autistic children can't read emotions," says principal Alana Grossman. "They spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the teacher wants." But using the iPad, they don't have to work with emotion, she said. Farhan's father Juber Ahmod said he's seen a big improvement since his son started school and began using the iPad. Farhan responds to his name and sits down and eats when asked, when before he didn't understand.

Students like the device because it lets them work at their own pace and the iPad's voice is not affected by mood or what else is happening in the room, said Carroll. Satu appears to have mastered the technology. When Morey asks the little girl to find the letter S, she does it on cue and then chooses an image of strawberries as an example of something that starts with that letter.

"Perfect," says Morey.

Submitted by Karen Moye Stallings, Rossi Fund Coordinator for the Developmental Disabilities Council of North Carolina. Karen has long been active in the fight for inclusion for people of all abilities.

ADAPT Talks Medicaid Reform with The Gang of Six; Visits White House

Connie Kuusisto — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:50:48 -0700

Washington,D.C. --- May 4, 2011 - 300 members of ADAPT, the national disability rights grassroots organization, visited the U.S. Senate Gang of Six: the six Senators currently shaping the country's budget for fiscal year 2012. The four day event included the arrest of 101 ADAPT members in the Cannon and Longworth House Office Buildings.

In ADAPT's view, reforming Medicaid long term care spending encompasses several factors. It is paramount to eliminate the institutional bias by mandating that a state can and should spend funds on community-based services and supports. Next, the federal government should take leadership in pushing to rebalance Medicaid long term care spending away from institutional settings and emphasize community based services. Also, making enormous cuts to Medicaid and block granting Medicaid to the states, as under the House-approved "Ryan Plan," would be a disastrous strategy for services that support people with disabilities all over America.

"The Senate has got to take counteractive measures against the damaging provisions of the Ryan Plan," said David Wittie, an organizer with ADAPT of Texas. "We know that they are eyeballing Medicaid reform ...." Read the full Press Release. View the photo gallery.

ADAPT is a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom.

Best Advocacy - Be Seen in Public with PWDs You Know

Connie Kuusisto — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:16:03 -0700

Commentary by Howard Renensland, Founder/CEO of [with]tv:
"I saw Timothy Shriver recently. While I admire the work he and his family have done and continue to do and respect his intent to eliminate the use of the words 'Retard' and 'retarded' as in, "what are you, a retard?", "Hey, retard", "OMG, that is so retarded." I just don't believe it is the most effective approach.

Let's face it - when someone is hitting you, does asking them to stop usually do the trick? We need to go out with our loved one, family member, friend, etc. who is developmentally disabled, intellectually disabled or - my choice - a person with disabilities. Go with them everywhere. Work, worship, shopping, leisure etc. The more people see and meet them, the less likely they will be to think, talk or act disrespectfully, because in knowing them comes respect.

The harm that these words do - 'retard', 'intellectually disabled/challenged', 'developmentally disabled', etc.- is in the labeling which is not apt. My own daughter has intellectual skills and deficits all over the place; yet she continues to seek knowledge, is curious about all things, and acquires knowledge, information and experiences hourly. Many, many people I know who are not labeled operate in society without being singled out, but truly have not had a new, kind, thought about PWDs since middle school. Not to make fun of them - who of us is perfect? Who of us does not do things each day that are ill conceived, short-sighted, unfortunate, misguided, ignorant, cruel, or mean-spirited? Such is the human condition. But hopefully, at the end of the day we have also done kind, thoughtful and supportive things.

Love your loved one with a disability. Share them with the world, don't exclude them. Share them. Only then will the community as a whole progress as it can. And I mean the whole world community, not just those of us with loved ones with a disability or disabilities of our own.

Howard Renensland on Disabled Radio with Rob Pritts - The story of [with]tv

Connie Kuusisto — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:47:05 -0700

On March 2nd, Howard Renensland, Founder and CEO of [with]tv, was interviewed by Rob Pritts, producer of Disabled Radio. Howard is an actor in television and theatre, whose life was wonderfully transformed by the birth of two daughters, one with visual challenges. He has decades of experience in fighting successfully for her inclusion, opening doors for her achievements.

Click 'HERE' for a lively Disabled Radio interview about [with]tv, and its powerful, ongoing mission.

Hear how [with]tv's strong advisory board of impassioned decision-makers are working with supporters like you, moving forward to change the public perception of persons with disabilities. Learn how [with]tv aims to dispell the media's inaccurate portrayals of limited, pitiable individuals, and to gather and train talent to present a premier media platform to feature our community in a more honest and positive manner. Fifty-four million people in the U.S. and 700 million worldwide with disabilities are waiting for organizations like [with]tv to change their lives.

Rob Pritts is the Producer of Disabled Radio, hosted by BlogTalk Radio, and is from Aurora, IL Disabled Radio programming connects with those with disabilities who have reached their road to independence as well as those who are looking for support for their disabled loved ones. Disabled Radio wishes to bridge all disabled citizens together to create a larger lobby to further Disabled Rights

Listen to internet radio with Rob Pritts on BlogTalk Radio