NCD Appointment of Ari Ne'eman Confirmed

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network would like to thank President Obama and the U.S. Senate for the nomination and confirmation of ASAN President Ari Ne'eman to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability (NCD). He will be the first Autistic person to serve as a member of NCD. An independent federal agency, NCD makes recommendations to the President and Congress on issues of importance to Americans with disabilities. To learn more about NCD, go to http://www.ncd.gov

An article about the confirmation can be found on Disability Scoop:

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/06/22/neeman-confirmation/9133/

Secretary Sebelius Appoints Ari Ne'eman to IACC

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network applauds HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' appointment of ASAN President Ari Ne'eman to the Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a Federal advisory committee that coordinates all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism. ASAN has given regular public comment at the IACC in the past and looks forward to continuing to be an active part of the IACC process. To learn more about the IACC, go to http://iacc.hhs.gov/.

A news release has been posted on the Health & Human Services website:

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/04/20100430a.html

House Passes Restraint and Seclusion Bill

ASAN is pleased to announce that the House of Representatives has taken action to protect students with disabilities from abuse by passing the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247) by a vote of 262-153. Many thanks to all who called or visited their representatives to show support for the legislation! The statement below was prepared by the Justice for All Action Network, a coalition of disability rights groups including ASAN.



For Immediate Release:

March 4, 2010


Contact: Paula Durbin-Westby, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, (540)-223-6145

Andrew Imparato, American Association of People with Disabilities, (202) 521-4301


Disability Coalition applauds passage of Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion Legislation

Legislation that protects students with disabilities a key item on Coalition Agenda


(Washington D.C.) -- The Justice for All Action Network (JFAAN), a coalition of disability-led organizations, applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passage of HR 4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act. The legislation, which equips students with disabilities with federal protection from abuse in the schools, was approved in the House March 3 by a vote of 262-153.

“The legislation approved today is the first of its kind. It goes far beyond previous efforts to protect students with disabilities,” said Paula Durbin-Westby of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a member of the JFAAN Steering Committee.

The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act will put significant restrictions on schools restraining children, confining them in seclusion rooms, and using aversive interventions to harm them. A Government Accountability Office study found hundreds of cases over the last two decades of alleged abuse and death from restraint and seclusion in public and private schools. The majority of students in the study were students with disabilities.

“When passed by the Senate and signed by President Obama, this legislation will be the first step in putting an end to the long history of students with disabilities being subjected to inappropriate and abusive restraint and seclusion,” said Durbin-Westby. “We urge the Senate to vote on the legislation soon in order to equip students with critically needed protections from abusive restraint and seclusion."

Currently, 23 states have laws with weak or no protections. HR 4247 will create a minimum level of protection for schoolchildren that all states must meet or exceed. Unlike previous attempts to protect students with disabilities, this legislation applies to all students and bans the worst practices, including mechanical restraint, chemical restraint and physical restraint.

Legislation that protects people with disabilities from unwarranted restraints and seclusions is a key component of a campaign agenda developed by JFAAN. The JFAAN Joint Campaign Agenda addresses major policy issues of people with intellectual, physical, psychiatric, developmental and sensory disabilities.

Created in an effort to build a strong and unified cross-disability movement, the Justice for All Action Network is organized into a steering committee of 13 national consumer-led disability organizations and more than 20 organizational and individual members. The group was formed in the wake of the 2008 Presidential Election.


About the Justice for All Action Network

Mission: The Justice for All Action Network is a national cross-disability coalition, led by disability groups run by persons with disabilities with support from allies, committed to building a strong and unified cross-disability movement so that individuals with disabilities have the power to shape national policies, politics, media, and culture.

Working as a coalition, JFAAN is committed to accomplishing each item on the coalition’s agenda by July 2010, the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Steering Committee Members: ADAPT, American Association of People with Disabilities, American Council of the Blind, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Hearing Loss Association of America, Little People of America, National Association of the Deaf, National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Survivor Organizations, National Council on Independent Living, National Federation of the Blind, Not Dead Yet, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, United Spinal Association.

For more information, contact Paula Durbin-Westby, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, (540)-223-6145, pdurbinwestby@autisticadvocacy.org; Andrew Imparato, American Association of People with Disabilities, (202) 521-4301, aimparato@aapd.com.

Ari Ne'eman Chosen by President Obama for National Council on Disability

We are pleased to announce that ASAN President Ari Ne'eman has been nominated by President Barack Obama for a position on the National Council on Disability.

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 16, 2009

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 12/16/09

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

•Marie Collins Johns, Deputy Administrator, Small Business Administration
•Gwendolyn E. Boyd, Member, Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
•Jonathan M. Young, Chair, National Council on Disability
•Carol Jean Reynolds, Member, National Council on Disability
•Fernando Torres-Gil, Member, National Council on Disability
•Chester Alonzo Finn, Member, National Council on Disability
•Gary Blumenthal, Member, National Council on Disability
•Sara Gelser, Member, National Council on Disability
•Ari Ne'eman, Member, National Council on Disability
•Dongwoo Joseph "Joe" Pak, Member, National Council on Disability

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these fine individuals have chosen to serve in my administration. They will bring a depth of experience and valued perspective to their roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts-121609

Bios of the nominees are available through the above link.

ASAN Represented at White House Ceremony on Disability Rights

An event celebrating the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was held at the White House on July 25, 2009. ASAN President Ari Ne'eman was one of the invited guests. At the event, President Barack Obama announced that he has instructed United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The President also signed a proclamation commemorating the ADA and affirming the rights of people with disabilities.

Photos from the celebration and announcement ceremony can be found on the main ASAN website.

Autistic Adults Planning Committee Seeks Comments

In response to lobbying efforts by ASAN's New Jersey chapter to create a state planning committee focused on the needs of autistic adults, the New Jersey Adults with Autism Task Force was created. ASAN is seeking comments from autistic adults, family members, professionals, and other interested parties regarding public policy on the needs of autistic adults. Comments should be sent to ASAN's national organization, as requested by Ari Ne'eman, and will be shared with the Task Force.


Hello all,

Today, I will attend the first meeting of New Jersey Adults with Autism Task Force, the nation's first state-level planning committee specifically on the needs of Autistic adults. As some of you may recall, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network lobbied for the creation of this task force with an autistic representative. On April 2nd, I was named by Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey to serve as one of the body's public members. We are pleased that our community's voice was heard on this issue and I look forward to serving on the Task Force in future months. Although it will only make policy recommendations for one state, this body will develop ideas that, if effective, may provide guidance for public policy on the needs of autistic adults across the globe.

As such, I am personally inviting autistic adults, family members, professionals and others who are interested in sharing their thoughts about the Task Force's mission to e-mail ASAN at info@autisticadvocacy.org with stories, recommendations and other comments that you feel will help broaden the perspectives of the Task Force's members, including myself. Please put the keyword, "AUTISTIC ADULTS" in your subject line and feel free to send your stories and/or thoughts at any point over the coming months. In your e-mail, please indicate where you are writing from, some background details about you to the extent you feel comfortable sharing them and whether or not you would be okay with your story being shared publicly. No e-mails will be posted anywhere without the prior written permission of the author. Over the next year, the Task Force will draft policy that I hope will serve as a model for meeting the needs of autistic adults now and into the future. Thank you and please feel free to distribute this message to your networks.

Regards,
Ari Ne'eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
1101 15th Street, NW Suite 1212
Washington, DC 20005
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/
732.763.5530

ASAN Seeks to Strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act

Several disability and civil rights organizations, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, currently are working with American business associations to provide greater protection against employment discrimination by amending the Americans with Disabilities Act. Details below:

Employers and Disability Advocates Push for Amendments to Landmark Americans with Disabilities Act

Employer & Disability Alliance Forms to Clarify & Secure Promise of the ADA

Washington, DC, June 18, 2008 – This afternoon, former Congressman Tony Coelho, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, LCCR Executive Vice President Nancy Zirkin and autism advocate Ari Ne'eman announced the formation of the Employer & Disability Alliance – a new collaborative effort among some of America's largest business associations and leading disability and civil rights advocates to promote the ADA Amendments Act.

"Narrow court interpretations have removed ADA protections for people Congress intended to cover – those with serious heart conditions, epilepsy, diabetes, and even cancer," said Zirkin. "Organizations in the Employer & Disability Alliance have been working around the clock with leaders in Congress to return ADA coverage – through the ADA Amendments Act – to these people and to craft an agreement that is fair to both employers and those with disabilities," said Zirkin.

"I always say that I don't know of any other group in America who wants to pay taxes – it's those of us with disabilities, because a job is our dignity and an opportunity to participate in this great American dream," said Coelho, the primary author of the original ADA. "What the ADA Amendments Act does is provide us the opportunity to work with the business community to get those jobs we want."

"I'm thrilled to be able to speak up in support of this essential restoration of civil rights law that will ensure that Americans with disabilities, like myself, will continue to enjoy protections and are included throughout society," said Ne'eman who is the founding president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

The ADA Amendments Act clarifies the current requirement that impairment substantially limit a major life activity in order to be considered a disability. It also confirms for the courts that people with disabilities should not lose their civil rights protections because their condition is treatable with medication or can be addressed with the help of assistive technology. The Employer & Disability Alliance sent a letter to the Hill explaining these and other elements in more detail this morning. The full text of the letter is below.

"Some will criticize the details of the compromise, and this criticism will come from some in the employer community and some in the disability community," said Donohue. "But, in making decisions comes some heat and we are willing to take that heat to do what is necessary. Fortunately, the new proposal has been widely vetted in the business community and we look forward to working with the policymakers on Capitol Hill to move the ball forward, with the hope that this agreement can be kept largely intact."