AAPD Disability Daily ~ The American Association of People with Disability ~ Your news. Daily. Unfiltered ~ Friday, 25 October 2013

AAPD Disability Daily ~ The American Association of People with Disability ~ Your news. Daily. Unfiltered ~ Friday, 25 October 2013

NATIONAL

'Habilitation' among new Obamacare benefits. USA Today (10/24) (Michael Ollova)

"To rehabilitate," according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means "to restore to a former capacity."

But what if that capacity — be it walking or talking or brushing one's teeth — was never there in the first place? In that case, you aren't talking about "rehabilitation" but "habilitation."

People need habilitation when they have a congenital defect or disease that impairs the development of basic life skills. For example, autism may leave a child unable to speak. Cerebral palsy may result in language deficits and severe physical limitations. Birth defects may leave a child deaf.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), habilitation services will now be widely covered for the first time in private insurance plans. Rehabilitative and habilitative services are among the 10 "essential benefits" that must be provided by all plans sold on all the state and federally run health insurance exchanges. Starting in 2014, all individual and small group health policies sold outside the exchanges also will have to cover habilitative services.

But as is the case with some of the other "essential benefits," the federal health law mandates coverage of habilitation services without spelling out exactly what that means. The states, together with insurers and advocacy groups, will have a big say in what, and how much, is covered.

The computer deficiencies that have plagued the exchanges since they opened on Oct. 1 have further muddied the picture, since few people have read what insurers on the exchanges are offering. "How this all plays out very much remains to be seen," said Daniel Brown, senior state policy analyst for the American Occupational Therapy Association.

The number of people who might benefit from such services also is uncertain, Brown said. However, 15 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 17 have one or more developmental disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cost of habilitative therapy varies widely, but can be quite expensive. One form of therapy used to treat those with autism, "applied behavioral analysis," can cost $50,000 or more a year.

A POPULAR ADDITION

Before the ACA, habilitative services were inconsistently covered in health insurance plans. Most insurers took the view that teaching skills to the developmentally disabled was an educational matter rather than a health care concern. But as the disabled movement has gained influence over the last 50 years, that view has become far less than universal, even among insurers.

For one thing, it has become clear that financially strapped school systems do not have the resources or expertise to meet the habilitation needs of their students. In response, Medicaid in 1989 added habilitative services to its benefits menu, and dozens of states began to require insurers operating in their states to offer habiliative benefits. However, the coverage requirement varies widely from state to state, and many states have limited it to children with autism.

That was the situation when the ACA was being crafted in 2009 and 2010. For part of that time, people with disabilities had a formidable ally on Capitol Hill in Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who died in August 2009. Kennedy, whose sister Eunice Shriver founded the Special Olympics, was a longtime champion of services for the developmentally disabled.

Though the ACA as a whole remains controversial, opponents of the law have not criticized coverage of habilitative services. But advocates are concerned that the federal law leaves it to the states to determine just how robust habilitative services have to be.

FEAR OF LIMITATIONS

When the details of the insurance plans sold on the exchanges finally emerge, advocates will scrutinize the limitations imposed on the habilitative services offered.

For example, they would oppose a lifetime cap on the number of therapeutic visits patients are entitled to under habilitative services. They also are wary of combining rehabilitative and habilitative visits under one cap, because a person could exhaust all visits for habilitation and have nothing left for rehabilitation. Brown said children with congenital problems sometimes suffer falls or other accidents that require rehabilitation.

"We wouldn't want (insurers) to say, if you get rehab you don't need hab," said Laurie Alban Havens, who advocates for insurance policy changes for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a professional organization representing various types of therapists.

Advocates also will be surveying plans to make sure "maintenance" services are included. After reaching a certain level of ability, a person typically needs help to keep that ability. ASHA and similar organization argue that maintenance often requires skilled therapy rather than the custodial level of care that insurers prefer to provide.

Many states, including Arkansas, require insurers to provide the same level of habilitative benefits as they do rehabilitative benefits.

"We wanted parity but the question was, 'what does that mean?'" said Cynthia Crone, a deputy insurance commissioner in Arkansas. For example, an insurance plan might provide 60 days of in-patient rehabilitation without specifying whether habilitation, which doesn't usually require in-patient care, is covered.

However the states interpret habilitative services, it will certainly be subject to challenge by consumers, regulators and the courts. Jan. 1, when the ACA officially takes effect, will mark only the start of that process.

Stateline is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts that provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy.

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STATE/LOCAL

People with a disability deserve the same rights as everyone. The Washington Post (10/24) (Petula Dvorak)

I met a woman this week who may be the leader of our nation’s next big civil rights movement.

Barely 5 feet tall in a regal red jacket, Jenny Hatch commanded the room at American University’s School of Law when she asked: “How do we make sure a person’s rights are not taken away, like mine were?”

Jenny, as the 29-year-old likes to be called, is a high-functioning woman with Down syndrome who won a landmark legal battle against her placement in a Newport News group home this year.

Now she is the symbol of a campaign by advocates, lawyers and others who want to give people with disabilities more control over their lives. They should be judged on what they can do, rather than what they cannot.

Her speech Thursday was the launch of a campaign to find the hundreds — and probably thousands — like her who are high-functioning adults forced to live in group homes or in guardianship situations that they don’t want and, in many cases, don’t need.

For generations, we locked away people with disabilities, warehoused them and kept them separate from the rest of society. It’s still happening today.

As The Washington Post’s Theresa Vargas reported in the summer, Jenny had been living independently and working at a thrift store when a bike accident changed her life. Her mother and stepfather filed for guardianship and placed her in a group home, where she was cut off from her friends and co-workers. She had to quit the job she loved. Her phone was taken away. Her computer was confiscated, and her online passwords were changed. People who wanted to see her had to apply for permission to visit.

All of this was perfectly legal.

She tried to run away four times. “ ‘Just get used to living in a group home,’ ” she said they told her. “I cried every night at the group home. They treated me like a child.”

Jenny’s parents did not believe that she was capable of making her own decisions. Her IQ is about 50, and she often talks about her desire to become president of the United States. (She announced her candidacy twice during her speech at American University.)

They worried about her safety. She gossiped on Facebook, racked up high telephone bills, flirted with boys. She is impulsive.

Um, she sounds like just about every member of Congress. Nobody — regardless of their IQ or educational pedigree — is perfect in making good decisions. (Congress? Hedge fund managers? Subprime mortgage lenders?)

Everybody needs a little help. Jenny has a Medicaid waiver to provide her with the aid she needs to be independent.

And that’s what this human rights campaign — the Jenny Hatch Justice Project — wants everyone to remember.

“People are people,” said Tina Campanella, the chief executive of the D.C.-based Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, “regardless of their IQ.”

Protecting people shouldn’t mean tramping all over their civil rights as American adults.

“Society prefers protection over rights,” said Jenny’s attorney, Jonathan Martinis, the legal director at Quality Trust.

The Jenny Hatch Justice Project will show caseworkers, academics, judges and lawyers that there is another way. Since Jenny won her case, the Quality Trust has helped more than 20 D.C. residents avoid guardianship in favor of supported decision-making — which is the help of friends, family members and professionals.

Jenny, Martinis predicted, is “the rock that starts the avalanche.”

On Twitter: @petulad

To read previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/dvorak.

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Michigan getting $2M for mental health efforts. Seattle Pi (10/24)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Education is getting more than $2 million to help teachers identify early signs of mental illness in schools and improve access to mental health services.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin announced the federal funding Thursday. They say one goal is to improve school safety.

The money is through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Safe Schools/Healthy Students program.

The state Department of Education plans develop and implement programs and strategies to reduce violence in schools, increase access to behavioral health services and increase support for early childhood development and substance abuse programs.

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Collierville, Houston High students take part in Disability Mentoring Day program. The Commercial Appeal (10/25) (Matt Woo)

When Buck Roberson is asked what career path he’s most interested in pursuing once he graduates, the Collierville High student is quick to express his passion and excitement for landscaping.

Roberson spoke about his love of mowing the grass, the desire of being outdoors and his enjoyment of working with different tools and equipment used to complete a landscaping job.

As he made his way down aisles at the Collierville Lowe’s, the home and garden department piqued Roberson’s interest.

“I like to see how the mowers work and the different types of tools,” Roberson said.

On Oct. 16, more than 500 high school students with disabilities from Shelby County Schools toured 39 area businesses to receive hands-on training lessons, including customer service, sales and interview advice, as part of Disability Mentoring Day, which is designed to teach students important skills that are necessary to enter the workforce.

Nearly 30 Collierville and Houston High students toured Lowe’s and learned about the home improvement store’s various departments, while other schools were sent to businesses such as Nike, FedEx or the Memphis Zoo.

Such field trips are important to students with disabilities as it gives the high schoolers a chance to show potential employers what skills they possess, said Melanie Leet with Collierville High.

“They all have abilities and it opens their eyes to that,” Leet said. “It gives the kids an idea of what they can do outside of school and gives them a sense of excitement of what they can offer to the community.”

The nationally recognized Disability Mentoring Day was started in 1999 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor to help students with disabilities land a potential job and help eliminate some concerns employers might have about hiring someone with disabilities.

Over the years, Pat Beane, coordinator of Exceptional Children and Health Services, said the annual program has seen exceptional growth since it was introduced to Memphis City Schools seven years ago.

In 2006, only one student and one business participated, but this year, 39 high schools and 39 business took part.

“It gives the students the opportunity to get some hands-on training and to see what potential jobs they might qualify for,” Beane said.

During the group’s hour-long tour, the students first were told how the store’s checkout lines operate, followed by a quick stop at the Christmas and holiday decoration department and then outside where the store’s flowers and gardening tools are kept.

At the end of the tour, the students were split into smaller groups and followed Lowe’s employees so they could get a closer look at what specific jobs they perform.

“This helps the employer see what our kids can do instead of what they can’t do,” Leet said. “It helps (the employers) focus on the student’s abilities, not their disabilities.”

© 2013 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 

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Emory Autism Center, Atlanta airport train employees to assist autistic individuals. Emory News Center (10/24)

The Emory Autism Center and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are teaming up to train airport employees to assist individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This first-of-its-kind training program at Hartsfield-Jackson airport was initiated by Lauren Castriota, PsyD, psychologist with the Emory Autism Center, as part of the center’s AWARE initiative.  AWARE stands for Advocate With Autism Resources and Education, and the initiative is a comprehensive training program intended to educate the community about Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Navigating an airport and boarding a plane can be a stressful and often overwhelming experience for people with autism and Castriota recognized the need for trained people to assist people with autism while traveling.

"I want to help make the world a more sensitive place for people on the autism spectrum," says Castriota. 

The half-day training will take place at the airport and will be led by Castriota. After completion of the program, airport employees will be given lapel pins that identify them as individuals sensitive to the needs of people with autism spectrum disorder. In addition, the participants will receive ongoing support from Castriota in the form of biweekly email check-ins.

Any employee of the airport who comes in contact with the public is eligible for the training, including TSA agents, airline employees, customer service representatives and restaurant workers. Lisa Bausley-Williams, training specialist for the Department of Aviation, says there has been a lot of interest and she expects to fill all 50 available slots. 

"I think the greatest benefit is awareness, " says Bausley-Williams. "The better we can serve our broad base of customers, the better our customer service will be overall."

This is the second collaboration between the Emory Autism Center and the Atlanta airport. In September 2011 the airport hosted a small group of young people with autism to help them get used to the process of flying, from ticketing to navigating through security to boarding a plane. It was the success of that effort that led to the training program.

For more information on AWARE, or to sign up for your own training, contact Dr. Lauren S. Castriota online or at eac_aware@emory.edu.

About the Emory Autism Center

The Emory Autism Center is a component of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. Joseph F. Cubells, MD, PhD, is the director of medical and adult services. The program was opened in 1991 as a public, private and University collaboration. Its mission is to help Georgia’s people with autism reach their highest potential.

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RESEARCH/STUDIES

A pacemaker in the brain for spinal cord injury? Los Angeles Times (10/24) (Melissa Healy)

Deep-brain stimulation, a technique used for more than a decade to manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, may help restore greater function and more natural movement to patients with spinal cord injuries that have left at least a few nerves intact, new research says.

A study published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine showed that in rats whose spinal cords were partially severed, the implantation of a pacemaker in the brain's mesencephalic locomotor region - a control center for the initiation of movement - restored the hind limbs' ability to run and support weight to near-normal levels.

Rats who had almost completely severed spinal cords - equivalent to humans whose injuries make them dependent on wheelchairs for mobility - were able to move their legs and to walk in the water, where they got some help from reduced gravity.

The latest research explored an approach heretofore untried to improve the mobility of patients whose spinal cords have been grievously injured, but who retain some nerve fibers connecting the upper spinal cord to the legs. At the Brain Research Institute at the University of Zurich, the researchers asked whether a source of steady voltage implanted into the brain could help to boost the signals reaching the lower extremities of those with spinal cord injury enough to improve their ability to walk and support their body weight.

The idea of stimulating brain cells subdued by injury or disease has intrigued many researchers looking to treat brain disorders ranging from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases to treatment-resistant depression. But the question of which of the brain's diverse population of cells to zap has been a consistent challenge.

In this case, the authors of the study focused on the mid-brain tegmentum, a cluster of nerve cells extending down from the top of the brain stem, just in front of the brain's rear-most structure, the cerebellum. The mid-brain tegmentum is one the brain's most ancient and primitive structures, playing a similar role in initiating and maintaining movement in animals ranging in complexity from fish to man.

In rats whose spinal cords had been partially or near completely severed, the researchers sunk electrodes into this locomotor control center and zapped the mid-brain tegmentum with 50-Hz pulses. Among rats with a spinal cord that was 12% to 25% intact at the point of injury - rats who would initially be paralyzed and in time would regain the ability walk slowly and drag their hind quarters along - the deep-brain stimulation restored their ability to move and support themselves on their hind legs to near-normal levels.

Rats whose injuries left between 2.5% and 11% of their spinal cords intact at the point of injury also benefited, but less so. In the water, where they didn't have to bear the full weight of their bodies, their legs engaged in stepping motions in response to the brain stimulation.

The authors of the study make clear that the patients who may benefit from this application of deep-brain stimulation must have not only incomplete spinal cord severance; those that have remaining medullary reticulospinal fibers within the central and ventrolateral funiculi (see this image) "have a good chance of benefiting [from deep-brain stimulation] in a way that could improve their daily life activities."

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Original study: here

RESEARCH ARTICLE

SPINAL CORD INJURY

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Midbrain Locomotor Region Improves Paretic Hindlimb Function After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Lukas C. Bachmann1,2,*, Alina Matis1,2, Nicolas T. Lindau1,2, Petra Felder1,2, Miriam Gullo1,2 and Martin E. Schwab1,2

Abstract

In severe spinal cord injuries, the tracts conveying motor commands to the spinal cord are disrupted, resulting in paralysis, but many patients still have small numbers of spared fibers. We have found that excitatory deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), an important control center for locomotion in the brain, markedly improved hindlimb function in rats with chronic, severe, but incomplete spinal cord injury. The medial medullary reticular formation was essential for this effect. Functional deficits of rats with 20 to 30% spared reticulospinal fibers were comparable to patients able to walk but with strong deficits in strength and speed [for example, individuals with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS)–D scores]. MLR DBS enabled close to normal locomotion in these rats. In more extensively injured animals, with less than 10% spared reticulospinal fibers, hindlimbs were almost fully paralyzed, comparable to wheelchair-bound patients (for example, AIS-A, B, and C). With MLR DBS, hindlimb function reappeared under gravity-released conditions during swimming. We propose that therapeutic MLR DBS using the brain’s own motor command circuits may offer a potential new approach to treat persistent gait disturbances in patients suffering from chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

Copyright © 2013, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Citation: L. C. Bachmann, A. Matis, N. T. Lindau, P. Felder, M. Gullo, M. E. Schwab, Deep Brain Stimulation of the Midbrain Locomotor Region Improves Paretic Hindlimb Function After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats. Sci. Transl. Med. 5, 208ra146 (2013).

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DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION OF THE MIDBRAIN LOCOMOTOR REGION IMPROVES PARETIC HINDLIMB FUNCTION AFTER SPINAL CORD INJURY IN RATS

In severe spinal cord injuries, the tracts conveying motor commands to the spinal cord are disrupted, resulting in paralysis, but many patients still have small numbers of spared fibers. We have found that excitatory deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), an important control center for locomotion in the brain, markedly improved hindlimb function in rats with chronic, severe, but incomplete spinal cord injury. The medial medullary reticular formation was essential for this effect. Functional deficits of rats with 20 to 30% spared reticulospinal fibers were comparable to patients able to walk but with strong deficits in strength and speed [for example, individuals with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS)–D scores]. MLR DBS enabled close to normal locomotion in these rats. In more extensively injured animals, with less than 10% spared reticulospinal fibers, hindlimbs were almost fully paralyzed, comparable to wheelchair-bound patients (for example, AIS-A, B, and C). With MLR DBS, hindlimb function reappeared under gravity-released conditions during swimming. We propose that therapeutic MLR DBS using the brain’s own motor command circuits may offer a potential new approach to treat persistent gait disturbances in patients suffering from chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

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Pentagon Agency to Spend $70 Million on Brain Research. The New York Times (10/24) (James Gorman)

Worldwide, 100,000 people have electrical implants in their brains to treat the involuntary movements associated with Parkinson’s disease, and scientists are experimenting with the technique for depression and other disorders.

But today’s so-called deep brain stimulation only treats — it does not monitor its own effectiveness, partly because complex ailments like depression do not have defined biological signatures.

The federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as Darpa, announced Thursday that it intended to spend more than $70 million over five years to jump to the next level of brain implants, either by improving deep brain stimulation or by developing new technology.

Justin Sanchez, Darpa program manager, said that for scientists now, “there is no technology that can acquire signals that can tell them precisely what is going on with the brain.”

And so, he said, Darpa is “trying to change the game on how we approach these kinds of problems.”

The new program, called Systems-Based Neurotechnology and Understanding for the Treatment of Neuropsychological Illnesses, is part of an Obama administration brain initiative, announced earlier this year, intended to promote innovative basic neuroscience. Participants in the initiative include Darpa, as well as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

The announcement of Darpa’s goal is the first indication of how that research agency will participate in the initiative. The money is expected to be divided among different teams, and research proposals are now being sought.

Darpa’s project is partly inspired by the needs of combat veterans who suffer from mental and physical conditions, and is the first to invest directly in researching human illness as part of the brain initiative.

The National Institutes of Health, which has not decided on its emphasis, appears to be aiming for basic research, based on the recommendations from a working committee advising the agency.

Dr. Helen Mayberg, a neuroscientist at Emory University School of Medicine who has pioneered work on deep brain stimulation and depression, said, “Darpa’s initiative says in no uncertain terms that we want to concentrate on human beings.” She said she was particularly pleased with the emphasis on deep brain stimulation: “This adds to a growing recognition that this approach to brain disease is a promising strategy.”

Cori Bargmann of Rockefeller University, one of the leaders of the health institutes committee dealing with the direction of that agency’s work under the brain initiative, also applauded the direction of the Darpa research.

“It plays to their strength in brain recordings and devices, and it addresses psychiatric issues that are major concerns for the military,” she said.

Darpa’s goal would require solving several longstanding problems in neuroscience, one of which is to develop a detailed model of how injuries or illnesses like depression manifest themselves in the systems of the brain.

The next step is to create a device that can monitor the signs of illness or injury in real time, treat them appropriately and measure the effects of the treatment. The result would be something like a highly sophisticated pacemaker for a brain disorder.

Darpa is asking for research teams to produce a device ready to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval within five years.

“Is it overambitious? Of course,” said Dr. Mayberg, adding that working with the brain is “a slow process.” But she said that it was an impressive first investment and that the clear emphasis on human illness was “stunning.”

Whether or not the specified goal is fully achieved, Dr. Sanchez said, “We’re going to learn a tremendous amount about how the brain works.” And, he added, “we’re going to be developing new medical devices.”

The testing of any such devices would involve both animals and human subjects, and Dr. Sanchez said Darpa had set up an ethics panel for the new program and other Darpa neuroscience work. A presidential bioethics commission also oversees all aspects of the brain initiative.

The Obama administration is budgeting $100 million for the first year of the brain initiative. A committee of the health institutes produced a draft report in September that indicated the agency would concentrate its $40 million share on systems or networks in the brain, not individual cells and not the whole brain.

Darpa is allocated $50 million this year under President Obama’s brain initiative. The agency would not specify precisely how much it would spend in the first year, and all the numbers are dependent on the final federal budget.

<img src="http://meter-svc.nytimes.com/meter.gif"/>

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: October 24, 2013

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of a picture caption with this article misstated the day of Darpa’s announcement. As the article correctly noted, it was Thursday, not Tuesday.

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Women with disabilities twice as likely to be abused. ABC (10/25)

New research out today shows that Australian women with a disability are twice as likely as others to be violently abused. Dr Leanne Dowse told Breakfast that there needs to be a coordinated national response to what is a growing problem, as James Bourne writes.

A shocking new report conducted by the University of New South Wales has revealed that violent experiences faced by disabled women are not only more common, but will last longer and result in more severe injuries.

Dr Leanne Dowse, lead researcher of the ‘Stop the Violence’ project, says a survey conducted as part of the research shows that service providers across the disability, justice and mental health sectors were able to identify that at least a quarter of women who presented to them had experienced violence in the last 12 months.

She believes the real numbers may be even higher.

Even the structural and legislative processes don’t recognise not just the actual abuse itself but actually the context in which violence occurs for women.

DR LEANNE DOWSE, UNIVERSITY OF NSW

‘One of the things we do know is that women with disabilities don’t tend to seek services,’ Dr Dowse told RN Breakfast.

‘When violence, disability and gender combine, generally speaking violent services aren’t equipped to deal with disability issues. They tend not to be accessible and tend not to be able to cater to the unique and specific needs of women with disabilities.

‘Disability services are not equipped to address the issues of violence. What we usually see is a referral system. Those (women) who do come forward tend to end up on a bit of a roundabout.’

Beyond issues with the way sectors juggle responsibility, the report also highlights the added risks that women with disability face.

‘There are risks related to the nature of the care relationship that women find themselves in,’ Dr Dowse said.

‘There’s often dependencies around care, medication, supports within the family and within the home. Women actually are unable to leave those care relationships because of the sort of dependencies that are inherent in them.

‘We see a lot of women with disabilities living in institutional arrangements... and also in marginal environments, so things like boarding houses. There are very high incidences of violence (in these places).’

According to today’s report, abuse in these environments is not only prolonged, but is often more severe and is perpetrated by multiple individuals, often fellow residents and carers. Dr Dowse says that legislative issues mean that often these situations aren’t dealt with as the domestic violence situations that they are.

‘For many women with disabilities, their domestic arrangements are not what is recognised as what is an ordinary domestic situation; so when we talk about a boarding house or institution, in legislation, those are not recognised as domestic arrangements,’ she said.

‘Even the structural and legislative processes don’t recognise not just the actual abuse itself but actually the context in which violence occurs for women.’

Indeed, the justice process is a difficult one, extending from the initial police response, where it is often difficult to determine if abuse has taken place, to the courts, where those with intellectual disabilities are often considered unreliable witnesses.

‘Once violence has occurred then there are a whole set of complexities for women with disabilities, not the least of which is that for many women with disabilities, their experience is that people don’t think they’re credible witnesses,’ Dr Dowse told Breakfast.

‘So even the nature of the prosecution process often fails women.

‘Women with communication impairments, who have other support needs in terms of communicating their experiences... often systems and services are just not equipped at all or have any kind of know-how about how to deal with those issues for women, to support them to be able to disclose the violence.’ 

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SPORTS

PHOTO GALLERY: Gallaudet University football program. The Washington Post (10/24)

Gallaudet University football program

Signing on for the memories: At Gallaudet University, there are no scholarships, or alternate jerseys. They just play football.

Sophomore quarterback Todd Bonheyo, center, works during practice this week for undefeated Gallaudet.

Gallaudet University football program - The Washington Post http://wapo.st/167DI3f

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CULTURE/MEDIA

New Film Inspires Campaign for At-Risk Kids. The Sacramento Bee (10/24) (Dan Habib)

DURHAM, N.H., Oct. 24, 2013 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The documentary Who Cares About Kelsey?, which is airing this month on public television channels across the country, is focusing attention on children who struggle with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD). Today the team behind the film is launching theI Care By campaign (www.ICareBy.org), which redefines how we care about students whose lives are impacted by these disabilities.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131024/PH03736)

"We hope to inspire an education revolution that addresses how students with emotional challenges are treated in schools," says director Dan Habib. "We'd also like to give family members, policy makers, and adults in the educational system specific actions to support students who are struggling in school."

Who Cares About Kelsey? and the project's accompanying 11 short films document the experiences of students who struggle with "hidden disabilities" like ADHD, depression, eating disorders, self-mutilation, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. The films explore innovative educational approaches that help these students to succeed – while improving the overall school culture and climate. 

The challenges faced by students with EBD are immense: fewer than 50% graduate high school, and they are often stigmatized and harshly punished rather than supported or guided towards positive educational outcomes. Numerous studies have found that educational approaches that promote positive behavior rather than punishing negative behavior are extremely effective in changing both student lives and school culture.

Over two million young people in the United States have an emotional or behavioral disability, yet EBD is often difficult to diagnose.  And even when students with EBD are identified, stakeholders in the educational process (families, educators, administrators, and policymakers) struggle to find effective methods to help these students succeed.

The I Care By website  (www.icareby.org) provides specific, regularly updated actions geared towards each role in the educational ecosystem (families, policy makers, youth, policy makers, educators, general public). These actions consist of concrete steps that anyone can take to make a difference for youth who are struggling with emotional or behavioral challenges. The website also features short videos and facilitates sharing the action steps on social media.

To learn more about the documentary film Who Cares About Kelsey?, visit www.whocaresaboutkelsey.com. Director/Producer Dan Habib is a filmmaker with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire.

SOURCE Dan Habib

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American Association of People with Disabilities
2013 H Street NW, 5th Floor

Washington, DC 20006 United States

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