Does Mitt Romney Have a Disability Policy?

Up now at Ability Maine, an essay by Michael Reynolds: "Does Mitt Romney Have a Disability Policy?"

We all know now that Romney is friends with Clint Eastwood, the outspoken anti-ADA activist and creator of the pro-euthanasia movie, Million Dollar Baby. But where does Romney stand on disability issues like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Social Security, and how does having a wife with a disability affect his perspective?

Mike tries to sort through the haze of mixed messages in his discussion of Romney and disability:

Romney does not mention people with disabilities (except for a brief reference to veterans) on his official website, although he devotes a lot of space to his plans to repeal the ACA. When he details his plans to change Medicare and Social Security, he states that his proposed plan will affect neither senior citizens who are current beneficiaries of these programs nor future beneficiaries over 55. He makes no mention of how his plan will affect younger disabled people who receive Medicare and Social Security. He also does not touch on his plans to convert Medicaid into block grants to the states, which could reduce overall Medicaid funding and have serious consequences for both PWDs and senior citizens. 

To read the complete essay, hop over to Ability Maine!

Study of Maine Workers with Disabilities Released

A recently released report by the Maine Department of Labor offers insight into the state of employment and disability in Maine, according to a press release by the LePage administration.

October is national “Disability Employment Awareness Month,” and in response, Maine's DHHS and BRS have released Snapshot 2012: Maine Workers with Disabilities. The document

. . . presents an overview of employment status and services for people with disabilities in Maine. It illustrates the types of challenges facing individuals with disabilities who are interested in entering or re-entering the workforce and the importance of support services.

Some notable stats from the snapshot:

• More people in Maine are disabled -- 16 percent versus a national average of 12 percent, while 13 percent of working-age adults have a disability
• Maine has the fourth-highest percentage of veterans in the nation, and on average, the rate of disability among veterans is higher than among non-veterans, which likely accounts for some of the high rate of disability in Maine.
• The unemployment rate of disabled Mainers is almost three times higher (17 percent) than the rate of unemployment of nondisabled Mainers (6 percent)
• Forty percent of disabled Mainers are working
• Of that 40 percent, most are still underemployed: Only 45 percent of disabled working Mainers have full-time, year-round jobs (compared with 62 percent of nondisabled workers)

The press release indicates that the report is intended to improve employment among people with disabilities in Maine:

Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette described the importance of raising awareness of the employment needs of people with disabilities. “Employers need to learn about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities. Their presence in the workplace sends an important and positive message to customers, and the contributions they make each day are significant.” She added, “With an aging population, Maine will continue to have a need to connect these workers with good jobs.” 

The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services of the Maine Department of Labor provides a variety of services to help people with severe disabilities get or keep a job. These services include job development and placement, job training and rehabilitation technology. In fiscal year 2011, 816 people with significant disabilities entered competitive employment and stayed employed for a minimum of 90 days after receiving BRS services. 

Several factors influence rates of disability, including general health, social environment, economic conditions, demographic trends, environmental factors, social mores and financial incentives. Another contributing factor is the number of Maine residents who are veterans.

Snapshot 2012 was funded by a federal Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) awarded to DHHS by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The purpose of the MIG grant is to improve competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities in their communities.

Individuals with disabilities bring strength and diversity to Maine's workforce. Employers interested in hiring people with disabilities or individuals with a disability interested in learning about vocational rehabilitation should contact visit the Employment for Maine website or call the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services at (207) 623-6799.

The complete report can be found on the webpage of the Center for Workforce Research and Information, which compiled the data.

Breaking News: ADAPT Marches in Harrisburg, PA to Protest State Medicaid Cuts

National direct-action disability rights organization, ADAPT, is marching in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania right now to protest severe cuts to Medicaid. The focus of the action is the governor's mansion to bring attention to state cuts that could severely harm people with disabilities.

From the ADAPT page on the Harrisburg action:

Like many other states, Governor Corbett's administration in Pennsylvania has proposed cutting Medicaid as a panacea to address the shortfalls in the state budget. When states cut Medicaid, they not only limit services but they cut the jobs of the people who are paid by the Medicaid funds to provide services, supports and basic health care to the state's citizens. ADAPT is headed to Harrisburg to urge him to work with advocates and the disability community to implement Real Medicaid reform that contains spending while it supports the independence and civil rights of people with disabilities and older adults, and saves jobs.

Follow the action now on the ADAPT Facebook page or via ADAPT Action Reports or on Twitter, including Twitter photos.

Absentee Ballot Voting Encouraged in Maine

In any state in the US, registered voters whose disability prevents them from getting to their polling place can vote by mail (or in some cases, online) by absentee ballot. Other allowable reasons for voting absentee in most states include being away (on vacation, in the hospital, on a business trip) or being unable to vote due to work or religious commitments.

However, in Maine, anyone can vote absentee with a paper ballot, as long as they're registered by October 16 (this Tuesday) and request absentee ballots from their town clerks by November 1. (Note: This is a form that is printed out, which might not be ideal for some blind voters; voting by phone was voted in in 2006 but I cannot find information about whether that's still available. If you know, please comment!)

To vote absentee: Here is a listing of town clerks and their contact information. You can also get your absentee ballot online: here!

Disability rights advocates in Maine have long been working on making sure that people with disabilities have access to the polls, particularly that people with disabilities such as blindness or low vision, intellectual disability, or any other disability aren't prevented from voting in their community, with privacy and with the assurance that their vote will be counted.

However, for those of us whose disabilities keep us at home or who have disabilities that are not yet accommodated at public polling places (such as multiple chemical sensitivity) or who have unpredictable symptoms, absentee voting is a terrific way to make sure you're able to vote.

According to the Associated Press, both major political parties in Maine are encouraging anyone and everyone to vote absentee because there are no restrictions for who can vote absentee or why one chooses to vote absentee.

If you go to the polls in person, you can register to vote at the polls on the same day as you vote. It's all about options! Here's more info on Maine voter registration.

Want more information on voting by absentee ballot in Maine? Here's the official Maine Absentee Voting Guide!

P.S. Live outside of Maine and wanting voting information? Visit the Voting with a Disability page of resources by state, or the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Disability Vote Project.

Maine Senate Candidates Court the Disability Vote

Maine state Senator Cythia Dill (Democrat) and former Governor Angus King (Independent) addressed a forum sponsored by the Disability Rights Center on September 27, gaining stories by the Associated Press as well as by local news station WABI. Dill and King are vying for the senate seat left by retiring Republican Senator Olympia Snowe.

Absent from the forum was Republican candidate Charlie Summers, a decision which upset the organizers of the event. Kim Moody, executive director of the Disability Rights Center is quoted in a story about Summers's absence in the Kennebec Journal:

"We're hurt. We've got 125 people with disabilities in the room who came to hear all candidates talk about our issues.... There are a lot of Republicans in there that came because he was coming."

King promised to appoint disabilities advisers if elected and discussed his efforts to get laptop computers to middle schoolers with disabilities. Dill emphasized her work as a civil rights attorney who has promoted the rights of people with disabilities in court and also discussed issues relating to the economy, social security, and the environment, in addition to disability-specific topics.

Both Dill and King indicated that Summers opposes the National Affordable Care Act, while they both support it.

Read the Associated Press report of the story or watch the WABI coverage of the forum.

Mainers with Acquired Brain Injury Tell Their Stories

In the past month, the recently established Acquired Brain Injury Advisory Council has held three hearings around the state of Maine to "assess whether [people living with brain injury] are getting the help they need," according to a story by Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

An estimated 7,000 Mainers live with the long-term effects of brain injury. While most people who experience some form of brain injury recover, others -- either because their injury was severe or for unknown reasons from seemingly less severe injuries -- experience difficulties with memory, organization, concentration, or issues like walking and talking.

A major theme that emerged at the hearings was the need for better infrastructure (there are just nine rehab clinics in the state and long waiting lists) as well as more education and awareness. Medical professionals need to learn to better recognize and treat long-term effects of concussion and other brain injury and the general public also needs to know more.

Troy Morgan, of Farmington, has had three separate instances of brain injury in his life and says, "We're normal people, but we do have different ways of learning." He says lack of transportation and understanding by employers has made finding work difficult.

Click here to read or listen to MPBN's story on the brain injury hearings.

Disability Rights Center to Honor Outstanding Mainers

According to the Bangor Daily News, on Friday, October 12, the Disability Rights Center will hold its twelfth annual dinner to honor "outstanding members of the Maine community who have worked to enhance and promote equality, self-determination, independence and inclusion of people with disabilities."

The dinner is at 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport.

Awardees include high-school student Christina Kouros, a world-class athlete in Nordic Skiing and track and Chris Hastedt, public policy director for Maine Equal Justice Partners.

For more information on the event or to find out what else the Disability Rights Center does, visit http://www.drcme.org/.