John R. Vaughn, Chairperson
December 2006

The Bulletin, which is free of charge and at NCD’s award-winning Web site (www.ncd.gov), brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe to the new NCD listserv, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov, click on Online mailing list archives, select NCD-NEWS-L, click on Join or leave the list, then complete the short subscription form. Please send your editorial comments to Bulletin editor Mark S. Quigley (mquigley@ncd.gov).

Emerging Technologies

On December 27, NCD released Over the Horizon: Potential Impact of Emerging Trends in Information and Communication Technology on Disability Policy and Practice (www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/emerging_trends.htm), a policy paper that explores key trends in information and communication technology; highlights the potential opportunities and problems these trends present for people with disabilities; and suggests some strategies to maximize opportunities and avoid potential problems and barriers.

The policies we adopt today will determine whether the technology of the future empowers people with disabilities—enabling them to work, learn, communicate, shop, and live independent, productive lives as full and equal members of society.

For more information on the report, please contact Julie Carroll at jcarroll@ncd.gov.

Telecommunications Paper

On December 29, NCD called on Congress and the Administration to end telecommunications and information services discrimination for people with disabilities.

NCD’s report, The Need for Federal Legislation and Regulation Prohibiting Telecommunications and Information Services Discrimination (www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/discrimination.htm), explores the need to adopt legislative and regulatory safeguards to guarantee equal access by people with disabilities to evolving high-speed broadband, wireless, and Internet-based technologies. Experience shows that as these technological innovations stake their claim in American society, market forces will not be sufficient to ensure such access. Rather, Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and other federal agencies will need to step up to ensure that these communications technologies remain accessible to and usable by all Americans with disabilities.

For more information on the report, please contact Jeff Rosen at jrosen@ncd.gov.

Congressional Outreach

On December 11, NCD published the first of a number of upcoming monthly two-page briefings for Congress, highlighting major points in the NCD report The State of 21st Century Long-Term Services and Supports: Financing and Systems Reform for Americans with Disabilities (www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/longterm_services.htm). 

NCD undertook research for this report because it has grown increasingly concerned about (a) the lack of a coherent national policy for long-term services and supports (LTSS) for all people with disabilities; (b) the fragmented nature of service and support delivery systems, with uneven access and service provision; and (c) LTSS costs of 22 percent or more of state budgets, which are fast becoming unsustainable. Additionally, NCD noted that no single federal program, federal agency, or congressional committee is charged with the responsibility for the management, funding, and oversight of LTSS; however, 23 federal agencies are actively involved in LTSS using the NCD definition.

The purpose of this research is to produce new knowledge and an understanding of current experience with LTSS and the future need for affordable LTSS for people with disabilities.

On December 18, NCD notified members of the House Livable Communities Task Force and the Senate Special Committee on Aging about the release of the NCD report Creating Livable Communities, available at www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/livable_communities.htm.

The report identifies a number of strategies that can be applied to the design and support of livable community principles. The strategies have been initiated by federal and state government agencies as well as the private sector. These entities have recognized the power of collaboration and the use of distinct tools to guide and stimulate systemic changes to make communities more livable for all.

The letters to Congress can be found at www.ncd.gov/newsroom/correspondence/2006/blumenauer_12-18-06.htm and www.ncd.gov/newsroom/correspondence/2006/smith_12-18-06.htm.

For more information on NCD’s congressional outreach, please contact Mark Seifarth at mseifarth@ncd.gov or Molly Burgdorf at mmburgdorf@gmail.com.

NCD Commends the United Nations

On December 18, NCD chairperson John R. Vaughn released a statement regarding the adoption of the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

NCD commends the UN General Assembly, UN delegates, nongovernmental representatives, and civil society for the effort they have invested in creating this new convention on the rights of people with disabilities around the world. This momentous occasion marks the end of a five-year negotiation process that was unprecedented in its inclusion of nongovernmental organizations made up of people with disabilities. This is the first convention of such magnitude in this century; it will further the human rights of millions of people with disabilities around the world and will benefit their families and the communities in which they live and work.

The treaty will be open for signature and ratification on March 30, 2007, and will enter into force after it has been ratified by 20 countries. At that point, other countries that wish to become party to the convention must “accede,” meaning they must sign and ratify at the same time. If a country signs the treaty at the outset of its adoption by the General Assembly, the country is considered to be a signatory and is allowed to take more time to decide whether it wants to ratify and become a “states party.” If the country signs but then decides not to ratify, it is still a signatory; or the country may “unsign” if it has no intention of ever ratifying.

For more information on NCD’s work on the convention, please see www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2006/r06-522.htm or contact Joan Durocher at jdurocher@ncd.gov.

San Diego Meeting to Focus on Foster Care

The next NCD quarterly meeting will be held January 29–31, 2007, at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, 500 Circle North, San Diego, California. On the morning of January 31, NCD will conduct a panel discussion on youth with disabilities who are in foster care and child welfare, which is the subject of an NCD report to be released in 2007. These meetings are free and open to the public. Members of the disability community are encouraged to attend.

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Mark S. Quigley
Director of Communications
National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004