A   QUARTERLY   NEWSLETTER   FOR   THE   DISABILITY   COMMUNITY

    In this Issue:
  • EEOC small business workshops
  • RecruitABILITY, an employment resource
  • Coming Soon! Disability Mentoring Day
  • Wisconsin receives employment grant
  • New Wisconsin accessibility codes
  • The Rep's Access Program
  • Milwaukee's festival schedule
  • Focus on NHU
 We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take us or spare us.
~ Marcel Proust

Summer 2002 CommunicAbility Edition 7

New Horizons Un-Limited Inc. (NHU) is a non-profit organization serving individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers since 1994. To empower people with disabilities, we provide accessible information, promote accessible communication and encourage the exchange of ideas and solutions to common problems. In support of our mission, we have developed specific programs and projects that serve to further our ultimate goal of removing barriers that impede the full realization of independence.

To learn more about our mission and activities, please visit the New Horizons Un-Limited website at: http://www.new-horizons.org. You may also contact us by e-mail at: horizons@new-horizons.org.

CommunicAbility is intended to bring timely information on such topics as housing, employment, education, independent living and legislation into the lives of people who have been affected by disability. It is our hope that this information may affect change within their lives and the lives of others.

Focus on Employment

EEOC announces small business workshops

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as part of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative, has announced a series of free, nationwide workshops designed to educate small business leaders on the employment of people with disabilities.

The free workshops, aimed at encouraging businesses with 15 to 100 employees to hire individuals with disabilities, will focus on the benefits of hiring people with disabilities and will cover such issues as interviewing, reasonable accommodations, recruitment and tax incentives. The workshops will also discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act.

To learn of the time and location of a workshop near you, visit the EEOC website at http://www.eeoc.gov/ or call (202) 663-4503.

RecruitABILITY, bridging the disability divide in employment

RecruitABILITY is an online information and recruitment service serving people with disabilities interested in employment as well as those employers interested in diversifying their workplaces.

For employers, the website offers information on such issues as the Americans with Disabilities Act, access accommodations, attitudinal barriers, recruitment and much, much more. For potential employees, the website offers a resume posting service, interview tips, job searching tips, information on employment rights and more.

This online resource is a must visit if you are interested in learning more about the issues related to the employment of people with disabilities.

Visit RecruitABILITY online today, at http://www.disabledperson.com/recruitability.asp.

Disability Mentoring Day, coming soon to a workplace near you

"Disability Mentoring Day: Career Development for the 21st Century," is a nationwide event scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 16, 2002. The event, designed to bring people with disabilities into the workplace to learn more about their chosen career field from business mentors, will kick off a year round employment initiative.

According to the day's national sponsor, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), this event is designed to fulfill four main goals:

  • Career Planning for people with disabilities
  • Empowerment of people with disabilities to tap into and take advantage of employment opportunities
  • Recruitment of people with disabilities as potential job candidates
  • Education of employers on the importance of including people with disabilities in their diversity initiatives

According to a recent Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities, 2 of 3 (67%) people with disabilities capable of and willing to work are unemployed. People with disabilities continue to be the one demographic group with the highest unemployment rate.

Employers - it is time to tap into the vast talents of employees with disabilities. Now is the time to step forward and dare to change the startling reality of unemployment affecting so many people with disabilities. Please take one step toward change and participate in this year's National Disability Mentoring Day!

Potential Employees - now is the time to grasp the reality of employment. Do not let this learning experience pass you by. You have so little to lose and so very much to gain. Please participate in this year's National Disability Mentoring Day!

To learn more about National Disability Mentoring Day or to locate a coordinator in your area, e-mail aapd@aol.com or visit AAPD online at http://www.aapd.com.

Wisconsin News

Grant improves access to employment services for people with disabilities

Governor Scott McCallum announced that the State of Wisconsin has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the United States Department of Labor for the purposes of enhancing employment opportunities for residents with disabilities. The grant will be used to strengthen the services offered at Wisconsin's 78 employment centers for people with disabilities.

The new funding will not only enhance the centers' ability to meet the varied needs of people with disabilities, but will also be used to educate employers on the value of hiring people with disabilities.

Now, it's up to you! Contact your local Job Center today to find out how you can benefit from this increased funding. To locate a job center near you, call (888) 258-9966.

Wisconsin based accessibility codes

Wisconsin has adopted new code requirements for Accessibility in Commercial Buildings. The new code requirements call for increased adaptability, usability and accessibility in new multi-family construction, making it easier for a renter to make architectural modifications to their living space. Additionally, as of July 1, 2002, a renter may request lever plumbing controls or lever door handles for their dwelling at the owner's expense. For more information, visit the Wisconsin Department of Commerce online at http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/sb/.

The Milwaukee Repertory, theater that transcends the senses

It is the goal of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater (The Rep) to provide a fully enjoyable experience to all of their patrons, regardless of ability or disability. It is their intention that patrons with disabilities will have no obstacles in attending Rep productions.

In this regard, The Rep has developed a number of Access Services designed to enhance select performances for those with disabilities.

The following Access Services are available for all Quadracci Powerhouse Theater and Stiemke Theater productions:

Written Script Synopsis available in large type.

Audio Script Synopsis including program notes and the cast list.

Alternative-print Performance Programs available in large type.

Infrared Listening Systems ensure clarity of sound from any seat in the house. Headsets are available at the House Manager's desk before each performance.

Sign Language Interpreted Performances: Each Theater will feature a performance interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL). When ordering your ticket, please alert the Ticket Office staff that you would like to sit in the Interpreted section.

The following are available only in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater:

Captioned Theater is offered on the closing Sunday matinee performance of each Quadracci Powerhouse production. Patrons can watch the performance while viewing a screen that displays the actors' lines as they are spoken.

Audio Description: Each Quadracci production includes two audio-described performances. Using an earpiece attached to a small hand-held receiver, patrons hear a live, real-time description of the action on stage.

Additionally, all of The Rep's Theaters are wheelchair accessible and welcoming to service animals. All of The Rep's Access Services are offered to patrons free of charge.

The Rep invites you to come and enjoy "Live Theater at its Best." If you have any questions regarding any of the services mentioned above, please call Annie Jurczyk at (414) 290-5366.

Fun for everyone - Milwaukee's Festival Season has begun

Following is a listing of Milwaukee's downtown and lakefront festivals. Each festival is sure to offer a little something for everyone.

Bastille Days - July 11-14, Cathedral Square Park. This four-day festival is free, open to the public and dedicated to preserving French heritage and culture. For more information, call (414) 271-1416.

Festa Italiana - July 18-22, Henry Maier Festival Park. This festival offers a taste of Italian culture, cuisine and entertainment. Festa has designated opening day, Thursday July 18, 2002 as VIP Day, a day in which people with disabilities, their family members and / or caregivers can enter the grounds for free between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. To receive your free ticket, call (414) 223-2193.

German Fest - July 26-28, Henry Maier Festival Park. Celebrate the German culture at the United States' largest German festival. People with physical disabilities can enter free on Friday, July 26, 2002 from noon until 3 p.m. For more information, call (414) 464-9444.

Irish Fest - August 15-18, Henry Maier Festival Park. Come, get a true taste of Ireland at Milwaukee's "family-friendly festival." People with disabilities are invited to enter the ground for free any day. To receive your free ticket, call (414) 476-3378.

Mexican Fiesta - August 23-25, Henry Maier Festival Park. It's time to fiesta! Free admission is offered to individuals with a physical disability on August 24 and 25, 2002 between noon and 1 p.m. For more information, call (414) 383-7066.

Indian Summer Festival - September 6-8, Henry Maier Festival Park. Come; experience the diversity of traditional and contemporary American Indian culture. Free admission is offered to people with physical disabilities at the main gate on Friday, September 6, 2002. For more information, call (414) 774-7119.

Focus on NHU

Check out NHU's expanded on-line resource library

Did you know NHU publishes helpful guides on our website? Well, in fact we do! Our topic-specific guides are designed to not only offer solutions to pressing questions, but to also offer an insight into the process required to achieve individual goals.

A more recent addition to our website is our series of guides on Home Buying. This series includes information on the home buying process, financial considerations and assistance, accessibility and home modifications, and much more. If you are planning on purchasing a home, our home buying guides are a must read.

You can view our home buying guides on-line at http://www.new-horizons.org/guihou.html. If you do not have Internet access, call us at (414) 299-0124 to request a printed version.

We offer many other guides on a wide variety of issues. Check out our Guides online at http://www.new-horizons.org/guicat.html.

NHU seeking input from disability community on Life Planning

We are in the process of developing a series of Life Planning guides in which we hope to provide an introduction to the issues involved in the process of planning for the future of a family member with a disability. The guides will focus on preparing for the transitions that all people must make throughout their lives. Such transitions include infancy to childhood, childhood (school age) to adolescence and adolescence to adulthood and beyond.

In order that we may provide the most comprehensive and true-to-life series of guides, we need your input and expertise! If you have information or resources concerning Life Planning for a family member with a disability, we want to hear from you! Please share your expertise so that we may all learn from your experiences!

If we each give a little and take a little, the collective sharing of knowledge would make a significant difference for all of us. Please contact us with your Life Planning experiences by calling (414) 299-0124, by e-mailing horizons@new-horizons.org or by writing to the address provided above. Thank you!

**NHU encourages redistribution of this newsletter. Please share this information with all that may benefit.

If you have questions or ideas, information and solutions that you would like to share with us, we can be reached on the Net at: horizons@new-horizons.org or to use our NHU E-Mail Form or NHU Community Discussion Board, click on below.
Main Categories / NHU E-Mail Form / NHU Community Discussion Board
©Copyright 2002, New Horizons Un-Limited Incorporated
NHU has no liability for content or goods on the Internet.