[humanser] Updates from Merry

[JD Townsend]

Excellent.


-----Original Message----- 
From: Merry Schoch via HumanSer
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2017 4:07 PM
To: 'Human Services Division Mailing List'
Cc: Merry Schoch
Subject: [humanser] Updates from Merry

>From the President's desk of the Human Services division of the National
Federation of the Blind



Electronic Health Records (EHR)



If you have experienced the use of Epic electronic health recordsd

please contact Valerie Yingling @ VYingling at nfb.org. Currently, the NFB is
working on a case of inaccessibility with this electronic health record
software.



Accessibility  of High Stakes Testing  taken from the President's Notebook



Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards Case:
The NFB is assisting Kristen Steele in her lawsuit against the Federation of
State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), which has denied her request to take
its examination in Braille. Ms. Steele seeks to become a licensed massage
therapist in Iowa and Nebraska, both of which require passing the exam in
order to receive a license. Strangely, the FSMTB claims that Braille would
somehow provide her with an unfair advantage.





2017 Jacobus tenBroek Disabilities Law Symposium



Background Information: I have a BS degree in Criminal Justice. My last
semester in the program, I was privileged to have an internship in the
Social Services Unit of the Law Offices of Julianne M. Holt, Public Defender
of Hillsborough County, 13th Judicial Circuit. In the student position I
worked with staff to seek alternatives to incarceration for the individuals
we served with co-occurring conditions . I loved what I was a part of and
hoped I would be able to be hired there. Unfortunately, I graduated at the
onset of the recession and there would be no hiring on the unit.



I searched for employment with no success and decided to apply for graduate
school in the field of Social Work. I learned during this education that
Social Policy and Justice were a part of Social Work and attended
Tallahassee Days twice while in the program. I had a class mate come with me
on the second trip since I knew my way around Florida's Capitol Hill; she
made comments how the blind woman lead her around. I share this background
with you to demonstrate my interest in the Criminal Justice System as well
as Social Policy issues.



The 2017 Jacobus tenBroek Disability  Law Symposium: Six weeks ago I
received a message about the Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium, read the
agenda, and instantly knew I wanted to go. As a Social Worker and division
president, I believed that the offerings at the symposium could be a benefit
for me and the division. The symposium discussed a wide spectrum of
disability issues such as the Equal Protections of the 14th Amendment and
the constitutional rights of people with disabilities, the Americans with
Disabilities Act, Statutory remedies as well as topics related to
para-transit, housing, disparities in jails/prisons, being screened out of
employment and many more.



I was impressed with the presenters in all the workshops I attended and the
individuals who presented in the general sessions. One of the greatest
observations was that I was in a room that consisted mostly of lawyers -
lawyers who worked diligently for the rights of people with disabilities.
These lawyers demonstrated compassion, devotion, and dedication in their
work - they were all passionate in the diverse areas whether it be working
with people with intellectual disabilities, the deaf, those with mental
illness, those who use wheelchairs, the blind, or the LGBTQ communities.
These lawyers also included law professors teaching the next generation of
lawyers. Other issues discussed were such topics as systemic changes in
academia, jails/prisons, judges, legislation, and societal attitudes.

Another positive element I always experience while with my NFB family is
that I am treated as an individual and do not endure the paternalism and
custoldialism that I can experience while in another environment. These
symposium participants treated me as an equal and many of the speakers spoke
against this type of behavior toward individuals with disabilities. I
appreciate the support of the Human Services Division to attend this event
and hope that the readers of this experience received some benefit from my
attendance, as well.





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JD Townsend LCSW
Helping the light dependent to see.
Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System