[Nfbf-l] President Obama Nominates Secretary of Labor and Other Recent Disability News

Fri Mar 22 17:55:24 UTC 2013

                 Friday, March 22, 2013 
                          Disability Updates
                        Note: If you received this email as a forward but would like to be added to the White House Disability Group email distribution list, please visit our website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/disability-issues-contact and fill out the "contact us" form in the disabilities section, or you can email us at disability at who.eop.gov and provide your full name, city, state, and organization. 

                        Recent updates include the nominations of Thomas Perez for Secretary of Labor and Henry Claypool to the Commission on Long-Term Care, a blog post by Secretary Sebelius on the Affordable Care Act, and a call for nominations for the 2013 Citizens Medal. 

                        In recent agency news, the Justice Department reached a settlement with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing are able to communicate effectively with law enforcement, the Department of Education reached an agreement with South Carolina Technical College System to ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reached a settlement with Genesis HealthCare which will benefit people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

                        President Obama Nominates Thomas Perez for Secretary of Labor

                        Thomas Perez delivers remarks after President Barack Obama announced Perez as his nominee for Labor Secretary, in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
                        As the President stated during his announcement,

                        "In his current role as the head of the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Tom has fought to open pathways into the workforce for everyone willing to contribute, including people with disabilities, LGBT Americans, and immigrants.  And he has helped settle some of the largest cases ever on behalf of families targeted by unfair mortgage lending."

                        "Now, while he's tackled plenty of tough issues, Tom has also spent a career as a consensus-builder.  He's worked with CEOs, he's worked with labor leaders.  He's worked at federal, state, and local government levels.  And throughout, he understands that our economy works best when the middle class and those working to get into the middle class have the security they need on the job, a democratic voice in the workplace, everybody playing by the same set of rules."

                        Watch the full announcement here: http://youtu.be/cNcTlU7uW88 

                        Read the full remarks here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/18/remarks-president-announcing-nomination-thomas-perez-secretary-labor 

                        President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
                        On March 12th, President Obama announced his intent to appoint several members to the Commission on Long-Term care, including Henry Claypool, the Executive Vice President of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

                        Previously, Mr. Claypool served as Principal Deputy Administrator of the Administration for Community Living at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he also advised the Secretary on disability policy.  From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Claypool was Director of the Office of Disability at HHS, and from 2006 to 2009, he was Policy Director of Independence Care System.  From 2005 to 2006, he served as Senior Advisor to the Associate Commissioner of the Office of Employment Support Programs at the Social Security Administration, and from 2002 to 2004, he served as Co-Director of Advancing Independence.  Mr. Claypool worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 1999 to 2001 and at the Administration on Development Disabilities in 1998.  In 2007, he served on Virginia's Health Reform Commission.  Mr. Claypool received a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

                        Read more at the following link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/12/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts

                        Affordable Care Act at 3: Consumer Protections
                        In a blog post about the Affordable Care Act, HHS Secretary Sebelius writes:

                        "The Affordable Care Act brings an end to some of the worst insurance industry practices that have kept affordable health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans, especially when they needed it most. Under the health care law, consumers can be confident that their insurance will protect them if they get sick and their families won't be crushed by medical bills."

                        "Medicare beneficiaries are also eligible for key preventive services at no out-of-pocket cost. Last year, more than 34 million seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare used at least one free preventive service, such as mammograms and cholesterol screenings."

                        "Even more new protections will apply to most plans beginning in 2014."

                        Read the full blog post at the following link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/03/18/affordable-care-act-three-consumer-protections

                        Nominate a Hero for the 2013 Citizens Medal

                        President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 15, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
                        For more 40 years, the Presidential Citizens Medal has recognized Americans who have "performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens." The Medal is among the highest awards a civilian can receive.

                        In February, at a ceremony in the East Room, President Obama honored the recipients of the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, including twelve individuals and six educators from Sandy Hook Elementary. You can read more about the recipients at the following link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/08/president-obama-honor-recipients-2012-citizens-medal 

                        The 2013 Citizens Medal nomination period is now open. Help us recognize the exemplary citizen from your community -- and bring them the public attention they deserve by taking a moment to nominating them for this year's medal by March, 31st 2013 at the following link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal/submit-a-nomination

                        Agency News: Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Two Colorado Law Enforcement Agencies to Improve Communication with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
                        The Justice Department recently announced that it has reached a cooperative settlement agreement with the Arapahoe, Colo., County Sheriff's Office under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).   This agreement is a companion to one reached on March 8, 2013, with the city of Englewood, Colo.

                        The resulting settlement agreements include some model ways to ensure people who are deaf or hard of hearing are able to communicate effectively with law enforcement.  

                        Read the full press release at the following link: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/March/13-crt-332.html

                        Agency News: Civil Rights Agreement Reached with South Carolina Technical College System on Accessibility of Websites to People with Disabilities
                        The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS), the state's largest higher education system, that will ensure that the websites of SCTCS and its 16-member colleges are accessible to persons with disabilities.

                        "All students with disabilities, including those who are blind, should have full access to the information on a school's websites," said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Seth Galanter. "Schools today rely on websites to register students, distribute course materials, collect homework, and administer quizzes. Students with disabilities cannot be denied the same opportunity to access these services on the web 24/7 from anywhere. As a result of this agreement, SCTCS will now ensure that the system's website and those of the member colleges will be accessible to all students, regardless of their disability."

                        Read the full announcement at the following link: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/civil-rights-agreement-reached-south-carolina-technical-college-system-accessibi

                        Agency News: HHS reaches civil rights settlement with national senior care provider
                        The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has entered into a settlement agreement with Genesis HealthCare (Genesis), one of the nation's largest providers of senior care.  OCR Director Leon Rodriguez today announced that Genesis is working with OCR to implement the agreement's requirements at all Genesis facilities nationwide.  Genesis operates more than 400 skilled nursing centers and assisted/senior living communities across 29 states.

                        The agreement also requires Genesis to form an auxiliary aids and services hotline; create an advisory committee to provide guidance and direction on how to best communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing community; designate a monitor to conduct a self-assessment and obtain feedback from deaf and hard of hearing individuals and advocates and conduct outreach to promote awareness of hearing impairments and services that are available for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.  In addition Genesis would be required to pay monetary penalties for noncompliance with any terms of the agreement.

                        Read more about the settlement at the following link: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/03/20130305a.html 

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With Best Regards,
Alan
Miami, Florida
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