*12/19/08

More than 54 million U.S. residents, or about 19 percent of the population, have some sort of disability, the U.S. Census Bureau reported

* 12/18/08

Computing Technologies Revolutionize Lives of People with Disabilities

2008 Archived - BLN News/Events

* November 20, 2008, ‘Say Hey’ Tacoma was a two-hour celebration and networking event for people with disabilities, business leaders, community organizations, and government offcials to welcome job seekers and newly hired individuals with disabilities to the community.   18th Annual Governor's Awards Event Date: October 23, 2008 Click on the video below to listen to Governor Chris Gregoire's message Click Here to see photos from the Governor's Awards Breakfast Herb Bartlett Celebrates Silver Anniversary At Physio Control Katherine Ganter/Redmond Reporter Herb Bartlett, one of the first developmentally disabled employees at Physio Control in Redmond, was presented with a Superman cake, a plaque and a diamond pin to celebrate his silver anniversary on the job. Read More...

* 12/17/08 - Software That Opens Worlds to the Disabled * 12/10/08 - Life 101: Learning To Live With Autism Young Adults With Autism Take Classes to Learn Life's Daily Skills * 12/05/08 - Recession's Bite Hits Americans With Disabilities Extra Hard * 12/01/08 - Robots that fetch: Device could help disabled at home * 11/24/08 - For those who could not make it to the this year's Developmental Disability policy event on 11/24: You can watch it easily online by simply clicking the link below. http://www.tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?EvId=2008110050&bhcp=1 19th annual legislative forum on developmental disabilities issues, organized by The King County Parent Coalition of The Arc of King County. Attendances were: 650+ people with developmental disabilities, family members and supportive community members 28 Washington elected officials and legislative staff 5 staff from congressional offices. Issues covered: Both state and federal issues on employment, early intervention, family support, aging with DD and senior family caregivers, mental health (intensive behavior support program), and other significant issues. Thank you! Judy (Hye Kyong) * 11/22/08 - Hire Education: Three Unions Launch Campaign for Disabled Performers... * November 20, 2008 - Braille and Large Print Beverage Brochures at Starbucks.. Did you know that there are over 87,000 beverage combinations at Starbucks? To help you order, Starbucks has made their popular brochure, "Make It Your Drink," available in both Braille and Large Print. Ask your barista for it the next time you visit your local Starbucks. The input from customers, partners (employees), and disability organizations helped guide this effort. Starbucks would specifically like to thank the American Council of the Blind, the American Association of the Deaf-Blind and the Seattle Lighthouse for their input. Thank you also to Easy to Read Documents for producing the Braille and large print. * 11/20/08 - Dennis Lang: The activist behind disability studies at the UW *10/27/08 - "Positively Autistic" VIDEO - Is autism a disorder, or just a neurological difference? Meet the people who are working to change the negative view of living with autism.  Watch The Video * 10/27/08 - ATLANTA—Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard, known for roles in films such as “Crash,” “Iron Man” and “The Brave One,” told attendees at the 2008 SHRM Diversity Conference & Exposition here Oct. 27 that human beings are “the jewels of creation.” * 10/16/08 - Removing obstacles for workers with disabilities is about more than ramps and readers - it's about tapping the skills agencies need. Audio Version of this article: http://govexec.com/pdfs/disability.mp3 * 10/15/08 - The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) today announced the winners of its 2008 Exceptional Leadership Awards . The awards, which were presented during the USBLN® 2008 Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, recognized leaders in three categories - including Partner of the Year, Affiliate of the Year and Employer of the Year. * 10/15/08 - An innovative approach to outside accessibility. Microsoft showroom is meant to give employees and visitors a sense of how the disabled and elderly use technology. * 10/15/08 - Daniel Hubbell, of Microsoft's accessibility-business unit, demonstrates the Jordy, a magnifying headset with a camera and LCD screens to help people with low vision see a white board. * 10/15/08 - UW creates a computer mouse driven by sound * 10/15/08 - Disabled workers find playing field not level for them * 10/15/08 - Quadriplegic builds van business for disabled people * 10/15/08 - The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) today announced the winners of its 2008 Exceptional Leadership Awards . The awards, which were presented during the USBLN® 2008 Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, recognized leaders in three categories - including Partner of the Year, Affiliate of the Year and Employer of the Year. * 9/25/08 - President Bush on Sept. 25, 2008, signed into law landmark legislation that will clarify and strengthen worker protections guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Read More * WASHINGTON, DC (September 24, 2008) - The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) today announced that it entered into a Strategic Alliance with the U.S Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) to promote employment of people with disabilities nationwide. The USBLN® is only the third organization to receive this prestigious honor, along side the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and CVS /Caremark. *9/15/08 - Why disabled techies rock...TecAccess has found a lucrative niche connecting disabled workers with high-tech job opportunities. Read More Disability Related Business Articles: * 9/15/08, Opening New Worlds: The Disability Boom * 9/15/08, Helping deaf callers connect: A communications startup takes aim at a multimillion-dollar market. * A honey hobby becomes a buzzing business: A disabled son's obsession spawns a thriving family business * A disabled CEO 's $2 million innovation empire: An entrepreneur teaches his team to overcome obstacles * No Limits! Entrepreneurs discover a huge, underserved market: the nearly 50 million Americans with disabilities *9/11/08 - Latest Civil Rights News: Senate Passes the ADA Amendments Act * 9/9/08, She called herself ‘fit as a fiddle' — so how could she sue for disability discrimination? Read More * 9/5/08, New Mobility The Parking Placard Glut Read More * 9/5/08 - EEOC Addresses Performance and Conduct Issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Learn More * 9/5/08 - New ruling on Airports and ADA: Learn More * 9/5/08 - Court Says the Blind Will Have Meaningful Access to Currency. Learn More * 9/5/08 - The Senate's ADA Amendments Act: Only Half Bad Learn More * 'Tropic Thunder' Stirs Anger-Funny or just offensive? Watch CBS News Video * 8/13/08 - Fox 5 Investigates: Disability Discrimination Watch the Video * 8/13/08 NISH CEO - Speaks Out Against Tropic Thunder Read statement * 8/12/08 LOS ANGELES - "Tropic Thunder " is pushing the envelope too far for groups representing the mentally disabled. Read More... * 8/11/08 WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. condemned all of the entities involved in creating, producing and marketing the movie “Tropic Thunder” Read More... * 8/11/08 What 'Tropic Thunder' Thinks Is Funny - By Timothy Shriver -Read More... * Deformed man, who works at a Redmond, WA Safeway store, to get surgery! 5/29/08 - Affiliate KOMO reports. Hear the rest of his story For Careers visit  www.safeway.com/careers * INFORMATION NONDISCRIMINATION ACT: THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY AND BUSINESSES Read More.. * 7/14/08 Invisible Wounds By George C. Wilson CongressDaily * 7/14/08 - Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., already one of the GI's best friends in Congress, has launched himself on a new mission! Read More... * July 7, 2008 - Ta Yao’s Story: Translating Obstacles into Opportunity ~ By Anita Browning Read More... Agencies launch air traffic training for disabled veterans Read More... WASHINGTON, DC (March 24, 2008) - The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) today commended the efforts to promote accessibility and an inclusive workplace being done by its member, Ernst & Young LLP, a leading professional services firm. Read More... WASHINGTON, DC (March 26, 2008) - The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) today announced that Katherine McCary of SunTrust Banks, Inc. will be appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the National Council on Disability (NCD). McCary has served as the USBLN Board Chair since 2004. Read More... TYY Machines Clark County departments will no longer be using TTY machines to communicate with individuals that have hearing disabilities.Learn More April 21, 2008, NCD (National Council on Disability) published the report entitled KeepingTrack:National Disability Status and Program Performance Indicators. Read More ADA Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2008 A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America. Read More SPOKANE, April 16, 2008 - Logan Magazine honored for design, vision! A young Spokane woman born with congenital heart disease is showing others with disabilities how to live a full life. Click to view video WASHINGTON, DC (April 1, 2008)- The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) today praised Debra Ruh, Founder and President of TecAccess, for being recognized by Federal Computer Week, which named Ruh to its prestigious "Federal 100" list.Read More.. **************************************************** * 2007 Archived 2007 Governor's Award Breakfast