Obama - Promises To Keep

This will be the first in a series about politics, the president and the economy. These forces effect everyone but especially the disabled.

Sen. Barack Obama has won the presidency in an electoral landslide. Now the United States stands at the beginning of a new era in politics and economics. A time of great financial difficulty, the worst recession since the great depression.

Obama brings a new sense of hope - that we can solve these severe problems then move forward. Obama has made a number of promises during the campaign. Among them to help the disabled, implement health care changes as many of the disabled are directly impacted by the health care system.

My hope is that he can achieve many of his proposals for the good of the people. We as a country need a strong leader to lead us out of these difficult times.

Presidental Campaign - Promises To Keep

The economic turmoil has gained most of the news stories followed by the presidential election. Here is a presidential election story about an issue that has not made the headlines.

Outlined below is summary of the Obama-Biden plan to help people with disabilities.

• Providing Americans With Disabilities Educational Opportunities.
• Ending Discrimination and Promoting Equality of Opportunity For People With Disabilities.
• Increasing Employment Rate of Workers With Disabilities.
• Supporting Independent, Community-Based Living For Americans With Disabilities.

The republican ticket of McCain-Palin plan appears to cover changes to the health care systems without directly targeting the disabled.

• John McCain's Vision for Health Care Reform
• Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable
• A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients
• A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs
• Confronting the Long-Term Challenge
• Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
  

Clicking on underlined campaigns will take you directly to their website for more detail. The election is still three weeks away so my suggestion is to review the information if you have not decided how you will vote.

Currently, the Democratic ticket of Obama-Biden appears to be leading the presidential election based on the latest polls. Taking into account the current difficult economic realities that the new president will have to face. It may be difficult for either Democrats or Republicans to implement the programs they campaigned on.

Forgotten Casualties of Iraq & Afghanistan Wars

Most news organizations report the latest U.S. fatalities in fighting the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The latest numbers are 4180 in Iraq and 610 in Afghanistan. Those numbers are tragic to the families of the service men and women involved. Also, those numbers represent a great loss to the country of our brave men and women. In addition, another reported cost of the Iraq war is is the estimated cost to exceed one trillion dollars.

The forgotten casualties are the disabled veterans returning from the wars. A report out lately outlines that up to 200,000 of the 600,000 war veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are looking to the Veterans Administration (VA) for health care. The U.S. is preparing to stay in Iraq through 2010, so that number will undoubtedly increase.

In addition to combat related injuries, veterans are dealing with long-term medical issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD usually develops over a long period of time.
It is estimated that 100,000 servicemen and women are also receiving disability compensation for their injuries.

As a country, we need to take care of our brave men and women. They have risked their lives and future for all of us. We can help by supporting worthy veterans organizations. One such example is Disabled American Veterans, they are an organization helping the disabled veterans with valuable assistance and services beyond what the VA is providing.

Heart Warming Stories

Lately, there have been a batch of very negative stories in the news with the economy, banks, unemployment etc. So today, I decided that I would write about a couple ABC News stories that are both positive and enlightening.

The first story is about a Walgreen's Drug Store executive Randy Lewis, whose 19-year old son has autism, made it his mission to set up an Employment Opportunity for the disabled at the Walgreen's Anderson distribution center. Currently, more than 40 percent of the 700 workers there are disabled. The Anderson distribution center is actually more productive than other Walgreen distribution centers. In addition, the company should be eligible for various federal and state tax incentives. This is a win-win situation for both the company and the disabled employees! ABC News Story Lewis

The second story is about Heather Kuzmich made it to the final five competitors on "America's Next Top Model," despite suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. Most people are not aware of Asperger's, it is a type of autism. Asperger's makes understanding social interactions difficult. For someone like Heather, even the best of days can be a struggle. But Heather inspires all of us to excel! ABC News Story Kuzmich

Government Website

One of the purposes of this blog is to give the disabled substantial and helpful information. Today, I thought I would outline a federal government website that is very helpful! This site is http://www.disabilityinfo.gov.

The site covers a number of valuable topics and contains a wealth of information:

• Employment
• Education
• Housing
• Transportation
• Health
• Benefits
• Technology
• Community life
• Civil Rights

Autism - Interesting Facts

Autism applies to a broad group of developmental disabilities called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autism is a type of disability that is often associated with children. But, many adults are impacted by this disability.

• ASD begins before the age of 3.
• ASD continues thru a person's whole life.
• Thinking and learning abilities can vary from gifted to severely challenged.
• ASD effects every racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic group.
• ASD is more likely to occur in boys than girls.

ASD is usually defined by significant impairments in social interaction and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with ASDs also have difficulty paying attention have to be taught with creative instructional methods.

ADA Amendments Act Enacted

This week was a tumultuous news week due to $700 B financial bailout, but barely mentioned was one of the most momentous pieces of legislation to impact the disabled in recent years. The ADA Amendments Act passed overwhelmingly in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate. The bill will significantly broaden protections for the disabled. The bill will also provide protection, for the first time, to workers with serious ailments such as diabetes, epilepsy and cancer.

By explicitly arguing for an interpretation that was less constrictive, lawmakers sought to restore the intent of the original Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Supreme Court has consistently imposed a very narrow interpretation of the ADA. President Bush has said that he will sign the bill into law despite previous concerns that the legislation would spur excess litigation.

The legislation is the result of two years of substantial cooperation between business groups and disability rights organizations. Both groups are pleased with the final version of the bill. The direct language of the bill, and the cooperation that forged it, should improve employment levels for the disabled