TASH in Action Newsletter | February 2023

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In this Issue:

TASH News
Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center News
Community News
Employment Opportunities
Upcoming Events
Thank You to Our Donors

Message from the Executive Director

A portrait of Michael Brogioli with the U.S. Capitol building and some leafless winter trees in the background.On behalf of TASH, I want to acknowledge and congratulate our partners at Cal-TASH, our oldest and largest Chapter, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Cal-TASH’s Annual Conference returns to an in-person format on March 3–4 in Los Angeles. This year’s Cal-TASH Conference theme is “Reconnect, Reflect, Reimagine: Building Back with Inclusion in Mind” and features keynote addresses from Diane Ryndak and Tia Nelis. This year’s Conference has over 60 breakout sessions on a variety of timely topics. To learn more, visit www.caltash.org/conference.

Closer to home, we’re looking forward to the upcoming Disability Policy Seminar which will be a hybrid format, with a day of virtual learning on April 24 and a ‘fly in’ day for advocates to meet with Congressional offices on April 27. To learn more, please visit disabilitypolicyseminar.org.

I was recently on Capitol Hill to meet with Senator Bob Casey’s staff about the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment (TCIEA) Act that he recently reintroduced; this legislation, which TASH supports, provides $200 million per year for five years to help facilitate states’ transitions to competitive integrated employment.

Lastly, please see further on in this issue of TASH in Action the results of a recent TASH survey about COVID-19 vaccines; as always, we encourage you to learn more about vaccines and how they can reduce the risks of serious health outcomes due to COVID. To learn more, please visit tashorgstg.wpengine.com/vaccines.

With best wishes,

Michael Brogioli

TASH News

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Jamila Rahimi

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) is a time to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of life, as well as of the barriers that people with disabilities still face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

Check out the DDAM2023 social media kit, featuring artwork by Jamila Rahimi, put together by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities for hashtags, a social media and accessibility 101 guide and more, that you can use for your Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month campaign.

Also be sure to check out what everyone else is doing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media outlet of your choice using the hashtags #DDAM2023, #DDAwareness2023 and #BeyondtheConversation.

The Cal-TASH Conference is this Weekend in Los Angeles

The graphic for the Cal TASH Conference. It reads, Reconnect Reflect Reimagine: Building Back with Inclusion in Mind, Cal-TASH 2023, 40th Anniversary Conference, Los Angeles, March 3-4, 2023

The Cal-TASH 2023 Annual Conference is this Friday and Saturday! There’s still time to register! For the complete Conference schedule and registration, visit the Cal-TASH Conference website.

“Meaningful Lives” Webinar Series
Starts Next Month
Wednesdays, March 15–29, 2023, 1:00–2:30 PM Eastern

TASH New England is excited to bring you Meaningful Lives, a three-part webinar series addressing the core aspects of a full, meaningful life for people with disabilities. The three individual presentations will be available as Zoom webinars hosted on Wednesdays, March 15–29, 2023 from 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern. More information is available from the series webpage. Registration is $20 for each webinar or $55 for all three. TASH members receive an additional ten percent off.

Sessions
A portrait of Gail Fanjoy

Gail Fanjoy
Why Words Are Not Enough: Using Slogans DOES NOT Spontaneously Translate to Better Outcomes
March 15, 2023

A portrait of Linda Rammler

Dr. Linda Rammler
Thinking out of the Box in Customizing Employment: Stories of Success
March 22, 2023

A portrait of Zach Rosetti

Zach Rossetti
Friends Matter: Developing Authentic Social Relationships
March 29, 2023

Learn More and Register
The TASH cares logo, with the motto, Raising Vaccine Awareness. There is a heart made out of two overlapping Band-Aids with the TASH Möbius strip in the center.

Results of TASH Vaccination Survey

In early February TASH conducted a survey on vaccinations of all of our contacts as part of our #TASHcares project to raise vaccine awareness. The survey was brief, but addressed vaccination levels, attitudes, motivations and information sources. Over the next few issues of TASH in Action, we will share some of the results of that survey.

The first thing we wanted to know was people’s vaccination level. The survey was anonymous. Of 167 respondents, 81 percent have received three or more vaccine shots and 18 percent have received two or fewer, with 4.9 percent having not been vaccinated at all.

A bar graph showing 4.9% not receiving any shots, 1.8% received one shot, 11.7% received two shots, 16.6% received 3 shots, 28.4% received 4 shots and 36.4% received 5 shots.

Since different people were on different vaccination schedules (the Janssen vaccine was a single shot primary series; people over 50 were encouraged to get an additional booster in early 2022), and it is difficult for respondents to remember how many shots they have had without their immunization record in front of them, the number of shots is ambiguous as to whether a person is “fully vaccinated”. So we also asked whether people had received the bivalent booster. 63 percent of respondents report having received the bivalent booster.

A bar graph showing 63.5% answering yes to having received the bivalent booster, 32.7% answering no and 3.7% unsure.

Bivalent means that a single dose containes two vaccines in one: a booster for the initial COVID-19 strain, plus an additional vaccine for the omicron variant.

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Helped Unlock the Science of the COVID-19 Vaccine

A photograph of Kizzmekia Corbett. She is a black woman with high, parted hair, wearing a bright yellow dress and a white lab coat. She is leaning against a desk in an office.

On January 11, 2020 Chinese scientists posted the genetic sequence for SARS-CoV-2 on the Internet. The next day a team of CDC virologists began designing the genetic sequence for the vaccine. On the 13th they completed their design and e-mailed it to Moderna, who, in six weeks, began human trials. Kizzmekia Corbett was part of the CDC design team. That they could produce a vaccine so quickly was due in part to Corbett having dedicated years to the study of Coronaviruses. Read a recent New York Times profile of Dr. Corbett (subscription required). If you don’t have access to the New York Times, you can read the Wikipedia article on Dr. Corbett.

The End of the Public Health Emergency Is Approaching, What Is Next for COVID-19?

March 15, 11:00 AM – 12:00 noon Eastern

The Indiana University logoPresident Biden has announced the end of the national public health emergency in May. What does that mean regarding the COVID-19 pandemic? The Center for Health Equity (CHE) at Indiana University is hosting a webinar that will feature Dr. Lindsay Weaver, the Chief Medical Officer for the Indiana Department of Health, who will provide an update on the current status of the pandemic and what is next.

The webinar is free. Live captioning and sign language interpreting will be provided. Registration is required. Learn more and register at go.iu.edu/4MMQ.

The Michigan Storytellers for Change logo

Sexuality Self-Advocacy

“I feel like this is my calling: to help others with disabilities explore their potential.” Frank Vaca discusses his work on employment and as a sexuality self-advocacy trainer.

You can learn more about Green Mountain Self-Advocates at gmsavt.org. You can learn more about the Elevatus Sexuality and Developmental Disabilities Training at www.elevatustraining.com.

For more about Michigan Storytellers for Change, visit www.tashorgstg.wpengine.com/MIStorytellers4Change.

The Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center logo

Celebrating Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month:
Let’s Partner with Councils on Developmental Disabilities!

March 14, 2023, 3:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern

Join DETAC as we celebrate Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness month in March with our partners from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD). This webinar will provide an overview of the role DD Councils play in leading systems change within communities across the country. Additionally, we will drill down to learn more about the innovative employment initiatives from DD Councils in the states of California and South Carolina. Participants will learn the value of partnering with a DD Council in your state as we work together to advance employment opportunities and outcomes for people with DD.

Presenters
A portrait of Cherie Moon

Cherie Moon
TA Manager, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

A portrait of Donna Meltzer

Donna Meltzer
CEO, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

Register

Exploring the Ticket to Work Program to Elevate Employment for Job Seekers with Disabilities

The YouTube thumbnail for the Exploring the Ticket to Work Program to Elevate Employment for Job Seekers with Disabilities webinar

Join DETAC as we put a spotlight on a Center for Independent Living (CIL) that is part of an Employment Network through Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program. The program serves ticket holders by facilitating opportunities in competitive, integrated employment. In this webinar, we heard from a national and local leader about the structure of the Ticket to Work program, how program involvement can support diversification of funding for a CIL or another service delivery program, and how this innovative program helps people with disabilities find jobs in the community. This webinar originally streamed on February 14, 2023. You can watch it as a recording here.

Podcast: The New Normal

A portrait of Nicole LeBlanc. She has wavy medium-length hair, is formally dressed and appears to be addressing a meeting room of people.In The New Normal, we talk with Nicole LeBlanc, DETAC’s Self-Advocate Advisor, about the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disabilities – mostly detrimental in terms of increased risk and unemployment, but also some changes that have benefitted people with disabilities such as remote work and telehealth. Listen to the complete episode here.

Follow DETAC on social media for news and resources:

The Facebook icon The twitter icon The YouTube icon The LinkedIn icon

Community News

Photo of Samuel, in his wheelchair, next to Bob, in his scooter. Bob’s small dog is in the basket of his scooter. Above the photo is a black bar with white text reading “Our Disability Roadmap, candid conversations on the transition to adulthood.” In the bottom right corner, white text reads “Samuel Habib talks with Bob Williams. Friday, March 10, 2023, 1-2pm ET”

Join the My Disability Roadmap team for “Our Disability Roadmap,” a series of FREE webinars featuring Samuel Habib’s candid conversations about transition with disability rights leaders. The next webinar will be on Friday, March 10 from 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern with disability justice pioneer, Bob Williams. ASL interpretation and captioning will be provided. Even if you can’t attend live, be sure to register to receive the recording. Register for the series today: bit.ly/3HbukDH.

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Employment Opportunities

WorkLink San Francisco Seeks a Program Director

The WorkLink icon

The Program Director coordinates the day-to-day services, works within the budget, recruits, hires and supervises program staff, performs administrative functions, etc. In addition, this position is also responsible for assisting individuals with disabilities to become active productive member of their community by providing job development and on-site job support. Learn more and apply.

Upcoming Events

March 1–4, 2023
CEC Convention & Expo
Louisville, Kentucky

March 3–5, 2023
Cal-TASH 2023 Annual Conference
Los Angeles, California

April 19, 2023
AUCD for All Gala
Washington, D.C.

April 24 & 27, 2023
Disability Policy Seminar
Virtual and Washington, D.C.

April 24–26, 2023
2023 ANCOR Annual Conference
Chicago, Illinois

July 19, 2023
TASH Outstanding Leadership in Disability Law Symposium and Award Celebration
Washington, D.C.

November 30–December 2, 2023
2023 TASH Conference
Baltimore, Maryland

Thank You to Our Donors!

We would like to thank everyone who donated to TASH in January 2023. We are grateful to all of our supporters who help us achieve equity, opportunity, and inclusion for people with disabilities. Thank you!

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TASH advances equity, opportunity and inclusion for people with disabilities, with a focus on those with the most significant support needs, in the areas of education, employment and community living through advocacy, research and practice. More information about TASH can be found at www.tashorgstg.wpengine.com.

TASH
1825 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, D.C. 20006 | (202) 808-8148 | info@tash.org

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