summer 2011
Determined to
put a new face
on autism, Tracy
Thresher, 42, and
Larry Bissonnette,
52, travel to Sri
Lanka, Japan, and
Finland. At each
stop, they dissect
public attitudes about autism
and issue a hopeful challenge to
reconsider competency and the
future. Growing up, Thresher and
Bissonnette were excluded from
normal schooling and faced lives of
social isolation. When they learned
to communicate by typing, their
lives changed dramatically. Their
world tour message is that the same
possibility exists for others like
themselves. Available for $30 at
www.iodbookstore.com.
Join Our
Mailing List
The IOD produces a variety of
publications, including Vision &
Voice, which communicate the ways
we are connected to individuals and
activities in New Hampshire and
across the country. If you would
like to be added to our mailing
list, e-mail contact.iod@unh.edu
or call 603.862.4320.
What’s Inside
Online Employment Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
RAP Sheet Newsletter Goes Digital. . . . . . . . . . 2
Did You Know?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
New Annual Report on Disability in NH . . . . . . . 4
Continuing to Touch Lives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Among the equipment available to students
will be two iPads loaned to DSS from Assistive
Technology in New Hampshire (ATinNH),
the state’s AT program. These iPads will be
loaded with numerous “apps” like text-tospeech and screenreading programs ideal for
students who, without access to these types of
accommodations, might not otherwise be able
to complete their work. Additional apps will be
added for text magnification, lecture recording,
note-taking, graphing calculator, PDF editing,
word processing, and math equation editing.
There will also be apps offering access to
e-books and e-textbooks.
“The AT lab on campus will not only benefit
students with disabilities and faculty, but
students across campus who are pursuing
careers in disability related fields,” says Therese
Willkomm, ATinNH Director. “These students
and faculty will be able to visit the lab and learn
state-of-the-art assistive technology solutions to
achieve educational success.”
“I think it’s phenomenal that UNH is offering so
much to help students access their programs and
curricula,” says Diana Petschauer, AT specialist
at DSS. “This fall will be all about getting
students and faculty familiar with everything we
have and offering the training and equipment to
utilize the programs and technology.”
In addition to the accessible features on the
ATinNH iPads, a $2,000 grant from CVS
Caremark will help furnish the lab with
fully-adjustable and accessible computer
workstations. DSS is assembling a list of
innovative applications that can be downloaded
to the iPod, iPad, or Android devices, many
of which are available for free or a nominal
fee. Other software to be made available in the
lab includes Read and Write Gold, MathType,
MathTalk, Inspiration, Zoom Text Magnifier,
Zoom Twix, Kurzweil 3000, and Dragon
Naturally Speaking 11. The lab can also acquire
Braille note-takers and refreshing Braille
displays on loan, allowing blind students to use
a computer as any other student would. Much
of this technology previously has not been
available at UNH.
The grand opening of the AT lab is scheduled
for September 23, 2011; however, the lab will be
open and available to students beginning August
29—the first day of classes for the fall semester.
For more information on ATinNH, visit
www.atinnh.org.
New Report on Health Disparities Now Available
A new report from the Institute on Disability
entitled Health Disparities Chart Book on
Disability and Racial and Ethnic Status in the
United States examines whether working age
(18-64) people with disabilities in the United
States experience health disparities similar to
those experienced by members of racial and
ethnic minority groups in the United States.
“Because of the perception that disability is
solely an aging phenomenon, we limited our
analysis to people of working age,” said Charles
Drum, IOD Director and report co-author.
“Relatively little research has been conducted
comparing the health of people with disabilities
to that of people
from racial and
ethnic minority
groups; however,
research has
consistently
documented that,
as a group, people
with disabilities
experience
poorer health
than the general
I NSTITUTE ON D ISABILITY / UCED
10 WEST E DGE D RIVE
S UITE 101
D URHAM NH 03824
Wretches & Jabberers
(DVD)
Gerardine Wurzberg
Beginning the Fall 2011 semester, University
of New Hampshire students needing assistive
technology (AT) accommodations will have
access to a wide array of technologies and
equipment in Disability Services for Students’
(DSS) newly-furnished AT lab located in Smith
Hall on the Durham campus.
800315
Bookstore Spotlight
ATinNH Supports Assistive Technology Lab on Campus
population.
Specifically, people
with a variety
of physical and
cognitive disabilities
are more likely
to experience
poorer health
status, potentially
preventable
secondary
conditions, chronic
conditions, and
early deaths.”
The development of the Health Disparities
Chart Book was a collaboration between the
Institute on Disability and Oregon Health &
Science University. The report was supported
in part by the Disability and Rehabilitation
Research project, a cooperative agreement
from the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research.
For more information on the Health
Disparities Chart Book and to download a
copy, visit www.iod.unh.edu.
RAP Sheet Newsletter
Goes Digital
In order to:
• reach more readers,
• reduce costs, and
• be more environmentally-friendly,
the New Hampshire RAP Sheet will
be sent electronically to subscribers
beginning with the Fall 2011 issue.
The RAP Sheet is a semi-annual
collaborative news publication from
the Disabilities Rights Center, the NH
Council on Developmental Disabilities,
and the Institute on Disability offering
the latest information in disability
research, advocacy, policy, and
practice.
To subscribe to the electronic edition
of the RAP Sheet, visit
www.drcnh.org/rapsheet.htm.
For those who do not have access
to email, a limited number of RAP
Sheets will still be printed. To continue
to receive paper copies by mail, or
if you have questions about RAP
Sheet distribution, please call Mary at
603.271.7039.
Online Training Opportunity for Employment Personnel
Employment Consulting and Workplace Support,
a new free online training opportunity from the
Institute on Disability, will teach employment
specialists, job coaches, and other employment
staff to assist employees with disabilities to
succeed in community jobs. This online series—
available to employment services providers in
New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine—has
already filled to capacity and generated a long
waiting list, but project staff are planning to
reproduce the series next year.
Over a four-week training period beginning
the second week of September 2011, series
participants will learn to identify and enlist
natural company resources for training and
support, to adopt a consultant approach, and to
effectively include an employee in the culture of
the workplace.
“There has been a tremendous amount of
interest in this training,” says David Hagner,
Ph.D., director of the IOD’s Employment
Consultant Training project and series coinstructor. “People are really looking for this
type of information. Our plan is to repeat the
training every March and every September.”
Training module topics include:
• How to adopt a consultant approach at a
business;
• Using employer and coworker training
resources; and
• Handling difficult workplace support issues.
Each week’s instructional module features a
“mini-lecture” with state-of-the-art approaches
to employment support, animated and live
scenarios showing the strategies in use, and
guided discussion among participants and with
the series instructors, David Hagner, Ph.D., of
the Institute on Disability, and Bryan Dague,
Ph.D., of the University of Vermont.
The Employment Consulting and Workplace
Support series is supported by the Institute on
Disability’s Employment Consultant Training
project, which is funded by a three-year grant
from the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research. This online training
series will be made available to community
rehabilitation programs nationwide during the
third year of project activities. The project will
result in the availability of low-cost training for
staff in evidence-based strategies to improve
the employment outcomes for employees with
significant disabilities and the capacity of
employers to support a diverse workforce.
For more information on the Employment
Consultant Training project, visit
www.iod.unh.edu.
• Analyzing workplace cultures for social
inclusion;
2
Did You Know?
Participating in school is an important
social role, and education opens up
opportunities now and in the future.
According to estimates from 2009,
among the 76,114 New Hampshire
working-age individuals with
disabilities, 22.8% had a two-year
college degree or higher degree. By
comparison, of the 774,654 New
Hampshire working-age individuals
without, 47.7% had a two-year college
degree or higher degree. When
compared to the United States as a
whole, New Hampshire fairs well—
19.0% of working-age individuals with
disabilities in the United States had at
least a two-year college degree.
Facts & Figures: The 2011 Annual
Report on Disability in New Hampshire
and To The Point: An Introduction
to Disability in the Granite State are
new annual publications of the UNH
Institute on Disability focusing on the
population with disabilities in New
Hampshire. To download copies, visit
www.iod.unh.edu.
Feedback
Have a comment, suggestion, or
story idea? We value your input.
E-mail contact.iod@unh.edu or
call 603.862.4320 to let us know
how we’re doing and how we can
better serve you.
Share the IOD with a friend:
Please let friends or colleagues
know about us. Pass us along!
Highlighting IOD Donors
The Endowment for Health has awarded
a two-year $131,000 grant to the Education
Revolution project. These funds will help to
support extensive outreach and engagement
in NH associated with the new documentary
Education Revolution (working title) due
for release in Fall 2011. The film, directed
by Dan Habib, will explore how schools are
using proven, research-based programs like
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports,
Response to Intervention, and Universal Design
for Learning to successfully include students
with emotional/behavioral challenges and
improve the school climate for all students.
“Education Revolution aligns closely with the
foundation’s priority area focused on improving
the mental health of NH’s children and their
families,” said Kim Firth, Endowment for
Health Program Director. “The film creates an
incredible opportunity to highlight pockets of
excellence in NH and to lay the groundwork
to change systems for the better. The film will
build awareness and a coordinated advocacy
voice to make needed improvements to the
children’s behavioral health delivery systems.”
Outreach supported under this grant will
include NH-based screenings and discussions
about the benefits and challenges of including
youth with complex emotional/behavioral
challenges in schools and communities. The
grant makes it possible for Habib and the film’s
primary subject, Kelsey Carroll, to present and
discuss the film at most of these events. Other
outreach includes the development of NHspecific education and advocacy resources and
dissemination of the DVD and Education Kit.
Kelsey has dealt with tremendous challenges
in her life including homelessness and ADHD.
While a student at Somersworth High School,
she was suspended at age 13 for dealing drugs
and did not obtain any educational credits
as a freshman. She considered dropping out
of school and was a likely candidate for the
juvenile justice system. By working through the
RENEW process, an intensive youth-directed
planning and positive behavioral supports model
developed by IOD project director JoAnne
Malloy, Kelsey graduated in June 2010. Now
20, Kelsey is researching colleges with the hope
of working toward a career in law enforcement
or the emergency medical field. The film follows
Kelsey through the ups and downs of her
senior year and her transition to post-graduate
education and employment.
The project was also awarded a $25,000
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Community Impact Grant to support NH
outreach and engagement and, specifically, to
enable Habib and Carroll to present the film in
five NH school districts.
“The Endowment for Health and Charitable
Foundation grants will help us to maximize
the impact of this film, and—most importantly
—positively impact NH youth with emotional/
behavioral challenges and their families,” said
Habib.
To learn more about making a tax-deductible
gift to the IOD, please contact:
Mary Schuh, Ph.D. – Associate Director of
Consumer Affairs and Development
Institute on Disability / UCED
56 Old Suncook Road, Suite 2
Concord, NH 03301
603.228.2084 | mary.schuh@unh.edu
or visit www.iod.unh.edu for easy and secure
online donation.
Inclusive Practices in Action
Navigating Choice and Change in
Inclusive Practices in Action is a series
Later Life: Frameworks for Facilitating
of workshops designed to provide
Person-Centered Planning
support for those busy special education Person-centered planning is a unique,
teachers, general education teachers,
individually-focused approach to
paraprofessionals, and other service
planning for persons who are in need
providers who are trying to fully include
of services and supports. This workshop
their students in the general education
offers an introduction to personcurriculum. You will be amazed at how
centered planning for adults, including
much your students learn and how
an overview of what we mean by
efficient and productive your work will
a person-centered system of care.
be after learning these time-saving
Participants will learn about the Team
supportive techniques.
Performance Model as a framework for
Sessions:
conducting person-centered planning.
October 18, 2011 – Using Positive
Information on how to facilitate personBehavioral Supports to Engage Students centered planning meetings and tools
with Significant Disabilities in Learning
to use in the planning process will also
the General Education Curriculum
be presented.
November 2, 2011 – Writing Without
Dates & Location: November 7, 2011
Pencils: Using Assistive Technology to
& April 13, 2012 – IOD Professional
Support Written Expression
Development Center, Concord, NH
December 8, 2011 – Developing
Time: 9am – 3:30pm
Number Concepts through Everyday
Cost: $90
Mini-Lessons
Presenters: Susan Fox, M.Ed., MA, & Patty
January 17, 2012 – Free Web-Based
Cotton, M.Ed.
Books for Developing Literacy and
Creating a Dementia-Friendly Home
Other Academic Skills for Students with
Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease
Disabilities*
or dementia are greatly affected by
February 15, 2012 – Using Activity
Task Strips to Assist Students with Task
their environment. This training provides
Completion
information on how environmental
March 15, 2012 – Using Web-Based
factors such as light, noise, and safety
Adapted Books to Connect Students
issues can affect an individual with
with Disabilities to the General
dementia, along with many simple, lowEducation Curriculum*
cost modifications that can be made in
April 12, 2011 – Writing Standards-Based
most households. Participants will learn
Introductory Training for Facilitated
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) with
to conduct home assessments and
Communication
Measurable Objectives
make detailed recommendations for
This workshop will provide participants
May 10, 2011 – Using Collaborative
improving the home environment.
with a general overview of Facilitated
Teaming to Support Learning of the
Dates & Location: November 18, 2011
Communication (FC), a method
General Education Curriculum by
& March 16, 2012 – IOD Professional
of augmentative and alternative
Students with Disabilities
Development Center, Concord, NH
communication used by people
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Time: 9am – 4:30pm
with limited speaking abilities. Topics
Location:
IOD
Professional
Development
Cost: $99
covered will include the history of FC,
Center,
Concord,
NH
Presenters: Cathy Creapaux & Janet
basic elements of the FC technique,
Cost:
$59
each
Dineen
determining candidacy for FC, and
Presenter:
Laurie
Lambert,
M.Ed.
a review of current research and best
practices. Examples and demonstrations *Laptop with wireless internet capabilities
required. A limited number of laptops
of the use of FC with both school-age
are available; call 603.228.2084 to
individuals and adults will be given. This
Visit the IOD at these 2011 Fall
reserve.
workshop will provide information to
Conferences:
people who are interested in gaining
basic understanding in FC. It is also a
Annual Conference 2011 | “Autism Without Limits”
prerequisite for people who will become
October 21-22, 2011 | Burbank, California
facilitators for individuals who use FC.
Date & Location: October 4, 2011 –
IOD Professional Development Center,
Concord, NH
Time: 9am – 3:30pm
Cost: $125
Presenter: Pascal Cheng, M.Ed., C.A.S.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers: Class
Leader Training
This two-day training will give
participants the knowledge, skills, and
tools to teach the Powerful Tools for
Caregivers course. This course is a sixweek educational program to provide
family caregivers of older adults with
tools to increase their self-care and
confidence. Participants who complete
this program will be licensed as class
leaders to present the six-week training
sessions to informal caregivers of
older adults. Participants will receive
both the 90-minute and 2½ hour
scripted curriculum as well as program
materials. Licensed class leaders will
be able to provide family caregivers of
older adults with the tools to deal with
stressors, depression, anger, and guilt, as
well as increase the ability of caregivers
to effectively communicate feelings,
needs, and concerns.
Dates & Location: August 24-25, 2011 –
IOD Professional Development Center,
Concord, NH
Time: W: 8am – 5pm; R: 8am – 4pm
Cost: $550, or $500 each for two or
more
Presenters: Beverly Lee-Packard & Pat
Billings
*Includes breakfast and lunch both
days, program licensing fee, and all
program materials. Does not include
dinner and accommodations.
Save the Date
November 30 – December 3, 2011
For more information and to register, visit www.iod.unh.edu or call 603.228.2084
3
IOD Leadership
Charles E. Drum, MPA, JD, Ph.D. – Director
Linda Bimbo, MS – Deputy Director
Susan Fox, M.Ed., MA – Clinical Assistant
Professor
Matthew Gianino, BA – Associate Director,
Communications & Technology
Andrew Houtenville, Ph.D. – Research Director
Mary C. Schuh, Ph.D. – Associate Director,
Consumer Affairs & Development
Executive Committee
Carol Stamatakis – Acting Executive Director
New Hampshire Developmental
Disabilities Council
www.nhddc.org
Matthew Ertas – Bureau Chief
Bureau of Developmental Services
New Hampshire Department of Health
and Human Services
www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/BDS
Barbara Arrington – Dean
College of Health and Human Services
University of New Hampshire
www.chhs.unh.edu
Santina Thibedeau – State Director of
Special Education
New Hampshire Department of Education
www.ed.state.nh.us
Richard Cohen, JD – Executive Director
Disabilities Rights Center
www.drcnh.org
UCED Partners
Tom Bunnell, JD – Director
Institute for Health, Law and Ethics
Franklin Pierce Law Center
www.fplc.edu
John Moeschler, MD – Program Director
Dartmouth Center for Genetics and Child
Development
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
www.dhmc.org
Consumer Advisory Council
4
Kathy Bates – Somersworth, NH
Regina Bringolf – Hancock, NH
Robin Carlson – Laconia, NH
Joyce Chisholm – Concord, NH
Gina Colantuoni – Bow, NH
Jeff Dickenson – Concord, NH
Bonnie Dunham – Concord, NH
Nathan Gams – Hampton, NH
Amy Howe – Hopkinton, NH
Sandy Hicks – Manchester, NH
Dan Louney – Bedford, NH
Kirsten Murphy – Hanover, NH
Julie Noel – Concord, NH
Mary Schuh – Concord, NH
Chrissy Shaffer – Litchfield, NH
Julie Smith – Durham, NH
Jim Tobin – Effingham, NH
Maureen Tracey – Merrimack, NH
Pat Vincent-Piet – Concord, NH
Kathryn Wallenstein – Concord, NH
Marian West – Concord, NH
Support the IOD!
As a community oriented nonprofit focused on ensuring that
equal opportunities and a
satisfying quality of life are
accessible to all persons, we
rely on the generosity of
supporters like you to help
further the mission of the IOD. If
you would like to contribute to
the IOD, tax-deductible
donations can be made:
Online
www.iod.unh.edu
Mail
56 Old Suncook Road, Suite 2
Concord, NH 03301
Phone
603.228.2084
An IOD staff member will assist
you with the process and
answer any questions you may
have about your contribution.
New Annual Report on Disability in the Granite State
More than 11% of New Hampshire’s
population—about one person in nine—reports
having a disability, according to a new report
from the University of New Hampshire’s
Institute on Disability (IOD). Facts & Figures:
The 2011 Annual Report on Disability in New
Hampshire presents a comprehensive picture of
issues related to disability in the Granite State.
Among the key findings in the annual report:
• At 11.4%, the percentage of people with
disabilities in New Hampshire is greater
than that of Massachusetts (11.2%) but less
than neighboring states of Vermont (13.6%)
and Maine (16.1%). Nationally, 12% of the
population reports having a disability.
• The population with disabilities is diverse
across disability type (hearing, cognitive,
self-care, vision, ambulatory, and
independent living).
• Although employment rate of people with
disabilities in New Hampshire (39.9%) is
favorable to the national average (35.3%),
there is a 40-point gap in the employment
rate of people with and without disabilities
in the Granite State.
• New Hampshire lags behind its New
England neighbors and the national average
in terms of the number of special education
students who spend at least 80% of their
time in regular classrooms.
in policymaking,
program
evaluation, and
advocacy,” says
IOD Director
Charles Drum.
“Statistics about
people with
disabilities and
the government
programs that
serve them are
often hard to
find. This report
aims to make this data available to a broad
audience.”
The report, which will be published annually,
draws on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009
American Community Survey as well as on
reports from government agencies such as the
Social Security Administration. It examines four
topic areas: demographics, education, economic
well-being, and participation in government
programs.
In addition to Facts & Figures, the IOD has
produced a shorter companion publication called
To The Point. With data-driven facts, it provides
an introduction to the experience of people
living with disabilities in New Hampshire. Both
publications are available to download in a
variety of formats at www.iod.unh.edu.
“Statistics and other forms of research-based
data are powerful forms of information used
Continuing to Touch Lives
When Brianna “Brie” Dillon passed away in
May 2010 at the age of 25, the Institute on
Disability lost a great teacher, colleague, and
friend who inspired and influenced countless
individuals striving for real community
participation and full lives for people with
disabilities. Now, more than a year later, Brie
is continuing to touch lives through an unlikely
opportunity.
Brie’s parents, Bill and Ann, were made aware
of a unique need through a presentation to
their local church congregation from A Light
for Zimbabwe, a non-profit organization based
in Wolfeboro Falls, NH. Leslie, a 13-year-old
Zimbabwean child with cerebral palsy, has
been waiting several years for a wheelchair.
Leslie’s father has a heart condition which
makes his participation in childcare challenging,
and Leslie has grown too large for his mother
to continue carrying him. Even so, he has not
been able to use any other donated wheelchairs
because they were too large.
Thanks to generous support from the Dillons’
church community, Brie’s wheelchair—a
smaller model—is now on a container shipment
bound for Zimbabwe, designated especially for
Leslie’s use. The shipment is due to arrive in the
region sometime in September 2011. With this
wheelchair, Leslie’s family hopes that he will be
able to attend school and receive services.
A group from New
Hampshire will travel
to Leslie’s local
village of Chikore
in September and
October of this year,
and they hope to
hand-deliver bells
that Brie kept on her
wheelchair during
her life.
“We have always called
Brie’s bells her ‘footsteps,’” says Ann. “They
were a gentle reminder of her presence and
gave us all great joy when she moved and they
jingled! We hope the symbolic ‘passing of the
bells’ to Leslie will be a way for Brie’s legacy to
continue to be heard and felt thousands of miles
away.”
A Light for Zimbabwe is dedicated to the
betterment of the lives of southeastern
Zimbabwean families and children located
primarily in the Chipinge district in the province
of Manicaland. The organization focuses on
empowering the local population by developing
self-sustaining projects that promote education,
health, and basic skills training.
For more information on A Light for
Zimbabwe, visit www.alightforzimbabwe.org.
Stay Connected
For the latest IOD news, follow the Institute on Disability on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/instituteondisability
www.twitter.com/unhiod