Bloomington Celebrates Disability Awareness

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 6, 2008

For more information:

Byron Smith, Chair, City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility, 339-5400

Craig Brenner, Special Projects Coordinator, Community and Family Resources Department, City of Bloomington, 349-3471

Bloomington, IN - Mayor Mark Kruzan announced today that to help acknowledge March as Disability Awareness Month, the City of Bloomington encourages increased awareness of disability-related issues and challenges.

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees and protects the rights of people with disabilities and makes discrimination based on a person's disability illegal," Kruzan said. "The City of Bloomington works hard to ensure equality among all employees in Bloomington. We are drawing attention to the ADA and encouraging businesses to become aware of accessible opportunities and remove hindrances in order to create a better environment for everyone."

Kruzan added that Bloomington businesses can follow a few simple steps to ensure they create a welcoming atmosphere for employees and customers with and without disabilities:

• Encourage supervisors to share information on disability issues during staff meetings.

• Invite a guest speaker to present a disability-related topic to staff.

• Display disability awareness posters around the office.

• Include an article about Disability Awareness Month in an internal newsletter.

The City of Bloomington's Council for Community Accessibility (CCA) has assembled the following calendar of activities. Individuals with disabilities and their family members, service providers and fellow community members are encouraged to participate.

Monday, March 17 • City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility Meeting

The monthly meeting of the CCA will be from 4 - 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. in the McCloskey Conference Room (#135). The meeting is open to all those interested in making Bloomington more accessible. For information, contact Craig Brenner at brennerc@bloomington.in.gov or 349-3471.

Tuesday, March 18 • "Are Your Meetings and Events Welcoming?"

DiversityWorks: The South Central Indiana Business Leaders Network is sponsoring a lunchtime seminar educating businesses on how to make meetings and events accessible. Vicki Pappas from the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community will present on Tuesday, March 18 from noon - 1:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. Admission is free and lunch will be served. For information, contact Richard Rampley at rrampley@tds.net or 332-3777 Ext. 236.

Tuesday, March 18 • Audio Conference: "Discrimination in Hiring Under the ADA"

This conference will highlight facts about hiring discrimination related to characteristics of the parties, employers and outcomes, based on an EEOC study of 20,000 allegations of workplace discrimination. The findings and their effect for the implementation and future of the ADA will be discussed. Guest presenter is Brian T. McMahon from Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. The audio conference is free and will be held at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Building L from

2 - 3:30 p.m. For information, contact Matt Norris or Vicki Pappas at adainfo@indiana.edu or 855-6508.

Wednesday, March 26 • IU Disability Awareness Day

Various IU programs offering disability information and resources will have displays at the Disability Fair, an interactive event coordinated by IU's Office of Disability Services for Students, in conjunction with the Disability Roundtable, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, and National Center on Accessibility. Booths from the Adaptive Technology Center, American Sign Language Club, Counseling and Psychological Services, Disability Roundtable, Van Service and the DSS office will be set up in the lobby of the Wells Library from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Students' artwork, writing and personal statements will also be on display. For information, contact Elly Romer at iubdss@indiana.edu or 855-7578.

Wednesday, March 26 • Networking for Support

This meeting of area supported employment providers will focus on best practices for supporting persons with disabilities in employment opportunities. The meeting is 3 - 4:30 p.m. at Work One, 450 S. Landmark Ave. in Bloomington. For information, contact Janessa Gerber at jgerber@optionsfbl.com or 332-9615.

Thursday, March 27 • S.T.A.D.I.U.M. Meeting

Students Talking about Disabilities at Indiana University Monthly (S.T.A.D.I.U.M.) is an IU student group that provides friendship and support to students with disabilities and advocates a more accessible campus. The guest speaker will be Craig Brenner from the City of Bloomington's Community and Family Resources Department. Craig serves as staff to the CCA. For information, contact Elaine Kuhns, Support Services Coordinator, IU Disability Services for Students, at eekuhns@indiana.edu or 855-7578.

Friday, March 28 • City of Bloomington CCA Arts Access Committee Meeting

The Arts Access Committee helps make the arts more accessible to people with low or no vision. For information, contact Jane Harlan Simmons, Center on Aging and Community, at jeharlan@indiana.edu or 855-6508.

Saturday, March 29 • Community Literacy and Down Syndrome Advocacy

The Down Syndrome Family Connection, in collaboration with Barnes & Noble and Stone Belt, will host a community literacy and Down syndrome advocacy event and book fair at Barnes & Noble. A portion of sales will benefit Stone Belt, and artwork created by Stone Belt artists will be displayed. At 4 p.m. in the children's area, a self-advocate with Down syndrome will read a children's book fostering disability awareness. For information, contact Tim Rienks at t.rienks@insightbb.com or 279-7404.

Saturday, March 29 • "Including Samuel" Film and Discussion

This is Indiana's statewide premiere screening of Including Samuel, a documentary by Dan Habib, which portrays the efforts of the Habib family to include Samuel, age seven, in all facets of school and community life. Including Samuel also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, as well as interviews with teachers, young people, parents and disability rights experts. This is sponsored by the MCCSC Parent Teacher Advisory Council for Special Education, and starts at 1 p.m. at the Jackson Creek Middle School Auditorium. Admission is free. For information, contact ParentTeacherAdvisoryCouncil-owner@yahoogroups.com or 322-2420.

By Monday, March 31 • "Attitude is Everything" Essay Contest

Options, MCCSC and Monroe County Access to Recreation are sponsoring an essay contest for students grades 3-8. The theme is "Attitude is Everything," and the deadline for entries is March 31, 2008. Area teachers are being given information packets with guidelines and registration forms. Entries should be sent to Susan Rinne at Options, 200 E. Winslow Rd., PO Box 1732, Bloomington, IN 47402. Awareness activities in classrooms are also available. For information, contact Susan Rinne at srinne@optionsfbl.com or 332-9615.

Thursday, April 3 • Career Expo 2008

This inclusive networking event is sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College and will help students, graduates, and employers get to know each other in a career-advancement capacity. "InterviewStream," a web-based technology for developing interview skills, will be showcased; it is available at the Career Center and can be used at home with a webcam. The universal design of this software makes it a great tool for students and graduates to practice and view interviews and have them critiqued by career and HR practitioners and friends. Career Expo takes place from 1:30 - 4 p.m. on Bloomington's Ivy Tech campus. For information, contact Katie Anderson at kanderso@ivytech.edu.

Tuesday, April 15 • Audio Conference: "There are No IEP's in College"

This audio conference will focus on transitioning from high school to college, focusing on students with disabilities who may not know their rights and responsibilities under federal law. The session will compare rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities in high school and college so that students' chances of graduating will increase. Guest presenter will be Howard Kallem, Office of Equity and Diversity Services at George Mason University. The audio conference is free and will be held at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Building L, from 2 - 3:30 p.m. For information, contact Matt Norris or Vicki Pappas at adainfo@indiana.edu or 855-6508.

Thursday, April 17 • Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Business EXPO

Several service providers will exhibit at the Business EXPO from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. at the Bloomington Convention Center. Visit the booths of the City of Bloomington, DiversityWorks, Stone Belt and Abilities Unlimited. Admission is free and open to the public.

Monday, April 21 • City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility Meeting

The monthly meeting of the CCA will be held from 4 - 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in the McCloskey Conference Room (#135). January Jones, Chair of the Steering Committee for the Karst Farm Accessible Playground, has been invited to this meeting, which is open to all those interested in making Bloomington more accessible. For information, contact Craig Brenner at brennerc@bloomington.in.gov or 349-3471.

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