NYWe-works: Issue No. 10

February 2005

(See all NYWe-works Issues)

This issue:

Education
*    CMHS
*    NYCETC
*    CCRR
*    Olmstead Project
*    University of Illinois

Funding and Grant Opportunities
*    SAMHSA

News Briefs/Events
*    Bazelon
*    CCBMDR
*    USDOL

Publications
*    Community Service Society
*    Disability Research Institute
*    National Council on Disability
*    Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
*    Self-Help Source
*    SAMHSA
*    USDOL

Education:

• CMHS of SAMHSA will be providing the first of three interactive satellite videoconferences/web casts on self-direction and its relationship to mental health on March 16, 2005 - 1:00 P.M. (EST). Included will be the principles and tools of self- direction and what strategies have been learned that support self-direction in mental health. Models of self-direction are being used extensively in other disability groups showing marked success in maximizing consumer choice and control. To obtain more information please contact Jackie Golden, DB Consulting Group, Inc., 301-589-4020 ext 211 or e-mail: jgolden@dbconsultinggroup.com
• NYCETC is sponsoring a free training called "Using Federal and New York State Tax Credits as Hiring Tools for Public Assistance Recipients and Special Populations". It will be held on Friday, February 18th, 10:00 am to 11:30 am at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Material will be presented by the NYS Department of Labor, Economic Development Services. For more information, contact Ann Marie Dusek, adusek@nycetc.org
• CCRR will be offering a professional seminar on March 17th called "An Inclusive Workforce: Working with Consumers as Colleagues". This half day session will have a panel of mental health and private sector employers, and consumer staff discussing how to promote and maintain a workforce committed to hiring and integrating consumers of mental health services. To register, please call 212-742-1600, ext. 235. Please visit our web site at: www.coalitionny.org
• Olmstead Project at SAMHSA's CMHS supports State coalitions in the New Freedom Initiative providing useful information to individuals and organizations committed to community based care for mental health recipients and children with serious emotional disturbances. Olmstead is distributing "Inside Outside: Building a Meaningful Life after the Hospital", a free video with Pat Deegan, Ph.D. introducing eight people who present their histories of institutionalization and their transition into the community. Also available is access to a 2004 teleconference with Pat Deegan called "Retraining the Workforce to Support Recovery". To order the video (currently back ordered) and to access the teleconference materials, go to: www.olmsteadcommunity.org/ .
• University of Illinois at Chicago's NRTC has made available various web casts on how to find employment for recipients of mental health services including: "Mapping Your Road to Work: Knowing Your Vehicle, Choosing Your Route" and "Imagine Yourself in the Driver's Seat: Destination Entrepreneurship". These web casts were produced on November 16, 2004, and are geared towards people who are ready to work, but are not sure how to get started. To listen to the web casts, access the following link: www.psych.uic.edu/UICNRTC/webcast_11_16_04.htm .

Funding and Grant Opportunities:

• (11/07) SAMHSA is partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health in an ongoing funding program until November 2007 supporting research that addresses stigma and discrimination. An example of one fundable initiative is to develop training protocols for program delivery or implementation. For more information including various contact persons on specific aspects of the program and the types of studies to be considered, go to: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-04-112.html .

News Briefs/Events:

• Bazelon, a member of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform, contributed comments on a political climate that could affect individuals with mental disabilities following the State of the Union address made by President Bush on February 2nd. The upcoming months could show Medicaid and Social Security reform and discretionary spending-cuts that could have serious consequences within the mental health community. To read more details and to respond to lawmakers go to: www.bazelon.org/newsroom/reporter/2005/2-4sou.htm.
• CCBMDR (The Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, funded by NIDRR was created to increase the capacity of State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies and community-based organizations highlighting and developing culturally competent services. CCBMDR proposes to develop long-term relationships with agencies and provide state-of-the-art training and technical assistance. To learn more go to: www.uic.edu/orgs/empower/center_for_capacity.htm.
• USDOL: Work Opportunity Tax Credit or WOTC has been extended to December 31, 2005. It provides a tax credit for employers who hire certain targeted low-income groups, including SSI recipients, vocational rehabilitation referrals, former AFDC recipients, veterans, ex-felons, and summer youth employees. For more information on WOTC and the extension from the DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy, go to: www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/wotc.htm.

Publications:

• Community Service Society of NY has made available a report called "Out of School, Out of Work, Out of Luck?- New York City s Disconnected Youth" (January 2005). This report utilizes data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey examining estimates of disconnection, school enrollment, and labor force participation among different groups of youth in NYC. To read go to: www.cssny.org/pubs/special/2005_01_disconnectedyouth/2005_01_disco nnectedyouth.pdf
• Disability Research Institute has publications available on line including "Improving Employment Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities: Learning from the Youth Transition Process Demonstration Innovations" (July 2004). This project examined youth transition approaches towards improved employment outcomes. To access go to: www.dri.uiuc.edu/research/p04-10h/default.htm
• National Council on Disability, which advises Congress and the President, has released a report called "Righting the ADA" (December 2004). This report states that legislation is needed to restore the original intent of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act likening this to the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 passed by Congress. Included in the report is a more precise definition of the word disability. To access go to: www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2004/righting_ada.htm
• Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal has made available two, free articles. "Persons with Psychosis as Active Agents Interacting with their Disorder" (Fall 2004) studies the commonalities in coping strategies utilized by individuals with mental illness. To read go to: www.bu.edu/prj/Fall2004/roe-etal.html "Evaluating Cultural Competence among Behavioral Health Professionals" (Winter 2005) discusses practical issues in measuring cultural competence among staff. To read go to: www.bu.edu/prj/winter2005/stanhope-etal.html
• Self-Help Source is a project of the Resource Center, Inc., a peer-run statewide clearinghouse of mental health information including a lending library. Self-Help Source provides mental health-related self-help information and an online newsletter. One article included in February's issue is "An Empowerment Model of Recovery from Severe Mental Illness" (2005). To access Self-Help Source go to: www.selfhelpsource.org
• SAMHSA has released two publications online. "Moving from Coercion to Collaboration in Mental Health Services" (2004) is a publication that focuses on the reduction of coercive practices such as seclusion and restraint in various psychiatric settings. The goal of the publication is to increase awareness of clinical and ethical issues on this subject. To access go to: www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/sma04-3869/default.asp#TOC "Getting There: Helping People with Mental Illness Access Transportation" (2004) is a report that highlights transportation barriers and presents resolutions that aid in better community integration. To access go to: www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/sma04-3948/
• USDOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy now offers its newsletter "Workforce Catalyst" online. The current issue features comments from Assistant Secretary Grizzard, articles on career insights obtained through mentoring, and customized employment strategies. To access the newsletter go to: www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/newsletter/200502.htm

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NYWe-works is a monthly electronic newsletter for mental health and rehabilitation providers in New York City. NYWe-works contains news briefs, information on publications, funding information, and educational resources.

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