NCPD E-NEWS

November 2005

Welcome to NCPD E-NEWS. We have much news and information to share. We also want to include your news. Be sure to send to us information on your programs, resources, or upcoming meetings for inclusion in future issues.

CONTENTS

 Reader Exchange

• Diocese of Green Bay seeking information on symbols & graphics to enhance communication

 Diocesan News & Ideas

• Hurricane Katrina
• News from our Gulf Coast colleagues
• Opportunities to help survivors
• Tip Sheets for 1 st Responders

NCPD News

• NCPD office move
• NCPD Board of Directors news
• Welcome and Justice reformatted by the USCCB Office of Publications
• NCPD 2005-2006 Affiliate Members continue their support of NCPD
• NCPD needs Your support

Partner News & Events

• NCOD seeks new Executive Director
• Network of Inclusive Catholic Educators Conference
• Human Life Matters
• Mark your calendar for the annual Social Justice Gathering

Legislation

• Committee on Education and the Workforce publishes new guide on the IDEA

Reader Exchange

Request from Susan Perrault of the Diocese of Green Bay : I have a parish in our diocese working to accommodate a child who uses symbols and graphics to enhance communication.  The special needs facilitator (a public school teacher with a special education background who voluntarily shares her skills and expertise with the parish based faith formation program as a consultant) is wondering if anyone has ever developed any symbols/graphics for use in a Catholic Faith Formation setting.  Is anyone aware of someone in their home dioceses working on such an effort?

We are also curious if any programs/tapes are available for a Dyna Vox that would feature our Catholic “lingo” as well as prayers? Please email or call with any ideas, leads, or suggestions. We would be most grateful! 

Susan Perrault, Diocese of Green Bay, sperrault@gbdioc.org , 1-920-272-8306

Diocesan News and Ideas

• Hurricane Katrina
• News from our Gulf Coast colleagues. Many of you have asked me if we have heard from our friends in the Gulf Coast . I just had a conversation with Paula D’Albor-Stuckart, who hosted our Summer Institute in New Orleans in June. Paula and her family are safe, and are in the process of rebuilding their home. In the meantime, they are living with her father. The Archdiocese of New Orleans was forced to downsize its staff, and Paula stepped down as the director of the Family Life Office. She is currently seeking new employment. Shirley Bertucci, the Chair of the Archdiocesan Commission on People with Disabilities is safe and was able to return to her home. I have yet to speak with Lynnette Bartley, who also assisted in Summer Institute preparations, but know that she is safe. Please keep all of them in your prayers as they continue to rebuild their lives.
• Opportunities to help survivors. Deacon Drea Capaci is coordinating a twinning parish program, and other projects to assist survivors. Please contact him at 225-341-4519 (o) or 504-442-2228 (cell) to offer assistance or cash donations. In addition, Paula asked that each of us contact our Congressional delegations with the following requests:
• Ask them to speak with their colleagues from Louisiana to learn what is truly happening and how the needs can be met.
• Ask Congress to provide sufficient funding to rebuild the coastal levy system in a practical and positive way to protect New Orleans and other coastal areas.
• Allow Louisiana a larger percentage of their offshore oil revenues. The current share apportioned to Louisiana is significantly lower than the shares received by other states, particularly Texas and New Mexico .
• Tip Sheets for 1 st Responders. The New Mexico Center for Development and Disability (CDD), in conjunction with other disability organizations in New Mexico and in other states, has developed "Tips For First Responders," an 11-page, color-coded, laminated 4.5 x 5.5-inch field guide that contains quick, easy-to-read information on how to assist persons with a wide range of disabilities and seniors. They are designed for use by first responders and other emergency personnel who may be unfamiliar with how to interact with people with various disabilities. View the tip sheets at http://cdd.unm.edu/products/TipsForFirstResponders.htm.

For more information, contact Tony Cahill at the CDD: acahill@salud.unm.edu or (505) 272-2990.

NCPD News

 NCPD office move. On October 27, NCPD moved their offices to a new suite in the McCormick Pavilion of Theological College. The mailing address has stayed the same; the suite number has changed from 240 to suite 95 . Please make a note of this change, and come and visit us in our new suite.

 NCPD Board of Directors news. In early November, NCPD’s Governance Board of Directors gathered in Washington , DC for their annual meeting and election. Four board members whose terms had expired were honored for their many years of dedicated service to NCPD: Jackie Johnson from Erie, PA who had served as Secretary; Palmira Perea-Hay from Albuquerque, NM who hosted NCPD’s 2002 Summer Institute; Sr. Eleace King, the former diocesan director from Bridgeport , CT who had served as Treasurer; and Dr. Nancy Thompson, who completed her three-year term as Chair of the Board. We also honored Dr. Thompson’s son, Larry Thompson, for his service to NCPD as a faithful and hard working volunteer. Newly elected to the board for three-year terms were diocesan directors Dorothy Coughlin from Portland , OR and Susan Perrault from Green Bay , WI . Also elected were Debra Adams, an architect from Salt Lake City , UT , Fr. Anthony Romero, a newly ordained priest in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, and Stephen Ganns, a CPA from Mount Kisco , NY . Joan Donnelly was elected to a three-year term and to the position of Treasurer; Dan Avila was elected Secretary, and Jerry Freewalt assumed his term as Chair, after serving the past year as Chair-Elect. Jerry’s position as the Director of the Office for Social Concerns in the Diocese of Columbus, OH includes ministry with Catholics with disabilities.

Welcome and Justice reformatted by the USCCB Office of Publications. The USCCB Office of Publications has decided to discontinue the sale of Welcome and Justice in brochure format. They are offering their remaining stock at a sell-out price of $3.00 for a pack of 50. To take advantage of this offer while they last, visit their web site at http://www.usccbpublishing.org/showproducts.cfm?FullCat=156&step=12 . They have prepared the document in a pdf format for free download. It is produced in color on two pages, in a larger print than the original brochure format. To download the document, visit

http://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/client_pages/bulletininserts.cfm.

Also available at a 50% discount is the Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors videotape featuring C ardinal Joseph Bernardin and Fr. Henri Nouwen during the last year of their lives, promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in liturgy and church life. To order, visit http://www.usccbpublishing.org/showproducts.cfm?FullCat=154&step=3.

NCPD 2005-2006 Affiliate Members continue their support of NCPD. To date, 67 dioceses have renewed their support of NCPD through their annual Affiliate Membership contribution. This support enables NCPD to carry on its mission, and is greatly appreciated. Visit NCPD’s web site for a list of current members: http://www.ncpd.org/affiliates2005.htm .

NCPD needs Your support. Donations from individuals, parishes, and religious communities are likewise an important lifeblood of NCPD. A donation of any amount greatly aids us in serving you. Checks can be mailed to NCPD or c redit card donations can be made on line at our website http://www.ncpd.org/Donate%20to%20NCPD.htm. Thank you for your support.

Partner News & Events

NCOD seeks new Executive Director . The National Catholic Office for the Deaf (NCOD) Board of Directors has announced that the position of Executive Director will be open as of October 1, 2006 . The current Executive Director, Arvilla Rank , will retire on September 30, 2006 . Recruitment will take place during 2005. Visit their web site at http://www.ncod.org/vision/vsum2005/position.htm for further information on the position.

Network of Inclusive Catholic Educators ( NICE ) conference was a rousing success. The Institute for Pastoral Initiatives of the University of Dayton hosted their 15 th annual NICE Conference from September 25-27, 2005 at the Broom Tree Retreat and Conference Center near Irene , South Dakota . The meeting, hosted by Angie Quissell , director of Inclusion Ministry for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, was attended by teachers, principals, faith formation directors, as well as several diocesan directors of disability ministry from throughout the U.S. Keynoter Dr. Sonya Kunkel spoke on “Practicing an Inclusive Philosophy: A Community Where All Children Learn and Grow Together.” She also offered practical teaching strategies in two workshops. Dr. Bryan Post offered new understandings in working with difficult students by providing insights on what children are experiencing emotionally. He too provided practical ideas on reaching out to students in crisis, trying to minimize their fear and offer a sense of safety to them. Videotapes of some of the presentations are available. Contact Angie for further information:

Angie Quissell

Director of Inclusion Education/Formation Office

523 N. Duluth Ave.

Sioux Falls , SD 57104-2714

605-988-3767

605-988-3795 fax

e-mail: aquissell@sfcatholic.org

Resources from Mark Pickup of Human Life Matters. A featured guest at our Summer Institute in June in New Orleans was Mr. Mark Pickup, an eloquent spokesperson on behalf of life issues and people with disabilities. Mr. Pickup is the director of Human Life Matters, which is a ministry in Western Canada to help local churches reach out to people with disabilities and integrate them into church-life. For further information and to read some of Mark’s columns and presentations, visit http://www.HumanLifeMatters.com. Mark is a passionate speaker, and would be available to speak to your organization. Contact him at humanlifematters@shaw.ca or Tel: (780) 929-9231.

Mark your calendar for the annual Social Justice Gathering. NCPD is once again co-sponsoring the annual national gathering of Catholic Social Justice Directors. The upcoming meeting will be held Sunday, February 12 through Wednesday, February 15 in Washington , D.C. NCPD will be hosting a pre-meeting for conference participants on February 12 to discuss ways to accommodate and include advocates with disabilities in diocesan legislative networks, as well as the disability perspective of the social justice issues to be addressed at the full gathering. Please join us for this opportunity to raise the social justice concerns of the disability community on such important issues as social security reform, housing, and employment. To review the registration book for the full meeting, visit http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/2006reg.pdf . You can also register for the meeting online at https://www.yesevents.com/social/.

Legislation

Committee on Education and the Workforce publishes new guide on IDEA.

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and the Workforce recently published a resource to help the general public understand the basics of the newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA).

The Guide to “Frequently Asked Questions” provides answers to many questions that have been raised about the new statute. Issues related to benefits available to parentally placed private school students are found on page six of the document and address the following two questions:

• What rights are provided to children with disabilities, and their parents, who voluntarily enroll in private schools?
• What are the obligations of local educational agencies (LEAs) in providing for children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private schools?

Additional information from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about IDEA can be found on their website at:

http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/109th/education/idea/idea.htm

To view general information about current education issues being examined in the 109 th Congress visit: http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/issues.htm.

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Our goal with NCPD E-NEWS is to be brief, timely, and relevant. We trust that you’ll look forward to these postings, read them, and pass them on. We count on your feedback. NCPD Executive Director Janice Benton edits NCPD E-NEWS. Please submit to her at jbenton@ncpd.org any items you want considered for inclusion, using the phrase “E-NEWS Submission” or “E-NEWS Response” in the subject line.

We wish you a blessed Season of Advent!