PENNSYLVANIA REHABILITATION COUNCIL (PARC) - PENNSYLVANIA ...
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PENNSYLVANIA REHABILITATION COUNCIL (PaRC)
Office Location / Mailing Address: 55 Utley Drive
Camp Hill, PA 17011
Voice: (717) 975-2004 or (888) 250-5175
TTY (717) 737-0158 Fax: (888) 524-9282
Email: racucpa@ucpcentralpa.org www.parac.org
WEEKLY UPDATE February 19, 2021
We are social and want to connect with you! That's right,
please visit the PaRC Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/Pennsylvania-Rehabilitation-
Council-1587882184858917 and like us! This is where you
can find the latest happenings with the PaRC events,
meetings, latest news, and info about OVR, legislation, and
information regarding employment for people with
disabilities. See you there!
*If you no longer wish to receive this update, please contact
Katie Haley at mary.haley@ucpcentralpa.org to have your name
removed. *
NOTE: This update is for informational purposes only. The PaRC
and Support Staff are not responsible for the accuracy of this
information. Some of the information found in this update you
may have already received from another source. The PaRC or the
Support Staff do not use this update as a vehicle to express their
views and positions. As of February 19, 2021, all links have
been verified. Please credit the PaRC Support Project for any
information forwarded to others. Thank You.
MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of the Council is to inform
and advise the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the State Board
of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Legislature, and the Governor on
the diverse issues affecting employment of people with
disabilities.The PaRC 2020 Annual Report can be found on our
webpage or by clicking on the following link
http://parac.org/reports/2020AnnualReport.pdf
Find Your Local CAC Meeting Dates: Please go to our website
www.parac.org and click on the Citizen Advisory Committee
(CAC) link to find dates, locations, times, agendas and minutes,
etc. for information on your CAC.
PaRC Full Council meetings will be held at the Harrisburg Hilton
from 9:30 AM until 3:30 PM (unless otherwise noted). We will
also have parking passes for those who park in the Strawberry
Square Parking Garage. Please plan to stay for the entire
meeting.
*** 2021 Full Council Meeting Dates and OVR
Quarterly State Board Meeting Dates ***
PaRC OVR State Board
Wednesday, February 17, Thursday, March 11, 2021
2021 Virtual
Harrisburg
3-11-2021 OVR State Board Meeting.ics
2-17-2021 PaRC Full Council Meeting.ics
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Thursday, June 3, 2021
Harrisburg Virtual
5-12-2021 PaRC Full Council Meeting.ics 6-3-2021 OVR State Board Meeting.icsWednesday, August 4, Thursday, September 16,
2021 2021
Harrisburg Pittsburgh
8-4-2021 PaRC Full Council Meeting.ics 9-16-2021 OVR State Board Meeting.ics
Wednesday, November 10, Thursday, December 2,
2021 2021
Harrisburg Harrisburg
11-17-2021 PaRC Full Council Meeting.ics 12-2-2021 OVR State Board Meeting.ics
http://parac.org/council_mtgs.html
***PaRC Member Committee Conference Calls – Please
Mark your Calendars***
CareerLink/WIOA Conference Call
Next Call: To be Determined
Executive Committee Conference Call
Next Call: To be Determined
Legislative and Public Awareness Conference Call
Next Call: To be DeterminedOVR Policy and State Plan Committee / Customer
Satisfaction Conference Call
Friday February 26, 2021 at 9:30 AM
Social Media/Outreach Committee Conference Call
Wednesday March 3, 2021 at 9:30 AM
Transition & Education Conference Call
Thursday April 29, 2021 at 2:30 PM
The PaRC Social Media and Outreach Committee in partnership
with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) produced 5
videos which are OVR individual and business success stories. We
want to thank both the individuals and companies that
participated in making these videos and OVR for supporting the
project. The PaRC is pleased to present the following 5 videos.
Please feel free to share.
PaRC Aha Moment
PaRC Dream Partnership PaRC Herr Foods Inc.
PaRC Keystone Blind Association PaRC Assistive Technology
PaRC COUNCIL OPENINGS: The PaRC is looking for candidates
to fill new openings on the council. If interested, please go to our
website (www.parac.org) and fill out an application.1.) Forwarded from Michele Leahy
Please refer to the following job posting for a warehouse
team member in Kutztown, PA
Help Wanted! Help Wanted!
(English).pdf (Spanish) (1).pdf
2.) Senators Call On Biden To Uphold Promise To
Expand Community-Based Services
by Michelle Diament
February 12, 2021
Dozens of U.S. senators are urging President Joe Biden to make
good on his campaign proposal to invest $450 billion in Medicaid
home- and community-based services.
In a letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this month,
31 Democratic senators said that the administration should
proceed with a plan to expand offerings for people with
disabilities. To read more, go to:
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/02/12/senators-call-on-
biden-to-uphold-promise-to-expand-community-based-
services/29191/
3.) Forwarded from Michele Leahy
March is Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Awareness
Month!!
The Arc of NEPA is working on an awareness campaign to showcase
the many accomplishments of individuals with Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities, and we need your help! We are
accepting submissions to be included in our awareness video Can!"
The video will be shared on social media and with agencies and
schools in our community to promote respect for people with
disabilities while educating others about their limitless potential.
We hope this will help encourage more opportunities for individuals
with IIDD and further possibilities for inclusion in the workplace,
schools, and community.We would love to represent individuals from our entire coverage
area of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike,
Susquehanna, and Wayne Counties. Submission suggestions:
*Photo of an individual with I/DD doing what they love: working,
participating in sports, sharing a talent, in their community, etc.
*Photo of artwork, craft or project made by an
individual with I/DD. *Inspirational quotes
*Awareness logos
Please only submit photos of a single individual (no group photos
allowed) and submit a signed release form for the person in the
photo, Photos and release forms should be emailed to
mcolville@thearcnepa.org or by
February 28th
Help us spread awareness in March by using
#ican #1/DDawareness2021 on social media
The Arc
4.) Registries of disabled people debated in police
reform talks
By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press
February 14, 2021
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Victoria Mitchell wishes police would have
had the full picture of her son’s struggles with mental illness and
reacted differently before an officer shot and killed him last year
in Ansonia, Connecticut.
Her son, Michael Gregory, had been diagnosed with bipolar
disorder and attempted suicide several times. He was in crisis
when he was shot on Jan. 2, 2020, while charging officers with a
knife, after telling them they were going to have to shoot him. To
read more, go to:
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/registries-disabled-
people-debated-police-reform-talks-75890664
5.) Virtual Training May Help Young People With
Autism Land Jobsby Shaun Heasley February 16, 2021 Practicing job interview skills using a virtual simulator could significantly increase the odds that young adults with autism find employment, new research suggests. In a study looking at people on the spectrum ages 16 to 26, researchers found that individuals who participated in a virtual employment training program were much more likely than those who only received typical pre-employment transition services to get hired within six months. To continue reading, go to: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/02/16/virtual-training- may-help-young-people-with-autism-land-jobs/29199/ 6.) Xbox launches Gaming Accessibility Testing Service to make games more disability friendly By Kimberly Gedeon February 17, 2021 Xbox is setting a praiseworthy example in the gaming industry for its applaudable efforts in making games more accessible for players with disabilities. The Microsoft-owned gaming giant updated its set of best practices called the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, which ensures that gamers with disabilities don't get shut out from all the fun. Last week, we published an opinion piece from the perspective of Tony Polanco (a gamer with a disability). He praised Microsoft for its meaningful accessibility initiatives (for example, the Xbox Adaptive Controller was crafted for gamers with limited mobility), but Polanco admitted there's still room for improvement — and it seems like Xbox took that feedback to heart. To read more, go to: https://www.laptopmag.com/news/xbox-launches-gaming- accessibility-testing-service-to-make-games-more-disability- friendly 7.) Lack of COVID data on people with intellectual disabilities ‘comes with a body count’
Kaiser Health News February 17, 2021 Peter Prater’s family wasn’t thinking about COVID-19 when the call came that he had been taken to the hospital with a fever. It was April, and the Tallahassee Developmental Center, where Prater lives, hadn’t yet had any COVID-19 diagnoses. Prater, 55, who has Down syndrome and diabetes, became the Florida center’s first known case, his family said. Within two weeks, more than half of the roughly 60 residents and a third of the staff had tested positive for the virus, according to local news reports. To continue reading, go to: https://billingsgazette.com/news/state- and-regional/lack-of-covid-data-on-people-with-intellectual- disabilities-comes-with-a-body-count/article_e35bc647-ef80- 58f1-a656-c3a5ea82adf4.html 8.) HOW TO DISCLOSE DISABILITIES TO A POTENTIAL EMPLOYER By Mariyam Muhammad February 17, 2021 Interviewing for jobs and internships is already an anxiety-ridden process, but there can be an added level of stress when worrying about how and when to disclose a disability to a potential employer. Experts say it’s essential for students to understand how, why, when and when not to tell employers about a disability. Kari Grafton is a vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency and has worked with students at Ohio State since 2019 at Student Life Disability Services. Grafton shared a video from the Office of Career Management at Ohio State that detailed three steps for individuals considering disclosing a disability. To read more, go to: https://www.thelantern.com/2021/02/how-to-disclose- disabilities-to-a-potential-employer/ 9.) True Newsroom Diversity Must Account for Disability Status, Too
By Sara Luterman February 17, 2021 I am one of a handful of openly disabled journalists. I have had to actively find every other disabled journalist I know. Some of us are closeted. It’s impossible to know, at least right now, exactly how many disabled journalists there even are in newsrooms. We’re not included in the glossy diversity reports some major outlets have put out in recent years. Disabled people are, according to the US Census Bureau, a fifth of the US population. So why do we take up so little space, both in newsrooms and on the pages of major outlets? To continue reading, go to: https://niemanreports.org/articles/true- newsroom-diversity-must-account-for-disability-status-too/ LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
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