Recent News

Bruce Curtis travels to Iraq to train disability NGOs in advocacy strategies

Bruce Curtis is used to dealing with obstacles - stairs in front of a door, uneven spots in a sidewalk, telephones that need dialing...

WID Releases Ground-Breaking Manual on Work Incentives and Benefits

State and federal rules on access to health coverage and benefits can bewilder even a Ph.D. Some programs, like Social Security disability benefits, have thousands of pages of laws and regulations governing them. Every program has its own unique set of rules on interaction with other programs. The resulting confusion can have a devastating impact on people using more than one program or contemplating a return to work. What can state agencies and other organizations do to help people with disabilities navigate this network and improve their lives? In a groundbreaking new manual—Work Incentives Information Services: Developing a State-Focused Training and Technical Assistance Center—the California Work Incentives Initiative (CWII) at the World Institute on Disability (WID) presents a clear blueprint on how to establish a technical assistance and training center (“TA Center”) addressing these issues.

Dr. Marsha Saxton presents Irving Kenneth Zola Memorial Lecture

Marsha Saxton, researcher at the World Institute on Disability and lecturer in the UC Berkeley Disability Studies program, presented this year's Irving Kenneth Zola Memorial Lecture at Brandeis University in the Boston area on March 31, 2008. Irving Kenneth Zola was a much beloved leader in the disability studies movement from the early 70's until his death in 1995. A contemporary of Ed Roberts, Irv, in his capacities as medical sociologist and disability rights activist was particularly interested in the relationship between patients and doctors, and the interaction between the medical system and disability issues.

WID and American Red Cross Partner to Provide Innovative Training to Better Assist People With Disabilities

WID and the American Red Cross announced on October 10, 2007 the creation of an innovative national training, awareness and action program to help Red Cross staff and volunteers better serve people with disabilities during disasters. The specialized training program will be funded through a grant from the Verizon Foundation. “The American Red Cross is committed to providing the best service possible by constantly learning and building on its over 100 years of providing disaster relief," said Harold Brooks, chief executive officer of the organization’s Bay Area Chapter. "The American Red Cross trains staff and volunteers to respond to almost 75,000 disasters annually. This grant from Verizon is much appreciated and will help people with disabilities through this collaboration with the World Institute on Disability,” Brooks said.

WID Executive Director Named to Board of U.S. Institute of Peace, Sworn in by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

Six new members of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace were sworn in by former Associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on September 20, including Kathleen Martinez, appointed in recognition of her expertise in working with disability groups in post-conflict countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Namibia, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. In addition WID is working in the Caucasus to demonstrate how disability can be an often overlooked bridge to conflict resolution. Martinez is the first disability rights expert to be appointed to this board.

Celebrating a Disability Rights Milestone: Ed Roberts' 504 Victory Speech

This the text of a speech by Ed Roberts, one of WID’s founders, at the 504 sit-in victory rally in San Francisco, April 30, 1977. We have chosen to reprint it to commemorate the 30th anniversary of this landmark event. Ed’s speech captures his spirit, his vision and his commitment to the disability rights movement that was then in its infancy. The San Francisco sit-in, still the longest such action in a U.S. federal building, was part of a national cross-disability protest to force the Carter administration to sign regulations to enable the enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The provision made it illegal for any federal agency, federal contractor or other entity receiving public funds to discriminate against anyone "solely by reason of ...handicap."

Sold Out! 9th Annual Ever Widening Circle to Feature Josh Blue

The 9th Annual Ever Widening Circle, our annual gala celebrating disability community and culture by featuring world-class performers with disabilities, will be held on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 from 7:00-9:30pm in the main ballroom of the Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, California. Sponsored by WID and Culture! Disability! Talent! (CDT), this year's event will headline comedian Josh Blue, 2006 winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing, and feature the musical styling of vocalist and pianist Slau. (photo by Crystal Allen)

Bridges to Employment Conference to Take Place June 13-15 in Miami, Florida

National Forum on Employment Issues & Latinos with Disabilities Miami to Host Sixth Annual Bridges to Employment Conference June 13-15

Interview with Kathy Martinez

On December 16, 2006, WID Executive Director Kathy Martinez was interviewed on "Workin' It," a weekly, one-hour radio show focusing on working life in the U.S. hosted by actress/author/political activist Jackie Guerra. Martinez was invited to discuss her personal experience as well as employment for people with disabilities. The interview aired on 47 radio stations in 27 states.

DB101 Introduces Online Benefits Calculators

Disability Benefits 101 (DB101) at the World Institute on Disability has built online benefits calculators for people with disabilities, their families, as well as service providers and the employers who work with them. They are available at www.disabilitybenefits101.org/planning/.

New Tools and New Rules 2007

Seamless access to health care is a complicated but upfront quality of life issue for people with disabilities. While gaining independence is at the core of the struggle for affordable, accessible health care, many people find health care programs available to people with disabilities hard to work with. Read this article to learn more about policy for the 250% Working Disabled Program and new calculator tools.

Event to Introduce World Institute on Disability (WID) Projects and New Leadership Held in Washington, D.C.

On March 7th 2006, the East Coast board members of the World Institute on Disability (WID) held a briefing and reception for 50 Washington D.C. based colleagues on the organization's projects and leadership. Board members Sam Simon of Issue Dynamics, Inc., Patrick Gaston of the Verizon Foundation, and Susan Mazrui of Cingular Wireless, all leaders in information technology initiatives for Americans with disabilities, hosted the event.

WID Welcomes New Board Chair

In January, WID welcomed Martin B. Schulter as the new Chair of WID's Board of Directors. "As the new Chair of WID's board, Marty brings to WID a great combination of disability advocate, business acumen and a respected leader in higher education," said WID's Executive Director, Kathy Martinez. Prior to becoming Chair in 2006, Mr. Schulter previously served as Vice-Chair from 2003 to 2006 and has been a board member since 2001.

2007 Bridges to Employment Conference to Take Place June 13-15 in Miami, Florida

Proyecto Visión's annual Bridges to Employment Conference will take place June 13-15 in Miami, Florida at the Radisson Miami hotel. It is the premiere event on employment and Latinos with disabilities in the United States. Each year recruiters, vocational experts and jobseekers from around the country convene to participate in trainings and exchanges on occupational issues, and collaborate to increase job opportunities for Latinos with disabilities.

Current Project: WID awarded contract from the Social Security Administration

In September 2005, the Social Security Administration awarded WID a contract to expand Disability Benefits 101 Information Services (DB101), part of WID's California Work Incentives Initiative (CWII). The Social Security contract enables the program to complete design, installation, integration and beta testing of DB101's Benefits Planning Sessions, six new user-friendly benefit planning scenarios with calculator features.

Amazing Matt Savage Leaves Ever Widening Circle 2005 Spellbound

The 7th Annual Ever Widening Circle: An Evening of Entertainment Celebrating Art and Disability, held September 29, 2005 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, featured an entertaining and diverse assemblage of celebrated performers with disabilities. This year's headliner, the amazing Matt Savage and his Jazz Trio (www.savagerecords.com), mesmerized the house. Savage, a 13 year-old world-class child prodigy jazz piano player and composer who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, recorded his first CD in 1999 when he was just 7 years old. At the age of 9, Matt formed his Jazz Trio, headed by Matt on piano with two adult sidemen on bass (John Funkhouser) and drums (Steve Sliverstein).

Kathleen Martinez Appointed Executive Director of World Institute on Disability

"We are very proud that Kathy Martinez will be the organization's Executive Director and confident that this well known disability rights and policy specialist will lead us in exciting new directions," announced Dr. Stanley Yarnell, Chairman of the Board of the World Institute on Disability. She was appointed by the Board following the resignation of Mark Breimhorst in July.

New training video/DVD and curriculum for medical providers! Access to Medical Care: Adults with Physical Disabilities

People with disabilities often face multiple barriers to receiving appropriate health and wellness services. This twenty-minute video/DVD and training curriculum for physicians, dentists, nurses, and other medical staff provides crucial information on quality of care for patients with disabilities in outpatient clinical settings. In this video, expert medical providers and diverse people with disabilities address issues such as cultural competence; access and communication issues in the clinic; common myths and stereotypes about disability that interfere with accurate assessment of patients; and barriers to appropriate health care delivery.

New publication! How to Create Disability Access to Technology: Best Practices in Electronic and Information Technology Companies

This manual explains how today's technology companies are largely ignoring a huge, untapped global market of millions of people with disabilities. In the US alone, there over 54 million people with disabilities­a market that is expected to nearly double in the next 15 years. Five easy-to-read "How To" chapters cover how technology industry experts created accessibility in their companies, how AOL's strategic commitment to accessibility averted a costly Americans with Disabilities Act verdict, and how to use the included extensive resources to understand the disability market and how it will be changing.

New publication! A Significant Alliance: The Independent Living Movement, the Service Employees International Union and the Establishment of the First Public Authorities in California

During the last decade in California, "Public Authorities" have been established in most counties to allow personal attendants to organize and seek union representation. In order to fully understand the significance of potentially losing Public Authorities due to loss of funding, it's important to understand the depth of the victory that the Public Authorities represent. This publication covers the history behind the establishment of this significant institution.

New digital publication! Mass Media and Disability

Mass Media and Disability is an overview of research and advocacy projects internationally to improve the image and expand the presence of people with disabilities in the mass media. The report includes an analytical overview of improvements in disability portrayal on television, films, public education programs and schools-based awareness projects; an overview of research on disability imagery; and in-depth reports on approaches in Australia, Germany, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, the UK and the U.S.

New publication! Independent Living and Self-Help in 2003: A Global Snapshot of a Social Change Movement

WID's 131 page report features articles and research on how disability groups are using independent living principles to improve their living conditions in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Also included is the International Independent Living Timeline spanning 1755 to 2003, and a selected international bibliography.

Proyecto Visión Hosts National Forum on Employment Issues & Latinos with Disabilities

More than 150 human resource professionals, recruiters, occupational experts, entrepreneurs, diversity managers, disability service providers, and disabled Latino jobseekers and their family members from around the country came together June 13-15 in Miami, Florida, for the Bridges to Employment conference. An annual event focused on increasing employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities in the United States, the 2007 conference offered three days of workshops and plenary sessions to allow these experts and job seekers to share best practices, exchange information, and showcase employment opportunities.

Save the Date: Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the World Institute on Disability at Ever Widening Circle with The Blind Boys of Alabama

Join us for the musical event of the fall season! Now in its 10th year, WID’s Ever Widening Circle will be bigger and better than ever with an evening of entertainment provided by world-class performers in the ballroom of the downtown Oakland Marriott on Friday, November 7, 2008. This year, Ever Widening Circle will feature the Grammy Award-winning talents of The Blind Boys of Alabama, revered worldwide for their unique blend of the sacred and the secular.

The 9th Annual Ever Widening Circle Highlights Comedy and Music

A sold out crowd enjoyed artistic excellence, conversation, community and celebrating disability culture at the 9th Annual Ever Widening Circle, Wednesday October 10 at the Marriott City Center in downtown Oakland. With ABC7's Carolyn Tyler as MC, the evening began with singer songwriter Slau (www.slau.net) and ended with the comedy of headliner Josh Blue, 2006 winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing (www.joshblue.com). The evening also included the WID Policy and Advocacy Award given to Dr. Stanley K. Yarnell and the CDT Arts and Culture Award given to Cheryl Marie Wade for their outstanding contributions to the disability community. Photo by Scot Goodman.

DB101 Launches Upgraded Benefits to Work Calculator

Disability Benefits 101 (www.db101.org) at the World Institute on Disability has upgraded and launched a new 2.0 version of its Benefits to Work Calculator. The Benefits to Work Calculator shows how your benefits might change when taking a job, changing jobs or starting a business. The improved online calculator tool allows workers and job seekers to plan ahead with new features for more personal and real-life planning. Users can now compare new job offers and their impact on benefits and health coverage. DB101 also launched a newsletter, Employment Matters, news and views from DB101, to share related information on changing times, topics, programs and resources. DB101 visitors can use the subscription link to subscribe directly to the email newsletter.

2006 Ever Widening Circle Highlights

Nearly 400 friends of the disability community gathered on September 15 to celebrate the eighth annual Ever Widening Circle, a performance event benefiting the World Institute on Disability and the Corporation on Disabilities and Telecommunication.