Legislation

Ticket to Work Scorecard Star Legislation on the Rise Nationwide

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA), signed into law in December 1999, may well be a star piece of federal legislation that continues to rise under the administration of George W. Bush. Employment and empowerment are cornerstones of Republican ideology. Programs that encourage jobs and self-sufficiency can be expected to receive far more favorable consideration than those that stress entitlements based on civil rights alone.

Accessible Housing Database and Manual

The goal of the Accessible Housing Database package is to provide a tool with which Independent Living Centers can track accessible rental housing in their community, and from which officials and advocates can draw data in order to assess affordability and availability of accessible housing.

Milestones: 1755-2003

The following international timeline is based on a review of independent living literature and research conducted by Anne Finger, who served as the 1999 Independent Living Research Fellow for the World Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation International, funded by the NIDRR grant, International disability Exchanges and Studies 2000. Finger’s work was supplemented by contributions of many of the 110 disability leaders who participated in the Independent Living Summit held in Washington, D.C. in September 1999 and by Barbara Duncan of Rehabilitation International, and Kathy Martinez, Marc Behrendt and Bruce Curtis of the World Institute on Disability.

Preliminary Report Based on Report-Backs from Sunday's Breakout Sessions

Our reccommendations and action plans for PAS on a national level. Areas include legislation, media, litigation, regulation, research, funding

Policy Brief: Use of Individual Development Accounts by People with Disabilities: Barriers and Solutions

Asset development tools are a key element of economic development programs that have been created by Congress – with strong bipartisan support – over the last few years. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), the grandparent of savings programs for the poor, were initiated as part of the welfare reform movement. The original concept of providing savings incentives through a matching program was developed as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).

Conference Participants

 

Use of Individual Development Accounts by People with Disabilities: Barriers and Solutions

Asset development tools are a key element of economic development programs that have been created by Congress – with strong bipartisan support – over the last few years. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), the grandparent of savings programs for the poor, were initiated as part of the welfare reform movement. The original concept of providing savings incentives through a matching program was developed as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).

The TAX FACTS SOLUTION: The Missing Link in Building Economic Security for Persons with Disabilities

Johnette Hartnett, Vice President with the NCB Development Corporation, and researcher at the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center, eloquently provides a personal narrative that frames the details of the TAX FACTS Campaign and the essential role that it plays in the ability for people with disabilities to build assets.

EQUITY Feature Article

The Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (HR 3221).

Legislation

A listing of content on the site related to legislation and governance.

Oregon’s Individual Development Account Initiative Strives to Better Include Persons with Disabilities

David Foster, Oregon Housing & Community Services, demonstrates how Oregon programs are working to provide more options for people with disabilities to become economically self-sufficient.

Ensuring Equal Access for All

In 1965, President Johnson attempted to persuade Congress to pass his Voting Rights Act (the Civil Rights Act had been passed the previous year). This proposed legislation removed the right of states to impose restrictions on who could vote in elections. Johnson stated: "Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote."

LIFE Accounts - Where Home and Community-Based Supports Meet Asset Development

Lee Bezanson, Director of the Community Living Exchange Collaborative Clearinghouse, provides insight into the initial stages of the Living with Independence, Freedom, and Equality (LIFE) Account Savings demonstrations being planned in Wisconsin and New Hampshire and the options being explored to assist people with disabilities combine self-directed services with asset building opportunities.

The Makings of Microenterprise for People with Disabilities

Why it is important to have a 'special' program for people with disabilities wanting to start their own micro-businessess.

Paralyzed Veterans of America: Assisting Disabled Veterans and All People with Disabilities

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) is a veterans service organization supplying a multi-layered approach of advocacy, research, transition assistance and more- all designed to enhance the lives of disabled veterans.

New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA)Replication Recommendations

Woullard Lett & Michael Swack provide recommendations to other states interested in developing state tax credits to support asset development, as well as how to better serve people with disabilities.

Savings for Working Families Act (SWFA) of 2003

In order for Individual Development Accounts to be truly effective, expansion of program availability is necessary. SWFA would allocate $450 million in IDA Tax Credits to match the savings of working families and would allow for up to 300,000 IDAs to be created.

RRTC-ILDP Issue Brief: Taking on Rural Transportation

How can it be that decades after the advent of the independent living and disability rights movements, transportation remains the number one issue for people with disabilities living in rural areas? We live in an era when society is finally trying to open all doors to all people, with every kind of impairment or limitation. Yet, most people with disabilities who live in Rural America continue to be isolated, frustrated, and cut off from any possibility of going to work or school, visiting family or friends, participating in community life, or tending to their health needs, all because of the lack of adequate transportation.

DisabilityWorld

DisabilityWorld features a wide variety of news reports, international studies and research, new projects, interviews, book and film reviews. The majority of articles address disability-related developments in a particular country concerning social change through advocacy, self-help and building alliances; employment and entrepreneurial initiatives; technology and accessibility; governance, legislation and policies; and attitude change through mass media and the arts.

EQUITY Special Section

SEVRA 2007- H.R. 1851 The Section Eight Voucher Reform Act of 2007, proposes sweeping changes to HUD's housing subsidy program. Here are a few changes which may effect people with disabilities.