Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (MSCCD)

For Immediate Release
January 30, 2012

Disability Legislative Awareness Day is an event to highlight disability organizations, advocacy organizations and parent groups that provide services to individuals with disabilities and their families in Mississippi. The Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities, a state-wide cross-disability advocacy organization hosts the
event annually to allow organizations throughout Mississippi to showcase the services they provide to individuals with disabilities and their families. More than 30 organizations, local not-for-profits and hundreds of individuals attended 2011 Disabilities Legislative Awareness Day at the State Capitol. The Awareness Day helps legislators gain an understanding of what it’s like to have a disability and the issues facing individuals with disabilities in Mississippi and the need for legislation in the areas of inclusive education, health care, Medicaid, as well as voting rights, accessible housing and transportation.

“It’s important that we diligently work to help our policy makers understand that those with disabilities and their families (their constituents) must be included in the decisions they make that affect the lives of over 600,000 Mississippians.” Troupe said. “We are honored each year to bring these organizations and individuals to the Capitol so they can learn how they can affect change. As important, the legislators meet the folks from their communities with disabilities and their families whose lives their votes can have either positive or negative consequence.”

Some of the legislative issues on disability organizations radar for 2012 are proposed changes in voting procedures, charter schools, state health exchange, and Medicaid. Also, MSCCD and participating organizations will be announcing the formation of a statewide alliance that will be monitoring and addressing the Department of Justice’s Findings Letter of December 2011 concluding that Mississippi is violating the American’s with Disabilities Act’s integration mandate in its provision of services to people with developmental disabilities and mental illness. http://www.ada.gov/olmstead/olmstead_new.htm

This Citizen Corps News Digest is provided by FEMA’s Individual & Community Preparedness Division to highlight community preparedness, resilience resources and activities recently announced by federal agencies and Citizen Corps partners. This week’s News Digest includes:

Community Preparedness Starts with You!
Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates

It’s the beginning of a New Year and we are excited so many of you have taken part in our January activities. Two weeks ago we honored the Individual and Community Preparedness Award winners as Champions of Change at the White House and last week we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Citizen Corps Program. As we continue to promote what you do, we also want to provide you with new resources, so I am proud to say the Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) recently hosted one of the most highly attended Community Preparedness Webinar Series webinars on record.

More than 1,800 individuals registered for the FREE Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) webinar. Every state within the U.S. was represented and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate even stopped by to say a few words. He talked about the importance of these new CERT tools and resources for CERT volunteers, local program managers and those wishing to start a CERT program in their own locality.

The webinar highlighted new, accessible versions of the CERT Basic Training Course, recently made available in Spanish, low vision and in screen reader. These materials serve to expand the reach of CERT into the Whole Community in terms of preparedness.

CERT National Office Director Rachel Jacky, presented on the new CERT Program Manager and CERT Train-the-Trainer Courses., The program manager course helps prepare current and prospective CERT managers/coordinators to create and sustain an active CERT program, while the train-the-trainer course provides a standard curriculum for states, regions and the Emergency Management Institute to train CERT instructors.

For all of those who participated, thank you for your continued support. For those who were not able to participate, you can view the webinar and find the recording HERE.

Remember, Community Preparedness Starts with YOU!

Find us on Twitter and make sure to sign up for our FREE weekly news digest. Stay in touch and receive updates such as the ones below:

• Join us for the next monthly Ready call
• Join your colleagues in viewing, contributing, and commenting on conversations about emergency preparedness, disaster response and recovery, and other emergency management topics. Don’t miss out—check out FEMA’s online community today—it’s where ideas come to life!

Paulette Aniskoff
Director, Individual and Community Preparedness

The National Office of Citizen Corps

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Please see the below links and press release regarding a new service from the TSA for travel.

http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2011/1222.shtm

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/disabilityandmedicalneeds/tsa_cares.shtm

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the launch of TSA Cares today, a new helpline number designed to assist travelers with disabilities and medical
conditions, prior to getting to the airport. Travelers may call TSA Cares toll free at 1-855-787 2227 prior to traveling with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint.

“TSA Cares provides passengers with disabilities and medical needs another resource to use before they fly, so they know what to expect when going through the screening process,” said TSA Administrator John Pistole. “This additional level of personal communication helps ensure that even those who do not travel often are aware of our screening policies before they arrive at the airport.”

Since its inception, TSA has provided information to all travelers through its TSA Contact Center and Customer Service Managers in airports nationwide. TSA Cares will serve as an additional, dedicated resource for passengers with disabilities, medical conditions or other circumstances or their loved ones who want to prepare for the screening process prior to flying.

When a passenger with a disability or medical condition calls TSA Cares, a representative will provide assistance, either with information about screening that is relevant to the passenger’s specific disability or medical condition, or the passenger may be referred to disability experts at TSA. TSA recommends that passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares has the opportunity to coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport when necessary.

Every person and item must be screened before entering the secure area of an airport and the manner in which the screening is conducted will depend on the passenger’s abilities and any specific equipment brought to the security checkpoint.

TSA strives to provide the highest level of security while ensuring that all passengers are treated with dignity and respect. The agency works regularly with a broad coalition of disability and medical condition advocacy groups to help understand their needs and adapt screening procedures accordingly. TSA holds quarterly meetings with this coalition to inform them about current training and screening procedures used in airports. TSA recently hosted a teleconference with members of these groups to announce the long-standing plans to implement TSA Cares for travelers and inform them of the upcoming launch.

All travelers may ask to speak to a TSA supervisor if questions about screening procedures arise while at the security checkpoint. The hours of operation for the TSA Cares helpline are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST, excluding federal holidays. After hours, travelers can find information about traveling with disabilities and medical needs on TSA’s website.

All travelers can contact TSA using Talk To TSA, a web-based tool that allows passengers to reach out to an airport Customer Service Manager directly, and the TSA Contact Center, 1 866-289-9673 and TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov, where travelers can ask questions, provide suggestions and file complaints. Travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to contact TSA Cares or can e-mail TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov

THANK YOU From 2012 Southeast Family Deaf-Blind Transition Institute held January 13 – 16 at The Mississippi School for the Deaf and The Mississippi School for the Blind.

I am so grateful to you, Arleatha Nichols and Larry Kissner of Magnolia Health Plan and Mary Troupe with MS Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities for your generous support for our event. I truly could not have made it without you. Your flexibility also has helped make this Institute an even more successful one as every cent of your support went directly to meeting the exact needs of its production.

Thank you!
Toni Hollingsworth
Mississippi Deaf-Blind Project
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS