National Council on Disability holds quarterly meeting in Nashville

October 26, 8:52 AMNashville Special Needs Kids ExaminerPatricia Booker

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National Council on Disability meets in Nashville
 

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is holding its quarterly meeting beginning today at the Nashville Holiday Inn Express  at 920 Broadway. Open to the public, the meeting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The NCD promotes policies, programs, practices and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities and that empower them to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. An independent federal agency, the NCD is composed of 15 members appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate.

Lisa Mattheiss of East Ridge, Tennessee, is one of the appointees. A parent of a child with special needs, Mrs.  Mattheiss is a Parents Advisory Council member/volunteer at TC Thompson Children's Hospital in Chattanooga. She is  involved with the board of Tennessee's Parent Training and Information organization, STEP, Inc. (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents, Inc.), and she is part of the Tennessee Respite Coalition.

The quarterly NCD meetings are held around the country to gather input from stakeholders and the public in order to review and evaluate federal programs and legislation. Recommendations based on this feedback are then made to the President, Congress and federal agencies providing related services.

The main issues to be discussed in Nashville are employment, health care, and restraint and seclusion issues.

The employment session will be held on Tuesday, from 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Speakers include:
 

• Andrea Cooper, Assistant Commissioner, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Tennessee Department of Human Services, Nashville
• Lillian Burch, Executive Director, DisABILITY Resource Center, Knoxville
• Carol Westlake, Executive Director, Tennessee Disability Coalition, Nashville

A discussion on seclusion and restraint will follow from 10:45 a.m. until noon. Speakers include:
 

• Holly Lu Conant Rees, Education Advocate, ARC of Davidson County, Nashville
• Steven Glowicki, Family Educator, STEP (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents) Inc., Nashville

A presentation by Tony Garr of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign, Nashville, on health care for people with disabilities will be held Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. It will be preceded by a reception from noon until 2.

Other current and proposed NCD research projects are:

• National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
• Housing
• Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act: Implementation Evaluation and Recommendations for Reauthorization
• Workforce Infrastructure in Support of People with Disabilities: Matching Human Resources to Service Needs
• Accessibility of United States Overseas Development Projects and Embassies
• Improving Access to Health Care, Special Education, and Long-Term Services for Marine Corps Family Members with Disabilities
• Keeping up: Technology's Rapid Changes and Effects on People with Disabilities
   

A public comment session is scheduled during the meeting from 4:30-5 pm today. Written comments can also be e-mailed at any time to mquigley@ncd.gov.

The full agenda for the three-day meeting can be found on the NCD website.