INCLUSION DAILY EXPRESS

http://www.InclusionDaily.com

Your quick, once-a-day look at disability rights, self-determination
and the movement toward full community inclusion around the world.

Friday, January 18, 2002
Year III, Edition 026

This edition includes 7 news items, each preceded by a number (#) symbol.

QUOTES OF THE DAY:
"How the heck can this kid draw these things? It's almost like a musician with incredible chops."

--Art gallery owner Kerry Schuss, talking about the work of a 14-year-old artist who reportedly has mental retardation and autism (Second story)

"My son's dead. But if we can help people out there get the proper care that's what I'm trying to do."
--Ray Lawless, who believes that an Arkansas institution was responsible for his son's death last year (Fourth story)

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# ADVOCACY / COMMUNITY LIVING

Disability Rights Group Hopes To Repeat Legal Win

January 18, 2002

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE--A disability rights group is suing New Hampshire, demanding that the state get more than 200 people with developmental disabilities off of a waiting list for home or community-based services. The action comes a month after the group won a similar suit filed on behalf of people with brain injuries.

Disabilities Rights Center filed the suit Wednesday on behalf of five people with developmental disabilities. The group claims that the state is not providing enough money to meet state or federal requirements so that people can receive services in their communities.

"The state has not fully lived up to what most believe is an important societal responsibility and one that has been recognized in law," Richard Cohen, a lawyer for Disabilities Rights Center, told the Associated Press.

Last year, Disability Rights Center sued the state in federal court on behalf of about 45 people with brain injuries on a waiting list. A U.S. District Judge ruled last month that the state must provide services to those people within a year.

This link should redirect you to the Associated Press story that ran in Friday's Concord Monitor:
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/red/02/0118.htm

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# PARTICIPATION

Artist's Work Defies Stereotypes

January 18, 2002

NEW YORK, NEW YORK--Fourteen-year-old Jonathan Lerman is an accomplished artist. The K. S. Art gallery on New York's Leonard Street has been exhibiting the boy's work since he was 10 years old.

Jonathan's work has been described as "intense", "exceptional", and "uncooked by cultural influences".

Jonathan, on the other hand, has been described as "autistic", "unusually gifted", and "retarded with an I.Q. of 53".

This link should redirect you to a New York Times story on this young artist:
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/red/02/0118a.htm

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# TECHNOLOGY

New Technology Uses Eye Movements Instead Of Mouse And Keyboard

By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
January 18, 2002

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN--Cybernet Systems Corporation announced Wednesday that it has received a patent for a new low-cost technology that would allow people to use the movements of their eyes to control a cursor on a computer screen.

The company claims that the eye-tracking system is small enough that it could be built into a lightweight head-mounted display. It is expected to be useful for playing computer games and for people who have limited hand control to perform ordinary computer tasks.

"Our eye tracking and gesture recognition technologies essentially eliminate the need for a keyboard and mouse, opening the door to a multitude of opportunities in products ranging from programs for the handicapped to military training exercises," said Cybernet Systems CEO Chuck Jacobus in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Education has already awarded Cybernet Systems two contracts to incorporate the company's hand, head and eye tracking technologies into products for students. One is for developing an educational game about astronomy, the other is for developing an eye and head tracking system for students with disabilities.

You can take a look at Cybernet's other head, eye, and gesture tracking technology at their website:
http://www.cybernet.com/index2.html

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# INSTITUTIONS / ABUSE

State's Largest Institution Investigated For Misconduct

January 18, 2002

CONWAY, ARKANSAS--A state panel heard testimony last week into claims filed against Arkansas' largest institution housing people who have mental retardation.

The Attorney General's office recently looked into complaints alleging that Conway Human Development Center (CHDC) did not provide adequate medical care to residents and failed to prevent sexual abuse.

One of those complaints was filed by Ray Lawless, whose son J.R. died last year. Lawless blames CHDC for his son's death.

"My son's dead," Lawless told the Senate Public health Committee's Human Development Centers Subcommittee last week. "But if we can help people out there get the proper care that's what I'm trying to do."

The investigation revealed that the facility had failed to report a number of critical incidents. But outside medical experts that were brought in to perform the investigation determined that the medical care at the institution was adequate, because the residents' skin was healthy.

"They're getting their needs met," one doctor told a legislative subcommittee last week. "The residents are well cared for in that their skin is not problematic, which means the quality of nursing care is good."

According to the Arkansas Department of Human Services, CHDC housed 606 people in 1998, ranging from 9 to 65 years of age.

Friday's Log Cabin ran this story:
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/011802/loc_0118020009.shtml

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# ABUSE
8th National / 1st International Conference on Abuse of Children and Adults with Disabilities
February 24-27, 2002
Riverside, California

The Child Abuse and Neglect Disability Outreach Project (CANDO) is presenting the 8th National and First International Conference on Abuse of Children and Adults with Disabilities.

"This is the only ongoing Conference on the topic of abuse of people with disabilities. We traditionally have a program of excellence, including speakers at the top of their fields. We provide an array of workshops for those who are just learning of this issue to advanced workshops for experts in the field. We always seek presenters who have disabilities and have expertise in this field. We hold our conferences in ADA/504 accessible locations. We offer continuing education credit in as many areas as possible. And, finally, the Conference is organized into tracks, so that participants may follow one particular track of training throughout the Conference. All types of disability and all types of abuse and neglect are addressed."

Early Bird Deadline is January 28, 2002!

More details including registration information are available at this web page:
http://disability-abuse.com/cando/conf

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# TODAY'S FEATURED WEBSITE

The Autistics.org Project

"The purpose of the autistics.org project is to connect autistic people with the services we need to live whole and happy lives. The immediate goal of autistics.org is to build a global database of information and resources by and for persons on the autistic spectrum."

"The autistics.org project is primarily by and for autistics, not parents of autistic children, though family members and professionals may find this website helpful."
http://www.autistics.org

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# ONE YEAR AGO (From the January 18, 2001 Inclusion Daily Express

Latimer To Spend At Least 10 Years In Prison, High Court Rules
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
January 18, 2001

WILKIE, SASKATCHEWAN--The Supreme Court of Canada this morning ruled that Robert Latimer, who confessed to killing his 12-year-old daughter Tracy, will have to spend at least ten years of a life sentence in prison. The decision ends seven years of trials and appeals.

Latimer had confessed to gassing Tracy to death in 1993, but said he did so out of love for her, to end the "suffering" caused by her cerebral palsy and mental retardation. He was convicted of murder in his first trial. But the case was thrown out because police had asked some of the jurors questions regarding how they felt about euthanasia, known as "mercy killing".

The jury at his second trial convicted him of murder, too, but they did so without knowing that Canadian law would require him to spend at least ten years in prison. When the jury learned this, they asked the trial judge to go against Canadian law and sentence Latimer to just two years. A higher court later said that trial judge could not give Latimer less than the ten year sentence. Latimer appealed that decision, saying his ten-year sentence would be "cruel and unusual punishment". His appeal was heard by the Supreme Court of Canada last June.

In announcing its unanimous ruling, the high court this morning said it could find no reason to grant Latimer the shorter sentence, that he was fully responsible for his daughter's death.

"This is not a crime!" Latimer told reporters from his home after hearing about the decision. He placed the blame for his situation on everyone from disability rights advocates to the police who arrested him, whom he called "jury-riggin perjurers".

"There are some very sick people at work, here," Latimer added.

Disability rights advocates are celebrating the decision, which they say will help to protect people with disabilities like Tracy.

But some are suggesting advocates remain cautious and keep working hard for the rights of people with disabilities. They point out that Latimer was sent to prison by only by a "technicality", and that the members of the court really wanted to find a way to let him go early.

This battle may have been won, but the war over society's view of Latimer and his daughter remains.

As Robert Latimer told reporters this morning:
"It's amazing how understanding the general public is!"

This page from the CBC has several useful links, including video and audio segments and interviews:
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/01/18/latimer_scoc010118

Background and other stories on Robert and Tracy Latimer are available at this Inclusion Daily Express web page:
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/crime/latimer.htm

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Dave Reynolds, Editor