July 18, 2016
Disability Policy Consortium Weekly Update

 ,

Well, i t sure feels like summer outside.  I think we are finally into the dog days of hazy, hot and humid. 

We have a relatively light edition for you this week, but it does highlight some upcoming accessible performances of theater.  Glad to see the art scene in Boston welcoming all.

We have two surveys for you.  Your participation in them will ensure that the opinions of our community are heard.

Lastly, we have a link to a story criticizing group homes record of reporting potential abuse for investigation.

Have a good week and a s always, happy  reading.

John Winske
Disability Policy Consortium
DPC Internship:  Research Opportunity  

Are you interested in research and building your resume? The Disability Policy Consortium, a leading agency in research that affects people with disabilities is looking for an intern who will help with survey creation about people with disabilities and their healthcare. We are looking for someone with a working knowledge of creating surveys and analyzing results. This position will be part-time and will last until January with the possibility of an extension. The Disability Policy Consortium is located in Malden, MA near the orange line though much of the work may be done remotely.

Skills needed:

* Ability to create surveys
* Ability to adapt language for particular audiences
* Ability to think creatively about analyzing results
* Excellent written communication skills
* Knowledge of Survey Monkey a plus
* Bachelor's degree needed. Currently in Master's program in public health, social work, or health communications preferred.

This is a volunteer position that will give you an opportunity to hone your research skills.

Please send a resume and cover letter to Kimberley Warsett at kwarsett@dpcma.org. People with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Advocacy Opportunity: Audio Description Survey

On June 27, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) launched a survey on audio description for broadcast cable television, mobile apps and streaming services, and film. Thank you to those of you who have completed the survey.

If you have not yet had the chance to do so, the survey will remain open until Sunday, July 31 at midnight Eastern time. We hope you will take a few moments to complete this brief, confidential, and important survey to tell us about your experiences accessing audio described content in order to help ACB advocate for additional and higher quality audio description.

You can access the survey at this link.
Advocacy Opportunity:  Survey on Single Aisle Aircraft Access Needs

The Paralyzed Veterans of America have a survey on line to gather evidence on accessibility needs of travellers with mobility disabilities.

"The purpose of this series of questions is to help members of the Department of Transportation's Advisory Committee on Accessible Air Transportation (ACCESS Advisory Committee) in their efforts to develop specific regulations regarding whether the Department should require an accessible lavatory (restroom) on a single aisle aircraft. "

Net News: Scathing Report Failings at Group Homes

Thursday's Boston Globe reported on an audit of Massachusetts group homes by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.   The audit found that fifty-eight percent of emergency room visits that involved reasonable suspicion of abuse and neglect were not reported for investigation.   You can read the story here.
Calendar:  Tickets on Sale for Open Captioned Performances

Tickets are now on sale for the open captioned performances of the American Repertory Theater performances of "Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education".  The captioned performances are on Thursday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 17 at 2:00 p.m.

Created, written, and performed by Anna Deavere Smith
Music composed and performed by Marcus Shelby
Directed by Leonard Foglia

A leader in national conversations on race and justice, Anna Deavere Smith (Fires in the Mirror; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Let Me Down Easy; "Nurse Jackie") now asks audiences to talk back. Urgent and inspiring, Notes from the Fieldtraces the connections between America's education system and its mass incarceration crisis.

In act one, Smith's trademark portrait performances introduce the students, parents, teachers, and administrators caught in America's school-to-prison pipeline. In the tradition of call and response, a second act invites audiences to engage in conversation on a network of difficult histories and devastating social policies.

Calendar: Audio Described Performances of Shakespeare on the Common 

Join Commonwealth Shakespeare Company for one of Boston's favorite summer traditions: Free Shakespeare on the Common.

This year, CSC is presenting the high-spirited romantic comedy Love's Labour's Lost from July 20-August 7. There will be two Audio Described performances with Alice Austin, as primary describer, and Jan Stankus, as secondary describer, on Sunday, July 31 at 7:00 PM and Thursday, August 4 at 8:00 PM (and a raindate of August 7 at 7:00 PM). Performances will be at the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common.

In Love's Labour's Lost, friendship and loyalty amongst four young men and four young women are put to the test when romantic youthful notions of love encounter the challenges of adulthood.

Filled with dazzling wordplay, strong comic characters and a few unexpected twists, Love's Labour's Lost both charms and touches the heartstrings of young and old alike.

For more information, visit www.commshakes.org or email Christine Covino at ccovino@commshakes.org or call 781-239-5682.
In This Issue
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Disability Policy Consortium
11 Dartmouth Street
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Malden, MA 02148
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