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Social Security Column

DON’T BE FOOL WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY PAYMENT

By Elizabeth Wertime
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Upstate, New York

If you’re receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, don’t let anyone fool you regarding your special one-time recovery payment of $250 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
To make sure no one does, we’ll state this as clearly as possible:
• All Social Security and SSI beneficiaries who are eligible for the special one-time recovery payment will have their payment issued in May;
• The payment is automatic; no action is required on your part; and
• There are no requests to make, no applications to complete and no fees to pay.

stimulus, checks, social security
If you receive a visit, call or email from anyone claiming to want to help you obtain your payment, be skeptical. Do not pay anyone to help you receive your payment. And do not reveal any of your personal information to them, such as your full name, date of birth, or Social Security number. If someone requests this information for this purpose, it’s more likely they’re “out to get you” than out to get your payment for you.
In addition to people who receive Social Security and SSI benefits, people who receive benefits from Veterans Affairs and the Railroad Retirement Board will receive one-time payments of $250. Note, however, that only one payment of $250 will be made per person, regardless of any combination of benefits that may be received.

How will your recovery payment be made? The same way that your regular monthly payments are made. People with direct deposit will receive their payments electronically. Those who receive paper checks will receive their payments in the mail. People who receive regular payments through the new Direct Express debit card will receive their one-time payments through the card. We will send your one-time payment separately from your Social Security or SSI benefit.

To assist in processing the payments as efficiently as possible, please do not contact Social Security — unless you have not received your payment by June 4. More information is available at www.socialsecurity.gov/payment and will be updated as needed.

Rest assured that your special one-time recovery payment will be sent to you automatically. And if it’s not received by June 4, there’s only one place you need to contact: Social Security, at your local office, or 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-3250-0778).

To learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit www.recovery.gov.

To learn more about Social Security, visit www.socialsecurity.gov.
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The ADAPT Community must continue our efforts to get and keep people out of nursing homes and other institutions. At the state level, ADAPT activists advocate to change the institutional bias that has forced so many people out of their own homes and communities. At the federal level we continue our advocacy for the passage of the Community Choice Act (CCA). When the CCA passes, people will have a “Real Choice” for community long-term services and supports.

The ADAPT Community will hold a FUN*RUN for Disability Rights to “Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Olmstead decision.” FUN*RUN participants (sponsored by family and friends) roll, run, walk or jog around Upper Senate Park for one hour. It is not race, but a fun fund-raising event. The 2009 FUN*RUN will be held Sunday, April 26, at Upper Senate Park, Washington, D.C., from 1-4 p.m.

We would appreciate your support by becoming a “CHAMPION” of the FUN*RUN for Disability Rights.

Your tax-deductible contribution will be used to continue our advocacy for community integration, inclusion and independence. The “CHAMPION” categories are enclosed.

For an Institution and Barrier Free Society,

Bob Kafka

Bob Kafka, Fun Run Coordinator

The ADAPT Community:

1640-A East 2nd St., Suite 100

Austin, Texas 78702

512-442-0252

bob.adapt@sbcglobal.net
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Over the past few weeks, I have been organizing with colleagues from around the country to ensure that Amazon's Kindle 2 is accessible to people with print disabilities. (I am a founding member of one organization (Assn on Higher Education and Disability) and president of another (International Dyslexia Association-NY Branch). The Reading Rights Coalition is engaged in a campaign to obtain access for the blind and others with print disabilities to e-books available for Amazon’s new Kindle 2 e-book reader. The new reader, which Amazon is working to make fully accessible, has the ability to use text-to-speech to read these e-books aloud; but under pressure from the Authors Guild, Amazon has announced that authors and publishers will be allowed to disable the text-to-speech function.

This is very unfortunate because Text-To-Speech opens the world of books, magazines, newspapers, and other print media to children and adults with disabilities such as vision impairments, learning disabilities, paralysis, traumatic and other brain injuries. Current alternatives, such as Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic cannot meet the need because that technology is far too limited in selection and timeliness of production. Technologically, once text has been digitized, it’s digitized. The reader’s choice of media format (print image or audio) is merely a matter of display option – not a different product.

Over 25 organizations have joined to form the Reading Rights Coalition, which has set up an on-line petition to urge the Authors Guild and Amazon to reverse course. Visit www.readingrights.org to learn more about our work and see our Open Letter to Authors. We’ve scheduled an informational picket in front of the Authors’ Guild, 31 East 32nd Street in Manhattan, next Tuesday, April 7th from 12:00 to 2:00 pm.

Please read and sign our petition here: Really Long Link

Please note: If you are using screen access technology, the first three fields on the form to sign the petition may not be announced. They are, in order: (1) a drop-down menu from which to select your prefix (Mr., Mrs., etc.); (2) an edit field for your first name, and (3) an edit field for your last name. The rest of the fields should announce themselves as you tab to them.

We hope you can join us. In the meantime, join the Reading Rights Coalition Group, Really Long Link .

Then sign the petition site Really Long Link and forward to everyone in your network.

If you use Twitter, please tweet the information as well!

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A. By Elizabeth Wertime
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Upstate, NY
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which the President signed into law in February, provides for a one-time payment of $250 to people receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits


[ Click here to read more ]
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The people of Deepwell need you to Tell it to Someone Who Cares. United Cerebral Palsy and Life Without Limits will be carefully noting and reflecting on your stories told, your advice given, your innovative ideas offered, and thinking about the implications for improving care giving in our communities. Look for highlights soon. But first, we need you to share your perspectives.
Here is your 7 minute mission to engage with collaborative storytelling for the social good of care giving. It only takes 7 minutes and will make yours one of the first stories posted when Ruby's Bequest launches next Monday, March 16th!

[ Click here to read more ]
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Accessible Transportation Survey!

March 21st 2009 22:12
In conjunction with a grant received from the Federal Transit
Administration, Meeting the Challenge, Inc. is conducting a survey designed
to collect information from people with disabilities regarding their


[ Click here to read more ]
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Researchers at Cornell University report in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine that they have found evidence of an environmental trigger for autism among genetically vulnerable children


[ Click here to read more ]
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Television Captioning and Description

October 26th 2008 12:03
“Seeing is believing” for the millions of deaf individuals who rely on captioned video as a means of access to television, movies, and the increasingly ubiquitous videos in our lives. Likewise, those with blindness and vision impairments find that audio description brings to life the video images to which they’re otherwise denied access. As a society we’ve come much farther in providing captioning than we have in offering description, but rapidly evolving technologies pose significant challenges to both.

This issue of Family Center News and Notes tracks the history of captioning and description with three leaders in the field – Bill, Dianne, and Jason Stark – and looks at the current status of both. It’s an important topic and one we hope you’ll find of interest. In addition, Jenifer Simpson of the American Association of People with Disabilities provides important information on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting


[ Click here to read more ]
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My Voice, My Vote

October 21st 2008 19:14
This is a new website for young adults with disabilities who want to learn about the voting process and make a difference in theircommunities. The site includes resources for voters in Minnesota and across the country, including the many different ways one can vote and what it means to be a good citizen. The website also includes an open-captioned video on the voting process.

Please visit www.myvoicemyvote.org. You can embed the video in your website by going to Really Long Link
[ Click here to read more ]
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Celebration of Live!

September 17th 2008 13:13
Today! I celebrate, my most favorite national holiday! Yes, My Birthday! I believe, we most celebrate life! Every year is a gift to you by God. Yes, I am very aware; how difficult its to just make just for a day. However, every obstacle become a lesson that we most achieve in order to become somebody wonderful in live.

Believe me, I know about struggling very well. Because everyday as I soon as I open my eyes ... there is something that I need to ask somebody to do for me


[ Click here to read more ]
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