BAC Rutland

WASHINGTON — Trumpeting a victory against careless spending, President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed a defense bill that kills some costly weapons projects and expands war efforts. In a major civil rights change, the law also makes it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation.

The $680 billion bill authorizes spending but doesn’t provide any actual dollars. Rather, it sets guidance that is typically followed by congressional committees that decide appropriations. Obama hailed it as a step toward ending needless military spending that he called “an affront to the American people and to our troops.”
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JACKSON, Miss. — The nation’s crumbling sidewalks have disabled residents taking their wheelchairs to the streets, a potentially dangerous practice that has cash-strapped cities and disability-rights advocates at odds over how to fix the problem.

Cities across the nation are dealing with eroding sidewalks that do not meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the ADA, state and local governments cannot discriminate against the disabled in providing “services, programs or activities,” including access to sidewalks.
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A study of autism in the current Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reports a higher correlation between identical twins than among fraternal twins, affirming the importance of genes in the development of the disorder.

The study surveyed 277 pairs of twins in which at least one had autism. Among the pairs in which the twins were identical, the study found that both had the disorder in 88 percent of cases. That compared with a rate of 31 percent among fraternal twins.
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MEDFORD, Ore. — Dressed in soaked green pajamas, Betty Snyder, 14, huddled under a cold drizzle at the city park as several older boys decided what to do with her.

Betty said she had run away from home a week earlier after a violent argument with her mother. Shivering and sullen-faced, she vowed that she was not going to sleep by herself again behind the hedges downtown, where older homeless men and methamphetamine addicts might find her.
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With workers staying on the job longer, there will likely be more difficulty with hearing loss. The remedies are often simple — and inexpensive, experts say. Without such assistance, employers could lose productivity from some of their skilled employees.

In 1969, legendary coach Vince Lombardi noticed that his Redskins running back Larry Brown was responding late to the quarterback in the huddle. Taking a guess, he had Brown’s ears tested and ordered him to wear an ear piece in his helmet.
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The Social Security Administration must give the nation’s 3 million blind or visually impaired recipients the option of receiving benefit notices in braille or by audio computer disc, a federal judge in San Francisco said Tuesday.

Ruling in a nationwide class-action suit, U.S. District Judge William Alsup said that by sending notices only by mail and phone calls, the agency is violating a law that guarantees the disabled equal access to its programs. He ordered the government to make the additional choices available by April 15.
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In the past year, Darlene Manning’s had three near-misses with Rutland city motorists as she’s tried to cross downtown streets.  One car turning from Court Street onto Center Street even knocked out of Manning’s hand the thin, long white cane she uses to help feel her way around.

Manning, whose fast-progressing glaucoma has reduced her vision to what she describes as a 4-inch window, is legally blind.  “I have some sight,” Manning said Thursday. “I can’t imagine what its like for a totally blind person to try to get around here.”
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Are you a candidate for this program? If you are a beneficiary of the Ticket to Work program, you may be eligible for hiring. The jobs available to those with disabilities are at various skill levels including entry level positions.
A Ticket to Work holder, are those beneficiaries that were issued a ticket, who would choose to assign those tickets to an employment service of their choice. The service in return would help them to find work and maintain employment. The services can include vocational rehabilitation services or other services that will help achieve the work goal.
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Vermont’s second-largest hospital offers patients and visitors advanced medical services in a friendly, comfortable environment. We strive to be the Best Community Hospital and Health System in New England, a vision we seek for the health of our community.

Capitol Plaza Hotel & Conference Center, Montpelier, VT

Registration Deadline:  Friday October 23, 2009

Friday November 6, 2009:
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast Begins
9:00 am Welcome & Introduction
9:30 am Workshops
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