Welcome to NEWS and UPDATES from the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities

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NOND is an all-volunteer grass roots organization, and it is the members of the NOND Board of Directors that accomplish the operational and programmatic initiatives for the organization.  No Director receives any salary or reimbursement for any type of advocacy that NOND is involved.  Some of our advocacy efforts have required the volunteer time of our Directors and Advisory Committee members to collaborate in order to accomplish our goals.  NOND’s actions are directed to national policy that impacts people with disabilities because policy also impacts students and nurses with disabilities and our patients.

Goals for the NOND News Category

NOND will focus on what our organization has accomplished and what NOND is currently involved. Since February 2017, NOND’s advocacy increased in intensity. NOND advocates nationally on healthcare policy so that care is available for persons with disabilities, children, families and older adults, and where Home Care Based Long Term Services continue so that people may remain in their homes and not be institutionalized.

NOND’s Advocacy Efforts

NOND contacted by email and by telephone members of the US House of Representatives requesting that House members not approve the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). The BCRA failed as did other bills including the Granny Bill and the Graham Cassidy Bill.

NOND also opposed H.R. 620, the Americans with Disabilities Education and Reform Act which NOND believes could begin a downward spiral of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  NOND sent email letters to the US House of Representatives requesting House members not approve H.R. 620.

H.R. 620 was approved in February 2018 but was at that point a bill; it is not a law.

In response to this approval, NOND sent a letter to all 50 States to Chief of Staff of US Senators in Congress urging Senators to not permit HR 620 to become a law.  If passed into law, this bill would create significant barriers for people with disabilities to enforce their rights under Title III of the ADA to access public accommodations.  NOND also believes that if passed, this law would represent the commencement of efforts by elected officials and businesses to undermine the Americans with Disabilities Act and diminish the civil rights of millions of Americans with disabilities.   Currently the Senate has taken no action.

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NEWS FLASH

NOND endorses Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education developed by the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education.  This project began in March 2017 and concluded in April 2018. The Core Competencies document targets health education programs that need to include in their educational curriculum information directed to the health care of persons with disabilities in order to improve health care access and the inequities and disparities that currently exist.

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NEWS FLASH

NOND initiated a letter to the American Nurses Association (dated June 11, 2018) in collaboration with 10 National Disability Leadership Alliance Steering Committee member organizations, to address the ANA draft statement on the Nurses’ Role in the Care of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. NOND believes that the draft statement must be revised in order for ANA to reflect the current 21st Century changes that have occurred within the IDD community.

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NEWS FLASH

On May 17, 2018, OATH—NDLA—Getty Images announced on Global Accessibility Awareness Day an agreement to work in collaboration to establish The Disability Collection that will represent authentic people with disabilities in images.  All too often people with disabilities are represented in images that are directed to stereotypes. This partnership will ensure that only “real” people with disabilities (not models acting as people with disabilities) will be included in images for The Disability Collection.  The agreement with OATH, Getty images and NDLA’s 17 national disability organizations, including NOND is for two years.  Please click on articles to learn more, https://www.fastcompany.com/40573686/getty-is-trying-to-bring-disability-inclusion-to-stock-photos .   

https://www.oath.com/2018/05/17/oath-national-disability-leadership-alliance-and-getty-images-l/

To learn more about NDLA:  Please click on https://www.ndla.org (www.ndla.org).

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NEWS FLASH—working to create system change

NOND initiated a letter to the National Center, American Heart Association (AHA) dated May 7, 2018 to Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer.  NOND requested that AHA become a “Thought Leader” in collaboration with NOND to address inconsistencies in providing Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification for healthcare professionals with significant disabilities who are unable to perform Basic Life Support procedures in the manner that AHA requires.

Currently NOND is in conversation with consultants at the American Heart Association Nation Center in Dallas, Texas.

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Join NOND Nurses Listserv

To Subscribe To The NOND List:

Step 1:  Address your email to: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU

Step 2:  In the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE NOND Jane Doe (Note. Replace “Jane Doe” with your first and last name) and Send.

Contact the moderator directly at NOND2003@gmail.com if you need assistance, or you can:

  1. Send a message to: listserv@listserv.uic.edu

Address all questions and concerns regarding the NOND listserv to NOND2003@gmail.com.

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Become a Member and Donate to NOND Today

The National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities’ work is accomplished by volunteer members of the NOND Board of Directors and Advisory Committee, where most have other full time jobs.  The majority of Directors are nurses with disabilities. NOND has no paid staff. We give of our time because we are passionate about the NOND mission.

By becoming a Member or Donating to NOND, you are supporting NOND’s work that opens doors to the inclusion of qualified people with disabilities and chronic health conditions to enter the field of nursing, and for nurses or other healthcare professionals to remain in their profession after becoming disabled. NOND provides presentations, writes and publishes articles, and provides outreach one to one with individuals who Contact Us. NOND may oppose national policy that has a negative impact on the disability community. Our primary outreach is directed to education and advocacy. NOND needs your financial support. It is important for us to know “Members” and “Donors” support NOND.

We Need Your Support!

We cannot do our work without your support!

  • Membership is renewed on an annual basis.
  • Please consider Donating an extra Membership fee in order to support individuals who are financially unable to Join NOND.
  • Membership–Individual: $90
  • Donate To NOND

Additional opportunities to support NOND are available for corporations and nonprofit organizations, and a reduced Membership fee can be arranged for students or others if needed. Please contact NOND2003@gmail.com or use the Contact Us option on this website.

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NOND Director Liaison to Metro Washington, DC Joins Meetings with UBER

In collaboration with National Disability Leadership Alliance, other disability organizations, and various state government representatives, NOND has attended meetings in-person and on conference calls to discuss with UBER the necessity for UBER to provide accessible travel for individuals who must remain in their wheelchairs. Last meeting held on July 17, 2018.

 

NOND Director Participates on NDLA Task Force on Racism and Bias within the Disability Community and Movement

 

A NOND Director participates in periodic meetings to discuss issues and concerns about the under representation and inclusion of persons of color who have disabilities in order to:

  • Support the advocacy efforts of grassroots disabled activists of color;
  • Increase the active recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of staff and board members that reflect the diversity of our community;
  • Ensure NDLA branding is representative of our entire community and our diversity
  • Support women, people of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ people in leadership roles in all aspects of our community and movement;
  • Identify and create spaces to amplify these intersectional disabled voices throughout the mainstream community; and
  • Reach out to representatives of organizations serving racial, ethnic, religious, immigrant and LGBTQ communities to present at our conferences;
  • Build relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and groups.

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NOND Board Directors Participate in National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) Retreat

NOND Directors participate in the National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) Retreat annually which is held in Washington, DC.  The 2018 meeting was held on June 14, 2018 in order to discuss issues and challenges facing the disability community, to set priorities directed to policies, develop action steps to confront discrimination and, to discuss positive aspects of the coalition working together.

The NDLA is a national cross-disability coalition that represents the authentic voice of people with disabilities. NDLA Steering Committee includes 17 national disability organizations:

  • ADAPT
  • American Association of People with Disabilities
  • American Council of the Blind
  • Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living
  • Autistic Self Advocacy Network
  • Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
  • Hearing Loss Association of America
  • Little People of America
  • National Association of the Deaf
  • National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery
  • National Council on Independent Living
  • National Federation of the Blind
  • National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities
  • Not Dead Yet
  • Paralyzed Veterans of America
  • Self Advocates Becoming Empowered
  • United Spinal Association ________________________________________________________________

 

 For Employers:  Job Accommodation Network Publishes Accommodations and Compliance:  Monitoring Reasonable Accommodations

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has published a document in its Accommodation & Compliance Series: Monitoring Reasonable Accommodations. Employers frequently disregard the importance of monitoring reasonable accommodations after they have been implemented to ensure that they continue to be effective.

Accommodations can stop being effective for various reasons, such as: the employee’s disability may increase in severity or other limitations occur, workplace equipment changes or updates are needed, the essential functions of the job change, the workplace itself changes, or the accommodation becomes an undue hardship for the employer to continue to provide. This publication offers JAN’s tips for employers to follow and provides a sample form for monitoring accommodations.

http://askjan.org/media/monitoring.html 

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National League for Nursing Publishes Vision for Achieving Meaningful Inclusion in Nursing Education

National League for Nursing Publishes Vision for Achieving Meaningful Inclusion in Nursing Education by calling on Nursing Education Community to Lead Efforts to Expand Diversity Among Faculty and Students.

Achieving Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion in Nursing Education A Living Document from the National League for Nursing

February 2016- Download PDF

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Medical and Allied Health Careers: Technical Standards and Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

October 2015 PepNet 2 put out a “fast facts” document about technical standards and deaf and hard of hearing students studying medical and allied health professions.

http://www.pepnet.org/sites/default/files/Medical-and-Allied-Health-Careers.pdf

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Choosenursing.com

Why Go to College?

http://www.choosenursing.com/  —a subsidiary of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care

A nursing education could mean the difference between a minimum-wage job and a career that pays well, provides benefits and time off for vacations.  Nursing provides many opportunities to choose the field in nursing you would like to practice.  If you like assisting people and experiencing the satisfaction of being part of a team that promotes patient wellness and care, nursing may be the right career for you.

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Physical Limits on CPR Quality and Methods for Quality Improvement

This is interesting research suggesting that many people are not able to perform effective CPR because of the amount of force required. The researcher is working on this with the hope that the American Heart Association will start teaching people to do compressions with their foot, which is more effective and less exhausting. His data might be useful to someone with a disability who has been told that they cannot be a nurse without being certified in CPR.

http://www.slicc.org/ReSS_2013_030.pdf