The Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Federal Department of Education made a major five-year award of $32 million to Bookshare.org. This will further the objectives of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), by supplying high quality textbooks and educational materials to students with special needs.

This funding is to fully support all schools and students 26 years old and under, with qualifying print disabilities in the United States, K-12 and post-secondary. Bookshare will provide these students with access to the entire Bookshare.org collection of accessible electronic books and to software for reading those books.
As of October 1, 2007, they will cease charging these schools and students anything to join Bookshare.org. They expect to add over 100,000 new educational titles in high quality DAISY and Braille formats over the next five years, getting students the terrific quality textbooks they need for academic success.

Bookshare.org is also announcing the opening of Bookshare.org to international users with qualifying print disabilities. They have an expanding number of books where we have received generous permission from publishers and authors to make their works available globally.

Bookshare.org gives print disabled people in the United States legal access to over 34,400 books and 150 periodicals that are converted to Braille, large print or text to speech audio files.

For more information, see:
http://www.bookshare.org/web/Welcome.html

There is a great resource called the Center for Disability Resources Library at the USC School of Medicine. This is the link to the supported employment subject page which is now up and running at the library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/supportedemployment.htm

To borrow materials or if you have questions, you can call Steve Wilson at 803-733-1501 or e-mail him at wilsons@gw.med.sc.edu.

AssistGuide worked with the SC Office on Aging to create the online Medicaid Long Term Care and GAPS applications at www.SCAccessHelp.org. These applications can be filled out online, saved for a re-application in the future, printed out replicating the original form, and submitted. (All GAPS and Medicaid Long Term Care applications can be electronically submitted.) Also, information automatically populates any additional applications. So if someone filled out a Medicaid application and then chose to fill out a GAPS application, the information would automatically populate the GAPS application upon opening. And just as important, the site is 508 Bobby Compliant.

To View or Download SC Online Applications for Benefits Flyer (.PDF) in Adobe Acrobat format (.PDF) you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Interested in learning Sign Language?

There are now FREE online web courses in Sign Language. You can do the self study lesson-by-lesson or brush up on your sign language by reviewing through the vocabulary. A new section on the site uses video teaching methods so that proper signing can be seen. Feeling confident? Try one of the quizzes!

http://www.lifeprint.com/

IF YOUR RECEIVE MEDICAID, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR LOCAL PHONE SERVICE

You could receive up to $13.50 off your monthly local telephone bill or if you don’t already have service you can receive up to a 50% reduction (up to $30) for installation charges.

Call (803) 737-5234 (Columbia) or 1-866-788-6565 (toll free)

www.regulatorystaff.sc.gov

Do You Know Someone Who Does Not Have Health Insurance and Cannot Afford To Be Sick?

Communicare May Be Able To Help!

All Communicare services begin with a call to our toll free number:

1-800-763-0059

Communicare is a statewide non-profit health care network providing medical and pediatric dental services and donated medications to the working uninsured throughout South Carolina. By bringing together a network of over 2,500 health care providers, donated medications from eleven pharmaceutical companies, and administrative support from government entities, Communicare provides medications valued at over $27.7 million to qualifying patients. Communicare also has four school-based and one volunteer pediatric oral health care centers that provide children of limited-income families within communities throughout South Carolina with effective oral health care services and education.

By improving the health care status of South Carolina residents, many have a better chance for success in the workforce and probability of a longer life by stabilizing and improving chronic illnesses. The impact is taxpayer dollars saved by reducing reliance on emergency room visits for basic health care.

Communicare

“Putting health care in reach”

P.O. Box 186

Columbia, SC 299206-0186

www.commun-i-care.org