ARC Survey

TAKE ONE AND PASS ALONG – THE ARC FINDS SURVEY

The Arc seeks individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families or caregivers to participate in a national disability needs survey. The Arc FINDS (Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports) is a free, online survey designed to tap into the knowledge and perspectives of individuals and families within the I/DD community, including self-advocates on different issues across the life span. So far, thousands of people have taken the survey; more participants are being sought as every opinion will count. Results will provide greater understanding about what services are being received, where gaps exist, and what new supports may be needed from the individual and family perspective. To access the online survey, go to: http://www.thearc.org and link to the survey from the home page – and pass the word along to others. Take one and pass along!

DisABILITY Rights

Participate in One of the Listening Sessions Being Held Across the State -- We Want to Hear from You! Over the next three months, Disability Rights North Carolina will host public Listening Sessions across the State. At these sessions, Executive Director Vicki Smith will lead conversations that will help define our organization's issue targets for the next three years. This is a great opportunity for you to share your thoughts with Disability Rights NC. Don't miss these Listening Sessions if . . . You are curious about how Disability Rights NC selects the cases it accepts; You want to have input into the types of cases Disability Rights NC accepts; You want to share critical information with Disability Rights NC about the violation of the rights of people with disabilities in our State. All Listening Sessions are open to the public. Pass this along to other people you know who want to ensure that all people with disabilities in North Carolina are treated equally and fairly, and have full access to the community. If you plan to attend and need an ASL interpreter, please contact Janice Willmott at janice.willmott@disabilityrightsnc.org to request assistance.

Mon., August 23 Lumberton 11:00 am - 1:00 pm East Resource Center 1608 E. 5th Street Fayetteville 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Bordeaux Branch Library 3711 Village Drive Wed., August 25 Greenville 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Sheppard Memorial Library Room A, 530 Evans Street Wilson 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Wilson Public Library 249 Nash Street Mon., Sept. 20 Boone 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Watauga County Public Library 140 Queen Street Tues., Sept. 28 Durham 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm East Regional Library 211 Lick Creek Lane Wed., Sept. 29 Weldon 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Halifax Community College Multi-Purpose Room 200 College Drive Tues.,October 5 Charlotte 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Main Library 310 N. Charlotte Street Salisbury 4:00 pm - 6:00 pmRowan Public Library Hurley Room 201 W. Fisher Street Thur., October 14 Asheville 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Public Works Building Room A11 161 S. Charlotte Street Fri., October 15 Sylva (Time and Location to be determined) Thur., October 21 Winston-Salem 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Miller Park Community Center 400 Leisure Lane Reidsville 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm YMCA, BB&T Room 504 S. Main Street

New Director of Advocacy, Policy & Legislation

Greetings!

After a busy short session, the blog is back with a new staff member!

My name is Kay Paksoy and I am absolutely honored to be introducing myself as the new Director of Advocacy, Policy and Legislation. I graduated from Campbell University in May of 2009 with my BSW. During my years in college, I worked with youth in an organization know as the Governor’s One on One Program that helped juveniles’ find positive mentors. I worked primarily with youth that had been sentenced to community service and helped them find work and other positive outlets during free time on the weekends and holidays from school to help enrich their lives. I also helped promote the organization through advocacy efforts and spreading awareness about the program.
While taking social work classes, my passion always floated towards the macro side of social work. I loved getting to advocate and fight for issues that affect social workers and their clients. In the summer of 2008, I studied abroad in London, England and was privileged to intern with an organization known as Marie Stopes International. While this is primarily an organization that provides health care services for women as well as provide family planning initiatives, I worked in the headquarters with the press department and worked on several projects. The most popular project was known as Zoom In! During this project, we worked with about thirteen other countries and handed disposable cameras to youth in different schools asking them to take pictures of issues that affect them. What an overwhelming response we got! The youth really responded to this project and we complied their stories and pictures into an advocacy effort and presented our findings as well as personal stories from the youth to members at the Houses of Parliament. This was my first true advocacy effort and I was beside myself with excitement and dedication. After that summer, I started my senior year in college and began my internship with NASW. During my work as an intern, I worked on a License Plate bill and Title Protection for Social Workers. I also attended meetings with Jack and Kathy and was also able to reach out to students in local BSW programs. I loved my internship with NASW and was sad to leave at the end of school. I stayed on to do some contract work with Jack throughout the summer. After this, I began working at the Methodist Home for Children in a Level 2 Group Home. I loved my work with the teenagers in the home but my heart kept coming back to advocacy and policy.
Outside of my educational experiences, I have been blessed to work on several mission trip teams both locally and internationally. My more memorable trips have landed me in South Africa. Twice to work with orphans in impoverished areas and also working with an organization in Cape Town, South Africa this past May working with underprivileged kids in not so safe communities helping to provide positive after school care.
I am both nervous and excited to be embarking on this journey and hope it is a positive one for all of us. I am excited to be representing social workers as we gear up for the 2011 Long Legislative Session!

Registration is OPEN! 2010 Advocacy Bootcamp

NASW-NC 2010 Advocacy Boot camp

Fall In:
March 19, 2010 9am-4pm
Location:
General Assembly Building 16 West Jones St Raleigh, NC 3rd floor auditorium
Purpose:
Learn the skills to be effective in day to day work as social work advocates

Tracks of specialization:
Child welfare
Aging, healthcare & adult services
School Social work
Mental health, developmental disabilities, addiction services

Register online starting February 15, 2010 www.naswnc.org

New Report On Shocking Trend of NonCitizen Detainee Transfers

http://restorefairness.org/2009/12/new-reports-from-human-rights-watch-and-trac-shed-light-on-the-shocking-trend-of-detainee-transfers/

Thousands of people are detained and denied due process every day in the United State.

New reports from Human Rights Watch and TRAC shed light on the shocking trend of detainee transfers

In recent years, a sharp rise in the number of non-citizens held in immigration detention has been accompanied by their increased transfer between facilities, creating barriers they face in accessing counsel and receiving fair treatment in immigration proceedings. These are the findings by TRAC (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse) and Human Rights Watch from data obtained by the Freedom of Information Act to be released today.

The number of individuals held in custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2009 is now estimated to have reached 369,483 detainees, more than twice the amount in 1999. As a result of this overcrowding, the past decade has witnessed an escalated increase in the “free-wheeling” transfers of detainees, often to less-crowded centers in remote areas, taking detainees miles away from their families and attorneys.

Based on data obtained from various sources by TRAC and 3.4 million records obtained by Human Rights Watch from ICE, TRAC has found:

An increasing proportion of all detainees are being transferred. In 1999, one out of every five (19.6%) detainees was moved from one detention facility to another. Compare that to the first six months of 2008 (the latest data available), where more than half of all detainees (52.4%) were transferred.

-There has been a vast growth in multiple transfers of individuals from one detention facility to another, where one starts at one detention facility, is transferred to a second, and then a third (and sometimes again and again). Ten years ago only one out of 20 detainees experienced multiple transfers (5.6%). But in 2008, that increased to one out of every four detainees (24%).

-The number of times that detainees are transferred now actually exceeds the total number of individual detainees. This surprising tipping point – more transfers than detainees – was reached for the first time during the first six months of 2008.

Similarly, Human Rights Watch reports that an astounding 1.4 million detainee transfers have occurred between 1999 and 2008. Most transfers are costly and chaotic, usually occurring without prior notice to family members of detainees. During these transfers, detainees are often taken miles away from their families and lawyers, breaking contact between them and their lawyers and delaying their proceedings. Immigration attorneys say that due to the transfers, they are constantly “losing their clients.” Besides the costs of these delays, ICE has spent more than 10 million dollars to transfer nearly 19,400 detainees in 2007 alone.

Speaking about their new report, “Locked Up Far Away: The Transfer of Immigrants to Remote Detention Centers in the United States”, Human Rights Watch says:

Human Rights Watch found that ICE is increasingly transferring detainees to remote detention centers as a response to overcrowding. Many immigrants are initially detained close to their attorneys and witnesses, in locations such as New York or Los Angeles, but are then transferred to detention centers in rural Texas or Louisiana…The transfers interfere with detainees’ rights to counsel, to defend against deportation, to present witnesses and other evidence, and to be free from arbitrary and prolonged detention.

TRAC has also released 1,393 individual facility-by-facility reports that analyze each detention facility’s transfer records over the last decade, and a free online tool where users can make a focused query about a specific detention facility. All of this is available as of noon today.

http://restorefairness.org/2009/12/new-reports-from-human-rights-watch-and-trac-shed-light-on-the-shocking-trend-of-detainee-transfers/

Death of Secretary of State Elaine Marshall's husband

We at NASW-NC join with all of NC in offerring our sympathy to the Secretary.

The husband of North Carolina's secretary of state has died at age 77 after a battle with cancer. A spokesman for Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said her husband, William Holdford, died early Saturday at his home. Spokesman George Jeter says Holdford was an attorney in Wilson who died while he was surrounded by family. Holdford had battled cancer for more than a year. He was the president of the Narron & Holdford law firm. He is also survived by his two daughters and two grandchildren. The family will receive friends at the Joyner Funeral Home today.(THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 11/28/09).

Upcoming meeting of House Committee on High Speed Internet Access

House Select Committee on High Speed Internet Access in Rural and Urban Areas

November 23, 2009 10am Room 544 of Legisalture.

You can listen in by going to www.ncleg.net and clicking on Audio section.