Associated Grant Makers
Disabilities Funders Affinity Group Newsletter
April 2014
In This Issue
Articles to Share
Events
In the News
Resources and Trends
Jobs
RFPs
About AGM 

AGM's mission is to promote the practice and expansion of effective and responsible philanthropy to improve the health and vitality of its region.


Quick Links



About the Disabilities Funders Affinity Group 

This Funders Affinity Group is a roundtable of funders focused on providing support to the individuals with physical and/or cognitive disabilities and the organizations and institutions that serve these populations.  Staff and trustees from corporate, family and independent foundations joined together to share their experiences and concerns.
Join Our List
Greetings!
Welcome to the spring edition of the newsletter for Disabilities Funders. AGM is constantly looking for resources and information regarding important funding priorities to keep our funders educated and engaged within their communities. This newsletter has transformed into a resource for our Disability Funders Group to share information and keep current with the changes in legislation, policy, and programming of disability services throughout the Commonwealth. 
 
We appreciate the generous support of the J.E.&J.B. Butler Foundation and Ruderman Family Foundation for their support of the Disabilities Funders Group. As we plan the next convening we invite you to recommend topics! Please contact me with any issue topics you may find of interest.

Sincerely,
Ramani
Ramani Sripada, Director of Member Programs & Services
Disabilities Funders Group Sponsors

The Disabilities Funders Group is supported in part by: 

 

Articles to Share

One Grant - A Lifetime of Change
Guest Blogger: Carole Parrish

Ms. Parrish is the Vice President of the JE&ZB Butler Foundation. She heads up the foundation's work with people with disabilities and at risk youth in the Boston area.

 

The J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation was created in 1954 and remains a living legacy to Zella and Jack Butler and their deep commitment to New York and the Jewish community. Zella and Jack were my aunt and uncle. They were warm, deeply caring people and they treated their nieces and nephews with special affection. The Foundation is committed to continuing Jack and Zella's vision with diligence, compassion and creativity.     


In 1939 their only child, Barbara, was born with severe developmental disabilities. As there were few options for people with disabilities at that time, Barbara was cared for at the Devereux School in Philadelphia from the age of four until she died in 1993.

The Butlers' first-hand knowledge of the challenges encountered by individuals with disabilities and their families led to their lifelong commitment to insuring that people with disabilities had access to programs that would enhance their lives. For years, Zella read to visually impaired university students helping them realize their academic dreams in spite of their disabilities. Zella often said, "I have graduated from most of the colleges and universities in the New York area by osmosis." READ MORE

  __________________________________________
 
Jason's Connection 
Guest Blogger: Jeff Harris 
Jason's Connection is an organization focusing on disability services and advocacy for those with varying disabilities, autism, Down syndrome, and veterans. 
 

In 2009, my uncle, Saul Schottenstein passed away.  Saul was a down to earth, generous person who turned half of his estate into a foundation.  Then he made me a trustee.  In his usual way, he created the foundation but left no instructions as to how to proceed.  


Saul always treated me like me a son.  We had a regular date in Florida each spring to play golf which I still miss. During one of those trips, I asked him what his favorite restaurant was. In his typical ordinary fashion, he informed me that it was Wendy's salad bar. That was Saul.  


In Saul's memory I wanted to do something meaningful with the Foundation but was totally unprepared. So I went on a one year spiritual journey to try to figure things out. At the end of the year after being out in the country, while looking up on a moonless, clear night with a million stars in the sky, I experienced what I believed to be the feeling of the total connection of the Universe. That became the mission of the Saul Schottenstein Foundation B to raise consciousness of our connection to each other and Existence.  READ MORE

Events
Our Voices, Our Rights, Our Future  
Reception for Disability Rights Fund

 

Please join us on June 6, 2014 from 5:00-7:00pm for a cocktail reception and discussion on access to education for people with disabilities in the developing world.  Haitian lawyer and polio survivor, Emilio N�as, who heads a DRF-funded project on inclusive education in Les Cayes will be the keynote speaker. 

 

When: FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014 From 5pm to 7pm


Where: UMASS CLUB - BOSTON

225 FRANKLIN STREET, 33RD FLOOR, BOSTON, MA 

 

Register: via email to [email protected]

 

In the News

A New Bipartisan Charter Schools Act Strengthens Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

 

Representatives John Kline (R-MN) and George Miller (D-CA) are sponsoring a new bipartisan bill in Congress called the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act. The bill would provide federal money to a limited number of states in order to encourage the growth and expansion of quality charter schools. One of the most important things about  this bill is that it specifically addresses the needs of students with disabilities, an issue NCLD has long been concerned about.


Charter schools can provide high quality education and can be a great option for students with learning and attention issues when programs are designed to meet their needs. However, there has been a history of charter schools failing to enroll students with disabilities. READ MORE

______________________________________

 

Disorder, Disability or Difference: What's the Right Term?

 

Parents of children with learning and attention issues are often bombarded with terms for how to describe their children's challenges. Some people seem to talk about dyslexia and ADHD as "disorders," while others refer to them as "disabilities." Sometimes it seems as though the terms are used interchangeably. But do they actually mean the same thing? And for that matter, why do some people avoid using either word and insist on calling dyslexia and ADHD "differences"? In fact, the three words carry different meanings, and which term is most appropriate may depend on the context. READ MORE

____________________________________

 

New York Fashion Week Features First-Ever Model In Wheelchair  

The fashion industry is coming under steady pressure to widen the spectrum of beauty ideals. Ad campaigns have called out unrealistic beauty standards, major department stores are adding plus-size mannequins and New York's recent child model laws are designed to protect all models under the age of 18 from exploitation. But there's still plenty of room for more inclusion, said Danielle Sheypuk, Ms. Wheelchair New York 2012. "People with disabilities are an untapped consumer market in terms of fashion," said Sheypuk, a clinical psychologist in New York. "We read the magazines, shop in stores, but nothing is ever pitched to us."

 

Resources and Trends

Nonprofits Working Around Disabilities

These links are to listings of Resources for Massachusetts Residents with Disabilities:

Trends Around Disability Work
Trend is toward youth/young adults, how to effectively transition out of government dependence into a life of self-sufficiency and enjoyment.  Noteworthy articles:  

  • Planning for Life After Special Education in Massachusetts
  • The Senate Can Pass A Treaty To Protect Fish But Not One To Protect Disability Rights 
  • Jobs

    Department of Mental Health 

    Massachusetts Advocates for Children

    Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
    NuPath, Inc. 

    You can find more information regarding job openingshere

    Plus view list of Top Ten Companies for People with Disabilities   

    Request for Proposals

    Please explore these RFPs and forward them to your networks. You can find more information on RFPs here 

    National Alliance for Accessible Golf 
    Accepting Applications for Programs Serving Individuals With Disabilities

    Through a grant from the United States Golf Association (USGA), the National Alliance for Accessible Golf (Alliance) is pleased to announce it is expanding its efforts to provide financial assistance and resources to help make the game of golf more accessible to people with disabilities. With this funding from the USGA, the Alliance will, for the second year, administer the grant-application process for organizations providing golf programs for individuals with disabilities. View RFP Guidelines

    ______________________________________________ 


    Amie's Place Foundation Offers Support for Programs to Help Keep People and Pets Together During Times of Crisis
               


    Amie's Place Foundation welcomes proposals for the funding of pet-care assistance programs for members of the community who are atrisk of losing their pets only because no one is there to help them.

    View RFP Guidelines