State TANF Policy and Services to People With Disabilities

The intent of this study is to identify state policies and procedures that are designed to ensurethat people with disabilities and/or parents with children with disabilities are provided theopportunity to participate in state TANF programs. The intent is not to present "best practices," with quantifiable and measurable outcomes. Many state TANF programs are still in their early stages, with new programs being developed and outcomes still uncertain. The intent is to present an in-depth "snapshot" of what is occurring right now at the state level in terms of services and programs designed to assist TANF recipients with disabilities. Are states developing programs and policies specifically targeted toward people with disabilities? Are people with disabilities being served on an individual basis as part of the overall TANF population? Are states developing innovative strategies that particularly benefit TANF recipients with disabilities and, if so, what are they? By identifying these strategies, this report may assist other states in their policy development process in support of people with disabilities and parents with children of disabilities

The Problem of Computer Piracy

The problem of illegal downloading is widely spread in the modern world. There are various reasons lying behind the desire to get some paid software or programs free of charge. The most popular are the following: - it is fast and convenient due to special computer or Internet programs so there is no need to wait until the paid product is delivered or go somewhere to buy it; - it is free, so people save considerable amount of money especially in the countries with low incomes; - it is not strictly punished to download and use pirate programs; - many other people do it

Arts Opportunities for Young People in Chicago

Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago examined the scope and character of non-school arts opportunities for young people in Chicago. Whereas earlier studies have looked at programs deemed exemplary or those that focus on "at-risk" children, this was an effort to take stock of all programs for children within a geographic area. The purpose of the strategy was to share the information we gathered with directors, staff, and funders of arts programs for young people so that they can consider the implications of the findings for their programs for young people; and to explore a strategy for examining other categories of the primary social supports. Through a citywide survey, the research team identified 498 programs that offer arts experiences during out-of-school time. Many more opportunities are offered by parks, social service agencies, and recreation centers than by museums, theaters, and other institutions devoted solely to the arts.In discussions with 153 staff and young people involved in arts programs, researchers often found a striking depth of experience. Children and adults spoke of how participants gain not only skills in ballet, music, computer graphics, theater, and painting, among other art forms, but also a means to understand who they are as individuals or in relation to others; to appreciate the sounds, images, motions, and values of their cultural heritage; to enjoy their own creative expressions; to envision a future andcultivate the discipline and organization to get there; and to experience warmth, support, and challenge from other kids and adults. Informants spoke about these and many other benefits that some said school experiences do not or cannot foster.Researchers also found that young people participated in arts programs more often for internally motivated reasons (their interest in learning art, being with friends, having fun) than for externally motivated reasons (pressure from parents or other adults in their lives). And while their interest in these programs was strong, their ability to physically reach them was often limited. Distance and safety issues impeded many kids 'attendance. Other findings included that support from parents was vital to kids' attendance and that organizational operations and the strength and existence of arts programs often hinged on the diverse talents and energies of one or two staff members

Increasing employment rates for Indigenous people with a disability

Introduction: The purpose of this resource sheet is to assess and summarise evidence on the effectiveness of programs relevant to increasing employment rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability. A total of 265 papers were reviewed—sourced from peer-reviewed journals published from 1990–2013, and reports and information obtained from government and non-government websites. This resource sheet reviews the effectiveness of both Indigenous-specific and mainstream Australian employment programs, as well as international employment programs for Indigenous people with a disability. Where relevant, it also takes account of evaluations of employment programs for people with a disability that did not specifically report the results for Indigenous job seekers as they are likely to have some Indigenous clients

Supporting Youth Employment: A Guide for Community Groups

Although public money is available for education, job training and youth programs throughout the nation, many young people in low-income communities do not acquire the skills and credentials necessary to get high paying jobs. This Guide is a resource for parents, youth workers, educators and young people who want to take action. It details three major public funding sources that can support job-related training for youth: the WIA, TANF and State Education Assistance. The Guide also offers information on how to recognize effective programs, activities and supports, highlighting successful youth initiatives. A long list of youth-oriented resources is provided

Who Benefit from Cash and Food-for-Work Programs in Post-Earthquake Haiti?

In this paper, a unique post-earthquake survey designed to provide a rapid assessment of food insecurity in Haiti is used in order to address the question of whether cash and food-for-work (C/FfW) programs are allocated adequately in Haiti. We consider that the allocation principle should meet two main criteria. First, C/FfW programs should be targeted towards people who are in the most necessitous circumstances (i.e., poor and food insecure people). Second, these programs should be targeted at the most vulnerable people on the labor market. Modelling the impact of various covariates on C/FfW programs participation, we find that these programs are not specifically targeted at people who are most in need, be it because of their low level of subsistence or because of earthquakerelated losses. Pre-earthquake participation to programs appears to be an important determinant of post-earthquake participation. What is more, cash-forwork is very rarely declared as the main source of household income. So, a more efficient targeting of these programs should focus on reaching the poorest and most vulnerable households in the directly affected areas. Crowding out effect of temporary jobs should also be assessed on the labor market.Cash and Food for Work; Targeting; Livelihood; Earthquake; Natural Disaster; Haiti

Federal program expenditures for working-age people with disabilities: Research Report

Public assistance programs are important sources of support for working-age people with disabilities in the United States. Using a variety of information sources, the authors estimate that the federal government spent $226 billion in 2002 on working-age people with disabilities, including both cash and in-kind benefits. These expenditures account for about 2.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 11.3 percent of all federal outlays. States contributed an additional$50 billion under federal-state programs. The bulk of these expenditures provided income support and health care to working-age people with disabilities who were not employed or had very low earnings. The authors provide a detailed accounting of the expenditures and question whether the distribution of expenditures is properly aligned with the evolving disability paradigm

Strategies and practices for promoting the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

This resource sheet reviews programs that aim to promote social and emotional wellbeing and identifies those that have been evaluated and shown to be effective in relation to Indigenous people. Social and emotional wellbeing is a term that is synonymous with mental health and wellbeing, and is widely used in policy and program documentation related to Indigenous people, as well as in the literature. The definition of social and emotional wellbeing used in this resource sheet is articulated in the National strategic framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ mental health and social and emotional well being 2004–2009: A positive state of wellbeing in which the individual can cope with the normal stress of life and reach his or her potential in work and community life in the context of family, community, culture and broader society. A range of programs, including education, housing and employment programs, that do not have specific objectives related to promoting mental health, have the potential to positively affect social and emotional wellbeing. These programs are covered in other resource sheets published by the Clearinghouse. A link to these resource sheets is in Table A2 on page 11. The focus of this resource sheet is on the promotion of social and emotional wellbeing and the prevention of mental illness. Treatment services specifically for people with a drug addiction and/or established mental illness are not considered in detail. Strategies to reduce alcohol and other drug-related harm are also not included as they are the subject of the resource sheet Reducing alcohol and other drug related harm. The association between mental illness and suicide is well established. A separate resource sheet Strategies to minimise the incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviour has been prepared, therefore programs whose primary purpose is suicide prevention are not considered in this resource sheet. This resource sheet assesses the effectiveness of Australian and international programs whose primary purpose is to promote the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in urban and remote locations

Low-cost natural interface based on head movements

Sometimes people look for freedom in the virtual world. However, not all have the possibility to interact with a computer in the same way. Nowadays, almost every job requires interaction with computerized systems, so people with physical impairments do not have the same freedom to control a mouse, a keyboard or a touchscreen. In the last years, some of the government programs to help people with reduced mobility suffered a lot with the global economic crisis and some of those programs were even cut down to reduce costs. This paper focuses on the development of a touchless human-computer interface, which allows anyone to control a computer without using a keyboard, mouse or touchscreen. By reusing Microsoft Kinect sensors from old videogames consoles, a cost-reduced, easy to use, and open-source interface was developed, allowing control of a computer using only the head, eyes or mouth movements, with the possibility of complementary sound commands. There are already available similar commercial solutions, but they are so expensive that their price tends to be a real obstacle in their purchase; on the other hand, free solutions usually do not offer the freedom that people with reduced mobility need. The present solution tries to address these drawbacks. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V