Services for special students to receive new funds

The Obama administration has requested Congress for the next fiscal year to approve a package of about $268 million in grants that would help funding of programs for disabled students, English as a Second Language (ESL) students, students who are, or have been in foster care, and homeless students, to ease and improve their education in two-year community colleges and four-year universities.

These funds will be distributed to school and universities that qualify under special federal guidelines. These schools must have in place, or develop student support services (SSS) programs that help students with special needs in the retention, and application of concepts, and in matters that enable them to reach academic success.

The Department of Education will distribute these funds.

It’s estimated that the schools that qualify for these funds will receive between $220,000 and $360,000 each. All funds must be used in the development, or strengthening of specialized student services.

Programs in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), serving at least 120 students, health sciences, teacher preparation SSS project with at least 140 students each, and programs for disabled students with at least 100 students, will receive no less than $1,500 per pupil. Similarly, programs with at least 140 ESL students will receive the same projected funding per pupil.

The address to request an application package is: U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 7000, Washington, DC 20006-8510. Contact: Deborah Walsh. The telephone is (202) 502-7600. Deadline to apply is Dec. 7, 2009. The applications will be reviewed no later than Feb 4, 2010.

Terminos sobre discapacidades sensoriales

A continuación encontrarán una serie de terminos ligados a discapacidades sensoriales y/o auditivas:

Acusia: Pérdida de la audición.

Bilingüe: Persona que habla o domina dos lenguas.

Calidad de vida: Se define como la relación del individuo y sus posibilidades de satisfacción.

Código: Es un conjunto de signos y reglas que permiten formular y comprender un mensaje.

Código no lingüístico: Es aquel que no necesita el uso del lenguaje oral o verbal.

Comunicación: El acto de expresar y compartir ideas, deseos y sentimientos.

Deficiente Auditivo: Persona que tiene pérdida parcial de la audición.

Discapacidad: Se entiende por discapacidad toda restricción o ausencia de la capacidad de realizar una actividad en la forma o dentro del margen que se considera normal para un ser humano, producida por una deficiencia, y se caracteriza por excesos o insuficiencias en el desempeño y comportamiento en una actividad normal o rutinaria, los cuales pueden ser temporales o permanentes, reversibles o irreversibles, y progresivos o regresivos. Representa una objetivación de la deficiencia y por tanto, refleja alteraciones al nivel de la persona

Hipoacusia: Disminución del sentido de la audición. Puede ser debida a trastornos en el oído externo y medio (hipoacusia de conducción) o en el oído interno y la vía nerviosa auditiva (hipoacusia neurosensorial).

Intertribal: Entre tribus.

L.S.V.: Lenguaje de Señas Venezolanas.

Lenguaje: Cualquier sistema de signos destinados a la comunicación.

Lenguaje de señas: Lenguaje basado basa en gestos visibles regulados por reglas gramaticales.

Multimpedida: La persona que puede presentar una o más discapacidades.

O.N.U: Organización de las Naciones Unidas.

Sensorial: perteneciente o relativo a las sensaciones.

SORDO (con mayúscula): persona que utiliza una lengua de señas como modo de comunicación primario y se considera perteneciente a un grupo específico de personas (la Comunidad Sorda).

Sordo (con minúscula): Aquella persona con deficiencia auditiva que no se identifica con la Comunidad Sorda y participa en la cultura y en la comunidad mayoritaria (la oyente) únicamente a través de la utilización de sistemas de comunicación orales.

*Obtenidos del organismo Lengua de Señas Argentina (LSA).

Funds released to help poor with winter bills

In an effort to help low income, disabled and elderly people to pay utility bills during the winter season, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that more than $2.6 billion will be released to states, tribes and territories under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of HHS, announced the release of the funds. California will receive $50,040,993. The state of New York will receive the largest amount, totaling $359,452,627.

"By releasing this money now, we are helping to provide needed assistance to millions of Americans who otherwise might not be able to afford heat this winter," Sebelius said. "This program helps to offset seasonal energy costs for low income families, leaving more of their income to use for other necessities.”

LIHEAP helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter, and cooling their homes in the summer. HHS is releasing a large allocation of LIHEAP funds now in order to ensure that states have resources available to support their energy assistance programs as the weather turns colder, Sebelius said.

"Each year LIHEAP helps more than five million low income households deal with energy costs," said Carmen Nazario, assistant secretary for children and families. "We will continue to work with states, tribes and territories to assure their heating assistance programs work effectively."

Individuals interested in applying for energy assistance should contact their local, or state LIHEAP agency. Rosa Chapman is the director of Region IX, based in San Francisco. Region IX encompasses California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

If interested in this program, resident of Region IX can call (202) 260-6424