What We’re Reading: May 4, 2015

This week we are reading a lot. Its reports galore following releases this week from the National Council on Disability (NCD), the Employment Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Child Mind Institute. Plus, spotlights from others on the wearable device market, supported employment, WIOA’s unified plans for workers with disabilities, and more Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) anniversary well wishes – and goals.

• The NCD is reporting on the progress made and work to come on accessible transportation. The May 4 report, “Transportation Update: Where We’ve Gone and What We’ve Learned,” finds increased ridership of public transit along with some improvements in accessibility, but ongoing barriers have stymied progress in other areas, including: taxi alternatives, rural transportation and rail transit. More on the report from Progressive Railroading.

• Kaiser Health News is sharing the findings from the ongoing national Health and Retirement Study, the latest analysis of which (by the EBRI) suggests the end-of-life financial situation facing older Americans is bleak, with 21 percent of those dying at age 85 without non-housing assets.

• One more (report) for the road — The Child Mind Institute’s new report is highlighting gaps in care for the estimated 17.1 million American children with mental illness.

• Wired is exploring the wearable device market, suggesting the true market for wearables is comprised of people with two or more chronic conditions for whom tracking and measuring their health isn’t a “novelty.”

• The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is releasing three fact sheets on supported employment, sharing the model’s efficacy, evidence basis and broader social as well as individual benefits. The series compliments the Center’s 2014 report and a fact sheet on the basics of supported employment.

• More: Nonprofit Quarterly is examining the role of foundations is supported employment. Spoiler: Foundations can work closely with states on their new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) “unified plans” for workers with disabilities.

• And, “the ADA’s 25th Anniversary presents us with an opportunity both to reflect on the important work that has been done… and to look ahead at the issues that will continue to shape the landscape for… year to come,” writes ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill on The Hill’s Congress Blog.