Sharon Lewis receives the 2008 Gold Star Award

Sharon Lewis, Disibility Policy Advisor to George Miller ( D-CA) Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and former llong time Oregon disabilities advocate, received the 2008 Gold Star Award recently at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Meeting and Conference. 

The AUCD Gold Star Award, established in 2002, is presented to a Capitol Hill staffer who exemplifies a true partnership in crafting strong public policy and recognizes the staffer for his/her professional and personal efforts to craft policy and implement programs with input from AUCD and the greater disability community.

 

Wrote her nominator, "In her short time on the Hill, Sharon has worked tirelessly and made significant contributions to lives of individuals with disabilities and other families. In this key role she has worked on many pieces of disability-specific legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.  She has also been a strong voice for inclusion of disability concerns in broader legislation before the Committee such as No Child Left Behind, Head Start, and Workforce Investment Act.  Sharon exemplifies everything that the Gold Star Award stands for."

 Crime Victims with Disabilities Legislation introduced in Congress

 

 

 View the legislation

On October 1, the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act (S. 3668), was introduced in the U.S. Senate.  The legislation would increase the awareness, investigation, prosecution, and prevention of crimes against people with disabilities in addition to improving the services made available to those who are victims of crimes.

Legislation being drafted in Oregon to address abuse of vulneral adults

Rep. Sara Gelser has been working with a large stakeholder group to develop comprehensive legislation in Oregon to address the abuse of vulnerable adults. This bill is designed to increase the rate of prosecutions when people abuse or defraud seniors or people with disabilities, improve the quality of civil and criminal investigations, and enhance consumer protection and transparency in the direct care service system for adults who are aging, disabled, or experience mental illness. If your group or organization is interested in providing feedback on this bill in the final drafting stages, please contact Kris Skaro in Rep. Gelser’s office at 503-986-1416.