HUD Housing Quality Standards

ORLANDO, Fla. (PRWEB)
June 18, 2021

This comes at a time where inspections are seen as an important requirement in the property criteria process for Housing & Urban Development and with congress introducing the “HUD Inspection Act of 2021” which will expand HUD’s response to properties within its subsidized portfolio and address low physical inspection scores.

The Choice affordable Housing Act Bill aims to streamline some of the processes including inspections, making it more desirable for landlords to enter the program.

Arlington County VA’s Department of Community Planning, Housing & Development is a federally funded and locally administered Arlington Housing Choice Voucher Program which helps low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities access safe, decent, and affordable housing in the private market.

For the Housing Choice Voucher program, HUD requires the housing quality standards (HQS) inspection to be performed for all properties and units. Until now, the standard practice has been to create and store mostly hand-written notes and individual pictures, added to a variety of differing online forms. By partnering with Property Inspect, Arlington has taken this inefficient and costly process and automated the HQS inspection process so notes, images and videos of units can be instantly added to digital reports in the field. This innovative approach to information capturing saves valuable time and money for the county.

When deficiencies in a unit are identified they are highlighted within the report and a separate deficiency report is generated and sent to the landlord, which includes time stamped imagery, video and notes.

Property Inspect has enabled Arlington to drive these efficiencies by utilising their inspection app and custom templates designed around the HUD process. The options available include:

Inspectors enabled to carry out inspections via a simple to use mobile-app based template

Date and time-embedded pictures that enable the inspector to gather evidence including video with deficinces highlighted and action points assigned whilst at the property action points around deficiencies found at the property

Empowering tenants by giving them a role in the process by adding a tenant feedback section to the reports

Reduce the administrative process and give back time to the inspection teams by providing uniform reports and unlimited storage capability / capacity

Tenant Feedback: Arlington has added a new section for tenants to provide feedback and living conditions giving a voice to tenants through the process

With the advancements in inspection software, including live & remote inspections and the ability to document and create reports via mobile apps; Property Inspect is leading the evolution of localized HUD mandated inspection processes.

By automating inspection processes for HQS, Rapid Re-Housing, Rental Assistance, Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) and more, Property Inspect is the platform that Arlington, allChicago and the City of Baltimore relies on to better serve the landlords and residents of their cities that participate in the HUD programs.

Working with an increasing number of municipalities across the US; Property Inspect will help you to improve and streamline your property reporting processes. For more information or to book a demo, please visit http://www.propertyinspect.com/hud/

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NORWALK, Conn. (PRWEB)
June 15, 2021

The 2021 Fred J Epstein Youth Achievement Awards (YAA) were presented at the Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities annual benefit on Thursday, May 13th 2021. The award, named for pioneering pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Fred J Epstein, recognizes outstanding achievements by young people with learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD. Dr. Epstein credited his significant learning disabilities as a major factor in his success and became an inspiration to children with LD.

The winner of this year’s $1,000 award is Serena Chen from Milpitas, CA. Serena was diagnosed with ADHD and additional challenges. She is the founder and coordinator of NeurodiverCity, http://www.neurodiver-city.org, an international student community website including support and information from experts on being neurodiverse. She maintained a higher than 4.0 GPA and has excelled in online coursework certifications, including Psychotherapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Psych diagnostics. Serena is an accomplished musician who plays the trumpet and piano. She has won many national and international music competitions, performed principal trumpet with the San Francisco Symphony and the National Honor Band at Carnegie Hall, and trained at some of the nation’s premier summer orchestral institutes including Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute. She looks forward to continuing her remarkable achievements this fall when she enrolls in Columbia University’s class of 2025.

Kyla Walsh from Crestwood, KY, received the $500 Special Recognition Award. Kyla’s talents and interests range from competitive horseback riding and modeling for the Helen Wells Agency, to volunteering for Equine Therapy. She is challenged with ADHD, dysgraphia, and anxiety, but did not allow her struggle with written expression (dysgraphia), to stop her from writing poems, short stories, screenplays and novels. She published a book of her poems titled Poems are my Pills and will release another book of poems this spring. Kyla won an award for her short story “Monsters,” published in Spectrum, her school’s literary magazine. She also served as creative consultant for her screenplay, Better, that was selected and produced by the Oldham County Performing Arts Center. All this while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Kyla will major in Creative Writing in college.

Honorable Mentions were awarded to:

Ireland Bennett, Sandusky, OH. Diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, Ireland channeled her academic frustrations and talent into artwork, creating sophisticated fashion designs and graphics. She has developed a social media presence with her Cosplay costumes, elaborate costumes of male superheroes in female form. Ireland dreams of eradicating the stigma of difference through her designs, and will continue her pursuit by studying fashion and design at Kent State University in the fall of 2021.

Edward R. Gibson, Lutherville, MD, writes, “Simply put, my teachers believed that someone couldn’t be both smart and dyslexic. This initial injustice sent me down a path of advocating for the rights of others.” In middle school, Eddie joined Decoding Dyslexia, helping to lobby Congress to pass the Research Excellence Advancement for Dyslexia Act (READ Act). He met and shared his story with Congressman Lamar Smith, the bill’s sponsor, who presented Eddie’s story on the House floor as Congress prepared to vote. This fall he will attend the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in International Relations.

Cole Perry, New Albany, OH, was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in third grade. Cole’s family made sacrifices to send him to a school that taught the way he learned. With a long-time interest in programming, driven by an online platform, Code Academy, Cole used technology to help him with his organizational challenges. He created a simple mobile app to enter assignments and receive prompts to do the assignments. Cole’s app “Prompt Homework” can be found on Apple and Droid app stores. Cole currently looks forward to attending a top tech university.

Lindsay Wheeler, Las Vegas, NV. Lindsay and her mom traveled to a neuropsychologist in California to discover her dyslexia diagnosis. Lindsay founded Project Dot, a non-profit that provides feminine hygiene supplies to homeless and low-income women and girls in her community. With grant funds, a website, marketing materials and partnerships with agencies in the city of Las Vegas, Lindsay coordinated the distribution of more than 5,500 Project Dot kits. Lindsay is taking a dual enrollment class at her local community college with plans to pursue a major in psychology.

Sharon Miles, the co-chair of the YAA Selection Committee stated that this year there were 103 applications from students, from 31 states. According to Sharon, “Every year the students who apply are more remarkable, and the decision process for our committee is increasingly challenging.”

About Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc.

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. is a Norwalk, CT-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping parents realize their children’s significant gifts and talents, and demonstrating that with their love, guidance, and the right support, their children can live happy and productive lives. Smart Kids’ mission is to help children with learning and attention differences reach their full potential by inspiring, educating and empowering parents to help their children succeed through its educational programs, free e-newsletter and award-winning website, http://www.SmartKidswithLD.org. Honorary Board members include Former Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, Anne Ford, and The Southport School Head, Ben Powers. Henry Winkler, Golden Globe award-winning actor, director, and author, serves as the organization’s Honorary Chairman.

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BOSTON (PRWEB)
June 09, 2021

National Braille Press announced today that this year’s winner of the Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is Songpakorn Punong-ong,40, an engineer from Phetchaburi Thailand, who created the ReadRing. The prize is a $10,000 cash award to the winner.

Mr. Punong-ong is the eldest son of a blind teacher Mr. Prayat Punong-ong, who founded the Christian Foundation for the Blind in Thailand (CFBT) and was born and raised in schools for the blind where his parents both worked.

“Being selected for the Touch of Genius Prize for Braille Innovations 2021 is a great honor for the ReadingRing mission,” said Songpakorn Punong-ong. “Being recognized by National Braille Press and its Touch of Genius committee, who value the importance of braille literacy with their knowledge and resources, will help us develop and scale up affordable literacy, productivity and independent living for the blind.”

The ReadRing is an affordable compact device, the same size as a computer mouse. It has an opening where you put your reading finger, and there is a rotary refreshable braille display that moves with your finger allowing one to continuously read braille as it streams from a wirelessly connected smartphone, computer or tablet. It can also read optical characters captured by an attached camera. This product has been in development since 2015.

Mr. Punong-ong earned his degree in Electronics Engineering from KMITL Bangkok and has spent 15 years in electrical power systems services and engineering. He learned the cost to produce braille books and the complexity of technical services for generations of students at CFBT’s schools, he started coming up with ideas of more affordable and portable solutions to allow blind people to learn and read braille in an easier way.

The Touch of Genius committee is comprised of 8 experts in the field of braille and tactile literacy from across the U.S. who have come together every year since 2007 to judge the award nominations. Committee Chair is Edward Bell, Ph.D. Director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University.

“It is a privilege and an honor to be part of the Touch of Genius adjudication committee working with such talented and consummate professionals. We are very proud this year to have found a product which has great promise for increasing tactile literacy of blind children and adults throughout the world,” said Bell, a resident of Ruston, LA.

“National Braille Press is grateful to all of the Touch of Genius Committee members who volunteer their time for this important program. They are passionate about discovering the newest innovations to promote braille and tactile literacy,” said Brian Mac Donald, President of National Braille Press. “The ReadRing will join the other award winners who have made a significant impact in the lives of the blind and visually impaired.”

The Touch of Genius Adjudication Committee includes: Edward Bell, Joann Becker, Frances Mary D’Andrea, Ph.D., Judy Dixon, Paul Parravano, Noel Runyan, Janet Ulwick-Sacca and Brian Mac Donald.

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is provided with support from The Gibney Family Foundation that works with non-profit organizations and provides grants to help them create sustainable solutions and assist in making the non-profit world strong and connected. The Touch of Genius Prize attracts innovators from around the world in the fields of education, technology, engineering, graphics, and literacy. It fosters and rewards innovation by offering a compelling incentive to support and expand braille and tactile literacy efforts for the blind.

About National Braille Press

National Braille Press is a non-profit braille publisher and producer of braille products. NBP creates products and programs to support braille and tactile literacy in the blind community and to provide access to information that empower blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community. For more information visit http://www.nbp.org

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ROCKVILLE, Md. (PRWEB)
May 24, 2021

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) today announced that CapTel from T-Mobile, an FCC-certified captioned telephone service, has become an ASHA Corporate Partner.

ASHA’s partnership with T-Mobile will broaden access to an important resource for people with hearing loss: enabling people to hear what they can and read what they miss on phone calls through the company’s captioned telephone service, which the federal government provides at no cost to the patient (see fcc.gov/trs for details).

Audiologists can access the CapTel From T-Mobile professional portal to explore options available for eligible patients. The captioning service is delivered through dedicated telephone devices. Audiologists and their patients can choose from multiple devices to suit their needs.

“We’re excited to expand this service to audiologists and their patients,” said ASHA President A. Lynn Williams, PhD, CCC-SLP. “This partnership will ensure that those with hearing loss will have more options to exercise their human right to communicate.”

ASHA members and those with hearing loss interested in learning more or using CapTel from T-Mobile are invited to visit captelfromtmobile.com.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 218,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders. http://www.asha.org

About CapTel From T-Mobile

CapTel From T-Mobile was the nation’s first FCC-certified captioned telephone service, and has since connected millions of captioned phone calls for people with hearing loss. Through corporate sponsorships with advocacy organizations like ASHA, CapTel ensures broad access to its captioned telephone demo program. CapTel From T-Mobile’s complete, no-cost program equips any audiologist office with easy certification options, demo phones to meet a variety of patient needs, and one-button patient access to its unsurpassed customer care. Visit t-mobile.com/captel for all the details.

View all ASHA press releases at https://www.asha.org/about/press-room/.

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Braille and Large Print Starbuck Menus

“We commend Starbucks for its strong commitment to accessibility. These beautiful braille and large print menus will be in every Starbucks location in the United States and Canada,” said Brian Mac Donald, President of NBP.

BOSTON (PRWEB)
May 19, 2021

National Braille Press (NBP), based in Boston, MA, produced 35,000 braille and large print menus for all Starbucks company-operated and licensed store locations in the U.S. and Canada as part of the company’s efforts to create a more accessible experience for blind and low-vision customers. The U.S. menus are printed in English and the Canadian menus are available in both French and English based on region.

Starbucks first began offering braille and large print menus in 2012. The updated menus were commissioned this year as part of the company’s ongoing work to improve and enhance the accessibility of physical and digital experiences for Starbucks partners (employees) and customers through inclusive design. The new braille and large print menus now feature an expanded assortment of Starbucks core food and beverage items so that low vision and blind customers can have access to a wider variety of Starbucks offerings. As part of Starbucks inclusive design process to co-create solutions with the disability community, the company also integrated feedback and input on the redesigned menus from National Braille Press and Starbucks customers.

Produced on a durable material called PPG TESLIN®, a synthetic stock that is made of plastic but still holds ink like paper means that these menus can be wiped down with sanitizer between customers without the ink running or the quality of the braille being compromised.

“We commend Starbucks for its strong commitment to accessibility. These beautiful braille and large print menus will be in every Starbucks location in the United States and Canada,” said Brian Mac Donald, President of NBP. “And we are excited that millions of blind and low vision people in North America will have independent access to read these menus.”

“We want to provide an accessible and inclusive experience for every Starbucks customer,” said Sevana Massih, Inclusion and Diversity manager of accessibility. “Part of that work is ensuring we are bringing in the disability community to get their feedback on tools and resources like menus and understand what we can improve to enhance their experience. We’re proud of working with National Braille Press and collaborating with our blind and low vision customers to provide access to all of the great offerings we have at Starbucks.”

About National Braille Press

National Braille Press is a non-profit braille publisher and producer of braille products. NBP creates products and programs to support braille literacy in the blind community and to provide access to information that empowers blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community. For more information visit http://www.nbp.org.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
May 13, 2021

Two special reports emerging from the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP’s Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 shed light on the circumstances of two groups of caregivers, those caring for an adult aged 18-49 and those caring for an adult aged 50 or older. Findings from the reports reveal that 6.1 million adults are caregivers of adults ages 18-49. This group is caring for more people than in 2015 (24% report caring for multiple people vs. 14% in 2015) and one in three are experiencing high financial strain, with 34% rating financial strain as a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale (vs. 22% in 2015). The reports are each available here.

“We’re proud to continue a partnership with AARP to help target the issues facing different populations of friends and family who care for another person,” said C. Grace Whiting, President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving. “As America ages, more young adults are taking on care for people with disabilities and older friends and relatives. The needs facing adults with disabilities under fifty, and older adults who need care over fifty, both call for targeted, thoughtful solutions that can address care needs across the life course.”

Caregivers of adults ages 18-49 tend to be younger compared to caregivers of adults aged 50 or older; some may just be starting out their careers and some are becoming caregivers in the middle of their career. More than half of these caregivers work while providing care, with 59% of caregivers 18-49 being employed in the past year while providing care. At the same time, nearly half (46%) are caring for someone with two or more conditions. These caregivers are feeling the financial strain of care responsibilities with 39% of caregivers of younger adults reporting a stop in saving and 38% taking on more debt as a result of providing care to their care recipient. Caregivers of adults ages 18-49 are also struggling to balance work with caregiving, with two-thirds reporting having experienced at least one impact or change to their employment situation as a result of caregiving (65%).

The special reports also found that:

• Caregivers face health challenges of their own: only one in three caregivers of younger adults ages 18-49 consider their health to be excellent or very good (35%, down significantly from 51% in 2015);
• Overall, caregivers of younger adults seem to be going at it alone: 52% report having no other help, regardless of it being paid or unpaid help;
• Children are helping some caregivers of younger adults manage care; of those caregivers reporting someone else assisting in providing unpaid care, 23% say a child under the age of 18 helps to provide unpaid care to the younger adult care recipient, meaning 9% of all caregivers of adults ages 18-49 have at least one child helping to provide care.

Data from these special reports comes from Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (http://www.aarp.org), conducted by Greenwald Research (http://www.greenwaldresearch.com) using a nationally-representative, probability-based online panel. 1,392 caregivers who were age 18 or older participated in the survey in 2019. First conducted in 1997, with follow up surveys in 2004, 2009 and 2015, the Caregiving in the U.S. studies are one of the most comprehensive resources describing the American caregiver. The 2020 study was funded by AARP, Best Buy Health Inc. d/b/a Great Call, EMD Serono Inc., Home Instead Senior Care, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, TechWerks, Transamerica Institute, and UnitedHealthcare.

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About the National Alliance for Caregiving

Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of national organizations focusing on advancing family caregiving through research, innovation, and advocacy. NAC conducts research, does policy analysis, develops national best-practice programs, and works to increase public awareness of family caregiving issues. Recognizing that family caregivers provide significant societal and financial contributions toward maintaining the well-being of those in their care, NAC supports a network of more than 80 state and local caregiving coalitions and serves as Secretariat for the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (IACO). Learn more at http://www.caregiving.org.

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