20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

posted July 22, 2010
Disabilities law hits 20 years of making a community open to all
by Tina Calabro
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Wednesday, July 21, 2010


The Americans with Disabilities Act -- established 20 years ago on July 26 -- has not only changed the landscape of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, but redefined the meaning of "public."

"Before the ADA, people with disabilities weren't considered part of the public," said attorney Paul O'Hanlon of the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. "Because of the law, you have an equal right to be there. It used to be the exception that you were there."

Mr. O'Hanlon and other local disability rights leaders will celebrate the changes the ADA has inspired and look at the challenges that lie ahead at a community forum and street festival at Station Square marking the anniversary on Monday.


Read the full article at:
www.post-gazette.com/pg/10202/1074040-114.stm

FISA Director Leaves Legacy of Collaboration

posted May 28, 2010
By Tina Calabro, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
May 26, 2010

To people in the local disability community, Dee Delaney is a household name.

When news came this spring of her intention to retire as executive director of FISA Foundation in August, one could almost hear a collective gasp. With 14 years at the helm of the small but influential foundation, Ms. Delaney has had a pronounced and lasting influence on quality of life in our region.

On behalf of FISA, Ms. Delaney has changed the local landscape not only by funding projects with far-reaching results, but by bringing people together to craft solutions to longstanding problems and by becoming personally involved in many of the projects the foundation funds.


Full article available at: www.postgazette.com/pg/10146/1060681-114.stm

FISA Foundation Announces New Executive Director

posted May 28, 2010
The Board of Directors of FISA Foundation is pleased to announce the promotion of Program Officer Kristy Trautmann to Executive Director effective August 15, 2010. She will succeed Dee Delaney, who is retiring after serving in this position since the creation of the Foundation in 1996. Ms. Trautmann has a demonstrated track record as a successful community leader with 20 years’ experience improving the lives of the three populations upon which FISA Foundation focuses - women, girls and people with disabilities.

Board President Missy Unkovic remarked, “As a relatively small and very focused foundation, FISA invests in the community through grants and also by acting as a change agent and community convener to address challenging and often overlooked issues. We believe in working as a trusted partner with our grantees, which makes the choice of our executive director particularly important. Kristy Trautmann brings the type of visionary leadership needed to support the Foundation’s current initiatives as well as to guide FISA in its next phase of growth.”

Since joining the Foundation in 2004, Ms. Trautmann has managed the Foundation’s investments benefitting women and girls, focusing on ending cycles of domestic and sexual violence, addressing the needs of extremely vulnerable groups of women, and empowering girls to reach their full potential. She has also supported FISA’s commitment to inclusion of people with disabilities through a diverse portfolio of projects that promote civic engagement, self-advocacy, accessible housing, and community based employment. Ms. Trautmann has gained a reputation for brokering creative partnerships and developing innovative models for addressing these complex issues.

In commenting about her vision for the Foundation, Ms. Trautmann said, “At its core, FISA Foundation’s mission is to promote equity and inclusion – making sure that women, girls and people with disabilities have the opportunity to contribute actively in all aspects of community life. These are challenging times for our region, the Commonwealth, the nation and the world. We need all of our citizens at the table, and we cannot afford to leave out the voices of the sixty percent of our population represented by women, girls and people with disabilities. I’m excited to have this opportunity to dig in and make a difference.”

National Council on Disability

posted November 09, 2009

The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities

National Council on Disability undertook this study in 2007 to focus the nation’s attention on the health care disparities experienced by people with disabilities, and to provide information and recommendations that can help to eliminate health care inequities for people with disabilities.

Website Accessibility Resources

posted December 04, 2008
It is more important now than ever for all organizations to make sure their websites are welcoming and accessible to people with disabilities. FISA Foundation is proud to be working with the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University to offer classes on website accessibility. Download this PDF handout of resources on web accessibility and stay tuned for more information about the upcoming spring classes!