School of CED Sponsors Real Economic Impact Tour

Real Economic Impact Tour Expands to 84 Cities
Brings New Hope to Low Income Wage Earners with Disabilities

October 28, 2008 – Washington, DC - Plans for the fifth Annual Real Economic Impact Tour (REI Tour) were unveiled today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC that is expected to reach over 2.5 million individuals with disabilities with education, training and individual assistance to build a better economic future. Begun four years ago in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service Stakeholders Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) and the National Disability Institute (NDI), the REI Tour has helped over 151,000 taxpayers with disabilities receive over 131 million dollars in tax refunds.

In 2009, the REI Tour will expand from 62 to 84 cities nationwide and is expected to provide free tax preparation assistance to over 180,000 individuals with disabilities. The Tour will provide community-based free tax coalitions with mini grants to help establish disability workgroups, special events, financial education classes, and new savings and asset building opportunities.

Introduced to an overflow crowd, corporate sponsors of the REI Tour, Bank of America, AT&T, Darden Restaurants, Foundation, and Acorda Therapeutics representatives made the business case for supporting outreach and education activities to this growing market segment. Plans to reach more taxpayers who are deaf were unveiled and representatives from Deaf Tax.com demonstrated how video phones will assist taxpayers who are deaf with remote tax preparation in real time. Also, plans to reach veterans with disabilities returning from war were announced.

REI Tour city awards were given to community-based organizations in Detroit, Michigan, New York City, Wilmington, Delaware, and San Diego, California, assisting low-income taxpayers with disabilities. The Richard Keeling Award was given to Steven Mendelsohn, a nationally recognized tax attorney who is blind for his lifelong contribution to tax policy for individuals with disabilities. The Outstanding Leadership Award was given to Josh Beck, an Attorney with the Taxpayer Advocate Services for his work on forwarding the economic lives of taxpayers with disabilities. The first ever REI Tour Blogging Award was made to Cynthia Battles of Rutland, Vermont for her exquisite and candid writing about the American Dream and living with a disability.

NDI in collaboration with the School of Community Economic Development, Southern New Hampshire University, released a new report Building a Better Economic Future, on research conducted nationwide over the past five years funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Finally, the National Disability Institute announced a new REI Tour award category that will recognize yearly an individual Federal employee’s contribution to advancing the economic self-sufficiency of Americans with disabilities. This inaugural award was given to Ron H. Smith, the “grandfather” of IRS SPEC’s national efforts to reach more taxpayers with disabilities.

“The REI Tour success is a tribute to the power of collaboration. Government and the business and disability communities are forging important relationships that are being built on a foundation of real economic impact!” said NDI Director Michael Morris.  Dr. Johnette Hartnett, NDI Director of Research and the REI Tour told the national audience that “Many individuals with disabilities face daily challenges with access to transportation, needed technology and health care. They are the experts in coping and resiliency in the face of great odds. The RIE Tour spreads a message of hope and optimism about the possibilities of a better economic future for all Americans with disabilities. “

Please visit our website http://www.reitour.org/.