Living Fall 2008 Life IS Good! By Amy Beck Everywhere I went this summer I saw people wearing those trendy Life is good shirts. You know, the $30-$50 t-shirts with the endearing stick figures doing fun activities like boating, playing with the dog and camping. I saw the product logos on babies wearing the onesies, grandpas in the shirts and Moms with the totes. Really, I saw dozens of them. I started to think it was a conspiracy. I decided to look to see if I could find one depicting a wheelchair user; after all, I am partial to wheelchair users. Fingers tripping over the keys on my laptop computer I looked at websites for the product line. I finally found one online store which sells them all. I zipped though all the women’s and men’s shirts to find a wheelchair or disability related design. My pulse quickened as I found some with wording about things with wheels. They used the phrase, “This is how I roll,” for these designs. Of course there would be one with a cute stick figure on a wheelchair, right? First I saw it with a grocery cart, then with a baby stroller for joggers, and finally with a mini van. And that was all they had! The perfect slogan for wheelchair users, and no, not one t-shirt with an image reflecting disability. So my findings beg the question, do some of our non-disabled counterparts believe life is not good for those of us with disabilities? This summer I had some fun, as did hundreds of thousands of my fellow persons with disabilities. I felt the warmth of the sun on my face, watched my faithful dog roll with abandon in the grass, sipped iced tea, traveled a little, connected with friends and family, sat at J. Birney Crum stadium for some drum corps action and went to a baseball game. Life was better than good, wheelchair or no wheelchair; life was sweet. While the trendy shirt people may have forgotten the one in five Americans who have or will have a disability, I found an excellent website with thousands of disability related shirts and other products. I had a chuckle at the one shirt with the universal access symbol and the caption, “I’m in it for the parking.” Another favorite stated, “Friends don’t let friends exclude people with disabilities.” I was inspired by one showing Winston Churchill’s words, “Never, Never; Never give up.” And there, on page 6, I found them! Images of wheelchairs, scooters and the universal access symbol with the wording, “That’s how I roll.” The prices started at 16 bucks, hmm, less expensive than the big name shirts… life is good! Upcoming LVCIL Events NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP SENIOR INFORMATION FAIR Visit the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living at the Senior Information Fair on Thursday, September 11, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Schnecksville Fire Company in Schnecksville, PA. Seniors can enroll in different activities like bean bags, and miniature golf and win prizes and awards. Visit the LVCIL table to see our brand new display which was designed by the 2008 Kutztown University Designathon Students. The event is free. LEHIGH VALLEY SENIOR INFORMATION FAIR Visit LVCIL at the Lehigh Valley Senior Information Fair on Thursday, October 2, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The event will be held at Country Meadows in Allentown, PA. The event is free to senior citizens. THE RIGHT STUFF ABOUT RENTING On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, at 10 a.m. Susan Zlotnick from CACLV will present the Right Stuff About Renting at LVCIL. She will discuss the rights of a renter and some do’s and don’ts about renting accessible units. Please call Debbie Rozear at 610.770.9781 ext. 24 to register. Deadline for registration is October 1, 2008. LVCB CANDIDATE FORUM The Lehigh Valley Council of the Blind will hold a candidates forum on Saturday afternoon October 16th from 1:00 to 3:00. The forum will be held at the Association for the Blind and Visually impaired of Lehigh County, 845 Wyoming Street in Allentown. Candidates from the Lehigh Valley area running for state and federal offices have been invited to discuss their support for disability related issues such as public transportation, accessible housing, and employment accommodations. If you plan to attend, please contact Tony Swartz by e-mail at tbswartz@ptd.net or by phone at 610-799-4565. If you reach an answering machine, please leave your name and a message indicating that you plan to attend the candidates forum. FOOD FOR THOUGHT Did you know that the Weis/Kings Supermarket located on Cedar Crest Boulevard in Allentown (near Pistachio’s and the TGIFriday’s) is offering on-line shopping to its customers? Customers can go on-line to www.weisishop.com and pick out their grocery list. There is a small fee of $4.95 in addition to the groceries’ costs because a personal shopper will then take the list through the store and find your groceries. In as little as four hours after your order was placed (during the business hours of service), you can go to the store, park in the designated area and have your groceries delivered to your car. You can go over your order to see what was out of stock or unavailable prior to paying and items can be added or removed from your order. For more information check out the website or call the store at 610-821-4562. ALTERNATE VERSION OF LIVIN’ Livin’ is available in alternate formats. If you or someone you know would be interested in receiving a text-only version of the newsletter please contact Corrina Passaro at corrinapassaro@lvcil.org. Alternate formats are also available on the website, www.lvcil.org. Freewheelers Activities BASKETBALL PRACTICE AT THE BETHLEHEM YMCA Practices will resume in September. Please call or e-mail Bob for the day, time and location. Games held at Eastside Youth Center in Allentown. BOWLING ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON Two times a month on Saturdays. Call for dates or watch website for more information. TENNIS PRACTICE AT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY Wednesdays from 12-2:00 pm at Lehigh University’s Lewis Tennis Center. Call Bob for info. LEHIGH VALLEY TENNIS CLASSIC A Nationally Sanctioned wheelchair tennis tournament will be held July 10 -12, 2009 at Lehigh University. UPCOMING BASKET BINGO Basket Bingo will happen on October 25, 2008 at the Lehigh Lodge in Macungie. Doors open at 1. 20 games for $30, includes food. For more information, please call Bob. MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS First Thursday of the month at LVCIL. All are welcome to attend and play whether you have a disability or not. Call Bob Amelio for more info or directions to any of our events at 610-770-9781 ext. 11 Blue…Not Just a Color By Annette Drobil It’s fall and in the morning Paul is hitting the snooze button three or four times, running late and skipping breakfast. As winter begins, he’s calling out sick from work almost every week. He’s not returning calls from friends and family; they keep calling him and are concerned. They may be more sensitive to Paul’s lack of communication because he uses a wheelchair and lives alone. Is Paul going through a rough spell or is he depressed and in need of medical attention? It is estimated that 5.3% of adults and 4.3% of adolescents get seriously depressed (www.cureresearch.com). It’s not easy for someone suffering from depression to sort out the types of depression but it’s good to know that help is available. The first step is to talk to your doctor about your feelings. Your doctor will ask questions about changes in your sleeping and eating patterns, about your daily lifestyle habits and mood. Are you unable to concentrate? Are you crying? Do you have physical symptoms, particularly gastrointestinal complaints that do not have another diagnosis? Once your doctor has interviewed you about your condition, you can discuss options for treatment. Dysthymia, or chronic depression, is a sort of low-grade sadness, sometimes lasting for years, and is often untreated. Individuals with dysthymia are sad for long periods, are sluggish, and often feel worthless. Symptoms of clinical, or major depression are more serious and include recurring thoughts of suicide or death. People with this disorder typically are in a depressed mood most of the day, every day, especially in the morning. It is estimated that about 1 out of every 10 Americans is clinically depressed at some time in their life. Major events like the death of a loved one or increasing work responsibilities may trigger symptoms of clinical depression. There are other forms of depression including seasonal affective disorder (SAD) that occur in the fall and ends in the spring or summer with the change in the amount of daylight. You may have heard Brooke Shields talk about post-partum depression, or baby blues. This affects about 1 in 10 moms. What’s the most challenging thing about depression? Getting help. Individuals who are sad and lack motivation are unlikely to see their doctor. There are also stigmas about discussing your feelings and the notion that you will get better without treatment. That’s why it’s so important to do two things: 1. Talk to your friends and loved ones who are showing signs of depression 2. If you have signs of depression, seek help. Once a diagnosis is made, common treatment options may be offered including counseling and medication. Paul’s best friend suggested that he see his doctor and discuss how he was feeling. Paul talked to his family doctor and explained that his cat had died recently and he was feeling down about some possible cutbacks at work. These issues, combined with the change in seasons, made Paul feel lousy. Just talking to his friend and doctor about his feelings made him feel better. With treatment, Paul was feeling more like himself in a few weeks. Source: webmd.com/depression Websites for local agencies dedicated to helping people with mental illness: Stepbystepusa.com Familyanswers.org NAMI.org The ADA & Service Animals – What You Should Know By Debbie Rozear The oldest and most well known type of service animal is the guide dog for the blind. There are many more service animals popping up in the United States. Disabled individuals are finding that having a service animal has simplified their lives on many different levels. Dogs were trained for soldiers that came out of the war and had lost their sight. Dorothy Harrison Eustis trained a German Shepherd named Buddy for a blind man, Morris Frank, back in 1929. She was the co-founder of the first guide dog school in the United States, The Seeing Eye, which is still the leading guide dog school located in Morristown, NJ. Years later people were finding that animals made a difference in the quality of their daily living. The most popular are dogs; however, there are now miniature guide ponies, monkeys, and even some cats. In public you are seeing an increasing number of dogs. Service animals have to perform several duties for the person that is in need of a service animal; such as, opening doors, retrieving items, alerting person (before onset of seizures, or deaf for alarms, doorbells, crying babies, etc), helping with balance, pulling wheelchairs, and a comforting companion for post traumatic stress disorder and mental illness. There are 2 different ways to obtain a service animal. You can either go to a school that trains dogs for people with a particular disability, or you can find a dog with the help of a private trainer or on your own and proceed to train them with the assistance of a trainer. Service dogs are allowed anywhere a person goes. If you are asked to leave an establishment, you have the right to call your local or state police to obtain access to the facility you wish to patronize. Both types of police will let the owner of the facility know that this is the law. The state police, however, will issue a fine to the owner of the public area that you have been refused service from. There are only 2 places that are off limits to a service animal; food prep areas (ie, a restaurant kitchen) and in a hospital’s surgical department. Recently there is a movement for the restoration of the ADA. There are new guidelines for the types of service animals and you can read more about this at www.ada.gov or http://adarestoration.blogspot.com/. A “FEST”-IVE UPDATE by Robbie Graves As I write this, members of the Fest Team are gearing up for Musikfest. They are getting ready to roll out and use some of the knowledge and skills that we learned from Mark Derry back in March. In the meantime, we are also working on a report to submit to the organizers of Mayfair to let them know what we found in our surveys last May and give them some ideas and recommendations to help make Mayfair more accessible and more enjoyable for everyone. We will keep you posted as things progress. LEHIGH VALLEY ACTION TEAM UPDATES by Debbie Rozear August 13, ShareCare Faith in Action This meeting has already taken place right before the printing of this newsletter. ShareCare is an organization that is mostly volunteer-driven. Some of the services that they provide; light housekeeping, shopping & errands, chores, transportation, respite care, and benefits check-up. There is one stipulation with the transportation. If you are in a wheelchair, the volunteers may not transport for reasons of liability. If someone uses a walker, crutches or a cane and can maneuver on their own then transportation can be provided. However, if you are one who can not use this service for transportation, they will still run the errands for you along with a list of what you need for groceries, prescriptions or other items. September 10, Disability Voter Coalition Less then two months before the major election that is coming up in November, we will have Butch Kennedy coming into talk to us about voting and being able to vote with a disability. At this time he will be able to answer any questions that you may have or direct you to someone who can better assist you with any problems you may be having. October 8, OVR There are many different services that OVR can provide to its consumers. There will be a speaker coming in to talk to us about the services provided and how someone can become involved. If you are looking to return to work, part or full time, they can provide resume writing services, assessments, job coaches, among many other services. I also know from personal experience that they will teach driver training if the person receives a driver’s permit on their own before beginning the training. I am sure that there are more services that I do not know about. Please join us. Feel free to bring a lunch and a friend as well. One of the greatest benefits of these meetings has always been the peer support. FUTURE ADVOCATES NOW UPDATE by Jodie Steiner On Sunday, July 20, 2008 the FAN group (Future Advocates Now) had a pig roast and pool party at my house to celebrate summer! It was so nice to spend time with old and new friends; to share some old memories and to make some new ones! Some of us took a swim, while others enjoyed sitting outside in the sun waiting and watching to see who would be the next one to come down the sliding board. The food was so good, but we had a few unwelcome guests; flies! Lehigh Valley Action Team Meetings Lunch & Learn Bring a Brown Bag Lunch! Crafts with Jean - 10:30 Meeting from 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. Upcoming Dates: October 8 November 12 December 10 Join other advocates to discuss important issues such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Housing, Transportation, Employment, etc. Also, please contact us if you need a Sign Language Interpreter. Contact Joe Krycia for more information at (610) 770-9781 ext. 26. Future Advocates Now Meeting Join other youth advocates to discuss issues which are important. Meetings held at LCCC in Schnecksville. Upcoming Dates: September 28 October 18 November 15 For information on meetings and times please call Robbie at (610) 770-9781 ext. 29. Housing in the Community By Debbie Rozear As the Community Support Coordinator, specializing in housing, I have been involved in many different, behind the scenes housing projects. Working side by side with other agencies is nothing new to LVCIL. Housing is a specialized service that our agency offers, helping to locate affordable/accessible properties for disabled individuals to live independently. Both Allentown and Easton have secured money from the government to rebuild obsolete, barracks-like homes in the towns’ projects. There were many months of planning and relocation for many families. After the relocation was completed, demolition began. One of the stipulations of obtaining this money was to tear down the existing dwellings and build everything anew. This is called the Hope VI Project in both cities. These are a mixed community; as there will be homes for sale, homes for rent, some low-income housing, and apartments. Allentown has renamed the old Hanover Acres and Riverview Terrace - Overlook Park. In Easton the old Delaware Terrace has not yet renamed their community, as they started at a later date and they are not as far along. Allentown is building the homes in three stages. Some of these homes are already built and inhabited. They had a press conference and open house for the community. A few of my consumers have already moved into their new homes, and there are several awaiting completion of the next phase of construction. Easton Housing has relocated all of the families from their homes and is ready to start tearing down the homes and start the rebuilding process. There have been many meetings with the families and also with different agencies while preparing to uproot people from their homes, helping them transition as smoothly as possible. One Saturday afternoon, the housing authority had a community fair for all of the residents to attend and receive help from other organizations and agencies with services that they may need through this whole process. I have established new consumers and work cooperatively with both housing authorities, mostly trying to find accessible apartments for those who need reasonable accommodations. For two years, the United Way & Lehigh Career and Technical Institute worked cooperatively to build their first Universal Design home. Universal Design is described as a home where you can age in place. Whether a young couple with children, disabled or elderly persons, everyone can remain in their own home no matter what the circumstance. There is a no step entry and wider halls and doorways. Students from LCTI drew up plans and carried them out with direction from the classroom instructors. There were many planning meetings to attend until the final outcome. Press conferences, a ribbon cutting ceremony, the open house and the final auction of the property were all in the mix. The home was sold in July of 2008. Four years ago there was a row of homes that burned down in center city Allentown. Today, thanks to HADC along with many others, there are 9 brand new homes that are standing on the North Street site. There was a press conference and open house in the beginning of August. These homes are priced affordably for lower income families. The homes are 4 story, 4 bedroom, 2 full and ½ baths, kitchen, dining, living, and family room, with a parking pad out back. HADC is planning to build several more units across the street from these new homes. Each home has the visitability standards built into it. Visitability, is a standard which is being incorporated into all new construction. This is one of the selling (or renting) points of newly built properties. Not everyone needs an accessible home, however, most people have a friend or family member who is disabled and may not be able to use the stairs. With visitability you can access an entry to the home, hang up your coat, use the restroom and visit for awhile and then go home. There are many times that I hear from consumers that they can’t go to visit their own family because there are barriers that make accessibility impossible. First Monday Program Starts at LVCIL In September the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living launched its newest program – First Monday. The program is held at the LVCIL offices on the first Monday of the month, with the exception of any holidays. The program is a re-birth of sorts from the past CMO programs and the Wellness for All Group. This new program will look at the topics most concerning consumers and hold programs related to those topics. The program will typically be held in the mornings, unless otherwise noted. The first topic, held on September 8, 2008 was David Shallcross from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. He spoke about the new dangers of identity theft. The First Monday program is free to all. Light refreshments will be served at each program. Information on upcoming topics can be found posted around the CIL offices or on our website, www.lvcil.org. It is important to RSVP your attendance for First Monday programs and if you need a Sign Language Interpreter to Annette at (610) 770-9781 ext. 27. Also, if you have any suggestions for upcoming topics, you may also leave a message at that extension. The schedule for the remainder of the year is as follows: October 6, 2008 from 2:00 – 3:00 Mayor Ed Pawlowski will present an Allentown Update. November 3, 2008 from 10:00 – 11:00 Turning Point will present about domestic violence, programs, shelters and community support. December 1, 2008 from 11:00 – 1:30 LVCIL will hold its Holiday Pot-Luck Lunch. Consumers can bring dishes from appetizers all the way down to desserts. SIGN LANGUAGE CLUB - CHECK YOUR VOICE AT THE DOOR AND JOIN US! Join us for the Sign Language Club! The club is a place of fellowship and learning for Deaf and ASL users from beginners to advanced! On Wednesday nights from 7-9 p.m. please join us at Borders Bookstore, located on MacCarthur Road in Whitehall, PA. The upcoming dates are September 17, October 15, and November 19. For more information, please contact Michele Marks at (610) 770-9781 ext. 21 or e-mail michelemarks@lvcil.org. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING NEWLY RID CERTIFIED INTERPRETERS! Tom Cafiero, CI Susan Huges, NIC Emily Claveau, CDI MORE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES SOON TO COME! LVCIL has begun purchasing and collecting materials with the goal of setting up a library for interpreters, interpreting students and ASL students. The library will have copies of mock-testing materials (including those for the CDI test), books on Deaf language and culture, and practice materials. It is hoped that having these materials available will assist interpreters and students alike to meet their professional development and certification goals. Details as to when and how these materials will be available will be forthcoming. If you would like to donate materials to the library, please contact michelemarks@lvcil.org or call 610-770-9781, Ext. 21. AGENCY REPS FIND INTENSIVE LEGAL INTERPRETING SEMINAR FASCINATING! During the weekends of July 12/13 and July 26/27, Michele Marks and Jodi Jones of SLIRS were allowed the privilege of sitting in as observers while Carla Mathers, Esquire—who also holds the RID Specialist Legal Certification, along with her Comprehensive Skills Certification—presented “Foundations of Legal Interpreting.” The training was provided by PA Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf along with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) to assist RID-certified interpreters to prepare for AOPC certification test. As of January 2009, all spoken-language and visual-language interpreters will be required to pass the AOPC in order to work in any court setting. Mathers’ training focused on preparation for legal assignments; roles, protocol and placement of interpreters in court; qualifying as an expert and testifying as an expert, to name just a few of the topics. As an agency, we are often asked to provide interpreters for court. This training helped us to understand how to better comply with the more stringent State mandates, as well as how to better understand how court interpreting is different than other types of interpreting. Thus, we as an agency, feel better equipped to support our interpreters who are working in the legal arena. MICHELE’S BOOK REVIEW - THE UNDEFEATED The Undefeated by Arnine Cumsky Weiss “A coming-of-age story of two young men set in northeastern Pennsylvania during the turbulent times of the civil rights movement. The relationship between Erich and Danny sets the framework for a friendship that spans two decades, two cultures and bridges the gap in a world that alienates those who are different.” (RID) Order from RID’s website: http://rid.org/UserFiles/File/pdfs/rid_pubs_catalog_04-30-08.pdf I read The Undefeated within two days during my recent week on the beach - I couldn’t put it down! Arnine Weiss deftly weaves the stories of these two boys-growing-into-men during the height of the struggle between oralism and Deaf/Civil Rights, as well as a host of other twists. The tale is well told, and will strike familiar chords within anyone familiar with Deaf language, history, and culture. I highly recommend it! A Very Warm Thank You To the 2008 Independent Living Celebration Sponsors Sponsors are important for our ILC Event because their generous donations allow our consumers to receive sponsorships to attend the event. ILC Angel Around the Clock Nursing Easton Coach Company ILC Friends Lafayette Ambassador Bank LANTA ILC Supporters David & Amy Beck Capital BlueCross Kirk, Summa and Co., LLP Robert & Joan Linney Medico International Paramount Independent Living Aids Mark & Gretchen Parseghian UGI Utilities, Inc. ILC Patrons Allentown Optical Corp. Cindi Brown Nicholas Butterfield Cynthia Davis H. Paty Eiffe S.W. Firman Tim & Karen Grady Charles & Margaret Graves Tom Harp Hartzell’s Pharmacy, Inc. Dr. Sweety Jain Leonard & Beverly Block Foundation NAMI Lehigh Valley Edward & Johanna Pankratz Michael & Jeanne Piedmonte R. Schall Jeanette Schmoyer Kathryn A. Vastyshak Daniel J. Wilson A Very Warm Thank You To the 2008 Silent Auction Donors Many thanks to the individuals, companies and organizations that donated items for our Silent Auction. All proceeds raised will be used to fund our programs and services. AAA East Penn Mario Andretti Baker’s Florist Leanne Bauer Smith Beck’s Tree Farm Bounce U David & Amy Beck Bendetto Chiropractic Health Center BJs Wholesale Club Boscov’s Civic Theater of Allentown C&M Care 9’s Corporate Cuisine Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Peter Duss Jean Feldman Ro Geseck Good Shepherd Health & Technology Center Charles & Margaret Graves Robert Graves Sally Hill Jack Creek Steakhouse & Cantina Just Born Candies, Inc. Larry Christman’s Salon Lehigh Valley IronPigs Lehigh Valley Zoo Marblehead Grille and Chowder House Michele Marks Martin Guitar Brenda Palmer Corrina Passaro Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Steelers Putt U Miniature Golf Kelly Rindock & Jim McLean Debbie Rozear Jeanette Schmoyer Mary Lynn Thompson Wilson Black Photography, LLC. Zoellner Arts Center