Growing the
Disability Rights Movement: Michigan Youth Leadership Forum
(MYLF)
What: A leadership development program for high school
students with disabilities.
When: June 18-22, 2011 at Michigan State
University
To apply, you must:
- Be a high school student with a disability
- Be a junior or senior by September 2010
- Demonstrate leadership potential
- Be no older than 19 by time of 2011 Forum
- Be a Michigan resident
Deadline to apply: December 10,
2010
30 students with disabilities will be
selected. If you are selected, there is a $100 deposit to
attend. Let us know if this will create a hardship for
you.
Contact Miranda at Disability Network
at
(877) 674-5209 for more
information.
www.mylf.org
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HELP FOR BUYING
ASSISTIVE DEVICES
If you need helping paying for something like
a motorized scooter, a wheelchair ramp, a hearing aid, a
lift-equipped van, or other item designed to help you be
independent, the Assistive Technology Loan Fund (ATLF) may be able
to help.
The ATLF (www.michiganloanfunds.org) program is a low-interest loan that allows you to borrow
money to purchase adaptive equipment or devices and pay it back
over time.
Contact Lewis Whalen at (877) 674-5209 for more
information about this program. It is available to people with
disabilities and their family members anywhere
in Michigan.
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PRESIDENT OBAMA
SIGNS
TECHNOLOGY
ACCESSIBILITY LAW
Earlier this month, President Obama signed the
21st Century Communications and Video
Accessibility Act into law. The
bill requires smart phones, TV programs, the internet, menus on DVD
players, program guides on cable TV, and other modern
communications technologies to be accessible to people with hearing
and vision disabilities. It also requires that emergency broadcast
information be accessible to people with visual and cognitive
disabilities. The bill was passed with bipartisan support in both
chambers of Congress before being sent to President
Obama.
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Member
Spotlight
Disability Network Southwest Michigan is a membership
organization. Hear what Jennifer
Parsons has to say about being a
member:
Membership is about more
than being a donor. It is about a commitment to knowledge .
During my final year of graduate school at Western
Michigan University, I completed an internship with Disability
Network Southwest Michigan. Working with the dedicated staff at
Disability Network was one of the best experiences of my
educational career and I was very fortunate to have done my
internship at such a dynamic organization. I became more
knowledgeable about disability rights, resources for individuals
with disabilities, and best practices for organizations. As a
professional in special education, this is invaluable. Now, as a
member of Disability Network, I know that I will continue to
receive updates on all of these important issues and more through
newsletters, donor updates, and volunteer opportunities. I became
involved with Disability Network for the educational experience,
and I became a member so I can keep learning!
If you would like to receive a membership brochure, call
Kristen at (877) 674-5209.
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New
Construction Gets Accessibility Boost & Ramps for Existing
Homes Change Lives
AN
ACCESSIBILITY
BOOST
FOR NEW
HOMES
Builders and developers competing for Low
Income Housing Tax Credits to finance affordable housing projects
are more likely to get awarded funding if they include elements of
accessibility. The work of advocates around the State, including
Disability Network Southwest Michigan Advocate Paul Ecklund,
brought about this change of policy. Good work!
RAMPS FOR
EXISTING
HOMES
CHANGE LIVES
Thank you to the City of Kalamazoo for CDBG funds that
funded 5 of the 9 ramps we built through our Ramp Up program. Ramps
provide access to the community - jobs, shopping, appointments -
and can prevent people from entering a nursing facility. The need
for ramps is ALWAYS greater than our ability to help. For more
information about ramps, contact Karen Halsted at (269) 345-1516 x
115 or khalsted@dnswm.org.
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DISABILITY NETWORK
STAFF MEMBERS ARE LEADERSHIP ALUMNI!
Disability Network staff members Tim Allgor and
Miranda Grunwell both attended leadership programs when they were
in high
school. Now, they are mentors at MYLF to the next generation of
leaders in the disability rights movement!
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The Kalamazoo
Civic Theatre has added
one ASL signed
show for each production this
year! Call (269) 343-1313 or visit www.kazoocivic.org for more information.
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The AutoMark is
for Everyone
What is the AutoMark?
It is a voting tool that everyone can use,
although it was designed so that people with disabilities could
vote independently and privately. Unfortunately, most people don't
know what it is, and it sits unused at polling locations.
To use it, you insert your paper ballot - the same
ballot everyone else gets - into the AutoMark. Then you use a
computer touchscreen or keypad to make your choices between
candidates or to vote for ballot proposals. When you are finished,
it marks your ballot for you. You then take your ballot to the
tabulating machine and it is counted with everyone
else's.
The ability to privately and independently vote in
elections is a right most Americans have always enjoyed. For some
people with disabilities, however, this has only been a very
recent accomplishment, brought about by years of advocacy under the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
"The first election that I was able to cast my vote
independently was wonderful," says Angie Lee. "The AutoMark is very
important to me and I'm thankful for it."
Pledge to vote using the AutoMark every
election. Ask
your poll worker to show you how!
Disability Network Southwest Michigan has a DVD that
shows you how to use the AutoMark. If you would like to borrow it
to show a group, or would like a presentation about voting and
people with disabilities, give Michele a call at (877) 674-5209 or
email mmcgowen@dnswm.org.
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DISABILITY
DISCLOSURE WORKSHOP
When:
November 3, 2010 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Where:
Benton Harbor
If you have a disability and aren't sure how to tell
your boss, then come to this workshop! You will learn your
employment rights under the ADA and the best way to tell your boss
about a disability.
Call Michele at (877) 674-5209 to
register.
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AUTISM SPECTRUM
PLAN:
YOUR INPUT IS
NEEDED
A
statewide committee has started work on the Michigan State Plan for Autism
Spectrum Disorders. They want
parent and professional feedback on this plan early in the
process.
Go to www.asdplan.cenmi.org
for details and to fill out a survey. You must
make your comments before November 15, 2010. A draft of the final
plan is due in the spring of 2011.
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Do You Have a
Disability-Related Question?
Disability Network is the first stop for
people with disabilities in Southwest
Michigan.
People call for information about disability resources, to
ask questions, and to look for answers. Maybe you want to find the
nearest tandem bike club for persons who have a visual disability,
or maybe you need medications for your disability but do not have
insurance and aren't sure what to do. Whatever your question, we
want to help.
Our toll-free number is (877) 674-5209. Our Kalamazoo office
number is (269) 345-1516, and the direct number for our Berrien
& Cass County office is (269) 985-0111.
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