CDHD Announcements

Model Approaches for Living Well Grant Awarded The Administration for Community Living awarded the CDHD (Regents of the University of Idaho) the Model Approaches for Living Well Grant! This five-year grant is intended to help develop and test model approaches for enhancing the quality, effectiveness, and monitoring of home and community-based services (HCBS) for people with developmental disabilities. The grants are focused on building the capacity of HCBS systems and enhancing community monitoring to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation. CDHD will hire a coordinator to oversee the collaborative project which includes our DD Network partners, The Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities and Disability Rights Idaho.

Deaf Blind Grant Awarded The Office of Special Education Programs has awarded the Idaho Project for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness funding for the next five years. The deaf-blind project provides statewide technical assistance and training to parents, service providers, and agencies in meeting the educational needs of children and youth, birth through age 21, with combined vision and hearing impairments.

Conferences and Presentations

AT Resource Demonstrations

Idaho AT Project staff met with a young man from Southern Idaho who started a self-employed, locally owned food cart business. Due to a traumatic brain injury he has difficulty with short-term memory loss. He was looking for technology resources to prompt him on important tasks while operating the food truck, and help track sales on a bookkeeping system. It was determined that an iPad with prompting and visual scheduling apps increased his ability to stay on task during food preparation and cooking, as well as remind him of appointments. The use of this technology improved his confidence as well.

Food stands with sign reading "Meatball Sandwiches $7.00 with chips and water"

Accessible Microsoft Documents

“Creating Accessible Microsoft Word Documents” presented by IATP lending library coordinator/AT specialist, Nick Stallings. A total of seven participants representing Idaho’s Parent Training and Information Center (IPUL), the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, a residential habilitation agency, and the Idaho Department of Vocational Rehabilitation attended the presentation. This hands-on training demonstrated how to create accessible Microsoft Word documents and offered tips and resources for extra support. The intent was to increase the knowledge of individuals who create these documents with a goal of having completely accessible websites under section 508 guidelines. All attendees hope to improve practice and better implement the knowledge gained from this training to ensure accessibility.

IdahoSTARS Attends National Conference

By Jessilyn Matthias  Brenda Ingalls, the IdahoSTARS Statewide Training Coordinator, recently attended the National Workforce Registry Alliance 2018 Conference, held September 4-7 in San Antonio, Texas. The opportunity to attend this conference is a great setting to showcase the Idaho State Training and Registry System (IdahoSTARS). The National Workforce Registry Alliance conference provides an opportunity for employees across the nation to learn and collaborate with other registries. The conference is held annually for state registry staff and directors. This year’s discussion focused on differing state policies and processes, registry successes, and the current challenges registries are facing. Having previously been a board member with the Alliance from 2011-2017, representing Region X (Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska), Brenda volunteered with the conference committee this year, focusing on the annual auction event, which raises funds for the National Workforce Registry Alliance for work and events in the coming year. Joining Brenda at the conference was the IdahoSTARS Steps to Quality Coordinator, Malia Woessner, and the IdahoSTARS Professional Development Systems Coordinator, Eleni Wilcox. Brenda says she “had a great time and learned a lot at this year's conference,” and is “very glad she was able to share the experience with them.” After reflecting on the conference, Brenda feels there are several items the project would benefit from. These items include updating procedure manuals and policies, creating a work group to develop a data dictionary for RISE (a revamped data hub for STARS employees and users), and sharing training knowledge and processes learned from other registries. As Brenda says, “IdahoSTARS is already a great project, but there is always room for enhancements!”

AT CORNER

Ekso Bionics By Jessilyn Matthias Imagine you were in a car accident and paralyzed from the waist down, or had a stroke and had to relearn how to walk. Both rehabilitation and physical therapy can often be a painful and arduous process for the person, family, and even the physical therapist. Even then, full recovery is often a faraway dream. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) used to be only in the realm of science fiction writers and TV shows. Now, a company is turning it into a reality for those who have had a stroke or incomplete spinal cord injury. Ekso Bionics has developed mechanical exoskeletons that are being used around the world as rehabilitation tools. The medical device, called EksoGT, is made of lightweight metal and hard plastic, and wraps around the user’s torso and legs. Proprietary software aids ease of movement and gait-training. The additional support and mechanical movement of EksoGT reduces the strain to human muscles and has been shown to improve walking distance for the user outside of the device. Ekso technology has even improved life on the assembly line for Ford car manufacturers. The EksoVest was developed for workers in factories in the United States, Europe, and South America to reduce injuries. The same can also be said for EksoZeroG, used for workers on construction sites, reducing fatigue and increasing efficiency. Movement is a human need that can be taken away at any time. Most of us may never experience being without it, but one never knows when the unimaginable may occur. For people who need rehabilitation, Ekso is there with equipment and hope for the future. For more information, visit https://eksobionics.com .

Community

Moms Night Out By Mia Giglio If you drove past the Kenworthy on September 10 th , you might have been amazed at the long line of excited moms waiting to partake in some well-deserved fun. Families Together collaborated with United in Autism to organize “Moms Night,” and event for moms with children with disabilities to come relax. After some free massages and “two truths and a lie,” all the moms settled in to enjoy the spaghetti dinner and watch a comedian while sipping on wine. But the fun didn’t end as the event ended, each mom took home a donated gift, as well as a stellar gift bag full of sweets, coupons, and portable chargers! The event was a success thanks to Denise Wetzel and all of her work as Families Together founder.

artAbility Workshop

By Kat Moffis CDHD’s fifth annual artAbility Workshop Series began on September 29th and was enjoyed by many. ArtAbility aims to provide adults with disabilities a way to connect with their creative side and then share that creativity with the community. Local artist, Rachel Eastman began the workshop by giving background information on the work of Wassily Kandinsky and the style of collage to artists and volunteers. Participants were given crepe paper, pastel, markers, colored card stock, and the freedom to create anything they wanted. Many of the artists were drawn to the crepe paper, and created explosions of color with it. Overall, the workshop allowed people to connect with one another and express themselves through art. Be sure to catch the next workshops: Oct 13 & 27, Nov 10.

Participants working on their creations using pastels ‌

PalousaFest

By Lynsey Fenter On August 18 th Trainees Isabelle Teppner, Mia Giglio, and myself set up the CDHD booth at Palousafest. Palousafest is an event on the UI campus for new and returning students. The event brought together 219 student organizations, campus departments, and community organizations to discuss with students how to get involved in the community. CDHD trainees talked to students about the interdisciplinary training program at CDHD. The opportunities the program provides, such as community outreach, leadership development, and educational trips were discussed with students. An estimated of 3,000-5,000 students and community members attended.

From left to right: Isabelle Teppner, the former Assistant Dean of Students, Lynsey Fenter, Mia Giglio, Austin Maas, and Olivia Lebens ‌

Community Conversations Members of the Idaho Policy Coalition held district meetings with candidates and legislators. The meetings took place in Boise, Nampa and Twin Falls with one scheduled in Idaho Falls. The meetings began with a brief informational presentation on Medicaid funding for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS). Advocates then shared their stories about the importance of HCBS in their lives and discussed concerns and answered questions from the candidates and legislators.

Nampa advocates share their stories during the Nampa Community Conversation.

Community Advisory Committee Meeting

By Ariel Tilden As a new trainee this year at CDHD, it’s been a really informative experience for me to learn more about what we do for the community. During the meeting, it was interesting to observe the interaction between two groups of people discussing the same goals and aspirations for the betterment of the disability community. Before becoming a trainee, I wasn’t even aware that there are programs in place created specifically for people with disabilities, let alone a work force of people who have a passion for organizing all these different types of programs. I found the meeting to be an innovative experience as well using video chat, due to the flight conflicts. In my opinion, I believe it to be a really convenient and sufficient way to collaborate with our partners in Boise and Southern Idaho.

CAC members in the Boise office collaborating with CAC members in the Moscow office. ‌

Trainee Corner

Welcome New Members

Jacquie Baker Project: artAbility Year: Junior Major: Psychology & Pre-Occupational Therapy

Kat Moffis Project: Dissemination Year: Junior Major: Psychology with Statistic Emphasis

Ariel Tilden Project: CORE Year: Junior Major: Secondary Education with Art Emphasis

Mati Brooks Project: IdahoSTARS Year: Freshman Major: Pre-Nursing

Reagan Rockolm Project: IdahoSTARS Year: Senior Major: Psychology

Group Training

By Laura Hannon This month, Olivia held the first group training for the CDHD Interdisciplinary Trainees. The meeting allowed us to get to know each other, understand our roles at CDHD, and learn about upcoming events. Olivia explained the mission and a brief history of the AUCD, CDHD and the DD Network. She also reviewed important concepts such as people first language and office expectations. At the end of the training, we played a board game run by Isabel Teppner called Cycle of Life. Players were assigned identities and lifestyles indicating how privileged they were, which then impacted their advantages throughout the game. Upcoming events for trainees include artAbility workshops and book club meetings. Overall, the training was very fun and informational. It should be a great semester!

Trainees playing Cycle of Life at the first Group Training ‌

Jen Magelky-Seiler and Larkin Seiler presenting about disability etiquette to a group of students.

Pictured left to right: Katie Reeves, Kat Moffis, Reagan Rockolm, Amy Chia, Jaquie Baker, Olivia Lebens, and Andrew Martinez.

Student Volunteer Seminar By Jacquie Baker  At the artAbility volunteer seminar, we began by watching a video that showed everyone what artAbility is about and how it works. It was a great way for everyone to see what the workshops would be like, as well as get a glimpse of the big showcase held at the end of the school year. After we learned the basics about the project, Jen Magelky-Seiler and her husband, Larkin Seiler, gave a presentation to the volunteers. Jen and Larkin are both members of SALN, and went over topics such as people-first language, as well as some basic etiquette to use around people who may have disabilities. It was a very relaxed and welcoming environment that gave us all the opportunity to ask questions and have open discussions. I really loved seeing the way Jen and Larkin interacted with each other and hearing about their experiences. Overall, it was a great night for everyone to learn something new and to get excited about artAbility!

Book Club By Reagan Reeves  On Tuesday, September 25th , we met for our first book club meeting to discuss our initial thoughts on the book  Out of My Mind  by Sharon Draper. The book tells the story of Melody, a young girl with CP, and her experiences with life. During the course of our discussion, we were able to explore our own experiences with the integration of students with disabilities into our classrooms through elementary school until now as college students. I thought this was particularly interesting because our club has members from different states as well as some variation in age. Another aspect of the book is that Melody is nonverbal and her frustration that everyone around her sees her as less intelligent because of that, when in reality she is truly brilliant. This made us reflect on our own thoughts and prejudices we may have had on others intelligence or ability, I felt that I walked away from the meeting reflecting on how our society thinks about and acts towards those with disabilities.

October 9 - SESTA Conference, Essential Components, Moscow, ID 13 - artAbility Workshop with Rachel Eastman 18 - Medicaid Expansion and Disabilities - Informational Presentation - Moscow CDHD, Boise and Idaho Falls 14-20 - U of I Homecoming Week 25 & 26 - Idaho Partnerships Conference on Human Services - Boise, ID 27 - artAbility Workshop 29 & 30 - Cultural Competency Symposium, U of I October IdahoSTARS Training November 10 - artAbility Workshop 15 - Career Mentoring Day, @ Fairfield Inn Moscow, ID 9-11 - Dads' Weekend 19-23 - Fall Recess - Thanksgiving UI Holiday - Closed November IdahoSTARS Training

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