The monthly DISABILITY RIGHTS e-publication
of
Disability Network Southwest Michigan
|
US Congregational Representatives are in their districts during the month of August. Take advantage of this time to meet with them about the things that are most important to you, including the Disability Integration Act (DIA).
Follow this link to learn more about the
disability-related legislation that the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) considers important at this time.
|
|
Voter Rights & Accessibility Training
Self-Advocates of Michigan and the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council are presenting Voter Rights and Accessibility Training in locations throughout the State. In this training you will learn your rights as a voter with a disability, why your vote matters, and what to expect at the polls.
Disability Network Southwest Michigan's Kalamazoo office is one of the training locations, and a training in our St. Joseph office is expected to be added to the growing list of sites for future trainings. The training is free, however pre-registration is required. Follow this link for a full list of dates & locations or to
register now.
|
Movies We're Watching For
Check out these movie trailers for upcoming disability rights movies we are excited to see on the horizon.
|
Writer Andrew Solomon looked at what happens when the challenge of parenting is heightened by children who are not what their parents expected. He did that first in a bestselling book, Far From The Tree, and now in a documentary based on that book. All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent should parents accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Solomon's proposition is that being exceptional is at the core of the human condition -- that difference is what unites us.
|
|
The perception of intelligence is a powerful force in the systematic segregation, maltreatment, and unfulfilled potential of hundreds of millions of individuals with disabilities in the U.S. and worldwide. The documentary film project,
Intelligent Lives, explores how the segregation of people with intellectual disabilities became the norm, why this segregation is slowly being dismantled, and how some people with intellectual disabilities are blazing a bold, new path.
|
Upcoming Workshops
At Disability Network
As summer winds down and we look toward fall, Disability Network is planning several trainings and workshops throughout Southwest Michigan. All of these workshops are
FREE, but we ask that your register in advance.
Below is the lineup, click on any of the Titles to learn more about them and how to register.
|
|
Society sends messages to people with disabilities that disability is "bad" -- something we should fix, change or hide.
We don't agree! At this workshop we will explore and celebrate our disabilities as an important part of who we are.
- Kalamazoo: Friday August 24, 10 AM - 12 PM
- Battle Creek: Friday, September 21, 1-3 PM
|
|
In its simplest form, ableism is the belief system that tells us it is better to be non-disabled than it is to be disabled. Join us as we discuss and dismantle harmful cultural ideas around disability.
- Kalamazoo: Wednesday, September 19, 1:30-4 PM
- St. Joseph: Wednesday, September 26, 1:30-4 PM
|
|
In this workshop you will learn the only reason you have to tell an employer about your disability or medical condition, the best way to ask for an accommodation at work, and your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. We will also discuss employment resources that can help you.
- Kalamazoo: Tuesday, October 2, 3-4:30 PM
- Dowagiac: Wednesday, October 3, 3-4:30 PM
- Hastings: Tuesday, October 9, 3-4:30 PM
- Paw Paw: Wednesday, October 10, 3-4:30 PM
- Three Rivers: Tuesday, October 16, 3-4:30 PM
- St. Joseph: Wednesday, October 17, 3-4:30 PM
- Coldwater: Tuesday, October 23, 3-4:30 PM
- Battle Creek: Wednesday, October 24, 3-4:30 PM
|
|
Disability Network Southwest Michigan
|
|
Kalamazoo Office
|
St. Joseph Office
|
|
517 E. Crosstown Parkway
|
2900 Lakeview Avenue
|
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
|
St. Joseph, MI 49085
|
(269) 345-1516
|
(269) 985-0111
|
|
|
