OVER 30 YEARS OF PROMOTING AND ENCOURAGING INDEPENDENCE FOR ALL PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
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GIVE LOCAL MIDLAND
Tuesday, May 4th - 12:00am - 11:59pm
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May The Fourth Be With You
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Give Local Midland is a 24-hour online giving campaign, supporting the long-term sustainability of area non-profits through growing endowment funds held at the Midland Area Community Foundation.
For over 30 years, Disability Network of Mid-Michigan has been leading the charge to change societal attitudes about people with disabilities, and to provide an environment where everyone, of any ability, can contribute to their communities based on their own interests, skills, and desires.
DNMM assists people with disabilities by focusing on independent living, providing advocacy and information, and building relationships with peers, mentors, employers, and community members.
By supporting DNMM during GiveLocal Midland, you help ensure we can continue providing these crucial services and supports for people with disabilities for the next 30 years and beyond.
Remember, May The Fourth Be With You...and GiveLocal Midland on Tuesday, May 4th.
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After being forced to suspend play for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Loons baseball is finally back at Dow Diamond. Opening day is Tuesday, May 4th!
Disability Network Mid-Michigan is proud to once again be the official sponsor of Accessible Services at Dow Diamond. We applaud the Loons organization and the facility staff for working to make Dow Diamond an accessible place where everyone can Dive In!
In celebration of the return of baseball to the Great Lakes Bay region, we will hosting a season-long series of photo contests. Every two weeks we'll be asking Loons fans and area residents to submit photos showcasing everything from summer fun to restaurants.
Up first, we're asking you to share photos highlighting accessible services at Dow Diamond. If you share a photo, you'll have a chance to win a $50 gift card of your choice! Let's have some fun as we celebrate not only the return of Loons Baseball, but efforts to make our communities accessible and inclusive!
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MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH
AWARENESS MONTH
This past year presented so many different challenges and obstacles that tested our strength and resiliency. The global pandemic forced us to cope with situations we never even imagined, and a lot of us struggled with our mental health as a result. The good news is that there are tools and resources available that can support the well-being of individuals and communities.
Now, more than ever, we need to combat the stigma surrounding mental health concerns. That's why this Mental Health Month, Disability Network of Mid-Michigan is highlighting #Tools2Thrive - what individuals can do throughout their daily lives to prioritize mental health, build resiliency, and continue to cope with the obstacles of COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic, many people who had never experienced mental health challenges found themselves struggling for the first time. During the month of May, we are focusing on different topics that can help process the events of the past year and the feelings that surround them, while also building up skills and supports that extend beyond COVID-19.
We know that the past year forced many to accept tough situations that they had little to no control over. If you found that it impacted your mental health, you aren't alone. In fact, of the almost half a million individuals that took the anxiety screening at MHAscreening.org, 79% showed symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. However, there are practical tools that can help improve your mental health. We are focused on managing anger and frustration, recognizing when trauma may be affecting your mental health, challenging negative thinking patterns, and making time to take care of yourself.
It's important to remember that working on your mental health and finding tools that help you thrive takes time. Change won't happen overnight. Instead, by focusing on small changes, you can move through the stressors of the past year and develop long-term strategies to support yourself on an ongoing basis. A great starting point for anyone who is ready to start prioritizing their mental health is to take a mental health screening at MHAscreening.org. It's a quick, free, and confidential way for someone to assess their mental health and begin finding hope and healing.
Ultimately, during this month of May, DNMM wants to remind everyone that mental illnesses are real and recovery is possible. By developing your own #Tools2Thrive, it is possible to find balance between life's ups and downs and continue to cope with the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
DNMM will also be taking part in the 2021 Stomp Out Stigma event, presented by SVRC and the Westlund Guidance Clinic in Saginaw. The event is Saturday, May 22 from 9am - Noon at the SVRC Marketplace.
Why Stomp Out Stigma? The stigma of mental illness is real and needs to be stomped out. We are joining Westlund Guidance Clinic and SVRC in having a walk. It's a short walk, but walking increases your heartbeat, produces endorphins making you feel good and Gets! You! Moving! Join Us!
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FILMS SHOWCASING DISABILITIES FEATURED ON OSCAR NIGHT
While COVID-19 made going to the cinema impossible this past year, films released in 2020 had a distinctive feel about them: inclusion. Many of those films prominently featured characters with disabilities and several of those were nominated for Oscars. We wanted to showcase a few selections here.
Oscar Winner - Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Oscar Nominee - Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Colman), Film Editing, and Production Design.
Based on the acclaimed, award-winning play, The Father starts out as a deceptively simple drama hinged on a deceptively familiar dynamic. Anne (Olivia Colman) is losing patience with her 80-year-old father, Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), whose grip on reality is fading but who refuses to allow a carer to look after him. She's moving to Paris and needs to ensure his safety while she is away so before she leaves she must find someone who will endure him. For Anthony, life has become a source of ever-disorienting confusion and in a masterful stroke, the writer-director Florian Zeller (who created the original stage production) tells the story from his eyes as characters and locations shift and we become as muddled as he.
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FEELING THROUGH
Oscar Nominee - "Best Live Action Short Film"
Tereek, a young man trying hard not to reveal his lack of a home, is desperately looking for a bed for the night, texting friends in hopes that he can crash with them. But just when something comes through, he finds himself helping out Artie, a deaf-blind man waiting for a bus home. As Tereek helps Artie navigate a ride home, he learns to see the world through another perspective beyond his own and broadening his horizons in the process.
This film, written and directed by Doug Roland, and produced by Marlee Matlin, is a deceptively simple narrative that takes place over one evening between two characters. But this chance encounter, captured with visual storytelling that's both natural, unforced and still deftly crafted, uncovers riches of empathy, along with a profound revelation about how people can offer fellowship, help and care to one another, even in the simplest of ways.
Oscar Winner - Best Film Editing, Best Sound.
Oscar Nominee - Best Picture, Best Actor (Riz Ahmed), Best Supporting Actor (Paul Raci), Original Screenplay.
Riz Ahmed is Ruben Stone, drumming with singer-guitarist Lou (Olivia Cooke) in the noise-merchant two-piece Blackgammon. They're partners on and offstage, touring the US in a converted RV that doubles as a recording studio. But when Ruben's hearing abruptly fails, he finds himself outside the bubble in which he has existed for so long.
Having ignored medical advice to avoid loud sounds, recovering addict Ruben is guided by his sponsor, Hector, to a retreat run by Joe, brilliantly played by Paul Raci, the veteran stage and screen actor who is himself a child of deaf parents. Here, the possibility of a new life is offered. But will Ruben's desperation to regain his hearing thwart future growth?
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MY3P - My Personal Protection Plan
A New Seminar
Are you prepared to handle an emergency situation? Do you have a plan?
After the devastating floods in May of 2020, many Michigan residents faced the difficult challenge of trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. Many found themselves in the position of not having a plan for dealing with such an emergency.
DNMM is excited to offer MY3P (My Personal Protection Plan) - an emergency preparedness series that will help you Get Ahead, Be Informed, and Make a Plan.
Session dates and topics are:
- Part One - May 19 - 1:00-3:00pm - "Creating My Action Plans and Support Network"
- Part Two - June 16 1:00-3:00pm - "Creating My Go Kit and Evacuation Plan"
- Part Three - July 21 1:00-2:00pm - "Assistive Technology For Your Go Kit"
- Part Four - August 18 1:00-2:00pm - "Advanced Care Directives"
All sessions are FREE of charge and will be conducted virtually on Zoom. Participants will be given flash drives with all the essential resources to customize their plan.
Class size is limited so REGISTER TODAY!
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Special Events:
May 5th - 12-1pm
"Prepare to Advocate" - Tell Your Story
May 13th - 7-8:30pm
"Virtual Job Shadow" - Start thinking about jobs and what YOU want to do.
May 19th - 12-1pm
"Simon Says" Come play the classic game!
May 12th and 26th - 12-1pm
"Healthy Communication!"
Learn together to communicate over email, text and in person in a better way. Share your experiences with everyone.
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May 20th - 7:00 - 8:30pm
It's a virtual Hawai'ian Luau dance...sign up today!
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Come out and get your groove on! Meet up with friends virtually for some dancing and socializing!
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Mondays - 11:00am
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Tuesdays - 11:30am
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Tuesdays - 3:00pm
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Wednesdays - 3:00pm Thursdays - 4:00pm
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Matinees - Monday & Friday
1:00 - 3:00pm
May selections include: Coming 2 America, School of Rock, My Spy, and Finding Nemo. Mondays will be devoted to series that the peers select.
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Thursdays - 2:00pm
May Activities include: Virtual Demo on making Enchiladas featuring Heather, how to make popsicles, & a craft day. |
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WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER YOUR MEDICARE/MEDICAID QUESTIONS
Do you need extra help paying for your Medicare Part D prescription plan?
Call us to see if you are eligible for the Low Income Subsidy for Medicare Prescription Drug coverage. We can help you with screening questions and do the application over the phone in as little as 15 minutes!
Do you need help paying your Medicare premiums?
Call us today to see if you qualify for the Medicare Savings Program. We can assist you with checking your eligibility and doing the application over the phone.
Did you know that there are many preventative health and screening services included with your Medicare coverage?
Some of the things you may be eligible for include:
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Screening:
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
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Testing and services:
- Nutrition Therapy
- Glaucoma
- Mammograms
- Tobacco use cessation counseling
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These are just some of the many services you could access. Call today for more information and a full list of preventative health benefits!
CALL US TODAY! WE'RE HERE FOR YOU!
1-800-782-4160
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At Disability Network of Mid-Michigan, inclusion is a universal human right for all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other discernible quality. To be inclusive is to promote a sense of belonging, respect, and value for who you are as a person. It is about equal access and opportunities for everyone. Inclusion is an integral part of our Independent Living philosophy and of our agency's vision of "Accessible and Inclusive communities that provide opportunities for individual choice."
In the twelve counties we serve in Mid-Michigan, Disability Network offices have been, and continue to be, places of solace, understanding, and information for all. We are committed to promoting and protecting diversity and inclusion, within our offices, among our community partners, and throughout the 15 Centers for Independent Living in Michigan.
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DNMM advocates for the removal of barriers to independence and full inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the Mid-Michigan area. DNMM pledges to ensure accessibility. Each year, DNMM conducts a review of its own architectural, environmental, attitudinal, employment, communication, transportation, and other barriers that may exist which prohibit full access to our services.
If you have any issues of concern regarding the accessibility of DNMM services and facilities, we encourage you to share that information with us.
Please send your concerns or suggestions to:
Executive Director
Disability Network of Mid-Michigan
1705 S. Saginaw Road
Midland, MI 48640
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