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Signs
of Independence
August 2006
Mention of any product, service, or event in this newsletter does not constitute any endorsement or recommendation by OSCIL.
Signs of Independence is made possible by the generosity of our advertisers. OSCIL wishes to thank Freedom Lifts and the National MS Society Rhode Island Chapter for sponsoring this edition of our newsletter.
18th Annual
Meeting Highlights A Busy Year
Noteworthy
highlights of 2005
OSCIL Scholarship Winners
Staff Recognition
OSCIL Volunteers Recognized
OSCIL Board of Directors
Keratoconus Support
Environmental Illness Group
Home Modification Company
Rural Development Programs
Low Interest Housing Loans
Home Repair Program
URI Assistive Technology
Lab
New Brain Injury Fund
Kmart Legal Notice
New PathFinders
Brain Injury Program
FYI
Looking Ahead
18th Annual Meeting Highlights A Busy Year
OSCIL’s 18th annual meeting and awards ceremony was held on April 27th at the Warwick Public Library. Board President Henry Tarlian summarized some of our Center’s accomplishments of the last fiscal year, noting that over 6,000 individuals were served by OSCIL.
Mr. Tarlian reported that 509 persons received direct, one-to-one services. Another 1,178 called our agency for information and referral. Six consumers transitioned out of area nursing homes, and 149 people are now living in homes that have been made more accessible by our home modification and adaptive equipment program. Sixty consumers worked on housing goals. OSCIL’s Benefits Specialist assisted 181 consumers to understand their benefit options regarding employment. Lastly, there were 102,464 visits to our Web site.
Noteworthy highlights of 2005 include
- OSCIL hosted a Macular Degeneration Symposium in May 2005. A distinguished panel of seven physicians provided the latest research findings.
- The Community Living Option brochure was designed and distributed to area hospitals and nursing homes as a result of last year’s advocacy leading to the adoption of RI General Law Section 42-66.6-5.
- In July 2005 OSCIL hosted one of seven public forums with the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities. Prior to the forum, OSCIL’S executive director held two training sessions providing instruction on how to effectively testify at a public forum. One participant’s testimony was so powerful that it was heard again at the State House.
- OSCIL ran
a Consumer Education Series that offered seminars on timely
topics to Deaf and hard of hearing consumers, and to members of
the community at large.
Guest Presenters Marie and Don Perna shared their enthusiasm and story about the creation and growth of Accessible Rhode Island, a publication and Web site (www.accessiblerhodeisland.org) with information about ADA compliant restaurants, cultural and recreational sites, and libraries in our state. The guide has been a labor of love for the Perna family and volunteers from Dare To Dream, a local self-help group. - On the library walls were works of art from the student art contest, co-sponsored by Accessible Rhode Island and VSA arts of Rhode Island, illustrating what access means to these students. The philosophy behind Accessible Rhode Island is the notion that everyone should be able to get out and enjoy life; there should be no barriers. The 4th edition of Accessible Rhode Island will be available in June.
John Howell, Warwick Beacon Editor, awarded three $1,000 Catherine T. Murray Memorial Scholarships and one $500 New Pathways Scholarship to the following students:
Christina Battista has an Associate’s Degree from CCRI and is currently a psychology major at Rhode Island College. Her goal is to obtain a Master’s degree and work with individuals with disabilities.
Charlene DeMello is a busy mother raising three children while working as a CNA in a nursing facility and attending CCRI in pursuit of a social work career.
Carlos Garcia plans to attend Rhode Island College to prepare for a career in mathematics or accounting.
James Pimental is the recipient of the New Pathways Award. This award recognizes an individual who experienced the sudden onset of a severe disability in midlife. Instead of dwelling on the disability and abandoning work because he could no longer continue in his job, James chose to redirect his life and prepare for a new career in education.
Lorna Ricci recognized the following two staff members for their dedicated service to OSCIL: Housing Advocate Hal Fayerweather for fifteen years and Program Director Lezlee Shaffer for ten years.
On behalf of the entire staff, Carol McKenna thanked the following volunteers for their loyal service to OSCIL: Jean Bradley, Lauren Chicoine, Ruth Clark, Scott Fayerweather, Lillian Freeman, Pat McCrone, Tony Ricci, Linda Souza, and Samantha Turner.
Stephanie Booth, Kristen Connors, Richard DeGregorio, Jose Lobaton, Pat McCrone, and Susan Shapiro were elected to the OSCIL Board of Directors, joining Henry Tarlian, James Bateman, Mary Leeman, Lydia LeFebvre, Anne McDonald, John Nakowicz, Rep. Eileen Naughton, and David Smith.
Keratoconus (KC) is a visual impairment in which the normally round dome-shaped cornea progressively thins, causing a cone-like bulge to develop. In the earliest stages keratoconus causes slight blurring and increased sensitivity to glare and light. The symptoms first appear in the late teens and early twenties. It may progress for 10 to 20 years and then slow its progression.
Eyeglasses or contact lenses may be used in the early stages of the disease. As the disorder progresses and the cornea continues to thin and change shape, rigid gas permeable contact lenses can be prescribed to correct vision. In severe cases, a corneal transplant may be needed.
It is estimated that one out of every 2,000 persons in the general population is affected by keratoconus, but most persons have never met another person with this condition. Persons may feel isolated and alone with no one to talk to. The National Keratoconus Foundation has developed two successful programs to help. KC-Link is an e-mail forum for people with keratoconus, linking subscribers all over the world. To subscribe to this link, visit the Web site www.nkcf.org and click on KC Link.
The Outreach and Transplant Buddy Program allows participants to converse via telephone. Outreach volunteers with keratoconus provide peer support via telephone. Call (800) 521-2524 or send e-mail to info@nkcf.org.
Note: One-to-one peer support for keratoconus is available at OSCIL.
Many persons with environmental illness feel isolated from others and from society. Dori R. Blacker is trying to help by creating a new organization, The Voice of the Canary – TWEET – that stands for Those Who Experience Environmental Trauma.
TWEET is a registry/advocacy organization working for the rights of the chemically injured in our state. Persons with environmental illness, family, friends, and supporters are welcome give their input and get involved. TWEET hopes anyone who has chemical sensitivity, whether a single sensitivity or multiple sensitivities, will contact them. Contact Dori R. Blacker at 934-0830 or e-mail to voiceofthecanary@cox.net.
Fixing to Stay provides a range of support services that help persons remain independent in their homes. From simple repairs to major remodeling projects, this company offers solutions to aging-in-place and maintaining independence. Examples of projects include: hand rails and grab bar installation, handheld showers, wheelchair ramps, walk-in bathtubs, TubcutÔ(see www.tubcut.com), bathroom remodeling, and more.
Contact Greg Murphy at 369-9133 or toll-free at (866) 584-5167. Fixing to Stay is based in Cumberland and is insured and licensed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Mr. Murphy is a certified aging-in-place specialist.
David M. Delisle, RI Area Director of USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) Rural Development, sent OSCIL updates about two programs for rural homeowners or individuals interested in becoming rural homeowners.
Rural Development is accepting applications from persons interested in applying for assistance to purchase or build a single-family home or purchase a condominium in an eligible rural area. The Single-Family Direct Housing Loan Program (section 502) allows the opportunity to purchase or build a home with no down payment and financing of up to 100%.
Eligible applicants must be unable to secure a conventional bank mortgage and be in need of a home that will be occupied as their primary residence. Applicants are expected to have a dependable source of income and a reasonably good history of paying past credit obligations.
The program’s maximum household income varies according to family size and the town in which the property is located. Generally the income for a one-member household cannot exceed $46,100; a two-member household $51,900; and a three-member household $57,700.
USDA Rural Development is an equal opportunity lender and an advocate of eliminating housing discrimination.
Rural Development provides grants and one-percent loans for rural homeowners to make necessary repairs and improvements to their homes.
Loans may be made for up to $20,000 at an interest rate of one percent. Grants for up to $7,500 are available to senior citizens who are 62 years of age or older and who cannot meet the expense of a loan.
Funds may be used for such purposes as heating, storm windows, insulation, electrical and plumbing repairs, well and septic system repairs, or roof and chimney repairs. In addition, homeowners can use financing to install ramps or make other home improvements in order to maintain or improve an applicant’s independence.
To qualify, an applicant must be the owner or occupant of a single-family home located in an eligible rural area. Generally, the annual income for a single member household cannot exceed $23,750; a two-member household $27,150; and a three-member household $30,550. Income limits are slightly higher for Hopkinton, New Shoreham, and Westerly.
There are 28 eligible communities in Rhode Island. Information regarding eligible communities and applications may be obtained at the USDA Rural Development office located at 60 Quaker Lane, Ste. 44 in Warwick, or by calling 826-0842. You may send email to David.Delisle@ri.usda.gov.
Students at URI’s Assistive Technology (AT) Lab develop innovative devices such as switches and environmental control units that enable persons with limited movement to better control their environments. The program operates with the support of URI and Eleanor Slater Hospital of the RI Dept. of MHRH. Its primary goal is to engage URI Biomedical Engineering students in developing AT devices for patients at Eleanor Slater and Zambarano Hospitals.
URI students and faculty also reach out to the community by evaluating AT needs and providing customized devices for individuals with severe disabilities. If you need a customized assistive device or have questions, contact the AT lab. Call Yin Sun, PhD at 874-2515 or send an email to sun@ele.uri.edu.
The Brain Injury Fund is an opportunity for people with traumatic or acquired brain injuries to obtain services and supports to enhance their participation in community life that would otherwise be unattainable due to financial limitations.
There is a spending cap of $1500 per person; funding should be considered a fund of last resort. Examples of possible requests include transportation services, minor home modifications, recreational programs, assistive devices, and household items or security deposits needed to transition to a more independent living situation. Call Rosemarie Coffey at PARI at 725-1966.
Kmart has entered into an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit, Lucas V. Kmart Corporation, sought to make Kmart alter its stores with respect to access for people who use wheelchairs or scooters and sought damages in an amount specified by statute (statutory minimum damages) for individuals who use wheelchairs or scooters for mobility and who shopped or shop at Kmart stores in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, or Texas (damaged states). Kmart denied liability, and the court did not decide which side was right.
Under the settlement, Kmart will make alterations to its stores nationwide to increase their accessibility for individuals who use wheelchairs or scooters and pay $13 million ($8 million in cash and $5 million in gift cards). If an individual used or uses a wheelchair or scooter for mobility and shopped at a Kmart in a damaged state between May 6, 2003, and July 7, 2006, he/she may be eligible for monetary recovery. To qualify for payment, you must submit a claim by August 16, 2006.
The above information is an incomplete summary of this settlement. For a full summary, please call the numbers below or visit the following Web site.
1-888-366-5352
1-888-252-4449 TTYOSCIL’S TOLL-FREE NUMBER
1-866-857-1161
New PathFinders Brain Injury Program
The PathFinders Program, which opened in March 2006, is a post-rehabilitation day program designed to improve the lives of people living with brain injury from trauma, tumor, or stroke who have had medically intensive services at a hospital or rehab center and are now back in their communities. PathFinders aims to have members and staff work together to plan and carry out a variety of jobs and tasks necessary to operate the Clubhouse Program. The program’s structure and staff-member relationships emphasize the importance of self-determination and self-sufficiency following brain injury.
An informal atmosphere allows participants to select from a variety of structured activities designed for both enjoyment and improving life skills. Activities include a computer lab, cooking in a fully equipped kitchen, arts and crafts, discussion groups, peer support, a complete exercise gym, games, movie theater, and much more. Members may attend one to five days a week. Lunch is included in the day program, and transportation may be arranged. Staff members have had training in nursing and social work. Payment may be private, through Medicaid, or some waiver programs. The fee is forty dollars per day.
PathFinders is located in the Generations Building (second floor) at 1073 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence. The building is wheelchair accessible. For further details or to arrange for a tour, contact Erin Finneran or Greg Andrade at 305-5300.
Food Stamp Benefits: Persons who live in subsidized housing and pay any heating or air conditioning costs may be eligible for a larger Food Stamp benefit as a result of a 2005 change in the calculation of a standard utility allowance. Contact your DHS caseworker.
Adaptive Devices Catalog: Active and Able offers a wide assortment of adaptive equipment in their catalog and on their Web site. Visit www.activeandable.com. Web links are organized into categories such as vision, hearing, dexterity, mobility, and memory. To request a catalog, call (877) 229-9993.
Gamblers Anonymous: Addiction to gambling is an illness. For a list of local gamblers anonymous meetings or to talk to a volunteer, call 886-6850.
Internet Health Web Site Ratings: Consumer Health WebWatch has released ratings of the most popular health information sites on the Internet. Visit www.healthratings.org.
West Bay Community Action is now part of Serve New England, the region’s largest food buying cooperative. Participants are required to contribute two hours a month volunteering in the community and may save up to 40% on food packages. To join the West Bay site, call Kelly Chadronet at 732-4660 ext. 140.
For Sale: Accessible Van. 1994 Ford Hightop. 120,000 miles. Good condition. No rust. Asking $6800. Call 737-6444.
COASTWAY CARES 4TH ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
Monday, June 26
Registration at 1 p.m.
Warwick Country ClubCall Steve Tamborelli at 330-1671 for details. Tournament will benefit OSCIL.
PUBLIC FORUMS COMING WEEK OF JULY 24 – 28
During the week of July 24-28, state agencies and community-based organizations will conduct public forums across the state to identify the concerns of people with disabilities and their families. OSCIL will be hosting one of the forums on July 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Warwick Public Library. Times and dates of the forums will be announced in local newspapers. For further information, call the RI Governor’s Commission on Disabilities at 462-0100 or visit the Web site at www.disabilities.ri.gov.
20th RHODE ISLAND STATEWIDE INDEPENDENT LIVING CONFERENCE
Friday, September 22
8:30 – 4:30
Providence MarriottMark your calendars! More details to follow or call the OSCIL office in August
OSCIL HALLOWEEN BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER
Sunday, October 29 Dave’s Bar and Grill in Warwick Tickets available in August.
OSCIL 2006 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
If you have not renewed or started your OSCIL membership, it is not too late. All members receive our newsletter, an invitation to our annual meeting, and mailings about upcoming events. The suggested tax-deductible donations are as follows: $5 for persons who are unemployed or retired and $25 for others. Membership is not necessary to participate in OSCIL’s services. Please call Carol at the OSCIL office for a membership form. OSCIL extends a sincere thank you to all who have supported our programs and services through membership donations.
ACCESSIBLE SUMMER RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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Visit www.riparks.com and link to accessibility or call 222-2532.
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Visit www.accessiblerhodeisland.com or pick up a pamphlet at the OSCIL office.
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Visit www.access2adventure.net or call 835-2959 for a schedule of activities. Events include sailing, cycling, kayaking, fishing, golfing, skiing, kite-flying, and more.
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Visit www.riddc.org (Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council) for the 2006 Recreation Resource Guide or telephone 737-1238.
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Contact jmccole@ndsaonline.org or call Jerry McCole, Director of the RI Affiliate of the National Disability Sports Alliance, at 792-7130 for summer sports opportunities.
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Visit www.shakealeg.org or call 849-8898 for info on the adaptive sailing program.
