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Signs
of Independence
September 2006
Click here to view previous months of the Signs of Independence Newsletter
Mention of any product, service, or event in this newsletter does not constitute any endorsement or recommendation by OSCIL.
Highlights of Noteworthy Legislation Passed in 2006
OSCIL Updates
You May Get A Call!
Support OSCIL Services
Disaster Preparation
To Leave or Not To Leave
Service Animals
Important Papers
RI Emergency Registry
For Sale in West Warwick
Support Groups
Hearing Loss Group Updates
Senior Housing Update
Research Project
OSCIL’S TOLL-FREE NUMBER
Looking Ahead
The Adaptive Telephone Equipment Loan Program – ATEL
Highlights of Noteworthy Legislation Passed in 2006
Hearing Aids: This law increases hearing aid insurance coverage for those under 19 from $400 to $1,500 and for those 19 or older to $700 per individual hearing aid, per ear, every three years. (This does not apply to Medicare/Medicaid coverage.)
Cranial Prosthetics: As of January 1, 2007, health insurance policies that offer coverage for any type of prosthesis must provide coverage for expenses for a scalp hair prosthesis (wig) worn for hair loss as a result of cancer treatment up to $350 per year, exclusive of deductibles.
Tobacco Cessation Coverage: Every health care insurance policy that provides medical coverage for physician services in a physician’s office, and every policy which provides major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage, will include coverage for smoking cessation treatment.
Prosthetics and Orthotics: Two new laws authorize freedom of choice by a patient in selecting a prosthetist or orthotist and require health insurance companies provide orthotic and prosthetic devices at a reimbursement rate equal to those provided for under federal laws for aged and disabled persons (Medicare).
Abuse, Neglect, & Assaults On A Person With Severe Impairments: A crisis intervention service at the Dept. of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals will be created on July 1, 2007, to assist persons with severe impairments who are victims of abuse, neglect and/or assaults by their primary caregiver.
RIPAE Program: Effective July 1
income limits were increased 4.1 percent to reflect annual cost-of-living adjustment as determined by the Social Security Administration. Secondly, injectable prescription medications used to treat Multiple Sclerosis were added to the list of medications under the main category of drugs covered under RIPAE.
Motor Vehicles: Here are three new changes to RI motor vehicle laws.
• Parking in any crosshatched access-aisle adjacent to disability parking spaces is prohibited.
• Disability parking spaces may be identified by the posting of signs above ground level incorporating the international wheelchair symbol of white on blue, and the words “handicapped parking”, “disability parking”, “disabled parking”, or “reserved parking” at each space, at both ends of a row of adjacent disability parking spaces or at the entrance to a parking lot restricted to only disability parking.
• Applicants renewing a disability placard or motorcycle sticker are required to provide a notarized affidavit from the applicant’s guardian or legal representative or physician that the applicant’s condition has not changed.Property Tax Relief Extended to Elderly and/or Disabled Persons: The maximum tax credit is increased to $300 in tax year 2006 and commencing July 2007 and subsequent years, the credit shall be increased (according to a formula based on net terminal income derived from video lottery games up to a maximum of five million dollars) until a maximum credit of $500 is obtained pursuant to the provisions of section 42-61-15. In no event shall the exemption in any fiscal year be less than the prior fiscal year.
Health Insurance for Dependents: As of January 1, 2007, a new provision regarding the termination of health insurance benefits for children would require insurance contracts to provide coverage of an unmarried child under age 19, an unmarried child who is a student under age 25 who is financially dependent upon the parent, and an unmarried child of any age who is financially dependent upon the parent and medically determined to have a physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expect to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months.Note: OSCIL thanks Bob Cooper from the RI Governor’s Commission on Disabilities for his assistance in preparing this article.
Bonnie Abols, Independent Living Specialist/Deaf Services completed the Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island’s training program and is a volunteer for hospice patients who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
OSCIL has recently received several grants, all of which will enable OSCIL to purchase assistive devices for person with disabilities who cannot afford to purchase these items themselves. These grants will allow us to address a waiting list of requests for assistive devices. A $10,000 Quality of Life Grant was awarded to OSCIL by the Christopher Reeve Foundation. Ocean State Charities Trust awarded $2,500, and Coastway Credit Union’s Coastway Cares Charitable Golf Tournament Fundraiser held in June raised $13,800 for OSCIL.
OSCIL wishes to thank these organizations for their generous support.
Do you know that more than 30 million Americans with disabilities are of voting age?
Do you know that although people with disabilities of voting age represent 20% of America only 30 to 35% of us vote?
A National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation study shows that people with disabilities are about 20 percent less likely than non-disabled people to vote and 10 percent less likely even to register to vote? There are many reasons for this disparity – no accessible parking, no Braille ballot, inaccessible voting booths, and lack of transportation, just to name a few.
Does your vote count? Consider these facts:
• In 1839 one vote elected Marcus
Morton Governor of Massachusetts.
• In 1941 Congress extended the
Draft terms from one year to two and a half years with a one vote margin, 203 to 202.
• In 2000 George W. Bush carried
Florida, thus winning the election by a margin of 537 votes, less than .01%What Can You Do?
The RI Disability Vote Project is a coalition made up of people and organizations representing the disability community. It is a non-partisan organization and does not support any particular candidate or party. Project members include people with disabilities, disability service providers, and friends and family of the disabled.
Formed last year as a collaborative effort between the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities, the Rhode Island Disability Law Center, OSCIL and other disability groups, the coalition is committed to addressing barriers affecting people with disabilities rights to vote.
The coalition’s primary goal this year is to increase the turnout of voters with disabilities. In an effort to accomplish this goal, OSCIL volunteers will be contacting consumers to inform people who are not registered how to go about doing so and to encourage those already registered to get out and vote and have their voice heard.
OSCIL consumers may be receiving a call from one of OSCIL’s volunteers – Fredericka, Stephanie, Pat, Jose, or Shirley - in the next few weeks. When they call, please feel free to ask them questions about access to polling places, the new accessible voting machines and share any other concerns you may have.
If you are interested in learning more about the RI Disability Vote Project or want to get involved with its activities, contact James deBoer at (401) 296-5757 or jldeboer@gmail.com via email.
You can support OSCIL’s programs and services through your company’s United Way Workplace campaign. If you wish to support our agency, simply write in Ocean State Center for Independent Living.
IL Net has devoted one recent newsletter to disaster preparation for persons with disabilities. The following highlights are excerpts from the June 2006 ILRU Network. IL Net is a collaborative project between ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) and the National Council on Independent Living to provide training and technical assistance to centers for independent living nationwide.
• Set up a personal emergency fund to cover at least the first few days of your evacuation. Even if you have limited income, try to find a way to put even a few dollars aside each month. Get an automated teller machine bankcard so you can do banking from other places if you evacuate. Use direct deposit for checks whenever you can.
• Prepare the best portable emergency kit you can. This is especially true if you do not have your own vehicle. Try to put the kits in one or two small travel bags so you can grab them quickly. Select the things you’ll need most. Suggested items include flashlight and batteries, battery operated radio, essential medications and disability-related items, identification, cash and credit cards, food and water, an extra set of keys, and basic personal items. If you have a service animal, don’t forget their needs.
• Prepare an emergency kit for your home in case you have no warning of the disaster and must stay. This kit can be more extensive than your portable kit. Be sure to include water and food for you, your family, service animals and pets.
• Plan for where you can go to get away from the disaster. Ask a relative or friend in another town ahead of time if you can plan to go there to stay at least for a few days.
• Plan for how you’ll evacuate. You might ask a friend or relative if you can leave with them. Make sure you get a firm commitment from someone you can trust. Even create a backup arrangement in case your first option falls through.
• If you have warning of an impending disaster, get away as early as possible. This is especially true if you require accessible transportation or if you have problems tolerating heat or long waits in traffic.
• If you can handle your own evacuation, remember others with disabilities cannot. Offer whatever assistance you can.
• If you don’t think you’ll be able to evacuate, find out ahead of time where you can go for shelter. Do try to evacuate; staying in a shelter should be a last alternative. Be specific about what needs you have and press for details about what shelters can and will meet them. Be aware that if you need personal assistance and are without your own PCA, you may be at risk of nursing home placement. If you are a ventilator user and know you’ll need emergency power, explain this carefully and make sure planners truly understand your needs.
• Plan for your safety when evacuating or in a shelter and when you return after a disaster. Always be with others you know and trust. Be alert. Don’t go places alone and especially don’t return to your home if you can’t be certain the area is secure.
If you have a disability, there are additional considerations. If you are hearing impaired, you might need to make arrangements to receive the audible warnings that others will hear. If you have mobility impairment, you may need to make special arrangements for transportation and check on the accessibility of a shelter in advance. If you have life-sustaining medical equipment, you will need to make arrangements for that to be evacuated with you. If you have special dietary needs, you need to be sure that you have an adequate emergency food supply.
If evacuation is even mentioned as a possibility start gathering what you will need to take with you and don’t forget extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen, catheters, medication, and food for service animals.
You have a right for your service animal to accompany you wherever you go. Although there is no legal requirement for your service animal to wear identification showing it is a service animal, it is recommended. If you evacuate, be sure to take your service animal’s medications, medical records, a sturdy harness, and pet food and water for three days.
Keep important papers in a safe location. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce, custody, and guardianship papers, wills, powers of attorney, passports, deeds, lease agreements, immunization records, property records, insurance policies, and social security cards should be included. Make a record of your residence and personal property for insurance purposes. Take photographs of your home and personal belongings.
The June 2006 ILRU NetWork Newsletter can be found on line at www.ilru.org. Click on the IL Net Publications newsletter link. The publication is entitled Prepare for the Worst: How CILs Can Assist Individuals in Disaster Preparation.
The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency has a computerized registry of seniors and people with special needs who would like to receive evacuation and shelter assistance during natural disasters. This is a free, voluntary registry. The information you provide will be confidential, in accordance with state law. To request a registration form, call 946-9996 Voice or 751-7635 TTY.
For Sale in West Warwick: Oversized Rascal Scooter. Asking $1200 or best. Invacare LC4100 Oversized Lift Chair. Wine and gray color. Best offer. Both items are four years old and in good condition. Contact Lezlee at the OSCIL office for details.
Survivors of traumatic brain injury and stroke, family and friends: A series of support groups are offered through the Sargent Rehabilitation Center’s adult neuro-rehab program and are presented in association with the Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island. Meetings are held the second Monday of the month beginning September 11 from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. at the Sargent Center on 800 Quaker Lane in Warwick. Registration is preferred. Please call 886-6600.
Persons with spinal cord injury, friends and family members: The PARI Independent Living Center and Southern New England Rehab Center (21 Peace Street in Providence) sponsor a support group that meets Wednesday evenings at 6:30 every other month. The next meeting dates are September 20 and November 15. Call Matt or Henry at PARI at 725-1966 for details.
Shhh (Self Help for Hard of Hearing) Sargent Chapter has changed its name to the Hearing Loss Association of Rhode Island. This group has suspended its newsletters and is using an email list to provide updates, information, and meeting notices. A variety of meetings and activities are planned for the coming year. New members are welcome.
To be added to the email list, send an email to cthom27062@aol.com. To be added to the snail mail list, notify Christine Thompson, 105 Pleasant St., Northborough, MA 01532. Meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of the month at the Sargent Center, 800 Quaker Lane in Warwick from 6 to 8 p.m. Email and snail mail is sent on a monthly basis to notify members of upcoming events. Check the Web site at http://shhhsargent.org.
Housing Opportunities Corporation is accepting applications for Saugatucket Springs, a new housing development currently under construction in Hopkinton Rhode Island. Anticipated occupancy is scheduled for spring of 2007.
This 53-unit three-story building will have an elevator, community room, laundry facilities on each floor and six wheelchair accessible apartments. It is conveniently located off Route 3 next to the Hopkinton Town Hall.
Applicants must be 62 years of age or older. Maximum income for one is $25,600 and for 2 persons $29,250. Rents are based on 30% of an applicant’s income in accordance with HUD guidelines. To request an application, call Housing Opportunities Corporation at 941-2900.
The Mammography Project is a Brown University Research Project seeking women with disabilities between the ages of 40 to 75 who are legally unmarried to participate in a telephone interview about healthcare. You will be asked questions about mammography; you do not have to have had a mammogram to participate. The interview takes about 40 minutes, and you will be paid $20 for your time. Call
863-1281 for details.
OSCIL’S TOLL-FREE NUMBER:
1-866-857-1161
20TH ANNUAL RHODE ISLAND INDEPENDENT LIVING CONFERNCE
Friday, September 22 8:00 a.m – 3:45 p.m. Providence Marriott
Call OSCIL (738-1013) or PARI (725-1966) for a registration brochure.
OSCIL HARVEST BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER
Sunday, October 29 8 to 10:30 a.m. Dave’s Bar and Grill in Warwick
Please join us for OSCIL’s Harvest Breakfast Fundraiser to benefit OSCIL’s programs and services. Breakfast ticket cost is $8. Children under 3 are free! All you can eat breakfast and omlet bar. Door prizes and raffles. Prizes include a beautiful handmade quilt, $50 dinner gift cards, Hasbro toys, and more. Dave’s Bar and Grill is located at 2339 Post Road in Warwick. Call the OSCIL at 738-1013 for tickets.
RHODES TO INDEPENDENCE 2nd ANNUAL JOB FAIR
October 25 Noon to 6 p.m. NetworkRI One Reservoir Ave in Providence
For more information, contact Valerie Shore at 462-6163 or vshore@dhs.ri.gov.
ARE YOU READY FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?
Tuesday, October 17 Noon to 7 p.m. Center of Warwick Mall
Speak with representatives from federal, state, and private agencies to hear about available options for long-term supports in independent living and employment after high school. Families of students with long-term support needs, teachers, and students with disabilities are welcome. Sponsored by RIPIN, and the West Bay and Southern RI Collaborative Regional Transition Centers.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE: IMPROVING LIVES DAILY
Thursday, November 16 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Crowne Plaza in Warwick
The conference will focus on the significant role assistive technology plays in helping people with disabilities achieve their goals in education, employment, and in the community. Download the registration brochure at www.techaccess-ri.org or telephone 463-0202.
HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?
October 7 is the deadline to vote in the November general elections. OSCIL is a designated Voter Registration Agency. To register to vote in Rhode Island, you must be a resident of Rhode Island, a citizen of the United States, and at least 18 years of age on or before election date. If you are not registered to vote or need to change your name or address before election date, or choose or change political parties, you may contact the OSCIL office to obtain a voter registration form. You may also call or visit the State Board of Elections, 50 Branch Ave. in Providence. The telephone number is 222-2345. In addition, you may contact your local Board of Canvassers at your town or city hall.
The Adaptive Telephone Equipment Loan Program – ATEL
The RI Dept. of Human Services Adaptive Telephone Equipment Loan Program, called ATEL, provides telephone equipment to Rhode Island residents who have hearing, speech, or neuromuscular (unable to dial or hold a receiver) impairments. An example of a neuromuscular impairment might be severe arthritis, MS, or quadriplegia. Equipment is loaned free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. There may be a waiting list of up to four to six weeks. Program Coordinator Denise Corson notes that the ATEL staff reviews the latest devices and updates equipment frequently. Examples of some of the equipment include: TTY’s, amplified phones for hearing and speech impairments, cordless amplified phones, voice carry-over phones, phone signalers which attach to a lamp allowing it to flash when the phone rings, air switches that enable users to make and answer calls hands-free, a fast response emergency dialer (FRED) that dials 911 with no monthly monitoring fee, and an emergency connect phone that dials pre-programmed numbers.
Managed by Goodwill Industries, the ATEL program is located at 100 Houghton Street in Providence. Visit www.riatelprogram.org. Persons may apply on-line or e-mail dcorson@riatelprogram.org. Applicants must complete an application form and have a signed certificate of disability. The telephone numbers are 276-0875 Voice or 861-6677 TTY. Hours of operation are 8:30 to 1:30 Monday through Friday. Scheduling an appointment is recommended. Effective January 1, 2007, new applicants must meet income criteria.
