Winter 2016
Transcription
Winter 2016
FACES Friends, Advocates & Consumers Volume 7, Issue 1 Winter 2016 What Makes DRAIL Unique? Many are familiar with the core services that DRAIL provides in the communities we serve. For instance, throughout the motherlode and valley counties, hundreds of consumers have benefitted from DRAIL’s core services, such as information and referral, advocacy and Independent Living Skills consultation. In addition, due to the structure of DRAIL and the Independent Living Philosophy it adheres to; DRAIL is rather distinctive from other agencies in the way it can connect with its consumers. Here are a few experiences that demonstrate DRAIL’s exceptionality. Paul, a former fire captain and emergency rescue instructor, recently lost his eyesight due to complications resulting from cancer treatment. While Paul bravely adapted to his new circumstances and life-changing realities, one thing that he desired most was to be able to take his aging dog for a customary walk on a trail near his home. Paul contacted DRAIL and inquired if anyone there might be able to assist him to reconnect with this simple joy that meant so much to him. Paul’s call was received by ILS Pierce, who had taken an Emergency Medical Technician Course with Paul nearly fifteen years ago and had great respect for the work Paul went on to do in the Fire Department. ILS Pierce was honored to provide such a simple, but personal service to Paul, which required Paul Waite pictured with Sadey. meeting him at his home and providing him with orientation and mobility services while they walked “Sadey” along the old familiar trail, bringing great joy to both dog and owner. Paul was able to reconnect with the independence and simple pleasure of taking his dog for a walk once again, which really meant a great deal to him. Another example of DRAIL’s ability to connect with its consumer’s on a personal level and provide unique individualized services that other agencies might not make room for is illustrated by the assistance that was offered to Joe. After his beloved grandmother was placed in a nearby long-term care facility, Joe received kind encouragement from other family members to work through his fears and (continued on Page 3) FACES Agencies Working Together For Our Community Imagine if you will, living with seizures that disrupts your life on a daily basis. Now imagine living with that while trying to become clean, steer away from a crowd that can cause you harm and being homeless with no income at all. That was the life that Raquel Moreno was living. Due to her seizures she was also living in fear out on the streets, because she never knew when one would come on. Thankfully she has a boyfriend that was living this life with her and took care of her while she was having the seizures. One day, Raquel finally decided she was going to try to apply for social security and came in to see Modesto Independent Living Specialist (ILS) Tanja Wright. During the appointment Raquel spoke of her struggles and the situation she was in. It was clear she was trying her best to move forward with her life away from drugs but was unsure of how she could provide for herself without any income. ILS Tanja explained the social security application process to Raquel and suggested that she follow through with the application process even though it would be a long process. After the appointment was over, Raquel left that morning with a little bit more hope than when she first arrived, never Page 2 anticipating what was going to happen later that day. At about 5 minutes to 5 pm, ILS Tanja was wrapping up her notes from the day, when her office phone rang. On the other line was Raquel sounding scared and trying to control her emotions while feeling physically sick. Raquel explained that she suffered another seizure after leaving Tanja’s office and was in the hospital all afternoon. Once she was released, she tried to return to the Mission where she was staying and was told she could not stay there since she arrived after check in. It was during a rough storm and she and her boyfriend were out in it, with Raquel trying to recover from her latest seizure. ILS Tanja contacted Peer Navigator Shane Calbreath from Turning Point and explained the situation that Raquel was in. Because it was after hours for Shane, he needed to get approval from his supervisor Noel Rivas to assist. Upon approval, he was given Raquel’s phone number and was able to pick both her and her boyfriend up and take them to Garden Gate Respite for the night. From there they were able to receive services through Turning Point that helped Raquel and her boyfriend move forward from where they were. (continued on page 4) Raquel Moreno above and top left celebrates her 90th day of sobriety. Friends, Advocates & Consumers Board of Directors President, Terry Gray Vice President, Nick Nelson Treasurer, Michael “Kim” Cornelius Secretary, Adeline Bagwell Hannah Boxell DRAIL is now recruiting for Board Members! FACES Managing Editor Tanja Wright Designed by: MCO Associates Sponsorship Advertising Full pg. Black & White: $250.00 Full pg. Color: $500.00 ½ pg. Black and White: $125.00 ½ pg. Color : $250.00 Business Card: $50.00 Logo (Color): $100.00 For more information, call Tanja at (209) 521-7260. What Makes DRAIL Unique? (Continued) uncomfortable feelings about entering the facility. Deep down, Joe desperately wanted to visit his grandmother at the facility, but he was battling strong feelings of resignation. While family offered to be helpful, Joe felt more comfortable to seek help from an outside source. Joe contacted ILS Pierce and requested that ILS Pierce accompany him to the long term care facility and provide assistance to him in order manage through the sensory overload that troubled him. ILS Pierce provided encouragement and moral support while discussing a plan of action and that would help Joe face and manage his feeling of reluctance. ILS Pierce accompanied Joe on the visit and remained by his side while at the facility. Joe was able to have a meaningful visit with his grandmother. Following the visit, ILS Pierce remained with Joe to provide him with the opportunity to process and express his emotions. Joe was grateful that DRAIL was able to provide someone to be by his side to accomplish such a personal and emotional goal. Other agencies might consider such services to be outside of their scope of practice, however, DRAIL endeavors to be uniquely suited in providing services that bring our ILS in a side-by-side relationship with consumers while promoting and maintaining the Independent Living Philosophy. We also endeavor to create a welcoming atmosphere in our offices where consumers may feel comfortable to stop by and share feelings and concerns, good news, or goal accomplishments ,which is a regular occurrence at the Sonora office. We are grateful that DRAIL is an agency designed to provide personalized services, perhaps better suited than most, to our Consumers that increase their independence and joy. Page 3 FACES FACS Agencies Working Together (continued) Raquel just celebrated her 90th day of sobriety, set a goal to go back to school to obtain her degree and is working on getting her children back. During a phone conversation with Raquel, she told ILS Tanja that she is very grateful for DRAIL and Turning Point for helping her during one of her darkest moments. She said both Shane and Tanja went above and beyond to get her and her boyfriend sheltered and then set up with goals and plans for the future. As happy as Shane and Tanja are to assist and be part of such a wonderful story, it was truly Raquel’s determination and decision, that has led her to where she is today. 2016 AT Expo Already In the Works Planning has started for the 2016 Abilities Resource Fair and Assistive Technology Expo to be held this fall in Modesto. Sponsorships and vendors are being sought for this year’s event. If you are a business with disability related services or products we would love to have you at the Expo! Businesses who would like to support this event through sponsorships are encouraged to contact Sandra Graham at (209) 477-6342 or by email at [email protected]. Stay up to date on the latest information at the 2016 Abilities Resource Fair and AT Expo Facebook page: Facebook.com/DRAILATEXPO Interested in serving on DRAIL’s Board? DRAIL is now recruiting board members to serve on our board and assist in determining goals, set polices and budget. Turning Point’s Peer Navigator Shane Calbreath, teamed up with DRAIL’s Modesto Independent Living Specialist Tanja Wright to make things possible. Page 4 As a group and individually, Board Members have legal and moral responsibility for all activities of DRAIL. Please contact Barry Smith for more information at (209) 521-7260 or email Mr. Smith at [email protected] Friends, Advocates & Consumers Offices Introducing Our New WIPA Coordinator Modesto (Serving Stanislaus County) 920 12th Street Modesto, CA 95354 (209) 521-7260 (209) 576-2409 TTY Stockton (Serving San Joaquin County) 501 W. Weber Ave. Suite 200-A Stockton, CA 95203 (209) 477-8143 (209) 465-5643 TTY Sonora (Serving Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa & Tuolumne Counties) 67 Linoberg St. Suite A Sonora, CA 95370 (209) 532-0963 (209) 288-3309 TTY My name is Alexandra Queen. In December 2015, I returned to DRAIL as a Community Work Incentives Coordinator. I worked for DRAIL’s Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) grant for five years under the previous grant cycle. Now I’m back helping Social Security disability beneficiaries in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Mariposa counties understand how their work plans will affect their Social Security and other public benefits. WIPA Offices When I’m not at DRAIL, I like working with dogs. My Border Collie, Ep, knows how to bring items on request, pick up the living room, and bring clothes to the laundry room. I volunteer at the local animal shelter with my two daughters, where we try to help dogs have fun while learning some basic manners. I also enjoy playing around with silly, colorful drawing, painting and paper crafts. My artwork is terrible, but I have a great time. Modesto 920 12th Street Modesto, CA 95354 (866) 256-9409 Stockton 501 W. Weber Ave. Suite 200-A Stockton, CA 95203 (866) 256-9409 Fresno 3008 North Fresno St. Fresno, CA 93703 (800) 244-2274 San Andreas 130 E. St. Charles St. San Andreas, CA 95249 (844) 657-0480 The thing I like best about my job at DRAIL is helping people make their dreams real. People come to me with a hope they could try a little work and a lot of fears about what might happen if they do try. I get to show them how Social Security’s rules can support their dreams and their health. Then I help them make a plan that will let them try their dreams safely. It’s the best job in the world. If you’re getting Social Security disability benefits and have a work dream, you can get in touch with me at 866-256-9409 or [email protected]. Page 5 FACES Systems Change Advocate Assists with Parking Lot Design Have You Thought About It? Another story that also reflects the importance of two agencies working together. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when two agencies collaborate together. One day last summer Systems Change Advocate (SCA) George Sharp noticed the Stanislaus County Clerks’ office parking lot was being redone. He began to wonder if the parking lot would be brought to current ADA standards for accessible parking. After passing by for a couple of weeks the parking lot was completed, but much to his surprise the parking lot didn’t meet current ADA standards for accessible parking. With the recent wildfires in our service area and the current El Nino weather pattern in California, emergency preparedness has been a topic of interest for many people. Everyone should make basic preparedness arrangements (three days’ worth of food and water for your household, flashlight, battery or crank-powered radio, etc.) For people with disabilities, however, preparedness requires some extra planning. We should be asking ourselves what impact our disabilities might have in reacting to a disaster, and how we can plan to avoid the worst problems. SCA Sharp then contacted Jeremy Howell of Stanislaus County Clerks’ office to tour the parking lot and talk about some solutions. They both agreed the van accessible space needed to move and a path-of-travel had to be added. In their second meeting they both noticed a second accessible space needed to be moved as well. Ultimately, Jeremy and SCA Sharp decided on two van accessible spaces, and path-of-travel and so it was redesigned. This is another great example of how collaborating is a win-win for agencies and the disability community, we live in. Visit http://www.ready.gov/individuals-access -functional-needs for information, or contact your local DRAIL office for assistance from an Independent Living Specialist in making a plan. Interested in serving on DRAIL’s Board? DRAIL is now recruiting board members to serve on our board and assist in determining goals, set polices and budget. As a group and individually, Board Members have legal and moral responsibility for all activities of DRAIL. Please contact Barry Smith for more information at (209) 521-7260 or email Mr. Smith at [email protected] Page 6 Friends, Advocates & Consumers is a nonprofit created to benefit people with disabilities. Our services provide tools which assist them to live independently. Programs Programs are available from DRAIL and your local community to increase the independence of people with a disability. A life filled with possibility belongs to you. DRAIL works to ensure that this is a reality for the members of our community living with a disability. Donations from people, like you, allow us to help enable individuals with disabilities to live independently and reach goals that would otherwise seem impossible. Technology DRAIL provides and assists you to get technology that allows you to remain in the home setting of your choice. DRAIL’s Six Core Services 1. Information Referral 2. Care Provider Referral 3. Housing Referral 4. Advocacy 5. Peer Advising 6. Independent Living Skills-Training FACES (Friends, Advocates, And Consumer Empowered Stories) is published quarterly. DRAIL is a nonprofit and accepts donations and bequests gratefully. For address corrections or changes, please contact Tanja Wright by phone at (209) 521-7260 or via email at [email protected]. Your LOGO Here Sample Business Card Ad MESSAGE Your Name Address / Phone / Email / Website Page 7 Enhancing lives by empowering individuals with disabilities to live independently 920 12th Street Modesto, CA 95354 Support Groups Support groups meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at our Modesto location from 10am-12pm. Additional information on DRAIL’s support groups is online at DRAIL.org or call (209) 521-7260. Have You Visited The DRAIL Website? If you have not visited our website, please try it. We’ve work hard to make it a resource for consumers and advocates. You’ll find the website at www.DRAIL.org. On Facebook You can support DRAIL by introducing us to your friends! We’re on Facebook. Please “like” DRAIL at www.facebook.com/#!/ mydrail?fref=ts. Then, ask your friends to “like” us too. DRAIL’s E-mailing List Join DRAIL’s email list to keep up on DRAIL news, events and receive tips on accessing resources. Go to the website (www.DRAIL.org) and sign up just below the main photo on the home page or in the left hand column on any other page.