Volume 8, Issue 5
Join the staff, board of directors and volunteers at SILO for our Annual Holiday Gathering. Enjoy holiday music, snacks, and a fun, festive time for everyone. Free for all. Come for the entire time or just pop in to have a snack and say hello. Friday December 14, from 3 to 7 P.M. at the SILO offices. Representatives of organizations and agencies are urged to attend to network with SILO staff. As with all SILO events, information is always available about our programs and services.
Get out your dancing shoes or wheels and groove under the mirror ball Friday, December 14, from 7 P.M. till midnight as SILO's offices are once again turned into a cool place to chill! Bring your friends and hang out on the dance floor or in one of our quieter lounge areas. Dance to our DJ spinning the latest and hottest dance hits, and enjoy refreshments. non-alcoholic beverages.
Dumping snow in handicapped parking spaces is prohibited. This is a reminder that it is illegal to shovel or dump snow into the parking spaces reserved for handicapped parking, or the access aisles leading to them. Able-bodied citizens have difficulty enough getting around when snow or ice conditions exist. Disabled citizens find it virtually impossible to do so unless handicapped parking spaces and access ramps are kept clean of ice and snow. That is the facility operator's responsibility. The exact wording for Section 1203-E of the New York State vehicle and Traffic Law follows:
"Dumping snow onto parking spaces for handicapped is prohibited. Any person who knowingly dumps or shovels snow onto a parking space for handicapped persons rendering such places unusable for parking purposes, shall be subjected to a fine of $25 for the first offense and a fine not to exceed $100 for every offense thereafter."
However, section 372-23 of the Suffolk County Code raises those fines to $50 for the first offense, or $200 for the second or each subsequent offense. Police will issue summons for these violations of the State Vehicle and Traffic Law. On behalf of Suffolk County's 283,800 disabled citizens, thank you for attention to this important matter and for mentioning it to others.
If you have problems with snow removal in the community, contact the local municipality for help. If you still can't get help, call us at SILO. We're not going to shovel for you but we'd certainly like to help you get out and about.
Each month we want to publicize issues that everyday Suffolk County residents with disabilities face in the community. We want to hear what you have to say. Submit your story via email at info@suffolkilc.org or call Krista and tell her about it at 631-880-7929.
SILO is seeking energetic young people with disabilities to form a youth leadership coalition. The group will discuss issues and concerns that students have in their schools and communities. The coalition will identify and discuss barriers that stand in the way of the success and freedom of students with disabilities, and will create and carry out plans to address them. Possible topics include: advocating for your own educational future, improving attitudes toward disability, and understanding your IEP. We’re looking for individuals who are interested in creating change. The group will begin meeting in January and meet monthly throughout the year. If you’re interested in becoming involved, contact Kieran @ SILO today for more information!
SILO’s new office is conveniently located near the S6A, S58, S60, and S61 bus routes. To travel by train, take the S6A from the Ronkonkoma Station or the S61 from the Medford and Port Jefferson Railroad Stations. The S60 also goes from the Port Jefferson Railroad Station.
Have fun and win some cash! SILO and other affiliated organizations host four $2,500+ Bingo games each week at the Suffolk Bingo Palace at 407 Middle Country Road in Coram. Games take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7:30 but the doors open at 5PM. There is also a Sunday afternoon game from noon to 4:30. Get there early and get set to win!
Soon you can visit www.suffolkilc.org, where you can learn about current events related to disability issues and upcoming events at the agency, and read information about our programs and services. We will also be launching an innovative product line of T-shirts, bumper stickers, and pins in our new Shopping@SILO department. These great new lifestyle products will feature fun, positive, affirming and quirky sayings and graphics related to the culture of disability.
Help save a tree by signing up to receive the SILO Beacon and other important information by email. Whether it’s our latest celebration or our newest independent living skills class, you will find out about it first. Just send an email to news@suffolkilc.org with your name and town and we’ll add you to the list. If you’d like to stop receiving a paper copy of the Beacon, please let us know in that email.
Monday January 29, 2007 ~ Albany, NY
If you are interested in traveling to Albany with SILO staff, volunteers and consumers to let our elected officials know what issues are important to us, contact Kieran today and get more information. SILO will be planning a one day (a very long day!) trip to Albany. If you’re never attended a Legislative Day, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Visit SILO’s new My Space page at www.myspace.com/suffolkilc. Link with others and keep an eye on the latest and greatest happenings here at SILO and throughout the community. Check out some great photos from some of our events or post a message. Join us!
If you are a low-income homeowner and are a veteran, senior citizen, or a person with a disability, you may qualify for home modification and maintenance services provided by the generous volunteers at Building Together Long Island. Services include trash removal, plumbing, yard work, repairs, tree-trimming, wheelchair-ramp building and more. For more information, call them at (516) 541-7322 or (516) 741-5291. You can also email them at rtlijoe@optonline.net.
If you are over 65 and have trouble getting around your home, the United Way of Long Island may be able to help with home modifications. The United Way's Senior Access to Home Initiative, now in its second year, has received a $700,000 grant to be used in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Examples of possible modifications covered by the grant include providing ramps or grab rails, and renovations to make a home accessible and usable if you have a disability. For more information call Kristen Anderson at the United Way of Long Island at (631) 940-3726, or email kanderson@unitedwayli.org today. You can also call SILO about other opportunities to get home modifications.
SILO is committed to providing the most comprehensive Independent Living services to our consumers. If you are ever unhappy with any interaction you have with SILO staff, you should request a copy of the agency grievance procedure, which will be sent via mail, fax or email. Additionally, an enlarged copy of this procedure is on display inside the agency.
If you can sew, or have sewing supplies, please consider participating in SILO's Community Quilt Project. We’re also looking for donations of fabric and trim, as well as sewing machines and people who enjoy quilting.
If you’re a person with a disability and contact VESID for assistance in getting a job or furthering your education, you will likely be sent for an employment evaluation at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Suffolk. According to their web site, UCP provides both career assessments and the Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation (DVE).
The career assessment is a one-to-two-day, standardized test which helps the person and the counselor decide what careers might be appropriate for the person. One of SILO’s consumers, who wishes to remain anonymous, explains that the assessment gives a few basic career ideas, but that it doesn’t always consider the obstacles a person with a disability might face, or explain ways of dealing with those obstacles.
The DVE can last anywhere from two to fifteen days, depending on what your VESID counselor recommends. The consumer interviewed for this article described the evaluation as a series of tests on middle-school-level reading, math, and hand coordination, and a less formal basic computer use session. According to the consumer, the staff was courteous, but patronizing. "Until they got to know you, they talked to you like you were five."
The consumer interviewed for this article, who is new to VESID and the services available, says that the VESID counselor did not provide choices or information about evaluation or training. The consumer does not feel that the VESID counselor provided him/her with all the services needed, such as instruction and testing on the use of adaptive equipment and software, and assessment of reasonable accommodations needed to have a career. The only adaptive equipment or devices the consumer saw at the center was one type of adaptive alternative to a mouse. The consumer was disappointed with the lack of adaptive equipment available at the basic evaluation, and perhaps better information from the beginning would have brought him/her more individualized services.
Before you go to a VESID evaluation, we recommend that you request information about the specific evaluation for which the counselor is sending you, and find out about the services the facility offers. If you believe that the evaluation seems too basic for your needs, speak up so that the counselor can refer you for more advanced services. Do not let them talk down to you, or minimize your abilities!
Bring your lunch and drinks, since frequent vending machine use is expensive. If you put your lunch in the center's public refrigerator, label it with your name to help prevent it from being stolen.
Finally, whatever you do, never give up! According to the UCP Suffolk Web site, part of your evaluation includes your tolerance for work, which the center's staff assesses in a piecework shop that pays you a few pennies a piece for packaging pre-assembled items.
To avoid owing the government money, keep your documentation up to date and report any changes in employment status right away. Try to obtain written confirmation that your record has been updated, and make sure that your bank account balances, stocks, and other assets do not go over the allowable amount the government approves. Please contact us with any questions or concerns.
SILO has wheelchairs available for three-month loan periods, and walkers available to be given away. For more information, call SILO and come down to our offices to check out the equipment. Remember, SILO is always available to provide comprehensive information on benefits and entitlements available. You just need to call or visit.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced various increases of both taxes and benefits for 2008. You can view this information at www.ssa.gov.
A brief summary is provided below:
Social security (SSA) and supplemental security income (SSI) beneficiaries will receive a 2.3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase.
Social Security Disability (SSDI) recipients will see an increase in the amount of monthly income you can earn and still collect benefits. For those legally blind the increase is to $1,570 (over $1,500 in 2007) and “non-disabled blind” to $940 (over $900 in 2007). This is the amount of money that Social Security uses to determine whether or not you have Substantial Gainful Employment (SGA). For more information on how employment affects your Social Security (and other) benefits, contact us at SILO.
The standard Medicare Part B premium will also be increasing by 3.1% ($2.90) in 2008, raising it to $96.48, the smallest increase since 2000 (when it remained the same). The Part A deductible will increase by $32 to $1024.
Know someone in a nursing home who might want to get out? SILO will be facilitating the NYS Dept. of Health Transition and Diversion Medicaid Waiver on Long Island. If you are interested in knowing more about this incredible program and how it can help someone live independently, call Khadijah @ 631-880-7929.
The SILO Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday January 29, 2008 from 1PM to 4PM at the SILO offices. We hope you’ll join us to hear all about the great work SILO has done during the past year. Sponsorship opportunities available. Call Kathleen for more info.
Thomas Paddy Lee, a Long Island screenwriter and movie producer, recently premiered his new movie, Mr. Sky, a story about a young couple dealing with the prejudices of society, at Clearview Cinemas in Babylon. The movie's lead actress, Ashley Wolfe (previously in the movie Jewel), portrays a young girl with Down Syndrome in a romance with Greg Addams, a young man without a disability, played by Chaney Kley (previously Kyle in the movie Darkness Falls). Another well-known actor in the film, Richard Karn (previously Tim's sidekick Al Borland in the TV series "Home Improvement") plays the darker role of Adams's father. The lead actress, Ashley Wolfe, also has Down syndrome. According to an article in the Watertown TAB & Press, Wolfe found the role inspiring, in part because she could play a character like herself on the big screen. She hopes that this movie will lead to opportunities to play characters that are interesting, but do not necessarily have Down syndrome.
Are you frustrated with public places around Suffolk County that you cannot physically use because of your disability? Then call or email SILO and send in your gripes. The place you mention might be featured in our next Beacon, where we will list the top 5 most inaccessible places in Suffolk County for 2007. Once we have the results, we can all work together as a community to create change in the system, so stay tuned for action alerts and other accessibility news from SILO.
SILO is conducting a Parks and Trails accessibility assessment of several Long Island park trails and needs volunteers. Join us!
The New York Institute of Technology has a program for students with learning disabilities right here in Suffolk County. Students experience college life, though they take courses separate from the general population and receive individualized tutoring and counseling. While some of the program focuses on academics, the majority of the program focuses on learning vocational skills, including cooking/food service, childcare, elder care, and retail skills. Students practice these skills hands-on both on and off the campus, and outside work experiences are a big part of the program. When students complete the program, they can receive one or more certificates, some of which are common for employees of these industries. During the program, students can also choose to take regular college courses and work toward a degree. During some of their seminars, students learn the techniques of job searching and resume writing.
According to the VIP Web site at www.vip-at-nyit.org, students in the program are at reading levels that range from third to above twelfth grade, and “the majority” of them can improve their reading and math skills through individualized instruction. One might wonder why such a statement would be on a recruitment Web site for a program taking place at a college, where academics is a large component of the whole experience. Of course there will always be students that just don’t make it in any learning program, but most recruitment Web sites do not state this fact. Why should a Web site recruiting people with learning disabilities be any different?
Independent living skills training is another major component of the program, and students take independent living skills courses, which cover topics including apartment living, budgeting, and health issues. In addition to the specialized classes that students take, many of which are in a separate building called Independence Hall, VIP students are separated yet again, living in staffed dorms at Heritage Hall. As part of the program they also move to a supported apartment setting. If the goal is really independent living, then why is it that VIP students do notfully integrate with other college students, for whom most independence skills are neglected or taken for granted?
After the three-year Vocational Independence Program (VIP), students can choose to enter the Graduate Living Program (GLP), which provides further vocational support/placement services, housing assistance, support from staff in the home, recreational space, transportation services and more.
Conveniently, the Web site does not list a price for all these services. There is no tuition description listed on the Web site, and no visible opportunities for scholarships. Helpful questions to ask when choosing this, or any other learning program intended for people with disabilities, include:
If you need help speaking up for yourself or finding resources needed to get and keep a job, make friends, travel, etc., then call SILO. We provide our programs and services at no cost to you. If you attend, or have attended, programs like those at NYIT, or if you go to college or trade school and you have a disability, call us and tell us about it.
January 28-30, New Orleans, LA
NCD wants public input, and will be providing a live, toll-free comment line during select sections of the conference. For more information, check out www.ncd.gov, email mquigley@ncd.gov or call. The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families.
Holiday Inn Capitol, Washington, D.C.
This week long celebration will begin with a FUN RUN for Disability Rights on Sunday, April 27th, continue with three days of Grassroots Activism and culminate on May 1st with a day long Exhibition/Dinner/Show at the Holiday Inn Capitol. Visit www.adapt25.org or call (303) 733-9324. For more information about ADAPT visit www.adapt.org or contact SILO for the name of the local ADAPT group leader.
Easter Seals Project ACTION is hosting a two-day training initiative offering teachers and trainers the basic tools needed to expand community transportation options. The 2008 series includes the following events: San Diego, CA (Feb. 21-22); New Orleans, LA (March 12-13); Washington, DC (June 2-3); Bloomington, IN (June 25-26); Eugene, OR (July 9-10). Individuals who use community transportation and advocates who support community change are encouraged to apply. http://projectaction.easterseals.com or (800) 659-6428.
May 12-14, 2008, America's Center, St. Louis, MO
Hosted by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), this educational and networking event will offer participants comprehensive training provided by the premiere government agency representatives involved with the ADA. Presenters include the U.S. Dept of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U.S. Access Board, U.S. Dept. of Labor and the U.S. Dept. of Education. There will also be an EXPO hall exhibiting the latest in assistive technology and services for people with disabilities. Topics include assistive technology, employment, advocacy strategies, education and more. For more information, visit www.adasymposium.org or email ada@missouri.edu
24-year-old Brentwood resident John C. Runza is suing Wal-Mart in federal court, according to an October 4 article in Newsday. The law suit claims that during his employment at Wal-Mart in Islandia from 2004 to 2006, Runza’s co-workers repeatedly teased and harassed him, and action by a store janitor led to the plaintiff being fired. Runza lives with Down syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and diabetes. He got his job at Wal-Mart with the help of a social services agency, and was promoted soon after he started work there. However, one day in 2006 when Runza was ill in the rest room due to his disabilities, a store janitor, who had repeatedly harassed him before, heard him making strange noises and looked under the stall door to watch him. When the janitor contacted the manager, Runza was fired, and Wal-Mart would re-hire him only if he obtained a full-time job coach.
Here at SILO, we live by one major political philosophy: Nothing about us without us. Every year, our government makes rules and laws that affect our daily lives, and some of these are especially important to people with disabilities. We are a non-partisan organization that respects your individual political views and we believe that all people should have their views heard in government. Every vote counts, especially on the local level. A few precious votes could be the deciding factor in whether or not the government will cut funding to your favorite local community program, or support your cause. If you are a U.S. citizen, 18 years or older, or if your 18th birthday occurs within this calendar year, then by law, you can register to vote right here at the office. Please call us at 631-880-7929 and let us know that you want to make a difference!
SILO is looking to sublet 2,500 square feet of the new Coram office space to not-for-profit organizations. If you are a not-for-profit organization looking for main-floor office space that is centrally accessible to all people in Suffolk County, then 3680 Route 112 in Coram is for you. Here at SILO, we want our subletters to share our mission of community service and/or advocacy. Call Kathleen or Gid for more information.
While SILO is open every day for consumers, Tuesdays and Thursdays feature a full menu of informative and interactive workshops on life skills, employment, personal responsibility and independent living. Film screenings, discussions and guest speakers are posted weekly. Call 631-880-7929 to find out about the ongoing exciting weekly schedule of events.
Consider becoming involved and serving on the Governing Board! NYLN is a non-profit organization run by young people with disabilities. We empower all young people to reach their maximum potential.
Applicants to the Governing Board must:
"We are excited to open the door to new leaders," said Betsy Valnes,NYLN executive director. "Young people have a lot to offer. We look forward to setting goals that make them fully empowered."
The application and more info can be found at www.nyln.org. For more information, call 1-866-480-6565 or e-mail bvalnes@tie.net.