Wings Newsletter Volumn XVIII Page 1

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"Wings" Newsletter

Volumn XVllI
Fall 2002

2nd Annual IDEA Conferrence

Community Access Center just received funding from the California Endowment to provide advocacy and training for parents of students with a disability. These services will be available in October at both the Indio Office and the Riverside Office. Within six-months the program will also be available for Blythe residents.

A Resource Center (PARADIGMS Center) will be established within Indio. The PARADIGMS Center will provide trainings, a meeting place for parents, assistive technology, and computer access. Trainings will be provided which will include accessing health care for youth with disabilities and Individualized Education Plans. Staff will be available for parents, students, or interested community members just to drop-in with questions.

The Center will also be hosting its annual IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) conference. The conference will be held the first weekend in December. It will be for two-days and will be provided in Spanish and English. The workshops will include information on California Children's Services (CCS), Individualized Education Plans, 504 Plans, Transitional Partnership Programs, Assistive Technology, and other relevant topics. The presentors will be provided through TASK, Protection and Advocacy, Inc., CCS, and California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. For further information contact: Artie (760) 347-4888.

Notes From the Executive Director

It is with both excitement and sorrow that I am writing this note to the consumers of Community Access Center. At the end of October I will be leaving my position as Executive Director. I will be moving to the State of Ohio to become the Deputy Director of the Ohio Governor's Council on the Employment of People with Disabilities. The next month is extremely busy as Andrew and I sell our home and get ready to move. The past four years have been extremely rewarding for me personally. I have learned so much from the community members here in Riverside. We have built a more accessible community together - including our satellite offices, the Indio office, and the TEC Center. CAC's Board of Directors will work to select a qualified individual to take over as Executive Director have selected Laurie Hoirup to serve as acting Executive Director beginning November 1. Laurie is currently the Program Manager of our branch office in Indio; she will branch office in ensure a smooth transition and continued delivery of services.

Client Assistance Program (CAP) - Redesignation

After September 30, 2002, for the Riverside district of the Department of Rehabilitation, including offices in Riverside, Corona, Hemet, Temecula, Yucca Valley, Palm Desert, Blythe, and El Centro, please contact: The Access Center of San Diego CAP 800-300-4326 V 800-959-9395 TTY

After September 30, 2002, for the San Bernardino district of the Department of Rehabilitation, including offices in San Bernardino, Fontana, Upland, La Verne, Lancaster, Ridgecrest, and Victorville, please contact: The Independent Living Center of Southern California - CAP 800-524-5272 V 818-785-7097 TTY

Cutting Edge Technology for the Blind

Community Access Center is the proud owner of a new piece of equipment, Located at our "TEC" Center at 6848 Magnolia Ave. Ste. 150 in Riverside. It is a Tiger Embosser manufactured by View Plus Technologies in Oregon. A Tiger Embosser is a machine that connects to a computer through a local printer port and functions as a Braille printer along with a translation software program. This machine prints out any application that will open on the Windows desktop. The Tiger Embosser prints out graphics in a tactile form so that applications like maps and graphic documents of all types can be felt by touch, allowing them to be better perceived by individuals who are blind or low-vision. The printing medium is not ink as in a normal printing program but a series of small dots punched into the paper sounding not un-like an older dot matrix. Paper can be run through the embosser off of continuous feed folded sheets or a large roll. Eliminating the larger size restrictions that would normally accompany documents such as maps and larger graphics printed in Braille. The translator translates text into either DUXBURY BRAILLE version 3.2 or Braille 29Tgr in American English or British English.

What's New For In Home Supportive Services?

In an attempt to increase the number of qualified care providers, and also increase their pay and benefits, AB 1682 was passed. It requires counties to have an "employer of record" for IHSS Independent Providers, to participate in collective bargaining with providers. Riverside County's IHSS Advisory Committee, (composed of providers and consumers), suggested a Public Authority (PA) as the way to do this, and the Board of Supervisors voted to establish a PA.

The PA has several duties:

Act as an "employer of record" for IHSS independent providers
Create a registry (or pool) of potential providers
Do some type of reference/background checks on potential providers
Provide access to training

The PA does not affect the number of hours or type of services authorized. These will be determined, as always, by DPSS. The Advisory Committee, which offers advice and input to the Board of Supervisors on IHSS matters, currently has an opening for a new member - a provider who lives in Supervisor Buster's district (District 1). For more information contact the Department of Public Social Services at (909) 358- 4012.

SuperShuttle will comply!

SuperShuttle International, Inc., the largest door-to-door airport shuttle company reached an agreement on April 26 with the U.S. Department of Justice, to ensure under the ADA that it provides the same level of service to individuals who use wheelchairs as it provides to the general public.

In 1997 the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) was denied reservations for accessible transportation by SuperShuttle to staff members attending a conference in Dallas, Texas. Hiring an alternative private bus service as accessible transportation cost NMSS an additional $4,612.00, which the April settlement reimburses.

SuperShuttle operates out of Los Angeles and ten other cities in seven states and the District of Columbia. The company has purchased 17 new accessible vans since 1990, had no accessible vehicles in three cities and only one accessible van in seven cities.

The agreement will ensure that within a year they will operate two accessible vehicles in each SuperShuttle location, as well as standing subcontracts with accessible transportation providers to meet overflow demand. Also under the agreement, SupperShuttle will collect comparative data on timeliness and quality of service and will get back with the Department of Justice in 18 months to determine whether additional action is necessary.

This is the first agreement reached with a national company that provides transportation on demand, as opposed to transportation along a fixed route on a fixed schedule.

National Veterans Wheelchair Games

I have just returned from competing in the Veterans Wheelchair Games held in Cleveland from July 9 through July 13. With nearly 570 athletes from 44 states, Puerto Rico, and Great Britain, this is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. All athletes are military veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord impairment, certain neurological conditions, orthopedic amputations, or other disabilities. Athletes in the Games compete within three divisions - Master (over age 40), Novice (first time competitors in wheelchair sports), and Open (all others who chose to compete in this category).

The Games are presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and were hosted this year by the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and the PVA Buckeye Chapter. Funded with help from a host of corporations and service organizations, The National Veterans' Wheelchair Games are a showcase for the benefit of sports rehabilitative programs, and the remarkable athletic abilities and personal achievements of our nation's disabled Veterans.

The Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2002

To meet a portion of the State's housing needs, a coalition of business groups, senior organizations, nonprofit housing developers, homeless' advocates, and labor organizations are sponsoring the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act (Prop 46) on the November 2002 ballot.

What does the Trust Fund Act do?

Finances $2.1 billion in affordable housing construction through a State bond:

$910 million for rental housing for low-income: seniors, persons with disabilities, and families with children.
$495 million for homeownership programs, including sweat-equity housing and down payment assistance for low and moderate-income families.
$390 million for emergency shelters and permanent housing with services for persons who are homeless: seniors, battered women, persons with mental illness, and veterans.
$200 million for Farm Worker housing (rental and homeownership).
$100 million for incentives for local governments to approve affordable housing developments.
$5 million grants for ramps
$5 million for local code enforcement to revitalize neighborhoods.

Why is it needed?

Few areas of the State are unaffected by California's growing housing crisis. To address this crisis, housing construction must increase significantly to meet the demands of a growing population. The biggest gap in production is in housing that is affordable to lower income working families. As a result:

Over 360,000 Californians are homeless, according to the Department of Housing and Community Development. The most rapidly increasing segments of the homeless population are seniors and families with children.
One-third of all renters, 1/2 of all low-income renters, and 3/4 of all very low-income renters spend more than 50% of their income for housing.

How will passage of the bond address the housing crisis?

By creating up to 22,000 permanently affordable rental units.
By enabling more than 65,000 California families to purchase their own house.
By providing housing assistance for 12,000 to 24,000 Farm Worker families
By creating 20 million shelter bed days for persons who are homeless.

"One-Stop" Center

The following is the calendar for the "One-Stop" Centers. They are encouraging individuals with disabilities to attend, especially if you are interested in obtaining employment.

Featuring New Employees

Tijuana - I am a new Deaf Advocate for the Health Education for Deaf Women Program, which provides health information and education about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, STI, and cervical cancer, and features clinic tours with sign language interpreting. Also, I advocate for the Senior Low Vision Program (SLV), I am excited to be working on both of these programs at CAC.

Dolores - I have five children and seven grandchildren. I moved to Indio twelve years ago, after retiring from the Kwikset Lock Company in Anaheim. I was employed there for twenty-two years. I became a widow in 1997. That is also when I became a foster parent for the County of Riverside up until this year. I am training for the position of Field Service Coordinator at Community Access Center, Indio Office.

Edward - I have a family, my eldest son is just joining the army, my youngest son is now in the 10th grade and my daughter is in the 5th grade. The two youngest are both honor students and will go on to college. I spent 12 years of my life teaching school, and 25 years in the Real Estate business. I have a part-time job at the Community Access Center. I am enjoying my new job.

Brooklyn - As a full time mother and student I was able to earn two degrees from San Bernardino Valley College. This was an exciting time for my two daughters and myself. Even with two degrees it was not easy finding a job with no experience and being hearing impaired. CAC hired me as a part-time bookkeeper working with Faye. I am happy to work here and the people here are wonderful.

Douglas-In 1970 I began driving a tractor-trailer combination across country, over the 48 contiguous United States and Canada. Now, I'm very happy to be working here at the Community Access Center, TEC Center.

Vilma- I am an American Latin, partially sighted, legally blind, albino woman. I participated as a volunteer at the University of Minneapolis, Minnesota on the study of the Hermansky Pudlack Syndrome. I became an employee of Community Access Center in Indio on July 1. My experience with visual disabilities, ability to get along with people and understand their needs, and having knowledge of resources, brought me to my current position as a Senior Low Vision Coordinator Advocate