Glad they didn’t ask us to help with archery!

by Beth Finke

A blog post my colleague Patricia Wright wrote last month explained the “Outside In” employee volunteering program Easter Seals recently started. Outside In gives Easter Seals headquarters employees up to a week of on-the-clock (paid!) time to volunteer for another non-profit organization. The idea is that we’ll be exposed to and learn what’s going on “outside” of Easter Seals … and bring new ideas from the experience back “in.”

Patricia is the National Director of Autism Services here at Easter Seals, and she used her Outside In hours to work with a non-profit organization called The Five Project to help train people with autism in Shaanxi, China.

Public Relations Coordinator Rachel Talen volunteered in El Salvador with an organization called ENLACE, and she wrote a post about the special little girl she met while helping build a road for farmers to transport crops and allow kids to walk to school safely.

My Seeing Eye dog Whitney and I are going to take advantage of the program, too, but we’re sticking a bit closer to home. Through next Monday, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) and the Wounded Heroes Foundation are sponsoring a sports camp in Chicago that’s specially designed for injured military personnel with physical disabilities. From the RIC Life Center web site:

Elite level coaches will teach wounded veterans a variety of sports, including sitting volleyball, archery, sled hockey, power lifting, wheelchair basketball, judo, kayaking, tennis, rowing, cycling, field, and swimming.

The crisis we face meeting the needs of our soldiers can seem overwhelming. Easter Seals is the largest provider of disability-related services to individuals with disabilities and their families, and we offer support for service members and veterans.

The sports camp seemed an appropriate place to volunteer, so I wrote the volunteer coordinator at RIC to let him know I was interested. I explained that I am blind and use a Seeing Eye dog, and warned that he might not want to enlist me to help at the archery range.

RIC wrote back with all sorts of ideas, finally settling on having us help with Food/Hydration/General Assistance. I’m looking forward to camp, especially after reading this little tidbit on the volunteer orientation information they sent out last week:

HAVE FUN! Sure, we all have a job to do, but who says we can’t have fun while doing it?! This camp is a great opportunity to show how much we appreciate those who serve our country. Feel free to mingle with the athletes and get to know them a bit.

And gee, as much as I hate to miss our weekly hour-long department meeting at work next Monday, I think somehow my dog and I will manage to have fun at camp. Let’s just hope I can stop Whitney from fetching the tennis balls and jumping into Lake Michigan to chase the kayaks.

What kids can learn from their schoolmates with disabilities

by Beth Finke

It’s August, and the kids will be back in school before you know it. You know what that means, don’t you? It’s time to take a look at our free disability awareness curriculum.

Our FRIENDS WHO CARE® program is a fun, interactive program that helps students learn how kids with disabilities go to school, make friends and play. The program teaches empathy too, helping children understand what it means and how it feels to be a young person with a disability.

The FRIENDS WHO CARE® program is sponsored by our long-time Easter Seals partner, the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation. The program helps parents and elementary school educators teach kids about people with disabilities and encourage kids to accept their classmates who have disabilities as people first, and to find ways to include everyone in school and after-school activities. Visit our Web site to learn more about FRIENDS WHO CARE and download the materials.

The best two summers of my life!

by Bob Glowacki

A lot of our Easter Seals affiliates have long traditions of offering summer camps. From overnight camp experiences to day camps, our programs give families needed respite and support so that they can continue to provide for loved ones.

In addition to touching the lives of people with disabilities and their families, the camp experience also teaches valuable life lessons to the hundreds of students and young adults working at Easter Seals camps. Today I am happy to introduce you to one of these young adults. Meet Kelly, one of our camp leaders from my alma mater, Marquette University, as she reflects on her second year as a leader here at one of our Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin summer camps. Thanks Kelly for sharing your experiences.

The best two summers of my life

by Kelly Maffei

About a year and a half ago I began the long search for a summer job that so many of my peers at Marquette were also embarking on. I found Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin’s site and quickly applied for a position as Camp Leader. Soon after, they set up an interview with me. The interview was unique in its structure, but I left feeling confident.

I heard back a couple weeks later with the good news: I was hired! I didn’t know it then, but it was going to get better than I’d ever imagined. A couple weeks after I was hired I got a second call from Human Resources.

“Hi Kelly, so I know we said we wanted you to work for us as a Camp Leader…”

I was nervous at this point, wondering where they were going with this.

“But we were wondering if you would like to be a Camp Site Leader for our camp at Grant.”

When I reflect about it now, my answer was quite naive.

“Um… sure, what’s the difference?”

The difference ended up being an amazing opportunity to help more people every day than I thought I was capable of doing. Instead of being the leader of a group of four to seven campers with varying disabilities, I became the leader of 65 campers ages 6 to 65, 12 Camp Leaders, five Assistant Leaders (youth from the Milwaukee area), 10 new volunteers each week, one Certified Nurse’s Assistant, and of course one Pool Maintenance Leader/Personnel. Whoa! What had I gotten into?!

I felt like I’d had plenty of leadership experience under my belt, but I was 20 years old, had no completed degree, and was slightly intimidated by this huge responsibility thrust into my lap. Through the long hours of planning and prepping for the six weeks that would change my life, my friends and family kept reassuring me that I would not have been hired for a job I couldn’t do, and in the end, they were right.

The staff at Easter Seals have a remarkable way of seeing the best in everybody and knowing how to bring it out in you. Not only do they support and enrich the lives of the people they are serving, but they do the same for everyone they hire as well. It has been an amazing experience getting to work for Easter Seals, and one day I will transition from Camp Site Leader to Speech Language Pathologist.

I really can’t think of a better job than one where everyone is always happy to see you: from campers to staff, my days are overflowing with smiles, jokes, and laughter. Thank you, Easter Seals, for believing in me the way I believe in each of my campers, staff, and volunteers. These have been the best two summers of my life.

Two words we want to hear more often: “You’re hired!”

by Katy Beh Neas

I am pleased to introduce Verna Hensley, Vice President of Public Affairs at Easter Seals Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, as a guest blogger today.

National Governors Association initiative aims to improve employment of individuals with disabilities

by Verna Hensley

“You’re hired!” Those two simple yet powerful words are delivered in businesses, plants and offices all across the country. Unfortunately, jobseekers with disabilities don’t hear those words as often as their counterparts without disabilities.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor found that only 20.5% of people with disabilities are in the workforce compared to 70% for people without disabilities. Think about that: only two in every 10 Americans with disabilities are in the labor force while 7 in 10 Americans without disabilities are employed. The monthly unemployed rate for individuals with disabilities consistently reports in at double the rate for people with disabilities.

These alarming statistics have motivated some powerful leaders to help. Delaware’s chief executive, Governor Jack Markell, is the new chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) — the bipartisan group that represents all 50 state governors. Earlier this month, Governor Markell announced his chair’s initiative would focus exclusively on increasing employment of people with disabilities. He and his team will develop best practices and policy options that will be shared with every governor in the country.

Top business leaders, including the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, already recognize that individuals with disabilities are an “untapped resource” for employers. This new NGA effort is a win-win for businesses and jobseekers with disabilities, and all of us at Easter Seals Delaware, Easter Seals, Inc. and the entire Easter Seals national network of affiliates applaud Governor Markell and the NGA for its leadership on this very important issue.

My link to a special needs family in El Salvador

by Rachel Talen

Patricia Wright’s blog post described a trip she took to China to volunteer for The Five Project. Her volunteer work was part of Outside-In, where Easter Seals headquarters offers its employees paid time off to volunteer. I’m such a volunteer nerd that I took advantage of the Outside-In program and jumped at the chance to work in El Salvador for a week.

My group from Willow Creek Community Church partners with an organization called ENLACE. Enlace is the Spanish word for “link,” and it commits to a 10-year relationship with a local church in El Salvador. The ENLACE model is all about empowering people of rural villages to begin and maintain ownership of projects that better their community. That’s what I liked about this organization the most — they steward relationships and develop sustainable solutions for poverty.

With the guidance of ENLACE, the people identify a project and work together over a long period of time to complete it. Our group was just added labor, working alongside the people of El Progreso to build a road that will help them transport crops more easily and will allow kids to walk to school safely. We worked very hard and got very dirty, but it was so fulfilling!

While working, I met the sweetest little girl named Senia. She walked in the courtyard holding her dad’s hand, with a huge grin that never left her face. She was very shy to meet us, but warmed up quickly. I noticed she was a little slower than most of the other kids (she couldn’t keep up playing soccer) and had someone translate as I talked to her dad. It turns out Senia has a seizure disorder and ADD and needs to go to the hospital once a month for treatment. It costs $15 to get a ride into the city, and her family makes less than $2 a day. so there’s not much left over.

I learned that most kids in rural areas of El Salvador go to school until around 4th or 5th grade, but Senia doesn’t because the teachers don’t have the capacity or resources to teach her. It was so cool to tell Senia’s father about what I did for work and about the idea of inclusion — that in the U.S., kids with disabilities go to school with their peers. I felt really proud that I could connect with him on that level and offer some encouragement for Senia.

I’m so thankful to be working for an organization that allows me to volunteer. It’s something I really love to do.

Happy Birthday to the ADA!

by Beth Finke

I am pleased to introduce Donna Smith, director of training for Easter Seals Project Action, as a guest blogger today.

We’ve come a long way, baby

by Donna Smith

It’s hard to believe it’s been 22 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act! This means that 23 or 24 years ago, I was faxing (yes, faxing) information and calling grassroots advocacy groups all over the country to organize campaigns in conjunction with Justin Dart’s efforts to get this legislation passed.

I thought our blog readers might want to take a look at the information offered by the National ADA centers and take a few minutes to reflect on the changes that 22 years of civil rights legislation has accomplished. And if you’re not old enough to remember that far back (smile), you can ask someone who is!

While there is much left to do to achieve a society of equality, we’re much closer than we once were. Not too long ago I was introduced to the six-year-old daughter of a colleague who, upon meeting Farlow, said, “that dog helps you stop at streets.” I was quite blown away by her spot-on interpretation of the function of a guide dog. People typically say, “that dog helps you see,” as though she was a pair of glasses, or, “that dog takes care of you,” as though she was some kind of superdog on whom I am totally dependent.

Simple incidents such as this show the real sea change of society’s understanding of the role of disability in our lives. It is neither totally debilitating nor does it require a pedestal. It is what it is, and life goes on. We’ve come a long way baby. Happy birthday, ADA!

New name, same longstanding traditions

by Debbie Smith

On June 27, 2012,Easter Seals Work Resource Center and the publicly funded programs of the Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) announced we would combine efforts effective July 1. Now, together as Easter Seals TriState, we make up one of the region’s largest human service organizations.

A story in the Business Courier explains our combination:

The combined agency will incorporate all the services formerly offered by the two entities, including job placement, on-site employment, career readiness programs and school-to-work programs.

Our Easter Seals Work Resource Center here in Cincinnati offers job training programs for low-income people, people with disabilities and at-risk youth. Jewish Vocational Service in Blue Ash offers programs to prepare people with disabilities for jobs, as well as therapeutic social and recreation services. The JVS Cincinnati Career Network and Hilb Scholarships will continue under a new organization, JVS Career Services. Together as Easter Seals TriState, we’ll maintain services at all of our current locations and serve more than 15,000 people in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties.

I’m looking forward to continuing the longstanding traditions of excellent service known by both organizations. Together, we can do so much more than we ever could by ourselves and we’re positioned for greater impact in the future.

9,781 steps!

by Beth Finke

If you’re sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to hear how my life has changed since I started wearing a talking pedometer, I have one question for you: what the heck are you doing sitting down? Get up and take a walk. Or, at least, pace!

Some background here: in late June the folks here at Easter Seals Headquarters started a six-week “Walk For U, Go The Extra Mile” challenge as part of our wellness program. Every employee received a free pedometer to keep track of progress for six weeks, and those of us who meet the daily goal of 7,000 steps per day — a distance of 3.5 miles — throughout the entire six weeks will be entered into a drawing to win a six-month fitness club membership.

The human resources department here realized I wouldn’t be able to read the number of steps I’d taken each day on my own, so they ordered a special talking pedometer for me that said my results out loud.

A post on the New York Times Well blog reported that one mile of walking covers about 2,000 steps, and Americans, on average, take 5,117 steps a day. My seeing Eye dog Whitney and I were on our way to prove my theory that blind people who use guide dogs — especially those of us who live in big cities — must walk more than the average person does.

The list of requirements for people applying to train with a Seeing Eye dog says candidates need to be able to walk one or two miles a day: “Applicant must be between the ages of 16 and 75, motivated and emotionally stable, capable of walking one to two miles a day, and able to receive and implement instruction.”

In a post I published here on the Easter Seals blog in June about all this, I explained that when you live in a city you can’t simply open a sliding glass patio door to let your guide dog out. I take Whitney down the street, around the corner and to her favorite tree at least four times a day. That’s 1,000 steps per trip. My talking pedometer counted out 12,157 steps the day I walked to the drug store to pick up prescriptions, and that included a safety shortcut I take each way to cross State Street. Whitney and I walk down the subway stairs on one side, pad along under State Street and then ascend the stairs on the other side.

The first two weeks of our experiment included one week of 100-degree temperatures in Chicago, and even in that hot weather Whitney and I averaged 9,871 steps a day. My steps per day increased when temperatures cooled down the second week.

Just when I’d started planning which new equipment Whitney and I would try out when we won the free six-month fitness club membership at the end of our “Walk For U, Go The Extra Mile” challenge, I pressed the button to hear the number of steps I’d taken so far that day, and … nothing. My talking pedometer stopped talking. I shook the thing and pressed the button. Nothing. I turned it upside-down and rightside-up again. Nothing. I stuck it in a bag of rice for a day. Nothing.

Human resources offered to buy me a new talking pedometer, but I figured I’d already proven my theory about blind people. Those of us who live with guide dogs — especially those of us who live in big cities — do walk more than the average American does. And now, I have a new theory: blind people who use guide dogs — especially those of us who live in big cities — walk so many steps that a talking pedometer can’t keep up with us.

A star is born

by Allison Knopp

I am pleased to introduce Theresa Forthofer, the President and CEO here at Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region, as a guest blogger today.

My 15 minutes of fame

by Theresa Forthofer

Last week I had the honor and pleasure of making a guest appearance on NBC 5 Chicago to discuss development milestones in young children and Make the First Five Count. I was thrilled to be able to share this important information, but believe me, I was nervous!

They expected us at the studio at 6:00 a.m., and I am not a morning person — ask my husband! We were escorted in, and while we waited until our segment started we could watch the broadcast on a TV in the waiting area. Kristen Barnfield (the Assistant Vice President of Public Relations at Easter Seals Headquarters), Allison Knopp (Public Relations & Marketing Associate at Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region) and I were so excited to see anchorman Stefan Holt and meteorologist Andy Avalos wearing our snappy Make the First Five Count bow ties. We would each let out a little cheer each time one of them motioned toward their neck!

Allison could not get off her phone making sure everyone in the Twittersphere knew that our message was being aired. She was busy interacting with the anchors as well: Daniella Guzman even tweeted a photo of Stefan at the desk with his tie on!

After I got my microphone on I was led back to the studio to meet Stefan and Daniella. They were so personable and seemed to truly care about getting our information out to the public. They made me feel so welcome and as comfortable as I could feel, considering it was my first time on live TV.

During the three-minute segment I was able to educate parents regarding the signs they should look for in their children to detect a developmental delay. We discussed looking for unusual characteristics in the child’s communication, thinking and reasoning, senses, emotions or the way they move. I informed parents that whether or not they have concerns, everyone should take our Ages and Stages Questionnaire because more than a million children enter kindergarten not prepared to keep up with their peers. It was also mentioned that our new Autism Diagnostic Clinic is a great way for parents to get answers if they are concerned that their child may have autism or another developmental delay.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and once I started breathing, I actually had fun! I am so happy to have been able to act as a spokesperson for such an important campaign. Thanks, NBC 5!

Helping seniors and people with disabilities get around town

by Beth Finke

My Seeing Eye dog Whitney and I value the importance of public transportation, and with that in mind I am happy to introduce Lucinda Shannon, MPA, the Training and Technical Assistance Specialist for the National Center on Senior Transportation, as a guest blogger today.

Supporting people who need assistance with transportation

by Lucinda Shannon, MPA

Transportation for people with disabilities and older adults is a priority for Easter Seals. In addition to the variety of transportation services provided by many of our affiliate offices, Easter Seals’ Transportation Group administers two federally-funded training and technical assistance centers to support people who need assistance with transportation.

The National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST) works to improve and increase transportation services for older adults, and Easter Seals Project Action (ESPA) collaborates with the disability community, transportation providers and human service providers to improve transportation options for people with disabilities.

Both training and technical assistance centers are funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and they both focus on providing services in the following areas:

• Training online or in-person, where individuals can learn how to strengthen accessible transportation within their own community
• Outreach that includes resources and publications available on a variety of topics (things like accessible transportation, customer service, ADA regulations, and livable communities) plus staff presentations and participation at conferences, and staff participation on advisory committees
• Technical assistance activities through a toll-free hotline that allows customers to connect with us Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm ET
• Research on various key topics that helps fill research gaps, and helps staff develop useful materials by engaging with scholars and partner organizations to increase greater understanding of issues and best practices associated with accessible transportation across various modes, both public and private.

You can visit the NCST website to learn more about senior transportation, and ESPA’s website to learn about transportation for people with disabilities. Browse both sites for publications and resources, and while you’re there, check our calendars for upcoming training events and online courses. If you have questions, you can reach ESPA at 800-659-6428 and NCST at 866-528-6278.