Our kids and staff get into the spirit of Halloween

by Beth Finke

I’m pleased to introduce Mary Van Poolen, our Marketing and Corporate Relations intern, as a guest blogger today.

What were you for Halloween?

by Mary Van Poolen

Direct Marketing Department says Happy Halloween!

At Halloween last year we gathered photos of kids in their Halloween costumes from about 10 different Easter Seals affiliate’s and posted them on our social media sites. The response to the pictures on Facebook and Twitter was so great that we decided to do it again!

The only difference is that this year, we thought it was only fair to include pictures of our great staff, too. I was impressed by our office participation here at Easter Seals headquarters and happy to meet Mary Poppins (OK, that’s me), a fairy, Minnie Mouse, a pumpkin, a forecaster, and much more.

While we were busy posing and shooting photos here in Chicago, our affiliates were busy taking photos, too. Check out these precious pictures from Easter Seals Peoria Bloomington. Max dressed up as a turtle and Sabrina showed up as a beautiful Halloween princess.

Max the Turtle

Sabrina the Halloween Princess

Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio sent moo-velous Kellen as a cow and Audrey as the cutest little bumblebee.

Kellen the cow

Audrey the bumblebee

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween, and if you’re sad it’s all over, don’t despair — you can still see more fun, creative Halloween costumes on our Facebook page.

What’s your favorite flower? Tell us!

by Beth Finke

It’s that time of year again: time to choose which design to use for our next Lily Seal. Every year, over 100 artists submit beautiful paintings and drawings of lilies. We’ve chosen six finalists, and now we need your input to help us decide which one will be the next Lily Seal of the Year.

Voting ends at midnight tomorrow, October 31, 2013, so vote now for your favorite design to become our 2014 Lily Seal of the Year. We’ve been sending our seals to supporters for 80 years now, and they’re often the first way many people find out about Easter Seals. Participating in the 2014 Lily Seal of the Year vote is a simple way for you to share your compassionate support of people with disabilities and Easter Seals’ life-changing mission far and wide.

Be part of this important tradition! Act fast and vote today: show your support for people with disabilities and vote by midnight tomorrow.

Instagram, hashtags and Twitter: oh my!

by Beth Finke

Students from DePaul completing their New Student Service Day at Easter Seals

Last month college students enrolled in a business and society class came to Easter Seals Headquarters as part of DePaul University’s New Student Service Day. The students participated in a focus group on social media, and a few wrote to us afterwards with their thoughts about their day here.

Many of the students hadn’t heard of Easter Seals before their visit. “Easter who?” Darshan wrote. “That was the exact thought that crossed my mind when my teacher told me that we were going to Easter Seals for our DePaul New Student Service Day. I had never heard of Easter Seals prior to this day and I told the representatives about that.”

Students were treated to breakfast and then heard different Easter Seals staff members explain what we do and the population we serve. The students were all ears. One of them, Emily, wrote afterward that she was “taken back by the impact Easter Seals has, not only in Chicago, but also in different communities worldwide.”

For one student, Mohammad, Student Service Day wasn’t his first encounter with Easter Seals. “Easter Seals helped diagnose my older brother with autism,” he said, adding that the diagnosis helped his family engage with his brother and help his brother’s development. “After the diagnosis, Easter Seals helped my family again by providing their many services to us.” He said it felt good to give a little bit back to Easter Seals by participating in the focus group, and that he looks forward to volunteering again some time in the future. “I did not feel like I was volunteering, I felt like I was helping a friend who has helped me tremendously.”

During the focus group, students brainstormed and pitched ideas on more ways we can use Instagram, hashtags and Twitter to let people know about the services we offer. Connor’s note afterwards said that since his visit here he has been following Easter Seals on all social media outlets. “I have noticed that they have taken our suggestions into account,” he said. “I left Easter Seals feeling excited that I was able to help such an exceptional organization.”

My day at the Rose Garden

by Jennifer Dexter

I am pleased to introduce Marcelle Altshuler, a government relations intern here at Easter Seals, as a guest blogger today.

Guess where I sat at the President’s press conference?

by Marcelle Altshuler

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Me

My internship at Easter Seals in Washington, D.C. started in August and I have had the chance to do many exciting things and meet many wonderful people. Last Monday I had the privilege of representing Easter Seals at President Obama’s speech regarding The Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the Rose Garden at the White House. In fact, I found myself settled in the front row only a couple seats from the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Easter Seals was invited in recognition of the importance of access to health insurance for people with disabilities, as we have championed this message throughout the passage and implementation of the law.

A small group of advocates and people who have already benefitted from the ACA stood with the President to celebrate the ACA’s successes and discuss how to address technical issues with the registration website healthcare.gov.

Me in the Rose Garden

We were reminded that although there have been technical issues with the website, insurance coverage may also be purchased over the phone or in person with local Navigator assistance. President Obama emphasized that even though this process has had some bumps through the rollout, the new system for purchasing insurance is simpler and will result in people actually getting health insurance that before had been out of reach.

Prior to the law, children and adults with pre-existing conditions could be dropped from their coverage. For the past 2 years, children cannot be denied coverage for preexisting conditions, and starting in January, these protections will apply to adults with pre-existing conditions, too. I know these two reforms will guarantee that many people with disabilities have a better chance of accessing private healthcare coverage.

It is a true pleasure to be a part of Easter Seals and work with a group that is aiming to ensure that people with disabilities have access to affordable health coverage and that the needs of people with disabilities are met.

Good news about Project Search

by Bob Glowacki

Beth Finke’s post here about October being Disability Employment Awareness month reminded me to share some good news about our Project Search program here at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin. Since 2011, 18 young men and women have completed our Project SEARCH program at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to help them transition into the workforce. Five were hired by Children’s Hospital, and, what’s more, two of our graduates have nearly full-time employment and access to private health insurance!

This great news positively affects the people who were hired, and it positively affects the community, too. Children’s Hospital has talent they were not previously aware of on staff now, and Peggy Niemer, Vice President of Service Excellence at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, says they are a better place as a result. “There is inherent value for patients, for families, and for our employees who want to be part of great futures for children,” she told us. “It’s a win for the wonderful interns, plus it is good for the soul.”

What’s it like to go blind?

by Beth Finke

Screenshot of my YouTube debut

Early in September, four creative and energetic young guys showed up at our apartment door armed with audio equipment and cameras, and now, just one month later, you can already see what all the fuss was about.

Craig Benzine was one of those creative guys at my door. He conducted my interview, and it appears on a new YouTube channel called The Good Stuff. Craig is very familiar with YouTube: he already has an uber-popular vlog there called Wheezy Waiter that has half a million followers. In a blog post on Wheezy Waiter, he explained why he decided to start The Good Stuff channel now, too:

“There’s this type of entertainment I enjoy that I can only really find in podcast form, specifically from the shows Radiolab and This American Life. They take a topic and delve into it from all sides. That could be short stories, news stories, stand up comedy, interviews, etc. These shows give me a certain feeling when I’m done listening to them that I really don’t find much on YouTube. I guess it’s sort of a feeling that everything’s connected and you can find interesting things and people everywhere you look. With The Good Stuff, we’re attempting to get at that feeling, at least a little, and do it with video.”

The theme for the current segment on The Good Stuff is Senses. Before shooting a single frame for the “What’s it Like to Go Blind” segment, Craig and fellow Good Stuff staff members Sam Grant, Matt Weber and David Wolff spent nearly an hour figuring out the ideal way to film inside our apartment, which angle to shoot from and where the lighting would look best. My husband can see, and from what he says, their fussiness was worth it. “They make our apartment look great!” he marveled.

The Good Stuff puts tons of time and scientific research into all its video segments, and this one does not disappoint. My husband and I huddled together in front of his iPad so he could described some of the graphics out loud to me. My fave? The inside of an eyeball. It shows up on screen while I explain retinopathy (the disease that caused my blindness). The filmmakers got down on Whitney’s level to film shots of her working outside, and the film fades to black at appropriate times while I try to explain how I picture things I can’t see.

The video sounds good, too. Mischievous music that sounds like it’s from a Three Stooges episode plays while I take Whitney out to “empty,” and if you listen closely you’ll hear me playing Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues on the piano for a few seconds, too.

But wait. Why describe all this to you? You all can watch it:

Check out these new impact videos from Wisconsin

by Bob Glowacki

Let’s talk impact. And no, I’m not talking about asteroids striking the earth or some other cosmic fear like that. I’m talking about Easter Seals impact.

Our team at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin recently read The End of Fundraising by Jason Saul. The premise of the book is that non-profits need to understand what impact their services have on the community, beyond just numbers served or social good. We reviewed the literature to establish what impact our services have on Southeast Wisconsin. What we learned is with the right services and supports we improve not just the life of one individual, but their family and local employers. We impact taxpayers, too: as an individual’s independence grows, their need of public support decreases.

So far this blog post has the impact of making you sleepy, so allow me to debut our two impact videos. One video is about autism services, and the other video is about adult day services. Each one features people who are directly touched by our services and their families while also recognizing the impact we make at the community level. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed putting them together. In other words, I hope they make an impact!

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

by Beth Finke

Our nation has recognized the contributions of workers with disabilities since 1945, first as a single honorary week in October and then, beginning in 1988, the entire month of October. The theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month this year is “Because We Are EQUAL to the Task,” and the U.S. Department of Labor has developed a resource toolbox and other information on its National Disability Employment Awareness Month web page to help promote employment of Americans with disabilities.

In his official presidential proclamation, President Obama urged all Americans “to embrace the talents and skills that individuals with disabilities bring to our workplaces and communities and to promote the right to equal employment opportunity for all people,” and in a recent blog post about leadership, COL David Sutherland used a quote from another famous American that I think is also fitting for National Disability Employment Awareness Month:

General George Patton once said, “Don’t tell someone how to do it, tell them what to do and they’ll surprise you.”

As COL Sutherland said in his post, follow General Patton’s advice and you’ll have workers who are both competent and confident.

Fido, can I see an ID, please?

by Beth Finke

Whitney's Seeing Eye dog identification card

Last month my Seeing Eye dog Whitney was carded in the lobby of the Chicago high-rise where my doctor’s office is. Every human who walks in that building is required to show an ID card, but this is the first time they’ve asked for an ID to prove that the superbly-trained three-year-old Golden Retriever/Labrador Cross who guides me through a revolving door, into their lobby, around their desk and onto the elevator is legit.

Donna Smith, director of training for Easter Seals Project Action explained the regulations for service dogs in a post we published last February called Following the rules for service animals. She shared some of her personal experiences using a guide dog and pointed out that there is currently no national or universal certification process for trained service animals. It is not illegal for a person to ask for an ID card for a service dog, but a person using a service dog cannot be required to show any kind of certification or identification in order to have a service dog accompany them. Donna said this is one of the most misunderstood pieces of ADA regulation about service animals. The ADA allows business owners and the like to ask two, and only two, things when questioning whether a service dog is legit or not:

• whether the animal is, in fact, a service animal, and
• what tasks the animal is trained to perform.

Donna and her Seeing Eye dog Farlow

The building’s security guard didn’t know that, though. He told me they’d all been told to ask for certification when anyone comes into the building claiming the dog at their side is a service dog. “A lot of them fake it,” the guard said with a shrug. I wasn’t surprised. Let’s face it. It’s not hard to tie a vest on a dog, and it’s pretty easy to get fake certification for a dog as well. It’s not easy to live with a significant disability, however, and faking that you have one is an insult to everyone who really needs their dog, and to the airlines, hotels, restaurants and stores who are trying to do what’s right.

The Seeing Eye gives graduates like Donna Smith and me an ID card for our dogs, and while I do carry Whitney’s card with me, I’ve never had to use it before last month. It wasn’t much trouble to fetch Whitney’s ID out of my wallet, so I didn’t put up a fit or try educating the security guard about ADA legislation. I just showed the card, commanded Whitney to lead me forward, and proceeded to the elevator. I’m just sorry that fakers have brought us to the point where the managers at the building require security guards to ask for something they shouldn’t have to bother with.

When Vets Come Home

by Rachel Talen

I would like to introduce our new Marketing & Corporate Relations intern, Mary. Mary is a senior at Calvin College, where she is studying Strategic Communication.

Vets: We need your skills
by Mary Van Poolen

Easter Seals recently released our “Welcome Home” video which shares our mission of serving veterans and their families with Hollywood. Some of my favorite actors and actresses such as Don Cheadle, Hannah Simone, Hayden Panettiere, Fred Armisen, and Mindy Kaling show their support in the video by welcoming home our military veterans.

As the new Marketing and Corporate Relations intern, I am honored to be a part of such an exciting partnership.

In light of Easter Seals’ newly released video, I had the opportunity to sit down with recent war veteran and employee at Easter Seals headquarters, Christopher Dillon, to hear about and share with you what his own welcome home experience was like after serving in Iraq. Many do not realize that war veterans live and work right in the backyard of Easter Seals headquarters.

Chris grew up in Hayward, WI and lived there his entire life. He decided to join the U.S army in order to support his country and see the world outside of the small town. I asked Chris how the friendships he made in the army were different than his friendships back home. He mentioned that he made close friends and still remains in contact with most of them.

“Friendship in the military takes it a step further than in the civilian world. Your life depends on them and their life depends on you. You’ve experienced a lot of stressful situations together…it’s tighter…it’s closer,” says Chris reflecting on his service.

While in Iraq, Chris served as a combat engineer in Ramadi, Habbaniya and Fallujah.

On July 3, 2003 at 6:45 am Chris’ convoy was struck by a roadside bomb causing injuries that forced him to take a Medevac, an emergency removal flight, back to the United States. I can only imagine what that morning must have been like. There weren’t that many people at his welcome home because he was sent back on a Medevac to Germany and then to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, CO, and was taken to a hospital at Fort Carson. Once at Fort Carson he was “attacked” by his two daughters whom he hadn’t seen in over 4 months. “Pretty much what I wanted…I wanted my daughters there,” he says.

After returning home he pays much more attention to detail because of how routine it was for him to check for grenades, wires and roadside bombs. It was difficult for him not to think of a fixed pothole as a roadside bomb and it took a while to remember, “…you’re at home, this is not going to happen here.”

After being medically cleared in September 2003, he received orders that he wouldn’t be returning to his unit in Iraq, but to the United States Military Academy, West Point, as a Company & Battalion Tactical NCO. Nearly three years later, on June 1st, 2006, Chris retired after 23 years of service due to the request of his daughters. Erin, his oldest daughter, told him that she and her sister wanted their daddy back.

I was curious about what brought Chris to Easter Seals and he says that his VA representative told him about the open Training Specialist position. He interviewed, got the job and worked at Easter Seals from 2009-2010 until the Operation Employ Veterans program lost its funding. While unemployed he helped other veterans put together resumes and find work until he realized that it was time to do something for him. He contacted Easter Seals to catch up with a friend and found out the Community OneSource Manager position was open. He was encouraged to apply and within a couple of weeks Chris was able to continue his journey with Easter Seals and Veteran Services.

“There are a lot of skill-sets that I had learned in the military that I took for granted and that I found out are really needed in the civilian world,” says Chris. “One of the hardest parts of my job today is getting veterans to realize that the skills they have are needed.” On behalf of Easter Seals, we thank Chris Dillon for his service, for welcoming home veterans, and for helping them realize their fullest potential in the work force.

If you want to support employment for veterans, here’s a way you can help right now: visit our Honoring Those Who Serve Challenge page on CrowdRise and make a donation, or learn more at www.easterseals.com/veterans.