Helping low-income veteran families transition to permanent housing

by Beth Finke

I am pleased to introduce Catherine Todd from Easter Seals Oregon as our guest blogger today

Supportive Services for Veteran Families program

by Catherine Todd, Director, SCSEP and HVRP

I have exciting news to share from Easter Seals Oregon: we’ve been awarded a grant from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. Over the course of one year, Easter Seals Oregon and our partner, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency will serve 75 veteran families. Our goal is to stabilize 80% of homeless participants in permanent housing and maintain housing for 90% of at-risk participants.

The SSVF program is designed to improve housing stability for very low-income veteran households. The program will provide eligible veteran households with outreach, case management and assistance in obtaining Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other benefits, including housing counseling services. Easter Seals Oregon will provide the employment readiness training, job development and employment retention services to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, and program staff will provide the following to eligible families:

• Assessment of household needs
• Housing placement assistance
• Financial assistance for rent, utilities, rent/utility deposits, security deposits and application fees to support housing stability
• Home visits and housing counseling services
• Coordination with other community resources and support providers to meet household needs, including health care, daily living, transportation, child care, legal, personal financial planning, fiduciary and payee services
• Case management to support adults to attain goals which contribute to the self-sufficiency of the household

Thanks to this SSVF grant, Easter Seals Oregon and Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency will be able to provide a range of services that promote housing stability and play a key role in connecting veterans and their family members to VA services such as mental health care and other benefits. Visit the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site to find out about other services for homeless veteran families across the country.

Caroline’s Cart: rolling out to a grocery store near you

by Elsa Remak

Grocery shopping with kids can be a daunting task. I certainly don’t envy the super-moms who chase their hyper toddlers down the frozen treat aisle with a cereal box in one hand and an infant in the other. As a youngster, my wide eyes would fixate on mac-and-cheese and Skittles. My poor mom had to put up with my weekly waterworks and quivering lip begging routine.

For one out of every five American families, grocery store tribulations go beyond controlling a child’s wandering eye. As children with special needs outgrow the traditional built-in shopping cart seats, parents are left with no option but to maneuver around with a shopping cart in one arm and a wheelchair in the other.

Back in January, blog moderator Beth Finke introduced us to Drew Ann Long’s creation, Caroline’s Cart. The cart, named in honor of her daughter Caroline who has Rett’s Syndrome, was designed to accommodate people with a variety of levels and types of disabilities. Drew Ann’s goal was for families of special needs children to have an equal shopping experience. After five years, Drew Ann’s vision is becoming a reality.

Technibilt, a member of the world’s largest producer of shopping carts, has joined the cause to help this underserved market. The official product launch was July 18th. Technibilt will begin manufacturing Caroline’s Cart this August. Through this partnership, Caroline’s Cart will begin popping up at grocery stores across the nation!

It’s amazing to see a company like Technibilt address the needs of an often ignored population. Many may not realize how great the need for this kind of innovation is since they see few families at stores needing such a thing. The truth is this lack of visibility shows just how crucial this kind of innovation is! Moms are forced to hire sitters just so they can make a simple trip to the neighborhood grocery store.

The Long family has already won me over. Caroline Long, the 2012 National Youth Ambassador for Easter Seals, may not be able to speak, but her beaming smile says it all. Drew Ann’s dedication has shifted her grassroots effort into a mainstream reality. And she doesn’t plan on stopping! Drew Ann’s next mission is to create a foundation that will put Caroline’s Cart into stores in rural towns that would not be able to afford them. Many news articles label Drew Ann as a “stay at home mom.” Truth is, Drew Ann is far from that simple title, she is a disability advocate who will revolutionize every-day life for families of children with special needs.

For more information on Caroline’s Cart visit www.carolinescart.com . If you want to see some fun pictures of families enjoying the cart, be sure to check out the Caroline’s Cart Facebook page. I’m anxiously awaiting the cart’s arrival at my local grocery stores!

Where can vets who survive the war go to survive the peace?

by Bob Glowacki

A news story on Fox 6 Now highlights our new partnership with a program called Dryhootch. Dryhootch is an organization committed to helping veterans of all wars and has a special focus on our returning military members and their families.

“Hootch” was a term commonly used in the Vietnam combat theater for a hut or other safe place to sleep. Adding the word “dry” to the name Dryhootch is a play on the word’s association with alcohol. Alcoholism has been a major problem for veterans of all eras, and the term “dry” denotes the organization’s mission to provide a social gathering place for veterans that is safe, comfortable, drug and alcohol free.

Dryhootch provides a coffee house or café like environment that is dedicated to “helping Veterans who survived the war, survive the peace.” Milwaukee already has a Dryhootch site, and this month our Workforce training Center here at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin started hosting a new one in Waukesha called the “Forward Operating Base.” It’s a drop-in center for people to stop in, whether they have needs or just want to talk with other vets who know where they’re coming from. From the Fox6 Now story:

Inside Easter Seals’ Workforce Training Center, you’ll find an office acting much like a coffee-shop, with couches and tables, where vets can connect with others on issues like PTSD. They can get employment and educational services, and families can get support too.

Milwaukee and Waukesha are the two Wisconsin counties with the highest number of veterans in their communities: over 30,000 veterans call Waukesha County their home. Dryhootch knows Easter Seals is an established organization with deep roots and a history of service to families. The peer mentors of Dryhootch have lived the military life. At Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin, we have lived to help children, families and individuals live more independent lives for nearly 80 years. Our partnership with Dryhootch is one based on what we each do best. As a result, those that seek us out get the best services possible.

Only 1% of our US population has served in Iraq and Afghanistan on numerous tours. Our staff members believe we are part of the 99% who need to support those that have sacrificed so much and have so much to offer. We are ready to serve.

What can you do? The Campaign for Disability Employment

by Sara Croft

Editor’s Note: Sara’s post originally appeared on the Easter Seals Crossroads blog. Check it out!

At Easter Seals Crossroads, we emphasize ability in everyone. Each day we encourage children and adults to do what they think they cannot do. That may mean riding a bicycle for the first time, learning to drive a vehicle with adaptive equipment, or finding meaningful employment opportunities.

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace. “What can YOU do?” is a positive outreach initiative aimed at increasing the employment rate of people with disabilities by challenging common misperceptions.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the campaign is in partnership with several other organizations to offer resource materials that educate businesses on why hiring people with disabilities is important. As of May 2013, 20.7% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 69.1% of people without disabilities.

Their award-winning public service announcement (PSA) was recently aired at the Indianapolis 500 and reached over 1.3 million people over the race weekend.

The Campaign for Disability Employment lists these ways in which YOU can make a difference:

• 1. Hire, Retain and Advance People with Disabilities — Businesses that are inclusive of people with disabilities promotes workplace success for everyone. At Easter Seals Crossroads, we provide pre-screened, qualified job candidates that are dedicated to long-term careers. A relationship is built between your business and needs and our staff and candidates so that there is a reduction in the risk with hiring for your positions. Additionally, long-term support is provided at no expense to ensure job retention and mutual satisfaction.
• 2. Be a Mentor — Inspire youth with disabilities by encouraging them to dream big and develop the skills they will need to succeed in the workplace. College students in Indianapolis can apply to be a mentor with Peer XChange, where students with autism are paired with college students to focus on skills that relate to time management, social activities, connecting to campus resources and transitioning to the college environment.
• 3. Share the “Can-do” spirit – Become a fan of their Facebook page and watch the PSA above to become an advocate for the campaign. Fan Easter Seals Crossroads on Facebook to interact and learn about how you can become more involved with the campaign directly in your community.

If you are a young professional in Indianapolis that would like to get more involved in this initiative, consider participating in our newly-formed young professionals group. We are looking for individuals who can be advocates for people with disabilities while educating the community about the services that we provide at Easter Seals Crossroads. For more information, contact me:

Sara Croft
317-466-2002
scroft@eastersealscrossroads.org.

Mervin, and other Hollywood stars, too

by Rachel Talen

You might remember Mervin Roxas from when I introduced him in a post here back  in November. He’s a Program Assistant at Easter Seals Southern California where he also works as a Life Skills Coach. He’s also become a little famous — in May, he was caught hanging out in Hollywood with celebrities who support veterans.

Hangin’ out in Hollywood

By Mervin Roxas

On May 29th and 30th, we had the pleasure of representing Easter Seals at the Variety Emmy Studio in West Hollywood to talk about our mission of serving veterans and their families at various levels. Most of the celebrities showed great interest in Easter Seals and applauded our efforts toward this cause.

Meeting these celebrities made me realize how many people are actually affected by veterans’ issues, and the number of lives Easter Seals has touched.

Kat Dennings from Two Broke Girls, Emmy Rossum from Shameless, and Hayden Panatierre from Nashville all expressed their support towards veterans’ services because someone close to them served in the military. Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory and Charles Esten from Nashville were thrilled to speak with Easter Seals staff since they knew someone who has been served by Easter Seals or supported Easter Seals before.

We had a great time hanging out with Monica Potter from Parenthood as she shared with us her passion for supporting veterans. A few days later, she even Tweeted about Easter Seals and posted a picture of her with her sons, and both of the boys were wearing the “Support Our Vets” shirts we gave them!

Support our troops & @Easter_Seals ! We're so grateful for all you do for our country-sending you our prayers & love pic.twitter.com/mXZCbEfRgs

— Monica Potter (@monicapotter) June 3, 2013

Over all, it was an amazing event in which Easter Seals received tremendous support from the entertainment community. We would like to thank CK&D and their incredible team for making all this happen. It seems there are many more exciting events that are coming up and Easter Seals is definitely moving in the right direction. Stay tuned on Easter Seals Facebook and Twitter tomorrow to see my photos with the Emmy nominees!

“I’m a very valuable person”

by Beth Finke

The article below was featured in our July eNewsletter. We love sharing Easter Seals news, so if you’d like to receive our eNews every month, sign up here.

Like many young adults, Irene was struggling to find her way in the world. She yearned to be more independent, connect with others and find a satisfying job.

“I didn’t feel like I was going anywhere,” says Irene, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. “I didn’t feel like I was so important.”

Irene turned to Easter Seals for guidance with defining her employment goals, developing her skills and searching for a job that suited her interests and abilities. Her persistence paid off when she was offered a position as an accounting clerk with a company that provides mobility products, wheelchair accessible vans and services for people with disabilities.

Now with renewed confidence, Irene is thriving in countless ways. Watch her movie and learn more about Easter Seals Workforce Development Services.

Take the disability etiquette challenge today

by Elsa Remak

Recent articles about disability etiquette in the US News & World Report and the Chicago Tribune provided awesome tips and expert advice for interacting with people in general, not just those who have disabilities. If everyone were to apply the Golden Rule, our world (middle school especially, yikes) would be immensely better.

For readers who want to take their understanding of disability etiquette one step further, I recommend the Easter Seals Disability Etiquette Challenge. This quiz was crafted by disability etiquette experts — you may just get stumped. The quiz uses everyday situations that those of us who don’t have disabilities might never think twice about.

Say you’re in line for the restroom at a sporting event. The wheelchair accessible stall opens up. No one in line appears to have a disability and you’re next up. Prior to taking the quiz, my natural instinct would be to go for it in hopes I can make it back in time for the halftime show. My reasoning came from observations of what I thought were social norms.

Well it looks like I got stumped! Warning: quiz question spoiler ahead.

Using the accessible stall is not a taboo, so long as you generally ask the line if anyone needs to use it. Our Easter Seals blog moderator Beth Finke was the expert for this particular question. She reminds us that disabilities may not always be immediately visible and says asking never hurts.

This is just one of the many questions in the quiz that challenges us to rethink some of our daily actions. Lessons learned from the quiz can be applied anywhere from basic conversation with a friend to an interaction with a stranger at the grocery store. It’s never too late to fix our bad habits and spread some knowledge.

When I ask the busy restroom line if anyone needs the accessible stall, each person in line will take notice. Some of them will even make use of my action the next time a situation like that comes up for them.

So go ahead, take the quiz and expand your disability etiquette expertise. I already gave you the answer to one question!

Let’s talk about character

by Col. David Sutherland

What does character mean to you? To me it means following through on your obligation(s) after that initial motivation is gone. It’s an elusive trait — so easy to say it’s important to you and yet so difficult to put into practice.

In my first blog post, I used an Army saying: “Adapt and Overcome.” This is a large part of character. It’s the ability to face an ever-changing situation, stand your ground (dig in sometimes), overcome adversity and regain momentum.

Character is personified in someone like retired General Stan McChrystal. Here is a tough soldier who left the Army under controversy and great public scrutiny. He easily could have fallen by the wayside and lived the rest of his life collecting his pension and sitting on a corporate board. Instead, he stepped back into service because he continues to feel an obligation to those with whom he served. Somehow, he dug deep and rebuilt the motivation to serve those who had served him.

General McChrystal is doing many good things, but I particularly admire the difference he is making in the lives of veterans through his work on the Military and Veterans Affairs Council of JP Morgan Chase. He joined forces with them in 2011 and in just two years has played a big part in helping the company reach its goal of hiring 100,000 veterans in five years (they’re currently at 67,000 and counting).

Character is also exemplified at Easter Seals, which re-energized its efforts aimed at veterans that originally began in 1947. It was brought to the attention of senior leaders that suicide rates of veterans was increasing exponentially — and Easter Seals, as an organization dedicated to helping those facing barriers, asked what it could do beyond its current mission. Easter Seals examined its core competencies and looked at ways to bring those to the forefront.

Skilled at caregiving for civilians, Easter Seals pitched and won a contract with the Veterans Administration (V.A.) to provide caregiver training to families of our nation’s wounded.

In the past 18 months, Easter Seals has trained nearly 13,000 caregivers through this program. The benefit? This way, the veteran gets supported for by those closest to him or her, and the caregivers then qualify for the stipend provided by the V.A.

I encourage you to see what you can do in your community to stay motivated to your cause. There’s a whole section on Dixon Center’s web site called Toolkits and Training that should give you a good start.

Gamers — apply now for free assistive technology to help you play

by Beth Finke

AbleGamers' Twitter Avatar

I can tell you firsthand: it can be very difficult to play video games when you can’t see! I know it can’t always be easy for gamers with other disabilities to play either. That’s why I was so happy to hear the AbleGamers Foundation announce Summer of Fun grants for people with disabilities who need assistive technology to aid their gaming. This summer they’re giving one-time grants for free gaming equipment — very cool!

AbleGamers is a non-profit organization, and a press release explains that most of their fundraising goes toward these Summer of Fun grants they’re offering:

“I’m absolutely ecstatic over our Summer of Fun initiative,” said Mark Barlet, President and Founder of the AbleGamers Charity. “These grants are the main reason we do our Pachinko for Charity and other fundraising events. We expect to receive thousands of requests and we will fill as many of them as funding allows.”

To be considered for a Summer of Fun grant program, you need to submit a request for equipment before August 1, 2013. Grant applications will then be reviewed by the AbleGamers board and given out to those who need the equipment the most.

After reading that Summer of Fun grants are available for all ages of gamers with Disabilities, I decided to go ahead an apply for a grant myself. I’m happy to report that the application form was very accessible: it asks you to let them know what sort of equipment might help you with your particular gaming needs, and it only took a few minutes for me to complete the form with my talking computer. So c’mon, gamers, give the grant a try: what have you got to lose?

Thanks to this internship program for students with disabilities

by Jennifer Dexter

Intern Jennifer Lee overlooking the Mall, Washington D.C.

Every year the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) runs a summer internship program that brings students with disabilities from across the country to our nation’s capital to work in government, non-profit, and private sectors. This summer we at Easter Seals Headquarters are fortunate to have one of the AAPD interns working with us in our office in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Louise Lee is an undergraduate at Brandeis University and is pursuing a double major in Health, Science, Society and Policy and American Studies. Jennifer is a Member of the Student Sexuality Information Service at Brandeis and a peer leader for various disability organizations there, too. She hopes to take her advocating skills to the next level by establishing a program that is devoted to educating students with disabilities about sexual health.

Jennifer’s internship here will help her establish professional networks we know will benefit her far into the future. Her work demonstrates to public and private employers that employees with disabilities are solid prospects as members of the workforce. Thank you, AAPD summer internship program, for matching us with Jennifer Lee.