OSWEGO COUNTY EDITION Director: Sabine Ingerson
April 2017 What’s Inside:
APRIL 2ND IS WORLD AUTISM DAY
Autism Walk/CDPAP
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ARISE Groups
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MSC Blog
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TBI Group
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Ride for Ramps
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Fair Housing
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Contest coloring
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Calendar
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Employment
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ARISE Center for Independent Living ARISE Oswego 9 Fourth Ave Oswego, NY 13126 (315) 342-4088
ARISE Pulaski 2 Broad St Pulaski, NY 13142 (315) 298-5726
ARISE Fulton 113 Schuyler St, Suite 2 Fulton, NY 13069 (315) 887-5156
ariseinc.org /ARISEcny
Our Mission To work with people of all abilities to create a fair and just community in which everyone can fully participate.
Do you know a person who is on the autism spectrum? We sometimes refer to that as autism spectrum disorder or ASD. Most of us know someone in our family, work, or school who has some of the characteristics we may see in a person on the autism spectrum. These may include difficulties with social interactions and non-verbal communications along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. My niece’s daughter was diagnosed with autism last year. She is a very bright girl who could put a puzzle of the USA together at the age of two, yet she has difficulty in social settings. She was able to adjust to kindergarten, but her limited ability to deal with the rules and social skills required in first grade created stress and fear, resulting in behaviors that got her expelled from school. Once a diagnosis was established and an Individualized Education Plan was developed that provides appropriate supports, she has been going to school regularly and loves it. According to a survey conducted in 2014, one out of 45 school-age children is on the autism spectrum. I wonder what we can do to increase understanding of autism and acceptance of behavior that does not fit into what our society defines as the norm. I am pleased to see that Sesame Street has added a muppet who has autism. Some people in the autism movement advocate for giving children more tools to cope with the non-autistic world instead of trying to change them into neurotypical. Kari Dunn Buron, who spoke at the Autism Conference in March, shared some very useful ideas that have proven effective in empowering individuals to be more successful in social situations. We purchased Buron’s social skills curriculum and four of her books and our staff have already started using some of the activities in our social groups. Ms. Buron emphasized that as social skills are learned through community experiences and social stories, participation in social groups that are accommodating is important. Thanks to a grant from Family Support Services, we are able to assist individuals with ASD to make decrease the street of participating in the Teen Group or Community Connections by having a staff person dedicated to the individual who is familiar with him or her. Some people initially prefer to observe an activity from a distance. If the individual with ASD indicates that the situation is becoming stressful, our staff can redirect or find a quieter place for them to go. At ARISE, we focus on the gifts and dreams of every person and we strive to create a society where everyone can live the full and independent life he or she chooses. Sabine Ingerson 1
Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program Do you want more freedom in deciding who will be your personal assistant? There is an alternative to traditional models of home health care offered in Oswego County called the Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). Since early 1998, this service provides the consumer with more control over their personal care needs. The consumer, not an agency, recruits, interviews, hires, trains, supervises and if need be, dismisses the personal assistant they have chosen. Qualified individuals in need of personal care are able to hire their own personal assistants. CDPAP is designed for individuals who need long-term care, but who are medically stable. To be eligible an individual must live in Oswego County, expect to need assistance for at least 180 days, be self-directing or have another individual willing to supervise the program for them. You must also be eligible for or currently receiving Medicaid. Individuals Managed Care Company, or The Department of Social Services, and a registered nurse determine eligibility and the extent of services needed on an individual basis. Two quotes from individuals in the CDPAP program: “The Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program makes it possible for me to be able to live on my own, otherwise I would not be able to”. “Having a personal assistant improves my quality of life and I’m able to make the choice of who to hire and when to schedule them to work myself”. For further information regarding the Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program please contact Cheryl Arnold at 342-4088 X214. 2
ARISE Groups Central Square Self-Advocacy Group
Self-Advocacy Group
Tuesday, April 11th
Friday, April 21st
11:00 AM
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pontiac Terrace Community Room
The Make Sense Shop Pulaski NY
Self-Advocacy is a group for people who want to advocate for change. For additional information, or if you have an issue you would like the group to advocate for, please contact Josh Solazzo at 342-4088 X213.
For information or questions, please contact Melissa Hull by email at mhull@ariseinc.org or call 298-5726 X205
Teen Group
Community Connections
Thursday, April 13th
Thursday, April 8th
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
7:00 PM
Game Night
Monster Jam at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse
Fulton Jr. High School
(This event is open to the public) Please sign up for this event by emailing Vicki at vaffinati@ariseinc.org or call 342-4088 X225 for information about this group.
Sign up for this event is closed. For information about this group email Vicki at vaffinati@ariseinc.org or call 342-4088 X225.
SibShops
TBI Group
No SibShops this month.
Tuesday, April 11th 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Next meeting will be May 20th.
(This is a reoccurring meeting that takes place the 2nd Tuesday of each month)
Please email Sabine at singerson@ariseinc.org or call 342-4088 X210 for information.
We will be meeting at the ARISE Oswego office If you have any questions, contact Shannon Morrell at 342-4088 X245 or Christine Ward at 342-4088 X201 or cward@ariseinc.org.
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MSC Blog K.J. Shepard Medicaid Service Coordinator
As another winter hopefully comes to a close soon, I think about the team work that is required to shovel the long driveway that I currently reside at. Surely, a person could shovel the whole driveway, but they would be exhausted and may feel annoyed to see other members of the family sitting around watching the person shovel. However, in my family and in this agency we have a sense of team work. I have been a MSC for almost 2 ½ years and I have never heard from any co-workers, “Sorry you are on your own”. I love that we are willing to help each other. This not only goes for my specific department but for the agency in general. It just makes sense that the principle should also be implemented in the “real world” where it often seems that it is the “dog eat dog” mentality. Words of encouragement or even providing support when someone looks overwhelmed goes a long way. I am grateful for the services that ARISE provides that help families that would be much more overwhelmed without them. I have personally seen the growth of some people socially just by individuals either having a community habilitation worker or attending programs where they can interact. Some of these programs include ARISE at the Farm or the FSS groups like Teen Group, Sibshops, and Community Connections. I enjoy the family that I have been birthed into but also the close knit family that is known as ARISE. Just as in any family, sometimes parts of a family will not always agree. However, I have seen at ARISE that we all work as a team to help. So I hope that we all stay epic and have a wonderful month of April.
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TBI GROUP We would like to thank Brian Durant, Cayuga Community College President, and Pam Heleen, President’s Assistant, and the CCC – Fulton Campus for allowing the ARISE TBI PEER Support Group the opportunity to bring TBI Awareness to the CCC student body on March 21, 2017. March is designated as Brain Injury Awareness Month, so it gives us the opportunity to share information with the community about brain injuries, and the recovery process for persons who have a brain injury. CCC staff member, Lorelee Lardear, and students, Patrick Howell and Daniel Barsuch, were extremely helpful and accommodating to make the day a success. Patrick was invaluable in his efforts with soliciting donations of cookies from Kathy’s Cakes and coffee/cookies from the Starbucks on the CCC Fulton Campus, helping to set up and take down our display table, and helping between classes with manning the table with Shannon Morrell, ARISE TBI Peer Support Group Facilitator, and Christine Ward, ARISE employee. Daniel was responsible for creating and printing the posters for the event and making sure that they were posted throughout the campus. We were thrilled with the response and interaction with your students throughout the day. Thank you, again, for your hospitality and generosity.
Pictured from left are Committee Vice Chairman James Karasek, District 22; Frank Castiglia, Jr., District 25; Traumatic Brain Injury Coalition Vice President Jeff Johnson; Christine Ward; Jennifer Gamble; Morrel; Oswego ARISE Director Sabine Ingerson; Committee Chairman John Proud, District 7; Margaret Kastler, District 1; Heather DelConte, District 18; Morris Sorbello, District 23 and Terry Wilbur, District 21
We were pleased that the Oswego County Legislature issued a Proclamation designating March as Brain Injury Awareness Month to raise awareness about the devastating impact of this issue. The Oswego County Legislature’s Health Committee presented the Proclamation, and Traumatic Brain injury Group Facilitator, Shannon Morrell, addressed the full legislature and accepted the proclamation. 5
Ride For Ramps
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The Oswego County Fair Housing Council Coloring Contest
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APRIL Sun
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Mon
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Tue
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Fresh Food Giveaway Sandy Creek UMC, 3:30-5:30p
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Easter
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Fresh Food Giveaway Believer’s Chapel 3:30-5:30p
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Fri
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TBI Peer Support Group 4:30-5:30p
April Fools
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12 Fresh Food Giveaway Park UMC, Pulaski 3:00-5:00p
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Teen Group 5:30-7:30p
Fresh Food Giveaway St. Joseph’s The Worker, Liverpool 3:30-5:30p
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Administrative Professional Day
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St. Joseph’s The Worker, Liverpool 3:30-5:30p
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Fresh Food Giveaway
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Fresh Food Giveaway No. Syracuse Christian Church 3:30-5:30p
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Thu
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Fresh Food Giveaway Christian Life Assembly, Syracuse 3:00-5:00p
Central Square Self Advocacy Group 11:00a
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Wed
Self Advocacy Group 11:30-12:30p
Earth Day
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29 Autism Walk 11:00-2:00p
NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 25
ARISE 9 Fourth Avenue Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: Fax: TTY:
OSWEGO, NY 13126
(315)342-4088 (315)342-4107 (315)342-8696
ariseinc.org Address Service Requested Mailing Address Goes Here
Employment ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation) is an agency in the New York State Education Department that has helped many individuals with disabilities find and keep employment. You may know the agency from it’s previous acronym: VESID. Over the past year, ACCES-VR has helped over 900 people in Central New York (including 80 in Oswego County) succeed in careers ranging from customer service to information technology. Services to help eligible individuals reach their employment goals may include but are not limited to: job coaching, employment counseling, advocacy, and financial assistance with training, equipment, and work uniforms. If you or someone you know has a barrier to employment and is interested in applying, please call (315) 428-4180 to register for an information session or to receive an application.
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