ACCESS QUARTERLY FALL 2017
Hurricane Irma
How the storm impacts the Central Florida disability community.
Also In This Issue Stroll ‘n’ Roll After the Volunteers go Home
Upcoming Events
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Hurricane Irma
Chipotle Give-back Night October 5, 2017 Stroll ‘n’ Roll October 21, 2017
Hurricane Irma devestated portions of the Florida Penninsula. Are you prepared for the next big storm?
Silent Night December 14, 2017
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Stroll ‘n’ Roll CIL’s annual Stroll ‘n’ Roll walk is Saturday, October 21st. It’s not just for people with disabilities!
After the Volunteers go Home CIL’s RAMPAGE event is well known for building ramps for people with disabilities, but often that is just the beginning.
“With the wheelchair ramp CIL built, we have mobility and easy access in and out of our home. It’s a true blessing.The work provided by CIL and its volunteers is priceless!” -CIL Ramp Recipient
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ACCESS QUARTERLY | FALL EDITION
MISSION “CIL, in partnership with the community, promotes inclusion of people with disabilities by eliminating architectural, communication and attitudinal barriers. CIL provides education, resources and training to enhance self-determination through informed choice.”
Board of Directors Chair Mellissa Slover-Athey Centerstate Bank
Vice Chair Maxine Moul Orlando Health
Prior Chair Kim Byerly Darden Restaurants
Secretary Cheryl Stone Retired Microbiologist
Members Hector Del Valle, MSW NSCIA of Central Florida
Alexis Kubart Pearson Online Learning Services
Dr. Maxine Ruddock Comprehensive Psychological & Assessment Services
Ronika Carter Watson LLP Tamara Mackroy
Director’s Voice In the wake of a disaster like Hurricane Irma it is important now, more than ever, to ensure your disaster readiness plan is up to date. If you do not have a plan, there is no time like the present to start working on one. Be sure to register for your county special needs shelters annually, as they are available on first come first serve basis. The devestation Hurricane Irma wrought highlights the need, particularly for persons with disabilities and other special needs, to have an actionable plan ready for when, not if, disaster strikes. Currently we have many consumers in areas impacted by Irma, and we must all work together to ensure that their homes and communities become accessible and usable once again.
Kevin Walker Communications and Marketing Director www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
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HURRICANE
Starting Saturday, September 9th, Hurricane Irma began impacting the coast of Florida before cutting a swath of destruction across the state. For most individuals in the path of a hurricane, it can be a stressful, costly, and terrifying event. For individuals with disabilities however, it can be significantly moreso. In addition to preparing the standard kit of hurricane supplies, people with disabilities must also consider essential medications, food restrictions, access to accessible shelters, transporation, places to accept their service animals, methods of recharging their motorized wheelchair batteries, and any special equipment they may need to take with them. In a situation where power and water may be lost, finding a suitable accommodation can be difficult, particularly as special needs shelters with dedicated generators are among the first to fill up during an emergency.
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IRMA
So how does a person with a disabilitity adequately prepare for an event like a hurricane? In Florida, each county requires a person to register annually for a special needs shelter in order to have access to them. These are available on a first come, first serve basis, so it’s important to register with your county’s disaster preparedness agency. However what happens when you register too late to use a shelter? It’s important to still register so that local emergency services know where you are and can check on you after the storm. If they don’t know you have special needs or where you are, emergency services may never check on you, presuming you are okay. General disaster preparedness guidelines seem laughably inadequate when considering persons living with a disability, particularly those living on fixed incomes. Being told to buy a generator and fuel is not helpful when you cannot afford it, nor get to a station to buy fuel for it. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, millions are still without access to power and water, let alone access to accessible transportation and the resources they need to live independently. Experts predict that it may be weeks or even months for some areas to have services restored, far in excess of the reccommended three days most guidelines outline. Evacuations can similarly prove difficult for people who rely on mass transit systems, or in some cases for people without access to an accessible transportation network. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, over 980,000 people in Central Florida were left without power. Full restoration of services in the area are expected to take weeks even with power crews working around the clock. In the southern end of CIL-CF’s
ACCESS QUARTERLY | FALL EDITION
service area nearly all residents of Highlands County were left in the dark, including Hospitals, shelters, and emergency facilities. While these will be among the first to have power restored, it could be far longer for individuals in these rural areas. It is important now more than ever to create a disaster plan. If you are a person with a disability. Create a network of people who you can rely on to help provide transportation, supplies, and safety in the event of a large scale emergency. Often, by the time an evacuation is ordered for an area, it is usually too late to adequately prepare or in some cases evacuate from an area. Speak with your insurer and doctor to create a medical plan to ensure you have enough medication to last through an emergency. People with dietary restrictions may find challenges in long term situations without power if they rely on perishable foods, however there may be suitable alternatives that will suffice while waiting on restoration. Hurricanes are an inevitability of life in Florida, and it is only a question of when, not if, the next will hit. Fortunately, there is plenty of time to prepare.
www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
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Join the walk for inclusion!
Saturday, October 21 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Crane’s Roost Park
STROLL.CILORLANDO.ORG
Since 2011 Stroll ‘n’ Roll has demonstrated that having a disability should not exclude someone from being a part of their community. Held in early fall, Stroll ‘n’ Roll is a celebration of disability inclusion that brings together people with and without disabilities. Participants register for Stroll ‘n’ Roll in teams or as individuals and set fundraising goals. By raising funds to help CIL programs, Stroll ‘n’ Roll participants help provide accessible home modifications, job placement, and skills training for people with disabilities. The tools funds raised provide the disability community helps to break down the barriers to opportunity and inclusion they face on a daily basis. But Stroll ‘n’ Roll is more than a walk. Stroll ‘n’ Roll is an opportunity to walk to talk and show the entire community that having a disability does not mean they cannot be included. Stroll ‘n’ Roll is an event for everyone regardless of ability. It is also a unique opportunity to meet the very people that are being helped, as many who have benefitted from CIL services attend and walk together with donors, volunteers, advocates, and members of the community. Most importantly, Stroll ‘n’ Roll is about having fun in an inclusive environment. With a live dj, plenty of vendors, an interactive wheelchair maze, and the walk itself being among the highlights. We look forward to having participants both returning and new take part in the festivities and “take steps” towards not only making our community more inclusive, but showing our community that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. We hope to see you there!
This 2017-2018 High School High Tech Program is made possible in part by a grant from the George Jenkins Fund Part of the GiveWell Community Foundation
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After The Volunteers Go Home
Wayne’s first love was singing. Wayne loved singing so much that he sang professionally in Las Vegas for many years. Eventually meeting his wife, Paris, Wayne began a life as a general contractor in Florida. He continued to sing as a hobby until one day in 2010 he began to have trouble with his throat. He visited his doctor to see what was wrong. After performing a battery of tests, the results were conclusive; Wayne had Parkinson’s. Wayne was referred a neurologist by his general practitioner. He had no idea what Parkinson’s was or what to expect.The neurologist explained to Wayne that he could expect to have difficulty walking and speaking in the coming years. He was prescribed 4 pills to take daily for symptoms and sent home. Over the years Wayne’s condition worsened. He completely lost his ability to sing and sometimes even speak or get out of bed at all.Wayne relied heavily on his wife for his day to day needs, however weeks before volunteers were scheduled to build his ramp, Wayne’s wife suddenly passed away. Volunteers from RLH construction worked tirelessly to build Wayne’s ramp, but he found himself having trouble feeding himself and, despite his ability to enter and exit his home, he no longer had someone to drive him to his appointments. Reaching out to CIL again, Wayne asked for help. CIL’s case managers connected Wayne with the local chapter of Meals on Wheels to deliver him daily meals and arrange transportation for his appointments. Although Wayne must now rely on himself, he at least now has the resources and tools to make his own choices and live independently. www.cilorlando.org | ACCESS QUARTERLY
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VISIT www.cilorlando.org to learn more
WINTER PARK OFFICE 720 N DENNING DRIVE WINTER PARK, FL 32789 PHONE: 407-623-1070
LAKELAND OFFICE 5125 S. LAKELAND DRIVE, SUITE 4 LAKELAND, FL 33814 PHONE: 863-413-2722
INFO@CILORLANDO.ORG