A Barrier-Free Northwest Missouri Serving Since 1994
Spring 2014 Volume 6, Issue 1 Chair Tom Sinclair
messenger
Vice-Chair Dr. Bob Bush Secretary Jaren Pippitt Treasurer Bob Brown Past Chair Kent Allen Members Dan Polley Dr. Terry Robertson Lisa Seek Chief Executive Officer J.C. Dollar
A Calendar of Events appears on our website. Please check this calendar frequently for meeting dates and special activities. www.meril.org
Why Accessible Playgrounds?
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Submitted by Angela Grevas Because kids in wheelchairs can't play on playgrounds covered with wood chips and children with muscular disabilities can fall out of swings that lack sides and backs. A child with vision or hearing problems can benefit from equipment specially designed for play alongside friends, siblings or any other child. Federal requirements define playground accessibility as a civil right. And under those rules, playgrounds built or altered after March 14, 2012, are required to have wheelchair-friendly surfaces and equipment that helps kids with physical challenges move around. But whether children with disabilities are able to enjoy their new civil rights to play may depend on where they live and the design decisions their cities and towns made when they built local playgrounds. http://www.npr.org/2013/08/28/214831473/new-accessible-playground-rules-may-not-go-far-enough http://www.npr.org/2013/08/27/213827534/for-kids-with-special-needs-more-places-to-play Please see the following article from NPR regarding an app showing accessible playgrounds. http://apps.npr.org/playgrounds
Money Follows The Person Sarah Book - Information, Referral and Options Consultant In MERIL’s continuing mission to help individuals with and without disabilities live independently within the community, one option to consider is Missouri’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. Money Follows the Person assists someone currently living in a nursing facility transition back into the community into a place of their own. To be eligible for Money Follows the Person, you have to meet certain criteria, which include: having resided in the nursing facility for at least 90 days, have active Medicaid, and have your physician’s approval to move from the facility to a place of your own. If qualified, through the Money Follows the Person program, a transition coordinator will meet with you and assist with finding a place of your choice, providing first month’s deposit and rent, getting the new place set up with necessary items, and help with the application for community supports needed, such as food stamps or receiving in-home services. The transition coordinator will also meet with you on a monthly basis for one year to ensure that your independent living needs are being met. If you or someone you know currently resides in a nursing facility but would like to learn about moving back into the community and Money Follows the Person, please feel free to call MERIL at 816.279.8558, or toll-free 1.800.MERIL4U
Spring 2014
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Events appear on our website and contain times and locations. Please check frequently for updates. http://meril.org/news-events/calendar-of-events
April Tuesday 1, Silent Lunch Social Wednesday 2, 13th Annual Disability Rights Legislative Day at the Capitol Thursday 3, Networking Luncheon for Holt County Thursday 3, Beginner Sign Language Classes Start in Maryville, see page 4 Saturday 5, Deafnation Expo, Overland Park, KS www.deafnation.com Monday 7 – Tuesday 8, Great Northwest Day at the Capitol Tuesday 8, Election Day – General Municipal Election Tuesday 8, Silent Lunch Social Tuesday 8, disABILITY Voters Taskforce Saturday 12, MS Walk in St. Joseph www.nationalmssociety.org Monday 14, People First Support Group Meeting – St. Joseph Chapter Tuesday 15, Silent Lunch Social Tuesday 15, People First Support Group Meeting – Maryville Chapter Wednesday 16, 4th Annual Independent Living Awareness Day at the Capitol Thursday 17, TBI Support Group Meeting Monday 21, MERIL Adopt-A-Highway Trash Pick-up, “April Trash Bash” Tuesday 22, Silent Lunch Social Tuesday 22, DEAFTOWN, USA in Cameron, see page 5 Tuesday 22, People First of St. Joseph Fundraising Dinner, 5:30 – 7:30pm at MERIL (cost is $5.00; children 10 and under are $2.50)
Thursday 24, Jessica Cox Event, “Thinking Outside The Shoe,” see page 1 Saturday 26, Drug Take-Back Program, see page 11 Tuesday 29, Silent Lunch Social Tuesday 29, Children’s Fair, St. Joseph, MO (contact Jayme Voss, MERIL)
May Thursday 1, Mayor’s Day of Prayer Thursday 1, Networking Luncheon for Nodaway County Saturday 3, Cross Roads Deaf Club Scuba Diving Class, Independence, MO Monday 12, People First Support Group Meeting – St. Joseph Chapter Tuesday 13, disABILITY Voters Taskforce Thursday 15, TBI Support Group Meeting Tuesday 20, People First Support Group Meeting – Maryville Chapter Monday 26, All MERIL Offices Closed in Observance of Memorial Day
June Saturday 7, Ability Stampede with the St. Joseph Mustangs Monday 9, People First Support Group Meeting – St. Joseph Chapter Tuesday 10, disABILITY Voters Taskforce Tuesday 17, People First Support Group Meeting – Maryville Chapter Thursday 19, TBI Support Group Meeting
July Friday 4, All MERIL Offices Closed for the Fourth of July Holiday Tuesday 8, disABILITY Voters Taskforce Sunday 13 – Friday 18, Sertoma Deaf Camp, see page 9 Monday 14, People First Support Group Meeting – St. Joseph Chapter Tuesday 15, People First Support Group Meeting – Maryville Chapter Thursday 17, TBI Support Group Meeting
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Contact Your State Legislators: Senator Brad Lager, District #12 573.751.1415 brad.lager@senate.mo.gov Senator Rob Schaaf, District #34 573.751.2183 rob.schaaf@senate.mo.gov _______________________ Representative Pat Conway, District #10 573.751.9755 pat.conway@house.mo.gov Representative Casey Guernsey, District #2 573.751.4285 casey.guernsey@house.mo.gov Representative Galen Higdon, District #11 573.751.3643 galen.higdon@house.mo.gov Representative Delus Johnson, District #9 573.751.3666 delus.johnson@house.mo.gov Representative Mike Thomson, District #1 573.751.9465 mike.thomson@house.mo.gov Who is your legislator? Not sure? Check at: http://www.mo.gov
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Spring 2014
MERIL’s Mission All individuals, with or without a disability, are free to live as independently as they choose.
Page 6 This year marks MERIL’s 20th Anniversary and we are proud to celebrate our existence and the services we continue to provide many in our nine county region. Our intern, Martin Anthony Passley, is producing a series of articles, one per month for twelve months, to highlight a person of historical significance that made an impact on all of us while persevering through difficult situations and disabilities. Enjoy!
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Spring 2014
Working together toward a common goal.
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Spring 2014
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Microsoft Support - Contact the Disability Answer Desk It came from small beginnings with a pilot 18 months ago, and is now handling over 1000 issues a month.
Disability Answer Desk agents provide assistance to customers with disabilities, such as people who are blind, have low vision, are deaf, or may have other impairments. They also support customers looking for help with accessibility features such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, or speech recognition. If you are not a customer with a disability or you do not have a question about an accessibility feature please contact Microsoft Support at 1-800-Microsoft (642-7676). The Disability Answer Desk number is: 1-800-936-5900, TTY: 1-800-892-5234 Weekday hours of operation are: 5 A.M. - 9 P.M. (Pacific Time) Weekend hours of operations are: 6 A.M. - 3 P.M. (Pacific Time)
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20th Anniversary Disability Awareness ESSAY CONTEST
MERIL is sponsoring an essay contest about “Attitudes” toward people with disabilities. This essay contest is open to any elementary, junior high, or high school student in these northwest Missouri counties (Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Clinton, DeKalb, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth). Top entrants in each division will be honored at a special awards ceremony to be held in St. Joseph on June 25th, 2014, 6:00pm-8:30pm. For more information and to submit an essay, contact Deb Powers, Chief Brand Officer at debp@meril.org 816.279.8558 x. 1007 or toll-free 1.800.MERIL4U Guidelines
Limit one essay submission per person. Entries must be original and previously unpublished. Include a registration form with your entry.
It is not the essay length which will gain you marks; it is the content. Use your best judgment in selecting a length that is appropriate for your age bracket. Recommendations: Age 6 and below-10 years (50-100 word essay or submit a drawing if age appropriate) Age 11-14 years (400-600 word essay) Age 15-18+ years (750-1,000 word essay) Entry Deadline: postmarked by April 30, 2014 Entries WILL NOT be returned. It is important that you maintain a copy for your files. Theme “Attitudes” about people with disabilities. Content Entrants have these options:
Interview a child or adult with a disability and describe his/her experiences with the attitudes of others.
Read a book about people with disabilities and describe the impact of attitude on their lives.
Write about your own observations or feelings about attitudes toward people with disabilities.
Draw a picture expressing your thoughts about attitudes toward people with disabilities.
Judging Criteria Use of creativity and originality to project the theme Writing style relative to age of entrant Drawing relative to age of entrant Spelling, grammar and punctuation count Sensitivity of entrant to issues facing people with disabilities Knowledge of issues about people with disabilities
Essay Contest Sponsored by MERIL Platinum Sponsor:
Spring 2014
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MERIL STAFF ANNIVERSARIES
Jane Knudson – 7 years Julie Corrigan—5 years Harrison Jones—2 years Lacey Rice—2 years Lauren Zeliff—2 years Linda Walker – 1 year
Don’t forget our website www.meril.org It contains a lot of helpful information.
MERIL Bookshelf: Click on “Publications,” bottom of any page MERIL Speaker’s Bureau: http://meril.org/news-events TV Commercials: “MERIL’s Got You Covered” commercial on our website home page, http://www.meril.org Radio Spots: http://meril.org/about/testimonials Live At Five segments: http://meril.org/live-at-five Support Group Information: http://meril.org/supportgroups Jobs at MERIL: http://meril.org/about/jobs-at-meril Blog with us: http://meril.org/blog
Remember MERIL’s fundraiser with GoodSearch. A donation is provided to MERIL just for searching on the Internet using GoodSearch.com. When you search, choose MERIL as the donation recipient. When you actually shop through GoodShop, MERIL will also get a percentage of the purchase. Thank you for considering this option for “surfing the net.”
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www.meril.org for updates, events, tips and more!
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Send your e-mail address to: newsletter@meril.org The MERIL Messenger is a free monthly publication. While articles and stories submitted for publication are always welcome, MERIL reserves the right to reject or to edit all items for content, clarity and length. Braille, large print, and Spanish copies are available on request. The MERIL Messenger is also available online at www.meril.org. Please send articles, suggestions, comments or subscription requests to: Editor, MERIL Messenger, 4420 South 40th, St. Joseph, MO 64503. Or call 816.279.8558 voice or toll-free 800.MERIL4U. Or you may email us at newsletter@meril.org. Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living is a not-for-profit organization.