Here are a couple videos from our UCP Michigan affiliate as a follow up to the story from May 7, 2008 "Walking Tall for UCP Michigan." Please take a look.
Courtesy of the Jackson Citizen Patriot
Courtesy of The State News below
Rise above from Nick Dentamaro on Vimeo.
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Bonner Paddock, United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County (UCP-OC) board member and a man with cerebral palsy, plans to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro this September to raise awareness for UCP-OC and to help raise funds that will help build a new Childcare and Education Center for the affiliate. Paddock has currently raised 40% of his $250,000 goal.
Paddock was recently featured in a front-page article in The Orange County Register and will be featured on CNN Headline News on Time Warner Cable.
With just over three months remaining, now's the time to show your support!
For more information, please visit the UCP-OC Climb Without Limits Web site or contact Paul Pulver at (714) 200-2600.
When parents have a child with disabilities, one of the most important questions they ask themselves is, "What is going to happen to my child when I am no longer here?" Children with disabilities are living longer, making it essential for parents to plan for their child's long term support and well being.
There are several different types of trusts that can be established—self-funded trusts, 1st and 3rd party trusts, pooled trusts, etc. It can be quite complicated and overwhelming. Furthermore, an improperly created trust could comprise the individual's eligibility for public benefits.
An attorney who specializes in estate planning for families with a child with special needs can help families establish a special needs trust and life plan. Insurance agents, financial planners, and other financial professionals who specialize in needs planning, guidance counselors and other parents of children with special needs also are good resources.
The following resources provide more information about life and financial planning for people with disabilities. Talk to families that receive services from your affiliate and make sure they are aware of this most important topic.
Resources:
The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) has released a new report entitled, "Facts From NLTS2: Substance Use Among Young Adults With Disabilities."
Released May 20th, the report uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) to answer questions about the use of alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and LSD among young adults with disabilities. The report compares substance use among this population with substance use in the general population, and compares different disability categories and demographic groups in substance use and in the receipt of substance abuse prevention education and services. The NLTS2 is funded by NCSER at the Institute of Education Sciences, U. S. Department of Education. NLTS2 was initiated in 2001 and has a nationally-representative sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities.
Among some of the findings, young adults with disabilities were less likely than those in the general population to report drinking alcohol and using any illegal drugs. In addition, among cigarette smokers, young adults with disabilities smoked fewer cigarettes per day than those in the general population.
For further information, please view this report or contact David Malouf at 202-219-1309.
As part of a continuing effort to help prepare for the transition of UCPeople into a blog, we would like to discuss some more basics - learn about the flickr.com UCPeople photo sharing group.
UCPeople now has a photo sharing group on flickr.com. Anyone from any affiliate can contribute to this pool of photos. It's as easy as uploading a photo to any Web media hosting service such as Facebook, Photobucket, Shutterfly, etc.
Currently, the UCPeople flickr photo sharing group contains various UCP related logos, pictures of UCP office entrances, various DJ Gregory snapshots and Neil "Stiltman" Sauter on his walk across the state of Michigan. These pictures are hosted automatically on the UCPeople Blog on the right side of the page.
The UCPeople flickr.com photo sharing group is open to any affiliate interested and willing to post pictures from their affiliate.
For more information, please contact Will Hull at (202) 776-0406 x7106.
The 2008 Believable Hope Conference is less than one month away!
Don't miss out!
For more information, please visit the 2008 Believable Hope Conference Web page or contact Terrie King at 800-872-5827 for more information.
Don't Delay - Register today for the 2008 Believable Hope Conference, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy.
» Download the conference brochure to share with colleagues and friends.
United Cerebral Palsy of New York City (UCP/NYC) held its 7th Annual Women Who Care Luncheon on May 8, 2008, which celebrated women whose outstanding achievements have distinguished them in their professional and private lives. More than 500 guests assembled at Cipriani 42nd Street to honor six extraordinary individuals and raise more than $550,000 to support UCP/NYC's extensive network of more than 75 individual programs serving more than 13,000 children and adults with disabilities and their families. Actors Susan Lucci, Linda Lavin and Connor Paolo, veteran New York Jets star Greg Buttle, and journalists Perri Peltz and Dan Rather were among the celebrity guests and award presenters. Donna Hanover served as Master of Ceremonies.
The 2008 Women Who Care honorees were Gwen Bey, the Chief Administrative Officer of Kenyon & Kenyon LLP; Westina Matthews Shatteen, the Managing Director of Community Business Development at Merrill Lynch; and Patrice Tanaka, the Co-Chair and Chief Creative Officer of CRT/tanaka.
The Luella Bennack Volunteer Award was presented to Deborah Fine, President of iVillage. Susan Williams and Beth Lief received the Karen Hansen Caregiver Award.
The efforts of honorary chair Cathleen Black (President, Hearst Magazines) and co-chairs Patricia Ganzi and Loreen Arbus helped make this year's Women Who Care Luncheon a rousing success.
"Grab-a-Bag for UCP," chaired by Susan Schulz (Editor-in-Chief, CosmoGIRL!), raised almost $85,000 for the organization by offering "A. Tierney City Tote bags" containing trips from Continental Airlines and Norwegian Cruise Line, a weekend at The Sanctuary Spa in London and other great prizes.
For more information about the event, contact lmeyerson@ucpnyc.org.
Connie L. Cochran, President and CEO of Easter Seals UCP North Carolina, announced recently that the organization has been awarded a large strategic grant from the Microsoft Corporation totaling $1,658,919 in retail products. The grant award is comprised of Microsoft products Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows OS, Microsoft Server OS, Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft Math, and many Backend Software Licenses. These products will serve to bring the organization into full compliance with all Microsoft software licensing requirements and, by strengthening its technological infrastructure, enhance its ability to serve individuals with disabilities and their families.
When asked about the impact the Microsoft grant would have on individuals and families, Easter Seals UCP North Carolina CEO Connie Cochran said,
"Good communication is prerequisite to the top quality services we strive to provide to individuals and families on a daily basis. In our children's centers, the Microsoft products will allow our teachers and therapists easier access to web-based teaching and treatment materials. We will be able to communicate more often and more effectively with our parents and take full advantage of accessibility features that have tremendous impact in our work with children who have visual, hearing, physical or learning impairments. In addition, the many adults we serve face tremendous communication barriers every day. This Microsoft grant award will go a long way in helping us enable adults with disabilities to become more engaged in their communities. The individuals we serve will be better able to communicate with family, friends and others on matters relating to education, employment or social engagement."
Easter Seals UCP North Carolina is a state-wide non-profit organization that provides supports and services to over 15,000 North Carolina residents with disabilities and their families. Easter Seals UCP North Carolina's three major focus areas are Child and Family Services, Accessible Living and Employment.
For more information, contact Jane Phillips at (919) 865-8724 or visit the Easter Seals UCP North Carolina Web site.
Many States have designated May as Women's Health Month. Women with disabilities have many of the same health concerns and needs as all women—such as needing routine breast and cervical cancer screens or treatment for the flu or an infection. They also might have special health concerns related to their disabilities or illnesses.
However, there are barriers—both physical and attitudinal— that keep women with disabilities from getting screening and preventive care that can compromise their health. Many of the health disparities identified through research on women with disabilities may be traced back to problems in accessing health care or lack of providers who are informed about health in the context of disabilities.
According to the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD), women with disabilities are often denied reproductive and other types of health care, or given substandard care compared to women with uncomplicated health care needs. Several studies have documented the lack of health insurance among women with disabilities.
Does your community have accessible healthcare services for women with disabilities?
You can help by educating health care providers on how they can better serve women with disabilities. The following websites provide information and materials on access to health care for women with disabilities:
Resources for Women with Disabilities:
For more information, please contact Lara Terrell at (202) 776-0406 x7105.
As a continuing report to educate our audience about the significance of transitioning UCPeople into a blog, we would like to discuss some more basics - What is RSS?
What is RSS?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." RSS is a format for storing online information in a way that makes the information readable by several types of software.
View an RSS page and subscribe to the UCPeople Blog here.
RSS feed buttons are often displayed as seen on the right. RSS is better understood as the text content from a blog or any other Web site, calendar, news story, etc. where content is updated frequently. RSS is the broad standard that makes online information easy to share across different browsers, programs or operating systems in a text format.
Why RSS?
If you subscribe to RSS feeds from your favorite Web sites and blogs, you can spend twenty minutes reading all your favorite news sources in one place, allowing you to use your time more efficiently. Also, you will receive an automatic notification after you have subscribed when new content is available. This decreases the time you spend visiting a Web site looking for new information. Rather than navigate from Web site to Web site, you save time because all of your updates are in one place.
RSS Feed Resources
For more information, please visit the UCPeople Blog and look for the "Subscribe" link and the "RSS, Huh?" graphic on the right side.
Join colleagues & friends on a Twilight Tour of the Monuments, Friday June 20. Embark on an historical journey that touches upon the lives of some of the most important figures in our nation's history and see George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt at their finest. Transportation by an air-conditioned, accessible bus will be provided. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. The fun begins at 8:30 PM.Advance registration ($25) is required for this event. A minimum of 30 people must be signed up to conduct the tour. Make sure to secure your seat and register by June 1, 2008. If you've already registered and would like to add this option, please contact Terrie King at 800-872-5827 for more information.
Don't Delay - Register today for the 2008 Believable Hope Conference, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy.
» Download the conference brochure to share with colleagues and friends.
The first UCP "Casual Day" was held on June 20, 1990, in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised more than $20,000. Since
the success of the Baltimore program, UCP Day, as it is now known, has become more and more common in other markets, growing to become one of the most successful fundraisers for many UCP affiliates. On UCP Day, participating employers give their employees an opportunity to wear casual attire for the day instead of their formal business attire in exchange for a suggested donation.
On Thursday, June 12th, hundreds of Detroit-area employees will pay $7 each to participate in UCP Day. This year marks the 17th annual and final UCP Day, hosted by United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Detroit, titled Comerica UCP Day.
This year's UCP Day includes a raffle with prizes including a night out at the theatre or at a comedy club and gift certificates valued up to $100 each. Additional merchandise with this year's UCP Day logo is available for purchase, with items ranging from plush stuffed "Show You Care" bears to t-shirts and lapel pins.
This year's artwork was designed by Kevin O'Rourke of Postique, a division of the Farmington Hills-based production company Grace & Wild, Inc. By the end of UCP Day, UCP of Metropolitan Detroit hopes to raise over $25,000.
In the future, according to Taryn Reid, Director of Marketing and Development for UCP of Metropolitan Detroit, they hope to incorporate UCP Day as part of another event called the Rutka Run, a 5K & 8K run for the affiliate that raises annually around $4,000.
For more information contact Taryn Reid at (248) 557-5070, visit the UCP of Metropolitan Detroit Web site or view the UCP Day Coordintator's Kit.
Two people with disabilities were among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People this year. Oscar Pistorius, a South African double amputee Paralympian athlete who runs on carbon blades, and Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and author of A Stroke of Insight, studied her own stroke and reported her personal experiences.
Erik Weihenmayer, the only visually impaired person to climb Mt. Everest, wrote the article about Oscar Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated at the age of 1 but now challenges world-class sprinters. He is so good at running that the International Assocation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled recently that he couldn't compete against "able-bodied" athletes at the Olympic games this year in Beijing, China because they felt that his carbon blades gave him an unfair advantage.
In fact, as Weihenmayer reported, "An IAAF initated study found that more energy is returned to Pistorius' upper legs from his blades than from ankles and calf muscles and that he uses less oxygen."
Pistorius is appealing the decision on the basis of other studies that found different results.
Weihenmayer closes, "we mustn't lose sight of what makes an athlete great... It's too easy to credit Pistorius' success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it's what one does with those gifts... that is at the true heart of a champion."
TV host and personality Dick Clark writes about Jill Bolte Taylor. In 1996, she realized she was experiencing a brain hemorrhage as it was happening. She took this experience and the following decade to recover and published her study in her new book, A Stroke of Insight. Clark writes, "Through her writings and lectures, she has done perhaps more than anyone else to explain, both to the healthy and the stricken, what a stroke is."
These articles are in the May 12, 2008 edition of Time Magazine. To read more about Oscar Pistorius or Jill Bolte Taylor, please visit the Time Magazine Web site.
Anyone can benefit from staying active- no matter what their age or ability level.
People with disabilities are less likely to engage in regular physical activity and are more likely to be overweight or obese than people without disabilities. These are common secondary conditions in people with disabilities and leads to poor health outcomes. The increasing rate of obesity in children with disabilities is particularly alarming. However exercise and recreational activities can help both children and adults improve health and well being.
Individuals with disabilities can gain very similar benefits from physical activity such as enhancing the functioning and health of their heart, lungs, muscles and bones. Flexibility, mobility and coordination can be improved, lessening the negative effects of some conditions or slowing the progression of others. Physical activity is fun and provides a chance to meet people and make new friends.
A little creativity, along with adaptive or customized equipment, can make almost any activity possible, including swimming, horseback riding, cycling, waterskiing, and even rock climbing. People with all types of disabilities - physical, cognitive or developmental – can participate.
Help promote fitness and health in your community! The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has a tool-kit that that can help you raise awareness and plan fitness related programs and events.
The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability provides a wealth of information on sports, physical fitness, and recreation including fact sheets, reports, and a national database of adapted sport and exercise programs.
Additional Resources
As a continuing report to educate our audience about the significance of transitioning UCPeople into a blog, we would like to discuss some basics - what a blog is and what it is used for.
Blog is short for "Web log," a journal, or a publication, frequently updated, consisting of periodic contributions and hosted on the internet with a mixture of what is happening along with the latest news.
As a benefit for visiting the UCPeople blog, you can always retreive past postings via the blog archive on the right side of the page and you can respond to any article with comments at the bottom of every post at http://ucpeople.blogspot.com/.
Please take the time to visit the UCPeople blog today and experience what all of the buzz is about.
For more information please contact Will Hull at (202) 776-0406 x7106.
The Believable Hope Conference, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), will be held June 18-21 in Washington D.C. In conjunction with the conference, and to help raise awareness and funds to support the services UCP affiliates provide to more than 176,000 children and adults with disabilities every day, UCP is hosting an online auction. Participating in the auction is your opportunity … opportunity to create real hope, hope to transform the lives of people with disabilities and hope for a future where our children can live Life Without Limits.
For more information, please contact Emily Dolenz at 202-973-7100.
Don't Delay - Register today for the 2008 Believable Hope Conference, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy.
» Download the conference brochure to share with colleagues and friends.
Past & future events discussed in the Capitol Insider are now posted on UCP & The Arc's web sites. This dynamic tool allows users to post events automatically to their MS Outlook calendars and receive updates on items added since they last viewed the Calendar via an RSS feed link located below the calendar. Visit: http://www.ucp.org/ucp_generalsub.cfm/1/8/16333
Mark your calendars for TechSoup’s free day-long online event Wednesday May 14th:
Online Activism: Social Media Tools for Social Change in the TechSoup online forums.
http://www.techsoup.org/go/socialmedia
Dive into the conversation with hosts Heather Mansfield, owner of DIOSA Communications and Online Community Manager for Change.org and Carie Lewis, Internet Marketing Manager for the Humane Society of the United States, as they explore the ins and outs of using social networking sites and strategies for determining how, why, and when to use different applications to broadcast your message. In discussing the "dos and don'ts" of effectively fundraising and promoting your cause, the hosts will also look at lessons learned from successful (and not so successful) online campaigns.
Join Techsoup Wednesday May 14th, for a free, one-day online event, in the TechSoup Emerging Technologies Forum as they discuss issues such as:
Take part in the discussion Wednesday, May 14th in the TechSoup Emerging Technologies Forum:
http://www.techsoup.org/go/socialmedia
No registration is required, just show up and post your questions or comments.
For more information, please email community@techsoup.org
In partnership with the Institute for the Future and AARP, UCP will develop an online game that simulates a future reality of caregiving.
This unique Caregiving Game, a simulation of the expereiences and decisions that caregivers often make, will empower players of all ages to shape their personal and collective futures by experiencing a potential caregiving role - today. Players will participate by contributing original stories through a variety of electronic mediums that end up on a shared online platform. Ultimately, the Caregiving Game will build the foundation for a new UCP online community that connects people with disabilities and also their caregivers in a fun, interactive and education forum.
Believable Hope conference attendees will be able to experience the Caregiving Game through beta-testing, providing insight on the scenarios and the key design elements of the prototype game.
Don’t miss out on this truly unique experience - Register today for the 2008 Believable Hope Conference, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy.
» Download the conference brochure to share with colleagues and friends.
Carrying flags representing all fifty states, the ADAPT organization last week met in the plaza of the Hall of the States where it announced the 2008 Ten Best and Ten Worst States which ranks the delivery of home and community services to people with disabilities and older Americans.
The Hall of States building is home to the National Governors Association, an organization that has been very vocal in recent years about the preference of community services over nursing homes and other institutions, yet has not been able to inspire its own members to improve their provision of those services.
Speakers representing states in both the best and worst categories spoke at their press conference about the horrors of nursing home life and the joys of living in the community in those states that provide good community services. Randy Alexander from Tennessee ADAPT and LaTonya Reeves from Colorado ADAPT also spoke of the disability-underground-railroad that assists people in states without community services to move to states where they can live quality lives in their own homes with the supports and services they need.
The grouping of states into the top and bottom ten was based on publicly available data from highly respected researchers, supplemented by the results of an informal survey widely distributed across the country by ADAPT. As has so often been the case over the years, there were few surprises. Many of the ten states doing the least to provide services that allow citizens to receive long term care in their own homes and communities have been on the "worst" list repeatedly.
The states are listed alphabetically, not ranked numerically:
"No state is ideal, and no state is all bad in how it provides home and community services," said Bob Kafka, ADAPT National Organizer. "This, as always, is simply a snapshot based on current information from the Kaiser Commission, the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota, Thomson Healthcare, and our survey."
For more information please e-mail Bob Kafka or see the Justice For All Activist coverage of this event.
On October, 28th, 2007, Neil Sauter, who has cerebral palsy, completed the Grand Rapids Marathon on stilts in record time, helping raise awareness and funds for UCP Michigan.
Beginning May 5th, 2008, at New Bedford Academy in Lambertville, MI, Neil will continue his fundraising campaign for UCP Michigan by walking across the state of Michigan - an 830-mile journey from the Southern border of the state to the Western edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, all on stilts! He will cross the Michigan border into Wisconsin on June 28th.
Along the way he will be visiting schools, organizations, camps, churches, festivals, etc., using interactive story telling to advocate for people with disabilities, to encourage children to become active leaders in their communities, and to raise awareness and funds for UCP Michigan.
Neil's mission is to inspire youth to rise above challenges, stand up for what they believe, and advocate for others. He shares his message by describing how he overcame the challenges associated with cerebral palsy to become a world record stilt walker. He has also created a series of short stories incorporating balloon animals, juggling, magic, and audience participation, which captivate children and teach clear moral messages about becoming a leader in one's community.
Why undertake this adventure? Sauter says,
"After I graduated from college I wanted to do something adventurous and productive before settling into a career. I had my heart set on the Peace Corps but was unable to go due to medical difficulties. At the time I found out that the Peace Corps was out of the question I had just begun my stilt-walking career. Then the idea just came to me; I would find an adventure and a cause of my own that I wouldn't have to listen to anybody who told me I couldn't go. I would take a stand for people with disabilities right here in Michigan."
Neil is a graduate of Grand Valley State University, an adjunct professor at Jackson Community College and works with people with disabilities in a rehabilitation setting. After the walk, he will enroll in a Master's degree program in Natural Resources Management.
To learn more about Neil and his walk, visit the UCP Michigan Web site or visit Sauter's Stilt Story Web site.
Coverage of Sauter's journey:
UCPeople made its debut in 2004. Since its inception, the UCP National Office has added features and functions to respond to the needs of UCP affiliates. Looking for a better way to enable UCP affiliates to communicate with the National Office, and each other, we began thinking about what would make sense as we enter a new era in technology — something that is updated regularly, with content that is always up-to-the-minute. We wanted something that will automatically notify you when a new topic is posted. After some research, the decision to replace our weekly e-newsletter with a blog was seen as the best way to allow affiliates to creat the content they want to consume.
The blog will mirror UCPeople until the e-newsletter is discontinued sometime this summer. We encourage our affiliates to check the UCPeople Blog at least once per week. You will still have the option to subscribe to receive email updates when a post is ready. Also, you can subscribe to the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feed with your Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox Web browsers to receive notification of new content when you sign on to the internet. The UCPeople Blog will operate much like the UCPeople e-newsletter has always operated, and will be hosted online at http://UCPeople.blogspot.com.
Here are some benefits to you in transitioning UCPeople into a blog:
In the coming weeks, we'll share more about the features and benefits of having an affiliate driven communications tool.
Welcome to the Blogosphere!
For more information or questions, contact Will Hull at 202-776-0406 x.7106
DontBlockMyVote.org has recently undergone a Web site refresh for the 2008 election year. With the campaign season heating up, we ask that you submit stories about issues that people with disabilities face as a voting bloc.
We remain dedicated to our original reasons for creating the site:
We need to hear from our supporters. Is your issue an accessibility issue? Is your issue that a person running for office is choosing not to speak about disabilities in their platform? What about current legislation? What about self-identification with the community of people with disabilities in whole and not one particular disability alone? At DontBlockMyVote.org, all of these issues and many more can be confronted and discussed.
"Don't Block My Vote by failing to adhere to accessibility standards and Don't Block My Vote by ignoring my issues." - Don'tBlockMyVote.org Web site
Please visit Don'tBlockMyVote.org today.
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