Home | Search | Services | Resources | Advocacy |  Consumers |  Employment 
  Newsletter | Computers | Famous | About Us | Contribute | Contact Info

AHEAD OF THE TIMES
Volume 21, Number 5
February, 2001

DAY AT THE CAPITOL
It's that time of the year again. Time to unite in Topeka to meet with your legislators. The date for this year's Independent Living Day at the Capitol is scheduled for Thursday, March 8, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Legislators need to hear from us before they make their decisions. As in previous years, they need a count of how many people have scheduled lunch appointments with their legislators. If you plan to attend contact the SILCK office at 1-800-217-4525 by March 1. Independence, Inc. will be providing transportation from Lawrence. If you would like to reserve a seat, call Patty at 841-0333 by Friday, February 16.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE DURING THE 2001 SESSION
Below are a list of the legislative advocacy issues to be addressed in the Kansas Legislature during the 2001 session. 

• Agrability, to enable people with disabilities in farming and other agricultural jobs.
• Increase private insurance coverage of Durable Medical Equipment to at least $10,000 per year.
• Guardianship Reform, to ensure guardianship is awarded appropriately and only when needed.
• Funding for all of the Home and Community Based Services programs that provide attendant services.
• Insurance Parity to require health plans to cover treatment of mental illnesses.
• Medicaid Buy-In Program, to implement the Work Incentive Improvement Act of 1999 and ensure people with disabilities returning to work have health insurance coverage.
• Olmstead Act Plan development for Kansas, to insure people with disabilities are given options for housing and related services in integrated community settings.
• House Bill 2020, to require basic accessibility features in all single family, duplex and triplex housing constructed or renovated with public financial assistance. This bill has been assigned to the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.

It is important for our legislators to hear from their constituents on how these issues can effect individual lives. If you are interested in receiving legislative information or updates or if you are interested in advocating in support of these issues, contact Bob Mikesic or Jennifer Schwartz at 841-0333, 1-888-824-7277 or by e-mail at bobm@independenceinc.org

The Center will be closed Monday, February 17 for Presidents' Day
No Transportation Available

NEW DIRECTOR SEARCH
Ann Branden, Executive Director of Independence, Inc. since 1992, has accepted a position with another organization. Her last day will be February 28. We thank her for her many contributions that have been instrumental to the success of our agency and wish her the best in her newest venture.
The Independence, Inc. Board of Directors has begun the search for a new Executive Director. If you are interested in applying, contact the Center for information on the application procedure.

PEER SUPPORT GROUP POPCORN AND MOVIE NIGHT
The Peer Support Group will meet Thursday, February 8, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Independence, Inc. to eat popcorn and watch a romantic comedy (name of movie to be announced later). If you would like to recommend your favorite funny movie, please contact Ranita or Angie at 841-0333. Any movie suggested must be no longer than 90 minutes and contain a "G" or "PG" rating. Popcorn will be provided, however, please feel free to bring a snack to share.

DRUM CIRCLE ROUND UP
The Beginners Drum Circle will meet on Friday, February 23, 4:30-6 p.m. in the large conference room at Independence, Inc. This is your chance to learn from a professional drummer how to make music using bongos, conga drums, buckets and other percussion instruments. Where else can you learn for free how to make wonderful music in a peer-friendly environment? Please feel free to bring a friend or a family member with you to the group. The more people we have . . . the better we sound. If you have any questions, please call Ranita at 841-0333.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH 
The University of Kansas Office of Multicultural Affairs will present a Diversity Dialogue Series called "Race, Ethnicity, & Culture: A Drop of Blood Could Do You In" Tuesday, February 6, 7-9 p.m. in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union. The event is free. For more information contact Ranita at 841-0333.

TOASTMASTERS GROUP
Do you get butterflies whenever you even think about speaking in public? Have you tried everything you can think of to rid yourself of these pesky butterflies, but nothing works. Perhaps what you need to do is to make friends with your butterflies and teach them to fly in formation. If this sounds good to you, then you should know about Toastmasters. 

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization devised to strengthen skills through experience and peer evaluation. During each hour-long meeting, members have the opportunity to practice speaking and develop leadership skills in a friendly and fun-filled environment. Members learn speech formats, how to utilize voice tone and nonverbal communication, and how to stay within an allotted time.

This month, meetings will be held noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, February 2, and Friday, February 16 in the Independence, Inc. conference room. New members are invited to be our guest at any meeting. Subsequent meetings take place the first and third Friday of every month. For more information, contact Rob Tabor at 841-0333, toll-free at 1-888-824-7277, or robt@independenceinc.org 

COOKING CLUB
You are invited to our Valentine's Cooking Club celebration Monday, February 12, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Independence, Inc. Our guest cook will be Nola Mayhugh who will show us how to make a Red Velvet Cake. If you have access to the internet and would like to receive a personal invitation go to http://invite. bluemountain.com/view/WHR-W9X7-XGVM


BUS NOTES
by Pat Slick
You may schedule a ride on the T-Lift on Sundays 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. by choosing selection #2 on your touch tone phone. We believe that the scheduling should be made available for those with a rotary phone and are checking the law regarding this fact. It appears, from our sources, that the paratransit or T-Lift (one in the same) is becoming overburdened with requests. Rather than turning down the requests for rides one of two things will happen. You may be given a ride up to one hour from the times you request or T-Lift services will be cut which means fixed routes will be cut too as required by law. So use the fixed route if you can; besides it costs much less. Or, maybe the city will add more funding. You can contact Karin Rexroad at City Hall with your concerns. Karen, rather than Mike Sweeten of MV Transit is ultimately responsible for the bus system. Some of the routes are being adjusted to allow for better connections. If you have any ideas call Ms. Rexroad at City Hall, 832-3000, or come to the next Public Transit Advisory Committee and give public comment.

TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AVAILABLE
ECKAN and KU announce that the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program will begin February 5 at KU. This program gives people who are on a low or limited income, are elderly or have a disability free assistance with their income tax, food sales tax, and Homestead applications. The program will be available at Ballard Center, Penn House, Salvation Army, Resident Services, and KU at various dates and times and will continue until April 15. For more information contact ECKAN at 841-3357 or one of the other participating agencies.

WANTED: Volunteer reader needed two hours per week at your convenience. Call Art at 841-4608.

FOR SALE: 1995 Ford Econoline van. V-8, full power, 36,000 miles, equipped with electric wheelchair lift, new tires. This van is very clean and in good condition. Call 785/843-1103.

WANTED: Electric box or oscillating fans that are broken or that you no longer want. Any brand and size accepted. If necessary, unwanted fans can be picked up. Contact Michael at 785/840-9861, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Saturday.

FOR SALE: Four-wheel, folding metal grocery cart. $40. Call Robert at 832-2426.

FOR SALE: OMEGA 1000 Juicer. Used only 5 times. Works great, asking $170. Call Karen 913/383-9117.

COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER NEWS 
by Bernard Droste
A series of eight-week classes began in the Computer Learning Center (CLC) on January 9. The classes are "Introduction to Computers," "Learning Microsoft Excel" and "Learning Adobe Illustrator." Additional graphics classes will be offered in the future.  Independence, Inc. recently learned that it will receive financial support from two organizations. The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and United Way of Douglas County have agreed to help support job development and job placement activities within the CLC. Studies suggest that only about thirty percent of people with disabilities work full or part-time in contrast to eighty percent of the non-disabled population. Additionally, the agency has learned from consumers, that even though they may have adequate job skills, they still are unable to find employment. 

In the future, the CLC will be placing even more emphasis on job development and job placement in an attempt to improve this situation. Helping in this endeavor will be a newly formed council called the Independence Business Advisory Council. The Council has already met several times and has offered some excellent suggestions about working with businesses. We would like to thank current Council members for their participation and input. It is a goal of the CLC to form close and mutually beneficial relationships with area businesses. If any of our readers would like to represent a business on the Council, please call Bernard Droste at 785-841-0333.

SPUnK MEETING
Special Parents Unique Kids (SPUnK) is a group of parents that come together monthly to provide information and support for families that include a child with a disability or special needs. They meet the first Thursday of each month at Independence, Inc. Our Next meeting will be Thursday, March 1, 7 - 8:30 p.m. Lori Myrick will be the featured speaker and will talk about "Relationships with Love and Logic." If you would like additional information on SPUnK or would like to be added to their mailing list, contact Denise at 748-0932 or Jennifer at 841-0333.

LOAN BANK NEWS
Do you know where our wheelchairs are? We are running out of wheelchairs to lend because many people are past due on returning chairs they have borrowed from the Loan Bank. If you have one of these wheelchairs, please either return it or call us to extend the loan. 
We are always in need of donations of consumable supplies. Our biggest needs are for disposable bed pads and adult diapers, especially small and medium sizes. If you or someone you know has these items, please consider donating them to the Loan Bank.
We also have plenty of other consumable items to give away on a first come, first serve, as is basis. These items include:

• Disposable gloves
• Prosthetic sheaths
• Urinary leg bags
• Drainage bags
• Skin prep pads
• Tape remover pads
• Oral swabs
• Nebulizer hoses with mouthpiece
• Foam wheelchair pads
• Novartis, Isocal, and Ultracal nutrition liquid feeding formula
• Irrigation trays with bulb
• Irrigation solution

The Assistive Technology Staff can be reached during regular business hours at 841-0333 or 1-800-526-3648. 

GOTTA HAVE ART?
The doors will soon be open to more opportunities to take classes, view exhibits, perform, and enjoy a wide variety of art experiences. Ann Evans, Executive Director of the Lawrence Arts Center and architect David Dunfield presented plans for the new Arts Center to the Access Task Force at the January meeting.  A variety of carefully considered features will make the new Arts Center being constructed in the 1000 block of New Hampshire more accessible to the entire Lawrence community.  A bank of three doors marks the entry into an air lock. These doors are at grade and one will have an electric assist with push plates located at two different heights. Similar doors separate the airlock from the main lobby. The ticket window is within view of the doors and the plans are to make the counter and window height 34 inches which will allow a person using a chair to use it. The Center remains inviting and accessible inside. Features include: 

• Restrooms with large accessible stalls. 
• Lowered water fountains.
• Classrooms which can be accessed without navigating steps
• Tables and equipment at lowered levels to allow access from a chair. 
• Access to all floors by a large, centrally located elevator with Braille signage and sound cues.
• The most exciting feature presented by Evans and Dunfield is the stage. Back rows of the audience seating can be reached from the entry level. The majority of the seating is accessed from the lower, below ground level. There are two rows of seats in the orchestra pit. Behind this is an aisle which spans the entire width of the auditorium and is the same level as the stage. This means that you can move from the audience to the stage without any stairs! Task Force members asked that Evans and Dunfield consider making the entire row of seating on this aisle removable which would make the seating arrangements very flexible. They seemed interested and excited about this idea.

Our thanks go to Evans and Dunfield for taking the time to share the plans with the Access Task Force. If you're interested in viewing the plans, contact Bob Mikesic at Independence, Inc. to see a small version or Ann Evans at 843-2787 to see the BIG picture.

BRAIN INJURY NETWORK ALERT!
We need your letters! It's time to organize and get services for every person on the head injury waiver waiting list! There are 90 people currently on the head injury waiver and 118 people waiting for services. The average wait for services is 24 months. Please join us in educating your legislators to add money to eliminate the waiting list. Send letters if you or someone you know, has benefited from the head injury waiver in Kansas or if you are on the waiting list and need services.

Here are some questions you might want address in your letter:

• How has the head injury waiver helped?
• Did you have to wait to receive services? If not, how do you think your life would be different if you had to wait nearly two years for assistance?
• If you did have to wait to receive services, what difference might receiving services sooner have made? Don't forget to include information about how important it is to get rehabilitation as soon as possible after head injury.
• Why should the waiting list be eliminated? 

Send your testimonial to your local and state representative and legislature and ask for a meeting! Let them know the waiver works. And, if you are on the waiting list tell them that you need services now. If you don't know who your legislators are, contact your County Clerk or your local library. We are collecting as many stories as possible to share with the Ways and Means Committee and the Appropriations Committee. This is the year we want to get rid of the waiting list. Send a copy of your letter to Janet Williams, 5808 Nall Ave., Mission, KS 66202. Our goal is 500 letters by March 1, 2001 so keep the letters coming. 

ACCESSIBLE HOUSING PROGRAM
Is your apartment or home accessible? Are there ways to make your rooms easier to use? The Accessible Housing Program (AHP) at Independence, Inc. uses funds from a Lawrence Community Development Block Grant to provide people with disabilities improved access to their rented units. Some typical modifications are:

• Building ramps for the home or garage entrance.
• Widening doorways and installing a new door and trim to match other existing doors.
• Installing visual signals, flashing lights for the doorbell, smoke detector, and/or telephone.
• Installing short threshold ramps for raised thresholds at the front or back entrance.
• Installing grab bars in the bathroom
• Installing lever handles on doors or faucets.

To qualify, applicants must have mobility or sensory impairment, currently rent housing in Lawrence, and need accessibility modification. General maintenance, such as roof repair, is not covered by AHP. Applicants also must be within the low to moderate income levels established by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department. These levels are based on annual income and the number of persons living in a household.
For an application and more information contact Bob Mikesic or Kelly Nightengale at Independence, Inc., 841-0333.

NEW PRODUCT ON THE MARKET
New Mobility Magazine has just featured Door Butler in the January 2001 issue as a "Best of Medtrade 2000" new product. Door Butler is the world's first nonelectric door operator that gently opens, holds, then allows most any residential door to close with a gentle nudge. The device permits hands-free doorway passage for unobstructed wheelchair and walker access, receiving guests, carrying groceries, moving, etc. Door Butler compensates the amount of pressure needed to push the door opened which is ideal for the elderly and children.
For more information you can go to their website at http://www.doorbutler.com or contact them at: 
R.A. Products Company, Inc.
RAPCO Inc./Door Butler
111 S. Perry St.
Denver, CO 80219
303-742-9551 office/fax
rapco@netzero.net

ARO BOARD MEETING
The next ARO Board meeting will be Monday, February 12, 3 p.m. at Independence, Inc. Board members can R.S.V.P. to Kelly at 841-0333.

SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES OFFERED
Ann Currey, sign language interpreter is offering a ten week sign language course. Classes began January 23 and are held on Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. at Independence, Inc. Cost is $30 for the entire course. For more information call Jeff at 841-0333 or Ann Curry at 766-8526.

SELF-ADVOCATES OF LAWRENCE
The next meeting of Self-Advocates of Lawrence will be held Thursday, February 1, 6:30 p.m. at the United Way Building. The Topic will be "Protecting your Credit: What to do if Someone Steals Your Checkbook."

PAIN MANAGEMENT CLASSES
The Pain Management Classes held at Independence, Inc. have a new meeting time. Classes are now held every Friday, 1 - 2:30 p.m. in the Conference Room. If you would like more information call 841-7108 2 - 6 p.m. and leave a message.

SELF HELP FOR HARD OF HEARING
The next meeting of SHHH will be held Monday, February 19, 1 p.m. at Babcock Place, 1700 Massachusetts. This meeting will be a support session. If you would like more information contact Gayle Sigurdson at 842-8358.

BORED AND BROKE?
Try These Free or Low-Cost Local Events
There is a lot to see and do around town in February that is fun and free! If you have any questions about these upcoming events, contact the phone numbers provided or Independence, Inc. at 841-0333.

ART LOVERS
Southeast Asian Traditions from the Homelands
A framed exhibit of cultural art from Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam showing at the Lawrence Public library from Feb. 1-28 during their regular hours of service. Free. Call 843-1178. 

Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Women Artists
Works from the collection, shown in conjunction with the British Women Writers Association conference, in honor of National Women's History Month. Showing from February 3 to April 1 at the Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas Campus. Times: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursdays until 9 p.m., and Sunday noon - 5 p.m.. Free. Call 864-4710.

MUSIC LOVERS 
B-Groove Hammand Organ Jazz Trio Lawrence Public Library, Sunday, February 4, 2:30 p.m. Free. Call 843-3833.

Choral Concert: "For Valentines"
Four University of Kansas choral groups will perform a program of love songs on Sunday, February 18, 7:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont. Free. Call 843-3436.

Choral Concert: KU Women's Chorale
On Wednesday, February 21, Doctoral Student Mitos Cox will conduct the University of Kansas women's choir for this concert at Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall on the KU Campus. Time: 7:30 p.m. Free. Call 864-3436.

Choral Concert 
KU Doctoral Student Gary Weidenaar will conduct this concert of Collegium Musician Voices on Saturday, February 24, 7:30 p.m., at St. John's Catholic Church, 1234 Kentucky. Time: 7:30 p.m. Free. Call 864-3436.

BOOK LOVERS
That's Funny! Books that Make Us Laugh book group will meet twice this month. February 7, they'll be discussing "Mama Makes Up Her Mind" by Bailey White, 7:30 - 9 p.m. in the Lawrence Public Library Gallery and on February 21 they'll discuss "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" by Bill Bryson, also 7:30 - 9 p.m. in the library gallery. There is no charge, and you may call 843-1178 with questions.

Read Across Lawrence will be happening in February as well. This is scheduled to coincide with the national "Read Across America" project, and will encourage the reading of the Delaney sisters' "Having Our Say" along with many other related activities. Events will take place throughout the city, and will be announced. Call 832-1112 with questions on times and locations.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST
The Treason Trials of Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally
Kay Kuhlman, formerly of Lawrence, has researched and written this fictional play based on World War II events. She and four others will perform it on Sunday, February 11, 2:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Public Library Auditorium. Free. Please call 843-1178 with questions.

Have a wonderful time checking out these various events around town!

INDEPENDENCE 2001 SURVEY
You are invited and encouraged to participate in the Independence, Inc. organizational development project. We are interested in hearing your opinions about current programs and services, new programs and services, and any other thoughts about Independence, Inc. that you would like to share.

Please go to http:/www.independencesurvey.com 
on the Internet and complete the questionnaire on-line. The electronic version permits you to use as much space as you need to fully answer each question.

If you do not have access to the Internet Contact Independence, Inc. at 785/841-0333 to request the survey in an alternative format. Please be assured that your responses will be held in strictest confidence. A summary of all feedback will be reported, but no individual respondent will be identified. Thank you for contributing to this important activity.