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AHEAD OF THE TIMES
Volume 24, Number 7
October - November, 2004

INDEPENDENCE, INC. OPEN HOUSE AND COMMUNITY ACCESS AWARDS 
Join us for an open house as we present this year's Community Access Awards. These awards publicly recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations whose actions clearly promote independent living for people with disabilities in integrated and accessible communities. Nominations are requested from people in Douglas, Franklin, and Jefferson counties. We will also present the Roger Williams Award to an individual with a disability whose advocacy efforts make a positive impact in their community. Print out the  nomination form which appears later in this newsletter or submit on line by going to: www.independenceinc.org/awardform.htm  Submit nominations by 5:00 pm, November 5, 2004

Open House and Community Access Awards Presentation
Tuesday, November 16, 4 - 7 p.m.
Independence, Inc.
2001 Haskell Avenue

Join us for refreshments as honor this year's recipients. 
If you would like more information call 841-0333.

The Center will be Closed 

• Thursday, November 11 for Veterans' Day 

• November 25-26 for Thanksgiving

    No Transportation Available

EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS WEEK FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
October is Employment Awareness Month for People with Disabilities. In support of the month, Independence, Inc. is providing a week of Employment Awareness trainings for people with disabilities during the week of October 18-22. Employers and service providers are welcome to attend all workshops. To register for any of the workshops listed below, contact Ranita Wilks at 841-0333 or ranitaw@independenceinc.org. Registration deadline is Monday, October 11. All trainings will be in the Computer Learning Center at Independence, Inc., 2001 Haskell Avenue. Please let Ranita know if you need a reasonable accommodation.

Workshop #1: Monday, October 18, 1-3 p.m.
Presenter- Lawrence Workforce Center

• Resume Facts 101- Creating a professional resume

• Dress for Success - Making a great first impression!

• The Job Interview - The do's and don'ts of a job interview

• Completing the job application - Submitting a "winning" application

Workshop #2: Tuesday, October 19, 1-3 p.m.
Presenters- Employment Agencies

• The Lawrence Job Market - Current labor trends in Lawrence/Douglas County. Which industries are currently hiring

Workshop # 3: Wednesday, October 20, 1-3 p.m.
Presenters- Independence, Inc. - Meredith Funkhouser (NEAT-Kansas), Bob Mikesic (Advocacy) and Mark Creamer (Computer Learning Center)

• Assistive Technology and the Workplace - Helpful information about Assistive Technology products that assist people with disabilities in the workplace. Learn about ergonomic equipment, accessible agricultural technology, software programs, etc. Information about funding sources for equipment will also be provided.

• ADA Employment Rights & Workplace Accommodations - What is a reasonable accommodation? What does the ADA require employers to provide? What happens if my employer will not provide a reasonable accommodation? 

Workshop # 4: Thursday, October 21, 1-3 p.m.
Presenters- Job Start, Full Citizenship, and Heartland Works

• Job Training Programs- Vocational Service providers will provide information their programs.

Workshop # 5: Friday, October 22 (note: two separate presentations for this workshop)

1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

• How will working affect my subsidized housing? Presenters Charlotte Knoche (Lawrence Housing Authority) and Kelly Nightengale (Housing Services/Independence, Inc.) will talk about programs like "moving to work" and provide information on how working affects your rent with HUD.

2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

• What happens to my disability benefits if I work? Presenters from Social Security and Working Healthy/SRS will provide helpful information about how working can affect your disability benefits or any disability related services you receive.

FALL CONSUMER GROUP EVENTS 

October, 2004

• Making Homemade Soap
  The Quilting/Arts & Crafts Group will make organic decorative soaps out of glycerin, herbs, and holistic oils. Participants will meet in the large conference room of Independence, Inc. on Monday, October 4, 1-3 p.m. Decorative soaps make great gift items for birthdays, holidays, etc.
  

• Accessible Self-Defense Informational Meeting
  The Accessible Self-Defense group will have an informational meeting on Tuesday, October 5 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the large conference room at Independence, Inc. At this meeting you will meet self defense trainer, Steve Carrier, obtain information about the training program and receive registration materials for the course. Please contact Ranita at 841-0333 to RSVP for the meeting or for additional information. All individuals with disabilities or different abilities are welcome to participate. Thanks goes to The Good News Fund of the First Presbyterian Church of Lawrence for providing the funding for this program.
  

• Peer Support Group Attends Lied Center Performance
  Peer Support Group members will attend the Lied Center performance "Amazones"- Women Master Drummers of Guinea on Friday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. All free tickets are gone. We have requests from folks who would like to see Amazones, so if you have free tickets that you are not going to use, please be kind and return them so others may use them. Accessible transportation will be provided by Independence, Inc. If you need transportation, RSVP with Ranita by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 8. No transportation requests will be accepted after October 8!
  

• "Chili Taste Fest" with Cooking Club
  As the days get shorter and cooler, nothing beats a bowl of tasty chili. Join the Cooking Club Monday, October 25, 4:30-6:30 p.m. when guest chef, Steve Braswell, will teach us his "quick and easy" chili recipe for our "Chili Taste Fest." If you have a favorite chili recipe that you would like to have folks taste, bring it to the "Chili Taste Fest." RSVP with Ranita by 5 p.m. on Monday, October 18 at 841-0333. 
  

• Spooky Pre-Halloween Dance Party
  Last year, since only a few attended our Halloween party, we thought "why go through all the trouble again this year?" However, after numerous tearful requests, bribes, demands, tantrums, fainting spells and other acts of desperation, we are after all going to have another Halloween party. You are invited to shake your spooky groove thang for a Pre-Halloween Dance Party on Friday, October 29, 5-7:30 p.m. in the large conference room at Independence, Inc. Music and treats will be provided. If you don't show we will have to haunt you! No alcohol allowed.
  
  Party Decoration Volunteers Needed
  If you would like to help decorate for the Spooky Pre-Halloween Dance Party, please contact Ranita at 841-0333. We will decorate on Friday, October 29, 3-4:30 p.m.

November, 2004

• Fall Dinner Decorations
  The Quilting/Arts & Crafts Group will make decorations for the Fall Celebration Dinner. We will meet in the large conference room at Independence, Inc. on Monday, November 1, 1-3 p.m. Contact Ranita to RSVP or for more questions at 841-0333.
  

• 5th Annual Fall Celebration Dinner 
  The 5th Annual Fall Celebration Dinner sponsored by the consumer support groups of Independence, Inc. will be on Monday, November 22, 4-7 p.m. at First Christian Church, 1000 Kentucky. The dinner will be potluck style. Cooking Club will prepare turkey, stuffing and gravy for the dinner. Please feel free to bring a side dish to share. Bring what you can afford or feel comfortable with. You must RSVP with Ranita at 841-0333 by 5 p.m., Monday, November 15.
  

  • Event Schedule
    
    Cooking Club: Turkey preparation - If you would like to learn how to cook a turkey then join Cooking Club members in the Independence, Inc. training kitchen at 9 a.m.
    
    Stuffing & Gravy - We will make the gravy and stuffing in the First Christian Church kitchen, 1000 Kentucky. Please arrive at 4 p.m. to complete the final items. The meal will be served at 4:30 p.m.
    
    Fall Celebration Dinner Musical Performance
    Ms. Lynda Anders Canaday will give a special performance at the Fall Celebration Dinner. Lynda is a soprano vocalist who has performed in musicals and fully staged operas. In 1991, Lynda gave a special solo performance for former president George H.W. Bush. Professional singers have compared her vocal style to singers Beverly Sills and Leontyne Price. Lynda's performance for the dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Her performance will include a variety of musical styles ranging from classical to spiritual. Ms. Judy Chadwick will be the accompanist for Lynda.
    

• Accessible Self Defense Group
  A date and time for the November Accessible Self Defense Group meeting is still to be announced. Please contact Ranita for the date at 841-0333 or check the consumer support groups web page at www.independenceinc.org. Please let Ranita know if you would like to be added to a consumer support group mailing list for updates on the Accessible Self Defense Group or other group activities. Ranita will send you updates via e-mail or general mail.
  

ARO CHANGES MANAGEMENT
Accessible Residential Options (ARO), the fully accessible apartments, has recently experienced a change in management. The apartments will now be managed by CTR Management which is run by Sue Patz. Many tenants remember Sue from when she managed ARO under the former management company of Master Plan Management. The ARO Board of Directors is happy to welcome back Sue to manage the apartments again. 

ARO is leasing an office on the second floor of Independence, Inc. Tenants or can now contact Sue at 785/840-5261. Please contact Sue at this number if you have any questions or if you are interested in filling out an application for a one or two bedroom apartment at ARO. Applications can be handed in to CTR Management, 2001 Haskell, Lawrence, KS 66046. 

We thank Master Plan Management for their service to ARO over the years and thank Sue for her continued commitment to ARO with CTR Management.

FAMILIES NEEDED TO DISCUSS LONGER-TERM LIVING WITH ASPERGER'S
For the past two years, we have been funding a pilot project design for transitional living for young adults with Asperger's Syndrome. We are looking for families who have children (ages 18-26) with Asperger's to meet to discuss developing a longer-term living system that fosters autonomy and independence yet provides structure, support and social contact. Call Frank or Susan at 785-843-8321 if interested. 

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION USERS 
If you are coming into Independence, Inc. for an appointment and you are using public transportation, please check in at the front desk. Tell the receptionist who you are meeting with and what time your bus will come to pick you up. This way the receptionist will be informed when the bus driver comes to ask for you. Thanks!

COPING WITH STRESS MANAGEMENT
The Coping with Stress Management classes are held every Friday, at 12:30 p.m. at Independence, Inc.. For more information call 841-7108, 2 - 6 p.m. and leave a message.

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 or 841-5046 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Mon. - Fri.

WANTED: The Independence, Inc. equipment loan bank is low on wheelchairs, walkers, and shower benches. If you have equipment that you are not using, please return it so others may access it.  If you have equipment of your own that you no longer use, please consider donating it to our program. Call Kendall at 841-0333.

FREE FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE
A mass flu shot dispensing exercise for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department will be conducted October 23, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive. Flu-X, the name given this exercise, is designed to allow the health department the opportunity to practice vaccinating a large group of people in a relatively short period of time.

Flu shots will be available to the public at no cost on this day in return for the public's participation in this event. Everyone age six months and older may receive a flu shot. Individuals eligible for Medicaid, Medicare, First Guard or Health Wave should bring their insurance cards so that appropriate agencies may be billed in this federally funded exercise.

Individuals interested in volunteering to help during the Flu-X exercise are needed for positions such as support personnel, vaccinators, translators and vaccinator drawers. If interested, please contact Stacy Robarge at 843-3060 for more information.

NEAT NEWS: What's new with Assistive Technology In Northeast Kansas?
Two ongoing programs for residents in our community continue to offer services to those who might need them. If you want more information on either of these programs, contact our office.

• Agrability 
  The Kansas Agrability Project was created to assist people with disabilities employed in agriculture. The goal of the Agrability Project is to inform, educate, and assist farmers, farm families, and farm workers who have disabilities, so they can continue to work and thrive in their agricultural career. Each year Agrability helps hundreds of farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers and their families succeed in agricultural production and rural community life. Kansas Agrability Agriculture Assistive Technology (AT) Specialists combine their knowledge of agriculture with disability expertise to provide farmers, ranchers, and farm workers with the specialized services needed to safely accommodate their disabilities in everyday farm and ranch operations. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in this program, please contact the NEAT office at Independence, Inc.
  

• KAMP (Kansas Accessibility Modifications Program)
  This program, now in its fourth year, provides funds to persons who meet the requirements for modifications to the home they own or rent. AT specialists will help consumers with the application process and oversee the project. 
  
  Grants are awarded based on income and need requirements and are given on a 'first come' basis. Examples of modifications include: ramp construction, installation of grab bars, roll-in showers, raised toilet fixtures or other bathroom features, widening of doorways, construction of accessible walkways or paths of travel, lowering of kitchen cabinets, and relocation of environmental controls to accessible locations.
  
  One of the main purposes of this program is to provide support for people who wish to remain in the home they own or rent rather than moving to other venues due to a disability.  If you or someone you know, might be interested in this program, please contact the NEAT office at Independence, Inc.

Northeast Access Site Assistive Technology
Independence, Inc.
2001 Haskell Ave.
Lawrence, KS 66046
1-800-KAN DO IT 
(1-800-526-3648)
785/841-1067 voice

HEALTH IN MOTION UPDATE!
Thanks to all who called in September about enrolling in this program! Health in Motion is best described as a support group for people with disabilities that prevent them from participating in typical exercise programs, such as a volleyball league or step aerobics class. The goal is to help each person identify one or two activities he or she can do independently-such as exercising with a seated video program or using an arm cycle at a city recreation facility. Then, those enrolled will meet weekly as a group to share information and support, problem-solve, and learn more about how safe exercise can help keep your heart healthy, your weight down, and also be fun! 

If one of your New Year's resolutions will be to start an exercise program, here's your chance to do it with others. Health in Motion will start again in January. For more information, or to reserve a place in the program, call Dot Nary at 864-4095.

KANSAS CANDIDATE SURVEY AVAILABLE
The NAMI Kansas survey of candidates running for the Kansas Legislature and U.S. Congress will be published in the September edition of the NAMI Kansas newsletter. It will be available around September 20 on their website www.namikansas.org. To obtain a print copy, call NAMI Kansas in Topeka at 1-800-539-2660, or Independence, Inc. at 841-0333.

2004 Independence, Inc. Community Access Awards 
Independence, Inc. is seeking nominees for this year's Community Access Award and the Roger Williams Community Access Award. The awards publicly recognize people whose actions clearly promote independent living for people with disabilities in integrated and accessible communities. Nominations are requested from people in Douglas, Franklin, and Jefferson counties.

Community Access Award 
Recognizes an individual, business, organization, or group whose on-going efforts or activities have advanced opportunities for people with disabilities to live active, contributing lives in their community. 

Roger Williams Community Access Award
Named in honor of pioneering disability advocate Roger Williams, this award recognizes an individual with a disability whose advocacy efforts make a positive impact on their community.

Print out the form below, or copy the form and paste it into a new document and print that out, or fill out the on line form at www.independenceinc.org/awardform.htm 

---

Independence, Inc. Award Form

Name of Nominee: ____________________________________________________

Title/Organization (if applicable): _________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

Telephone: ________________________________

Category: _____ Community Access Award / _____ Roger Williams Community Access Award

Please indicate below or attach a statement explaining why you feel the nominee should be considered for an Award.











Your Name: _________________________________________________________

Title/Organization (if applicable): _________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

Telephone: _________________________________

This form may be copied if you wish to make more than one nomination. Send completed forms by 5 p.m., November 5, 2004 to: Independence, Inc., 2001 Haskell Ave., Lawrence, KS 66046.

HELP YOUR EMPLOYER HELP YOU VOTE
If you have questions about whether your company's voting policy is legal, call the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Recommendations for Company Voting Policies

1. Ensure that your company has procedures in place to comply with the laws in 30 states that give workers the right to take time off to vote.

2. Educate line managers and supervisors about state voter leave laws and the company's commitment to complying with them. Establish a confidential hotline employees can call if supervisors are violating their voter leave rights.

3. Conduct a robust communications campaign using e-mail, paycheck inserts, staff meetings and other methods to educate employees about their right to take time off to vote.

4. Create a company-wide voter leave policy giving workers the opportunity to take a limited amount of time off at the beginning or end of the work day to vote.

5. Adjust the company's paid time off (PTO) policy to explicitly include voting. Add an additional one to three hours to all employees' PTO accounts or let employees know that the company will extend additional PTO equal to the amount of leave taken for voting if they exhaust their PTO on Election Day and need time in the future for a medical appointment or family emergency.

6. Encourage Election Day job sharing, allowing employees to cover one another's work responsibilities so time-pressured employees can vote. Ensure that any adjustments in work schedules comply with collective bargaining agreements, state and federal law.

7. Create a "stay in line" policy that exempts employees who are late to work on Election Day because they were unexpectedly delayed at the polls from penalties or loss of wages.

8. Encourage managers to avoid planning meetings on Election Day that start earlier than 11:00 a.m. or end later than 3:00 p.m.

9. Remind employees about early voting and absentee voting.

10. Ensure that election-related activities in the workplace mobilizing employees likely to vote for a particular agenda are balanced by an equally robust time off to vote policy available to all workers regardless of their political beliefs.
    
    For more information on the time challenge facing voters and what you can do to fix it please go to Time to Vote's Web site: http://www.timetovote.net 

GET EDUCATED ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND VOTE!
We can make a difference in this year's Presidential Election! One out of six people in the United States has a disability. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) submitted a questionnaire on disability issues to the two Presidential candidates. 

To read their responses go to 
(Kerry) http://www.aapd-dc.org/campaign04/kerryondis.html  
(Bush) http://www.aapd-dc.org/campaign04/bushondis.html  

For a print copy, contact Independence, Inc. at 841-0333.

THANK YOU
A big Independence, Inc. thank you to the man walking his dog down the 1000 block of New Jersey, September 24 about 5:30 p.m. You kindly offered to help me carry a hospital bed that had been donated to Independence, Inc. into the home of a consumer who really needed it. 
It is volunteers, even one just passing by, that make our job of providing no cost equipment to those in our community, easier. Again, thanks! 
- Jim McCrary

BACKUP DRIVER WANTED
The Independence, Inc. transportation department is looking for a backup driver able to work mornings when a regular driver is sick or on vacation. Must have a clean driving record. 
To apply, contact Patty Gibbons at  841-0333.