INDEPENDENT LIVING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Individuals with disabilities live in a world designed primarily for the able-bodied. Individuals with disabilities want to live life no differently than anyone else. They want to be able to go shopping, go to the movies, go out to eat, work, and enjoy life, fully realizing that it must be done within their boundaries of limitation.

The Independent Living Movement began in the 60s and 70s. The movement was formed by individuals with various disabilities within their communities; they identified barriers to access and areas of inadequate services. Federal legislation passed in 1978 provided funding to establish independent living centers. The centers are staffed and directed by individuals with disabilities and their advocates. This site http://www.virtualcil.net/cils/query-iandr.php?state=fl list Independent Living Centers throughout the state of Florida. Jacksonville has two Independent Living Resource Centers of North East Florida located at 1845 Town Center Blvd in Orange Park has and 2709 Art Museum Drive in Jacksonville. Disability Info gov http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=118 is a website with online resource for individuals with disabilities. The housing tab provides specific information for obtaining housing. Included are:

• ABILITY House Program-an accessible home built for a family where one or more members have health conditions or disabilities.
• Accessible housing information and news for people with disabilities.
• Accessible Space, Incorporated-locates accessible, affordable housing and assisted/supportive living and rehabilitation services for persons with physical disabilities, brain injuries, and seniors.
• Centers for Independent Living
• Disability-Related Housing Rights & Resources-answers to frequently asked questions about the housing rights of people with disabilities and the responsibility of housing providers and building and design professionals under federal law.
• Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment & Housing Projects is working to increase and improve employment opportunities for chronically homeless individuals with disabilities.
• Evaluation of Supportive Housing Programs for Persons with Disabilities-fair housing for people with disabilities.
• Multifamily Inventory of U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Units for the Elderly & Persons with Disabilities.
• Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities-information about supportive services that enable persons with disabilities to live alone and independently in the community.
• Shelter Plus Care Program-provides rental assistance to hard-to-serve homeless persons with disabilities.
• Vouchers for People with Disabilities-explains special types of housing vouchers available for people with disabilities.

This video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOF-tAMtpV8&feature=player_embedded shows the fight of a Kansas man seeking more funding for independent living. 31% of government funding is for independent living and 69% of the funding is for nursing homes. He would like for the government to distribute funding according to the living preference of the individual with the disability.

Advocates around the world support Independent Living. This site http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/general/indpndt.htm has worldwide resources. Additional sources around the world include:

• http://www.independentliving.org/ Independent Living Institute in Sweden
• http://www.disabledliving.co.uk/contact.shtml Disabled Living in Manchester
• http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/docs/ilr-executive-report.pdf Independent Living; A cross-government strategy about independent living for disabled people.

Health & Safety for persons with disabilities and their parents

Health & Safety are imperative issues for persons with disabilities and their parents/guardians. Safety protocol is vital to the survival of many persons with disabilities. I was surprised to find neglect with New York’s Outstanding Transport Inc. bus service. This is an actual excerpt from their web site: “OTI is New York City's leader in meeting the transportation needs for the elderly and for handicapped adults. While some companies use old school buses, OTI maintains a high quality fleet of specialized vehicles suitable for their special-needs clients. OTI's reputation for above and beyond, personalized care for these clients has positioned them as the only company to consider in New York City for transportation of handicapped adults and elderly individuals.” This first link http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/education/91602/bus-matron-faces-charges-of-endangering-disabled-student/Default.aspx is a video of a bus matron from OTI facing felony charges for endangering the life of a student diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The driver was responsible for clearing the bus but chose to rush off and leave the student onboard. The student was found 19 hours later and suffered from hypothermia.

This next link http://www.abledata.com/abledata_docs/DisabledTransport-Safety.htm, Public Transportation, Mobility Aids and Passenger Safety provides topic introduction to the proper protocol for persons with disabilities and/or public transportation operators using or planning to use public transport vehicles. Vehicles considered for transporting people and mobility equipment are vans, buses and trains. This paper is very informative and can validate or contradict transportation expectations of persons with disabilities and their parents.

The third link http://www.disabled-world.com/health/, Disabled World-A Disability & Senior Information Community provides the following information on health and support issues from cancer to sleep disorders for persons with disabilities:

• Services
• Assessments
• Costs
• Mental health
• Male and female health issues and diseases
• Disability health promotion
• Wellness initiatives

This is a valued site because they focus on delivering real improvements for persons with disabilities.

Health and safety for disabled people and their employers http://www.hse.gov.uk/disability/largeprint.pdf has

• Guidance for disabled people and employers
• Advice for people with disabilities and employers
• The law
• How to treat people with disabilities fairly/avoid discrimination

It provides links to information and financial grants to help businesses make workplace adjustments that enable persons with disabilities to enter and stay in the workplace. This information is useful to employers, persons with disabilities, and their parents.

SOCIAL RELATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

This post will focus on the importance of social relationships for people with disabilities. After high school, maintaining social relationships require more investment work. Most people believe that humans are very sociable beings. At the same time, many would be surprised to learn that some people may not have the same range of friends, family, and acquaintances. There are degrees of closeness or intimacy across relationships. Several factors involve the development and maintenance of relationships. The following five characteristics may pose a challenge for people with disabilities:

• opportunity
• diversity
• continuity
• relationships that are freely chosen and given
• intimacy

This link http://socialrelations.edu.au/MenuBar/AboutUs/WhatisSR.aspx provides an excellent explanation of SOCIAL RELATIONS.

Ability Quest Inc. http://www.abilityquest.org/ is a new non-profit social organization for adults with physical disabilities in Atlanta. They offer monthly activities that increase social interaction that improves and enhances the social skills of individuals.

Disabled Adults Social Activities Foundation Inc. http://www.dasaf.com/ helps to address and meet the social needs of disabled adults by providing a common meeting place and arranging social events where the individual can be given an opportunity to seek out social interactions with their peers.

Modern communication technologies can make social relationships accessible despite distance. The following sites are actual dating sites that specialize in dating for persons with disabilities. The first, Disability Dating Club, is an online dating site with members from, Canada, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Europe; membership is free. The second, Disabled Dating Info, provides sensitivity information for dating persons with disabilities. My favorite tabs are Dating Advice, First Date, and Dating Tips.

http://www.disabilitydatingclub.com/

http://www.disableds-dating-info.com/

Recreation and Leisure for Disabled Persons

Being active is important for people with or without disabilities because it

• Reduces depression and anxiety
• Decreases morbidity and other illnesses associated with a sedentary life
• Improves balance and range of motion
• Improves well-being and quality of life
• Reduces boredom
• Develops self esteem through recreation participation
• Provides emotional and social support to participants
• Promotes good health and physical well being among participants!

Active leisure provides physical and mental well-being and long term wellness. This need may even be greater for people who live with a disability! Leisure activities provide social interaction and a welcome break from jobs and the routines of our lives. Additionally, the accomplishment of overcoming the many challenges of sports/activities builds confidence, self-esteem and promotes a mental and physical wellness. Although the two video clips are 9:32 each, you will be enlightened and truly appreciative of the information.

So What Happened to you Part 1 http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=disabled+people&www_google_domain=www.google.com&hl=en&emb=0&aq=1&oq=disabled+#q=disabled+people+recreation&hl=en&emb=0So What Happened to you Part 2 http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=disabled+people&www_google_domain=www.google.com&hl=en&emb=0&aq=1&oq=disabled+#q=disabled+people+recreation&hl=en&emb=0

Being a Floridian, I had to know how we provide recreation and leisure enjoyment for persons with disabilities. We have Florida Disabled Outdoors Association which promotes health and wellness and enhances the lives of people with disabilities through SportsAbility, Miracle League, Recreational Activity Program for Adults (RAPAD), Recreation Assistive Services and Technologies Alliance (RASTA), ALLOUT, and Inclusion programs.

I benefit from this link http://www.outdoor-sport-leisure.net/disabled.htmleisure.net/disabled.htmleisure.net/disabled.htm to Outdoor Sports and Leisure Activities for Disabled People because each sport describes the rehabilitation advantages for persons with disabilities. I think knowing which sports activity will provide enjoyment and therapy will help when choosing an activity to participate in.

This link http://www.nscd.org/pdf/nscd_fact_sheet.pdf is the fact sheet for National Sports Center for the Disabled. It is one of the nation’s largest therapeutic recreational organizations offering summer and winter programs. This organization provides adaptive recreation in over 20 sports to individuals with almost any physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral diagnosis. Disabilities served include ADD, Amputation, Arthritis, Autism, Behavioral Health, Bone Disorder, Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Deafness, Developmental Disabilities, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Fragile X, Hemophilia, Learning Disabilities, Little People, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Disorder, Muscular Dystrophy, Nerve Disorders, Neurological Disorders, Paraplegia, Post-Polio, Quadriplegia, Respiratory Disorder, Spina Bifida, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Substance Abuse, Vision Loss/Blindness.

Students Must Manage Their Finances

Students with and without disabilities can be responsible for their own finances. Parents and teachers can help children by teaching money matters when they are young. Students with disabilities can start managing their own finances by creating and maintaining a budget. Parents can guide children into making wise choices by presenting early financial decision opportunities. */*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ This web site, http://kids.daveramsey.com/ demonstrates an opportunity for young children to start making wise choices. The read along sample book, Careless at the Carnival, is an outstanding example of what happens to money when budgeting plans are not followed. The link to "Learn from Ben and Arthur" shows the importance of compound interest and saving money NOW. */*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/ Sandy Shields has written an article titled Successful Budgeting for Students. The article is located at website http://www.chiff.com/a/budget-student.htm. In the article, she expresses the importance of a budget as well as addressing five key elements to manage a budget. She includes vital information about life style changes needed to spend money wisely. */*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/

http://financialplan.about.com/od/moneyandcollegestudents/l/blcollbudget.htm provides a printable Budget Worksheet for College Students. Students can make copies of the worksheet and practice maintaining their budget. */*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/ Budgeting Tips for Students is a video about the financial issues that students face when attending college. Listening to the video will make you aware of possible financial issues that you may face when attending college. Planning and managing a budget prior to college can prepare students to avoid some of the pitfalls seen in the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLZzsa4Ng3c

Students with Disabilities Transition to Employment

My specific focus is employment for students with disabilities. I believe it is important to understand yourself, what you want from a job and how to work well with others. If we understand what makes ourselves tick and what makes us happy, then we should be able to devise a plan to get there.

• The video shows persons with disabilities talking about Equal Opportunity for employment. Each spokesperson gives a recommendation to complete school and attend college. The video shows how persons with disabilities overcame stereotypes and challenges to become vital participants to their work team. The video is very motivating and talks about the importance of education for employment purposes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMoyseLQ1rA
• Learning activity created by Carolyn Kalil, MA-This link leads to a Personality Quiz to evaluate your own personality traits. The results of the quiz will allow persons with disabilities to understand themselves as well as others. Understanding yourself can assist with making better choices for employment. http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp
• True Success is an interactive guide for achieving career, academic and personal goals. It is designed as a youth or high school workbook. This workbook is an excellent tool for students with disabilities to focus on self-awareness and natural strengths for school, work and personal life. Self-awareness and knowledge of natural strengths are needed to make great career choices. http://www.truecolorscareer.com/TrueSuccess.htm
• This book, Follow Your True Colors to the Work You love, is written by Carolyn Kalil, MA. It allows persons with disabilities to “discover who you were meant to be,” along with “what you were born to do.” The book will guide you to your dream occupation. http://www.truecolorscareer.com/Book.htm