Life and Independence for Today
A LIFT in the Right Direction
Fall 2001 Volume 8 Number 3
PIAT Update
By: Dawn Park, I & R Specialist
November is Assistive Technology Awareness Month. During the month of November, LIFT will be providing assistive technology demonstrations and funding trainings to various groups and service providers in the six county service area. The following is a list of the presentations that will be completed.
Kane Senior Center, 100 Fraley Street, Kane, this will be a vendor training at 12:30 p.m. on November 7th.
Ridgway Senior Citizens Center, 10 Vine Avenue, Ridgway, this will also be a vendor training at 11:30 a.m. on November 15th.
Emporium Arms, 324 West Fourth Street, Emporium, this is an assistive technology demonstration at 4:00 p.m. on Nov. 13th.
Northern Tier Community Action, 135 West Fourth Street, Emporium, this will be a demonstration of assistive technology at 10:15 a.m. on November 8th.
Please keep us in mind! We would be more than happy to come to your organization and present LIFT services to you. Some examples of places we have done this is for are: social service agencies, schools, hospitals, government agencies, etc.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact me at (800) 341-LIFT.
Statewide Independent Living Conference
By: Bob Mecca, Executive Director
The 2001 Independent Living Conference was held from October 25th through October 28th. I am very proud to say that LIFT had 39 people participating in this year's conference. This is largely due to the very dedicated LIFT staff, particularly Cathy Lenze, who spent countless hours making arrangements for this trip. To Cathy and all the staff who helped to make this a success, I would like to say - "GREAT JOB". I would also like to thank all LIFT's consumers who participated in this year's conference.
We left on October 24th at noon from LIFT's office. Once again we worked with our partners at the Area Transportation Authority (ATA) to be able to transport so many people to the conference. A very special "Thank You" goes to ATA for their assistance.
Finally I would like to remind everyone that our next newsletter will be dedicated entirely to the Independent Living Conference. You will read comments made by the participants who attended, what they learned, and how it affected them personally.
Mom Gave Me Hope
By: Bonnie Maines Board Member of LIFT & Consumer Advocacy Group Member
My name is Bonnie Maines and I was born with Cerebral Palsy; because of this, I cannot speak the way other people do. I have been fighting to get people to understand me all my life. When I was two years old, one doctor told my mom and dad to get rid of me - put me in a home. They didn't listen to him. I made my own sign language to "talk" to my two brothers, my parents, and my grandparents, but no one outside my family could understand me.
The school told my mom and grandmother they couldn't teach me, so I didn't go to school with other kids. I learned to play and I had chores to do. I had to pick up around the house and help my mom clean. I learned to cook by watching her cook. My only childhood friends were my cousins.
When I was eight years old, I started going to Easter Seals Summer Camp, where I learned how to make crafts. I still didn't make any friends until I learned to spell, when I was twenty-nine. I was isolated, trapped in my own head. I felt like most people thought I was stupid or mental because I couldn't speak. I still feel that way sometimes.
When I was twenty-nine, my Grandfather thought up this board. Up til then I couldn't spell my name. My Grandfather made big letters like "A", "B" to teach me the alphabet and after I learned them, then he taught me small words. "Mom" was the first word I learned. We worked seven days a week, six hours a day. I am still learning to spell!
I started to make friends at camp. I didn't have to feel alone anymore. My grandfather gave me a typewriter. I learned how to type notes with one finger. It was much better. Now my mom and dad and brothers could read my notes and understand how I felt.
I thought if I got my GED people wouldn't think I was dumb or retarded anymore. I started to go to UCP (United Cerebral Palsy). I met Carolyn Grecco when I was 37. I asked her how to get my GED. She became my teacher. It took twelve years, off and on, because I would get mad and quit for awhile, but I always went back. I got my GED in 1998 and was named Adult Learner of the Year.
In 1995, when I was 49, a man came to my house to talk about a ramp for me. He talked to my father, which ticked me off. I typed him a note that said, "I'm the one with a disability, talk to me, not my father." The man's name was Tom Wenner and from that moment on, he knew that I was smart. I soon learned that he was a good person. Tom has become a good friend to me, and has helped me a lot. He helped me get involved with LIFT, and it changed my life forever.
Through LIFT, I got to go to the Independent Living Conference in Harrisburg in October 1997. I learned that more people had worse disabilities than mine, and how they found ways to communicate with each other, like I did. At dinner one night I saw a man in black jeans and a shirt with all different colors at another table. He sure stuck out with that shirt, and I thought he looked sexy. I wanted to meet him so I sent my attendant to tell him I wanted to talk to him. He came over, and it was hard at first, because he didn't understand my board, but we started talking with my attendant telling him what I was trying to say.
We found out that for most of our lives we lived only seven miles apart, used the same stores, the same pharmacy, but never met! His name was Bob. I told him I wanted to get a beer, so we went to the hotel bar with some other people. We listened to music and laughed. I felt like I had found someone to understand and love me for who I am.
That Christmas, Bob came to my house to meet my family. He surprised us all by putting an engagement ring in a teapot! My mother said that I had to wait one year before we got married and we promised we would wait. Sadly, my mother passed away before I was married on June 5, 1999, but I know she was with us…and still is.
So here I am, at fifty-five, a married woman with a GED, living not in an institution, but in the community with my husband, in our new mobile home. I have proven to myself that I'm not stupid. I have done things the doctors never thought I could do. When I set my mind to it, I can reach my goals.
Now I have a new goal in my life. I want a voice. It takes too much time to spell, and people don't pay attention sometimes. I get mad. I don't like to be ignored. I want to get a job and be able to "talk" to people with disabilities like mine, to show them they can do what they want. To do this, I need help from a speaking device, one that will give me a speaking voice that people can hear.
Once again, Tom Wenner helped me out. He spoke to some people and got me the information on a program that helps people like me to learn to use a communication device. The program was run by Temple University and it was called the Augmentative Communication Empowerment and Supports (ACES) program.
So, this is how I came to apply for this ACES program. I need to learn how to use a device well enough to show everyone what's in my heart and mind. If people can see that I was able to learn and reach my goals with all the odds against me, they would know that they could too! Thank you God!
NOTE: Stay "tuned" for part two of Bonnie's story in an upcoming newsletter!
RAT's In Review
By: Kelly Valdez, Advocacy Specialist
Bradford RAT:
This group continues to work with the City Streets Department to improve curb cuts and sidewalks at a rate of 3-4 per month. Several new faces have shown up at the last few meetings, and some consumers in the area have expressed an interest in starting a daytime "in town"group. Three members attended the IL Conference in Harrisburg.
Brookville RAT:
Members continue to do outreach and advocacy for the Pilot Program, and have identified several goals for the coming year. One issue that has come to the forefront is the lack of accessible parking in Brookville. Members were placed on the agenda for the October 16th meeting of the Brookville Borough Council to air their concerns.
Cameron County RAT:
The Cameron County folks have been advocating for the Pilot Program to go statewide, starting a petition to that effect. The group has attracted several new members who participated in the September bowling meeting. One group member has been volunteering her time at the LIFT Office with the Skill Builders Program.
Clearfield RAT:
The Clearfield group has put their plans for a fashion show on hold indefinitely, as they are concentrating their advocacy efforts on the Pilot Program's success. Several members of the group are using the program on a regular basis and have agreed to speak on the record with Bob Schmidt from the Transportation Alliance for a booklet he is doing about the program. Several group members attended the IL Conference in Harrisburg.
DuBois Area RAT:
This group continues to work with ATA for increased service between DuBois and Brockway, as well as advocating for the Pilot Program to go statewide. Efforts are still being made to start a "Snow Buddies" program with area church youth groups performing volunteer shoveling services for people with disabilities who are unable to clear his/her own walks. The group has also been working with city council to have an audible traffic signal installed at a dangerous intersection on 219 S. and Long Avenue.
Kane Area RAT:
The Kane group has been focusing on increasing membership and identifying issues on which they need to focus. One of the primary concerns is the need for the Pilot Program to go statewide, creating more educational and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The Kane Fish and Game Club requested an ADA "walk-through" so they can become accessible before their "Big Buck" contest.
Elk County RAT:
This group is working on several local accessibility issues, but the primary focus is the Pilot Program and the advocacy efforts needed to ensure that the program goes statewide. In September, the RAT met at the ATA Office in conjunction with the Local Advisory Committee for the Pilot Program. A few new faces have been at meetings this quarter, a trend everyone hopes will continue!
Potter County RAT:
This group has been putting the advocacy tools they learned at the Clarion Mini-Conference to work, advocating for the statewide expansion of the Pilot Program and the preservation of the funding of the Assistive Technology Act. Members were excited about the upcoming IL Conference and all that it entails.
Punxsy RAT:
Once again, my efforts will be focused on building membership of this group through intensive outreach with county agencies, etc. Moving the meeting to the daytime should help meet this goal. More outreach in the Jefferson County area for the Pilot Program is also planned. Options for turning the Punxsy group into "CyberRATs" are also being discussed.
Smethport RAT:
This group met in September and discussed incorporating transition students into the Skill Builders program at the LIFT Office as a part of their LifeSkills program.
New Phone System at LIFT!
If you called the LIFT office anytime late October and on, you know that LIFT purchased a new phone system. You will hear Cindy's soft-spoken voice asking you, "if you know your party's extension, please press it now". Well now you will know them! Keep these extensions handy so you can just hit a couple numbers and will get directly to the staff you called for!
| EXT # | LIFT STAFF |
| 100 | Cindy Feldbauer, Bookkeper |
| 101 | Cathy Lenze, Executive Assistant |
| 102 | Bob Mecca, Executive Director |
| 103 | Tom Wenner, Accessibility Counselor |
| 104 | Merri Burkhouse, Independent Living Coordinator |
| 105 | Jill Rhoades, Home Modifications Coordiantor |
| 106 | Traci Meraglia, Independent Living Coordinator |
| 107 | Dawn Park, Information and Referral Specialist |
| 108 | Kelly Valdez, Advocacy Specialist |
Delvie's Choice: A Story of Determination - Part III
By: Jill Rhoades, Home Modifications Coordinator
Hello again everyone. I wanted to give you an update on Delvie's move. I also wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that I have taken a different position here at LIFT and that Traci Meraglia has filled the position of Independent Living Coordinator. Traci will now be working with Delvie in assisting him with his move.
Now that I have introduced Traci, let's get back to Delvie's move. Unfortunately, the funding source that we were to use for this move is no longer able to assist us with necessary home modifications. However, we have discussed other options for moving and Delvie would like to take this opportunity to go over his options and make a decision after considering all of them. In the meantime, Traci will continue working with him with other goals. When he has made a final decision on where he would like to move, she will assist him in making arrangements for this.
NTAG Update
By: Tom Wenner, Accessibility Counselor
The Northern Tier Access Grant program (NTAG) is underway! NTAG is a consortium of agencies and organizations in Cameron, Elk, McKean, and Potter Counties that funds home modifications to empower low- and moderate- income renters or homeowners (including families with children) with permanent disabilities to live independently. Funding for NTAG comes primarily from Pennsylvania's Departments of Community and Economic Development and Public Welfare.
LIFT began receiving applications on August 1, 2001, and has received 63 so far. Our partners in the counties have determined that 45 of these are eligible for funding. Jill Rhoades, LIFT's Home Modifications Coordinator, and I have spent the last month or so visiting homes to determine what work is needed. Right now, I am working feverishly to draw sketches and write work orders. Some of the home modifications include ramps, stairway lifts, wider doors, accessible bathrooms and parking improvements. My goal is to have most of these projects underway before winter sets in. As our Founders did, I say this "with a firm reliance on the . . . divine Providence." (Translate that: "I need help!")
NTAG is also providing the opportunity for service coordination. Many of the applicants will benefit from services provided by LIFT and other consortium members. As we do assessments, we are able to let consumers know about other available resources.
Homeowners and renters that have a household member with a disability, and household income at or below 80 percent of the median in their county are eligible to receive NTAG funds.
Applications are available at: ¨
Skill Builders Volunteers
By Kelly Valdez, Advocacy Specialist
Are you a person with a disability looking to become involved in "something" outside the home, or perhaps to improve your skills to re-enter the workforce? If you are, then have we got a program for you!
The Skill Builders Volunteer Program is a new, unfunded program offered at the LIFT office in St. Marys. The program is designed to help people with disabilities develop the skills, work history, and references they will need to seek competitive employment.
Skill Builders set their own schedules and work at their own pace with as much or as little supervision as they feel they need. Everyone who enrolls in the program will learn basic clerical tasks, such as photocopying, faxing, filing, preparing mailings, answering the telephones, computer basics and "manning" the receptionist desk.
Skill Builders set their own schedules and work at their own pace with as much or as little supervision as they feel they need. Everyone who enrolls in the program will learn basic clerical tasks, such as photocopying, faxing, filing, preparing mailings, answering the telephones, computer basics and "manning" the receptionist desk.
For more information or to enroll in the Skill Builders Volunteer Program, contact Kelly Valdez at the LIFT office, or better yet, stop in at a local RAT meeting to learn more about the opportunities waiting for you!