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In Association with PeopleOnWheels.org, a news, sports, travel and information helpsite for people who use wheelchairs and their caregivers
September 2009

Greetings!

Fall's around the corner. Think fashion, school, and new entertainment! Read this month's newsletter to find out about Chloe, the new fashion, money, issues, and commentary magazine aimed at women in wheelchairs. Great fun! Great fashion - lots of it custom made for a great fit too! Also, if you have a college-bound child, or are college-bound yourself, make sure you check out the online guide serving students with physical disabilities. They've done the work so you don't have to! Then read about Cody Unser's new film "The First Step" which is an up-close, no-holds-barred expose on the issues of SCI. There's more so take a good look!
And as always, if you have a need or a question, we are here for you!

in this issue
  • Few cities win 2008 Mainstream Vouchers that help PWDs with housing costs!
  • New Fashion Magazine for Chicks in Chairs! Chloe debuts
  • New On-Line College Guide Serves Students with Physical Disabilities
  • "The First Step" film about Cody Unser is candid take on paralysis
  • For All Your Mobility Needs, Call Monroe Wheelchair!

  • New Fashion Magazine for Chicks in Chairs! Chloe debuts
    Chloe Magazine

    Beautiful, intelligent, entertaining women with disabilities have found a home at Chloe Magazine, a magazine with insights on your life, how you live it, and how you see it. Chloe magazine is a full scale women's magazine for disabled women, written by disabled women (and a couple of outstanding men!). The premier September issue is out and it covers a wide range of issues and interests sure to be important to you. Think: Finance, Health Care, Education, Travel, Relationship Help....and lots more. It will include in-charge women who run corporations and others who run homes and raise families.
    Say the editors, "It is our time and we're here!"


    New On-Line College Guide Serves Students with Physical Disabilities
    Founders of Student Guide

    Did you know that of some 2,500 four-year colleges in the US today, only four provide academic and personal services comprehensive enough for a student with serious physical disabilities to live on campus? Frustrated at the lack of information available when beginning their college search, an Atlanta college student and his mom, Tommy and Chris Tiedemann, created the website "Disability-Friendly Colleges: A Guide for Students with Physical Disabilities."
    The guide contains up-to-date information such as:

  • Detailed descriptions and photos of the only four colleges to provide seriously physically disabled students with all of the necessary services to live on campus
  • Interactive charts of 75 colleges that go beyond ADA including: accessibility, personal care, transportation, adaptive sports, academic rank, contact information and how the Ivy League stacks up
  • High school vs. college comparisons
  • Tips on commuting to college
  • 10 things students with physical disabilities should look for on a college visit
  • There's lots more too! Check it out!


    "The First Step" film about Cody Unser is candid take on paralysis

    A gripping scene in a new documentary captures the spirit of Cody Unser, who has been paralyzed since age 12.
    She's in a bathtub in her college dorm, trying to shift from her shower chair to her wheelchair. She falls repeatedly, each time missing the wheelchair then hoisting herself up for another try. "Happens every day. Just let it roll," filmmaker Chris Schueler remembers her saying matter-of-factly when he offered to intervene. The scene is shot discreetly, from a distance. Where the 22-year-old Unser bares all is in her forthright, on-camera discussions about her life. She talks frankly about her sexuality, about challenging society's misperception of women in wheelchairs as asexual, incompetent, dependent. "I just really wanted to share my life, and be honest and truthful," she said in an interview. Narrated by Glenn Close , the hour-long documentary has been shown on public television in Albuquerque and is being made available to Public Broadcasting Service stations across the country. It also had the requisite week-long run in theaters in New York and Los Angeles to make it eligible for the Oscars.
    Want to see it yourself? Contact your Public Television provider and ask!


    For All Your Mobility Needs, Call Monroe Wheelchair!
    Monroe Wheelchair Staff

    You can depend on all of us at Monroe Wheelchair for the latest technology in medical equipment and the highest quality healthcare.

    Our staff has a combined 300 years of experience in the medical equipment industry and Monroe's on-site owner, Doug Westerdahl, continually monitors and works together with his staff to improve customer service.

    Call us at 1-888-546-8595 today!


    Few cities win 2008 Mainstream Vouchers that help PWDs with housing costs!
    Man in Wheelchair

    Did your town compete to benefit you?

    Earlier this month, HUD announced the Housing Authorities that competed and won 2008 Mainstream vouchers that provide money to assist non-elderly people with disabilities to live independently. These vouchers did not fall from the sky into the laps of those that needed them. Rather, municipalities had to apply for them and in the end, only 14 were distributed.
    Disability advocate Steve Gold says that many disabled people live in group settings who are capable of and interested in independent living--IF they can get the assistance to make it work financially. Gold asks: Did your Housing Authority apply for the vouchers? Do non-elderly people with disabilities in your area need housing vouchers? Has your Housing Authority recognized that there are people in institutions because they cannot afford housing and would leave the institutions if they had one of these vouchers? If your Housing Authority did not apply, why not?
    Obviously, it is important to make sure that the 2008 Mainstream vouchers below are awarded properly and only to non-elderly people with disabilities. Have you discussed with the Housing Authorities listed below how they plan to do this?
    Gold urges you to meet with your Housing Authority regarding the upcoming 2009 Mainstream vouchers, which are also for non-elderly people with disabilities. Insist that your Housing Authority apply for the 2009 vouchers so that more housing needs can be met!
    If you have met with your Housing Authority officials regarding the 2009 Mainstream's 4,000 vouchers and if they are not going to apply, we'd like to hear what they said and to learn why they will not apply. Email Steve Gold at stevegoldada@cs.com.
    Cities receiving 2008 vouchers included Sacramento, CA; Orlando, FL; Des Moines, IA; Chicago, IL; Joliet, IL; Cook County, IL; Topeka, KS; Cambridge, MA; Framingham, MA; Montgomery, MD; Butler County, PA: Cumberland, RI; Providence, RI; King County, WA.

    Find Out More!
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