July 2012 IN Touch - Inclusion Newsletter

Inclusion E-Newsletter: Empowering national service programs to
make service a part of the lives of individuals with disabilities.

July 2012

In This Issue

From the desk of Kathleen Egan

9/11 Day of Service Mini-Grant Opportunity

The Topic: Autism Awareness

Service Spotlight

Resources

Quick Links

Michigan Community Service Commission

State of Michigan Resources

Find Your Local ARC

From the Desk of Kathleen Egan:

One of the best things about being part of the service community is participating in national days of service. As many of you know, this past April brought us Global Youth Service Day (GYSD). Originally created to encourage the next generation of Americans to volunteer, GYSD quickly grew into a three-day global event! It is truly amazing to think that on the weekend of April 20-22 young volunteers in approximately 100 countries were all participating in projects to give back and strengthen their communities and neighborhoods.

This year, several Michigan's AmeriCorps members planned GYSD projects, many of which had an inclusion focus. In Detroit, the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Project expanded last year's sensory garden project by including Braille signage and paving and widening the paths to make them wheelchair accessible. In Grand Rapids, Schools of Hope AmeriCorps members partnered with Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and Artists Creating Together (a nonprofit organization that serves artists with disabilities) to paint a mural, remove invasive species, and plant a rain garden. Other Grand Rapids AmeriCorps members engaged youth with disabilities in beautifying the grounds of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. The South Oakland Shelter (SOS) hosted several special education students from Southfield-Lathrup who helped with various projects around the building, beautification of the grounds, and the assembly of 100 health kits to be distributed to SOS clients.

National days of service, like GYSD, have traditionally been successful with Michigan's dedicated volunteer base and strong local support; but seeing inclusion actively incorporated into this year's projects made it especially exciting! The next opportunity to participate in a national day of service is the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. The MCSC and other partnering agencies are pleased to offer mini-grants for organizations interested in hosting service projects to engage veterans and military families (see below for more information!). Let's continue to make inclusion an integral part of our national days of service and other events throughout the year!

In Service,
Kathleen Egan

Inclusion VISTA

To see past editions of IN Touch you can access the archived versions by visiting the Resources section of the Disability/ Inclusion section of the MCSC website.

9/11 Day of Service

Mini-Grant Opportunity

Join the growing national movement to support veterans and military families as part of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance efforts. Mini-grants are available for Michigan organizations that wish to host volunteer service projects engaging veterans or military families during their 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance observances.

Who should apply?

Michigan organizations; including national service grantees, volunteer centers, nonprofits (including but not limited to youth groups and youth service organizations), K-12 and higher education institutions are all encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Complete the 9/11 in Michigan mini-grant application and submit by July 20, 2012. To view the complete 2012 9/11 in Michigan mini-grant guidelines and application, click here.

The Topic

Autism Awareness

Michigan's Lieutenant Governor, Brian Calley, has been working to bring awareness and support to persons with autism and their families. Nearly 15,000 children in Michigan have been diagnosed with autism, and the California Health and Human Services Agency lists autism as one of the fastest growing disabilities in the country. Autism is a complex developmental disability that still has many unanswered questions. There is no single cause of autism and the symptoms range in severity, which is referred to as the autism spectrum.

There are a number of resources and informative websites that can help provide a better understanding of autism. These resources may also help you think about ways to connect to organizations that support people with autism and, in turn, educate those organizations about national service. You can access each website by clicking on the logo.

Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)

The AUCD is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of 67 university-based disability programs. Through its members, AUCD is a resource for local, state, national, and international agencies, organizations, and policy makers concerned about people living with developmental and other disabilities and their families.

Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Their website provides visitors with a broader understanding of autism. Click here for more information.

Autism NOW

Autism NOW is an information and referral service offered by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. They host free webinars on a wide variety of autism topics. Click here for the webinar schedule.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

The CDC offers a variety of resources related to autism, including signs/symptoms, diagnosis/treatment, and data/research. They also created a fact sheet that provides an overview of autism spectrum disorders, which is available here:

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

JAN Logo

JAN is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. For an overview of some job accommodations that might be useful for employees or AmeriCorps members with autism spectrum disorders, here. For more in-depth information, you can access JAN's publications here. You can also contact JAN directly to discuss a specific accommodation situation.

The Autism Society

The Autism Society is a grassroots organization that works to increase public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the autism spectrum, advocate for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and provides the latest information regarding treatment, education, research, and advocacy. Click here for information about resources specific to Michigan.

Service Spotlight

2012 Michigan's AmeriCorps Inclusion Video Contest

The Michigan's AmeriCorps Inclusion Video contest was created to encourage AmeriCorps members and/or AmeriCorps program sites to produce a video to document and display how their program promotes, embraces, and incorporates the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) mission of inclusion within their respective service areas.

What is Inclusion?

Inclusion is a shift in organizational culture. The process of inclusion engages each individual and makes people feeling valued essential to the success of the organization. Individuals function at full capacity, feel more appreciated, and included in the organization's mission.

We had several fantastic video submissions and hope you will take a few minutes to check them out at the links below!

AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program

Downriver CARES AmeriCorps

Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency (MARESA) AmeriCorps

Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness

Next Steps Community Reintegration AmeriCorps Program

Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps Project

Congratulations to the Power of We Consortium AmeriCorps Program for submitting the 2012 winning entry! Their program received a $100 Meijer gift card.

Resources

National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) - NSIP is a Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) training and technical assistance provider. Through comprehensive training, technical assistance, and product dissemination, NSIP strives to ensure meaningful service experiences for all Americans, regardless of their abilities.

To find out more information on how to build an inclusive service environment for people with autism and other disabilities please click here.

Are you looking for a good resource for Disability related news? Check out: Disability Scoop

Possibilities Video Series- The Possibilities video series focuses on the lives and accomplishments of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Each 4-7 minute video highlights one individual's journey, along with their family and friends, and shows the myriad possibilities and options that all people have as they grow up, become independent, and pursue their life's dreams and goals.

About the MCSC: MCSC logo

The Michigan Community Service Commission is firmly committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation in its programs, activities, and materials. Please call (517) 335-4295 to request accommodation or to obtain materials in an alternate format.