Disability Network September 2010 Newsletter

Our Mission: To Promote and Encourage Independence

for All People with Disabilities.

1705 S. Saginaw Road

Midland, Mi 48640

989-835-4041 800-782-4160
www.dnmm.org

September 2010

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). At Disability Network, this issue is obviously very close to our hearts. We work closely with referrals from Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) to place people with disabilities back into the workforce. These efforts are pushing towards whittling away at the large percentage of the able, talented and willing disability community without employment. In August 2010, people with disabilities made up 22% of the labor force.

NDEAM is an active effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment that actually began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." The timing of this law was not coincidence. World War II ended in 1945 and many soldiers returned to the States with disabilities. In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."

The NDEAM theme this year is "Talent has no boundaries: Workforce diversity includes people with disabilities." This theme emphasizes the rich diversity and talent that workers with disabilities bring to the workplace. According to Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, "Our diversity of talent is the wellspring of innovation and creativity in the workforce."

Disability Network to Host Michigan Civil Rights Commission

On October 4th the Michigan Civil Rights Commission will hold its meeting in Midland at the Great Hall (5121 Bay City Rd). The public meeting begins at 3:00 p.m., with the public forum scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

This meeting offers the community the opportunity to share civil rights concerns with commissioners. Disability Network is presenting on employment for people with disabilities.

If you'd like to attend and need accommodations please call Harold Core at 517-241-3986.

People with Disabilities are Finding Employment with Great Lakes Business Leadership Network Members

When the Great Lakes Business Leadership Network launched in July we had a tremendous response. Many businesses showed their interest in collaborating for diversity and business success. The long-term outcome is that businesses will embrace diversity and employ more people with disabilities.

So far this is working! To date eight (8) people have found employment with Great Lakes Business Leadership Network (GLBLN) members. We are excited to see both the GLBLN membership grow and employment opportunities rising.

Medicare Part D - It's That Time Again...

Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage begins November 15th, but it's not too early to start thinking about what you need now.

Contact Disability Network to enroll in a plan or to review your current coverage. Formularies
change every year, so it is important to make sure you have a plan that meets your specific needs at a cost you can afford.

Our trained MMAP counselors will help you find the right plan, and can help to determine if you qualify for help paying for premiums, copays or deductibles.

Call (989)835-4041 or (800)782-4160 today to set up a confidential appointment.

United Way Campaign Kickoff

The mission of the United Way is "To improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community." Disability Network is proud to be a United Way agency and to be part of a network that strives to create a better life for our friends and neighbors in need.

United Way of Midland County held its 2010 Community Kick-off event on Friday, September 17th at the Midland Center for the Arts. It was great to see so many community members impacted by the message of Jim "The Rookie" Morris, the inspiration behind the Disney blockbuster film "The Rookie" starring Dennis Quaid. This year's campaign celebrates how people are lending their time, talent, voices and treasures to create a stronger community.

Disability Network held a United Way Kickoff event for staff on August 31. We launched our internal campaign with pizza at the office (provided by DNMM's second-place prize in the United Way Agency Kickoff Poker Run) and a chance for everyone to see the Midland County United Way 2010 informational video. This video illustrates how our contributions go to work making a difference in the lives of our fellow community members. Sara Kristal spoke about Disability Network's participation in the UW Agency Kickoff and she urged us all to give to the current campaign. We followed the "pizza and video" event with a "staff and family" bowling activity at Valley Lanes.

DNMM Presents 5th Annual Piano Palooza

Piano Palooza has been the one big fundraising event of the year for Disability Network for the last four years and 2011 will be no exception! The event, coming up early next year, promises to be the biggest and best one yet.

Chuck and Josie Coté have signed on as Honorary Chairs for the 5th annual Piano Palooza. Chuck Coté is a professional speaker, author and business advisor who inspires people to 'Expect the Best' and take responsibility for getting it! Mr. Coté has been consulting with DNMM on a variety of projects over the last few months and has really come to appreciate and understand the intricacies of the impacts of our organization.

We are excited to have Chuck and Josie Coté on board with our fundraiser as our first-ever Honorary Chairs. With a great team behind the scenes we will have the most successful fundraiser that Disability Network has ever seen.

Stay tuned for more details about the 5th annual Piano Palooza as the date draws nearer!

AIDS and Aging

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), approximately 18,000 Michigan residents are living with HIV/AIDS. As a result of the development of more effective drug regimens during the 1990s  namely protease inhibitors and "drug cocktails"  many people with HIV/AIDS are living longer, healthier, and more productive lives than in the early years of our awareness of the virus and the syndrome.

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that people aged 50 and over accounted for approximately:

16% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses and 19% of all AIDS diagnoses
24% of people living with HIV
33% of people living with AIDS

Health challenges are an unavoidable, inevitable part of growing older. With advancing age comes an increasing susceptibility to chronic illnesses that can include heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, depression and neurocognitive impairment issues including forgetfulness, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. People living with (or newly diagnosed with) HIV/AIDS face the aging process already having chronic challenges for which there currently is no cure. Because people with HIV/AIDS have weakened immune systems, these people sometimes face health problems associated with aging earlier than their peers - a process called "Rapid Advanced Aging Syndrome" according to David France in his November 1, 2009 New York Magazine article, "Another Kind of AIDS Crisis."

Mental illness, particularly depression and anxiety, also can be a concern for older Americans living with HIV/AIDS. Seniors may be less likely to have a solid network of family and friends to offer support and may have issues with transportation that affect their abilities to get to and from medical appointments or to just get out socializing.

September 18th was recognized as the third annual National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD). The day was established to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS in older adults - a group that has been omitted from much research, many clinical drug trials, and some educational prevention and intervention programs according to The Aids Institute.

The NHAAAD campaign focused primarily on increasing HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and education messages among older adults. An additional focus was "to increase awareness of the number of grandparents who become the primary guardians for children who have lost their parent(s) to HIV/AIDS."

For more information:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention AIDS info: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv
Michigan AIDS hotline: (800) 872-2437 or TTY/TDD: (800) 332-0849

Free Fabric Fair at DNMM

If the cooler weather makes you think of crafting holiday gifts or snuggling up inside your home creating fabric projects, then come check out the Free Fabric Fair at Disability Network during the week of October 18th. A few members of the DNMM team who have been devoted fabric users for several years have decided to donate some of their fabric stash for this effort. Most of the available fabric will be "quilting cottons" - ideal for creating bibs for adults or babies, lap or crib quilts, table runners or wall hangings, Christmas tree skirts or women's jackets. Some of the fabric may be fleece or satins, fake furs or laces, pre-printed craft fabrics or clothing materials - perfect for imaginative costumes or work clothes.

The fabric will be arranged in the large conference room with notes about typical uses for the various kinds of fabrics. There will be some simple patterns available for sewing by machine and for hand sewing. If you have a portable sewing machine and would like to socialize as you sew, consider taking your machine, fabric, and essential supplies to Speedy Sew at 3210 Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw any Tuesday. You can sew there all day for free - or for $5.00 if you need some help. They say that they have plenty of room in the mornings but fill up in the afternoons. Call Speedy Sew at (989)790-9048 for more information. Keep in mind you can do hand sewing in just about any location!

If you have any fabric or patterns that you would like to swap or share, you are welcome to bring them in on or before October 15th and leave them for the Free Fabric Fair. Then come back the next week to "shop". All fabric and patterns that are not "adopted" by staff, consumers, or others will be donated to local quilting and sewing groups in Midland. Contact Cathe (bedard@dnmm.org) for more information.

Calendar, October 2010

Wednesday, October 6

Midland Peer Meeting, DNMM

3:00 - 4:00

Monday, October 18
Saginaw Peer Meeting, Butman-Fish Library

1716 Hancock, Saginaw
3:00 - 4:00

Tuesday, October 19

DNMM Office Closed due to Staff Meeting

2:00 - 5:00

Week of October 18

Free Fabric Fair at DNMM

All day, all week

Tuesday, October 26