Everyone who can vote, should vote!
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DELA
The Advocacy Newsletter of ILRCSF
 
October 2010
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in this issue
Paul Longmore Interview: Part I
Voter Information: Free Event
Proposed Settlement of Class Action
MyHousing.org
YO! Youth Organizing
Writing Workshops
DRA Lawsuit
Rosa's Law
Resource for Athletes with Disabilities
Events
Notable Dates: October
ILRCSF Info
ILRCSF Workshop Schedule
DONATE to ILRCSF
About DELA
In August, just after celebrating 20 years of the ADA, we lost one of our greatest champions, Paul K. Longmore - disability rights advocate, historian, author, teacher and, most importantly, good friend.
 
In 2005, our own Jessie Lorenz sat down with Paul, and conducted an in-depth interview, where they touched on a number of fascinating topics. As always, Paul had interesting, clever and thought-provoking things to say. 
 
It seems fitting that the first issue of the new, improved DELA newsletter - with its focus on disability rights advocacy -  be launched with the first installment of this interview. Read and enjoy....and look out for further installments of this interview in upcoming issues of DELA.
 
 
Paul Longmore Interview: Part I
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INTERVIEW OF PAUL K. LONGMORE (Installment 1)

BY JESSIE LORENZ

 

JANUARY 17, 2005 - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

 

JL:     I'm here with Paul Longmore who is a professor of history at San

Francisco State University.  Hi Paul.

 

PL:      Hi

 

JL:      Paul is also the author of, "The New Disability History," "Why

I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability," and "The Invention of

George Washington."  That is a lot of books Paul.

 

PL:     Actually I co-edited "The New Disability History," I didn't

write it.

 

JL:     That's right, with Lauri Umansky?

 

PL:     That's right.

 

JL:     I'm curious about the title of this book, "Why I Burned My

Book." That is an essay that you wrote.  Tell me a little about that

essay.  What brought you to write it?

 

PL:     First of all, giving the title of that essay to the entire book

of essays was a shameless marketing ploy.  I just figured that people

would be more intrigued by the book if it had a kind-of provocative

title. That particular essay is the last essay in the book and it is the

one that is autobiographical.  I used my own experience dealing with

public policies, mainly work disincentives in public policies, to talk

about the whole work disincentive issue and its place in public policy

and its place in disability rights.

 

JL:     Now you burned your book.

 

PL:     Yeah.

 

JL:     Tell me a little about that.

 

PL:     Well, I had finished my PhD and was starting my dissertation.  I

wrote a book.  I got a publisher for my book, "The Invention of George

Washington."  The publisher was the University of California Press.

Then I discovered that if I got any royalties from the sales of this

book I'd be penalized in terms of my eligibility for Supplemental

Security Income.  More important than that my eligibility for public

health insurance, Medical, (which pays for my ventilator) and also my

eligibility for In-Home-Support-Services (which gives me money to hire

people to help me in my home to do housekeeping and personal assistance

tasks) would be compromised. So I started writing letters to people in

Washington, most importantly to the Commissioner of Social Security,

saying Congress just recently did away with a lot of these work

disincentives, so at this point I'm now permitted finally, I'm now

permitted to go to work and earn a living  if I can get a job.  And,

depending on my income, I may remain eligible for these very costly

health insurance and in home assistance.

 

JL:     So tell me a little about your in-home-support services.  Tell

us what a day in the life of Paul Longmore is like?

 

PL:     I have a significant physical disability that requires a lot of

physical assistance with daily chores and activities.  So, because I

don't use my arms and I use a ventilator a lot and I ride in a

wheelchair there are a lot of housekeeping chores I can't do.  I need

assistance with things like shaving and stuff like that.  I need

assistance setting up my ventilator equipment so that I can use it, all

of those kinds of things. So I employ people, personal assistants, in my

home to do those tasks - to assist me - with those tasks.  That is

extremely costly.  It's an enormous amount of money.

 

JL:     How much would it cost if you were paying for something like

that out of pocket?

 

PL:     Around $30,000 a year.

 

JL:     Wow!

 

PL:     In addition to that the purchase price or rental cost of my

ventilator is also very high.  That is, at this point, about $15,000

maybe a little more.

 

JL:     So here you were kind-of this success story: someone with a

disability, educated, trying to start out in the workforce and yet you

were being forced into poverty.

 

PL:     Well, all of the way through graduate school  all the time I was

working on my PhD these work disincentives were still in place and I

kept wondering why I was trying to pursue an academic career when the

fact was if and when I did get a college teaching job I would lose my

eligibility for all of this assistance, but I wouldn't be earning enough

money to replace the assistance from the government that I would lose.

Well, in 1988 Congress did away with most of those disincentives.  That

meant that I could take a teaching job as long as my earned income

stayed below a certain threshold I would still be eligible for that

financial aid.  The problem was that I found out that if I got royalties

from the book, I was about to publish, that would penalize me and I

might, at least for the time being, lose my eligibility for benefits.

Again I would not be earning enough to be able to replace what I would

lose.

 

JL:     I think it is really important that our listeners out there,

particularly young people, hear about the organizing that you did and

the advocacy that you brought forward around this issue.  It was just an

issue that impacted you at the given time but you were able to create

change for the people who came after you.

 

PL:     Millions of working age adults with disabilities were and

continue to be effected by work disincentives in Supplemental Security

Income and  Social Security Disability policies.  What I did after I had

written a long series of letters and received a long series of responses

from the commissioner... I finally realized that they weren't going to

do anything to change the policy.  So I felt that I had the

responsibility to try and get some publicity for the reform effort that

had been underway on the part of disability rights activists years

before I got involved in this issue. It struck me that doing something

dramatic might get some media attention for an issue that, let's face

it, is complicated, kind-of dull, and is just not the kind of thing that

the news media would ordinarily pay any attention to.  So if I could do

something really dramatic then I would get some kind of attention. My

book was scheduled to come out in the fall of  1988 and just before that

publication I decided I would hold a public protest in front of the

federal building in downtown Los Angeles and I would burn a copy of my

book.

 

JL:     "The Invention of George Washington."

 

PL:     Yes.  Which is now in paperback by the way and they make lovely

gifts for graduation or Christmas.

 

JL:     It is also at the SF public library.

 

PL:     Is it?

 

JL:     Yes.  I have most of my interns read parts of your books.  I had

one go to the library to pick up the books written by you.  He came back

and was reading and I asked him what he was reading about. He said that

he was reading about George Washington.

 

JL and PL:      Laughing.

 

JL:     I said that isn't really the book I wanted you to get, but

great!

 

PL:     Well mostly I teach early American History.  That is what my

degree was in.   That is what I was hired to teach.  I mostly teach

about colonial and revolutionary history.

 

JL:     So you burned your book in front of the federal building...

 

PL:     Well in the several months proceeding this I contacted a lot of

the organizations in the disability rights movement in LA and a lot of

individuals.  I told them what I was planning to do and I asked for

their support.  I got a lot of support.  I was really encouraged by

that.  In fact the participants in the demonstration were a

cross-disability coalition.  There were people from the deaf community,

the blind community, and the independent living movement.  There were

people from virtually every disability organization in southern

California.  A couple of actor friends lead chants.  A deaf student from

Pasadena City College who was a commercial art major made placards with

slogans I wrote.  And a friend of mine loaned me his barbecue from his

back yard and in fact I went over there and practiced how to set fire to

my book without setting fire to myself.  So we rehearsed that...Then I

had written a statement that I read at the time of the protest just

before I burned my book and the gist of it was that work disincentives

on the part of the government turned the dreams of many people with

disabilities into ashes.  And then I set fire to my book.

 

We got a good deal of news coverage.  We were on the front page section

of the LA Times.  We were on two evening news broadcasts.  The result of

our protest was that an amendment was added to a bill that was pending

in Congress and that amendment dealt with some of the things we were

protesting.  As a result of the amendment the disincentives about

royalties for publications and honoraria from public speaking were

dropped from the SSI policy.  Unfortunately the Social Security

Administration refused to accede the two other changes we wanted.  They

didn't allow Congress to eliminate the disincentives against

scholarships, fellowships and research grants. Those disincentives,

those penalties for SSI recipients are still there in the policy.  So a

lot of students trying to get a college or graduate school education

still get penalized if they get scholarships or fellowships and a

growing number of disabled scholars are trying to pursue academic

research careers and this policy means that if they get any grants

they'll be penalized.  So we've still got changes that we need to make.

 

 

JL:     Do you see those changes on the horizon?  Often times there  is

talk about young people not being involved in civil rights movements.

Today is Martin Luther King Day whether that involvement be the civil

rights for African-Americans, or immigrant rights or in disability

rights.  Do you see differences in the way people were involved back in

the day as compared to how they are or are not involved now?

 

PL:     I continue to see positive developments and activism on the part

of some younger people but the fact is whether we are talking about

today or yesterday there have always been a relative handful of

disability activists as compared to the enormous population of people

with disabilities in the country and, in fact, in the world.  One of the

tasks that is always before us is how do we mobilize what is potentially

an enormous political constituency?

 

JL:     That is true.  Because when people  think of people with

disabilities they often think of people that look like you and me -

someone who uses a wheelchair or someone who  cannot see.

 

PL:     Yeah.

 

JL:     Yet it's such a much more broad patchwork of people.

 

PL:     On most college and university campuses these days people who

are blind or who have mobility disabilities are a small fraction of the

constituency of students that get services from disabled student

services programs.  The vast majority - the largest groups getting those

services are students with learning disabilities and students with

emotional disabilities.  They make up the great bulk of students with

disabilities getting those services.  Because those are non-apparent

disabilities except in certain circumstances, often times students with

those disabilities, like people with those disabilities, try and pass.

Unfortunately it means that they struggle along in silence hoping that

they can get what they need without having to reveal their situation or

identify with any people with disabilities.

 

JL:     That is why I think it is so great that you and I get this

opportunity to sit down and talk about some of the issues in your books.

I think that it is important for people to understand that we have a

collective history that is so rich and goes back to the founding of this

country and before.  I have a quote here from Douglas C. Baynton from

your book.  It says, "Disability is everywhere in our history once you

know where to look for it, but it is conspicuously left out in our

written history." I think that is so true.

 

PL:     You know Doug Baynton is one of the really talented younger

historians who is working in the area of disability.  There are a

growing number, some with and some without disabilities who are

committing themselves to the development of disability history.  It is a

history that has long been hidden or misinterpreted and is now being

excavated.  The essays in the collection I co-edited, "The New

Disability History," represent some of the first fruits of what is

really good, solid, important historical scholarship on the history of

people with various kinds of disabilities.

 

JL:     It was really interesting to me to read about the history of

people who are deaf and their struggle to try to define themselves and

to choose the way they communicate.  Can you talk a little about that?

 

PL:     Yeah.  In the middle of the eighteenth century the first school

to educate deaf people was founded in Paris, France by a priest who

discovered that, in fact, there was a deaf community in Paris that had

its own sign language, and he learned their sign language, and that

became the mode of communication and the mode of instruction in that

school.  From that school there proliferated schools all across southern

Europe and then to the United States in the early nineteenth century.

Out of those schools in France, and other parts of Europe, and then in

the United States came graduates, from those schools, using the sign

language that they developed.  They created deaf communities with their

own churches, press and social clubs and finally political

organizations.  In Brittain and Europe and then in Germany another

approach to deaf education developed in the same decade that was based

on the premise that deaf people should not sign.  They should learn to

lip-read and speak.  They had to do that in order to be integrated into

hearing society.  The problem was that for a lot of deaf people,

especially those who lost their hearing before they acquired a spoken

language or were deaf from birth this was totally impractical.  The

oralists, as they came to be referred to, insisted that because signing

was easier deaf students would resort to it.  So as a result sign

language had to be suppressed in the oral schools starting in the late

nineteenth century and this went on especially in the early twentieth

century, especially in US deaf schools.  The oralists became in control

of the schools.  Deaf education in the United States had been

exclusively based on sign language,  but the oralists tried to suppress

it as much as they could.

 

JL:     So you mean if you were a student in a school for the deaf back

at that time you would be forced to speak... to learn how to speak?

 

PL:     Right and you would be punished if you signed.  If you were

caught signing you would be penalized.

 

JL:     Wow!

 

PL:     And you would be stigmatized too.  You would be shamed for using

sign language.  You would be told that sign language was not human - it

was animalistic.  It was wild gesturing and not a real and meaningful

language.

 

JL:     There is always that shame thing isn't there.  Shame us for

being different, shame us for not being normal.  So what happened?

 

PL:     For several generations oralists dominated American deaf

education and pockets of resistance existed in some schools and at

Gallaudet College that finally became Gallaudet University. Finally in

the 1960's and the 1970's linguists who studied sign language began,

through their research, to verify that signed languages are, in fact,

authentic languages just like spoken languages and written languages.

Meanwhile, the deaf community was internally strengthening themselves

and trying to regain control of its community and culture - particularly

their schools.  Deaf schools were the focal point and the origins of

deaf culture.

 

Finally, the culmination of this movement, this deaf resurgence,

culminated in the 1980's with the demand, on the part of the deaf

community, that there should be a deaf president of Gallaudet university

in Washington DC. Gallaudet University is the premiere institution of

higher education for deaf people in the world.  It was really the center

of the deaf community in the United States.  In 1988 the Board of

Trusties at Gallaudet, which had a majority of hearing members, decided

to appoint another hearing person to be the President of Gallaudet.  Now

this person did not know sign language.  In fact this person had no

experience with the deaf community or deaf people.

 

JL:     Oh my goodness!

 

PL:     There was an organized protest...

 

JL:     Can you imagine the president of the NAACP going in and having

no knowledge of the African American Community?

 

PL:     It would be like the president of Howard University in

Washington being white and not knowing anything about African American

culture or having any contact with African Americans prior to taking

over that position.  But that's what happened at Gallaudet University.

 

Deaf students, supported by the deaf community, and a lot of hearing

people from outside that community engaged in a protest demonstration

that took over the Gallaudet campus for five days. They got world-wide

press coverage.  They shut down the university for that week.  And

finally the new president resigned from that position and a deaf man, I.

King Jordan, was appointed to be the president and is still the

president.  One of the groups that supported the Deaf Now campaign is

called Deaf Pride.  What that indicates is that there is not only an

issue of discrimination and of language rights, but also a sense of

combating that shame that we were just talking about and asserting pride

not despite deafness but as deaf people who have their own way of

functioning in the world and who have their own cultural values and ways

that they prize and have pride in. I think that is reflective of a

pattern that reoccurred in a good many other disability communities and

disability constituencies.  People with disabilities have been taught to

be ashamed of what is viewed as a defect.  We're taught to feel

humiliated by the fact that we function differently in the world than

most other people.  We function in kind-of non-standard ways.  What has

emerged in the last generation in a good many disability constituencies

and individuals with a variety of disabilities is a sense of pride in

and a valuing of those differences.  They are not inherently defective.

They are not inherently limiting.  Many of the ways that many people

with many types of disabilities get their daily lives done is different

- not deficient.  That's really an extraordinary shift in the

consciousness of people with disabilities.

 Be sure to read the second installment of this interview in the November issue of DELA!
Become a more INFORMED voter
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On October 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the LightHouse will host the Human Services Network (HSN) general meeting, featuring a forum with District 8 Supervisorial candidates. You will have the opportunity to learn where the candidates stand on issues of importance to our community. Stay informed!  For information

 

 

Learn more about HSN's election activities, including Supervisorial candidates' answers to a probing questionnaire.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION CLAIM

(INJUNCTIVE RELIEF ONLY) AND HEARING DATE

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On behalf of a nationwide class of persons with mobility, vision and hearing impairments, the undersigned firm ("Class Counsel") has negotiated a settlement with Catholic Healthcare West ("CHW") whereby the Class will inspect all public areas at each of CHW's facilities (which are located in California, Arizona and Nevada) and identify all physical access barriers, which will form the basis of Facility Consent Decrees and Facility Modification Plans for each CHW facility.  Each Facility Consent Decree and Facility Modification Plan will be presented to the United States District Court, Eastern District of California for approval, after which CHW will undertake remediation efforts (i.e., make modifications and alterations to the Facility with the purpose of providing equal access to and usability of the facilities by persons with disabilities).  As a result of the Class Settlement and Consent Decree ("Consent Decree ") that was approved by the Court on April 21, 2009, "full barrier removal is anticipated" at CHW's Facilities.  The Consent Decree involves purely injunctive relief; No claims for damages of any sort are settled or compromised in any way whatsoever as a result of the Consent Decree. 

Pursuant to the Consent Decree, proposed Facility Consent Decree and Facility Modification Plan is attached for Sequoia Hospital.  A hearing on the Joint Motion for Approval of the Facility Consent Decrees and Facility Modification Plans is scheduled for Monday October 25, 2010, at 10 A.M. in Courtroom 4, before the Honorable Lawrence K. Karlton, United States District Court, Eastern District of California, 501 "I" Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

If you have questions, Class Counsel encourages you to contact us using the information below.  If you believe the Court should not approve the settlement, you may advise the Court of your objections by sending them, in writing, signed, and sent to: Clerk of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, 501 "I" Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.  All written objections must be received by the Clerk no later than 90 days from the date of service of this notice via electronic mail.  A copy should also be mailed to Class Counsel at the address set forth below:

Ligia MunguiaLegal Assistant de la O, Marko, Magolnick & Leyton, P.A.3001 S.W. Third AvenueMiami, Florida 33129(305) 285-2000(305) 285-5555ligia@dmmllaw.com
 

MyHousing.org

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MyHousing connects families and individuals with low incomes, at risk of becoming homeless, or currently homeless, to affordable housing and financial assistance resources at www.myhousing.org.

 

This site can help you find affordable housing (below market rate), public housing, section 8 housing and permanent supportive housing in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties.

Youth Organizing: Disabled and Proud! 

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YO! (a program of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers)  runs a youth oriented toll-free information line that provides information, resources and opportunities for YOUTH with DISABILITES. The YO! Line is answered by youth with disabilities Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. We can provide information on IHSS, Education (Pre-K to Post Secondary), Self Esteem, Jobs, Disability History, Disability Rights, Leadership Opportunities throughout the State and much more. Give the toll-free line a call and get CONNECTED!

Connecting... youth with disabilities to each other, organizations, resources, opportunities, and FUN!

Organize... youth with disabilities throughout California to develop leadership skills, identify issues that affect our lives, and take action to create social change

Educate... youth with disabilities about the disability rights movement, disability culture and pride, community organizing, action, advocacy, and community resources.

HAVE FUN!!!!

 

YO! Disabled & Proud
a project of
The Californian Foundation for Independent Living Centers
1234 H Street, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95814
866-296-9753 (voice) 800-900-0706 (TTD)
www.YOdisabledproud.org

Write to Connect: Workshops Beginning

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People with disabilities who are interested in all types of writing are encouraged to join this series of  weekly workshops led by local writer Amber DiPietra. The focus will be on journaling (in different accessible modes) but we will also explore creative writing (novels, pomes), practical writing (resumes, personal statements) and social writing (blogs, Facebook).
 
Series begins October 29th at the Independent Living Resource Center in downtown San Francisco.

Workshops are once a week -10/29, 11/5, 11/12, and 11/19 from 3 - 5pm.

RSVP - spaces are limited!

Cost is $20 - $30 per two hour session. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Contact Amber to find out more.  She is happy to figure out how Write To Connect can be right for You.

amberdipietra@yahoo.com

415-867-1124

Blog www.writetoconnect.blogspot.com

Facebook http://bit.ly/9bByin

Disability Rights Advocates Sues GGNRA

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Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley has filed a lawsuit against the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and the National Park Service, seeking to force them to eliminate barriers to access experienced by people with mobility and vision disabilities when they visit GGNRA parks and facilities. If you have encountered any access barriers at GGNRA and would like to share your experience with DRA, or would like more information about the lawsuit, please contact: Alicia Reyes or Raziya Brumfield - emails: areyes@dralegal.org or rbrumfield@dralegal.org - phone: 1-510-665-8644 - address: 2001 Center St., 3rd Fl., Berkeley, CA 94704

 

Rosa's Law

 
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President Barack Obama has signed into law Rosa's Law, which will change references in federal laws from mental retardation to intellectual disability, and references to a mentally retarded individual to an individual with an intellectual disability.  More information can be found here.

 

Challenged Athletes Foundation's access for Athletes Program

 
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From now through December 1, 2010 qualifying athletes with physical disabilities can apply for funding to support their fitness and athletic goals from CAF's Access for Athletes Program. Applicants can request up to $3,000 for adaptive sports equipment, sports prosthetics, training, and competition grants. For more information: www.challengedathletes.org/programs/access_for_athletes.htm

> > > > > EVENTS, GROUPS & ANNOUNCEMENTS < < < < <

 
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deYoung Museum Access Advisors

Open House and Disability Arts Festival

 

Date & Time:Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 10:00am to 3:00pm

Location:       Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Information:  Sign language interpretors provided; extra blue spaces for parking; to RSVP contact tbrown@famsf.org or call at 750-7645; requests for accommodations made by September 24 will help ensure availability.

Cost: Attendance to festival activities is free. Museum admission free with RSVP by September 27.

 

2010 Southwest Conference on Disability

 

Dates:          Wednesday through Friday, October 6 - 8

Location:       Albuquerque, NM Convention Center

Information:  http://cdd.unm.edu/swconf

 

Planning for a Loved One with Special Needs

 

Dates & Time: October 21 and November 18 from 5:30 to 7:30pm

Location:          BASF Building, 301 Battery St. 3rd Fl., San Francisco

 

2010 Secondary Transition Symposium

 

Dates:          November 14 - 16, 2010

Location:       Westin Los Angeles Airport

Information:  Symposium to share professional activities for students with disabilities

Questions:    Jill Larson at jlarson@cde.ca.gov or 1-916-323-0866

                    Karen Nichols knichols@cde.ca.gov or 1-916-323-2538

                    Dan Boomer dboomer@cde.ca.gov or 1-916-322-1852

 

Autism Works

A National Conference on Autism & Employment

Bringing the Autism and Vocational Rehabilitation Communities Together

 

Dates:          March 3 - 4, 2011

Location:       Sheraton Westport Hotel, St. Louis, MO

Information:  Bringing communities together to learn from each other and to improve the employment opportunities for adults with autism.

Questions:    Joy A. Bergeron, Meeting Planner at Classic Events, Inc; 1-800-296-5954 or email  joy@classicevents.net

> > > > > NOTABLE DATES IN OCTOBER < < < < <

 
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Monthly Observances:

Antidepressant Death Awareness Month

World Blindness Awareness Month

Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Emotional Wellness Month

Head Start Awareness Month

Health Literacy Month

Long Term Care Planning Month

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Depression Education and Awareness Month

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

National Down Syndrome Month

National Physical Therapy Month

National Spina Bifida Awareness Month

 

Weekly Observances:

 

            3-9           Mental Illness Awareness Week

25-31  National Respiratory Care Week

 

Daily Observances:

            1        International Day of Older Persons

4        Child Health Day

8        National Depression Screening Day

10      World Mental Health Day

15      White Cane Safety Day

29      World Psoriasis Day

31      Halloween

> > > > > INFORMATION ABOUT ILRCSF < < < < <

 
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ILRCSF is wheelchair accessible and provides reasonable accommodations on request, including ASL interpreters and print information in alternative formats. ILRCSF is a scent-free office in order to be fully accessible to all people with disabilities. Please do not wear any scented products including perfumes, aftershave, hairspray, etc. to any meetings, groups, or workshops held at or by ILRCSF. If you are wearing scents, you will not be able to remain in the office.

 

For additional information on services, visit our office or website: www.ilrcsf.org 

 

 

ILRCSF has a FREE, accessible Resource Room, with information in Chinese, English and Spanish. We also have a bulletin board with information for Deaf consumers, and information is available in alternative formats upon request.

 

The Resource Room provides information on a variety of subjects, such as benefits, ADA, assistive technology (helpful gadgets), returning to work, free food-shelter-medical care resources, health care access, legal resources, housing (including a place for those who want to post ads for apartments for rent or shared housing rentals; an updated rental list from Craig's Lists, etc.), etc. If we don't have the resource, we'll do our best to find referrals for you. Service providers are welcome to send us flyers and handouts to distribute.

> > > > > ILRCSF WORKSHOPS < < < < <

 
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Drop-In Basic Benefits/Work Incentives Workshop
Every Thursday at 9:30am

 

ILRCSF offers two types of workshop on benefits:

1. Basic Benefits Overview

2. How Employment Affects your Benefits - for those on SSDI &/or SSI

 

All workshops are on Thursdays at 9:30am. However, only one topic - basic benefits or employment -- is covered each Thursday.   Please attend the workshop that best suits you; for example, if you need information about applying for SSDI, SSI, Medi-Cal or other benefits, come to the Basic Benefits Overview workshop.  If, on the other hand, you already receive SSDI or SSI and are considering going to work, come to the workshop entitled How Employment Affects Your Benefits. At this Employment Workshop you will learn how to use work incentives to keep some of your benefits as you transition into a job, as well as how to use the PASS program, and Ticket to Work. To hear the schedule of upcoming workshops, call 415-543-6222 ext. 155.

 

Upcoming workshops:

 

October Workshops:

10/7    Basic Benefits Overview

10/14  How Work Affects Your Benefits - for those on SSI &/or SSDI

10/21  Basic Benefits Overview

10/28  How Work Affects Your Benefits - for those on SSI &/or SSDI

 

November Workshops:

11/4    Basic Benefits Overview

11/11  How Work Affects Your Benefits - for those on SSI &/or SSDI

11/18  Basic Benefits Overview

11/25  No Workshop - Closed for Thanksgiving

 

December Workshops:

12/2    How Work Affects Your Benefits - for those on SSI &/or SSDI

12/9    Basic Benefits Overview

12/16  How Work Affects Your Benefits - for those on SSI &/or SSDI

12/23  Basic Benefits Overview

12/30  How Work Affects Your Benefits - for those on SSI &/or SSDI

 

People who arrive after 10:00am will not be admitted and will need to come to another workshop

 

Low-Income Housing Search Workshop

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Held on Mondays from 1:30 - 3:30

Call 543-6222 ext. 100 to register

 

People who arrive late (after 1:30pm) will not be admitted and will need to reschedule

 

 

> > > > > DONATIONS TO ILRCSF < < < < <

 
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Donations from the public help ILRCSF work towards ensuring that people with disabilities are full social and economic partners, both within their families and in a fully accessible community. All donations to ILRCSF are tax deductible, and there are a variety of ways you can donate or raise funds for ILRCSF.

 

Donations by Check:

You can send donations by check, in any amount, to:

Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco

649 Mission St, 3rd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94105

 

Please note that ILRCSF does not accept credit card donations by mail.

 

Online:

 

www.ilrcsf.org: We've partnered with Network for Good to securely process your online donation via the Network for Good Donor Advised Fund. Just click on the DONATE button, and make a donation using your credit or debit card.

 

Facebook: If you're a Facebook user, you can donate via ILRCSF's Causes page, which is also administered by Network For Good. Check us out on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/yc34yoe

 

Shopping Online: Did you know that you can raise money for ILRCSF when you shop online? Direct your web browser to www.IGive.com/ILRCSF and join IGive.com for free. Hundreds of popular online shopping sites are IGive members. Every time you shop with them, these retailers will donate a portion of their profits to ILRCSF. This means that while you're shopping online, buying things you'd normally buy anyway, you can raise money for ILRCSF without spending any more than you normally would. Some of the 600+ retailers who donate through IGive are Lands End, Staples, Orbitz, Apple, iTunes, TurboTax, Eddie Bauer, Overstock ... the list goes on and on!

 

ILRCSF respects your privacy: if you would prefer you donation be kept confidential, let us know, and we will list your donation as "Anonymous" in our next Annual Report.

 

When making a donation in honor or in memory of, please provide us with the name and address of anyone you'd like us to inform of your gift.

> > > > > A NOTE FROM ILRCSF STAFF < < < < <

 
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ILRCSF's DELA newsletter includes a compilation of resources, announcements and events that have proven to be of interest to our consumers, supporters and friends. Our updated newsletter is part of our plan to reach out to additional members of our community. Dela now has a Facebook page under the name Dela Francisco O'Day - everyone is welcome to become Dela's friend! DELA is published the first week of each month and sent to our distribution lists. You can also pick up copies of DELA at our office. If you have resources, announcements, events or articles you would like to share, would like to give us feedback, or want to be added to the DELA distribution list, please send an email to data@ilrcsf.org. We are also in the process of updating our website, www.ilrcsf.org, with new content and features.

 

 

 
ILRCSF is a proud OPEIU organization
OPEIU union logo

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Contact Information
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INDEPENDENT LIVING RESOURCE CENTER SAN FRANCISCO (ILRCSF)

649 Mission Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105

www.ilrcsf.org

English:                                      415-543-6222

TTY:                                          415-543-6698

Chinese Community Services:          415-543-6768

Latino Community Services:        415-543-6743

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