
Disability Network of Mid-Michigan
February 2015 Newsletter

1705 South Saginaw Road

Midland, MI 48640

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

Piano Palooza IX Just Days Away!

The Ninth Annual Piano Palooza is Saturday, February 7th, 2015. It will take place from 6-10pm at the Midland Country Club.

EVENT TIMELINE

6:00 - 6:45 Cocktail Hour

6:45 - 7:15 Event Program

7:15 - 10:00 Plated Dinner Service & Entertainment

There are some tickets still available! Contact Matthew Ivan at 989-835-4041 to reserve your spot! Seating is limited...Call before Thursday, February 5th! You can also click here to donate and/or purchase tickets online.

Join us for an evening at one of the great fundraisers of the year!

Raffles and Auctions! You could win a fabulous trip to Atlantis resort in the Bahamas!

Or how about a jukebox for the den, or a bumper pool table for the man cave?! Or how about tickets to Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, MSU Basketball, CMU Basketball, the Dow Corning Tennis Classic, the Great Lakes Loons, the Saginaw Spirit, or to Michigan International Speedway? Try your luck at the tables at Firekeepers Casino or test your skill on the links at some of northern Michigan's finest golf courses! Fly Southwest Airlines to Disney World or anywhere else in the U.S!

Call 989-835-4041 today for tickets!

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Building A Better Workforce: An Employability Summit

Disability Network of Mid-Michigan is hosting an employability summit for businesses throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region. This summit will promote best business practices that ensure a highly-skilled and diversified workforce. The summit will take place on January 28, 2015, from 7:30am - 12:30pm at Dow Diamond in Midland.

The event features a keynote address by David Mulder, Director of Distribution - Lansing for Meijer Corporation, followed by several breakout sessions. The event will wrap up with a student panel presentation. Breakfast and Lunch are included.

Breakout session topics include:

Diversity & Inclusion Policy Planning and Development
Assistive Technology for the Workplace
Online Resources for Recruitment of Persons with Disabilities
SOAR - Sodexo Organization for disAbilities Resources
Website Accessibility for the Workplace
Project SEARCH

Registration is required and seating is limited. Click here to reserve your spot today!

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Marc's Journey To His Own Home

Marc was referred to Disability Network after having a stroke in February, 2014. As a result of the stroke, Marc spent many months in the hospital, eventually being transferred to a nursing facility in Midland. Upon completing physical, occupational, and speech therapy, Marc no longer felt the need to remain in the nursing facility. He wanted to move out. The only problem was, he had nowhere to go.

"I felt alone there, more than I ever had before," said Marc. "And I just didn't think I had any options."

That all changed in June when Marc met with Brooke Maylee. Brooke is a nursing facility transition specialist at DNMM. Brooke talked things over with Marc, and it was immediately clear Marc wanted to get back into the community and to live on his own.

Brooke went over several options with Marc, discussing everything from affordable and accessible housing to area churches and community groups.

The transition process was completed within a month. Marc was successfully transitioned back into the community! As the summer came to a close, Marc contacted Brooke to give her an update on his situation.

Shortly after moving out of the nursing facility, Marc began to make friends, both at his apartment complex and through a nearby church he now attends regularly. They get together often to partake in a wide variety of activities. So very different from the isolation he felt while at the nursing facility. And gone forever is that feeling of nowhere to go.

"I'm so very happy now and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for all you helped me accomplish."

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A Brief Glimpse: Veteran's Peer Support Program

DNMM's Veterans Peer Support program provides individualized services to Veterans with disabilities in order to help them re-acclimate to civilian life and/or to increase their level of independence.

Daniel is a veteran in the US Marine Corps. He acquired a disability while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. When asked if he found DNMM's peer support program useful, Daniel had this to say:

"I am working with Specialist Sandi Kulik. She has helped me out tremendously and she's made my life that much easier. She addresses all of my concerns and issues and at the rare times she doesn't have an answer for me right away, she always finds out the information with credible sources and gets back to me timely. I am very satisfied with her services, her loyal attitude, and her commitment."

Jade is a 38 year old Navy veteran. Before she enrolled in the program, the thought of going out of her house terrified her, as did the thought of trying to navigate the VA system. "I feel the peer support that I have received has helped me become more independent," said Jade. "DNMM has helped me learn to navigate the VA system, and to be a better advocate for myself. Also, they've helped me be a better parent to my son."

Rick is an Army veteran that was struggling with VA red tape. He was living in a home that made his day-to-day activities difficult. After working with DNMM, Rick feels he has been able to work with the VA to get what he needs in order to make his home more accessible.

"Disability Network has been tremendous," said Rick. "They have assisted me with navigating the VA, and now I have a beautiful floor, a laptop, and a gorgeous bathroom."

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2014 Annual Report Now Available

The annual report provides information on the services we provide as well financial information and consumer satisfaction survey results. The report introduces a few members of our staff of disability experts and it shares stories of success from a variety of our programs.

The report contains the following sections: Letters from the Board President and the Executive Director, our History and Mission, our 2014 accomplishments, our Services and Experts, Business Services, Consumer satisfaction and service data, our statement of financial position, and recognition of all our financial donors from 2014.

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MI Benefits Access

In 2009, it was reported that hundreds of millions of dollars in public benefits were going unclaimed. There were many factors that were limiting the ability of individuals and families to access these much needed benefit programs, including:

Lack of information about available benefits.
Excessive paperwork involved in the application process.
Uncertainty about eligibility requirements.
Lack of trust in public agencies.

MI Benefits Access is a public/private initiative created to streamline the benefits application process, increase online access to Department of Human Services programs, and coordinate local support services.

MI Benefits Access has created a collaborative network of non-profit organizations throughout the state. This portion of our website is focused on locally-based, community partner organizations and is structured to help you learn more about the initiative, access training, download helpful tools, explore benefit programs and get in touch!

Disability Network is a community navigation partner for the Michigan Benefits Access network. Among other things, this means should you need access to a public computer in order to check your benefits, you can do that at our Midland office. We can also offer assistance with the application process. For more information about the MI Benefits Access network, call our Midland office today at 989-835-4041.

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Community Feedback: Questions of the Month

We need your input! Here's an easy way for your voice to be heard!

As part of our on-going efforts to make our communities accessible, we're asking our readers questions each month. We'll use your answers, your suggestions, and your opinions as a basis for determining what we can do, in terms of services and advocacy, to build fully inclusive communities.

February 2015 Question:

During Michigan's Winter months, what are the biggest obstacles you face with regard to living independently? What resources do you make use of to overcome those obstacles?

Click here to submit your answer(s) to the question. Your responses will be anonymous and we will not share your name or email information with any third party.

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STATEMENT OF ACCESSIBILITY

DNMM advocates for the removal of barriers to independence and full inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the Mid-Michigan area. DNMM pledges to ensure accessibility. Each year, DNMM conducts a review of its own architectural, environmental, attitudinal, employment, communication, transportation, and other barriers that may exist which prohibit full access to our services.

If you have any issues of concern regarding the accessibility of DNMM services and facilities, we encourage you to share that information with us.

Please send your concerns or suggestions to:

Executive Director

Disability Network of Mid-Michigan

1705 S. Saginaw Road

Midland, MI 48640

Disability Network of Mid-Michigan is a CARF - Accredited, United Way non-profit agency serving:

Alcona, Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Iosco, Isabella, Midland, Ogemaw, Roscommon, and Saginaw counties.

In This Issue

Piano Palooza 2015!

Building a Better Workforce

Winter's Impact on Your Assistive Technology

Chuck's Independence Update

Disabilities Night at Discovery Museum

Disability Champion in US Senate Retires

Community Feedback: Question of the Month

Board of Directors

Officers:
Harry Leaver

- President

Teresa Oliver

- Vice President

Andrea Bridgewater

- Secretary

Norm Donker

- Treasurer

Members at Large:

Dr. Bill Bateman

Frank Champagne

Dr. Barbara Gibson

Mary Laforet

June Price

Jerry Pritchett

Tom Provoast

Mary Reif

Tim Troy

Executive Director:

David Emmel

On The Web

www.dnmm.org

Social Media

E-Mail
info@dnmm.org

ATTENTION STUDENTS!

Click here to join the Disability Network STAGES Facebook Group!

"There are very few people, even with the most severe disabilities, who cannot take control of their own lives. And there is no life without taking risks."

-Ed Roberts

Founder of the Independent Living Movement

Disability Network of

Mid-Michigan celebrates
25 years of promoting and encouraging independence for all people with disabilities.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Click the calendar above to view upcoming DNMM or community events!

Click to download our Core Services Brochure

Click to download the Michigan AT Loan Fund Brochure

Bridging the Gap Between Job Seekers with Disabilities & Employers Looking to Hire

Click here for information about Piano Palooza 2015!