Volume 15 / Number 1
EDITOR: Randy Alexander
MCIL is a community based non-profit organization whose primary mission is to facilitate the full integration of persons with disabilities into all aspects of civic life.
By Randy Alexander
Have your Private Duty Nursing services been cut or dropped entirely by TennCare? There has been a dramatic change in the state’s proposed cuts because of a recent lawsuit. In a previous Declaration we covered the efforts by TennCare to cut Home Health Care Private Duty Nursing services. In late 2008, twenty individuals who relied on TennCare for these supports filed suit asking a federal court to stop the TennCare home health cuts on an emergency basis. The plaintiffs contend that the cuts violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case is called Crabtree v Goetz, Crabtree being a consumer and one of the twenty who filed the suit, versus Dave Goetz, Commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of Finance and Administration.
On December 23, 2008 the court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, upholding an injunction. This temporarily stops these cuts to Home Health Private Duty Nursing until a list of steps and assurances is in place.
This is a big victory because many of these folks were about to be forced into institutions, families were contemplating quitting their jobs to provide care and worse.
So if TennCare has ALREADY cut, or is PLANNING to cut home nursing services for you or someone you know, we urge you to call the Tennessee Justice Center at 1-877-608-1009. Ask them if the Crabtree case can help you.
Over the past two years there have been some moves made by Mayor Herenton to restart the Mayor’s Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities. There seems to be more stops than starts.
That is, until recently. We have learned that the paper work and everything to start the Council is floating around aimlessly in the entrails of the city’s bureaucracy.
What’s the delay, right?
Well it’s time to take action. It’s time for Memphians with disabilities to demand that our voices are heard. You can take one quick action to make a difference. Write Mayor Herenton TODAY. Don’t wait; don’t put it off. Your brothers and sisters are counting on you.
Write a quick letter to Mayor Herenton and send us a copy (to the addresses below). Here is an example letter:
Mayor Willie W. Herenton
City Hall
125 N. Main St. Room 700
Memphis, TN 38103
Dear Mayor Herenton,
As a citizen of Memphis with a disability I have faced many obstacles to being a full member of the community. It is time that we, citizens with disabilities, have a means to address many of these obstacles in our city.
At this time I respectfully request that you start the Mayor’s Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities by June. I also respectfully request to be added to the contact list concerning the Council so I can stay abreast of the issues and be informed of upcoming meetings
Sincerely,
Your name, address (and phone number)
Don’t forget to mail or fax us a copy. This is an important step. We need a general idea of who and how many people have mailed in letters.
So send us a copy please to:
Randy Alexander
c/o MCIL
1633 Madison Ave
Memphis, TN 38104
Are you interested in joining the Mayor’s Advisory council? When the council starts back up, they are going to be looking for people to be involved. If you want your voice heard by being on the council, or participating in other ways, contact Randy to be placed on MCIL’s call list, 726-6404 or email randy@mcil.org.
Picture Ommitted of Anthony Sledge and Sandi Klink after accepting the 2008 Excellence in Partnership Award
On November 10, 2008 the Mayor’s 2008 Housing & Community Development Awards for Excellence Breakfast was held at the Benjamin Hooks Library. Anthony Sledge, Housing Coordinator/Home Modifications Specialist, and Sandi Klink, Assistant Director of MCIL, were present to accept an award for MCIL for the partnership and collaboration with the Division of Housing and Community Development. This collaboration came after MCIL was awarded a $50,000 grant to become a clearinghouse and establish a website consisting of viable housing sources that could be used by disabled individuals seeking accessible housing.
Anthony prescreens and handles the referrals to the Tennessee Housing Development Agency/Housing and Community Development Retrofit program, which assists low income homeowners with modifications to their homes up to $15,000 total cost. Several other recipients were also honored by Housing and Community Development. The breakfast keynote speaker was Mr. Cato Johnson, Vice President Methodist Hospital Systems.
For more information on home modifications, housing issues or other disability related housing needs please contact Anthony at 726-6404 or Anthony@mcil.org.
Suzanne Colsey-Board Chair
Kevin Lofton-Vice Chair
Louis Patrick-Board Treasurer
Richard Owen-Board Recorder
Teresa Anderson
Belinda Hardy
Carolyn Head
Birtha Street
Angela Von Maurer
Board meetings are at 5:30PM on the thirds Wednesday of the month, unless otherwise scheduled see calendar page or www.mcil.org for more info. The MCIL Board meetings are open to all, so please come and be involved.
It’s a new President and a new Congress. That means a new Community Choice Act.
It’s the same legislation, with the same goal to end the institutional bias in the Medicaid program by giving individuals who are eligible for nursing facility services or other institutional “care” equal access to community-based services and supports, like attendant services.
People with disabilities, young and old, overwhelmingly prefer to live in their own home and community rather than receive assistance in a nursing facility or other institution. Unfortunately, we do not have a right to those services and states can still choose whether or not to provide services in the community.
So, it is time to make the mighty push, to have this congress and our new President Obama to pass the Community Choice Act. The bill is already about to be re-introduced by Senator Harkin and others. Prior to that, ADAPT has won a victory and has scheduled a conference call with administration officials to discuss strategies and next steps.
There is a lot of work to be done, and you can help. There are many ways you can support the Community Choice Act. The first and easiest step is to call your Congressperson.
Even if you don’t know who your representative is, you can call (202) 224-3121, give the operator your zip code, and they will put your call through. Then when you get your representative’s office, let the person who answers know that you want your representative to support the Community choice Act when it is introduced. Then ask that your representative write you on whether or not they support the Community Choice Act.
Another easy step is to report back to us and let us know the results. We want to track who supports the Community Choice Act, and who does not. Just call or email Randy at 726-6404 or randy@mcil.org.
If you have internet access and want the latest news and Action alerts go to our web site, www.mcil.org, and click on MCIL Action Alerts to sign up for our email list.
There will be lots of ways you can help pass the Community Choice Act, so be ready!
Picture Ommitted of Bennett in Washington D.C. at the last ADAPT action.
If it’s Wednesday morning, I am at Shrine school. Once a week, Mr. Faulk generously donates his classroom space for me to interact directly with a small but loyal group of teenaged students. Unless a school holiday gives the students a break, I’m there hosting lessons and the resulting discussions on transitioning into some form of independent adulthood.
Except for a couple of months ago.
I was asked not to return after faculty at the school became aware of a recent opinion piece in the Memphis Center for Independent Living’s last newsletter. Lynda Von Maurer had written a short column about her experience as a student at Shrine. Lynda left Shrine and is now doing very well at Overton High School. Revisiting Lynda’s article is not the focus of my column. Just be aware that it was less than flattering to Shrine and its curriculum.
My weekly visits over the past three months provide me with only a brief glimpse into the world of Shrine school and all those who inhabit its walls during a regular school day. All I can offer are my own impressions, based on ten weeks of Wednesday mornings.
Shrine exclusively serves students with disabilities. This is apparent upon entering the front door. Corridors are lined with vacant wheelchairs. Staff, many of them in scrubs, assist the younger children with maneuvering themselves down the hall. The bells and mad, loud rushes one would find in a mainstream public school are noticeably missing. The atmosphere is much more muted, save for the occasional call from an unseen child who may be protesting her therapy or simply seeking a little additional attention. The expected chaos of a more typical teenage world is not to be found here. Shrine is, for better or worse, an incredibly safe environment.
This is likely comforting for the most dramatically disabled pupils. Those children make up a considerable portion of the student body. While many of the more obviously capable youth have taken Lynda’s path and pursued education within a recently improved mainstream school system, many with profound cognitive and medical needs have remained at Shrine. The city school system has determined that Shrine will be the only school equipped to address those needs.
Again, Shrine is a very safe school. But it may not be the best environment for every child. A student may remain at Shrine through the age of 22, but they will not receive a diploma upon completion. This does not make it a bad environment. With the challenges some youth face, a high school diploma may be out of reach in any environment. The student and her parents must weigh their own priorities when considering a choice of schools. For some young people, like Lynda, the best path to a rewarding and fulfilled life is a more mainstream approach to education. Others choose to put a greater priority on medical needs, where Shrine excels.
Each young person is an individual, which is why they each have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The best thing a parent can do for his or her child is to attend each and every IEP meeting. Schedule them as often as necessary. Bring your child with you. Listen to the teachers and faculty in those meetings. They know your child better than you sometimes want to admit. Also listen to your child. Kids have things they want to accomplish and ideas of how to reach those goals. For some, Shrine will be the best path. For others, another route holds more promise. In the end, the staff of Shrine want your child to succeed as much as you do. They are not there to hold him back, even if another school is a better fit.
After a meeting and some negotiations, MCIL won my re-entry into Shrine school. This Wednesday I will be back there, once again talking about the “real world” with Mr. Faulk’s students. They each will face a great many challenges, but both the MCIL and Shrine staff are hoping that—with a little preparation and a great deal of work—these young people will be able to overcome the real world’s obstacles to reach the real world’s rewards.
Picture Ommitted of Ms. Williams and the Mitzvah Day Build Crew after completing the ramp.
Once again, in a collaborative effort for the greater good of helping someone who was in need, Memphis Center for Independent Living and Temple Israel teamed up for Mitzvah Day. So, hats off to the men and women of the Temple Israel Synagogue and MCIL for all the coordination and work to complete this project. This act of unselfish kindness can only be explained by the grace of those wanting to serve others.
I received an e-mail from a person living in the South Memphis area. The letter stated that a neighbor was in desperate need of a wheelchair ramp. The letter stated that it took 5 men to carry her from the porch to the van just to be able to go to doctor appointments. It has always been a challenge for that person to leave home.
Dr. Charles Plesofsky, a member of Temple Israel Synagogue, contacted me looking to team with MCIL to build a ramp for someone who needed one. I immediately thought of Ms. Williams. She had applied to MCIL’s ramp program, but due to an extensive waiting list I could not offer her any assistance. On November 2, 2008 a group of volunteers from different occupations and backgrounds gathered together to build a ramp for Ms. Williams. She was a prime candidate to receive this ramp. Not only is she disabled, she also she takes care of a disabled daughter.
We worked from 9:00 a.m. until 7:30 that night using the headlights on my truck to help us finish the last of the rails. In the wake of this presidential election, with an African-American candidate’s slogan of “YES WE CAN”, it really hit home to be able to work with men of a different faith but all of us believing in the greater good of service.
Picture Ommitted of volunteers getting ready for the 2008 MCIL Open House. From left to right top; Renee Ford, Donna DeMay-Medlin, Angela Von Maurer, Marie Brough, Teresa Anderson, front row from left, Sandi Klink and Melissa Allen
Friday, December 5th was the date of one of the best fundraising events in MCIL history. Although attendance numbers were down some, the Silent Auction was well attended and the Gift Shoppe sold many items.
With the current state of the economy it is understandable that we did not raise as much as the last two years but we cleared over $3,000.00. The success of this year’s Open House was completely due to Friends of MCIL. This committee worked tirelessly to solicit items, put baskets together, talk the band into working for free and asking their network of friends to donate all kinds of items.
Many, many thanks to Executive Chef, Andreas Kisler of the Memphis Peabody Hotel for beautiful and delicious food, D. Canale for the adult beverages and our many business donors who gave us gift certificates, artwork, electronics or other items for baskets.
This year’s donors included: Wheelchair Getaways, Peabody Memphis, Healthchoice, Outback, Memphis Ballroom Dancing, Pilates of Collierville, Molly’s LaCasita, Malco theatres, Nora Tucker and Hank Sable, Ruby Tuesdays, Steak N Shake, Cordova Bowling, Busters Liquors, WKNO, The Peddler Bike shop, Memphis Zoo, The Massage Institute, Circuit/Playhouse on the Square, O’Charley’s, Gould’s, Corkeys, Bookstar, Davis-Kidd, AAA Services – Chem Dry Carpet Cleaning, BA Framer, Pei Wei Diner, Therapeutic Bodywork, artist Mollie Jaye Riggs and the many other individuals who donated items used in baskets!
So many folks work hard on this event every year but we are always looking for ideas and volunteers to help MCIL raise much needed funding all through the year! Join us as the Friends of MCIL plan for a Chili and Cornbread supper and other fund raising events for 2009. The Friends of MCIL meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 5:30 in the Admin office if you have an interest in fundraising.
Information on MATA and MATAplus
MATA services: Not just MATAPlus (paratransit) buses but almost all MATA fixed-route/mainline buses are now wheelchair accessible.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act:
Picture:Ommitted of raised container, prepped for planting.
MCIL is starting a community garden, and we need your help. We are looking for people interested in working in the garden, organizing the garden and supporting the MCIL Community Garden. We are one of four new gardens in the Grow Memphis Community Gardens from the Mid South Peace & Justice Center, and we are excited to have this opportunity to learn a lot about gardening and teaching folks too.
Our Primary goal is to have an accessible garden that is inexpensive, self sustaining and helps the environment. Plus, the garden area will be a great way for our community to come together and teach one another gardening ideas like how to grow a garden in a small area or make a garden accessible. It will also make a great center point for discussions on eating right, our impact on the environment and more.
We will be exploring a lot of ideas in accessible gardening that hopefully might help you find ways to reduce your food costs or make a few dollars because when living on SSI every dollar counts. If its not making or saving money maybe you just want to grow yourself some fresh vegetables but didn’t know how.
If you want to work in, help run or assist with the garden in other ways please contact Randy, 726-6404 or randy@mcil.org.
MCIL Spring Fling
Friday April 17th 4:00-7:00PM
Food-Fun And MORE
Please RSVP by contacting Christina at Christina@mcil.org Or 726-6404
In January, 2007], MCIL received a cash settlement resulting from a class action lawsuit filed by Memphis Area Legal Services in conjunction with the Center. This money allowed the Center to establish our Home Modification program. To date that program has spent $244,000 serving some 42 persons.
This program allowed for persons to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to get their homes modified to meet disability-related needs. We have built exterior and interior ramps, widened doors, installed grab bars in bathrooms and bedrooms, installed roll-in showers and much more. While several projects cost the maximum $10,000, the smallest amount paid was around $250.00.
I feel very fortunate to have been the Project Manger overseeing this project. It has been a rewarding experience to be able assist individuals who have been trapped in their homes or prevented from being able to get into or use certain areas of their homes. This program is very much needed and has helped a lot of consumers. As funds are available, MCIL will continue to provide quality, timely service.
Editorials & Observations:
There is one way to ensure that nothing changes, that is by DOING NOTHING.
Whether it is lack of access to a local store, the fact you live in one of the ten worst states (Tennessee) in keeping people out of institutions, haggling with vocational rehabilitation or the myriad of other life obstacles society places in front of us there is one way to create change and one way to be sure nothing changes. That is through your participation or lack thereof.
In this issue of the Declaration there are two Action Alerts asking for your assistance in creating change. By participating in these Action Alerts you can, through these simple actions, make a difference.
I understand the feelings that life and society can bring down on you, that things just don’t change, no matter how hard you work at it. It can feel that way. But change can happen, it just takes a lot of work and a lot of time. The Civil rights Act, didn’t pass after the first protest, or first lynching for that matter. Child labor laws didn’t pass after the fist child died while being worked to death. It was not Lincoln’s original intent to end slavery. It was only after freed African-Americans served and died in the civil war that he realized he was morally obligated to eradicate slavery once and for all time. Great change comes from the time and effort of a great many people. And that includes you.
So your participation, in itself, may not create change, but us all working together can. So join the MCIL Action Alert, and be ready to make history.
If you are going to attend a MCIL event and/or you need any of our materials in an alternative format or interpreter services please notify us at least five working days in advance of the event.
This project is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education & United Way of the Mid-South