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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 community life.
The Declaration! is the newsletter of The Memphis Center for Independent Living. We have listed on our website all the newsletters since the summer of 1996. The Declaration! is printed quarterly and is available in alternate format, either tape or disk, with all the news of MCIL events and issues of the various grass-roots organizations in contact with the center.
2005
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MCIL Celebrates 20 Years
The Memphis Center for Independent Living has been around now for twenty years. As with most Centers for Independent Living, MCIL comes from a rich history of disability rights and the core belief of consumer control. In the early days of MCIL, there were some struggles. In Memphis, funding for a Center for Independent Living was first awarded to the West Tennessee Easter Seals Society.
At that time it’s safe to say, while Easter Seals had a Center for Independent Living (CIL) here in Memphis, it did not provide a suitable environment for a CIL to function and grow. Consider the typical coffee day pity drive of the time: “HELP ME SEND A CRIPPLED KID TO CAMP, BUY A COFFEE DAY BUTTON” From coffee day buttons to telethons using pity to raise money is a pity drive, not a very empowering environment, to say the least. It was time for change!
In response, five individuals established Access All Areas as a non-profit agency for the purpose of seizing control of the CIL and its funds. This effort was successful. Easter Seal Society chose to relinquish control of the CIL and its funds rather than meet demands to give consumers control of its Board of Directors and adopt an Independent Living Philosophy. The name of the corporation was later changed to match its public name, the Memphis Center for Independent Living. Our activities, structure, philosophy and focus are driven by a rich history of advocacy, self help, peer support and civil rights. Empowering consumers to take on the system, scream out, “No More”!
And empower the Center has done. In the early years of the Center paratransit services were NOT run by MATA as they are now but instead by Yellow Cab. Deborah Cunningham recalls, “The owner of Yellow Cab was completely insensitive toward his employees and his customers and the service reflected his attitude and lack of decent service”. Yellow cab was also hiring employees for minimum wage and with no benefits.
So MCIL empowered people to get involved. Deborah Cunningham explained, “The Center helped to organize paratransit consumers in demanding better and more equal service. We held meetings with Yellow Cab and MATA, we walked the picket lines with the drivers and were threatened with arrest which helped generate media exposure to the problem.”
MCIL has taken on many big issues here in Memphis over the last twenty years. From the paratransit system to, as Sandi Klink said, “Being strong enough to gather people to stand up to the city and file a lawsuit.” MCIL continues forward, even recently helping file a lawsuit against several apartment builders for Fair Housing Act violations.
Teaching, empowering and taking on issues is what the Memphis Center for Independent Living has done well over the last twenty years. All of us at MCIL promise to continue in this effort, to empower others in joining together to take on the issues. So join us, become involved.
- Randy Alexander
In February of 2000 I received a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA) telling me I had been overpaid, that I was going to lose my benefits and have to pay them back. For the past six years I had only been working part time; I had returned all requested forms and answered all of SSA’s questions. Just like many others I was dumbfounded. On top of that when I received the notification that my benefits were being terminated, I was three weeks post op and not working at all.
I immediately called my local SSA office in hysterics, what do I do? I probably received the same response most folks do; you must come into the office. Tearfully and very incoherently I explained that I still had stitches and was unable to travel any distance and certainly not the 45 miles to my local office.
The SSA representative said that they would mail me my waiver applications and to come in as soon as I was able to but not to worry; they would put a note in my record that I had called. Unfortunately I assumed this meant I had received an extension, NOT. In the mean time I filled out and returned the waiver for the overpayment and I also found a full time job, with an employer who understood my disability.
Some time passed and still no response from SSA, until unexpectedly my tax return was seized. SSA had withheld my tax return for compensation for the overpayment they said I owed. I then contacted the new Benefits Specialist at MCIL and asked her advice. She informed me that there are several work incentives I could use and that I had the right to fight this. With these work incentives I should not have an overpayment and therefore I would not owe SSA any money. So together we reviewed all the letters, copies of completed SSA forms and correspondence to create a timeline of benefits, wages, exemptions and work expenses.
Upon review of my records, several discrepancies were found and additional letters were requested to validate my IRWE (Impairment Related Work Expense) and other work incentives. We put it all together and delivered it to SSA.
It was several months later I found out SSA said I still owed them. I wasn’t about to give up; I knew I had the right to appeal that decision. So, in writing I requested to appeal this decision. The Benefit Specialist that had been helping me and I met with the appeals person at SSA. After presenting my position and sighting evidence and interpretations of SSA’s own regulations the appeals person from SSA told me were wrong. I still owed the money.
A few weeks later I received confirmation, a letter, saying that not only did I owe the overpayment but money from earlier too. The letter stated I had one more process of appeal with the Administrative Law Judge. I was not about to give in now! I filed the paperwork to take my appeal before the Administrative Law Judge.
Approximately two months later I received an acknowledgement of my request and was told that I could designate a representative or attorney to represent me and that their office would contact me at least 30 days prior to my hearing. More than six months later I did receive a date for my hearing. Overpayment cases are very seldom profitable for lawyers, and I knew with my income I could not afford an attorney; I turned again to MCIL. I requested the assistance of an Independent Living Specialist at MCIL who had been trained as a Benefits Specialist before joining the staff at MCIL.
Together we reviewed all of the records the Benefits Specialist put together, researched, consulted with others, prepared written statements and much more. Armed as best as we could be, we went to the hearing.
As both my representative and I use wheelchairs, the hearing room had to be rearranged which did cause my stomach to knot a little more but the judge was a complete professional. It was all somewhat formal. We were sworn in. I gave statements about the run around I had been given by SSA Representatives, the conflicting information SSA reps had given me, evidence covering dates of employment, amounts of income, timeline of benefits and much more.
Just under three months later I received a large packet from the Hearing office, I just couldn’t face any more bad news that day so I waited and opened it a couple days later. I couldn’t believe what I was reading! I won! I actually won! I didn’t have to pay the overpayment back!
The process took more than four years but being free of this debt is worth all the struggles and stress. Social Security can be intimidating but if you keep good records, know your responsibilities and have good people in your corner, you can not only survive the system but overcome it as well.
New laws and changes in Social security have made a huge difference in keeping your benefits longer, but you must stay educated and get advice BEFORE you get into a situation such as mine. If you receive SSI or SSDI and want to work or are working, make sure you talk to a Benefits Specialist to stay out of the quicksand that SSA can create for you.
- Sandi Klink
Mardi Gras Party
Feb 7th 5:30-Till
Eat, Drink & Plan
Call for more info
By Brian McGuire, AARP Tennessee Legislative Director
The statistics are bad:
Tennessee is dead last among the 50 states in offering non-institutional alternatives to nursing home care for frail elderly and disabled adults.
Over 95 percent of our billion-dollar long-term care budget for this population goes toward nursing home care.
Only a few hundred Tennesseans currently receive home and community based services through Medicaid, as compared to 27,500 people in nursing homes.
The anecdotal reality is worse:
On a recent visit to Bordeaux Long Term Care in Nashville, I looked around the day room, and found the average age of the residents there was well under 50 – most were not even old enough to be AARP members! The staff there told me that well over 1/3 of their residents were younger folks. And many of the residents – older and otherwise – have only the most modest medical problems or disabilities. With a few services and supports, they could easily live independently in the community.
The fact that we have a long-term care “system” in Tennessee that is highly biased toward institutions comes as no surprise to elderly and disabled folks who have tried to find help getting long-term care. But that’s only half the outrage. The fact is that, because alternative services are cheaper, states that offer a full range of choices in care settings actually spend less money and serve more people.
While AARP is focusing the great majority of volunteer, lobbying, media and other resources on this campaign, it is not one we wish to own or run. If we are to succeed, we need the help and leadership of people with disabilities, churches, civic groups, business leaders, and taxpayer organizations.
We appreciate the enthusiastic reception we have received from the Memphis Center for Independent Living and like-minded groups across the state. Please consider joining this effort as we move forward together in the coming months.
Many people believe that Social Security will stop their disability check as soon as they go to work. However, legislation in recent years has made some drastic changes in the way that Social Security views working. There have been several new work incentives put into place that now allow a person to go to work and not have their disability check and insurance cut off.
For instance, the Social Security Administration (SSA) allows a person receiving SSDI to earn up to $830 in “countable income” per month before his/her check is stopped. Income used for disability-related expenses is not counted. There are some other ways to reduce countable income as well. This allows a person to earn more than the earnings limit, and keep the SSDI check for longer.
People receiving SSI have different rules about income. There is a gradual reduction in SSI based on earnings. Similarly, certain types of income don’t count – therefore, it doesn’t reduce the SSI check amount. People getting SSI/Medicaid can keep their Medicaid even if they are earning so much that their SSI check stops. There are special rules you need to know.
MCIL is hosting a work incentive workshop on Thursday, April 14, 2005, 10 am – 12 pm at 1633 Madison Avenue. It will cover SSI work incentives, SSDI work incentives, Medicare and Medicaid protection, and employment options. There will be a special emphasis on searching for federal jobs via the internet.
You must call to reserve your seat because space is limited. Please RSVP to Hope Johnson at (901) 726-6404 or
Hope_J@tndisability.org.
- Hope Johnson
JoJo Jeffries and opening act Andy Tate Saturday February 12, 7 to 9 pm. Live auction, door prizes for a fund raiser for ADAPT of TN. $5.00 cover, call Randy, 726-6404 for more info.
Tennessee continues to warehouse people in nursing homes in spite of the fact that state officials know there are many ways to keep people in their own homes AND save the state millions of dollars. One excellent way for the state to save money and free people from nursing homes is to institute the policies and procedures known as “Money Follows the Person” (MFP).
It really is about choices and rights. Disability is part of life. Whether disability is temporary, from birth, acquired as a result of injury or through aging, almost everyone will need a little support services in his or her life. But, just because you need support, why should you be forced into a nursing home? The state of Tennessee has decided your Medicaid money should almost only be spent for Nursing home care.
I ask you, what about choosing how my Medicaid money is spent on me? Money Follows the Person allows just that. If you lived in a nursing home you could choose to move out and into your own home, and Medicaid would pay for your services. In your home, where YOU live, where YOU make the decisions about how YOU live your life you know, like an American.
Let’s not kid ourselves here. It’s about the money. And the power. Tennessee spends $898 million per year for institutional care and only $6 million on home and community based services. Does that sound like an equitable system? Did you vote to spend a disproportionate amount of Medicaid funds on nursing home care? On nursing home care versus caring for persons in their communities? Do you really think the tens of thousands of people in nursing homes in Tennessee choose to be in those institutions rather than in their own homes? Do you? Really?
Money Follows the Person would help achieve some equity. If an individual chose to move out of the nursing and receive services in his or her own home, the state would simply move the money from nursing home care to community-based, in-home services.
Other states have done this with great results. Texas has been doing this for over a year. Over 1,350 Texans have moved out of nursing homes, saving the state significant funds. The savings come from the fact that, on average the cost of supports for an individual in the community are 1/3 less then the supports for that individual in a nursing home.
The biggest arguments against Money Follows I have heard are that it will bump others from waiting lists for community-based services and that there will be people coming out of the woodwork, a ground swell of new Medicaid recipients. Wrong!
Money Follows the Person does NOT bump people on waiting lists because it takes money from nursing homes funds, not from community-based waiver funds. States are already required to provide nursing home care. Money Follows is ONLY about people already in a nursing home, already receiving Medicaid, who want to move out. This is also why there would not be a groundswell of new cases or consumers. There are no waiting lists for Nursing home services. PLUS, the Federal Government has already told states they can do Money Follows if they want.
So, what do we need to do? We must educate our state Legislators, state Medicaid/TennCare officials and Governor Bredesen. For now let’s concentrate on our legislators. What can you do? Call your state legislator and tell them you want Money Follows the Person in our state! If you do not know who your state legislator is, call us; we will look up your precinct info and the phone number for you.
For more information feel free to call or email Randy at randy@mcil.org
or 901/726-6404.
Editorials & Observations: Randy Alexander
We have a responsibility to our fellow man to come together and hold Governor Bredesen accountable. It is time for a revolution in this state. Governor Bredesen has bullied advocacy groups, manipulated the media and imprisoned thousands in this state simply because they have a disability. If we do not come together and take a stand the fall of TennCare is only the beginning.
Over 6,500 individuals, in Tennessee nursing homes have expressed they want out. They are being held prisoners by the states unwillingness to allow for appropriate, needs-based, consumer controlled, community based services. This is a travesty, and nothing short of the worst type of discrimination.
The state is practicing wholesale discrimination deciding that we, people with disabilities, do not deserve the basic freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution. Tennessee is using state dollars, our tax money, to systematically remove thousands of disabled Tennesseans from our communities. We MUST hold Governor Bredesen accountable for this violation of our basic human rights.
Throughout history we have seen the tragedies that occur when groups of people have their freedoms taken away. We must come together now! ADAPT and MCIL are moving forward to bring light to how we can hold the Governor accountable and ideas on how the state can, FREE OUR PEOPLE!
We need you in this fight for Freedom! Whether you are willing to make phone calls, raise money, write letters or be involved in direct action we ALL need to come together! Come by, call, email, come to a meeting or a training and ask how you can join in this revolution!
FREE OUR PEOPLE!
MCIL would like to recognize several donors: Sponsors are individuals or companies who have donated at least $100.00, Benefactors have donated $500.00 or more. A great big thank you to all these generous donors! If you would like to make a donation to MCIL please contact Renee at 726-6404. Although sponsors are recognized in the Declaration any donation from $1.00 up can help MCIL do the vital work needed for the civil rights of people with disabilities.
Sponsors:
Jeff Muse
Muse Heating and Air, Inc
Mr. Muradali Dossa
Whitten Road Fuel Mart, Inc.
Benefactors:
Ann S. Muchmore
Truck Market
c/o Dwight
Randy Alexander Editor
MEMPHIS CENTER For INDEPENDENT LIVING 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.
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Throughout the summer and leading up to a BIG event in October, the Memphis Center for Independent Living (MCIL) is celebrating its 20th year in Memphis. Looking back there are many victories, big and small. The most recent is with the Department of Justice winning a settlement against ten Memphis firms. In the settlement 375 apartments in five complexes will have to be retrofitted. “Accessible apartments are a key to allowing individuals with disabilities to reside in neighborhood communities,” said R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. We are pleased that [this] agreement will expand the pool of accessible housing in Tennessee and Mississippi.”
Along with housing issues we are deeply involved with consumers changing many issues that face all of us. We have consumers and groups working for better access from businesses to city and county government (including curb cuts) to private issues to public and all things in between. Remember, it is not us, the person with the disability that needs to change: it is society barriers that block us from equality.
Our most focused efforts are in freeing our brothers and sisters that want out of nursing homes, equitable involvement in the building of and access to our community, integrated, affordable and accessible housing and a comprehensive and accessible transportation system. Our greatest accomplishments occur when many of us join together and take on issues as a group. The more of us that come together, the louder our voice will be.
The Memphis Center for Independent Living is about YOU! That is why we are looking for your involvement. In this Declaration you will find several ways to get involved. Whether you become involved by calling your Congress person, writing a letter, joining us for trainings and/or meetings, helping with fundraising or however you can become involved, just do it. The more of us there are, the more they have to listen
The Memphis Center for Independent Living along with Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital and Malco Theaters will be presenting “Rolling.” Malco’s Paridiso Theather at 584 S. Mendenhall will be showing this groundbreaking documentary June 14th at 7:30 as a fundraiser for MCIL. Tickets are available ONLY at MCIL @ $10.00 per person.
The following is an excerpt from New Mobility: June 2004 By Cathy
Shufro.
The film “Rolling” might have turned out to be "Gimp 101"--video sequences showing people in wheelchairs washing dishes, transferring to the driver's seat, wheeling down sidewalks.
When she began work on the film, producer Dr. Gretchen Berland didn't know what to expect. Although she'd made documentaries for public television before attending medical school, this time she took a very different approach. Instead of planning what to film and then hiring a camera crew to shoot it, she simply gave cameras to her subjects--three Los Angeles-area residents who used wheelchairs--and waited to see what would emerge. "I had no idea what those three people would film," recalls Berland.
"They began to film more than the processes of care. They began to film stories of their lives." Over the course of almost two years, the three recorded 212 hours of tape. From that raw material, Berland and her co-director, Rhode Island film editor Michael Majoros, crafted a 71-minute documentary. The result is a film, says Berland, that "makes the invisible visible."
Rolling won the top award for documentaries at the Independent Film Project competition for works in progress, held in New York City last fall, and in February, the film was screened at New York's Lincoln Center. That night, Milton Tabott of the Independent Film Project praised “Rolling” for contributing to a long tradition of using documentary film for advocacy.
"I've never seen anything like that before, where the filmmaker didn't try to manipulate the material," says Workman. "It's very easy for a [documentary] filmmaker to manipulate and push an agenda. She was allowing the reality to speak to us. She was allowing the disabled people to speak to us."
Berland said her mother reported seeing the world very differently after watching the film. "She said, 'I'll never look at a person in a wheelchair the same way. I'll look at streets differently, I'll look at doors differently, I'll look at sidewalks differently,'" says Berland. "If I achieve that for others who see the film, I will have succeeded. That is making the invisible visible."
MATA complaint line is 522-9175 for both MATAPlus and fixed route buses.
When making a complaint, ALWAYS get a confirmation number and ask for a written response. You may have to ask for a confirmation number because they are not always given voluntarily but be sure to get a number.
Filing a complaint regarding problems with MATAPlus:
Filing a complaint regarding problems with fixed route buses:
MCIL is collecting these complaints. To help with the process, email or write your complaint down along with the confirmation number and send to Randy Alexander at transit@mcil.org or through the mail at the MCIL address. If you do not have e-mail, you may also call Randy at 726-6404 or Betty Anderson at 274-2247.
By: Linda Von Maurer
For spring break I went on my first ADAPT action. I went to Nashville with several other people who are in the ADAPT group.
First I attended an ADAPT training session in Legislative Plaza. Then we went on to a TennCare meeting and then to a TennCare rally. The next day we had a press conference on money follows the person. After the press conference we blocked a major street in front of the capital building.
The reason that we did this was because we want people out of nursing homes and into their own homes. Our homes not nursing homes. After a short time of protesting two state troopers and six police cars showed up to arrest us. I got onto the sidewalk so that I would not be arrested. Five of the ADAPTers were arrested. While the police were making the arrests they left their police cars blocking the street.
I agreed with the ADAPT action because I don’t want to live in a nursing home. Sometime you have to protest to get people’s attention. I would do an ADAPT action again.
Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 great strides have been made in many aspects of life for people with disabilities. The Memphis Center for Independent Living (MCIL), along with many others, works tirelessly to address access issues in the community. We also realize, however, that the housing stock available in Memphis is far behind the needs of people with disabilities. Housing built today well be the housing we are stuck with in our future. As the numbers of people with disabilities living in the community grows and our society ages, we will have even a greater demand for accessible, integrated and affordable housing. That is why we see promoting social change through all new housing as an important aspect of inclusion in the Memphis area.
To promote such change we see two fundamental areas that we ALL could work towards: advocating for our rights under the Fair Housing Act and promoting the concept of Visitability.
Your right to equal access, to rental housing and homeownership opportunities is protected in the Fair Housing Act. Discrimination can come in many forms from physical access issues in new multi-family dwellings to predatory loan practices and more. If you feel your rights have been violated, contact MCIL for information on what steps you can take.
At this time the city of Memphis does NOT have a Visitability ordinance. We are promoting the idea of
Visitability and, as more people understand its implications for our future and the simplicity to enact such an ordinance, we will begin pushing for Visitability for ALL new housing in Memphis.
Builders of single family housing continue to build barriers to those with mobility issues. This truly effects everyone in our community from the young to the old, from the resident to the visitor. Inaccessible homes also cost our community greatly. When a home must be adapted with a ramp, wider doorways, etc., the resident must come up with the money, use community resources or the individual must move out. Additionally, individuals, young and old and their families are socially isolated because these architectural barriers in homes prevent visiting their friends, neighbors and extended family.
A new concept in home design, called Visitability can provide basic access for ALL to new homes. A new home can be made Visitable simply by:
Creating one zero-step entrance on an accessible route
All interior ground floor doorways with 32 inches of clear passage space, including the bathroom
At least a half bath, preferably a full bath, on the ground floor
Placing light switches, electric outlets and other controls at reachable heights
Incorporating these features in new construction usually does not add more than $150 to the purchase price and does not significantly change the design of the home.
Visitable homes should be ALL NEW homes, not just “special homes” built for residents with disabilities. When ALL NEW homes are built visitable they are also built for residents without disabilities. Visitable homes allow their owners to invite friends, neighbors and relatives with disabilities to enjoy life’s activities in the home. Visitability is also about the homeowner who may incur a disability or need the use of a walker, wheelchair or other mobility device because of issues that come with aging or disability.
Several cities and states have passed Visitablity ordinances or demonstration projects such as; Atlanta, San Antonio Austin, Kansas and Vermont just to name a few. As this idea grows in the Memphis area we will be calling on many of you to join us in a grassroots movement to promote social change, through all new housing.
For more information on the Fair Housing Act and Visitability please contact MCIL at 726-6404.
The state knows of 6,458 individuals, in Tennessee, who have expressed they want out of the nursing home.
This Administration continues its policies of isolationism and segregation by spending $149 for nursing home care per $1 for home and community based services.
Tennessee spends $898 million a year on nursing homes to only $6 million for home and community based services
It is time for Governor Bredesen to change the system NOW! If you know or are a person in a nursing home, in danger of going into a nursing home or just want the system to change, write the Governor TODAY!. Tell Governor Bredesen your concerns and that you want services in your home, NOT a nursing home.
Governors Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001
We are also collecting copies of those letters. You can email them to randy@mcil.org
or drop them by personally or mail to MCIL.
MICASSA is back!
MICASSA would change Medicaid to provide choices to long term care. For more info call us at MCIL. Your Congress person needs to hear from you. Call your Senator and Representative today and ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor to MICASSA, known as SB 401 for Senators and HB 410 for your Rep.
Stop HUD Reform
Major changes are coming that are not equitable for people with disabilities and of low income. Urge your Senators and Representatives to oppose the forthcoming HUD bill.
To call your Senators or your Representative call 888/818-6641 and ask for your Congressman by name. If you are not sure who that is call us at MCIL first and we will help you
These are three quick things YOU can do, to make a difference.
The following is a letter that has been sent to Mayor Herenton and both the Memphis Flyer & the Commercial Appeal’s Letters to the Editor.
Dear Mayor Herenton,
A year before your first term as Mayor of the City of Memphis the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H. Bush. The ADA guarantees equal civil rights for Americans with disabilities, which includes physical access. Since that time Memphians with disabilities have continually battled this city for equal treatment as guaranteed under the ADA. We have used many tactics in the pursuit of equality; we have attempted to educate city officials, held meetings, trainings and protests. Yet the city continues even today, under your leadership, to violate the rights of Memphians with disabilities.
Under your Administration there are daily examples of overt and subtle discrimination, segregation and isolationism aimed at people with disabilities. The newly renovated Court Square Park is grossly inaccessible. Yeah, the sidewalk is nice but if I wanted on the bandstand or the grass, I might as well stay home. Just the other day I called several city departments, including city engineering, in an attempt to address several access issues, including a much needed curb cut, and not one city official would write down, let alone listen to my issues. Everyone was more eager to say, “We don’t deal with ADA concerns here,” and refer me somewhere else. Many departments referred me to the Mayors Citizens Service Center. When I called the Center and told them I had some access issues, including curb cuts, they informed me, “We wouldn’t pass that type of concern on to anyone.” Maybe it should be named the Mayors Able Bodied Only Citizens Service Center. There are many, many other examples: improper sidewalks, poles in the middle of ramps, not providing information in accessible formats. All are far too common from your administration.
Mayor Herenton, I challenge you and your administration to change your policies, practices and attitudes now. It is time to take a proactive stance and work with leaders in the community with disabilities, to end discrimination towards people with disabilities. A good beginning to a proactive Administration could be an active advisory council primarily filled with people with various disabilities and strong advocacy skills. One that would be multidisciplinary and look at all aspects of city government, including, but not limited to, evaluating and making recommendations on new and the retrofitting of old projects, recommending changes to policies and practices of your Administration, and input into other aspects of city government.
The time for change is now. As the Community Organizer at the Memphis Center for Independent Living, I know many people from all around Memphis that are willing to put forth their time and effort in order to create a more equitable community. How that happens is up to you.
CONSUMER On-Line
SATISFACTION SURVEY. Please, take a few moments to fill out this
on-line survey.
This project is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education & UnitedWay of the Mid South
Randy Alexander Editor
MEMPHIS CENTER For INDEPENDENT LIVING 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.
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At the printing of this newsletter the Save TennCare Capitol “Sit-In” has lasted over 40 days. These individuals have been in the capitol in an attempt not only to save TennCare but to force Bredesen to be responsive to the citizens of this state. The group has had two demands:
Halt all termination letters immediately, and end the process for cutting enrollment and the reduction of benefit limits.
Provide a written agreement to resume talks, to review reforms and revenue generation that could allow TennCare to be maintained for those who are proposed to be cut and receive benefit limits.
That these talks happen in manner fully accessible to the public.
That they engage enrollees and medical professionals chosen from and with in this participating group.
Instead of working toward reform Governor Bredesen has continued down the path to eliminate coverage to 323,000 individuals and severally limit services to another 400,000. These are the largest cuts to health care any state has ever made. Instead of openly discussing ways to save TennCare Governor Bredesen has blamed others for these cuts.
There have been dozens and dozens of options that would cut costs, generate revenue and control expenses presented to this administration in an attempt to save TennCare. Yet Governor Bredesen has said they won’t work. But why won’t they? The group has requested that the Governor respond, in detail, why those options would not save TennCare.
As of the going to press of this newsletter Governor Bredesen has NOT answered to these options. He has NOT explained, in detail, why these options will not work. He has not responded to the CITIZENS OF THIS STATE!
So MCIL and ADAPT of Tennessee have joined with others to fight such unjust cuts. To give voice to those that have taken part in this action the following are just a few quotes from some of those that have been part of the sit-in at the capitol.
“The guy [Bredesen] doesn’t care about anything but his own image,” said Don DeVaul, “We have no secrete agenda, but the Bredesen administration is all behind closed doors.”
"We will stay as long as necessary," said Louis Patrick from the Governor's Office, "absolutely, no doubt, we are staying."
“I believe that Governor Bredesen has a problem facing real people and real issues,” said Michael Heinrich of Tennessee ADAPT. “He may speak in generalities and manage the press well, but he has failed completely when he confronts citizens who are effected by his policies. For example, I was with Randy [Alexander] when Bredesen said he would put vent users in institutions; but last Thursday, in front of the press, the governor magically changes his position 180 degrees and talks like he has been working on the issue for some time.”
“Bredesen walks through us several times a day,” said Randy Alexander. “Every day he knows we are here.”
"Once he made up his mind, no other alternatives, no other options were considered."
Representative Joey Hensley
“I remember April eighth when we delivered to this office a ten-point plan, developed by experts who know about health care, and we asked for a speedy response from the Governor. The plan called for the State to save $649 million and allow qualified TennCare recipients to stay," recalled Dr. Dwight Montgomery. “The Governor has never considered what we presented on April eighth.”
For more information please go to our web site at www.mcil.org
or call us at MCIL.
“If you want to show your children what it means to be an American, take them to witness the power to protest. You can park on Charlotte Avenue in front of the Capitol. Then watch those willing to light a candle against the darkness — in hopes of a new dawn of government and leaders listening to the people.”
-The Tennessean 7/3/05
Many times people ask us why we use direct action? There are so many ways we have answered that. I thought this would be a great time to share with everyone why we believe direct action is necessary, and we feel this has never been expressed more perfectly then in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter form a Birmingham Jail.” Following are some excerpts.
“Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, etc.? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are exactly right in your call for negotiation. Indeed, this is the purpose of
direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.
So the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.
Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open where it can be seen and dealt with.
These are just a few lines out of a great letter that covers a wide range of reasons why direct action is a means to deal with society’s inequities. Inequities that lead to oppression of one group or another. We, people with disabilities, are one of those groups. That is why we use nonviolent direct action as a means to redress issues.
My name is Betty Anderson and I have been associated with MCIL for many years as consumer, volunteer and former board member. I am a long time rider of all areas of the MATA public transportation system and the instructor for MCIL’s new travel training program. This program is free and open to people with disabilities at least 18 years of age who would like to learn to ride public transportation.
As MATAPlus riders know, the fares for this system have recently increased substantially and are due to increase yearly for at least the next two years. Gas prices are on the rise for those who drive. Fixed route buses are accessible, affordable, and offer flexibility and greater independence. There are no reservations to make and riders are free to change their mind on the spur of the moment about when and where they want to go.
For more information contact Betty (901) 726-6404 or email betty@mcil.org
I just recently attended the Tennessee Disability Mega Conference in Nashville. My mom, my friend, Nicole Coleman and I were given stipend money from the Arc of Tennessee to attend. The money paid for hotel, conference and a couple of banquets that we wanted to attend.
Even though I was sick for a couple of days, I still enjoyed the sessions I was able to attend. We attended sessions about how to purchase housing. Public transportation, social security issues and one session called the Rhythmic Arts Project where percussion is used as a learning curve to teach focus and concentration.
I enjoyed the sessions that I attended. I enjoyed all the meals and the entertainers. I liked the hotel room being accessible. If you want to go next year but can not afford to go next year on your own, there is a stipend you can apply for to help you get there and enjoy the experience.
- Melissa Allen
When I was younger, I rode city busses for a time. I had many nightmarish experiences and near-disasters. These included: two missed transfer points because bus drivers forgot to tell me when the bus reached my stops, one missed connection because there was no bus-stop where MATA said the bus would stop, two missed connections because I discovered, after getting off the bus, that to catch the next bus, I would have to cross streets that I could not cross safely alone, and three missed connections because MATA said the bus went down streets that it did not, in fact, go down. Eventually, I concluded that I simply couldn’t travel safely on city busses.
So, when Betty at MCIL, offered to teach me how to travel safely using the fixed-route bus, I was terrified. I have been traveling from my home near the University of Memphis to MCIL for a month with Betty. I have successfully completed the first leg of the journey alone, and will soon be doing the whole trip alone.
With Betty’s tutelage, I have learned that the problems I encountered when traveling on fixed-route busses were not because of some lack in me. They were due to others’ ignorance and lack of awareness. While there are many problems within our transit system, I can handle them if I am persistent and assertive. Along with learning from a superb teacher how to travel safely on fixed-route busses, I have made it my mission to educate, in some small way, every driver I deal with. And NEVER again will I believe that I am incapable.
- Pam Pinkall
On October 21 and 22, 2005, MCIL will have a 2-day celebration of 20 years of advocacy in Memphis. Beginning with a media event titled “Almost Home” on October 21th from 10am-12 to welcome home for a visit 2 individuals who joined the MCIL Underground Railroad to Denver to escape the institutional bias of Tennessee and have real lives in the community. These refugees will discuss changes in their lives thanks to MCIL in these 20 years, why they left and why they can’t stay. On Saturday, Oct. 22 from 6pm to 9 please join MCIL in celebrating our 20th anniversary at Birthday Bash. Tickets are only $10.00 and include a dinner buffet, live band, door prizes and slideshow of 20 years of MCIL and of course you can help blow out the candles!
The following information is an edited down version of information that was disseminated at Post-Polio Health International’s Ninth International Conference on Post-Polio Health and Ventilator-Assisted Living, June 2-4,2005.
www.post-polio.org
Polio results in wide-spread neural changes, not just destruction of the spinal cord anterior horn (motor nerve) cells, and these changes can get worse as patients age. These anatomic changes affect many aspects of anesthesia care. No study of polio patients having anesthesia has been done. These recommendations are based on extensive review of the current literature and clinical experience with these patients. They may need to be adjusted for a particular patient.
1. Post-polio patients are nearly always very sensitive to sedative meds, and emergence can be prolonged.
2. Non-depolarizing muscle relaxants cause a greater degree of block for a longer period of time in post-polio patients. The current recommendation is to start with half the usual dose of whatever you’re using, adding more as needed. Overdose has been a frequent problem.
3. Succinylcholine often causes severe, generalized muscle pain postop. It’s useful if this can be avoided, if possible
4. Postop pain is often a significant issue. The anatomic changes from the original disease can affect pain pathways due to “spill-over” of the inflammatory response. Spinal cord “wind-up” of pain signals seems to occur. Proactive, multimodal postop pain control (local anesthesia at the incision plus PCA, etc.) helps.
5. The autonomic nervous system is often dysfunctional, again due to anatomic changes from the original disease. This can cause gastro-esophageal reflux, tachyarrhythmias and, sometimes, difficulty maintaining BP when anesthetics are given.
6. Patients who use ventilators often have worsening of ventilatory function postop, and some patients who did not need assisted ventilation have had to go onto a ventilator (including long-term use) postop. It’s useful to get at least a VC preop and full pulmonary function studies may be helpful.
7. Laryngeal and swallowing problems due to muscle weakness are being recognized more often. Many patients have at least one paralyzed cord, and several cases of bilateral cord paralysis have occurred postop, after intubation or upper extremity blocks.
8. Positioning can be difficult due to body asymmetry. Affected limbs are osteopenic and can be easily fractured during positioning for surgery.
- Selma Harrison Calmes MD
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, UCLA
For more information on Anesthesia Issues for Post-Polio Patients You can email Dr. Calmes at, scalmes@ladhs.org.
Why does it seem that MCIL is constantly doing some kind of fundraising? Why does it seem that prior to 2004 fundraising was very minimal and not a high priority? Unfortunately, with substantial increases in rent and insurance premiums fundraising is a very necessary evil, as grant funding is not growing with the needs of the MCIL.
In recent surveys some grumbles were received about these efforts and I felt a brief explanation why these changes have occurred was in order. We do receive grant funding from the Department of Education and from United Way. These funders allow us to use their funds to pay much of the overhead costs such as rent, utilities, building and program supplies, salaries, benefits, and some travel expenses.
MCIL’s staff and volunteers provide programs such as PALs for youth and young adults, the Tech lab for computer instruction, workshops, mentoring programs and extensive advocacy efforts with and for our consumers at no charge.
With the increased rent and utilities of the larger facility and maintaining salaries and benefits for the staff who work so many hours to change attitudes, break down barriers, change systems in Memphis and across the state, expenses have grown. The fundraising committee began in 2004. With their efforts and your understanding and support, we raised about $11,000.
Our 2005-budgeted fundraising goal was $15,000 to pay a portion of the rent, utilities, salaries, etc. If you would like to join this fledgling group of volunteers in their efforts to support MCIL by planning and executing events, annual letter campaigns, item solicitation for the silent auction etc. please contact Sandi or show up on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 to join this committee.
Experienced volunteers would be great but definitely not necessary. Just a willingness to jump in the fundraising waters to help MCIL continue to grow for another 20 years!
- Sandi Klink
Access is a fundamental piece of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). When we speak of access, everyone thinks of ramps, curb cuts, bigger bathrooms and parking spots. While these are essential components to accessing our community, access under Title II covers these and more. Title II covers city & state government and not just physical access but equal access to activities throughout the government. Project Civil Action, from the Department of Justice has completed compliance reviews of cities in all 50 states including Memphis.
As a result, on July 26, 2005, the 15th anniversary of the signing of the ADA, the city of Memphis and the Department of Justice have entered into a settlement agreement under Title II of the ADA. The review was conducted by the Disability Rights Section of the Department’s Civil Rights Division and focused on several aspects of city government.
The complete agreement is available at MCIL or at www.ada.gov/memphistnsa.htm. The agreement is very specific to what is expected and when each item must be completed. With that said we must be ever vigilant to see that the city follows through. This settlement agreement is not the end to holding the city responsible but another tool for advocates to use to ensure our rights. For more information about access issues, join advocates at the next Barrier Free Memphis Society meeting, see our calendar for time and place.
In Shelby County alone there are 517 individuals living in nursing homes that want to move out. The state of Tennessee is DEAD LAST in providing home and community based services. On July 21st, Governor Bredesen was handed a request to start Money Follows the Person here in Tennessee. Money Follows the Person would allow individuals that qualify for or are living in a nursing home to receive the services where they choose. If they choose to live in the community the money for their services would “follow the person” and be transferred into home and community based services fund. This, would provide freedom and choices to people with disabilities and our aging community.
Back in 1992 I was in rehab after incurring a spinal cord injury when something that I didn’t understand for some time happened to me. Someone important to me said, “Randy, you need to realize you are no longer an able bodied, white male, anymore.”
At the time I was floored, to say the very least. Yet I had no understanding what that comment meant. I was living the protected rehab life and had not met discrimination. I hadn’t yet been forced to sit in the back of a restaurant, had to roll down a street in traffic because of the lack of curb cuts, been unable to go shopping because of the lack of access, not allowed to use a restroom or a drinking fountain. I had not yet had to fight for equal opportunity to an education, transportation, healthcare, employment, housing or life free from an institution.
These are not issues of a bygone era. These are not issues that only others face. These are issues we, as people with disabilities face. Today, these are also issues that tie our struggle together with so many other groups that have come before us and that march with us today.
Have you faced these issues? Are you willing to admit that you have felt oppression? Are you willing to do something about it? So many times we wonder why more folks are or don’t get involved. Is it complacency, acceptance, transportation, lack of finances, fear or tactics?
In working towards a more equitable society there are so many opportunities to have a voice, and show support. Some people make phone calls or write letters, organize town hall meetings, while others sit in the capitol. All are essential. If you want to become involved at any level just ask how. Contact MCIL or any group that speaks to why you want to be involved because we are all in this together.
As many of you know MCIL can be a very busy place. With staff coming and going, working hard on issues and with consumers it can be very difficult to stop, relax and just talk with folks. Open Door Mondays is to do just that. On the first Monday of the month that we are open, from 1pm on, between our regularly scheduled meetings, we will stop, relax and just talk with folks. There will be some snacks and refreshments, friendship, fellowship and conversation.
This is your time, we hope you join us.
Randy Alexander Editor
MEMPHIS CENTER For INDEPENDENT LIVING 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.
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Over the last twenty years the Memphis Center for Independent Living has grown to become a Memphis icon in fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. Since 1985 MCIL has been fighting to break down the barriers that people with disabilities face; transportation, housing, physical access, education, the need for personal attendant services and more. From the very beginning MCIL has been in the forefront of the idea that people with disabilities demand choices.
Since 1990 the Memphis Center for Independent Living has helped 15 individuals escape from Tennessee via the
Underground Rail Road. In Tennessee LaTonya pictured to the right and the other escapees faced a system that did not value their freedom, choices, opinions or their value of living in the community. In Colorado they found freedom.
For the 20th Anniversary of the Memphis Center for Independent Living two of our Freedom Riders came back to Memphis for the celebration. Unfortunately they could not stay. The state of Tennessee still does not provide effective choices to people with disabilities. This Administration continues the institutional bias which forces individuals into nursing homes and still does not provide the services folks need to live at home.
There were so many Freedom Riders we wanted to bring home, almost home, for our 20th Anniversary. It was a difficult day here at MCIL when we had to choose from so many that wanted to join us. Since 1990 MCIL has helped fifteen folks escape Tennessee. Some from certain nursing home placement a while others escaped out of the nursing home to a life of freedom.
MCIL has been working hard to fight the forces of ableism to end the institutional bias in this frighteningly segregated state. A state system where Money Follows the Person would go a long way in helping us not only free our brothers and sisters but bring our Freedom Riders Home, for good!
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By Kevin Lofton
Every year the Tennessee Disability Coalition holds an annual ADA affiliate summit in Nashville. This year’s summit took place at a newly built Police precinct in the north section of Nashville.
The Coalition receives money from the Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (SEDBTAC) to support disability related advocacy groups across Tennessee. The SEDBTAC supports MCIL in providing technical assistance and awareness on the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. MCIL is responsible for not only providing technical assistance, information and awareness on the ADA to anyone who calls, but we must report these activities to the Coalition. The Coalition then compiles our data with the other affiliates in Tennessee and sends it to the SEDBTAC in Atlanta, GA.
This year’s summit was jam packed with information about the ADA and interesting people who work on ADA issues. A majority of these individuals are employed by the city of Nashville and other government offices responsible for enforcing the ADA in their communities.
If you would like more information on the ADA, SEDBTAC or the Coalition just call or send me an email.
Kevin@mcil.org or 901/726-6404
The Memphis Center for Independent Living now has a computer available for consumers who are interested in exploring their employment options. The computer may be used for internet job searches, writing resumes and cover letters, emailing potential employers, exploring various career options, researching educational opportunities, and even inquiring about starting your own business. The purpose is to encourage people with disabilities to seek employment.
The use of the computer is on a first come, first serve basis. However, you may call ahead to reserve a specific time slot. Anyone in our community may use the computer to explore their options. Consumers should be able to work independently on a computer. And the use of the computer is totally free.
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By Louis Patrick
I’ve been a champion of ADAPT since I first saw Wade Blank, Stephanie Thomas and Bob Kafka at an American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities convention in the early eighties. I’ve been a contributor and have participated in a number of direct actions locally and one in Nashville that resulted in arrest. Nothing, however, would satisfy Deborah and Randy until I went to one of the national ADAPT actions held each year in the capitol. They were right. There’s nothing like a national ADAPT action.
As a board member of MCIL, I’ve had access for years, not just to Tom Olin’s wonderful photos of the actions, but to hundreds of photos and a few videos taken by Tim Wheat and Mike Heinrich. I’ve seen picture after picture of hundreds of wheelchair users and others marching along the streets of D.C., Seattle and other places. I thought I was bound to be jaded at the sight live and in person. Ain’t no way!
The first action was Sunday, September 18th. ADAPT was to pay a mass, slightly raucous visit to the Senate Majority Leader’s home in Washington, Tennessee’s own Sen. Bill Frist. The group was marching over five miles from its base of operations near L’Enfant Plaza. Those of us unable to push the entire distance were shuttled to a park beside the Omni Shoreham Hotel, just over the Rock Creek Bridge, at Connecticut and Calvert.
As I said, I thought I was prepared for the sight of my brothers and sisters streaming down Connecticut, taking the left onto Calvert. Hundreds and hundreds of them. But I just wasn’t; you can’t be.
I thought I was steeled against the sight, from close to the back of the line of demonstrators, of those hundreds stretching out straight before me over a mile long as Calvert rose in front of me, just before we made the left into the Senator’s neighborhood.
But I wasn’t.
And, packed in near the Senator’s strong iron gates, surrounded by those hundreds, I started to see something I hadn’t really expected to see, not nearly so fully and completely realized. I saw that ADAPT has become exactly what its name promises: America’s Disabled. African-American, Hispanic, Asian, white, wheelchair users, walking wounded, brothers and sisters with visual, cognitive and hearing impairments, all packed together, chanting and singing in front of the Senator’s home, right along with our more or less able-bodied partners in crime.
The other major thing I was really unprepared for is how incredibly well-organized ADAPT is. Anyone who’s ever tried to organize an event with even just a few wheelchair users knows how completely daunting the logistics of arranging transportation, getting people up and taken care of by their attendants, and on and on can be. ADAPT makes it look like a piece of cake. That, of course, is thanks to years of experience, incomparably intelligent, unbelievably thorough planning, flawless execution and volunteers passionately dedicated beyond belief to the cause.
Allow me to shift gears. ADAPT has focused its efforts on only two goals in its history: Getting wheelchair lifts on public buses and getting people out of nursing homes. They achieved their first goal, and I have no doubt they will achieve their second one.
I know many people disagree with ADAPT’s methods. They ask the same questions that Birmingham’s more cautious clergy asked of Dr. King: "’Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?’" And Dr. King’s is still the proper answer: “Nonviolent direct action seeks….so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored….to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.”
Perhaps many of us focus too much on those exhilarating pictures of ADAPT in the streets, marching and chanting. We don’t talk enough about the endless hours of behind-the-scenes negotiating, the organizing, building email networks, the letter-writing, the quiet, patient diplomacy that go on before, during and after an action. But all that effort is there nonetheless. But it has to be backed up by direct action.
Don’t be fooled. Power concedes nothing. Vested interests look out for themselves and themselves alone. That’s all they’re paid, and paid handsomely, to do. Those who think otherwise delude themselves. And advocates who think otherwise are in the wrong business.
Mass transit in America was very nearly a dead issue in the eighties when ADAPT begin its campaign to see that every bus, public and private, is equipped with a wheelchair lift. I think there can be little doubt that, beleaguered as public transit was at the time, that that industry would not have been able, on its own, to command the public resources needed to get lifts on buses. It took the long, long years of action after direct action, of ADAPT attacking the power centers in Washington and haunting every convention of the American Public Transit Association, of dogging them wherever and whenever they gathered—before ADAPT achieved its first goal.
I have no doubt that they would not have achieved that goal without direct action.
The nursing home industry has grown like a toxic weed since the federal government first started channeling funds to it through the Medicare and Medicaid programs in the sixties. Like most industries, it has learned to defend itself, to hedge itself about with hordes of lobbyists and self-interested investors, and it nourishes its legislative supporters with mountains of campaign contributions. The stranglehold which the industry currently has on public resources is not going to be broken by scarcely paid citizen lobbyists, polite conversation and mannerly protests alone.
Most assuredly, wheelchair users, white cane users and ASL signers wearing suits need to roam the corridors of power in our nation’s capitol, every state’s capitol, every county seat and every city. Relentlessly. But manners, connections and elegant dress—without tons of cold, cold, hard cash—ain’t gonna cut it. And disabled folks ain’t got them kind of resources. We’re gonna have to pour out into the streets and push open those doors to negotiation.
The people of ADAPT will be there, spending their money and time, chanting, yelling, screaming, expending their passion, exercising their wit and intelligence, interposing their bodies between their brothers and sisters and the institutions that would suck them dry—’til the last dog dies.
Louis Patrick
MCIL Board President
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By Dr. Richard L. Bruno
Last week’s Minnesota polio cases are the canaries in the mineshaft. American’s have forgotten about polio since the vaccine was developed in 1955. The CDC reports that only 90% of US toddlers under 3 years old are vaccinated against polio, with vaccination lowest in poor cities. Only 80% of New Orleans’s toddlers were vaccinated. Since the poliovirus in Minnesota is from the Sabin vaccine, no longer used in the US, it was imported into the country. This is especially frightening since polio has broken free of the international vaccination effort. Polio has spread from Nigeria, through Yemen and into Indonesia, with more than 1,000 new cases reported this year. The danger of ignoring polio has been recognized by the US Congress, which will proclaim 2006 a “National Year of Polio Education.” New Jersey is about to educate all health professionals about polio vaccination and Post-Polio Sequelae.
An avian flu epidemic is a clear, but not yet present, danger. The Minnesota outbreak makes a polio epidemic both a clear and present danger. What happens if a polio-infected child lands in a densely populated city like New York, where 23,000 toddlers are unvaccinated? Every child must be vaccinated because America’s next polio epidemic may be just a plane ride away.
Dr. Richard L. Bruno
Director The Post-Polio Institute
Phone: (201) 894-3724 Toll Free: 1-877-POST-POLIO
POSTPOLIOINFO@AOL.COM
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Out On A Limb provides information and support for amputees or for anyone touched by the loss of a limb.
William Samuels, OOAL facilitator
(901) 767-8511
MemphisLimbLoss@aol.com
Memphis Deaf Community works with people who are interested in the deaf community here in Memphis, West Memphis Arkansas, Northern Mississippi, and towns all around Memphis.
Wally Hodge/MDC
P.O. Box 240181
Memphis, TN 38124
deafcommunity@bellsouth.net
VideoPhone: 901-682-3552
www.memphisdeafcommunity.com
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W Y P L is a radio reading service for the visually and print impaired located at 3030 Poplar Ave. in the Memphis Shelby County Public Library and Information Center. For more info call the station at
(901) 415-2752
People First of West Tennessee is now looking for new members:
Teach people about their rights and responsibilities
Advocate for changes to help people live more independently
Teach self-advocacy and self-determination
Work to promote multicultural leadership opportunities
If you are interested in joining please call Suzanne Colsey at 901-272-0059 or email at pftennwest@aol.com.
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Ho Ho Ho and Jingle, Jingle! Come celebrate the start of the Holiday season with MCIL on Friday December 2, from 4 till 8.
Fun, Food, Music and our 4th annual Silent Auction are all part of the MCIL Holiday Open House. This annual event is one way that MCIL raises money to continue its advocacy efforts in and to celebrate with consumers, fellow advocates and the community.
Auction items for previous years included: roundtrip airfare for one from Hanover Travel, tickets to Orpheum performances, jewelry, casino packages from Fitzgerald’s, Caesar’s Entertainment, and Sam’s Town, dinner gift certificates from local restaurants, an oriental rug from Zarven Kish, a $250 gift certificate from Men’s Warehouse and many other items. For auction item listing or other information about this event call 726-6404 or check our website at www.mcil.org.
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Law & Order
MiCASSA v. SuCasa
A candid play about a young woman and her struggles to live how she chooses.
December 8th, 7:30 pm Rhodes College, Buchman Hall.
For more info call 726-6404
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Are you at least 12 years of age and have a disability? Looking for a fun and supportive learning environment. Contact Christina Clift for more information at 726-6404.
Individuals will learn valuable life skills, participate in recreational events in the community and while discussing what matters to you. MCIL has the right program for you.
Act now! Call and reserve your spot today. Space is limited.
MCIL to is organizing support group for men and women who want to improve their physical and mental well-being. A technique called emotional freedom will be the basis for this new group. If you are interested in joining this group please call Deborah at 726-6404
MCIL would like to recognize several donors: Sponsors are individuals or companies who have donated at least $100.00, Benefactors have donated $500.00 or more. A great big thank you to all these generous donors! If you would like to make a donation to MCIL please contact Renee at 726-6404. Although sponsors are recognized in the Declaration any donation from $1.00 up can help MCIL do the vital work needed for the civil rights of people with disabilities.
Sponsors:
Suzanne Colsey
Lois Tobias
Dr. Ralph Pope
Dr. Robert Christopher
Mr. & Mrs Lloyd Kirkland, Jr.
Jean W. Guy
The Aging Commission of the Mid-South
Benefactors:
Betsy Walker
G. George Edwards
If you are going to attend a MCIL event and you need materials in an alternative format or interpreter services please notify us at least five working days in advance of the event. Thank you!
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As many of you know MCIL can be a very busy place. With staff coming and going, working hard on issues and with consumers it can be very difficult to stop, relax and just talk with folks. Open Door Mondays is to do just that. On the first Monday of the month that we are open, from 1pm on, between our regularly scheduled meetings, we will stop, relax and just talk with folks. There will be some snacks and refreshments, friendship, fellowship and conversation.
This is your time, we hope you join us.
November 24-27
December 22nd – January 2nd
NOTICE: CAT & BFMS meetings will be held at new times and locations. Check for time, date & locations below. Whether these meetings are being held at MCIL or another site everyone is still invited. So join us in making a difference in Memphis.
ADAPT, CAT, BFMS & MORE
Coalition for Accessible Transportation (CAT)-
If you ride public transportation including MATA mainline, MATAplus, Trolleys, cabs, or other forms of public
transportation and YOU would like to work towards a better and more equitable system for all, be at a CAT meeting.
November 15th 3:00pm 125 N. Main City Hall
December 5th 1pm @ MCIL
January 9th 1pm @ MCIL
Barrier Free Memphis Society (BFMS)–
Let’s work towards Total Accessibility For All Citizens Of Our Community!
November 15th 3:00pm 125 N. Main City Hall
December 5th 3pm @ MCIL
January 9th 3pm @ MCIL
Board of Director for MCIL-
MCIL’s Board of Directors oversees and guides MCIL and its future. The Board of
Directors general meetings are open to the public.
All Meetings at MCIL. 5:30PM
November 16th
December 21st
January 25th
ADAPT 5:30 at MCIL
November 7th -
December 5th -
January 9th
November 17th 10am
Medicare Part D How to Choose a Plan That’s Right for YOU
December 8th 7:30pm
Partners Accessing Life & Center Stage Productions Present: Law & Order MiCASSA v. SuCasa
A candid play about a young woman and her struggles to live how she chooses.
December 8th, 7:30 pm Rhodes College Buchman Hall
For more info call 726-6404
January 12th 10am
In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, MCIL presents a two hour workshop on the history of the Civil Rights movement. The workshop will not only discuss the struggles and plight faced by Blacks, but also the struggle for civil rights by people with disabilities. Please call now and reserve your spot today. Seats are limited. For more information about this workshop please call Christina Clift at 726-6404 or via e-mail at
Christina@mcil.org.
This project is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education & United Way of the Mid-South
The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue,
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org
MCIL is a United Way of the Mid-South member Agency
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