SILC UPDATE

By the time this newsletter reaches you, we will have a new President, a new Governor, and will be waiting for the appointment of a new Director of the WV Division of Rehabilitation

Services (DRS). No matter who wins the elections, we are facing changes on every front. And change is very stressful, even if it is good change!

The SILC is anxious to find out who the new DRS Director will be and whether it is someone we already have a relationship with, or whether we will be building a new relationship. In the meantime, there will

likely be an “acting director” to work with, though we don’t yet know who that will be either.

We send our very best wishes for a long and happy retirement to Donna Ashworth, who completed her tenure as DRS Director on October 31st – as well as to Kay Goodwin, Secretary of the Department of Education and the Arts,

who retired October 31st as well.

We will also have the final regulations for Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act as amended by WIOA in 2014, Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living, published in the Federal Register on October 27th, so we will finally have direction and guidance on how to implement the changes to the law!

With all this change, we will continue to support the Centers for Independent Living as we strive to achieve our mission and improve the lives of West Virginians with disabilities! From the desk of:

Ann McDaniel Executive Director

IN THIS EDITION:

Friends of WVSILC: NWVCIL p.4 Nina Webb p.5 Molly’s Zone p.6 Sarah’s Corner p.10 MTSTCIL p.10

Go Paperless: If you would prefer to receive our newsletter electronically, please contact us at (304) 766-4624 or wvsilc@wvsilc.org.

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- WVSILC

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Mountain State CIL 821 Fourth Ave. Huntington, WV 25701 1-866-687-8245

329 Prince St. Beckley, WV 25801 304-255-0122

Wheelchair Diving p.14Accomodating Voters with Disabilities p.3

2016 Diversifying Perspectives p.2

WV SPIL Approval p.13

WV Centers for Independent Living

Appalachian CIL Elk Office Center 4710 Chimney Dr. Charleston, WV 25302 1-800-642-3003

Northern WV CIL 601-603 East Brockway Ave. Suite A & B Morgantown, WV 26505 1-800-834-6408

109 Randolph Ave. Elkins, WV 26241 304-636-0143

MISSION“To ensure persons who have disabilities have access to community-based resources that promote personal choice and facilitate the achievement of their independent living goals.”

Dad builds paralyzed baby her very own wheelchair for just $100

Source: The San Francisco Globe

Evelyn Moore, 1, is your average toddler. She seems to love her mom and dad, learning new things and being active. Evelyn is different from most toddlers because she has battled cancer since she was an infant. Doctors told her parents she had a neuroblastoma, a type of cancerous tumor, on her spine when she was 4 months old, according to ABC News.

Though Evelyn is in remission after eight rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer left an indelible mark. It robbed Evelyn of her potential ability to walk, since she is now paralyzed below her arms, according to a report on Fox News. Doctors told Evelyn’s parents to just let her low crawl until it was time to put her in a wheelchair when she was older.

Low crawling didn’t set well with Evelyn’s parents, so they looked for solutions. Evelyn’s mom looked on Pinterest for ideas and saw a tiny wheelchair. The wheelchair consisted of a Bumbo chair, a cutting board, and caster wheels. Evelyn’s dad made one for her for less than $100, according to ABC News.

When Evelyn is in the wheelchair nothing seems to stop her. Her parents installed a little speed bump in their home to keep the pint-size stunt woman from going too fast, according to Fox News.

“She’s pretty fearless,” Evelyn’s mom, Kimberly Moore, said to ABC News.

“She’ll go in her wheelchair on the top of a hill, let go and put her hands in the air, then catch herself when she gets to the bottom.”

Evelyn’s wheelchair has also given her a newfound social freedom.One of Evelyn’s doctors, Bev Wilson of Stollery Children’s Hospital in Alberta, said she has observed Evelyn using the wheelchair to visit nurses and other children.

[The wheelchair had] made her mobile in a way she otherwise wouldn’t be able to be,” Wilson said. “She gets to explore what she’d want to explore. She’s like any other child, but she’s actually faster.

(See Art p3)Page 2

2016 Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest

Winners AnnouncedThe West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) announces the 2016 Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest and Exhibition award winners.

The Grand Exhibitor is Carli Ratliff from Oak Hill for her mixed media painting, “Climbing to the Top.”

Ratliff photographs the animals and foliage in her illustrations, and paints from her own photographs. She is a 2010 graduate of Concord University, where her studies focused on art and music, and is a 2004 graduate of Oak Hill High School.

In 2011, her painting, Squirrel in a Paulownia Tree, won Best of Show in the West Virginia Division of Culture and History Museum’s West Virginia Wildlife Exhibit titled, Inspired: A West Virginia Series of Juried Exhibitions.

Ratliff, who has epilepsy, has won awards for her artwork and has been featured for three years in the West Virginia Wildlife Calendar, an annual contest by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

Grand Exhibitor, Carli Ratliff Oak Hill, Fayette County Climbing to the Top, Mixed Media

(Art continued from p2)

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Polling stations make efforts to accommodate voters with disabilities

Source: The Journal

MARTINSBURG — Statewide advocates and workers with county clerks’ offices say it is important to accommodate voters with disabilities, and they are working to make the voting experience at polls hassle-free for every voter.

Gina Desmond, an advocate with West Virginia Advocates, said everybody’s vote is important. Through her organization, which is a protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities in West Virginia, she is providing educational materials to both voters and polling places about the rights of disabled voters to make the election process more inclusive.

“The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) is about protection and advocacy for voter access, and we have a grant through that to help make sure that people with disabilities have full access with everything from registering to casting,” Desmond said. “We also educate people with disabilities and then public officials through working with the Secretary of State’s office about people with disabilities and how to get them to vote. We just want to provide access for all.”

Workers with local county clerks’ offices echoed Desmond’s sentiments, and said they have many accommodating materials and procedures in place to make sure disabled voters have the best possible voting experience.

“Our voting devices are set up for the handicapped, and anyone who is visually impaired can use the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant) machines with headsets and braille. We do have a couple voters in Berkeley County who use those,” said Bonnie Woodfall, chief deputy clerk for Berkeley County. “Anybody who has a disability and wants to vote absentee can also request an absentee ballot. Also, we stress this on Election Day, if you have someone who comes in with a cane or walker, we try to get them to the front of the line. If they need assistance as far as a chair to sit in while they vote to make it easy for them, we also do that.”

Nikki Painter, chief deputy clerk for Jefferson County, explained similar accommodations for voters with disabilities.

“We have a couple options in Jefferson County. We have the auto-mark machine, which has Braille and (voters) can have the ballot read to them. It allows them to vote without assistance. If they’re totally disabled, we have absentee ballots as well,” Painter said.

Both Woodfall and Painter said they think Berkeley and Jefferson counties do a good job with accommodations.

“I certainly think our office is doing a very good job with that, and we’re always striving to improve,” Woodfall said. “I think it’s important any time we vote that citizens or voters with special needs are accommodated because they have the same right we do to express themselves through voting.”

Painter agreed with Woodfall. “I think it’s important just because everyone has the right to vote. Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean there have

(See Voters p12)

Award of Excellence winners are:

Kristie Garrison from Waverley for her mosaic picture, “Peaceful Serenity.” Garrison has worked in the Mosaic department at SW Resources for more than a year. Garrison has always loved creating things with her hands. She has been crafting since she was 11 years old when her mother opened a ceramics shop, which is still open today.

At the age of 45, Garrison inherited a condition her father had, called Essential Tremor. It took two years, many tests and several doctors to diagnose her condition, which is a rare type that affects her entire body. She battles depression and anxiety and had become withdrawn because she couldn’t do things she used to do without great difficulty.

Working at SW Resources has greatly helped her and given her purpose again. She took the photograph replicated in her artwork, Peaceful Serenity, while on her honeymoon at Blackwater Falls nearly 10 years ago, before the onset of her tremors.

Peaceful Serenity This is a mosaic picture of a wooded area near Blackwater Falls. It is made of small pieces of magazine pictures, which are glued together in layers on a board. The picture shows barren trees in the background with yellow and green foliage in the foreground.

Lieselotte Heil from Alderson for her watercolor painting, “Into the Woods.” Heil uses her artistic and musical abilities as a way of celebrating and expressing her joy and gratitude at being alive and healthy after facing health and disability-related challenges.

Award of Excellence, Kristie Garrison Waverly, Wood County Peaceful Serenity, Mosaic Picture

(See Art p4)

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Source: Paulette Southerly

Different Voices and Common Experiences Art Show

The Northern WV Center for Independent Living’s Different Voices and Common Experiences returned to the Monongalia Arts Center on August 5th, with an opening night reception that featured visual arts, tasty catered food, and live performances. Nearly two dozen artists submitted work, with submissions reaching gallery capacity - over thirty pieces were shown!

This exhibition showcases the talent of individuals who have been affected by mental illness, and also promotes awareness. MAC director Ro Brooks says, “MAC is delighted to once again showcase the work of artists who have been touched by mental health issues. This annual exhibition has consistently been well received by gallery visitors. With each exhibit, I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the artwork and the public positive reaction. I am confident that this year’s showing will also surprise and delight viewers!”

Paulette Southerly from NWVCIL coordinated this exhibit. “I’m so pleased to be able to continue the Different Voices and Common Experiences art show,” says Southerly. “This year has seen an overwhelming response from the community, and I believe that reinforces the importance of this shows message: mental health awareness, community wellness, and inclusivity. Every artist has a story to tell, and I’m excited to be a part of something that is so important and so deeply personal to so many individuals.”

NWVCIL and Health Right’s Friendship Room Community Picnic

On Thursday, August 25th, the Northern WV Center for Independent Living and freshly reopened Friendship Room, now under Health Right of Morgantown, held their annual community picnic. With nearly 100 people in attendance, the afternoon was filled with finger-licking food, fantastic friends, and fun.

Alongside community members, many vendors were on site to provide information to the revelers. In addition to representation

from NWVCIL, Health Right, and the Friendship Room, WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Job Squad, Valley Health Care Systems, WV Division of Rehabilitation Services, WV Advocates, and West Virginia Fair Housing Action Network attended the community picnic. People First also provided dessert by hosting a fundraising bake sale at the event.

(See Art p5 )

After completing chemotherapy for breast cancer in December 2010, Lieselotte Heil found herself facing a new set of challenges and was eventually diagnosed with several cognitive disabilities. Coming to terms with the fact that the processes information differently is an ongoing challenge for her. She is grateful for the loving support and encouragement of her family and many special friends. Heil’s journey has deepened her awareness of the spiritual underpinnings of her life, and she’s recently committed herself to celebrating and developing her artistic and musical abilities as ways to express her joy and gratitude at being alive and healthy.

Into the Woods This is a stylized, semi-abstract watercolor painting of a wooded landscape, evoking a journey into the unknown. The woods are coated in dark red colors.

Greg Siegwart from Wheeling for his colored pencil drawing, “Texting.” Born in Wheeling, Siegwart’s love of painting began when he picked up a brush at the age of 10. This self-taught artist turned this hobby into a therapeutic refuge after experiencing a traumatic brain injury after an automobile accident in 2000.

Siegwart was the Grand Exhibitor of the 2015 Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest for his painting titled, 1865.

Texting Texting is an image of three young boys sitting on the ground in front of a fence, which the artist saw at a soccer game. The boys share a book, not a video game or a cell phone.

Award of Excellence, Lieselotte Heil Alderson, Monroe County Into the Woods, Watercolor

(Art continued from p3)

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Mayor’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in HuntingtonThe inaugural meeting of the Mayor’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion was held on Wednesday, October 5th at City Hall.

Mayor Steve Williams addressed the committee during its meeting and said he envisions the group becoming champions of diversity in Huntington and identifying ways to further advance diversity so that it becomes a model for other communities across the country.

“I want to see diversity and inclusion celebrated in every neighborhood in every household in Huntington,” Williams said. “It has to be celebrated at Marshall, at our businesses, in our schools, in our churches and in the streets. It all starts here, but we have to reach out into the community to expand it.”

“I truly believe we need to create a different way of looking at this,” Williams continued. “We have significant challenges to overcome in this country, and I refuse to let Huntington sit and wait for the rest of the nation to figure it out. I want us to lead the way so as we succeed, the state and the nation follow us.”

Mountain State Center for Independent Living’s Nina Webb tells us, “it is an honor to have a seat at the table with such an important initiative here in Huntington. At Mountain State we support the City of Huntington in its goal to be a model for diversity for the private sector to follow. It is my goal that the City of Huntington hire more people with disabilities, and that all businesses in Huntington become more diverse in their hiring practices.”

If you would like to contact Nina about hiring a person with a disability she can be reached at nwebb@mtstcil.org or 304-525-3324.

Nina Webb has been with Mountain State Centers for Independent Living since 2010. During this time she has served many different roles. Nina was initially hired as an accounting assistant for the Employment Services Division, but her role changed through the years by working as an Employment Specialist and Community Resource Advocate. Currently, Nina is a Fee for Service Coordinator providing services such as the Employment Services Division and Accessibility Services.

While working on many fee for service activities, she is also the chair person for Mountain State’s Independence Celebration held every year in July. She also assists staff with other duties such as job coaching, intakes for new consumers, monthly report writing, and other various duties as needed.

Nina is proud to work for an advocacy organization such as Mountain State because it gives her the ability to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She is a past secretary of River Cities Council for Persons with Disabilities, and is a current member of Homeland Security, Cabell County Emergency Operations Center, and Cabell County Sexual Assault Response Team.

The artwork selected as the Grand Exhibitor has been incorporated into a poster promoting National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. Held annually in October, this year’s theme is “My disability is one part of who I am.” The poster will be displayed in businesses throughout West Virginia.

The Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest and Exhibition is an opportunity to showcase the creative and diverse abilities of people with disabilities and to promote National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October. The contest was open to West Virginia residents with disabilities who were at least 18 years old.

Thirty entries were received.

The exhibition opened with a reception on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Culture Center in Charleston and will remain on display in the Culture Center’s Balcony Gallery through Nov. 5.

“This contest and exhibition allow us to feature the artistic abilities of West Virginia artists with disabilities during National Disability Employment Awareness Month and plays an important role in bringing awareness to disability-related employment issues,” said DRS Director Donna Ashworth.

Copies of the National Disability Employment Awareness Month poster are free and available from the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services.

Greg Siegwart Wheeling, Ohio County Texting, Prisma Pencil

(Art continued from p4)

(See Art p7)

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Beckley Chili Night Winners!On Saturday, October 1, the Beckley office for Mountain State Centers for Independent Living participated in the 25th Annual Chili Night. The Beckley office has participated in Chili night for the past four years, selling drinks and treats, and talking to people about Mountain State, who we are and what we do. This year we decided to make our special chili with the secret ingredient. We are so excited to tell you that our first time making chili to sell during Chili Night, we won first

place for chili prepared by an organization! The other categories were People’s Choice, Most Samples Served, Restaurants, and Businesses. We gave it some thought, and decided we would share our secret ingredient - it’s ‘teamwork’. Our winning chili team was Vickki, Nora, Dotty, Tifany, Greg, Jordan, Brandon and Bud.

We were joined at Chili Night by Vickki, Nora, Dotty, Tifanny, Greg, Jordan, Brandon, Bud, Krissy, Becky and Kelly. Greg McGraw and Kermit Barnhardt dedicated the trophy in John Wallace’s name. John Wallace, a long time consumer at Mountain State, passed away recently. He, and his consistent upbeat attitude, will be missed.

Why I Wouldn’t Change Being MeLife with cerebral palsy has certainly been quite the journey. I’ve experienced happiness, joy, pain, and heartache; through it all I’ve gained wisdom and strength thanks to God. As a young child and as a teenager, I often wished for another life and wondered why I had to endure so much scrutiny from those around me. My experiences as a young adult have made me come to realize that I love being me and I’d like to share the reasons why I wouldn’t change who I am.

My first reason for being content with who I am is the fact that I believe life is like a winding road with countless twists and turns that all lead to somewhere beautiful. My life has taught me to appreciate what I do have and what I am able to do on the Earth. My disability has helped me to develop a more grateful spirit because of what I’ve gone through.

Secondly, life without cerebral palsy would likely change everything from what my life is today. Curiosity has always flooded through my mind; so many times I’ve wondered who I would be or what life would I lead? Would I still be a writer? Questions fill my mind that I know I probably won’t ever find the answer to; with that being written, I think it’d be fun to be able to live through that alternate experience for a day, but afterwards I would comfortably and happily return to this life; I’ve gained courage that I maybe wouldn’t have had my life been any different. Who knows?

My third reason for being content with myself is I am confident that my relationship with Christ would not be what it is today. Struggle is not fun, there is personal heartache involved, and acceptance from the world is desired; simply put, a disability brings lifelong challenges. Faith and fellowship with God is essential in fighting those battles. I’ve had to learn to look at the big picture in life instead of a tiny fraction of the picture. I trust that God has a plan; He is all that matters.

The last and most special reason why I wouldn’t change being me is that I don’t think I’d be the same Molly at all. The journey that is my life continues to teach me so much every day. I’ve both stumbled and persevered and I owe it all to God; I regret a lot, but I’m learning as I go and I’m just fine with who I’m becoming.

~written by Molly SpenceRon Yost sustained a spinal cord injury when he was 20 that resulted in quadriplegia. He was an active advocate for people with disabilities, and he fully understood how much difference having an attendant or personal assistant can make in the level of independence and quality of life for a person with a disability.

He helped develop the long-term attendant care program for people who work, which is administered by the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services. He also was involved in the initial discussions to create a program to provide personal assistance for people who could not get services through any existing program.

Although Ron died before the program was established in 1999, it was named in his honor by the legislators who sponsored the bill. Ron had a great impact on the disability community of Huntington and throughout West Virginia.

For more information on tthe Ron Yost Personal Assistance Services Pogram, Visit: http://www.wvsilc.org/rypas.htm.

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Tax Credits for Ramps, Grab Bars to Help Seniors Stay at Home

Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts

Most seniors and aging baby boomers want to remain in their homes as they grow older. But to do that, many will have to retrofit their homes to accommodate them if they become frail or disabled — and that can be prohibitively expensive.

It can cost $800 to $1,200 to widen a doorway to accommodate a wheelchair, $1,600 to $3,200 for a ramp, and up to $12,000 for a stair lift. Major remodeling, such as adding first-floor bedrooms or bathrooms, can cost much more.

Virginia and at least three counties in the U.S. have approved tax credits for residents who make their homes more accessible. Modifications include adding ramps to create step-free entrances, widening doorways and putting grab bars in bathrooms.

For states, giving tax credits to allow people to stay in their homes may be a money-saver, since it’s much more expensive for Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for the poor and disabled, to pay for nursing home care.

Violet Peyton, of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, said her state’s Livable Homes Tax Credit is available to homeowners of all ages, but it’s especially important to seniors and baby boomers — now between the ages of 52 and 70 — who want to remain at home as they grow older.

“Often, this is the home where they raised their families or spent most of their lives,” she said. “If there is any way they can retrofit it, they want to do that and remain in that environment.”

In Virginia, homeowners or contractors can get a tax credit to retrofit a house for 50 percent of the costs up to $5,000. Or they can get as much as $5,000 in credits to buy or build a new home with accessibility features.

The state allocates $1 million a year for the tax credits, which have been

Wheelchair ramps are among the home modifications that older adults may need to stay where they live. Several states have considered bills that would give tax credits to residents who make their homes more accessible.

DRS proudly presents this contest and exhibition in partnership with the West Virginia Office of the Secretary of Education and the Arts and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

DRS and the Division of Culture and History are both agencies within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts.

DRS is the state agency responsible for the federal vocational rehabilitation program in West Virginia. Each year, DRS helps thousands of West Virginia residents with disabilities meet their employment goals by providing individualized work-related counseling, training, job placement and other vocational rehabilitation services through its 30 field offices across the state.

The Division of Culture and History brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums.

To request a copy of the poster, or for more information on the Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest and Exhibition, contact:Tracy CarrDRSArtContest@wv.gov800-642-8207304-356-2060 (Charleston area)

Other art contest participant’s work can be seen throughout the remainder of this newsletter.

(Art continued from p5)

(See Tax Credits p9)

Youth SILC member Emily Robinson attending the APRIL Conference where she won this brand new iPad Air 2.

Page 8 (See MTSTCIL p9)

Mountain State CIL Update

by Anne Weeks

Celebrating 35 years MTSTCIL, Inc. reached their 35th Anniversary on October 1, 2016. The celebration was held on October 24, 2016 with a dinner at HIMG on Route 60 Huntington. Jane Gibbons, our first skills trainer at MTSTCIL back in the 1980’s was our guest speaker. THE MTSTCIL Play Group performed a play entitled “Someone’s Cooking in Granny’s Kitchen”. Elections were held for the class of 2019. We had a great celebration and got to visit with former staff we hadn’t seen in a few years.

Beckley Open House:The Beckley Center received a grant from the Beckley Area Foundation to upgrade their kitchen and laundry facilities. On September 9th, an Open House was held to invite the Beckley Area Foundation Board members to see the new kitchen & laundry facilities that they provided. In partnership with the Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, local businesses were also invited to attend. It was a community event and everyone was invited to see the new kitchen and talk to consumers and staff about the services provided by the center. Randy Gilkey, a Raleigh & Fayette County musician, played his guitar during the Open House; providing background music and taking requests. About 75 people attended, learning about the new adaptable kitchen and laundry appliances, meeting consumers, and learning about center services.

New Staff: We would like to introduce two new staff members at MTSTCIL. One is Kelly Elkins in the Beckley Office and Angela Adams in the Huntington Office.

Always striving to live life to the fullest, Kelly decided to pursue a new career route in early 2016 and began working out of the Beckley office in May of 2016.

Kelly is the Community Resources Facilitator. She is available to assist with any of the programs provided in Beckley. As an events planner, she assists both offices with upcoming events and fundraising activities.

Kelly’s passion for helping others has made her current position a hit with our consumers and community alike. “I love being out in the community knowing that I am helping others live an independent life”, said Kelly when she was asked what she loved

most about her role at Mountain State.

She was recently trained as a Leadership Development Academy trainer. She will be using this knowledge to assist consumers and interested community members learn how to be strong leaders and be purposeful members of community boards of directors.

With an outgoing personality and a passion for helping others, Kelly takes her

William P. Koloski has been a lifelong resident of West Virginia, except during his military service. Health issues arising from kidney problems and dialysis necessitated an early retirement from the West Virginia Division of Corrections after 30 years of employment. Prior to his health issues, Koloski was an avid outdoorsman whose favorite activities were quail and grouse hunting in the woods and hills of West Virginia. As a teenager, Koloski enjoyed drawing, but never took it seriously or pursued art in any form. Now, he uses this hobby to help him cope with his medical condition. His drawings are from memories of time spent in the fields, hunting with his two bird dogs, Pontiac and Tecumseh.

William P. KoloskiWheeling, Ohio CountyMountain State Bobwhites, Colored Pencil

Mountain State BobwhitesThis is a colored pencil drawing set on a green hill with a wooden fence, two hunting dogs and flying birds in the foreground. It has a barn, a red tractor, a wagon filled with pumpkins and a small building as the primary focal point, with trees and more birds in the background.

Jane Gibbons

Kelly Elkins

(MTSTCIL continued from p8)

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position at Mountain State seriously and has an overwhelmingly positive, can-do attitude!

In addition to her passion for her job, she is passionate for her 2nd career being a member of the Beckley Area Derby Dames. You can reach Kelly at the Beckley office at 304-255-0122, or by email (kelkins@mtstcil.org).

The 2nd new employee is Angela Adams, the Huntington Office Manager and Executive Assistant to Anne Weeks. She began working at Mountain State in September 2016.

Angela was self-employed for 22 years as a Christian retail owner at Guiding Light Christian Store in Barboursville, WV, and was employed 2 years with Hill View Retirement Center as Outreach Director. She served 6 years with Barboursville Rotary Club, and 5 years on

the Board of Directors of the Huntington City Mission. She is also a member of Lewis Memorial Baptist Church.

She enjoys home decorating, gardening, traveling, movies, music and spending as much time as possible with her family. She and her husband Roy live in Proctorville, Ohio, and have 3 grown children, Brandon(Angela), Holly & Tim, along with 1 grandchild Della.

“I feel blessed to be part of such a great team, helping the disabled community every day”, she states.

Angela is available from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can contact her at 304-525-3324 or email at aadams@mtstcil.org.

Angela Adams

given to more than 1,100 homeowners and nearly 400 contractors since 2008. Recipients got on average $3,536 in credits for the 2015 tax year.

This year, legislators in more than a half dozen states, including Maryland, South Carolina and New Mexico, considered tax credit measures modeled after Virginia’s. None were approved.

In Rhode Island, John DiTomasso, an associate state director for the AARP, said a similar bill failed there this year because of the cost to the state — up to $500,000 a year.

He said he thinks the bill will be refiled next session and is optimistic about its passage because it faced no opposition and had strong support from a coalition ranging from disability advocates to real estate agents.

“Rhode Island is facing a huge increase in the 65-plus population in the next decade. We have baby boomers every day who are moving into that age group. This is where are future housing needs are going to be.”

In Illinois, a tax credit bill that would have applied only to seniors and people with disabilities also failed this year. Its sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Linda Holmes, said it had bipartisan support but died in a subcommittee as legislators wrangled over an 18-month budget impasse with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Holmes called her bill “a simple fix” that made sense both fiscally and from a quality of life perspective.

“Ultimately, it’s more cost-effective for us as a society. It makes more sense to help people who are aging make their own home a little more accessible so they can maneuver, rather than end up in a nursing facility, which ultimately could cost the state a lot more money in Medicaid spending.”Graying America

The senior population in the U.S. is expected to explode in the coming decades, as the number of those 65 and older jumps from 48 million in 2015 to 77 million by 2035. Many live in multistory single-family homes that have lots of stairs, front entrances with steps and no full bathroom or bedroom on the first floor.

As people age, they often grow feeble and start falling, aging experts say. Home safety modifications can help keep older adults living independently and stop them from getting hurt.

A report in May concluded that there would be an increase in housing that is accessible to an aging population if state and local governments created more tax credits for home modification.

“In many cases, it’s less expensive to retrofit than it is to move to another house or condo or apartment,” said Kathy Robertson, an associate director of the Virginia housing agency.

Livable home tax credits also are available in Howard and Montgomery counties, in Maryland, and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Participants can get a break on their county property taxes, and as in Virginia, they don’t have to be a certain age or have a disability to qualify.

In Howard County, homeowners can get a tax credit of $2,500 or 50 percent of (See Tax Credits p11)

(Tax Credits continued from p7)

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October is the national month for many (over forty) things. Fun fact, in addition to some of the more serious and well known causes that are recognized this month, such as National Breast Cancer Awareness and National Depression Education and Awareness Month, there are also some slightly less serious and less well-known causes that seek recognition in October. Did you know that it is National Country Ham Month and National Pickled Peppers Month? What a heartburn ridden party that might be?! But while Peter Piper might disagree, I think it’s important to also discuss disability history, as it is also Disability Awareness Month and Disability Employment Awareness Month after all. (Note: The 3rd week of October is Disability History Week in WV.) And so I’d like to give an account of research I’m doing on the San Francisco 504 Sit-In.

I’m currently enrolled in American Sign Language (ASL) courses at Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC) to learn the language and better understand Deaf culture. I have not yet taken the class on Deaf history, but I was discussing disability history with some of my friends who had. I was all confused and mixing events in my mind. I kept combining Deaf President Now (DPN) with the 504 Sit-Ins. “I heard that there was a sit-in because the students at Gallaudet University believed the school should have a president who was deaf. They were getting supplies from the outside through interpreters, and the authorities couldn’t figure it out. And Judy Heumann was there.” Of course, my version of the history had major holes in it that became apparent the more I thought about it. For one, if ASL is the primary language being used in the area, it’s probably no surprise to anyone that it would be used to get supplies. And why would Judy Heumann be leading it?” So I took a step back and revisited my notes from the SILC orientation. I googled the two events and separated them in my mind. Gallaudet wanted a Deaf president. Judy Heumann was one of the leaders in the 504 Sit-In in San Francisco. Mutually exclusive. So where then did interpreters asking for supplies come in? I knew I had heard that—it was why brain grouped the two events together.

I asked my two professors at MCTC if they had heard about the role of people who were deaf and interpreters in the sit-ins. They had not. So I googled it. Nothing came up. I tried every combination of the words “Sit-in, Judy Heumann, San Francisco, 504, interpreters, ASL, deaf” all to no avail. The closest was a line in a paragraph about how the protesters were cut off from supplies, but were still getting what they needed—but it wasn’t at all explicit enough for me to make the claim. Finally, I just e-mailed Ann McDaniel, looking for any kind of justification to prove that I wasn’t losing my mind and fabricating a historic account. She said she wasn’t sure, but she too had heard that ASL was a part of the sit-in. And she was kind enough to give me Judy Heumann’s e-mail address.

I asked if during the San Francisco 504 Sit-In, ASL interpreters and people who were deaf played a part in getting supplies and communicating messages to people outside. I told her that I had heard this and explained a little of the

Sarah’s Corner

(See Sarah p15)

Mountain State Centers for Independent Living are getting busy and we don’t want you to miss anything.

Mountain State established a Disability Awareness Day in October way back before the ADA. October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This year the theme is #InclusionWorks.

Check the list, mark your calendars and prepare to come on out!

OCTOBER:Thursday, October 20 is Disability Awareness Forum in Beckley, held at Tamarak.

Saturday, October 22 is Beckley’s Shade Tree Car Club car show in Beckley.

Monday, October 24 is our Annual Meeting in Huntington.

Saturday, October 29 is our annual Disability Awareness Day celebration as part of the Abilities Fair at the Huntington Mall.

NOVEMBER:Tuesday, November 15 is our Thanksgiving Day celebration in Beckley. All are welcome.

Tuesday, November 22 is our Thanksgiving Day celebration in Huntington. All are welcome.

DECEMBER:Saturday, December 3 is Breakfast with Santa at HIMG in Huntington.

‘A lot of our plaintiffs have died waiting to get out of the nursing home’

Source: The Washington Post

As a television blasted on the other side of the curtain of his shared nursing home room in the District, 87-year-old Edward Stith sat near his prosthetic leg and wondered if he would ever get out of there.

In March, the retired hotel maintenance worker and veteran, whose leg was amputated four years ago, had a glimmer of hope. He was accepted through a lottery into a federal program that helps Medicaid recipients move out of nursing homes and receive services in the community. He had submitted the paperwork and knew he had until Sept. 30 to use the voucher. But here it was, the end of August, and nothing had changed.

“Birth certificate, Social Security, government-issued ID — everything they asked for, I gave it to them, and they’re not giving me nothing,” he said, adding that he would prefer to live on his own with someone coming to help with bathing and meals. “I wasn’t supposed to be here no three years; I thought I’d be here maybe a year.”

Stith is among several hundred nursing home residents who are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit alleging that the District has failed to comply with a federal mandate to move eligible and interested Medicaid recipients out of nursing homes and into the community, where they are entitled to in-home care.

The suit, filed in 2010 by University Legal Services, AARP Foundation Litigation and the private law firm of Arent Fox, is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 13. It contends that an estimated 500 to 2,900 people with disabilities are “unnecessarily institutionalized in nursing facilities, segregated and isolated from their families and friends. These individuals desperately want to return to their communities.”

Surveys consistently show that older people prefer to stay in their homes for as long as they can, and federal and local government policies have increasingly

(See Waiting p12) Page 11

Edward Stith, 87, has been living for three years in the Transitions Nursing Facility in Southeast Washington, where he shares a room with three other people. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

eligible costs, whichever is less. The county applies any credit above what is owed in property tax to future tax years.

Some communities also have changed zoning laws to encourage developers to build single-family homes using “universal design,” with features such as no-step entry and wider hallways and doorways. Those standards are mandatory in a few areas, such as Pima County, Arizona, and Bolingbrook, Illinois.

A livable housing tax credit proposal also has been pitched in the U.S. Congress.

In May, U.S. Reps. Patrick Murphy, a Florida Democrat, and Bruce Poliquin, a Maine Republican, introduced a bill that would give federal tax credits to people 60 and over who spend up to $30,000 to make home modifications so they can grow old there.

“This isn’t an individual problem; it’s a national housing issue,” said Louis Tenenbaum, a former contractor from Maryland who recently started a group, Homes Renewed, that advocates for more housing that meets people’s needs as they grow older.

Tax credits are a good way to help middle-class seniors who don’t qualify for government programs, Tenenbaum said. “The better you prepare your home, the better it will be for you, and you won’t be forced to move because you can no longer stay there.”Disability and Aging Advocates Unite

The push to create home modification tax credits was started by disability advocates. People with disabilities often need expensive retrofitting in their homes and many can’t afford it, said Karen Mariner, a vice president at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Mariner’s group has made tax credits a policy priority in the last three years and advocated for legislatures to offer them as a way to give financial relief to people with disabilities who wanted to maintain their independence and mobility.

“People with MS are younger, and as they progress, it becomes a safety issue,” she said. “They have a high number of falls, and this [the retrofitting] minimizes the number of [emergency room] visits they may have to make.”(See Tax Credits p15)

(Tax Credits continued from p9)

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(Waiting continued from p11)

(See Waiting p13)

moved in that direction. A 1999 Supreme Court ruling said that public entities must provide community-based services to people with disabilities whenever possible and that unnecessarily institutionalizing them is a form of discrimination.

Serving people at home is also more cost-effective, advocates say.

“The no-brainer part of this is this would actually save the District money,” said Kelly Bagby, an attorney for the AARP Foundation, adding that there are people who have secured housing but are waiting for the city to set up in-home services. “We’re saying that they can do more and should.”

The Office on Aging and the mayor’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit. City officials also did not respond to a request for the cost of nursing home care compared with in-home care. But Marjorie Rifkin, managing attorney for Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services, said the District had reported that for 2014, the average cost was $52,334 a person for in-home care and $69,886 for nursing facility care.

Despite the potential savings, getting people out of institutions and provided with home care requires work upfront to find appropriate housing and to set up the services, Bagby said. “D.C. is just not setting enough resources to this task,” she said. “Last year, D.C. was very proud of moving 35 people from nursing homes to the community. At this rate, a lot of people will never get out, and a lot of our plaintiffs have died waiting to get out of the nursing home.”

Twenty-six people were moved in 2014, and previously the numbers were in the teens or below, Rifkin said.

The suit also alleges that people with disabilities have been forced into nursing homes because the city has not provided adequate alternatives.

Federally and state-funded waivers for Medicaid recipients who are elderly or have physical disabilities — known as EPD waivers — allow people to receive up to 16 hours a day of in-home services and case management if they need help with at least two activities of daily living such as bathing, eating or dressing. If they need 24-hour care, they can get an additional eight hours through the D.C. Medicaid Personal Care Assistance program.

The program Stith qualified for, Money Follows the Person, is a federal Medicaid program that helps older people and those with disabilities move to their communities from nursing homes. To qualify, a person must have been in a nursing home or hospital for at least 90 days and must have received Medicaid in the last month of services there.

The Office on Aging’s executive director, Laura Newland, said that in the past, people had had trouble applying to the EPD waiver program, so the application process was revamped in 2015.

Newland could not confirm how many people have been moved in recent years from nursing homes into the community. But she said that of about 4,000 slots for EPD waivers, available to people who have made that transition and also to those who have never moved from their homes, only a little more than half have been filled.

Edward Stith, 87 (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

(Voters continued from p3)

to be roadblocks put up,”Painter said. “In early voting, if a bailiff sees someone come in with a cane or wheelchair, we automatically bump them to the front of the line, so we do everything we can to accomodate.”

Desmond said voters who feel they have not been properly accommodated or have complaints can voice those through West Virginia Advocates.

“If somebody has a complaint, for example, they went to a polling place and there were only stairs and no ramp, or a poll worker didn’t know how to use an accessible machine, if they have any complaints, they can call West Virginia Advocates,” Desmond said. “The big thing right now is educating voters. Voting is a right that everybody has, and ‘everybody’ should include people with disabilities. It’s a right that everyone should have through their entire lifespan.”

In order to file for an absentee ballot with either Berkeley or Jefferson counties, voters can call the county clerk office to be sent one through the mail, or visit govotewv.com.

Desmond said voters with questions or concerns about disability compliance and accommodation can call 800-950-5250, 304-346-0847 or visit wvadvocates.org.

Oct. 18 is the last day to register to vote in the general election. Early voting will begin Oct. 26 and end Nov. 5. The general election is Nov. 8.

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West Virginia SPIL ApprovalWest Virginia is required to write a new State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) every three years and submit it to the Independent Living Administration (ILA), Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for approval. The SPIL must be jointly developed and submitted by the SILC and the WV Centers for Independent Living (CILs).

The SILC established a team, including representatives from the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and the Designated State Entity (DSE) the WV Division of Rehabilitation Services, to write the new SPIL for federal fiscal years 2017-2019 (Oct. 1, 2016 through Sept. 30, 2019). Public forums were held in nine different locations across WV to gather input for the plan. The team considered all input from the public forums in writing the SPIL as well as feedback received on-line and at two public meetings on the draft SPIL.

The SPIL was approved by the CILs and by the SILC and submitted to ACL in June 2016. It was approved by ACL without any problems on September 1, 2016 and implementation of the new SPIL, primarily by the CILs, began October 1, 2016.

The SPIL governs all programs and activities funded by Title VII, Part B funds received by the state under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. It also governs programs and activities funded by state funds for the

Ron Yost Personal Assistance Services program and for Independent Living Services.

Mission & Goals for SPIL 2017-2019 Mission: To ensure all West Virginians are valued equally and participate fully in their communities.

Goal 1: People with disabilities have access to the community-based resources they need.

Goal 2: Independent Living services are available and operate efficiently.

Goal 3: All West Virginians with disabilities have access to a CIL.

The SPIL may be viewed or downloaded at http://www.wvsilc.org/spil.htm, or a printed copy may be requested by contacting the SILC office at 304-766-4624 or 1-855-855-9743 or via email.

(Waiting continued from p12)

“We have been kind of waiting to see if when we changed the application process for the waiver, would that change the utilization of the waiver,” she said, adding that there has not been a change. “It just looks like we have more slots than people who are qualifying and wanted to use those services.”

She added that the expiration date on MFP vouchers such as Stith’s are advisory. “That deadline, honestly, it’s a deadline because we want to make sure that people use the voucher,” she said. “The deadline is extended on an individual, case-by-case basis. No one has been denied a voucher because of that deadline.”

Newland said that although the city sends workers to help people complete the applications, “nursing-home social workers can gather the information on their own as well.”

But most facilities don’t have enough staffing to do so, Rifkin said. Transitions Healthcare, the 360-bed Anacostia nursing home where Stith lives, has three social workers, she said. “Other states have far surpassed the District’s level of providing basic transition assistance. . . . There’s no system here.”

To Rifkin, the unfilled EPD waiver slots are a sign of a problem. “Most states have years-long, in many cases decades-long waiting lists to get home services. It’s a big mystery. We think that nobody’s willing to go out and help them get these services.”

James Edelin, 61, says he’s too young to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home. A former addiction counselor who has worked with nonprofit groups, he has lived at Deanwood Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Northeast Washington since he had a kidney and liver transplant in 2013. He said he is on a waiting list for housing.

“I want to go back to the community. I want to go back to work if I can,” he said. “Here, every room you go to there’s somebody there. I use a curtain in my room, but that doesn’t do anything for sound. If you wanted to have an intimate conversation I don’t know where you’d go. The sooner I can get out of here, the better.”

Stith feels the same way. He’s sick of (See Waiting p14)

Page 14 (See Dive p15)

Deep Sea Diving in a WheelchairSource: fiboni.com

We cannot stand the thought of being wheelchair bound for all of our lives, but there are some special people who have been living with it, breathing with it, and existing with it. Others often refer to them as “disabled”, and all they do is, sympathize, criticize or to an extreme, make them feel as if they just don’t deserve to exist in this world.

In this blog, you will read how a woman named – Sue Austin has redefined the word ‘disability’ by using her will power and determination to live with dignity in this inclusive society. For her, disability was a way of getting some extremity, facing all the difficult situations, tapping her talents and throwing an interest-ing light on people. She took advantage of what everything she could do and never concentrated on the things she could not. She chose not to place ‘DIS’ in her ‘ABILITY’ and never let this come in her way to conquer the world.

It all started 16 years ago when an extended illness changed the way she could access the world. She experienced her life slipping away and getting restricted in the confines of her room. People’s reaction completely changed towards her, it was as if they couldn’t see her anymore. They saw her in terms of their assumptions of what it must be like to be in a wheelchair. People as-sociated her with limitation, fear, pity and restriction. A part of her had become alienated from her life. She wanted to reclaim her identity back.

She started to make something that aimed in communicating joy and freedom with her best companion- her ‘wheelchair’. She started using her wheelchair to create unexpected images. Below is an image illustrating one of her playful design.

Seeing interested and surprised responses from people opened new doors of perspectives for her. She understood that practice can make her identity and help transform all preconceptions and notions that people had about her. But, this was just the beginning to make her mark in history.

She began diving in the year 2005 and realized that ‘scuba gear’ extends to her range of activity in just the way her wheelchair does. She knew that people hold different responses for a scuba gear and a wheel chair. She wondered whether she could bring both of them together. In 2010, with a grant from the Arts Council England’s Impact program, she began building an underwater wheelchair for a work she called “Testing the Water.”

John Panek has been a West Virginian since 1995. Growing up in Arlington Heights, Illinois, he contracted polio when he was 12 during the 1952 epidemic. He now has post-polio syndrome. Panek is a graduate of the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Although he is best known for his paintings of classic vintage motorcycles, Panek has also been commissioned to do other subjects. He has worked in oil, watercolor and colored pencil. He is married to a West Virginia native, has six children and nine grandchildren living in Illinois, Iowa and Finland.

John PanekShinnston, Harrison CountyAvery Steam Tractor, Colored Pencil and PenThreshing with Steam, Colored Pencil and Pen

Avery Steam TractorThis is a drawing of a 1907 Avery steam tractor set against the background of steam, trees and sky.

institutional food — “we eat turkey all the time” — and would love some potato salad and barbecued ribs. He also misses the beach.

“I served this country. I gave this country four good years of my life,” he said, “and they tell me they can’t give me a house or apartment to live in?”

Threshing with Steam This is a drawing of an old threshing machine and a wagon carrying two men using pitchforks to stack hay.

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She started talking to people about it; engineers too gave up saying it wouldn’t work. They anticipated that a scuba diving wheelchair is not designed to go through water. But, Sue Austin was sure it would.

Certainly, this wheelchair scuba diving must have been an enriching and as-tounding experience of a lifetime. Deep sea wheelchair diving gave her the freedom to move in 360 degrees of space, that is indeed exhilarating.

Certainly, this wheelchair scuba diving must have been an enriching and as-tounding experience of a lifetime. Deep sea wheelchair diving gave her the freedom to move in 360 degrees of space, that is indeed exhilarating.

Today she takes pride in what she does. People no more look down upon her but often are seen commenting things like, “I want one of those.” Or, “if you can do that, I can do anything.” She has transcended the frame of reference that people held for a wheelchair.

It required months of intense physical training with the help of creative and technical team’s assistance. For filming this video, the crew headed to Egypt to record Austin exploring the Red Sea in her wheelchair. The tropical back-ground and marine life has added a tinge of magic to it.

She has created a freedom that has spread to the rest of other people’s lives. She has taught people to focus on the abilities and not on the limitations. A single vehicle has transformed her life. This underwater wheelchair has literally pushed her into a new way of being, into new dimensions and into a whole new level of consciousness.

She has won the Natalie Sitar Prize for outstanding achievement, as well as the Holton Lee International Disability Arts Open in 2008. We wonder where this wheelchair will take her in the coming years.

(Sarah continued from p10)

journey detailed in this article. Then I waited. I now have her response. And as it turns out, I am not imagining things! Verbatim, she said “Yes it is quite accurate. I am including Susan Henderson on this email who can speak with Lori Slonsky who was interpreter.” Now, I haven’t been in contact with Susan or Lori, but the answer I have been so desperately seeking has been given. And I do fully intend to dive into this a little deeper.

So Peter Piper can pick all the little pickled peppers he wants, because I learned something about the cause I care about this month. Disability history is so fascinating and so rich. And so much of it has been recent, so key players are still alive to answer nagging questions about accuracy. We absolutely must share it with others. It’s awesome! –And just for the record, Judy Heumann’s email has been clearly marked UNCLASSIFIED.

~written by Sarah Mathis

A handful of states, including Kansas and Missouri, have enacted laws granting tax credits for people with physical disabilities. This year, Maine passed legislation offering up to $9,000 for homeowners to retrofit if they meet certain disability and income requirements.

Recently, the MS society started working with AARP in some states to push for homeowner tax credit measures not only for people with disabilities but also for seniors, Mariner said.

This year, legislators considered tax credit bills in at least a dozen states. Most were drafted broadly, with no age or disability requirements. Some were targeted only for people with disabilities. And a few applied only to that group and to older adults.

Mariner said she expects most of the measures will be reintroduced in 2017.

“We feel confident we’re going to see more states recognize that these types of programs end up benefitting them. It’s cheaper to keep people in their homes. And that’s what we want.”.

(Tax Credits continued from p11)

(Dive continued from p14)

WVSILCP.O. Box 625Institute, WV 25112-0625

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Next Full Council Meeting:December 7, 2016

Location:9:00 AM - 5:00 PMWVDRS Program Services Office10 McJunkin Road, Nitro, WV

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OCTOBER:Thursday, October 20 is Disability Awareness Forum in Beckley, held at Tamarak.

Saturday, October 22 is Beckley’s Shade Tree Car Club car show in Beckley.

Monday, October 24 is our Annual Meeting in Huntington.

Saturday, October 29 is our annual Disability Awareness Day celebration as part of the Abilities Fair at the Huntington Mall.

NOVEMBER:Tuesday, November 15 is our Thanksgiving Day celebration in Beckley. All are welcome.

Tuesday, November 22 is our Thanksgiving Day celebration in Huntington. All are welcome.

DECEMBER:Saturday, December 3 is Breakfast with Santa at HIMG in Huntington.