Northville couple win hero award

A Northville couple was presented with the prestigious September Hero Award by Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority for advocating for people with mental illness during the past 20 years.

In honor of its 50^th Anniversary, OCCMHA is presenting monthly Hero Awards throughout 2013 to individuals who champion for change, inspire and support others, lead anti-stigma efforts, advocate for equality and independence, and give back to their community.

 Leon and Mary Ellen Judds are two of the original founders of National Alliance on Mental Illness Metro, a grassroots, all volunteer, non-profit organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for persons with serious mental illness and their families through advocacy, support, and education.

 Leon currently serves as NAMI Metro’s president and Mary Ellen is the treasurer and education chair responsible for the Families in Action and In Our Own Voice programs. They lead one of the largest Annual NAMI Walk teams, known for their bright, yellow T-shirts that read: “Stigma Stinks!”

The Judds are also well-regarded for their warmth and consideration toward parents who are struggling with a loved one’s illness, said Christine Burk, a spokeswoman for OCCMHA.

Nominations for the hero award are due the first of every month and are available online at www.occmha.org. Email completed forms to registerme@occmha.org or send completed forms to Debbie Wisser at 2011 Executive Hills Blvd. in Auburn Hills.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer-in-Residence and Advocate-at-Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at (586) 263-8950.

MORC to host Resource Fair

The Macomb-Oakland Regional Center will host an open house and resource fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the Auburn Hills office at 1270 Doris Road.

Individuals will have the opportunitiy to learn more about MORC's services and have their questions answered by individual department representatives.

Departments represented include Supports Coordination, Intake/Respite, Clinical Services, Recreational Services, Children and Family Services, Autism Waiver Program, Consumer Financial Affairs, Peer Support Services, Family Support Subsidy, Independent Facilitation, Supports Intensity Scale, Training, AMORC Parent Group and Friendship Circle.

In addition, microbusinesses run by individuals MORC serves will be on hand to sell a variety of products and refreshments will be served throughout the day.

For more information, call (586) 263-8701.

Transition Network sponsors series on Building Bridge to Future

Three organizations are hosting a three-part series on subjects ranging from transition services to person-centered planning.

Sponsors for the initial training session, which runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Oakland Public School System headquarters at 2111 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford, include the Regional Inclusive Community Coalition, Oakland Schools, and the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority.

At the first session, Annie Lubliner-Lehmann, will speak about what she has learned in raising a son with autism.

Lubliner-Lehmann, who published “The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from My Silent Son?” will speak about her personal experiences with transition and person centered planning.

She has been a freelance writer for more than 25 years, has published articles in many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and Detroit Free Press.

The second session will be held Nov. 5 at the same location and is entitled: “Community Mental Health: Eligibility to Services” while the final session on Dec. 3 is on “Person Centered Planning: The Plan for Adult Life.”

The Oakland County Transition Network, a collaboration of committee members from OCCHMA, Oakland Schools, and the Oakland County Regional Interagency Consumer Committee, put together the series. To register, visit www.oakland.k12.mi.us or call (248) 209-2500 or (888) 263-3867.

If you have questions about the presentation content, call Cathy Schmidt at (248) 209-2504 or Lynda at (248) 975-9835. There is no cost to attend the training which is aimed at parents, young adults and those who support transition, said Lynn Maginity, executive director of Imaginity@newgateways.org.

The series will take a closer look at transition for students with an Individual Education Plan as they move from school to adult community agency supports. Learn planning tools, the process, and resources at the training sessions. Each session will feature a parent and/or a young adult sharing their tips and lessons learned.

Lubliner-Lehmann lives in Michigan with her husband and two of her three children. Her eldest son, 24, has severe autism. All proceeds from the book will be donated to the research arm of Autism Speaks. Lubliner-Lehmann says she lives by John Ruskin’s words: “The primary reward for human toil is not what you get for it, but what you become by it?”

Ilitch Charities donates $50,000 to MORC

In front of 41,000 fans in Comerica Park, the Ilitch Charities gave $50,000 to the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center that will go to the Futures Foundations to provide money for items and services that government funding does not cover for those with disabilities that MORC serves in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

“It was a spectacular evening,” said Gerald Provencal, the executive director of MORC. “It was the greatest rainy night in my life,” he said. “Holding a check for $50,000 from the Ilitch family was an exciting, gratifying, and humbling experience.”

In addition to the donation, MORC received “tremendous recognition for the work we have been doing for the last 41 years and it will pay dividends to us well into the future,” said Provencal. “It’s a testament to the integrity and the passion of MORC and all of us who contribute to its success.”

Another exciting moment Friday Sept. 20 was when Mark Stillwell, who formerly lived in the state institution in Lapeer, rolled out onto the field in his wheelchair and watched the check-presentation ceremony. Tiger Manager Jim Leyland walked over and shook Mark’s hand and wished him all the best.

“The Ilitch companies are proud to be part of the fabric of our community, and giving back to the communities where we do business is very important to us,” said Christopher Ilitch. The $150,000 that went to MORC and two other nonprofits was raised in late August at the Sixth Annual Ilitch Charities Celebrity Golf Classic, the organization’s annual signature fundraising event.

“Among many other initiatives, our annual Ilitch Charities Celebrity Golf Classic is a great way for us to raise funds each and every year that go directly back into making our community a better place for all,” Ilitch said.

MORC was nominated for the award by Executive Programs Director Larry Hudas of Aon Risk Solutions of Southfield, who has been a long-time supporter and admirer of MORC’s humanitarian work.

Ilitch, the son of Tiger owners Mike and Marian Ilitch, presided over the event and presented MORC the check.

A picture of the check presentations was posted on the Tigers’ Facebook page after the Tiger-Chicago White Sox game which Detroit won 12-5.

Each of us walked out separately to receive the check and had our picture taken, Provencal said. Other recipients of $50,000 each were the Michigan Humane Society and Detroit Historical Society.

“It was a wonderful, wonderful night for MORC staff and consumers at the game. It will be long remembered by those who love MORC and love baseball.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer-in-Residence/Advocate-at-Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.

Those receiving food show gentle kindness to one another

In a parking lot surrounded by buildings on the property of Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, those in need came to pick a basket full of fresh vegetables and fruit collected by Forgotten Harvest.

It’s a ritual on the third Thursday of the month that goes on rain or shine, winter or fall.

About 60 people this time took turns using a rolling grocery cart which was filled up with zucchini, small potatoes, squash, fresh peaches, coffee in one-pound sacks, corn-off-the-cob, pizza, beef jerky, cranberry juice and fresh apples.

“How many can I have, two or three?” one woman said when she got near the table where the zucchini was stacked. “Take 10, take as many as you want,” said volunteer Sharon who spent four hours stacking the zucchini on the table and pulling potatoes out of 50-pound sacks.

Peter LeClerc of MORC’s accounting department volunteered. He pushed the carts for those who had a disability and needed a helping hand.

“We’ve done this in the middle of winter,” he said.

Hunger often is a constant companion of too many in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties where one-in-six people live in a perpetual state of not having enough food to sustain a healthy body.

The 50 or 60 people who came to get the free food were patient. Nobody took cuts. They looked at the amount of food in giant boxes to make sure there was enough for those who were in line behind them.

“I have five children to feed,” one woman said. “Can I have this larger bag of potatoes?”

“Of course,” said a volunteer, Theo.

When the food is gone, it is gone. At 10 a.m. when people started pulling into the lot in vans, pickups and cars, an observer thought there wouldn’t be enough food to go around. But the stores went quickly and were gone with two hours.

Volunteer Barb Breen of Waterford thought “it was wonderful” to see so many receiving food so they can get through the week.

“A lot of people don’t know about this,” she said of the food donations or the collection of excess food from grocery stores and the efforts of Forgotten Harvest of Oak Park whose mission is “to relieve hunger.”

“We can never do enough,” said Breen.

Drexel Lane of MORC would help control the flow of people picking out food.

“We got two bags of taters over here,” he said. “Please give me a case of peaches for this lady. We can’t give out one of anything, take more.”

And as quietly and orderly as they came, those who received food dispersed. Many had smiles and were speaking of how they were going to bake the zucchini or make a peach pie.

They had reason to be joyful. They succeeded in beating hunger from their door for another day or so.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer-in-Residence/Advocate-at-Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.

 

More than 1.6 million lose medical coverage in Michigan in decade

Michigan led the nation in the number of workers who lost medical coverage from their jobs between 1999 and last year, a study released Tuesday (9.17) found.
In 1999-2000, 76 percent of Michigan’s under-65 population was covered by employer-sponsored insurance. However, that number fell to 62.5 percent of the workforce as 1.6 million state workers lost employee-sponsored coverage.
“Fewer and fewer employers offer insurance,” said Gilda Z. Jacobs, president & CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, a research and advocacy entity.
“Right now, when hardworking people lose their job-based coverage, most have nowhere else to turn,” Jacobs said. “The good news is that the Affordable Care Act will make a difference, offering lower cost medical care to folks who otherwise would have to seek expensive emergency room care and making affordable health insurance available to those who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.’’
Michigan became the 25^th state to expand eligibility for Medicaid on Monday when Gov. Rick Snyder signed HB 4714.
Two major provisions of the Affordable Care Act will dramatically reduce the number of uninsured Michigan residents, starting in 2014.
First, an estimated 470,000 uninsured people in Michigan are expected to gain health insurance coverage through the state’s acceptance of federal funds to expand Medicaid.
And, starting on Oct. 1, 2013, those in Michigan who can’t get affordable health insurance through their jobs but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid can sign up for coverage for 2014 through the state’s new Health insurance Marketplace.
Many people will be eligible for new federal subsidies to help them pay their premiums and reduce their out-of-pocket health costs. More than 1 million Michigan residents are expected to gain coverage through the Marketplace, Jacobs said.
“Health reform means that all Michigan families will have the security and peace of mind that comes with quality, affordable health insurance,” Jacobs said. “That’s good for our state’s families, businesses, communities, and economy.”

Jerry Wolffe is the advocate-at-large/writer-in-residence at The Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.

 

MORC to host exhibition pairing poets with artists with disabilities

The Macomb-Oakland Regional Center (MORC) is pleased to present “My Vision, Your Voice:  An Artistic Duet” from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20 at the Scarab Club at 217 Farnsworth St. in  Detroit.
With a theme of “Portals,” the artistic event features an interdisciplinary collaboration between photographers with a developmental disability and 10 nationally acclaimed Michigan poets.  Through this project, renowned poets chose a photo taken by a MORC artist that inspired him or her and wrote a poem based on the photo, in effect giving a voice to the work. The resulting exhibition consists of 30 combined pieces featuring a photograph alongside the poem it inspired, creating an innovative artistic experience.
“The combined works are amazing,” says Patty Sunisloe, Project Development Director at MORC. “To be able to collaborate with professional poets and have the general public be able to see and appreciate this work on a large scale is a dream come true for many of the individuals in our program.”
“My experience was extremely positive,” says S. Kay Young, a local photographer MORC hired to teach the photography classes. “We need to find ways to continue to not only support artists with disabilities, but to integrate their work into the formal art world. This first of its kind exhibition is a great step towards that goal.”
Suzanne Scarfone,  a well published, local poet who serves as a creative writing professor with the Afghan Women’s Writing Project as well as a writer-in-residence with InsideOut Literary Arts Project in Detroit, coordinated the poetry aspect of the project.
“As Poetry Editor, I chose poets who were keenly attuned to the nuances of sensory images," she says. "Each poet worked to give exquisite voice to the beauties of the MORC photographers’ visions and to do justice to their artistic sensibilities. This experience has deepened the creative perspectives of all involved,” said Scarfone.
Other Michigan poets participating include: Alise Alousi, Scott Beal, Norene Cashen, Robert Fanning, Rachel Harkai, Zilka Joseph, Peter Markus, John Rybicki, Kristine Uyeda and Anca Vlasopolos. 
The event is open to the public. Cost is $10 per person, payable at the door. Proceeds will benefit art programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. For more information, call 586-265-4627.

 

New Gateways to hold three fundraisers, including one for hockey players

WEST BLOOMFIELD -- New Gateways, Inc., has announced three fundraisers to be held during the next few weeks.
The first is Friday, Sept. 20, and is the Drakeshire Lanes Bowling Fundraiser at Drakeshire Lanes at 35000 Grand River in Farmington. The event begins at 6 p.m. and includes bowling, raffle items, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. For more information donate or call New Gateways at 248 538-7830.
The Fowler Center for Outdoor Living in Mayville is having its annual fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Stahl's Automotive Foundation. There will be a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, antique auto showroom, hors d'oeuvres and more, says client services coordinator Zach Cardinell. For more information, call 248 249-2938 or the Fowler Center at 989 673-2050.
The Special Needs Street Hockey League is back by popular demand for a second season. The season starts at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 5 at Borden Park in Farmington Hills. Hockey will be held on Saturdays. At the opener, players will run drills and play games. For information, call 248 249-2938.
All the public support is greatly appreciated.

School aid spending cuts will harm state’s recovery

Extensive cuts by the state to fund schools has deepened the recession, slowed the recovery and will make Michigan less prosperous in the future, a study said Thursday (9.12).

Michigan has cut investment in K-12 schools by 9 percent since 2008, a deeper cut than 33 other states, according to a report released by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.

“It’s very clear that states that have good schools and educated workforces reap the benefits through stronger economic growth,” said Gilda Z. Jacobs, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. “We are moving in the wrong direction by reducing our investment in our schools and students. These cuts have weakened our ability to educate our state’s kids. There will be consequences for Michigan’s economy,”

State revenue declined sharply during the recession. But instead of addressing budget shortfalls by taking a balanced approach that includes new revenues, Michigan relied very heavily on cuts to state services, including education, the study said.

Even as revenues have begun to recover, Michigan has continued to cut education funding leaving spending per student $572 below pre-recession levels, taking inflation into account.

Michigan’s K-12 education cuts hurt the state’s economy in the short- and long-term. The cuts slowed the economic recovery by causing both public- and private-sector job loss as school districts throughout Michigan laid off teachers and support staff, reduced pay for the remaining staff, and canceled contracts with private businesses.

“At a time when the nation is trying to produce workers with the skills to master new technologies and adapt to the complexities of a global economy, states should be investing more — not less — to ensure our kids get a strong education,” said Michael Leachman, director of state fiscal research at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and co-author of the report.

Jerry Wolffe is the advocate-at-large and writer-in-residence at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586-263-8700.

Suicide information offered by Common Ground at Open House

Common Ground, 1410 S. Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills, is opening its doors to the community to share information about its suicide prevention efforts from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
Guests will get the chance to meet staff and volunteers, learn about programs and services and trainings, and walk away with a suicide prevention packet with helpful information for suicide prevention efforts and tips for supporting survivors of suicide loss.
Light refreshments will be served.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Amelia Lehto, crisis line and suicide prevention specialist, at 248-541-2613.

Nearly one in seven Michigan households face hunger

More than a half-million Michigan households reported serious problems affording adequate nutritious food at some point last year, according to new data released Thursday (9.5) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Those included some 200,000 Michigan households that experienced very low food security – meaning that one or more household members had to reduce their food intake at least some time during the year.

Overall, the number of Americans facing food insecurity in 2012 stayed the same this year with 17.6 million households, 14.5 percent, of the total population, nationwide.

In Michigan 13.4 percent of households was food insecure in 2010-2012, the same as 2007-2009. Food insecurity, however, has jumped dramatically from 9.2 percent of households in 2000-2002.

Data for Oakland and Macomb county residents was not broken out by the researchers.

“Too many Michigan families struggle to make ends meet with nearly one in every seven households experiencing food insecurity,’’ said Karen Holcomb-Merrill, policy director of the Michigan League for Public Policy.

“We’ve had more than a 45 percent jump in food insecurity over a decade. Despite a slow economic recovery, it’s clear that food assistance is so very vital to millions of families, seniors, people with disabilities and unemployed Americans.”

One of the most powerful weapons against hunger is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, also called the Food Assistance Program in Michigan. Some 1.8 million people in Michigan participate in SNAP and use its benefits to help put a basic diet on the table each day.

SNAP benefits are modest, providing less than $1.50 per person, per meal. Even so, they have a significant impact in reducing poverty. In 2011 alone, SNAP helped to lift 5.7 million Americans, including 2.1 children out of poverty, based on the federal government’s Supplemental Poverty Measure.

The new data are yet another indication that the economy still has not yet fully recovered from the deep recession and that millions of families continue to struggle with job loss, reduced wages, and poverty.

Jerry Wolffe is the Advocate-at-Large/Writer in Residence at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586-263-8950.

Grants turn wishes into reality for those with disabilities

Bretton Robb and his brother, Gregory, both of Pontiac, couldn’t believe it when they learned their shared dream of going to a WWE event and seeing wrestlers compete in Joe Louis Arena was to come true.

Bretton and his pre-teen brother, Gregory, “stared at the tickets in disbelief when they were shown to them,” said Teri Donaldson, the executive director of The Futures Foundation, which provides grants to people with disabilities who receive services from the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center which has office in Clinton Township and Auburn Hills.

“GG (Gregory) clapped and laughed and Bretton just stared at the tickets with a big smile,” Donaldson said. “Bretton promised to send me a video of the Sept. 15.”

Recipients of Futures Foundation grants – which are given out the first of May, August and November -- are chosen by a committee made up of MORC employees.

Bill Barron of Holly, never went fishing. He received money to go to Camp Skyline in Almont in Macomb County where he’d had the chance to catch the first fish of his life.

He attended camp from June 9 to June 13. Besides fishing, Barron did crafts, sang songs around the campfire and made lots of new friends.

“It was the best time of my life,” he said. Barron can’t wait to return to camp next year.

Amy DeKeyser of Waterford Township competed in the Michigan Victory Games at Michigan State University from May 16 to May 19 via a grant.  Among the 60 athletes from several states, DeKeyser won a first-place ribbon in Bocce ball, second place in precision discus throw and third in a relay race which tests a wheelchair user’s skill in running an obstacle course.

DeKeyser is a mentor to others with disabilities at MORC. She also volunteers three days a week at the senior community of Canterbury on the Lake in Waterford, working with patients in hospice and with Alzheimer’s.

Other grant recipients include Victoria Danyluk, 10, and her brother, Corey, 8, of Troy who learned to swim at Aqua-Tots in Rochester. The process was slow. They first put their faces in water, then were taught to float and succeeded in swimming in the pool.
Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence & Advocate at Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586-263-8950. To Donate to The Futures Foundation, call 586-464-2610.

 

Senior Bill Barron of Holly holds crafts he made while attending Camp Skyline in Almont where he had the chance to fish for the first time in his life.

Troy resident named to Oakland mental health board

AUBURN HILLS -- Troy resident Adam Fuhrman, a counselor and peer mentor at Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, was appointed to the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Fuhrman’s duties include developing and coordinating peer mentor programs for those served by MORC, Inc. He also is a certified Supports Intensity Scale interviewer and trainer, and a trainer for the Oakland County Peer Mentor Training Program.

Fuhrman earned Bachelor and Master degrees from Oakland University.

He has volunteered his counseling expertise at Faith Lutheran Church in Troy. As a volunteer, he facilitates group counseling using GriefShare curriculum, co-facilitates group counseling using Divorce Care for Kids curriculum, and uses empathetic listening to encourage member participation.

In the past, Fuhrman, who was born with cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user, has served as an Alternate Member of the Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities in Troy and was a member of Golden Key International Honour Society.

Jerry Wolffe is the writer-in-residence/advocate at large at MORC. He can be reached at 586-263-8950.

 

System to alert MORC employees of emergencies

Macomb-Oakland Regional Center has implemented, as of Sept. 1, an alert system to notify employees of “an urgent or emergent nature.”

The Mass Notification System provides an automated progressive alert system to be utilized to send to multiple device notifications of an emergency involving the community.

The system will be used to notify staff at both the Clinton Township and the Auburn Hills offices of emergency situations such as weather warnings, weather delays or closures, as well as emergency preparedness notification and drills. The system will be tested on a quarterly basis.

Once a staff member receives an alert by office telephone, email or cellphone, the staffer must respond by sending an email or telephone call as soon as possible. The system will keep sending alerts until the MORC worker responds.

The system “will prompt a MORC employee and instruct them on how to respond by either email or phone to acknowledge receipt of the emergency message,” said Human Resources Manager Cathy Gibson.

“This will be yet another building block toward maintaining a safe, happy, and healthy work environment,” she said in an Aug. 20 email to MORC workers.

Initial data such as phone numbers, email address, and personal telephone number from MORC employees will be loaded into the Mass Notification System. A form accompanied the email in which workers provided all contact information which will be kept confidential, Gibson said.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence/Rights Advocate at Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center.

Labor Day report finds troubling trends in Michigan wages

Michigan’s low- and middle-income workers are more squeezed than their counterparts 30 years ago with a decline in inflation-adjusted wages over the years, a new Labor Day report found.

Workers in Michigan made the least progress in wages over the period than all states except for Alaska, and the report finds a startling 24 percent decline in the median wage for black workers over three decades compared with 1 percent decline for white workers, when adjusted for inflation.

Increasing the state’s minimum wage and making post-secondary education and training more accessible are ways to turn the trends around, according to the Labor Day Report: Paycheck Blues, released by the Michigan League for Public Policy.

“Wages are an important gauge of the health of an economy. We all want Michigan to be a state where hard work is rewarded,’’ said Gilda Z. Jacobs, president & CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. “When wages are low, the economy suffers, putting a strain on public assistance programs while generating less revenue to maintain public structures and needed services.’’

Only those workers at the top have experienced gains since 1982. Workers earning the most (those in the 90th percentile earning $38.25 an hour) are able to purchase 22 percent more than workers in the 90th percentile in 1982.

Workers in the 50th percentile, or the median wage, however, saw a 7 percent decline in purchasing power between 1982 and 2012.

Those workers experiencing the worst decline were black workers. In 2012, white workers earned $4.20 an hour more on average than black workers, the largest disparity over three decades.

Gaps in education levels and the concentration of black residents in high-poverty areas with little access to employment are among reasons that may be driving the growing disparity.

“For us to prosper we need an economy that works for all. Growing wage disparities threaten the economic health of all of us,’’ Jacobs said.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer-in-Residence/Advocate at Large for the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.

 

Common Ground hosts open house on suicide awareness, prevention

In recognition and support of National Suicide Prevention Week Sept. 8 to Sept. 17, Common Ground is opening its doors to the community to share information about its suicide prevention efforts on Friday, Sept. 13, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the agency’s administrative offices at 1410 S. Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills.

Guests will get the chance to meet Common Ground's staff and volunteers, learn about programs, services and trainings, and walk away with a suicide prevention packet filled with helpful information for suicide prevention efforts and tips for supporting survivors of suicide loss. 

The free open house is just one of the agency’s planned activities aimed at increasing community awareness during National Suicide Prevention Week.  
A new Common Ground suicide prevention website will be unveiled, which will provide information on suicide prevention, intervention and follow-up, as well as tips and resource links, all in one place at www.suicideprevention.commongroundhelps.org .
Common Ground also is launching the new one-day edition of Mental Health First Aid training.  Previously a two-day commitment, this one-day training saves participants time but still provides all the information needed to provide the initial help to someone showing symptoms of mental illness or in a mental health crisis.
The next session, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26, will be held at Common Ground’s administrative offices in Bloomfield Hills from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Register online at www.commongrounddhelps.org by clicking the MHFA button in the lower right corner or call Joan Roberts at 248 451 3733.
To RSVP for the open house, or for more information, contact Amelia Lehto, Crisis Line and Suicide Prevention specialist, at 248 451-2613.
Jerry Wolffe is the Advocate at Large/Writer in Residence at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263 8950.

 

MORC to host three overview sessions on Supports Intensity Scale

To reserve a seat for the overview sessions, call Diane Mills at 586 263 8663 within five days before the event or email her at diane.mills@morcinc.org

Ryan Leininger, the Supports Intensity Scale Training Coordinator at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, will present three overview sessions of the SIS in September, October and November.
Leininger will be assisted in the training sessions by Katie Kramer, an SIS trainer.
The SIS is a technique to evaluate an individual with a disability and then design a rehabilitation program specifically tailored to the person with a disability.
The SIS sessions are scheduled on Sept. 10 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Conference Room C103 at MORC's Clinton Township office; Oct. 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Conference Room 400A at the Clinton office and Nov. 14 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Conference Room C101 at the Clinton office.
Topics will include the history and background of the SIS; what is measured and how; what is expected from an SIS interview and how the SIS is used in a Person-Centered-Plan for a person with a disability.
The SIS was developed by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, based in Washington, D.C., and is broadly used across the United States and internationally.
It is considered a reliable and standardized way to consider the types of supports an individual with a disability requires for daily living activities.
It also considers how often support is needed. An AAIDD-trained interviewer works with you and those you trust to consider your individual supports if you have a disability. The meeting usually lasts between 90 minutes and two hours. Participants can include a guardian, family, friends, or an advocate. Others involved could include a Support Coordinator and Case Manager.
Areas focused upon in an SIS include home and community living, lifelong learning, employment, social life, health and safety, protection and advocacy and medical and behavioral conditions.
To maximize the success of a SIS evaluation consider your daily supports and how often you need support, what type of support is needed and how much time it takes.
Also consider what you would need to successfully complete a task, keep an open mind, if you are unsure, ask questions and if you are uncomfortable during the interview or need a break, just ask the interviewer and he or she will help resolve the immediate situation.
The interview also is designed to generate a consensus among you and your caregiving stakeholders about your supports.
Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence and Advocate at Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263 8950.

Joy of horseback riding day set for mid-September

For more information, reservations or directions, call Linda at 248 634-7276 or email info@prettyponypastures.org. Information is also posted on the Website www.prettyponypastures.org/Riding.htm.

Pretty Pony Pastures is hosting “The Joy of Horseback Riding” for persons with disabilities on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Parents are invited to bring the entire family for an afternoon of horse-related activities that include grooming a horse, horse games and a short horseback riding lesson. These activities will give parents an opportunity to find out if horseback riding can be beneficial for their child.

When you think of a horseback riding, you picture a gentle trail ride with the riders enjoying the scenery, but for a child with autism or other special needs, horseback riding may be his or her mode of becoming more independent, learning social skills, and becoming comfortable with the sensory and tactile activities of grooming and riding. With the start of the new school year, most children are registering for sport activities that many children with disabilities cannot participate in. Therapeutic horseback riding gives these children an opportunity to learn new skills while actively participating in a sport.

Although therapeutic horseback riding is not new, its benefits, which include strengthening muscles, improving balance, and increasing confidence, have only been realized in the past 50 years.

“Therapeutic horseback riding helps level the playing field for persons with disabilities. Our riders not only learn a skill, but also compete in our annual show. The have a sense of accomplishment that they may not be able to attain in any other sport,” said Linda Watson.

On Sept. 14, all riders can take advantage of the horseback riding lessons, which are scheduled every 30 minutes. The cost is $10 per rider and must be scheduled in advance. There is a weight restriction of 175 pounds to ride. All other activities that day are free.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence & Advocate at Large for the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.

College tuition costs closing door on upward mobility for all but rich

My primary goal as a child was to become financially independent even though I was born with cerebral palsy.

I knew I could not be a policeman like my father, a fireman like my Uncle Del or Teamsters like my Uncles Tom and Danny because I was a child with a disability.

Acquiring a marketable skill and knowledge by earning a college degree was my only pathway to independence.

So even though I went to segregated orthopedic schools in the 1950s, I did well enough in school to be sent to non-segregated Osborn High School for the 10^th grade in 1960. At that time, I told Principal Harlan Holt I would not go into a room that said: “Handicapped.” He gave me an elevator key and let me leave my classes five minutes early to get to the next class. So I suspect I began what later was called “mainstreaming.”

I did well enough in high school to win a scholarship to Wayne State University. I was on my way.

But now, some 50 years later after being a wordsmith at AP, UPI, and The Oakland Press and a rights advocate, I have seen that children with disabilities are not getting the chance I had to attend college.

And sadly, the same is true for those students who are able-bodied and in the lower or middle class because the cost of college tuition and room and board per year for in-state freshmen is between $15,000 to above $20,000 at MSU, U-of-M and Wayne State. Even Macomb County Community College charges in-county students $89 per credit hour or nearly $1,100 per semester for 12 credits to be a full-time student.

Fewer are acquiring the knowledge needed to emerge as the next Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, or Bill Gates because colleges have turned into profit centers and not necessarily places primarily of higher learning.

In so doing, we have eliminated not only the next generation of innovators and workers needed to keep society humming but made it impossible to achieve upward mobility, the concept that brought millions to our shores.

For those students with disabilities, only 50.6 percent graduate, according to a September 2012 Kessler Foundation study while the graduate rate for able-bodied students is nearly 90 percent. In addition, the jobless rate among America's 54 million people with disabilities is at least triple the rate of the able-bodied, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Sadly, far too many students often are saddled with $80,000 to $100,000 in student loan debt that can never be erased by a bankruptcy filing and will hang around their necks like millstones forever.

Someday a scourge such as polio will reappear, killing and paralyzing tens of thousands and it will go unabated because a potential Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine, wasn’t around because he couldn’t afford to study medicine and virology. This is hardly what my father and uncles fought for in World War II.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence & Advocate at Large at Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.

 

Blind attorney named outstanding disabled vet of year

Disabled American Veterans has named John Todd, an injured Army veteran from the Fraser DAV who teaches at Rochester College, as the 2013 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year.

Todd served as a Cobra attack helicopter pilot from 1968 to 1969 during the Vietnam War, and after being shot down twice his injuries left him legally blind.

Todd was presented the Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year award by National Commander Larry Polzin at the organization’s 92nd National Convention at a ceremony in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month.

“John Todd’s entire life has been about service to others,” said Polzin." Life presented him with immense challenges, but he didn’t miss a beat. He just continued to move forward serving veterans and the members of his own community.”

After his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1970, Todd moved to New York City to work as the National Coordinator for Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace. He later worked for President Richard Nixon’s staff where his work twice earned him the Freedom’s Foundation award for Excellence in Political Communication.

He earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in the late 1970s and served as the National Legislative Director of the Blinded Veterans Association. There, he authored legislation that provided for a rebuttable presumption of service-connection for permanently and totally disabled veterans so their spouses and dependents could qualify for benefits. The bill was passed into law and Todd’s work continues to affect veterans and their families today.

“The legacy of John Todd’s work in the veteran’s community is profound,” said DAV National Adjutant/CEO Marc Burgess. “The contributions he has made in his lifetime will better the lives of veterans and their families for many years to come.”

Todd joined DAV Chapter 19 in Fraser in Macomb County in 2010, where he serves as the Judge Advocate. He is currently a professor of business law and American legal studies at Rochester College in Rochester Hills in Oakland County. He lives in the village of Oxford with his wife of 38 years, Joyce.

Jerry Wolffe is the Writer in Residence & Advocate at Large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.