Gala raises $40,000 for Futures Foundation

Kensington Church received the Heart of MORC Award for its longtime volunteer service and generosity to the people served by the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. Kensington representatives Emilee Skinner (far left) and Margaret Humenik (far right) accepted the award October 9 at the 17^th Annual “Giving Back To The Futures” Gala, held at the San Marino Club in Troy, from Futures Foundation Interim Director Lindsay Calcatera (middle left) and MORC Executive Director Gerald R. Provencal (middle right).

 

By JERRY WOLFFE

 

TROY – Nearly $40,000 was raised by the Futures Foundation for individuals with disabilities served by the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center at the 17^th Annual “Giving Back To The Futures” Gala.

The gala was held Oct. 9 at the San Marino Club in Troy. Some 350 attendees at the annual event enjoyed dinner, live entertainment and dancing, participation in a silent auction, and raffle drawings for prizes.

The gala is the premier annual fall event for The Futures Foundation, the fundraising arm of MORC. Along with other year-round efforts, the event generates resources to provide for the needs of people with developmental disabilities.

“It was a joy filled evening,” said Jerry Provencal, MORC’s Executive Director, who plans to retire next spring after having served 50 years in the mental health field.

“From the opening strains of the jazz quartet to the announcement of the silent auction winners, it was a fun, exciting event. The video presentation was inspiring and reminded everyone of why we were there – to help realize the needs and dreams of the people we serve at MORC.”

Live music was provided by the RJ Spangler Jazz Quartet during the cocktail hour and by the Pulse band after dinner. The silent auction offered more than 60 items such as restaurant gift cards, art, electronics, outdoor/home accessories, and casino/hotel getaways.

This year’s Presenting Sponsor was Netsmart, and other major sponsors included PVS Chemicals, Nancy Tancredi, Fifth Third Bank, Gerald Provencal, Afia, New Horizons, Jewish Vocational Services, JS Clark Agency, Plante Moran, RX Specialties, and the MORC Holding Company Board of Directors.

“We couldn’t have had such an outstanding event without the critical, generous support from all of our sponsors,” said Lindsay Calcatera, Interim Futures Foundation Director.

The annual Heart of MORC Award, for exemplary service, was given to Kensington Church.

With the backing of donors and community partners, the Futures Foundation awarded over $100,000 in grants in 2014 to help fund a better quality of life for those served by MORC.

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

 

 

 

 

Study: Life expectancy of those with Down Syndrome increases

http://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/7470/20151011/down-syndrome-life-expectancy-today-increased.htm

By JERRY WOLFFE

 

The life expectancy of those with Down Syndrome, the most common genetic condition, is increasing, according to a report in the Science Times.

 

One in every 691 babies born in the United States has Down Syndrome, according to the website of the National Down Syndrome Society.

 

The National Down Syndrome Society added that each year 6,000 babies are born with the condition in the United States and about 40,000 of Americans have Down Syndrome.

Down Syndrome includes the presence of an extra chromosome 21, and is characterized by mild to severe mental impairment, weak muscle tone, shorter height and a flattened facial profile.

According to the doctors and experts, children born with Down Syndrome suffer from a number of problems with their organs such as hearing loss and eye cataracts. However, most of them do not experience this kind of issue but do have cognitive delays from mild to moderate, and yet, children with this condition have well-developed social skills.

Different advancements are being made to help people with Down Syndrome and their families. Screening now happens during pregnancy, which enables the mothers to identify before birth if they will have a child with the syndrome.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released recommendations for doctors to help and provide the needs of children with this condition which led to a higher detection rate and is vital to their overall health.

The local media centers have created support centers for children and families with Down Syndrome.

Our society has also changed the way individuals with disabilities are treated overall. At the same time, medical technology has been advanced, which paved the way in making the life expectancy of those with Down Syndrome.

Thus, the life expectancy of those with Down Syndrome has significantly increased, ranging from the age of 25 to 60 as of today. This was due to early intervention that improves the condition of those children, says Debra Emerson, CEO of St. Madeleine Sophie's Center of El Cajon, California.

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

 

Troy market selects The Arc of Oakland County for gift

By JERRY WOLFFE

 

TROY --   Whole Foods Market has chosen the The Arc of Oakland County, Inc. as its Community Support Day partner. On Oct. 20, the market will donate 5 percent of the day’s sales to the nonprofit.

Staff from the ARC will be in the store welcoming patrons and talking about the organization from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Whole Foods Market in Troy is located at 2880 West Maple Road. Store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Arc of Oakland County, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that provides direct legal, general advocacy, informational and referral services as well as community awareness for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

The Arc is the world’s largest community-based organization of, and for, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization exists to ensure that all individuals with disabilities are valued, and that they and their families can participate fully in, and contribute to, the life of the community.

For more information on the Community Support Day, please contact The Arc of Oakland County, Inc. at (248) 816-1900.

Jerry Wolffe is the writer-in-residence, advocate-at-large for the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at (586) 263-8950.

Voices of Disabilities: DIA opens hearts, doors to disabled, seniors and v...

Voices of Disabilities: DIA opens hearts, doors to disabled, seniors and v...:   Staff from the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center and some of the people who the nonprofit serves tour the Detroit Institute of Arts ...

DIA opens hearts, doors to disabled, seniors and veterans

 

Staff from the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center and some of the people who the nonprofit serves tour the Detroit Institute of Arts before trying classes to make ceramic art. / DIA/File

By Jerry Wolffe, For Digital First Media

Posted: 10/05/15, 4:17 PM EDT | Updated: 2 hrs ago

The Detroit Institute of Arts is bringing discovery, joy and art to the lives of those with disabilities, seniors, and veterans with its Community Group Program.

The program provides meaningful experiences through art with gallery tours and hands-on art making. The last class this fall for those with disabilities will be Thursday.

During September and early October, the DIA invited 15 to 18 people with disabilities who the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center serves to visit the Institute to create artworks, says Patty Sims Sunisloe, MORC’s project director.

“They are opening their doors and hearts to people with disabilities and changing lives to a great extent,” says Sims Sunisloe, who added individuals MORC serves attended classes in the Walter Gibbs educational studio on Sept. 17, 24 and Oct. 1.

The MORC attendees have made painted masks and lithographs and will frame them at their last class this week, Sims Sunisloe says. DIA spokesman Larisa Zade said the artworks from last year’s session are on display in the teaching studio.

“The DIA has been proud to partner with local social service agencies for over 20 years through the Community Group Program,” says the DIA’s Director of the Studio Program Charles Garling. “We strive for diversity in the organizations with whom we seek to partner, working to serve individuals across all ages and physical and cognitive abilities.”

Projects during the past year have been multimedia self-portraits, clay masks, drums and pots, printmaking, bookmaking and wood sculpture.

Current groups in the program besides those from MORC include veterans from the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and Piquette Square for Veterans and seniors from the Hanna House, all of Detroit, according to a statement from the DIA.

“One of our goals is to help people understand that the Detroit Institute of Arts is for everyone, regardless of your abilities or background with art,” Garling says. “Through the Community Group Program, we strive to provide safe space for individuals, who might otherwise be marginalized, to explore and express through art-based discussions and art-making experiences. Year after year, program participants have happily expressed their appreciation of the program, noting an increase in their confidence and openness to communicate with others.”

To facilitate these classes, DIA teaching artists such as Byron Nemela utilize a learner-centered, process-oriented teaching practice which uses motivating questions and topics that allow participants to create something personally meaningful, Zade says.

Sims Sunisloe adds, “The feedback I consistently get from families, parents and caregivers is that this program is changing lives. We really appreciate how warm, welcoming and hospitable the staff at the DIA has been to everyone.

“The staff’s ability to find a way to reach inside those with disabilities to express their talents is something quite extraordinary,” she says. “(There are) no boundaries to their abilities to be expressive or show who they are as an individual.”

The DIA paid for materials and for transportation on a private bus from MORC facilities in Clinton Township or Auburn Hills to the DIA.

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.

Sheltered workshops being phased out

DEPEW, N.Y. (WIVB)- For some, it’s the only job they’ve ever had, and only job they can get.
Every day, people with developmental disabilities show up for work at Southeast Works in Depew, N.Y. and prepare products to be sold in stores like WalMart or Office Depot. But what makes this ‘sheltered workshop’ different is that all the workers have a disability and don’t work alongside the non-disabled.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a plan to phase out sheltered workshops like this to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that ensures everyone the right to work in an integrated setting, according to a report from a Depew, New York TV station.
New York State Sen. Robert Ortt, Republican-North Tonawanda, hosted a public hearing about the issue at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Tomorrow.
Speaker after speaker tried answer the big question about what will happen to most of the clients if the State actually does close sheltered workshops, like Southeast Works in Depew, where people with developmental disabilities prepare products to be sold at WalMArt of Office Depot, but they do it for less than minimum wage.

Paying people with disabilities less than the minimum wage for working is also legal in Michigan.

“We should give them the opportunity to advance competitive employment elsewhere so that they can not just sustain themselves, but flourish.” said Jennifer Monthie of Disability Rights New York. She would rather the State programs work individually with each client to help them get jobs that are suited for them in the traditional workplace.
“You’re gonna find people that are gonna stay employed longer, they’re gonna advance in the their employment because they’re in an area where they can shine.” said Monthie.
But not all of these clients can flourish outside, like Tim Powers, who is 56 and  has a disability.

“If you offered him a one dollar bill and a five dollar bill, he wouldn’t know which one is worth more.” said his father Martin Powers. “He lives in a group home because we’re gonna die, and he has to have a place to live, and he now has a place to live and a place to work and we’ve spent our entire life working this whole process out and now you wanna say, “Nope that’s not good.” well how are we going to deal with this in the future, I don’t know.”

The State Office of People With Developmental Disabilities plans to put out guidelines in late October that will give these families a better idea of what the transition will be like as the sheltered workshops are phased out by the year 2020.

Grant allows for Fraser park to be place of fun for all kids, including those with disabilities

For information on the Oct. 5 opening day, call Anna Cameron (586) 294-4847

By JERRY WOLFFE

A $300,000 grant from the state is being used to turn a Fraser park into one that is accessible to all children, including those with disabilities, a member of the Fraser First Booster Club says.

"The park will not be exclusive to youngsters with disabilities because all kids will be encouraged to play there, too," said Anna Cameron, 75 and vice president of the booster club, of McKinley Park.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the park at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, with local dignitaries such as Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, said Cameron.

The park will include a pavilion with space for 10 picnic tables, a labyrinth, gardens, a mile-long asphalt-covered walking path, an airplane, fire engine and police car, she said.

There's also an accessible bathroom and a parking lot with a turnaround area large enough to accommodate a bus.

The park is located at 31470 Grove Street in Fraser, north of 13 Mile Road.

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.

Warren church reaching out to minister to the disabled

To find out more information, call (586) 751-1721 or visit www.firstofwarren.com

By JERRY WOLFFE          

A Warren church will start an “inclusion ministry” program on Oct. 1 to focus on helping fulfill the spiritual and social needs of people with disabilities.

“Jesus was the first advocate for people with disabilities,” said Marijo Hockley, who has earned a Master’s of Divinity degree and will coordinate the ministry.

“We want to get people like myself that haven’t (felt included in a faith community) and help them feel more comfortable about coming to services and talking about God,” said Hockley of Madison Heights. She uses a power wheelchair because she has arthrogryposis, a congenital disability where two or more joints in the body are frozen, eliminating range of motion.

Currently, “four or five people with disabilities” attend the accessible church, The First Presbyterian Church of Warren, which is located at 3000 East 12 Mile Road in Warren.

The open house will be from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 and attendees will have a dinner, see a video, “God’s Beautiful Creation,” and have a time for fellowship, Hockley said. Inclusion meetings will then be held the first Thursday of every month thereafter.

“We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable,” she said. “We’re hoping this program will create a faith-space within our church that will let people with disabilities learn to express their own unique voices as part of God’s good creation.”

The Rev. Julie Delezenne of First Presbyterian helped Hockley win a grant from the Detroit area Presbytery to fund the program for a year.

“When I first started out in ministry, I didn’t want to be the ‘disabled pastor,’ but God called me to do something and I need to show people I have been called to do God’s work,” Hockley said.

Register on the website or call so the church can prepare enough food for those in attendance, Hockley said.

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

Warren church reaching out to minister to the disabled

Box: To find out more information, call (586) 751-1721 or visit www.firstofwarren.com

By JERRY WOLFFE          

A Warren church will start an “inclusion ministry” program on Oct. 1 to focus on helping fulfill the spiritual and social needs of people with disabilities.

“Jesus was the first advocate for people with disabilities,” said Marijo Hockley, who has earned a Master’s of Divinity degree and will coordinate the ministry.

“We want to get people like myself that haven’t (felt included in a faith community) and help them feel more comfortable about coming to services and talking about God,” said Hockley of Madison Heights. She uses a power wheelchair because she has arthrogryposis, a congenital disability where two or more joints in the body are frozen, eliminating range of motion.

Currently, “four or five people with disabilities” attend the accessible church, The First Presbyterian Church of Warren, which is located at 3000 East 12 Mile Road in Warren.

The open house will be from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 and attendees will have a dinner, see a video, “God’s Beautiful Creation,” and have a time for fellowship, Hockley said. Inclusion meetings will then be held the first Thursday of every month thereafter.

“We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable,” she said. “We’re hoping this program will create a faith-space within our church that will let people with disabilities learn to express their own unique voices as part of God’s good creation.”

The Rev. Julie Delezenne of First Presbyterian helped Hockley win a grant from the Detroit area Presbytery to fund the program for a year.

“When I first started out in ministry, I didn’t want to be the ‘disabled pastor,’ but God called me to do something and I need to show people I have been called to do God’s work,” Hockley said.

Register on the website or call so the church can prepare enough food for those in attendance, Hockley said.

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

 

 

Robotic exoskeleton helps those paralyzed walk again

By JERRY WOLFFE

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – A 52-year-old Army veteran was on his feet and crossed the “threshold from impossible to possible” by taking a few steps while wearing a robotic exoskeleton.

Gene Laureano of the Bronx incurred a spinal cord injury in 2001 that left him paralyzed from the waist down when he fell 20-feet off of a ladder while working on a welding project in Manhattan.

In early 2013, Laureano joined a clinical trial of the device at the VA Medical Center in his hometown. After being told he’d never walk again, he used the exoskeleton and “stood up. I knew I was about to cross the threshold from impossible to possible.”

He demonstrated the $77,000 exoskeleton at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills to the media in mid-September.

After putting on the 50-pound device, he pressed a button and he was lifted up. The exoskeleton is like braces that surround each leg and there’s a thick strong waist harness that holds the torso upright. Laureano uses crutches when walking with the exoskeleton to keep his balance.

The demonstration was sponsored by Fitness Therapy Unlimited of Troy, a provider of massage, land and aquatic therapy for those with chronic and acute physical conditions or disability caused by auto accidents or chronic conditions, said CEO Greg Kirk.

Craig Peters of Milwaukee, a physical therapist for ReWalk Robotics, Ltd., said the exoskeleton was approved after four years of effort by the FDA on June 26, 2014.

“It’s the only one of its kind cleared for use in the home or in public,” he said in an interview. “It does take a fair amount of upper body strength.”

Fitness Therapy works with potential users of the exoskeleton to get their trunks, arms, and shoulders strong enough to help balance themselves using crutches. The high-tech device has several microprocessors to control motion of the joints in the hips, knees, and ankles.

“Some people spend a large majority of their day in the device and others use it for exercise,” said Peters. “The maximum use per day is usually 3.5 hours.”

Kirk of Fitness Therapy said the advantages of the exoskeleton include getting a person’s body back in motion, reduced pain, improved bladder, and bowel function, increased bone density, reduced chance of developing decubiti ulcers on the buttocks and the psychological benefit of being able to stand up and look someone in the eye.

The device was invented by Israeli founder of Argo Medical Technologies, Dr. Amit Goffer who has quadriplegia. The only manufacturer in the United States is ReWalk of Marlborough, Mass. Other manufacturers are in Germany and Israel.

Two Blue Cross Blue Shield plans will cover the cost of the device, Peters said, but refused to say where the insurers were located. However, he said efforts are under way to get “approval from No Fault insurance for purchase of the exoskeleton” so more people who have paralysis can get back on their feet.

Jerry Wolffe is the writer-in-residence, advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center.

Some $120,000 raised in community to keep Lahser respite home open

By Elizabeth Scussel of  C&G Newspapers

BEVERLY HILLS/ROYAL OAK — The Lahser Respite Home, in Beverly Hills, will remain fully operational for the upcoming year, Judson Center officials say.
The announcement was made three months after news that the home may close its doors indefinitely.
Kelli Dobner, vice president and chief development officer for the Judson Center, said that thanks to donations from the community and a number of local businesses, they were able to reach their goal of $120,000 — the home’s yearly operating cost.
“We even had kids coming out of the woodwork to help,” Dobner said, explaining that one young boy came in and emptied his piggybank, while another girl gave a single dollar for the cause. Another group of children, she said, held a drive and collected 6,000 bottles and cans — resulting in a $600 donation.
“It’s really inspiring and energizing. It’s heartwarming,” Dobner said. “We never thought this could happen — this outpour from the community, this fundraising campaign. We realized we’re not alone in this. People really care about the services we provide.”
For more than nine decades, the Judson Center has offered services to aid children, adults and families impacted by autism, developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, abuse and neglect.
Annually, the Judson Center helps more than 6,000 people through programs for children and adults, including counseling and therapy, social groups, vocational services, foster care and more.
While private pay is an option at LRH, financial aid is offered through the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center — a state agency providing services and support for people with developmental disabilities and mental illness.
Due to a decline in mental health funding, state money covers about 50-60 percent of the yearly operating cost of the home, and LRH must raise the additional funds to keep the home running.
The LRH serves as Judson Center’s only respite home in Oakland County and assists 45 families, which, due to the budget cuts, is a decrease from last year’s 61 families. The home also serves as the only respite home in Oakland County for youth ages 18 and younger.
Comfort, care and activities are provided at the home, offering a break to family members and caregivers.
The services provided at LRH, Dobner said, are a necessity, as caring for someone with a mental or physical disability can be unbelievably taxing on families.
News of the home remaining open is travelling quickly around the community.
“(The families) are just overjoyed,” Dobnew said. “A number of the parents were crying. Tears were coming to their eyes immediately. They were just overwhelmed. Lahser is a lifeline for many of these families. One parent actually said, ‘It fills my heart to the point of bursting.’”
One woman overjoyed with the news is Nora Bushman, whose 21-year-old son has frequented the home for more than a decade.
“When I heard it was staying open, I burst out in tears,” she said.
Bushman’s son, Blake, has had a neurological disorder since birth, is nonverbal and portrays autism-like characteristics.
The home, she said, not only allows her extra freedom, but it also exposes her son to other situations and environments.
The closing of LRH would not only send a ripple through the lives of the parents and their children, Busman said, it’s also a matter of the home’s care staff losing their jobs.
“We love the staff,” she said. “Everyone there has been so supportive, and there’s not a huge turnover rate. You see the same faces there for years.”
Bushman said she — as most parents are — was hesitant and leery of leaving her son in the care of someone else.
For parents feeling that way, Bushman said to take baby steps.
“Once I became comfortable sending him there, I thought, ‘Why didn’t I use this before?’ she said. “Just give it a try.”
As of now, annual fundraising efforts must be made in order to keep LRH fully functional, but as far as future fundraising is concerned, Dobner said she’s feeling confident because of the communal outpour they have already received.
“We just have the most immense  and deep gratitude at the Judson Center for these true community efforts. My words cannot do it justice, just so much gratitude for how much they care.”
LRH offers accommodations for six children between the ages of 5 and 17, and their stays can last anywhere from four hours to several days. If a child begins service at LRH before the age of 17, the home will provide services until he or she reaches the age of 26.

LHR is located in Beverly Hills. For more information on the Judson Center or to get involved, visit www.judsoncenter.org. To reach the LHR, call (248) 646-1297.

DOJ issues guidelines on testing for those with disabilities

By JERRY WOLFFE

 

The Justice Department today issued technical assistance on the obligation of testing entities, both private and public, to ensure that the test scores of individuals with disabilities accurately reflect the individual's aptitude, achievement, or the skill that the exam purports to measure, rather than his or her disability.

 

The document discusses who is entitled to testing accommodations, what types of testing accommodations must be provided, and what documentation may be required of the person requesting testing accommodations. The document also discusses prohibited flagging policies and how test scores for test-takers receiving disability-related accommodations should be reported.

 

For a copy of the Guidance Document or to find out more about the ADA, visit www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD).

 

Wolffe is the writer-in-residence, advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at (586) 263-8950.

Micghigan job recovery "still a myth"

Labor Day report shows Michigan’s economic recovery still a myth

Michigan League For Public Policy graph

By Jerry Wolffe, Special to The Oakland Press

Posted: 09/03/15, 12:00 PM EDT | Updated: 28 secs ago

                                   

Despite the continued decline in Michigan’s unemployment rate, a new report finds the economic recovery many are celebrating, overlooks those who have quit looking for employment.

The Michigan League for Public Policy’s report released Sept. 3, “Labor Day Report: Economic Recovery Eludes Many Michigan Families,” found that many Michigan workers have simply given up looking for work or have left the state to pursue employment elsewhere.

Many of those employed in the state have had to take part-time or low-wage jobs and are still struggling to make ends meet, and unemployment and low wages continue to disproportionately affect people of color, it said.

The latest jobless rate in Michigan was July when 5.3 percent of the state’s workforce was unemployed. More recent figures are to be released later this month.

By contrast, 71 percent of people with disabilities are not in the workforce, according to

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

“I am as happy as the next person to see our state’s unemployment rate go down, but we can’t all put on rose-colored glasses and lose sight of the real economic struggles that are persisting in Michigan,” said Gilda Z. Jacobs, MLPP President and CEO.

“A third of our state’s unemployed have been out of work for more than half a year. Our state has lost nearly half a million workers since 2000. Unemployment for African-Americans is nearly 10 percent higher than it is for white workers, with their median wages almost $5 less (an hour). That doesn’t sound like recovery to me.”

The report makes several policy recommendations to bring true economic recovery for all to the state, including modernizing the unemployment system, more funding adult education and training, restoring financial aid grants for older students and raising the minimum wage.

Unemployment is down and the number of jobs is up in Michigan, but a closer analysis reveals that many of the jobs created in recent years have been low-wage, part-time jobs. Currently, 25 percent of adult workers are in low-wage jobs and 32.4 percent of working families in Michigan are low income, perpetuating the high poverty rate in the state. Michigan’s long-term unemployment rate is also still steep, with 34.8 percent of jobless workers in the state being unemployed for six months or more, said Jacobs.

In looking at the racial disparities in unemployment and wages, the Labor Day report showed that in 2014, unemployment for white workers was at 5.7 percent, with unemployment for African-Americans being almost 10 percent higher at 15.8 percent. Unemployment for Hispanic workers was 8.8 percent. In addition, for 2014, the median wages for African-Americans were $11.79 an hour, or $4.32 less an hour than the media wages for white workers.

“If we are going to truly turn our state’s economy around, we have to look at the big picture,” Jacobs said. “We need policies that reduce unemployment by creating jobs, not losing workers, and close the gap between low-income workers and the rest of the state.”

For more information, visit www.mlpp.org.

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

DOJ issue guidelines on rights of those living with HIV/AIDS

By JERRY WOLFFE

The Department of Justice has published a new tri-fold brochure, Protecting the Rights of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS | (PDF), to explain the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the requirements of the ADA for employers, businesses, non-profit agencies, and State and local governments with respect to persons with HIV/AIDS.

The two-sided brochure (print using “Tablet” setting) summarizes the more detailed Questions and Answers: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Persons with HIV/AIDS |PDF.  Duplication and wide distribution of both is encouraged.

To find out more about the Department’s efforts to fight discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, including how to file a complaint of HIV/AIDS discrimination, visit ADA.gov/AIDS or call the Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD). 

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

---

TRIBUTE TO A MAN WHO INSPIRED OTHERS

(Editor's note from Jerry Wolffe: Michael Marchand, who died July 4 at age 48, was the son of Tom Marchand, one of the first parent advocates for children with disabilities, and the late Sylvia Marchand. This is a tribute a friend wrote.)
[
"Tribute to Michael"

He loved to go for a long car ride,
always the first to hop inside,
awkward of gait and powerless to speak,
along with the car he broke free to seek,
Momentum, Grace, Power and Direction,
some thought him luckless in the Game of Life,
denied a vocation, children and wife,
Still his very being bore a special purpose,
Though not apparent at the surface,
Like all good and worthy souls,
Michael had much to teach us
about enjoying life and reaching goals."

Labor secretary to join fight for $15 an hour minimum wage

(credit: The Huffington Post)

WASHINGTON -- Fast-food workers who are hoping to raise the minimum wage will find an ally in the Obama White House this week, with Labor Secretary Tom Perez traveling to Detroit on Tuesday (8.25) to show his solidarity with the so-called Fight for $15.

"I'm proud to stand with the Fight for 15 movement," Perez told The Huffington Post Monday. "And it really is a movement. It's for shared prosperity."

The union-backed Fight for $15 and its allies have roiled the service sector with intermittent strikes over the past three years, demanding a $15 wage floor and union recognition. The sight of large-scale protests has helped spur vast increases in the minimum wage in cities and states around the country, most recently in New York, where the state's wage board moved to set a $15 minimum for fast-food workers.

Some Michigan workers have a vested interest in the outcome. For example, the hourly pay of caregivers of those with disabilities or mental illness in Michigan is only $9.06 an hour. And, as funding from Michigan's general fund and Oakland County Community Mental Health is diminished, the chances of higher wages becomes more improbable, Jerry Wolffe, an advocate at large for those with disabilities added.

Perez' support of the workers shouldn't be read as an endorsement of a federal $15 wage floor -- the White House and Labor Department instead back a $12 proposal recently put forth by Congressional Democrats -- but the labor secretary said he views the Fight for $15 as a model for how workers can boost wages by banding together.

"People are increasingly understanding that they're taking it on the chin at work," Perez said. "If you battle your boss alone, it's a heck of a lot harder to succeed. But when you work in concert with fellow workers not just in your workplace but across sectors, that's how you succeed."

Perez plans to meet with Detroit workers from various fast-food chains as well as officials from the local branch of the AFL-CIO labor federation on Tuesday. Labor unions, and in particular the Service Employees International Union, have been instrumental in the fast-food strikes and local wage campaigns, pumping money and organizational support into them.

President Barack Obama has occasionally made a point of acknowledging the recent successes of fast-food workers in his economic speeches, but Perez' trip to Detroit may be the White House's clearest endorsement yet of the Fight for $15 campaign. The labor secretary's trip dovetails with a summit the White House will host in October around the concept of "worker voice," where officials plan to highlight the value of collective action in the workplace, including including ways that don't formally include labor unions and contracts.

That would presumably include the Fight for $15. Although backed by unions, the campaign so far has not unionized any fast-food restaurants. Instead, its success has come most explicitly through legislatures and the ballot box. While a $15 minimum wage seemed practically inconceivable not long ago, it is fast becoming the law in liberal cities such as Seattle and Los Angeles. Many states have rushed to pass more modest but still significant raises, with a majority of states now having a higher minimum wage than the federal level of $7.25. Michigan's minimum wage is $8.15 an hour, except for those who receives tips on their jobs.

With a federal minimum wage hike blocked by Republicans, the White House has been trying to encourage cities and states to raise the wage floor on their own in lieu of congressional action. Perez said he believes the $15 measures in large cities have been "very appropriate," though he added that local jurisdictions should know what's proper for their own economies.

"I believe the folks in those areas are in the best position to know what's best for their communities," he said. "I think we need a federal floor that gets people above the poverty line, but we also need actions elsewhere."

He added that the doomsday predictions about higher minimum wages haven't come to pass, pointing to Seattle, which he visited as the city enacted its $15 measure. By most accounts, the service industry is learning to live with the city's rising wage floor.

"I didn't see restaurants closing down," Perez said. "If the critics are correct, I should have brought a bag lunch."

Voices of Disabilities: Futures Foundation Gala set for Oct. 9 in Troy

@Voices of Disabilities: Futures Foundation Gala set for Oct. 9 in Troy: The Futures Foundation's 17 th Annual Giving Back to the Futures Gala will be held on on   Friday, Oct. 9 at the San Marino Club i...

Futures Foundation Gala set for Oct. 9 in Troy

The Futures Foundation's 17^th Annual Giving Back to the Futures Gala will be held on on  Friday, Oct. 9, at the San Marino Club in Troy. 

The foundation is the fundraising arm of the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, the second largest nonprofit in Michigan which provides services so some 5,000 people with disabilities and mental illness can live in the community.

The RJ Spangler Jazz Quartet will perform during the cocktail hour and The Pulse Band will fill the evening hours with music.

This year’s Gala will feature a silent auction. In the past, many MORC staff and/or departments contributed to the auction by submitting baskets representing a diverse array of items.


If you plan to submit an item, please let the Futures Foundation's Interim Executive Director Lindsay Calcatera or Director of Development Janaea Smith know as soon as possible so they can better plan for the event.  Also, if you know of any friends, businesses, or contacts who may be willing to submit an item for the silent auction, please let us know those as well.


Tickets for the event are $100 apiece. Call Smith at (586) 464 2610 to order tickets or any other information about the gala.

Jerry Wolffe, the writer-in-residence and advocate-at-large at MORC can be reached at (586) 263-8950.

Former President Carter says U.S. no longer a democracy

Former President Jimmy Carter (1976-80) says the Supreme Court case, Citizens United "violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it's just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors and U.S. senators and congress members.

"So now we've just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election's over," Carter continued, according to The Intercept. "The incumbents, Democrats and Republicans, look upon this unlimited money as a great benefit to themselves. Somebody's who's already in Congress has a lot more to sell to an avid contributor than somebody who's just a challenger."
(posted by Jerry Wolffe)

About 20 percent of Amerians have a disability, USA Today says CDC reports

(posted by JERRY WOLFFE)

CDC: 1 in 5 American adults live with a disability

Jennifer Calfas, USA TODAY9:54 a.m. EDT July 31, 2015

(Photo: Melanie Maxwell, AP)

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/30/american-adults-disability/30881975/

 

One in five American adults have at least one kind of disability, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.

The study, drawn from 2013 data, says 53 million Americans have a disability.

“We know disability types and related challenges can vary,” said Elizabeth Courtney-Long, a health scientist with CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “In order to understand and address their needs, we need to understand their diverse circumstances. This report provides a snapshot into that.”

The findings come days after the 25th anniversary of the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits the discrimination of someone because of his or her disability in the workplace, transportation, telecommunications, and places of public accommodation, said Jerry Wolffe, an ADA Phase II Implementer who was trained by DOJ and EEOC to help implement and teach the law after it was signed 25 years ago.

The researchers defined a disability as a self-reported impairment in one or more of five areas: vision, cognition, mobility, self-care or independent living. For people to have one or several of these disabilities, the study says they have to identify with the specific qualifications the researchers defined in questions.

The study defines a disability with vision as blindness or difficulty in seeing with glasses on. A disability for the cognition category means having a hard time with memory or making decisions due to a physical, mental or condition. For mobility, a disability entails having difficulty while climbing stairs. A self-care category means needing help dressing or bathing, and an independent living disability was defined as needing help to run errands.

The study is also the first state-by-state analysis of Americans with disabilities from CDC. The report found Southern states often had higher percentages of people with disabilities. For example, in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, 31.5%, 31.4% and 31.4%, respectively, of the state adult population has a disability.

USA TODAY

ADA at work: Two girls with Down syndrome honored at White House summit

 

Southern states are also more likely to have chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

The percentage of Americans in Midwestern and Northern states were nearly half those from Southern states. In Minnesota and Alaska, 16.4% and 17.7% of state residents, respectively, reported a disability.

The report also found adults who have lower education levels, lower income or are unemployed were more likely to have a disability. Broken down by race, the study revealed African American and Hispanic Americans were more likely to have a disability than white Americans.

Carol Glazer, president of the National Organization on Disability, a non-profit dedicated to the disabled community in the U.S., told USA TODAY the findings should be viewed to see how disability affects income and unemployment levels.

The non-profit's research has found that 20% of people with disabilities have a job, while 69% of people without disabilities are employed. However, younger Americans with disabilities have nearly the same access to education as children without disabilities, Glazer said. Glazer is optimistic that more educated and disabled individuals will lead to more employment among the disabled community.

"Where education goes, employment will follow," she said.

The CDC partners with several national and state disabilities programs, including the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program and the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability, among others.

Courtney-Long, a co-author on the CDC report, said she believes the report will allow public health officials to understand the prevalence of Americans with disabilities.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which President George H.W. Bush signed into law on July 26, 1990, opened doors to people with disabilities to enter the workforce without discrimination and creation of more accessible locations and working conditions.

“By prohibiting discrimination and ensuring opportunity, the ADA has opened doors and brought dreams within reach,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch at an anniversary event on July 23. “It has made our workforce stronger and our society more inclusive. And it has enhanced our nation’s understanding and recognition of all that Americans with disabilities can achieve when they are given more and nothing less than an opportunity to contribute on equal terms.”

The findings also come during the Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles. About 6,500 athletes from 165 countries gathered this year for the event, which has occurred since 1968. Individuals with intellectual disabilities participate in the Games each year.

“My husband and I have seen Americans unite in so many ways across the country,” said first lady Michelle Obama at the Opening Ceremony on July 25. “These Games are a perfect reflection of that unity. They show us that we’re all in this together – that we can lift up our friends and neighbors, and that we can bring out the best in each other to reach even higher heights.”