Progressive Center For Independent Living


Archived Newsletters Fall 2009 Forward Feature Article Comment Legislative/Advocacy Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down Grant Updates Did You Know Feature Article Election Day is Tuesday November 3, 2009 Are You Ready to Vote? Everyone talks about how voting is a right or a civic duty. As a person with a disability, voting can mean much more. It can mean changes in my income, changes in the cost of living, and most definitely can result in changes in health care. These three factors alone make it important to vote in every election. People think, especially the media, that the presidential election is most important. More importantly state and city elected officials can really make large changes in your local area. This is why it is important to be to informed about the candidates and all the issues before you vote. Please refer to the Legislative/Advocacy section on page three for important voting dates and deadlines for this November’s election. Once you have put aside your excuses not get out and vote, reverse our psychology and become informed. Locate your local polling places, get information about registering to vote, absentee ballots and accessibility forms, For more information check out the following website: www.state.nj.us/elections or contact the Division of Elections at (609) 292-3760 (voice) or via TTY 1-800 292-0039. The next important thing is your transport to the location, which may for many be a challenge. There are organizations that can help you plan your visit to the polls. Call PCIL and we can direct your search. t is important to know what to expect. The procedure is to first check your sample ballot to find out where you vote. When you get there, show your ID and they will have you sign a logbook (stamps or “marks” will suffice). You will then be directed to the proper voting machine. You may ask, for someone to help you if you feel that you may need assistance with casting your vote. It is unlawful for the aids to influence your vote in any way. They are however able to help you with the physical task of voting. To avoid confusion, I strongly recommend you attempt to cast your vote without assistance. Instead of being afraid, be informed and by all means vote in all elections. Jerry Carbone Top of Page Comment Instead of Complaining... Try Voting You have no voice if you do not vote. People with disabilities make up 20% of the population and “everyone” needs to vote to have their voices heard and counted. One place your voice can be heard is on the continuing issues surrounding accessibility. Polling accessibility continues to be at the forefront and a big reason people do not vote. Contact PCIL for assistance in reaching out to NJ public entities to report on these issues. Written complaints can go to the NJ Attorney General Department of Law & Public Safety, NJ Division of Elections, NJ Department of the Public Advocate and your local legislators. For absentee ballot voting: Be Warned!! If your signature is NOT the same on the ballot and application forms your vote may not count. My signature is never the same because of my disability. One more reason to make polling places accessible. Please register, please vote, this is our basic right in this country and is the only way over the long haul that issues related to people with disabilities can be resolved and / or improved. One thing is for sure, that most elected officials know where their votes are coming from. Let us align ourselves with those elected officials who are working for all people, including individuals with disabilities. Scott Elliott Top of Page Legislative/Advocacy Election Day is Quickly Approaching Here are a few dates to keep in mind when preparing to vote: • Tuesday October 13, 2009 – Last Day to register to vote for the upcoming General Election. • Tuesday October 27, 2009 – Last day to send Absentee Ballot Application via mail. • Friday October 30, 2009 – Deadline for application for faxed overseas federal ballot • Monday November 2, 2009 – Deadline for Civilian Absentee ballot Application in Person (This application can be done any day up to 3 p.m. the day before the election. • Tuesday November 3, 2009 – Election Day Please make sure that you contact your local Division of Elections to confirm your district number, polling location and to find out if it is accessible. Remember it is your responsibility to get all of the information that you need ahead of time. To get information about registering to vote, absentee ballots, polling place accessibility forms, etc check out the following website. www.state.nj.us/elections or contact the Division of Elections at (609) 292-3760 (voice) or via TTY 1-800 292-0039. For more information about voting rights and responsibilities contact Nicole L. Davis at (609) 581-4500 ext #12. Remember it is your right to vote and your responsibility to stay informed! Top of Page Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down ThumbsUp to New Jersey State Assemblyman, Wayne D’Angelo, District 14, for his support of Independent Living in New Jersey. District Office: 2239 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd., Suite E, Hamilton, NJ 08619 (609) 631-7501 ThumbsUp to Stop and Shop food store for their easy and relatively accessible online site www.peapod.com. The minimum purchase amount is $60.00. There is also a $9.00 delivery fee. This service is very convenient for anyone who can not regularly get out to grocery shop. ThumbsUp to New Egypt Speedway. Very accomodating and very accessible! Top of Page Grant Updates Transition News The Promoting Self-Advocacy Program through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the Department of Education, Special Education, has continued to grow and flourish. As the 2009-10 school year begins, PCIL’s Transition Specialists wish to express our continued excitement in program growth and student participation. This year’s focus will be at the following High Schools: Mercer County: Ewing High, Nottingham High, Delaware Valley School for the Exceptional Child, the Newgrange School, and the Career and ife Skills Program in Trenton. Hunterdon County: Spring Run School, ESC West Amwell, Hunterdon Youth Facility, Hunterdon Central Regional, Delaware Valley Regional, and South Hunterdon. We are also very thrilled to be guest participators at The College of New Jersey’s, Career and Community Studies Program. PCIL will be continuing the fundamental concept of advocacy, while increasing self-awareness, decision making, and how to develop and reach goals. National Disability Mentoring Day is just around the corner on October 21, 2009. This is a free event open to students with disabilities in the State of New Jersey. The day couples area employers with students to develop career awareness and interest which benefit both parties. PCIL connects with Allies, Inc., the state coordinator of DMD, to provide students in our counties this opportunity. Mercer County has always had a great turn-out for DMD. This year we are pleased to have the first Hunterdon County participants, who are students from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. We are off to a great start and wish to thank all of you who help in our progress. Pamela R. Vernon and Renee Pfaff Transition Specialists Top of Page Career Gateway In July we completed our first pilot for Career Gateway. Our participants did extremely well, we couldn’t be more proud. All participants completed their three rounds of job samplings with the assistance from their dedicated job coaches Matt and Mike from Allies, Inc. The last week we focused on resume development and discussed various community agencies programs that the participants could continue with. Out of the 5 participants; one enrolled at Mercer County Community College, three have contacted DVRS and begun the process with their counselor and one contacted and initiated the process to obtain services from the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Congratulations and good luck to the first graduating class of Career Gateway! Megan, Chun, Kelly and Sam on graduation day Top of Page CERT Graduates Trained to Respond to Emergencies Wednesday August 26, 2009 TRENTON — This week, nine people with disabilities were the first to graduate from a Mercer County program that qualifies them as Community Emergency Response Team members. “They were trained to give critical support to first responders in emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts,” said Julie Willmot, county spokeswoman. They join 300 other CERT volunteers. There hadn’t been any CERT members with a disability, and Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes told them, “It’s amazing what people can do when they set their mind to it. We appreciate what you have accomplished and what you are bringing back to your communities.” The graduates who received certificates at the county’s Dempster Fire Training Center in Lawrence on Tuesday are Gerald Carbone of Hightstown; Timika Cheek, Norman Smith and Bob Riskamm of Robbinsville; Leonard T. Pope of Ewing; Linda Barton of East Windsor; Scott Elliott of Lambertville; and Scott Ellis and Kelly Rouba of Hamilton. Willmot said they were trained in first aid, family disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, medical and CERT operations, disaster psychology, emergency management, terrorism, light search and rescue, and disaster simulation. “CERT is there to assist the real emergency responders,” Daly said. “They can be of help to traumatized victims.” County Freeholder Pat Colavita said these grads had reached a personal milestone many of them thought was out of reach. We may one day have you to thank for saving our lives,” he said. Top of Page Community Connection Update Community Connections Hosts First Annual Accessible Softball Game Community Connections, the recreation program of PCIL, hosted it’s first annual accessible softball game on September 23, 2009. The game was played at Miracle Field, part of the Hamilton Area YMCA complex on Sawmill Road in Yardville, NJ. Team t-shirts were donated by Killarney’s Publick House of Whitehorse-Mercerville Road in Hamilton, NJ. Players enjoyed a fall night of softball on a fully accessible surface, followed by free hot dogs and soda. This event was in partnership with the Mercer County Office for the Disabled. Many thanks to Kathy Rhead of the Hamilton Area YMCA for allowing us to use the field and lending her support to the event! Michael Powell and Scott Ellis working the base pads Michael Powell take a turn at bat Top of Page Recreation Update Bocce Ball and Cook Out a Hit in Hamilton On July 9th the PCIL recreation program, Community Connections, hosted a bocce ball game and cook out at Project Freedom Hamilton. The weather was perfect and the fifteen participants really enjoyed the competitive game. The large group made the game even more interesting as players rotated, allowing others to join in. We hope to make this an annual event and have even more participants next year. Many thanks to Project Freedom Hamilton for allowing us to utilize their community room and grounds. If you’re interested in participating in upcoming recreation events contact Kelly Jiras of PCIL at (609) 581-4500 or kelly.jiras@pcil.org. Alex Roldan takes a turn while his team cheers him on ThrillerThemed Halloween Party A Thriller Themed Halloween Party will take place on Thursday, October 29, 2009 from 6:00PM-8:00PM at the Lawrenceville Project Freedom. There will be a costume contest, haunted house, karaoke, a Michael Jackson dance contest and more! Refreshments will be served. The party is being held by the recreation programs of PCIL and Allies, Inc. For more information contact Nicole L. Davis at (609) 581-4500 ext #12. Top of Page A Christmas Carol at the McCarter Theater Community Connections, the recreation program of PCIL, is excited to offer discounted tickets to McCarter Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol. The play will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. McCarter Theater is located at 91 University Place in Princeton, NJ. Wheelchair seating is available. For more information on this event please contact Kelly Jiras at (609) 581-4500 or kelly.jiras@pcil. Top of Page Did You Know Housing Accessibility & Rehabilitation Program Hunterdon County has a Housing Accessibility and Rehabilitation (HAR) program that can help with home modifications for accessibility. HAR’s mission is to promote safety and independence by providing housing modifications, repairs and safety mechanisms to income-qualified senior citizens and individuals with disabilities who reside in Hunterdon County. HAR works with local groups such as churches and civic groups to help with certain renovations to minimize the cost to the person needing the work. They can also offer Hunterdon County residents with technical assistance. For more information contact HAR at (908) 399-6411 or at HAR c/o HPR, 4 Walter Foran Blvd., Suite 410, Flemington, NJ 08822 The College of New Jersey holds recreation events through their Council for Exceptional Children. Here are some important dates: 10/9/0 - Kickoff Carnival - 6 p.m. Cromwell Lounge 11/6/09 - Halloween Costume Party - 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. Cromwell Lounge 12/4/09 - Snowball - 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Cromwell Lounge For more information and to register for the events, please contact Bridget Reilly at reilly23@tcnj.edu or 973-202-8711 Tap Into the ADA Trainer Network Members of PCIL’s staff have been trained by Cornell University, IRL School, DBTAC - Northeast in the following areas: • Disability Awareness and Sensitivity • Getting Hired and Moving Ahead in a Job when Working with a Disability • Tapping Into Talent: Best Practices in Hiring, Accommodating and Retaining People with Accommodations • Serving Customers with Disabilities • About Hidden Disabilities • Reaching Individuals with Disabilities • Accessible Technology in the Workplace • Accessible Web Sites: Everyone Benefits Contact us to see how your organization or business can take advantage of years of knowledge and experience and tap into the 20 % of the population that includes people with disabilities. Mercer County: 609-581-4500 Hunterdon County: 908-782-1055 Community Justice Center The Community Justice Center, a new kind of progressive, non-profit legal service has come to Central New Jersey! If you are low-income and need legal assistance with obtaining veterans benefits or Social Security benefits, or know someone who does, please contact us immediately ! 310 W. State Street, 3rd Floor, Trenton, NJ 08618 609-218-5120 www.nj.communityjusticecenter.org Top of Page Polio Network of New Jersey Save the Date Annual Conference on Post-Polio Syndrome Sunday, October 25, 2009 - Princeton DoubleTree Hotel Speakers: Mary Ann E Keenan, MD, Orthopaedic surgeon William(Bill) Ditto, Director of the State Division of Disabilitity Services Beth Young, MA, RD, Princeton Health Services For information call 201-845-6860 e-mail: info@njpolio.org or visit www.njpolio.org for more information Top of Page This newsletter was brought to you by: Top of Page Top of Page