Print Friendly VersionBreaking Away Spring 2007
Power Lunch
Director's Corner
Legislative Visit Days 2007
Transition Corner
U.S. Bank Championship
D.A.R.T. ALASKA
The NCIL Task Force on Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities
Advocacy Strategies
Kat's Story of Success
Volunteer Success SEWASP
It's Your Money
May is Mental Health Month
Youth and Family
Spring Cleaning
Milwaukee County Transit System Faces Funding Crisis
Road to Freedom: Keeping the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Focus on New Staff
Transit Plus Advisory Council Seeks New Members
From Broadway to Milwaukee
Ben Vereen is our 2007 POWER LUNCH Speaker
By Carol Voss, PR & Marketing Manager
This year's IndependenceFirst POWER LUNCH, presented by the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, will be held on Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at the Midwest Airlines Center Ballroom. The event highlights the untapped potential of people with disabilities in the workplace, in the marketplace and throughout the community.
IndependenceFirst is pleased to announce that Tony Award winning actor Ben Vereen will be this years featured guest speaker! As part of an energetic and informative program, Mr. Vereen will share how his near-fatal accident and stroke led to his successful living philosophy of spirituality and wellness. His experience is indicative of how disability can impact anyone. Each year's POWER LUNCH at the Midwest Airlines Center hosts one of the largest luncheon crowds in Milwaukee, so get your reservations early for this CAN'T MISS EVENT! Individual tickets are $50 each and corporate tables are available.
Call 414-291-7520 V/TTY or email us at POWERLUNCH@independencefirst.org for more information!
Director's Corner
By Lee Schulz, Executive Director
I want to inform everyone of our new Youth Leadership staff position. Alie Kriofske Mainella, who had an eighteen month fellowship with us through Marquette University's Trinity Fellows program, was hired for this position. We look forward to better serving young adults with disabilities as they transition out of high school and their move to independent living and potential employment.
I have received a few complaints about individuals difficulty in speaking to specific staff because of our voicemail system. We know that it can be frustrating when you wish to talk to a person and end up in voicemail. Scott Luber is leading a team to evaluate our current reception and technology resources to better serve our callers.
Our Legislators and Governor will be working on the 2007-2009 budget over the next 2 to 6 months. We encourage each of you to watch proposed legislation and finance issues that might impact services in your area. Contact IndependenceFirst staff for information on disability related legislation and on how to contact your legislators. We hope to see you all at our June 14th POWER LUNCH, with keynote speaker, Ben Vereen!
Legislative Visit Days 2007
By Alie Kriofske Mainella, Youth Leadership Specialist
Early this February, on one of the coldest weeks of the year, staff members from IndependenceFirst headed to Madison for the annual Wisconsin Coalition of Independent Living Centers (WCILC) Legislative Visit Days Conference. (IndependenceFirst is one of the members of WCILC.) Twenty staff from the Independent Living Department, Personal Assistance Services and Benefits & Employment program areas went to our state capitol for two days of networking, training and legislative visits. The conference and experience was successful, fun and a great networking opportunity.
Day one began with a training session on the issues to address with our state Legislature: Long Term Care and more funding for Independent Living Centers. We learned about and discussed the guiding principles of Long Term Care (LTC) Reform: Implementing a community entitlement, maintaining public accountability and building community capacity. We discussed the need to strengthen existing LTC options for current consumers of the system, getting rid of waiting lists for consumers who are not yet receiving services. We talked about the need for moving funding so that people who choose NOT to live in institutions and nursing homes can choose to use their own funding to live in their communities. We also discussed the wonderful investment of Independent Living for the state of Wisconsin. Independent Living Centers (including IndependenceFirst) have gotten many individuals out of nursing homes over the past few years, saving the state more than $2 million in expensive institutional costs. We talked about asking our legislators to support a funding increase for IndependenceFirst and the other seven centers in the state.
In the evening people from all eight Independent Living Centers in Wisconsin got together for a networking social event. There was live music and lots of great conversations -- good to get to know people who are doing similar work throughout the state.
The second day all of the attending members of WCILC went out to see their legislators and talk about these issues. IndependenceFirst staff saw forty legislators that represent the agencys service areas! We talked to them about the LTC reform and the funding for Independent Living Centers. Many of our legislators were very receptive and supportive to the needs of people with disabilities. After the visits were over, staff braved the cold weather again and headed back to Milwaukee. It was a very good experience for all involved.
Transition Corner
By Julie Alexander, ILS Lead Coordinator
Lisa is a 43 year old woman who entered a nursing home because of complications with her disability. She was not happy in a nursing home and wanted to move into her own place. She requested assistance from IndependenceFirst. She realized that she needed personal care services to support her in the community. IndependenceFirst assisted her in locating housing, negotiating with her landlord and figuring out her Medicaid financial benefits.
In June, 2006, Lisa moved to her parents home temporarily until her new apartment was available. She was very tired of living in the nursing home. She then moved to her new apartment in the Brown Deer area and is very happy with this new location. This apartment is accessible. She also is happy to have personal care through IndependenceFirsts Personal Assistance Services Program that helps her maintain her independence as well. Lisa appreciated getting a box of donations from the nursing home transition program to start out again in her new apartment.
Lisa is working on budgeting issues and connecting with a peer as she explores the community. IndependenceFirst has been a great resource for her transition.
Contact our Nursing Home Transition Program at 414-226-8378 V/Relay.
U.S. Bank Championship
Golf Tournament Info
By Barbara White, Executive Administrative Assistant
IndependenceFirst will once again be participating in the U.S. Bank Championship Golf Tournament ticket sales program. The Tournament will run from July 16th through July 22nd at the Brown Deer Park Golf Course. Tickets are $20 each and can be used for any one day of the event. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please contact Barbara White at 414-291-7520 or email bwhite@independencefirst.org. Tickets will be on sale from April 2nd through June 15th and the event promises to be as exciting as ever. So get your tickets early to secure a spot on the course!
D.A.R.T. ALASKA
Milwaukees Protocol Being Tested in the Last Frontier
By Leslie Myers, Domestic Violence Specialist
When Christine King, from the Center for Human Development at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, asked me to train the State of Alaska on the D.A.R.T. (Disability Abuse Response Team) Protocol, I jumped at the chance. When they asked that I do it right away and wanted the trainings to take place in January, all I could say was BURRRRR! So I packed my long underwear, parka and gloves and set out for the Last Frontier.
My itinerary for this trip was to train in 3 different cities over the course of a week, starting with Fairbanks, then on to Juneau and ending up in Anchorage. Because I was traveling such a great distance, I decided to build in some touristy things while I was there. I planned a pre-training vacation to Coldfoot, Alaska.
On January 3, I flew from Milwaukee to Minneapolis to Anchorage and on to Fairbanks. I did experience some delays getting in and out of Anchorage because of a snow storm that would dump 36 inches over a 36 hour period.
My Arctic Adventure began on January 4th. I was picked up in Fairbanks early in the morning and started out on an 8-hour ride north to Coldfoot. We traveled the Dalton Highway, a 414-mile gravel road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, stopping along the way to take pictures and to see the sights like the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Arctic Circle and the Yukon River.
Coldfoot Camp is located at mile 175, and is basically a truck stop, which includes a diner/gas station and a small motel; Coldfoot has a population of 13. On January 5, we took an Arctic Mountain Safari, which traveled through the Brooks Mountain Range from Coldfoot Camp to Atigun Pass. At 11pm we headed to Weisman, a small mining community with a population of 21, where we learned some of the local history from a resident who allowed us to use his cabin to stay warm while we waited to see the Aurora Borealis. On January 6th, the last day of my trip I took a very cold dog sled ride before flying back to Fairbanks. The average temperature during my stay in Coldfoot was -25 degrees, which was quite a bit warmer then the -82 degrees temperature that was recorded in January 1989.
On January 8th, I held my first all day D.A.R.T. training and despite frigid weather (-34 degrees), 32 of the 40 registered participants showed up. We had pre-arranged that each of the local independent living centers would act as co-host for the trainings. After the training, Lorraine Trask, from Access Alaska-Fairbanks, provided me with a nice tour of Fairbanks and a trip to the North Pole to see Santas house.
On January 9th, I left Fairbanks, whose temperature had dropped to -44 degrees, to fly to Juneau, which experienced a 5.7 earthquake about 21 minutes before I landed. In Juneau, which is the Capital of Alaska, I met up with Brooke Munro, from SAIL (Southeast Alaska Independent Living), who took us to their offices for a tour of their independent living center and then on for some sightseeing. The Juneau training was held on January 10th and 21 of the 28 registered participants attended the training. We flew out for Anchorage after the training.
On January 11th, I was given a tour of Access Alaska-Anchorage, by Mattie Shelton, the co-host for the Anchorage training. On January 12th, the final all-day DART training was held in Anchorage and was well attended with 81 of the 89 registered participants showing up.
I stayed on through the weekend, getting a whirlwind tour of Anchorage by Christine King and Patty Bland from the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Despite the fact that Alaska was under a tsunami warning after a 8.3 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, we went to see the world's biggest snowman, the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and we took a road trip along the Seward Highway, which follows the shores of Turnagain Arm.
Since being back in Wisconsin, all three of the cities I provided training at have developed DART teams, and the Center for Human Development at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, has received very positive responses from all of the sites.
I have been asked back to provide additional training. This time around I will just be going to Anchorage in May, so I can leave my long underwear, parka and gloves at home.
Since its inception, D.A.R.T. (Disability Abuse Response Team) has trained 228 disability and victim service providers, police officers and other community organizations. Additional presentations on the protocol have been given at the TASH (The Association for the Severely Handicapped) Conference and Project Access Training Meeting for the grantees of the Office of Violence Against Women Grants to end Violence Against Women with Disabilities Program Conference offered through the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Trainings have also been done for disability and victim service providers in Green Bay; Wisconsin Rapids; Portland, Oregon; Baltimore, Maryland; Fairbanks, Juneau and Anchorage, Alaska as well as Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Milwaukee County Protocol for Addressing Abuse/Violence Against Individuals with Disabilities is being seen as a national model and best practice. It has been replicated in part or in its entirety by programs in Vermont, Alaska, Texas, Oregon, Maryland, Montana and other parts of Wisconsin. 22 agencies are represented in the DART Protocol as partners, and IndependenceFirst took a leadership role in its creation and implementation.
The NCIL Task Force on Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities
By Leslie Myers, Domestic Violence Specialist
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) passed a resolution on violence and abuse of people with disabilities at their annual conference last May. In September, NCIL assigned the job of addressing the issues and tasks written into the resolution to the ADA/Civil Rights Committee, who then put together the Task Force on Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities. Task force members have put together a comprehensive plan that includes increasing the knowledge of NCIL, SILCs, independent living center staff, management and boards about the issues of violence and abuse against people with disabilities. In addition, the Task Force wants to ensure that all crime/victim legislation includes the voice of people with disabilities and that recipients of federal crime victim funding are compliant with Section 504 and the ADA; as well as ensuring that people with disabilities are receiving the same access to victim services and equal protection under the law.
The Executive Committee of NCIL adopted the following position statement developed by Task Force members during their meeting in November:
NCIL Position Statement on Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) acknowledges that violence and abuse of individuals with disabilities is widespread, but often unrecognized in our society. Abuse, in any form, is a violation of an individual's human and civil rights. Addressing ways to prevent and deal with or address the abuse of individuals with disabilities is the responsibility of all segments of society. Centers for independent living have a particular responsibility to ensure that the programs and services they offer are both effective and safe, and that abuse and safety awareness is incorporated within the scope and purview of the core services.
NCIL acknowledges the need for education and training of its membership and encourages the development of both national and local strategies to address violence/abuse of people with disabilities. NCIL further acknowledges that survivors/victims with disabilities remain under-served and un-served. Therefore NCIL will advocate for justice and equal access to victim services for people with disabilities who are victims of violence/abuse. NCIL will also advocate for the inclusion of the voices of persons with disabilities in current and future legislative activities that address crimes, victimization, and abuse.
Leslie Myers from IndependenceFirst and Roberta Sick from Partners for Inclusive Communities-UAMS Arkansas' University Center on Disabilities, co-chair this NCIL Task Force. For additional information please feel free to contact Leslie at lmyers@independencefirst.org or 414-226-8381 V/Relay.
Advocacy Strategies
By Michael Hineberg, Information and Referral Coordinator
Whether you are a well-seasoned advocate, or this is the first time you are helping someone - there are a few rules of thumb that are handy. The skillful advocate does not barge in making demands - no matter how righteous his or her cause. Instead, a wise advocate moves forward with calculated precision. The following strategies can be used if you are advocating with someone involving a person, employer, agency, or business.
Get your information firsthand
If a third party asks you to advocate on someone's behalf - talk directly to the person who needs help. Cut through the discolored perceptions of second-hand information. We all remember how information is distorted by the childhood game called "telephone."
Go directly to the source (the person experiencing a problem).
Ask the individual what they want you to do about it Once you talk directly to the individual, ask the obvious question, "How can I assist you?" Empower the individual with the choice of whether or not you help him or her. Brainstorm together if they do not have any suggestions.
Talk to the other party and get his or her side of the story
Talk to the party that is associated with the problem and get their side of the story. Find out if they are aware of the issue. Ask what they may have done to rectify the problem. There may be a long history of attempts to correct the situation that you are not aware of. Ask how all individuals are treated in this type of situation, regardless of disability. This essential question will cut to the core
of discriminatory treatment. If everyone is handled the same it is unlikely discrimination
has occurred. Look at the big picture Do not only look at the circumstances surrounding the complaint. Look globally. What is the history or pattern of this individual's experience? Is there an ongoing pattern for this person? Likewise, look at the person or agency's history. How have they handled this situation so far? How have they handled similar situations involving people with or without disabilities? In other words, how are other similar people treated? The answers to these questions will serve as a map - charting your next step. If the agency, business, or person treats all individuals the same way regardless of whether they have a disability, discrimination may not have occurred, even though their actions may feel discriminatory. However, if people are treated differently, discrimination may have occurred. In summary, don’t rush, get as much information from both parties and look at the whole picture.
Kat's Story of Success
By Phillip Corona, Independent Living Coordinator
Kat is a 27-year-old who grew up thinking that she could do nothing right. She was told that she would never be able to keep a job, handle her own money, live on her own and succeed. She went through a period when she felt that this was true. Despite what everyone told her, she did try to live on her own and handle her own money. She fell into their trap and did not do well with her finances. She ended up moving in with her aunt after her mother passed away and things still weren't as she hoped. She was working and wanted assistance with money management, so she called IndependenceFirst and asked for assistance with this goal.
She started with keeping track of how she spent her money, writing everything down. We then reviewed the choices she was making and offered suggestions on how she might be able to save some money. We worked on a budget and she stuck to it like glue. She began feeling good about herself because she was succeeding. There were points when she needed money for something and didn' allow for it. She figured that she could take the funds for some other bill she had, using it to meet the immediate need and replace those monies. She got really good at being able to steal from Peter to pay Paul, but she always made sure that Peter got paid back. She was doing awesome.
At this point we changed gears and started working on getting things organized. We took an inventory of the items she had in storage. This was in preparation for her next goal, which was to find an apartment of her own. She needed to know what she would need once she found one. We worked on this for some time, all the while she was hunting for a place that would fit into her budget.
Lo and behold, she found something that was perfect. She moved in and the first thing she said was that she wouldn' have to pay $70.00 a month for her storage unit anymore.
During this time we also talked about her taking care of herself. Making sure she did things for HER. It took some time for her to be able to do this, but she found something that she had always wanted to do. And that was to practice Ken-do. She started taking Ken-do lessons and you should only see how she would glow when she talked about it. She was doing pretty good and even entered into a Ken-do tournament, and did very well for her first time. During the ranking portion she was ranked yonkyuu (which is middle ranking). Kat has informed me that at this time she is taking a well deserved break from Ken-do, so she can focus on other goals she has set for herself.
In my time working with Kat, another staff person was also working with her from our peer support program. Here's their side of things:
Kat and I started out working on her personal issues with her family. During this time she took Ken-do lessons as previously stated. This diversion helped her to come to terms with the fact that we cannot control what others do. She likes to talk about her experiences with the Ken-do activities. It helps her redirect her focus. She is very outgoing. We have recently started to work on assertiveness and continue to do so.
To learn more,contact us at 414-291-7520 V/Relay.
Volunteer Success SEWASP
By Kathy Mohar, Wheelchair Sports and Adaptive Recreation Coordinator
The SouthEastern Wisconsin Adaptive Ski Program (SEWASP) has been in collaboration with IndependenceFirst for almost 10 years. When Dave Henderson, the President of SEWASP, approached our agency, he and SEWASP were asking for program support. Dave described how the SEWASP program was operating on 100% volunteer efforts and how the organization really needed an organization to provide SEWASP with assistance with mailings, volunteer back ground checks, scheduling for lessons, etc. SEWASP recognized their need to affiliate with an organization in southeastern Wisconsin that had contact with a community of people with disabilities so their program could potentially serve more people.
I don't think either one of us could have imagined that the collaboration between SEWASP and IndependenceFirst would develop into what we have today! First of all, I didn't know anything about downhill skiing or adaptive downhill skiing. I relied on Dave and others involved in SEWASP to teach me about skiing so that I could be confident and enthusiastic when I spoke to people with disabilities about participating and skiing! Secondly, SEWASP had to quickly become accustomed to my way of programming, which meant paperwork and documentation. As I learned more about skiing and SEWASP adapted, magic began to unfold!
The first season IndependenceFirst and SEWASP partnered, we provided adaptive down hill ski lessons to people of all ages with any type of disability. There were 59 lessons and a total of 25 program volunteers. We quickly became aware of the incredible talents and dedication that this core group of volunteers offered. Our volunteers dedicated themselves over the next several seasons to advancing their training in providing safe and quality lessons to our participants. This group helped our program to expand by recruiting others to become involved. The program grew by providing adaptive snowboarding lessons. We all worked together to spread the word to potential program participants. In our most successful season (2005) we provided 134 lessons and grew to a family of 42 volunteers!
Today SEWASP and IndependenceFirst continue to share in a positive and professional relationship. During the 2006/2007 season we had an amazing 24 volunteers who returned to our program from previous seasons. Eleven of these 24 volunteers were part of the core group mentioned above from almost 10 years ago! We also welcomed 8 new volunteers into our program. These new volunteers learned throughout our season about the different types of adaptive equipment. They learned about the considerations that need to be taken depending on the specific needs of our participants to ensure everyone's safety. In all, these 32 amazing volunteers provided our program with 600 hours of service, which resulted in our ability to provide 82 adaptive ski / snowboarding lessons!
When I have asked our group of dedicated volunteers why they come week after week, and season after season, their answers can really be summed up in one comment: “We come because we love to ski and we are curious, we return because of the magic!
How Does Someone Who Uses a Power-wheelchair Play Soccer?
By Kathy Mohar, Wheelchair Sports and Adaptive Recreation Coordinator
Thinking about the sport of soccer it seems unlikely that an individual who uses a power wheelchair would be able to play. After all, don't you need to be able to kick the ball down the field? Well, think again because the awesome sport of Power Soccer is the wave of
the future!
Power Soccer originated only a few years ago. It has grown rapidly and become very popular because of the unique population of people that are included. For the first time a sport was designed specifically for power chair users! No more sitting on the sidelines for these folks – they are excited and ready to play!
Players attach foot-guards to their wheelchairs that extend in a U-shape in front of them. Using the foot guard, strategic chair positioning, and just the right amount of speed, a player can advance the ball, pass it, steal it from an opponent, and score! The soccer ball is a 16 inch diameter ball that can be guided in any direction, stopped, kicked, and pushed by even a novice player.
Power Soccer is a taking off in the mid-west with 9 teams popping up in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The program provided by IndependenceFirst in collaboration with Milwaukee Recreation includes 10 team members (combination of youth and adults) who call themselves the Milwaukee Heat! These folks love to burn-rubber up and down the court each week. It would be great if new people joined them! For more information about the times and location of our practices please call Kathy Mohar at 414-226-8375 V/Relay.
It's Your Money
By Leslie Myers, Domestic Violence Specialist
Financial exploitation is a crime often associated with seniors, but it can happen to anyone, including people with disabilities. While often the victim is embarrassed about being conned or scammed, it is important to know what to look out for and where to go for help if it does happen. In Wisconsin, material abuse, sometimes called financial exploitation, is the misuse of an adult at risk or, an elder adult at risk, money or property. It includes deception, diverting income, mismanagement of funds and taking money or possessions against a person's will. The following are signs of financial exploitation:
Large cash withdrawals from the person's bank account
Withdrawal of a large sum of money from the bank when accompanied by another person
Numerous withdrawals from the person's bank account
Large checks written to unusual recipients
Names being added to the person's bank account signature card
Objects or money missing from the household
Withdrawals from investments
Abrupt changes in wills, trusts, contracts, the power of attorney, the durable power of attorney,
property titles, deeds, or mortgages
Changes in beneficiaries on insurance policies or IRAs
Sudden changes in the person's financial situation
Home or institutional care that is lacking
Unpaid bills
Forged signatures
Unnecessary services, goods, or subscriptions
Sudden close relationship with a much younger, more able person
The caregiver has no other means of support besides caring for the person
New best friends
Here are some resources available to help if you find yourself being financially exploited (all phone numbers are Voice or Relay only unless TTY is specified):
The Wisconsin Department of Justice investigates and prosecutes financial exploitation, including Medicaid fraud, identity theft, consumer fraud and other forms of abuse. The Wisconsin Department of Justice can be reached at (608) 266-1221. If you are a victim and you need information about victim's rights and available victim services, call the DOJ Victim Resource Center toll-free at (800) 446-6564.
The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups/Elder Law Center handles questions on issues of consumer protection, public policy, elder abuse prevention, Medicare integrity, pension rights and other legal issues important to the elderly and their families. They can be reached at (608) 224-0606 or (800) 366-2990.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, answers general consumer complaints (i.e. auto repairs, pyramid schemes, investment opportunities, telemarketing, fraud, Internet fraud, landlord/tenant, sweepstakes, travel scams, charitable solicitors, etc.). They can be reached at (800) 422-7128 or (608) 224-4953.
The Department of Financial Institutions can answer questions and complaints regarding Banks, Credit Unions, Credit Cards, Debt Collection Agencies, Mortgage Companies and Investments. Contact the Department of Financial Institutions at (800) 452-3328 or (608) 264-7969.
The Division of Motor Vehicles/ Department of Transportation addresses questions and/or complaints regarding car dealerships, they can be reached at (608) 266-1425
Office of the Commissioner of Insurance handles questions and/or complaints regarding insurance companies and policies, they can be reached at (800) 236-8517 or (608) 266-0103
The Public Service Commission handles questions and/or complaints regarding Public Utility companies and phone companies, they can be reached at (800) 225-7729 or (608) 266-2001.
The Wisconsin Guardian Support Center handles questions related to guardianships and powers of attorney; they can be reached at (800) 488-2586.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides information about products and safety recalls, as well as takes complaints about product safety. Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at (301) 504-7923.
The Federal Trade Commission handles questions and/or complaints about fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace, as well as providing consumers with free information about how to spot and avoid consumer fraud. Contact the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357
Locally you can contact:
Milwaukee County Disabilities Services Division at (414) 289-6660 or (289) 289-8559 (TTY) or the Milwaukee County Department on Aging (414) 289-6874
Ozaukee County Human Resources Division at (262) 284-8321 or Ozaukee Department of Social
Services at (262) 284-8200 or (262) 238-8200
Washington Department of Health and Human Services at (262) 306-2222 Adult Protective
Services and the Washington County Department of Social Services at (262) 335-4610
Waukesha Department of Health and Human Services at (262) 548-7212 and the Waukesha
County Department of Aging at (262) 548-7828
Resources for this article came from www.doj.state.wi.us/cvs/elderissues/resources.asp
May is Mental Health Month
By Karen Avery, Associate Director
More than fifty years ago, Mental Health Month observance was developed to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the importance of mental wellness for all.
Health Effects of Chronic Stress and Other Mental Health Problems
Mental health is essential to maintaining overall health and wellness.
Mental health problems, such as chronic stress, depression and anxiety, can harm your health and wellness.
Research shows that stress and other mental health problems can contribute to the development and worsening of chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Everyone can take steps to protect and strengthen their own mental health and wellness.
Morbidity and Mortality in People with Serious Mental Illness
People with severe mental illness die, on average, at least 25 years earlier than the general
population.
People with severe mental illnesses are dying from treatable medical conditions such as heart
disease, diabetes and respiratory conditions that often are caused by preventable risk factors
like smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity and alcohol and substance abuse as well as
lack of access to appropriate care.
Paying attention to overall health and wellness is critical to the treatment of and recovery from
mental illness.
Children's Mental Health
Mental health disorders in children are real, common and treatable.
Left untreated, children's mental health disorders can lead to problems at home, trouble in
school and in the community, substance abuse and even suicide.
Mental health promotion, and early identification and treatment of mental health needs allow
children to reach their full potential.
Good mental health promotes children's healthy development, self-esteem, helps them relate well
to others, and fosters their growth at home and at school.
The Mental Health Association of Wisconsin, located at 734 North 4th Street Suite 200 Milwaukee
53203 (414- 276-3122v/relay) provides information, advocacy, and community education about
mental health and mental illness, including an onsite resource center and website; referrals for
mental health care; information about prevention; a speakers bureau; a Business Outreach
program which offers presentations and resources on workplace mental health issues; support
groups; free depression and anxiety screening; and the Invisible Children's Program, a support
program for families where a parent has a mental illness.
Materials available from the Mental Health Association of Wisconsin
Youth and Family
Resource Directory
This guide contains a comprehensive list of youth and family resources including mental health hotlines, support and crisis lines, clinical services, crime prevention, substance abuse services, camps, arts and recreation, support services, abuse, violence prevention, community education and more. The guide also has information about who to contact in case of a mental health emergency, guidelines for choosing a therapist, a description of different types of mental health professionals and a list of patients rights.
If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the 2007-08 Mental Health Resource Directory, contact MHA.
Brochures
MHA produces a number of easy-to-read brochures that can help you improve your mental health and understand mental and emotional problems. Selected brochures are available in Spanish.
Available brochures include educational brochures on Anger, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression), Schizophrenia, and other brochures include:
Do Health Care Providers Overlook Suicidal Elderly Persons
Enhance Your Health: Ways to Handle Tensions
How to Choose a Mental Health Provider: A Consumer's Guide to Making the Right Choice
Let's Talk About: Suicide and Adolescents
Living with a Mentally Ill Parent
Loss and Grief
Love, Laughter, and Limits: Raising Mentally Healthy Children
Mental Health and Mental Illness: Basic Facts
Mr./Mrs. Smith Talks to His/Her Doctor
Resilience
Self-Esteem
Stress
Suicide Facts and Risk Factors
What Parents Can Do to Cope With Stress
For more information, visit the MHA website at http://www.mhawisconsin.org/ or contact them at
414-276-3122 (V/Relay).
Spring Cleaning
By Mia Lott-Rogers, Homeownership Specialist
Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and we begin to transition our homes from the winter lock down. Spring is the time most people start throwing out old things and giving their house a cleaning like no other. Well, take advantage of this burst of energy and spring clean your credit! Credit problems are a major roadblock to obtaining affordable mortgages and good interest rates.
Past credit issues might have resulted from unforeseen problems or a failure to plan. Perhaps you let a department store credit card lapse with a $5 balance due. This kind of glitch is usually easy to fix and won't stand in the way of your loan. Bankruptcy, on the other hand, stays on your record for up to 10 years. By cleaning up your credit before you actually apply for a loan, you'll make the loan process a lot easier.
You can start cleaning up your credit report by:
Paying bills on time. This reflects a positive mark on your credit report.
Limit inquiries, prompted by your own actions. They appear on your credit report and are
included in your score.
Make more than the minimum payments and focus on your highest interest rate credit cards and
loans first.
Bankruptcy may affect your credit for years to come or have other serious consequences that
you will need to consider.
To start your spring-cleaning you can also obtain a copy of your credit report to verify that the information creditors receive about you is accurate. You can contact the credit reporting agencies either by phone, letter or internet. Be prepared to provide your full name, maiden name, birthday, social security number, current address, previous address for the last 5 years, and spouse's name.
Review your report and ask the credit bureau to re-investigate any marks you find questionable. The credit bureau should provide a form for you to make this request in writing. After you submit the form, the credit bureau has 30 days to investigate your claim and change your record. If you are correct, or if the creditor who gave you the bad mark can no longer verify the information, the credit bureau must remove those marks from your report.
Monitoring and periodically reviewing your credit report is also an effective tool in fighting identity theft. Below are the instructions to obtain a FREE credit report.
Request your Credit Report Online
You can see and print your Report Online at www.annualcreditreport.com. It's Quick, Easy and Secure.
Request your Credit Report by Phone
Call 1-877-322-8228 V/Relay to request your credit reports by phone. You will go through a simple verification process over the phone. Your reports will be mailed to you within six to
ten days.
Consumers can access our TDD service at 1-877-730-4104.
Request your Credit Report by Mail
You may request your credit report by mail by filling out a request form and mailing it to:
Annual Credit Report
Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Milwaukee County Transit System Faces Funding Crisis
By Autumn Manz, Resource Center Specialist
Milwaukee County requested the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) to develop a three to five year transit system development plan, which required an evaluation of the current Milwaukee County Transit System's (MCTS) performance. Through this evaluation, the distress of MCTS was unveiled, and it has been established that MCTS will face a thirty five percent cut in services by 2010 without a determination of a dedicated funding source. Milwaukee County has never had a dedicated funding source for its transit system and is one of few large metropolitan areas in the United States that does not. There are talks about how to develop a source, such as through additional hotel tax, rental car tax, or sales tax, but no one can seem to agree.
SEWRPC reported two options in cuts. Both options would include eliminating all freeway flyer routes and UBUS routes serving the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Option A would also eliminate bus service after 10 pm on weekdays and Saturdays and limit Sunday service to 9 am to 6 pm. It would also eliminate seven local routes and cut back or restructure seventeen others.
Option B would eliminate ten routes, besides eliminating the freeway flyers and UBUS routes, and cutback or restructure fourteen others.
These cutbacks, as pointed out by the report, will likely result in similar cutbacks in paratransit services for people with disabilities. Over 17,000 Milwaukee County residents are enrolled in the Transit Plus program, Milwaukee County's paratransit program for people with disabilities. Paratransit eligibility is based upon a person's inability to use fixed route transportation due to a disability. Funding for Transit Plus is directly tied to funding for the fixed route system
since paratransit services only need to mimic the fixed route services.
SEWRPC had four open house meetings at the end of February and beginning of March where they took comments from the public and discussed their evaluation of MCTS and its conclusions. Look for additional meetings to be held by SEWRPC in spring. For more information, please view the website that SEWRPC has set up regarding this study and its findings at http://www.sewrpc.org/milwcotdp.
Road to Freedom: Keeping the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
By Alie Kriofske, Youth Leadership Specialist
ADA Watch and the National Coalition on Disability Rights launched a national disability rights awareness campaign in the form of a bus tour that departed from Washington D.C. on November 15th and is engaging audiences across the United States in the story of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the history of the disability rights movement. We hope to mobilize Americans to keep the promise of the ADA freedom, inclusion, and opportunity for children and adults with physical, mental, cognitive and developmental disabilities. This is a quote from The Road to Freedom: Keeping the Promise of the ADA website: http://www.roadtofreedom.wordpress.com.
The Road to Freedom is an awareness campaign in the form of a yearlong cross-country bus tour. Among the riders on the bus are Yoshiko Dart, Janine Bertram Kemp, Bobby Coward, Rus Holt, Jim Ward, Debbie Fletter Ward and Tom Olin. These individuals, along with Family Diversity Projects and others who decide to join, will be crossing the country to expose the people of the United States to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the history of the disability rights movement. They will also address issues such as health care, employment, transportation and more.
More than 80 stops are included in this tour, stopping at such locations as schools, malls, parades, fairs, etc. as well as with media agencies such as radio and TV shows and press conferences. The Road to Freedom travelers will be promoting the ideas of justice, inclusion and opportunity for persons with disabilities. Photo exhibits featuring the wonderful work of Tom Olin and the award winning work of Family Diversity Projects will be a large part of this awareness campaign. The tour also will focus on youth leadership and a coalition of disability partners, including assistive technology kiosks, distribution of disability resources and educational and historical exhibits.
Since the November departure, the Road to Freedom bus tour has gone from Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida.
The Road to Freedom tour bus will be coming through Wisconsin staying in Milwaukee for a few days and nights between July 15th and 17th.
IndependenceFirst is among the Road to Freedom sponsors and will enjoy having the tour bus spend some time in Milwaukee this summer in July. Call me to find out more, or visit our website for details http://www.independencefirst.org .
The Road to Freedom bus tour and traveling exhibit is a project of ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR), an alliance of hundreds of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations founded by disability rights advocate, Jim Ward. It hopes to increase public awareness of persons with disabilities, to educate the public on the need for strengthening the ADA, and to mobilize members of communities to work and advocate for disability rights.
The Road to Freedom has its own website and travel blog, and more information, including all tour stops, news coverage, and ways to donate to the cause can be found at: http://www.roadtofreedom.wordpress.com
Focus on New Staff
Alie Kriofske Mainella
New Youth Leadership Specialist
Before here I worked as a direct service worker at Ranch Community Services and before that the Peace Corps. I have been working in disability rights for the past 9 years and was assigned here on my graduate school fellowship. I fell in love with the work, the consumers and the atmosphere here and didn't want to leave! I look forward to the interaction I get when I speak to a group of kids about the possibilities that lie before them, especially those who are hearing that from me for the first time, the way their eyes light up when they think about succeeding. My official job title is Youth Leadership Specialist and I will be coordinating programs for young people with disabilities to teach them leadership skills, self-advocacy and transition.
Mikki Santos
New Personal Assistance Services Receptionist
I worked for Hatch Staffing before I started to work here. I was interested in working here because I really like what this organization does. I look forward to doing a great job here and maybe in the future moving up in the company. My title is Receptionist and I will
be answering the switchboard and assisting the Human Resource department.
Transit Plus Advisory Council Seeks New Members
By Autumn Manz, Resource Center Specialist
The Transit Plus Advisory Council (TPAC) is a volunteer group composed of people with disabilities who are either direct users of Milwaukee County's Transit Plus Program or a parent or guardian of someone who is a user. The Transit Plus Program is Milwaukee County's paratransit program. Transit Plus is a transportation service for people whose disabilities prevent them from being able to use Milwaukee County Transit System's bus service.
TPAC's mission statement is as follows, to serve as an advocate for persons with disabilities in liaison with Transit Plus and its contracted carriers to ensure the availability of a quality transportation system, so that such persons with disabilities may enjoy full participation in their community, work, medical care and recreational activities. Such liaison involves relaying information, communication, educating, and advising both the providers and the community.
Currently TPAC is seeking new members. If you are a Transit Plus user or the parent or guardian of a user and interested in applying or getting involved, please contact the Transit Plus Office at
(414) 343-1703 V/Relay or TTY (414) 343-1704.
Anyone interested in becoming a member must attend two consecutive meetings before he or she will be interviewed. These meetings are open to the public and meet every third Tuesday of the month at 2 pm until roughly 3:30 pm. If you would like to discuss an issue related to Transit Plus, please call ahead to put it on the meeting agenda in the beginning of the month. Meetings are currently held at the Milwaukee County Transit System's Administration Building at 1942 N. 17th Street in Milwaukee.
If you would like more information on Transit Plus
or TPAC, either contact the above numbers or find it on the web at: http://www.ridemcts.com/transit_plus/index.asp?id=776 and http://www.ridemcts.com/transit_plus/announcements/index.asp?id=906.
TPAC looks forward to hearing from you!