March 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1 March 2014

Transcription

1 EQUIP Leadership Group March 2014 Newsletter E S T A B L I S H E D B Y A B L E S O U T H C A R O L I N A I N C O L L A B O R A T I O N W I T H T H E N A T I O N A L Y O U T H L E A D E R S H I P N E T W O R K ( N Y L N ) March 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1 March 2014 A Busy New Year! Happy Disability Awareness Month! Since the beginning of the New Year, EQUIP has been busy hosting three in-person informational meetings in Union, Columbia and Greenville with great turnouts! At each Kick-Off Party, EQUIP New Year Kick-Off New Party in Greenville, SC L to R: Matthew Cheek, Carol Ann Weeks, Micahlyn Houpt we all had the opportunity to meet new friends, inform young adults about the Equip Leadership Group and help empower young adults to feel confident with themselves, their disability, and help them realize they are MORE than their disability. One of our main focus of Equip is to help young adults ages with any form of disability to realize their disability is only a part of who they are. Your disability is definitely not your identity; there are numerous other things that make you who you are: your favorite foods, the friends you hang out with, the activities you like to do, hobbies, etc. For those of you who were not able to make it to the Equip New Year Kick-Off Parties, not to worry we will have more online and in-person get-togethers soon so we can stay connected and continue to grow as leaders, individuals and to help improve our communities! Look at our Monthly Activities located inside the newsletter on Page 4 for more information and details on upcoming events this month! Remember: your disability does not define you, but your personality does! Connect Online or In Person Starting in March, Able SC will be hosting Young Adult Peer Support Online Meetings twice monthly. This meeting will be a safe forum where Young Adults with any form of disability can get together and discuss issues going in their lives; such as applying for jobs, choosing a college, communicating about your disability with family, significant others, etc. This will also be a place where Young Adults can discuss what is going on in the Disability Rights Community and how to help make effective changes in their own local communities! Equip also has a Facebook page. It is a closed group so if you would like to be invited to be a part of it to keep up with everyone, please contact Rachel Kaplan. Finally, we will have an in-person meeting at our Columbia office on March 15 from 2pm to 4pm, which will include a parent information session at the end. If you cannot attend but would like to participate via Skype, let us know and we ll show you how! We look forward to all of the exciting things in store for Equip this year! What is Equip? A leadership group FOR young adults with disabilities led BY young adults with disabilities. Equip focuses on empowering young adults to set high expectations and work hard to achieve them. Equip believes all people with disabilities can exercise independence. Equip aims to educate the community and change negative perceptions about disabilities. - Written By: Micahlyn Houpt Inside This Issue: Leaders: Derrick 2 Leaders: Micahlyn 2 Leaders: Kristin 3 Leaders: Letrell 3 Activities Calendar 3-4 Education Article 4-5 Page 1

2 EQUIP Leadership Group March 2014 Newsletter Our Equip group is comprised of young adults of various ages, races, and disabilities. Some participants are in high school and college, while others have graduated and are employed or seeking employment or volunteer activities in their communities. We have participants with intellectual and learning disabilities, hearing and vision disabilities, physical disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. We have individuals who live at home with their parents and those who live independently in their own apartment or house. Although our group is as diverse as the communities that they live in, they share common experiences and encourage each other to achieve their goals. We d like to introduce you to four of our young leaders who dedicate several hours each month to make sure Equip accomplishes its goal of empowering young adults with disabilities. Young Adult Leader: Derrick Means My name is Derrick Means. I am in a band called The highway 49 band", where I play the congas and bongos. I also play the congas at Majority Baptist Church located in Spartanburg, SC. I have Cerebral Palsy. In 2013, I graduated from USC-Union with my Bachelor s Degree in Organizational Leadership. Currently, I work part time at the library at USC-Union. I am currently on the Miracle League Board in Union County. My motto is Rise up, and always keep your head up. Derrick Means Young Adult Leader: Micahlyn Houpt On Valentine's Day most people think of chocolate, valentines, roses. I remember it as the day my life changed forever February 14, 2013 I awoke to agonizing pain in my left eye. It was an autoimmune disease, called uveitis that attacked my left eye leaving me unable to read or tolerate exposure to light. I attend a private school so adaptive technology is not readily available. When my family and I asked for accommodations, my school refused. I had to withdraw from three classes jeopardizing my graduating in May It was by a random call that my mom found Able SC. I met with one of the independent living specialists. She gave me tools to help me read a little better. Two weeks later I traveled to Boston to see a uveitis specialist. He honestly had never seen a case like mine before and really didn't know what to do. He finally decided on a six week steroid regimen. Two weeks into treatment my vision returned. After I returned from Boston, I got involved with the Equip Summer Series. Afterwards, I was asked to be a youth leader for the Equip Leadership Group. Micahlyn Houpt I Am Not A Label Poem by Kristin Jackson I am not a label. I am a person in my own right. I am a breathing, thinking, and a loving human being. I have accepted that you need to assign labels, but only because the labels may help to explain the differences. That does not make me that label. Look at me first, not my label. Do not try to understand me by only my label. Look further to understand me by gazing into my eyes and listening to what I have to say, no matter what form of communication I may use. I may not communicate in a way you may understand, but that does not mean I can not communicate, It may not always be easy to understand what I have to say, but if you persevere, you will find the effort. Well worth the reward of getting to know me. Forget the label and let me teach you who I am. Page 2

3 Volume 1, Issue 1 Young Adult Leader: Kristin Jackson My name is Kristin Jackson and I am 22 years old. I love to dance, hang out with family and friends, listen to music, volunteer, and help people. I am hard of hearing and I wear bilateral hearing aids. I attend Midlands Technical College and am majoring in Sciences. I am an EQUIP leader because I am compassionate, humble, and respectful. I want to help other young adults to know that they are somebody; they are an individual with a disability. I also want to share useful, important information that others can take away with them to help others. Young Adult Leader: Letrell Hodge Hi, my name is Letrell Hodge, I am 17 years old. I will be turning 18 on July 27th. During my childhood I was diagnosed with auditory processing concern, resulting in me wearing a hearing aid for a while. Kristin Jackson During my free time, I like to read, write and play basketball. My favorite subjects in school are Science, Social Studies and Language Arts. My favorite food is pizza and my favorite movie is Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I also like the boy band Big Time Rush and the book White Fang. I am attending an online virtual school called South Carolina Connections Academy and I have aspirations on entering the medical field someday. I am currently working for Able SC as an EQUIP Leader. Letrell Hodge EQUIP Summer Series: Columbia, 2013 EQUIP Summer Series: Greenville, 2013 Our Community Calendar of Events: March and April 2014 On page 4 you will find a calendar of events for this month, March, and the month after, April. In every newsletter calendars will be included for the current month and following month to help you all keep track of different events and opportunities that are coming up. This is a great way to be able to plan ahead and stay involved in what we are doing as an EQUIP Leadership Group, and is also a good way to find out about different opportunities, such as scholarships, grants, and upcoming events that are related to young adults with disabilities. Page 3

4 EQUIP Leadership Group March 2014 Newsletter Community Activities Calendar: March 2014 March is National Disability Month! March 11th March 19th Disability Advocacy Day 4:00-5:30 PM SC State House March 15th March 25 th Group Activity Columbia 2:00-4:00 PM 4:00 5:30PM Community Activities Calendar: April 2014 April 1st April 15th 4:00-5:30 PM 4:00-5:30 PM April 8th April 29th Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) Applications Due 4:00 5:30PM ylf.scvrd.net April 11th Advocates in Disability Award (ADA) Application Due Popular Education: Creating A Space Where We Can All Participate Safe Space Begins with Accessibility What do people usually think of when they hear the words accessibility and disability? Accessibility is a way of measuring how easy it is to use a service or to go somewhere. If a wheelchair user can get in a building, it is wheelchair accessible. Universal design is when the place or the service is made fully accessible for all people with disabilities. If something is not universally designed (and most places right now aren t), people need accommodations to use these services. Accommodations are things people need to participate. Some accommodations people think about for youth with disabilities are: Braille or large print Sign language interpreters Page 4

5 Ramps and elevators Extra time Here are some other accommodations that people usually don t think about: Words and pictures that are easy to understand Scent-free spaces for people who are sensitive to chemicals Time alone/quiet space Different learning style methods Smaller classroom size Being careful about emotional triggers Room for personal care attendants Attention to keeping walking distances short Mentorship for people who are new to a space or an activity Accessibility Beyond Disability Accessibility goes beyond ramps and signs. Accessibility goes beyond disability. Some things need to be provided out of respect for everyone, so that all people are in a position to fully participate. Everyone is valuable and has a voice that should be heard. Here are some other things to consider providing to make learning more accessible: Multi-lingual spaces. Provide translators so people can speak in the language they know. Someone who only speaks Spanish or French wouldn t be able to participate in a space that only uses English. Transportation. People who don t have cars or access to public transportation will need a way to get to the event. No-Hate/Safe Space. Safe space is when people agree to think about what they say and how it affects people hearing it. For example, someone would pay extra attention to not saying things that are racist or violent. Food. If you are having a meeting during a mealtime, provide food so that everyone is fed equally. Trigger Warnings. A lot of people experience violence in many ways. If you are going to show a picture or video with something violent in it, warn people. This allows people to step out of the room in case it might trigger a bad memory for them. Childcare. A lot of young parents have disabilities. Often times they are can only participate if their kids can be there. ALL people need things that help them participate. Thinking and talking about accessibility can make it so that everyone can take part. It shows that everyone is valuable and has a voice that should be heard. Excerpt re-printed with permission and provided by the National Youth Leadership Network, Youth Information Documents, PDF entitled Popular Education: Creating A Space Where We Can All Participate. Page 5

6 E Q U I P L E A D E R S H I P G R O UP Able South Carolina Midlands Location: 136 Stonemark Lane Suite 100 Columbia, SC Upstate Location: 330 Pelham Road Suite 100A Greenville, SC Check us out online! Equip is a way for young adults with disabilities across the state to connect with each other and learn skills to become successful self-advocates and leaders in their communities. The program started as a six-week leadership course held in Columbia and Greenville in the summer of The impact of the course on the young adults was so significant that we wanted to find a way to keep it going! That opportunity came through a partnership Able SC formed with National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) to create the first SC Chapter of the NYLN. Equip teaches young adults about the following topics: Self-awareness Leadership Skills Self-Esteem Disability Pride Disability Etiquette Community Barriers Disability Rights Movement Goal Setting Public Speaking Effective Communication IDEA & ADA Community Activism The young adults in Equip have created three main goals for the program: Mentor other young adults with disabilities in schools and the community. Teach parents about the importance of empowering their children with disabilities to be independent. Educate the community about the value of inclusion and access for people with disabilities. If you would like to get more information on the EQUIP Leadership Series and how you can get involved, contact Rachel Kaplan, Eric Hilton, or Robbie Kopp. Rachel Kaplan Eric Hilton Robbie Kopp Toll-Free: Toll-Free: Toll-Free: TTY: TTY: TTY: Voice: Voice: Voice: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Page 6