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12/16/99:
The President's Committee on Mental Retardation (PCMR) is soliciting nominations for its new John F. Kennedy, Jr., Award for Excellence in Direct Support. This award will be given to an outstanding direct service professional who demonstrates excellence, creativity, and commitment in assisting individuals with intellectual disabilities to lead self-directed lives. The award honors John Kennedy's work in recognizing and enhancing the lives of people who provide direct support to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Mr. Kennedy, in founding Reaching Up, Inc., and as a member of PCMR, focused on improving educational and career opportunities for direct support professionals.
The President's Committee is seeking nominees who value self-determination for people with intellectual disabilities, assist them in contributing to their communities, and promote inclusion. The John F. Kennedy, Jr. Award will include a cash prize of $500 and will be presented to the winner in person at the upcoming Conference on Poverty and Disability, February 22-23, 2000, in New York City.
Deadline: Nominations must be received on or before January 15, 2000.
To get a nomination form, telephone 202-619-0634, fax 202-205-9519, e-mail jabrowning@acf.dhhs.gov, or visit the website (http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/pcmr/nominations.htm)
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12/7/99:
A Credo for Support is now available as a poster in both Spanish (Un Credo de Apoyo) and English, as well as a VHS video. A Credo for Support can be previewed (with or without sound) at the Axis Disability Rights website (http://www.normemma.com/) which also provides articles, recommended readings, and links to websites with ADA and disability resources.
12/2/99:
Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has declared 2000 as the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of The ARC, the 25th anniversary of IDEA, and the 10th anniversary of the ADA. In honor of these events, persons with disabilities are being asked to hold celebrations within their local communities all year long. And on July 21 (Friday) a rally and march is being planned. Individuals and groups are asked to come join the celebration by bringing flags they have made. Several organizations, including Systems Change Network, will be holding their annual meetings in conjunction with the event. For more information, contact:
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11/18/99:
The Project PRIDE Guide is a plain language guide to life-long participation rights for individuals with disabilities and their families. Project PRIDE is part of a joint project of the Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council and Iowa Protection and Advocacy Services, Inc. The goal of Project PRIDE is to increase participation by consumers and family members in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of disability-related services and supports throughout the State of Iowa. For more information, contact
Lisa Heddens, Project PRIDE Coordinator
Iowa Protection and Advocacy Services, Inc.
3015 Merle Hay Road, Suite 6
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
Phone: 1-800-779-2502
E-mail: lheddens@ipna.org
10/13/99:
The Iowa Training Consortium received 94 mini-grant applications for FY2000. Mini-grant recipients will be notified in early December, and featured in the January 2000 issue of Possibilities.
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10/5/99:
The 2000 Conference and Trade Show of the Iowa Association of Community Providers will be held on June 27 and 28 at the Marriott in downtown Des Moines.
Attendees at the conference and Trade Show will be employees -- direct care staff, mid-level managers and executive directors -- of organizations in Iowa which provide recognized programs of rehabilitation or habilitation services to individuals with disabilities. This year, there are nearly 140 agency members of IACP serving more than 65,000 Iowans. These agencies employ more than 8,000 staff and have annual budgets totaling more than $300 million. In some cases, an agency is one of the largest employers in its city.
For more information, please call Suzanne Gebel, Manager of Membership Services, at 515-270-9495.
9/16/99:
It's finally here! Now child care providers and parents can call any time to ask health and safety questions or to request information or materials. Phones will be answered by Healthy Families personnel, in cooperation with Iowa State University Extension. If your call cannot be answered quickly, or you need help with a specific situation, your call will be transferred to the Child Care Health Consultant for your area.
TDD (Telecommunications Device for Deaf Persons) (800) 735-2942
Other Extension Hotlines are listed and described at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/General/tollfree.html
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9/2/99:
The 8th annual Systems Change Network Congress will be held November 12th & 13th at the Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines. This annual event allows Iowans with disabilities to gather in Des Moines to determine a comprehensive policy agenda and to set the priorities that will advance their issues during the next legislative session. The theme for the 1999 Congress is "Solutions, Strategies, and Action for the New Millennium." SCN members will be working to change policy in six areas that are important to Iowans with disabilities:
To become a member of the Systems Change Network or to get more information, call
1-800-765-3022. As a non-profit, 501c(3) organization, all donations to the Systems Change
Network are tax deductible.
8/18/99:
Iowa's Area Education Agencies are celebrating their silver jubilee. Criss-crossing the state from Loess Hills AEA in Council Bluffs to Keystone AEA in Elkader, and from Great River AEA in Burlington to Sioux Center AEA #4, the fifteen education agencies are resource partners with the state's public and private accredited schools. To learn more about the AEA network, visit their Iowa Department of Education hub site at: http://www.state.ia.us/educate/aea.html#AEA
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8/11/99:
The National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) is an information, resource, and training center. The NADC is dedicated to promoting the full inclusion of children and adults with disabilities into the visual-, performing-, literary-, and media arts communities. The NADC serves:
The NADC provides resources and training materials on a wide variety of topics related to arts and disabilities.
7/9/99:
IOWA CITY – Lieutenant-Governor Sally Pederson will be the special guest speaker at a celebration of the 9th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Saturday, July 24, in College Green Park.
The ADA, often called a civil rights act for people who have disabilities, was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Celebrations of the ADA have become an annual tradition in Iowa City and other communities across the country.
A parade will begin at the Civic Center, 410 E. Washington Street, at 10 AM. Music, games, information tables, food, Duder the Clown, and story-telling by Steve Thunder-McGuire will be part of the celebration at College Green Park from 11 AM to 4 PM.
The keynote speaker will be Marilyn Turner, Director of the Blackhawk Center for Independent Living in Waterloo. State Senator Robert Dvorsky, Heather Ritchie of the Evert Conner Center, and local attorney Sondra Kaska will also speak.
Kevin Burt and the Instigators, Tom Nothnagle, and Mak Dervo will provide live music throughout the day.
All activities are being coordinated by the Evert Conner Center for Independent Living and numerous community co-sponsors. To co-sponsor the celebration or to enter the parade, call 338-3870.
6/25/1999:
The Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council, in conjunction with local hosts, is conducting six regional meetings throughout Iowa, to gather information on issues affecting persons with disabilities, their family members, and the disability service system. The Council, a federally funded independent state agency, is required to develop a state plan that describes goals, objectives, and funding priorities to meet the needs of Iowans with disabilities every three years. The valuable input gained at these meetings will help shape the Council's plan and areas of focus in the coming years.
Anyone with an interest in disability issues and services in Iowa should attend these meetings, including individuals and families affected by disabilities, provider agencies, elected officials, service funders, advocacy organizations, and citizens.
You may attend any one of the meetings, and you do not need to pre-register. There is no cost to attend. Time and locations of the meetings are:
July 6, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, The Botanical Center, Willow Room, 809 East River Drive, Des
Moines, Iowa
July 8, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Howard Center, 1319 Early Street, Sac City
July 12, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Carnegie Stout Public Library, Third Floor Auditorium, 360 West
11th Street, Dubuque
July 13, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Courthouse, Page Room, 112 East Main, Clarinda
July 13, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, North Iowa Community College, Room 110, 200 Harwood, Charles
City
July 15, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, The Iris Restaurant, 907 West Washington Street, Mount Pleasant
The Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council advocates for improving the system of supports and services so that all Iowans with disabilities have the freedom to make personal choices to exercise their rights as citizens to participate fully in Iowa's communities. This is your opportunity to help shape the Council's efforts. For more information, contact Ann Baule, Council Administrative Assistant at 515-281-9082 or 1-800-452-1936.
Help develop an action plan for the Department of Human Services (DHS) by participating in one of several forums across the state. Experienced facilitators will conduct the forums, helping everyone understand the targeted results -- safety, stability, health and self-sufficiency for children, adults and families, and safe communities for all -- and helping everyone work together to design a plan to achieve these results.
Forum dates and locations are:
July 1, West Des Moines Marriott, 1250 74th St., West Des Moines, 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
July 2, Scheman Bldg, Iowa State University, Ames, 8:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m.
July 6, YWCA, 318 5th Street SE, Cedar Rapids, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 6, Ramada Inn, 6263 N. Brady, Davenport, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 6, Parkview Plaza, 107 E. 2nd Street, Ottumwa, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 7, Public Library, 225 2nd St. SE, Mason City , 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 7, Holiday Inn 5 Flags, 450 Main St., Dubuque, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 7, YWCA, 425 Lafayette St., Waterloo, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 8, Mental Health Institute, 1251 W Cedar Loop, Cherokee, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9
p.m.
July 8, Carrollton Inn, Hwy 71 N, Carroll, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m.
July 9, St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 105 W 5th, Atlantic, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. and 5 -
9 p.m.
July 9, State Hospital School, 711 Vine St., Glenwood, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 1 - 5 p.m.
For more information, see the DHS Forum overview at http://www.dhs.state.ia.us/Homepages/dhs/DHSForum/intro3.htm.
6/13/1999:
Community Child Care Resource and Referral offers up to $300 per person or per center for expenses related to professional development training experiences, including tuition and text books for college courses, registration fees for workshops or conferences, travel expenses, lodging, substitute pay or presenter fees. There is a simple one-page application and then required documentation of the costs involved with the training. For more information, contact Iowa East Central T.R.A.I.N. Community Child Care Resource and Referral, 2804 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, Iowa 52803; call 319-324-1302 or 800-369-3778 or fax 319-324-7736.
Easter Seals loans durable medical equipment and assistive technologies to individuals who cannot afford the purchase of equipment. Since the beginning of the year, Easter Seals' Equipment Services program has distributed more than 100 pieces of medical equipment to consumers across Iowa. Donations of used wheelchairs, hospital beds, shower benches, electric hospital beds, three-wheeled electric scooters, bathtub grab bars, elevated toilet seats, hoyer lifts, canes, crutches, and other miscellaneous equipment are necessary to allow Easter Seals to meet equipment requests. Items should be in good condition, and can be delivered to Easter Seals, 401 NE 66th Avenue, Des Moines, between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Please call 515-289-1933, extension 248 to arrange a time to deliver items or to ask for more information.
Facility Management Resources of Des Moines is marketing a collection of residential ramp and stair kits at Menards stores. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will benefit Waster Seals Iowa, a nonprofit community organization which provides services to children and adults with disabilities.
Ramp kits are also available through Facility Management Resources, 4418 University Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50311. A minimum order of six kits is required for purchases made through the company. For more information, contact Kelly Dinges at Facility Management Resources at 1-800-477-6904.
For more information about Easter Seals Iowa, contact them through phone at 515-289-1933, TTY 515-289-4069, fax 515-289-1281, or e-mail essia@netins.net
6/7/1999: The Iowa Committee on Diversity requests nominations for the Iowa Prism Awards, to be announced at their October 5-6 Sixth Annual Conference. There are six award categories: Community, Education, Corporation, Organization, Individual, and Youth. If you know of an individual or group that has had a positive impact on diversity in your community, please submit a nomination. For more information, call Ellie Webb, Chairperson of the Prism Awards Committee at 515-281-6880.
6/2/1999: The Handicapped Liberation Organization will provide scholarships to persons with developmental disabilities, and if needed, personal assistance services will be provided. For information, contact: