PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT LIVING RESOURCE CENTER, Inc. The Voice Of PILR March 2014 Volume 13, Issue 1 Chris Owens, Editor Heather Jones, Design Layout

DID YOU KNOW? By Chris Owens, Executive Director Did you know the Independent Living Philosophy that is the bedrock of PILR’s mission is in the federal regulations? Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act states: "The purpose of this chapter is to promote a philosophy of independent living, including a Philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self- help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and system advocacy, in order to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society..." Section 701 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. The above paragraph defines our basic/core services and the purpose behind them. All of our services are designed to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities into American society. This newsletter, I’m going to take you on a brief tour of the Center. I want everyone to know what we do and who does it. First, we have our Independent Living Department. Erica is our IL Coordinator working diligently with staff to follow the regulations set out in the Rehab Act and to provide quality IL Services. In addition to supervising the IL staff, Erica also works with consumers on achieving their goals. The rest of the IL Team in the Hutchinson office are Roger, Heather, Christina; in Pratt you’ll work with Billy or Stan and in Dodge City you’ll work with Mignon. A new addition to our IL Department is the Peer Specialist Program. One of the benefits in Kansas is we have a strong IL network of Centers. We work closely together and that means we get to learn from each other. RCIL has this great Peer Specialist Program and over the past few months they trained us and helped us develop our own program. In January we hired two Peer Specialists, people with disabilities who will provide peer support and other services to consumers. In Hutch our Peer Specialist is Kathy and in Pratt it’s Steve. Both are new and work part-time. They are still learning all that’s required of their position but they are excited to be a part of the PILR IL Team. Another part of our IL Department is our Older Individuals who are Blind Program. This is also defined in the Rehab Act, providing many of the same services but specifically to people who are age 55 and older experiencing some type of vision loss. PILR’s staff for this program is Kelly, in the Hutch office and Mignon, in the Dodge offices who both have vision loss and are quite willing to share their tips and techniques for their success living with a disability. In addition, they have lots of helpful devices and equipment to demonstrate what might make life a little easier. They also can help locate funding for those who can’t purchase equipment with their own resources. Now that we’ve covered the basics of living with a disability it’s time to introduce you to PILR’s Employment Department. Cindy, Dan and Gary are here to help job seekers with disabilities locate, enter and maintain employment. PILR has a contract with Kansas Rehabilitation Services to help with all aspects of employment, even teaching individuals how to prepare for work. For example, teaching those soft skills employers value. Employment is so important to our self-esteem and to our wallets. You may think you can’t work; you have a disability; you don’t want to lose your benefits, but I’m willing to bet there’s a job out there just for you. It’s a great feeling to earn money and buy things with that money. I can remember thinking no one would ever hire me. I was wrong. I challenge you to think about employment, maybe not full-time but at least part-time—it will change your life! Remember I mentioned we have a great network of Centers for IL? Well, PILR is very privileged to be subcontracting with SKIL to provide Alternative Finance Program Services or as we are now calling it, KLoan. That means if you need some type of assistive technology to live that inclusive life, but you can’t afford it, you might be able to borrow money to buy it. Give Christina a call and she’ll tell you all about it. Money Follows the Person (MFP and the WORK Program are 2 other programs; Heather is PILR’s staff for these two programs. If you or someone you know has been in a nursing facility for at least 90 days and you want out, let us know and we’ll help you find your way out. If you are part of the WORK Program and need an IL Counselor, give us a call. Heather might be the ILC for you. PILR offers Financial Management Services to people who live in their own homes but need a little personal assistance to get those everyday tasks done. We are local and we care about your services. We provide that FMS portion to make your lives a little easier. We can also do this for people who private pay for their in-home services. For more information contact Tammie or Leslie. After reading about all these services, you might think we don’t have time for anything else, but we do! PILR has a lot of youth programs including Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), Job Athon, Advocacy Classes and others. In addition, we have a variety of community events including Living Well with a Disability and our ADA and Civil Rights events. Oh, there’s one more thing, in our Hutch and Pratt offices we have computers for PILR consumers to use for job searches, resume writing, advocacy, finding places to rent/buy, etc. Before we end our tour, I’d like to mention our Administrative Staff. Mary Jane is our I&R Specialist in the Dodge office, Josie answers our phones in Pratt and Lowell in Hutch. Tammy is PILR’s Administrative Assistant, Andy is PILR’s Assistant director and I’m PILR’s Executive Director. Give us a call or come by and see us. We love to meet our customers! Check us out: Website: http://www.pilr.org

CALENDAR OF EVENTS March 2014

4th ADD/ADHD Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS 18th Diabetes Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS

29th Hutchinson Women’s Show & Family Health Fair

April 2014

1st ADD/ADHD Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS

15th Diabetes Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS

23rd Low Vision Fair…Village Square Mall (upper level), Dodge City

May 2014

6th ADD/ADHD Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS

20th Diabetes Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS

JUST A REMINDER! Consumer’s and DSW’s “Please” let PILR know if you have a change in your address, phone number, or E-mail address. We need your information in order to send your payroll receipts, W-2 forms, and if other problems arise, so we know how to get ahold of you. Also ”Please” let PILR know if you have changed your Managed Care Company, so that we can work through the proper channels. Notice! If you need your previous pay information at a later date and PILR has to go through our Accountant to retrieve that information, the accountant will charge you a $5.00 fee for the information. You are important to us; we appreciate your business. Let us know how we can improve our services.

KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY PILR has upgraded to a video phone, therefore we no longer have a TTY/TDD phone or phone number. Our video phone number is (620) 860-0140. Give us a call and let’s see how it works. We’d love to talk with you.

LOW VISION AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR Prairie Independent Living Resource Center Inc. (PILR) is hosting a Low Vision and Community Resource Fair on April 23, 2014 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Village Square Mall on the main level. Door prizes will be given during this time. Come join the fun learning about various types of technology and other types of services. There will be exhibitors who are local and from across the state including: Dodge City Public Library, Southwest Kansas Library System, Remote Medication Management System, Kansas Truck, and Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired to name a few. There are also other places you can go while at the Village Square Mall. There are several retail stores as well as a movie theater and places to eat. Come spend some time in Dodge City at the Village Square Mall. KLOAN PILR now offers an Alternative Finance Program through KLOAN…formally known as KATCO to our Consumers. Christina Griffin has completed her training as the South Central Regional Loan Representative and is located in the Hutchinson Office. The program offers low interest Loans on a variety of Assistive Technology devices and equipment as well as recreational, sports, and much more! Contact Christina at extension 275 for more information.

Do you have unused health equipment that could be useful to someone else? If so, give us a call at PILR. Our consumers need wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, shower seats, CCTVs, video magnifiers, and canes. If you have any of those items you’d like to donate, please call 620-663- 3989 or you may drop items off at 17 S Main, Hutchinson. Your donation will be greatly appreciated!

WE WOULD APPRECIATE A HELPING HAND! As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, PILR relies on generous donations in order to provide services for our consumers. Donations made to PILR go towards providing services, youth projects, and assistance with purchasing equipment for people with disabilities including wheelchairs, ramps, home modifications, and other assistive devices to name a few. As PILR looks to the future, we could use your help to help others. Making your tax deductible donation is easy! You can do one of the following: Visit our website at www.pilr.org and make a donation through PayPal Mail your donation or Bring it into the Hutchinson office

Name:______

Address:______

Telephone:______

Please make your tax-deductible donation payable to Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc. and send to:

Development Office PILR 17 S. Main Hutchinson, KS 67501

Support PILR through: PayPal at www.pilr.org Register with Good Search, Good Shop, or Good Dining

Thank you!!!

KUDOS go out this quarter to… ~Kudos to the PILR Board of Directors for being supportive and passionate about PILR – Chris Owens

~Kudos to Lowell and Leslie for all their help throughout the month! – Tammie Fletchall

~Kudos to Lone Star Steakhouse for all the support they give PILR.- Cindy Daniels

~Kudos to Cindy, Erica, Christina, Dan, & Leslie. All of you have been great to help me learn sooooo many things. You are super!!!! – Kathy Johnson In future issues we welcome all consumers and community members to send in nominations for KUDOS. If you have a person you want to nominate for a KUDOS - contact Cindy Daniels at PILR 620-663-3989.

PILR’S NEW THREADS Kathy Johnson My name is Kathy Johnson. I have lived in Hutchinson all my life. I graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1977, married in 1978, had my son, Brian, in 1979, and divorced in 1987. I raised my son (I think?!) by myself. I went to Hutchinson Community College, graduated with an Associate in Applied Science in Criminal Justice in 1996. Brian and his wife, Ruth, married on January 1, 2012 and I walked them both down aisle and gave them both away. I’ve been blessed with 2 grandchildren, Chris and Roy. I have a boyfriend, Thom Brady. We’ve been together 3 years! And my little cat, Muffin. I also work part-time at Mennonite Manor as a CNA, been there for 5 months, but I am proud to be here at PILR. You’re all great and I want the best for all of us as we succeed together.

Steve Richardson I am Steve Richardson. I am a new Peer Support Specialist in the Pratt PILR office. I will be working Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I have really enjoyed working here and meeting Consumers. It has been very rewarding. I hope in the future to meet more Consumers and help them with the challenges they have in life. I have a degree in Social Work from Northwestern University. I also have worked in Human Services for many years.

Stanley Hendershot Allow me to introduce myself. I was born in Kingman, Kansas with the given name of Stanley (??????) Hendershot, but have always gone by Stan. I am the youngest, and most spoiled, of four children. My father was a County Extension Agent and my mother was a grade school teacher. During the summer months I worked on a farm in Lindsborg for my sister and brother-in-law. I continued to work, summers, for them after high school as I went on to Hutchinson Community College and then to the University of Kansas. The first week I attended HCC I met a young woman named Monica Hollingsworth. Just under 6 months later we were engaged and were married just short of two years after we met (right before going on to KU). This August we will celebrate 34 years of wedded bliss. Monica and I stayed at KU long enough for both of us to get Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Social Work. However we lived in Topeka much of that time as we managed a halfway house for The Menninger Foundation. After graduation I was a school social worker for the Brown County Special Ed Coop for about four years, as Monica worked for Stormont Vail hospital and then Kanza Mental Health Center. At this point I decided to give in to a call to ministry and went back to school for three years to get my Master of Divinity Degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. This brought not only a change in where we lived, jobs, and finances, but also news that we would be joined by a daughter that coming June. Monica and I are now the proud parents of two children: Katherine (Kati) Rose Hendershot— a junior majoring in Construction Engineering at Pittsburg State University; and Joel Clark Hendershot, a 6’4” sophomore at Skyline High School who has absolutely no interest in sports but a lot of interest in getting good grades and eventually getting degrees in business and gun- smithing so he can open his own gun shop. Upon graduating from seminary we moved to McCook, Nebraska for just over nine years where I served as pastor of First Baptist Church and Monica was office manager of the local mental health center. Then, in 2005, we decided to move closer to family and wound up in Pratt. Soon after arriving here, Monica opened Crossings Counseling and Consulting Center, where she continues to offer counseling services. After serving as pastor at First Baptist Church of Pratt, for 8 ½ years, I decided it was time for a change. I took a job at Taylor Printing, Inc. and then learned of the job opening here at PILR. I have very much enjoyed my introduction to PILR, especially the staff! And, I look forward to getting to know each staff member better, meeting a lot of fun people to work with, and hopefully being able to help some people overcome some obstacles in their pathway of life. As I write this, Josie said, “Oh you are writing a book.” As you can see, I could write a book. And I have left out many details. If you want to hear more about them give me a call or come visit. Just be careful what you bring up as my family often warns others that they don’t want to get me started talking about my hobbies—Genealogy, and collecting antiques (especially old bottles and postcards). So now it’s your turn. Introduce yourself to me and tell me all about the interesting story of your life. I’m sure it’s much more interesting than mine.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? By Roger Frischenmeyer, ILS We have all heard that little rhyme “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”. Often growing up, when my siblings and I got in a fight my mom would recite that little rhyme to us and I wasn’t sure I bought it then, and am even less so now, because I know that words can hurt. Obviously, words won’t break your bones, but they can break your spirit. In many cases, the words we use aren’t meant to hurt someone but if you hear those words enough it can really make you question your value. One of these words that is used a lot is the word wrong. Many times growing up I heard people ask different members of my family “what is wrong with him?” Now that I am older and I hope a little wiser than I was back then I realize the answer to that question is nothing. But at that time, when I heard that question so often, it really made me question my value. I understand that people had questions about the fact that I couldn’t see, and I, and my mom, never had a problem answering those questions, but there has to be a way to ask those questions that doesn’t diminish the person. I am blind, but there is nothing wrong or right with that it just is a fact, but when we ask about a disability using words like wrong, whether intentional, or unintentional, it erodes a persons self-worth. So when you meet a person with a disability in most cases it is ok to ask about the disability. Even most parents who I have met don’t have a problem explaining about their kid’s disability, but ask questions that don’t devalue the person because even if a person has a disability, there is nothing wrong with them.

WE EARN OUR OPPORTUNITY By Billy Thompson, ILS We have identified bullying as a major problem in our schools, but what about the many youth with various disabilities who are also facing this issue in their workplace? How can our youth develop strategies to address workplace harassment and bullying? The poison of workplace bullying and harassment is very harmful, and understanding how to effectively deal with bullies themselves will assist our youth in becoming powerful advocates as they strengthen our voice in the workplace community. Let’s review some recent national statistics regarding bullying and youth in general: • Youth with disabilities are ten times more likely to be bullied than a typical student; • 1 out of 4 teens are bullied; • As many as 160,000 students stay home from school every day for fear of being bullied; • 1 out of 5 youth admit to being a bully or doing some type of bullying; • 9 out of 10 gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender youth experience harassment at school or online; • 97% of middle school age youth are bullied while online; • 53% of youth admit having said something hurtful to another person while online; and, • 47% of older youth (18-24) are cyber-bullied. Bullying is unacceptable and damages many youth but is it against the law? Tangible harassment based on disability, or any other protected trait (age, gender, etc.) is, and you are provided with protections against it. The American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and individual state human rights laws all offer protection against disability harassment and discrimination. Teasing, social exclusion, or violence of a person because that person has a disability may not reach the level of discrimination but certainly is harassment. It should be noted that “disability harassment” is a form of discrimination based on disability. Disability harassment in the workplace is defined as; “Work-related harassment on the basis of disability consisting of verbal, gesturing, or aggressive conduct that conveys denigration, hostility, or aversion toward a person because of that person’s disability. Such conduct results in (a) creating an offensive, intimidating, or hostile work situation; (b) unreasonably interfering with work performance; or (c) adversely affecting employment opportunities of a person with a disability.” Holzbauer, Jerome John Jr. (2001) Disability Harassment in the Workplace. (UMI No. 3033247) Examples of disability harassment:  Co-workers calling a person with a disability “retard” or “cripple;”  Intentionally bumping into a person with a visual impairment.  An employee with cerebral palsy being made fun of due to the way they speak;  An employee with an intellectual disability having items stolen from them; and  Co-workers tampering with a person’s wheelchair or intentionally putting up barriers, making movement around the work space difficult. Discrimination examples on the other hand, include being denied a job, not making the same wages or being denied a promotion based solely on the fact that you have a disability. Brandi is a current consumer with Prairie Independent Living Resource Center. Being a young adult with significant intellectual disabilities and employed for most of her teen years, she has encountered this stigma on different occasions in other communities. Brandi is a very vibrant and positive person who prides herself on being on time, helping others, completing her assigned tasks and enjoying interacting with co-workers and customers. Several years ago, Brandi encountered bullying and harassment in the workplace from a former supervisor who was hired after Brandi. Brandi states that she encountered openly hostile behaviors from this person which included direct derogatory names and comments regarding her particular disability, gossiping and misinforming co-workers about Brandi so that she was perceived differently in a negative light because of her disability, accusing Brandi of theft and poor job performance without evidence and excluding her from daily work activities and information. Brandi saw no alternative but to resign from that position and look for employment elsewhere. Brandi is a go- getter who creates opportunity for herself. She thrives when helping others and now several years later, has successfully discovered better opportunities. The memories still hurt and sometimes when callous customers call her names like “retard” or openly refer to her as “one of those people” at her current job, she has the courage to forgive them and remember her goals in life. These include being a productive individual capable of living independently and participating in all aspects of life; including employment. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries define workplace bullying as “repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or group of employees), which are intended to intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine; or which create a risk to the health and safety of the employee(s). The following are some examples of workplace bullying:  Abusive, insulting, or offensive language;  Intentional exclusion from critical work meetings;  Intentional exclusion from work social circles or functions;  Unrealistic work demands, such as size of workload, unreasonable deadlines, or inconsistent work hours;  Public criticism or being yelled at when co-workers are present;  Physical violence or intimidation;  Displaying of materials in the workplace that are offensive;  Unfair denial of personal leave or training opportunities; and,  Regular threats of being reprimanded or fired from job. From the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. (2011) Workplace Bullying and Disruptive Behavior: What Everyone Needs to Know. http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/research/files/bullying.pdf. When faced with harassment or a workplace bully, youth require confidence and self- advocacy skills. Bullying behavior or harassment must have direct intervention in order for it to end. The first step toward addressing bullying behavior is not to react to it. Don’t give the bully the reaction he/she is looking for. Instead, try following these guidelines: 1. Don’t blame yourself. Bullying and harassment is about controlling another person, and is not about an individual’s worth as a person or how one performs on the job. The blame lies on the bully; it’s that simple. 2. Notify your supervisor right away after the bullying incident or harassment. If the supervisor is the bully, then go to his or her supervisor, or higher up the administrative chain until you find somebody willing to address the issue. 3. The impact of bullying is lessened when there are bystanders willing to step into the situation. Seek an ally at work, such as a co-worker that is trusted or another supervisor you respect. Tell them what is happening as ask their opinion about your options to address the issue. 4. Check to see if your employer has a policy against bullying and harassment behaviors. 5. Document all bullying and harassment incidents, including dates, times, places, what was said or done, and who witnessed. 6. Keep copies of all documents that help you counter claims the bully may make. These may include time sheets, performance reports, work samples, and e-mails that support your work performance. 7. Do your job to the best of your ability. Don’t let the bullying or harassment affect your job performance, therefore giving the bully justification for his/her claims. Workplace bullying and harassment can be hard to recognize, so youth should be encouraged to talk about their situation with somebody they trust, such as a parent, a friendly co-worker, or another trusted adult. Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc. is always ready to assist others in developing advocacy skills and educate employers about various disabilities in order to develop working solutions to age old problems. We thank Brandi for her courage to dare to believe that she is teachable, capable and employable. Her shining example of hard work gives others with disabilities the same promise of independence.

PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT LIVING RESOURCE CENTER, INC 17 SOUTH MAIN HUTCHINSON, KANSAS 67501

D E D I C A T E D T O T H E F U L L I N C L U S I O N O F P E O P L E W I T H D I S A B I L I T I E S

T h e B o a r d O f D i r e c t o r s D a v e M u l l i n s - P r e s i d e n t F r a n c e s G a r c i a S t e p h a n i e G u t h r i e - V i c e P r e s i d e n t C a r l o t a P o n d s C a r r e l l e n L e w i s - T r e a s u r e r N a t h a l i e S c h l a t t e r D a v i d S i e g B e t t y P i n k s t o n PILR Staff Chris Owens, Executive Director Andy Reichart, Assistant Director Tammy Fuhr, Administrative Assistant Erica Rivera, Independent Living Specialist Coordinator Roger Frischenmeyer, Independent Living Specialist Heather Jones, Independent Living Specialist Kelly Miller, Independent Living Specialist Kathy Johnson, Peer Specialist Christina Griffin, Independent Living Specialist Tammie Fletchall, HCBS Billing/DSW Payroll Specialist Dan Owens, Employment Specialist Cindy Daniels, Employment Specialist Gary Henderson, Employment Specialist Lowell Schrag, Receptionist Leslie Hiebert, Secretary Billy Thompson, Independent Living Specialist-Pratt Stan Hendershot, Independent Living Specialist-Pratt Steve Richardson, Peer Specialist-Pratt Josie McDowell, Receptionist-Pratt Mary Jane Sandoval, Information & Referral Specialist – Dodge City Mignon Luckey, Independent Living Specialist – Dodge City

Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc. 17 South Main Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 PHONE: (620) 663-3989 1-888-715-6818 FAX: (620) 663-4711 VIDEO PHONE: (620) 860-0140 E-MAIL: Website: [email protected] pilr.org PILR - PRATT 103 West 2nd Pratt, Kansas 67124 PHONE: (620) 672-9600

PILR – Dodge City 2601 Central #LL19 Dodge City, KS 67801 PHONE: (620) 371-7690 Letters to the editor are welcome. Please mail to Chris Owens at: PILR, 17 South Main, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 The editor reserves the right to edit or omit letters. Views stated in this column are not necessarily the views of PILR. PILR receives funding from Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education, grants, contracts, and fees for services. Private donations are welcomed. PILR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider.