RICV Consumer Wins Jack Campbell Award!

RICV Visalia consumer Ronald Allen has won the Jack Campbell award this year! Allan, who is a Visalia Disability Advocacy Team member, was one of the three consumers chosen for the award. The Jack Campbell Award is given out annually by the Statewide Network for Systems Change Organizers to recognize a consumer volunteer in each region who goes above and beyond to support and inspire other advocacy team members. Winners this year, were selected by their peer consumer volunteers and community members at the Access Now regional Power Summit held in Fresno in February. Ron has been a DAT member since November of 2011. Quiet by nature, Ron is very passionate about advocating for people with disabilities and always tries to go above and beyond. Last year Ronald facilitated a workshop on self-advocacy at RICV’s Annual Youth Conference. He is also a Special Olympics coach in basketball, bowling, and track and field. Ron has been a very active member of the DAT, according to RICV Community Organizer Joanna. He volunteers and takes the initiative at all DAT events. The other two winners of this award are Roxanne Chiappone (RollingStart, Inc., San Bernardino for the Southern region and Sheela Gunn-Cushman (Community Resources for Independent Living, Hayward) for the Bay Area-North Coast Regional.

On-Site Health Insurance Navigator

RICV now has a Health Insurance provider to assist consumers onsite. This is a pilot project in collaboration with CalViva and HealthNet. Consumers can now get information and assistance on health insurance without having to go the insurance provider’s office. Patricia Torres, HealthNet Navigator is stationed at the RICV Fresno office on Tuesdays between 8.30 am to 5 pm to assist consumers. Patricia is available to answer any questions that consumers have on Managed healthcare, Medical, CalViva and HealthNet. Consumers do not have to have HealthNet or CalViva coverage for Patricia to assist them.

RICV Youth On Panel Discussion

RICV youth volunteer Vivek Shantaram participated in a Community panel discussion recently. “Think College for your Kids with Special Needs” panel discussion was held on April 6th at the California Learning Connection (CLC). Invited by Kathryn Wage, Director , Center for Communication Skills California Learning Connection, Vivek was one of the four members on the panel. Two professionals, one parent and Vivek, as the youth with disability, participated on the panel. Drawing on his own experience, Vivek stressed the importance for students to identify and ask for accommodations to get the best out of school. “Schools often advise students to get a certificate of completion,” Vivek said adding, “This is not necessarily good for students on their career track”. Faced with the same advice himself, Vivek decided to sign himself out of the school system and get a diploma through California Learning Connection. His hard work and self motivation paid off. Vivek went on to gain his bachelors in Business administration at Menlo college and Masters in School Counseling from National University! The panel discussion will be posted on Youtube.

Accessible Hotels & Conference Rooms

Does a hotel have accessible ramp? Are there wheel-in showers? Are the restrooms accessible and have grab bars? These are questions that the RICV Disability Advocacy Team will be addressing with its latest project. The team led by Community Organizer Joanna Zamora and Advocacy Team Leader will work with local hotels to compile a list of accessible hotels in Fresno and Clovis. The team will also look into accessibility of conference rooms in hotels as well, according to Joanna. The study will generate a resource list that will include features like hotels that have accessible parking, emergency alerts for hard of hearing, captioning on televisions, braille for persons with vision loss etc. The team will also consider accessibility to the hotels in terms of accessible shuttles and public transportation. Hotels that have exceptionally high accessibility features will be listed on the RICV website, newsletter and Facebook The team will work with hotels that are not as accessible, by giving them resources and information on how they can become more accessible. Others on the team are DHHSC Executive Director Michelle Bronson, RICV AT Advocate Reyes Sandoval, Disability Advocacy Team member Betty and Peer Support Group member Chris Anderson.

RICV’s Free Travel Training

Are you a person with disability, who is afraid to travel on the bus by yourself? Are you unsure about how to get on and off the bus? Or do you simply need assistance to understand the bus schedule to get from one place to another? Sign up with RICV for a free travel training program. Our Independent Living Specialist Vidal Medina or our Assistive Technology Advocate Reyes Sandoval will personally give you a one on one training to ride the bus. RICV offers group and individual travel training to persons with disabilities as well. The training is being done through a Fresno Area Express grant. Travelers using FAX can avail of this training. Call Vidal now on 559 221 2330.

A Letter From An Intern

Dear Jennifer Kungu, The past 6 months have been an amazing whirlwind of activity. I decided to take a summer job with the San Jose Boy Scouts of America Organization over the summer to bring in some money and get my mind off the weight of the final review. I worked at Camp Chesebrough (off highway 9) in the Santa Cruz hills as the Medical Officer living on site. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life! My position was to respond to medical calls. I had basic first aid training by the American Heart Association and a three hour training on the medications available in the office and how to use the medical equipment from the head Medical Physician, Dr. Kohn. I was at camp for almost two and a half months with no TV, internet, or additional phone services working with a staff of 20 other guys ranging from the age of 14 to 25- all avid boy scouts. But the guys continually kept me entertained with unplanned antics or injuries. It was not until August 13, 2012, I finally received notification from the Graduate Department that I was accepted to CSU Sacramento. A few days later I received notification from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Master’s program I was accepted and that orientation would be 4 days before school started on the 27th of August 2012. Within the 14 days, I was able to put in motion all the needed preparations for funding, housing and classes. But none of this would have been possible without your letter and encouragement to continue on with my education. I am now living on campus at Sacramento State. The Vocational Rehabilitation Master’s program is going really well. Dr. Deaner, my adviser and other staff are helping me to acclimate to my new life here in Sacramento. I am working very hard in all my classes and I am starting to finish up on my first semester of Grad school! I know that none of this would be possible without your support. I just wanted to thank you so much for everything you have thought me over the year(s). I am forever grateful and thankful that you help me to further my education. I hope to keep in touch with you in the future. Catherine A. Gonzales

Affordable Insurance

Fresno has been selected as one of the three centers in the state to have a Covered California call center. The call centers will handle questions on health insurance, on how to compare and choose them. It will also help callers understand new benefits available under the Federal Governments Affordable Care Act. Aimed at helping individuals and small businesses, Covered California is expected to reach 5.3 million Californians. Small businesses too can purchase competitively priced health plans. Employees can choose from an array of health plans through this. Coverage will begin in 2014, under the new federal health care reform. Incidentally, California is one of the first states in the country to implement this program. As an additional benefit, five hundred persons will be hired and trained to man the call center at Fresno. Covered California is an independent part of the state government to make the new market work for California consumers. The other two call centers will be located in Rancho Cordova and Contra Costa County. Staff will be trained in languages prominently used in the state in addition to English and Spanish. More details available- www.coveredCA.com.

Housing Help For Veterans

Housing help is available for female veterans through the Home Front program of the San Joaquin Valley Veterans (SJVV). Funded through the Veterans Administration (VA), the program offers transitional housing for female veterans and those with children. Located in Fresno, CA, it can receive female veterans from anywhere in the country as long as they are eligible for VA Benefits. During their two year stay the veterans can secure employment, attend school, obtain services for family development counseling and deal with mental health and substance abuse concerns. Each veteran would reside in an apartment with another veteran in a private apartment complex. For more information or direct assistance, call Home Front office at (559)266-1169 or San Joaquin Valley Veterans Fax: 559-255-8838.

Speaking Up!

In support of restorative intervention for students, instead of suspension and termination for wrong doings at school.

Aspiring Accountant Battles Asperger's

Meet Jose. He is one of our Youth volunteers. Jose has Asperger’s, but is great with numbers! His dream is to find employment. “I do have a cognitive disability, nevertheless, I still have the ability to work hard even with the challenges I endure”, his resume reads. Open, honest and hard working, Jose is doing great at Fresno City College and hopes to continue his studies towards accomplishing his career goal. He wants to either become a statistician or an accountant. “He is so good with numbers, he does not need calculators to figure out a problem, “ RICV BRIDGES Counselor Suzanna Gamez points out. Jose was so happy when he got a chance to tour the California State University Fresno campus recently as can be seen in the photograph, says RICV BRIDGES Counselor Alina Khammysouk. She arranged for Jose to be on one of the tours by CSUF. Jose wants to continue his studies at Fresno State. Jose has been volunteering with RICV for over two years now. He is here every Friday diligently mailing out letters and copying documents.

Darion Armstrong Presents...

BRIDGES consumer Darion Armstrong presented at the Fresno City College recently on TILE : Adult transition program. Darion did a power point presentation on disability awareness and spoke against bullying of people with disability. BRIDGES Counselor Ileana Perez, who was presenting on services offered by RICV provided Darion an opportunity to do the presentation. [Note: Photograph has been blurred to protect identities of persons attending the event. ]

Employment Ready Tracy Moua is seen with Darryl Duchene of City of Fresno and BRIDGES counselor Alina Khammysouk at the Edison School Career Day recently. Tracy submitted her resumes at the fair.

...And They Were Hired!

RICV is proud to present some of the positions that our consumers secured through the Creative Careers Department. We wish to thank the employers who played an active role in hiring our eligible consumers! ¨ Supervisor- ADCO Manufacturing ¨ Demo Supervisor- The Pet Firm ¨ Legal Secretary- California Rural Legal Assistance ¨ Payroll Clerk- Foster Farms Fresno ¨ Welder- JBT Incorporated ¨ Overnight Stocker- Wal-Mart Sanger ¨ Tax Examiner Clerk- Internal Revenue Services (IRS) ¨ Housekeeper Aide- Veteran’s Affairs ¨ Lumber Associate- Home Depot ¨ Certified Nurse Assistant- Oakhurst Healthcare & Wellness ¨ Security Guard- Falcon Security ¨ Heavy Truck Mechanic- Standard Fleet Maintenance ¨ Victim Witness Advocate- Marjoree Mason Center ¨ Senior Administration Clerk- City of Fresno ¨ Registered Nurse- Care Meridian ¨ Customer Service Assistant- Lowe’s Fresno You Can Do It Too…. Award your Employment Network Ticket to Work to RICV… Help us to Help You! Contact Our Job Development Coordinator Chandra Woods and her team Job Specialists: Michael Borunda, Nyckole Davis, Lucia Rodriguez, Joshua Conroe and Traci Wood.

Board of Directors President Janice Brown (Director, Services for Students with Disabilities CSUF) Vice president Selina Escobar (Sr. Public Programs Administrator, HealthNet) Secretary Arthur M. Lopez (Retired Deputy Director. Department of Rehabilitation) Treasurer Gayle Black (Vice President, California Trust and Bank) Members Carol Rankin (Professor, CSUF) Russell Ryan (Attorney, Motschiedler, Michaelides, Wishon, Brewer & Ryan LLP) Anthony Gracian (Graduate, Fresno Pacific University) Susan Thompson (Graduate, CSUF) Frances Reyes Acosta (Consultant) Christina Kraushar, (Patients Rights Advocate, Merced County) Art Olvera (CEO, Life Goes On-Home Improvement)

Fresno Advocacy Team 3rd Friday [2pm-4pm] Joanna Zamora [[email protected]] Job Club Job Development Coordinator Chandra Woods [[email protected]] Peer Support Group 1st & 3rd Wednesday [2:00 pm-3:30 pm] Barney Morris [[email protected]] All above events held at RICV Conference Room 2940 N. Fresno St. Fresno, CA 93703

Merced Advocacy Team United Way, 658 West Main St. Merced, CA. 2nd Friday [2pm-4pm]

Visalia Advocacy Team RICV, 220 Santa Fe Avenue, Visalia, CA. 2nd Tuesday [2pm-4pm]

Central Valley Coalition for Human Services 3rd Thursday [3 pm] At Central Valley Business Incubator, 1630 East Shaw Avenue #163, Fresno, CA 93710 www.centralvalleychs.org

Bowling for youth with disabilities California State University Fresno. Contact BRIDGES Counselor Ileana Perez [[email protected]]

Community Leadership Academy How to be an effective board member- 15 hour, five week module. www.nationalcla.org Coreen Campos [[email protected]]

Client Speak Dear Nyckole, Michael, Chandra, Maria and all at RICV. I want to express sincere thanks and gratitude for helping me gain employment through RICV in the Fresno area. I was referred by Ray Conklin at the Department of Rehabilitation. I came in not knowing what to expect having just come from Pennsylvania. After meeting Chandra and Michael, and then being assigned to work with Nycole, I was very pleased and satisfied with how they worked with me to find employment. In closing, everyone at RICV, the staff all the way to the Secretary are a class act and I would strongly recommend all who require assistance to go to and work with RICV for employment and to better their lives. - Peter Condos.

¨ Social Security Online: The Social Security Administration (SSA) has expanded their services available with a "My Social Security" account. People who receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will now be able to immediately request and receive benefit verification letters online.

¨ Training on providing housing services: CIL-Net is offering on-demand video presentations from the Finding Affordable, Accessible, Integrated Housing and A Systems Approach to Expanding Housing Options training. These two trainings were recorded live in session in Chicago, Illinois on August 7-10, 2013. Access the training page using the link below: http://tinyurl.com/aynklzu

¨ Housing Rights App for Iphones: he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has made available the first housing discrimination mobile application (app) for iPhone and iPad. This provides public a quick and easy way to learn about their housing rights and to file housing discrimination complaints, and inform the housing industry about its responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.

¨ No cuts to IHSS: Lawyers representing IHSS consumers, unions and the State of California have reached a settlement that will prevent the implementation of devastating cuts to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). The settlement provides a pathway to stabilize the IHSS program with new revenue and the possibility of restoring all cuts in IHSS hours (including the 3.6% cut that went into effect in 2009) over the next two years.

¨ Settlement: The U.S. Department of Justice has reached settlements with eight health care providers from across the country over the past year. Health care providers, including hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes and doctor’s offices are required, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide effective communication to those who are deaf or have hearing disabilities when seeking medical services. https://www.disability.gov/civil_rights/news_and_events

Russ and Nita Ryan Tai Chi for Health

Fresno Disability Advocacy Team Disability is not a barrier, limited perception is DM and AC Kimball

Free Cell Phones

California residents who receive Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, Medi-Cal and other public assistance or who earn less than $15,000 per year can receive free cellphones and service. A federal program designed to help homeless and other needy people connect with family and friends, housing programs and potential employers kicked off on March 18, 2013 across the state. For more details: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/06/5239515/free- cellphones-for-californians.html#storylink=cpy

The Independent Published Quarterly Volume 37, Issue 2 Printed and Published by Resources for Independence Central Valley 3008 North Fresno Street Fresno, CA 93703 Tel:559 221 2330 www.ricv.org Editor: Anuradha Gajaraj