RSA Announces Additional Funding For Texas

By Paula Margeson

This spring the Rehabilitation Services Administration, RSA, informed the State Independent Living Council, SILC, that Texas is slated to receive a $347,670 increase in Title VII Part C funding for FY 2003. Authorized under the Rehabilitation Act, Title VII C grants are used to establish and sustain independent living centers. Currently, sixteen of the eighteen centers in Texas are partially supported through this appropriation. A portion of the funding increase will be used to provide cost of living raises for all of these organizations.

The SILC, the Texas Rehabilitation Commission and the Texas Commission for the Blind recommended to RSA that $200,000 of the additional funds be designated for the establishment of a new independent living center in one of the following Texas counties: Nueces, Webb, Galveston, Hopkins, Kerr, Uvalde, Tyler, Polk, Fort Bend, Collin, Taylor, Gray, Hutchinson, Hale, Hockley, Pecos, or Culberson. These counties do not currently have the services of an independent living center.

Because the 2002/2004 State Plan for Independent Living affirms that all centers should have a base funding rate of $250,000, it was the further recommendation of the SILC, TRC, and TCB that The remaining $81,000 be equally divided between the ten centers, which have not yet reached this level. The increased Title VII C funds are the direct result of efforts by the National Independent Living Council, (NCIL), to secure additional federal allotments for independent living centers. Return to Contents

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Third Annual Independent Living
Conference is a Resounding Success!

By Ted Thayer

By virtually any measure, the Third Annual Independent Living Conference, cosponsored by the Texas State Independent Living Council (SILC) and the REACH Independent Living Centers, was an outstanding success. Almost 200 advocates, consumers, and service providers from throughout the state attended the conference, held at the Embassy Suites Market Center hotel in Dallas on February 26-27, 2002. This attendance was approximately three times the number that attended previous conferences held in Houston and Austin. The fantastic turnout did, however, cause some problems. Because participation was much greater than anticipated, the meeting rooms were more crowded and accessible rooms were more difficult to arrange. Everything considered, however, it was a wonderful expression of the growing interest in independent living issues.

Paula Margeson, SILC Chair person, gets the conference off to a good start.

Participants heard presentations on a wide variety of topics from many excellent presenters. These included everything from information concerning the value of personal relationships by Larry Shashy to dealing with disasters by representatives from the National Weather Service and the Fort Worth Emergency Planning Office. Other topics included the newly developed State Plan for Independent Living, Rehabilitation Services Administration grant and contract procedures, resources for transitioning people from institutional settings to the community, employment work incentives, legal issues such as guardianship and powers of attorney, and strategies for dealing with domestic violence and sexual assault. Perhaps the two presentations that generated the most interest, however, were the session entitled, “Opening Texas Through Olmstead” presented by Bob Kafka and Addie Horn and the session entitled, “Being a Change Agent” presented by Jonas Schwartz. These presentations focused upon two issues that are currently of great interest to the independent living and disability rights communities – moving persons with disabilities from restrictive environments to more independent community settings and sys- temic advocacy. It is likely that those will continue to be “hot” issues for the foreseeable future.

Any discussion of the 2002 conference would be inadequate without credit being given to the marketing efforts of Charlotte Stewart, Executive Director of the REACH Independent Living Centers, and her staff. Without their outstanding efforts in “getting the word out” about the conference, the participation and effectiveness of the conference would not have been nearly as great. Thanks a million, Charlotte.

For the second year in a row, the Texas State Independent Living Council has awarded stipends to enable consumers and board members of centers for independent living to attend the conference. In the past, these have been funded entirely through the SILC budget. This year these funds were augmented by a consumer stipends grant from the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities. The combination of these two resources enabled approximately 40 persons to attend the conference that would have otherwise been unable to do so.

During the conference, a press conference was held to encourage the Democratic gubernatorial candidates to address disability issues in their televised debate. The local television media covered the press conference and it was apparently successful in that disability issues were addressed in the debate.

Planning has already begun for next year’s conference, which will be held in Austin. The conference committee hopes to build on the successes of this year’s conference and, since the Texas Legislature will be in session, it will have a distinct legislative focus. More information will be forthcoming and we hope to see you there. Return to Contents

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2002 Independent Living
Awards Presented

By Paula Margeson

Rudy Acosta (front), accepts Outstanding Consumer Award. He is accompanied by Margo Green (left), TRC ILS Counselor and Vernon M. Arrell, TRC Commissioner.

A highlight of the State-wide Independent Living Conference was the presentation of the independent living awards for 2002. The SILC honors three recipients annually: an independent living center, a community leader, and a consumer. Presentations were made at an awards luncheon, where Texas Rehabilitation Commissioner, Max Arrell, was the keynote speaker.

Luis Chew (right), Executive Director of Volar, accepts Exceptional Center Award from Joan Knoll, SILC member.

This year’s exceptional center award went to Volar, the ILC in El Paso. Executive director, Luis Chew, accepted the award on behalf of Volar, its ten employees, and 250 consumers. In addition to the core independent living services of information and referral, peer counseling, advocacy, and systems change, Volar administers a consumer-managed personal assistant program, provides benefits planning for individuals with disabilities who want to work, and offers life skills training to older persons, who have lost, or are in the process of loosing their eye sight. Since its inception in 1986, Volar has become a valued resource in the El Paso area. The center's staff and governing board, a majority of whom are disabled, are committed to helping others in their efforts to become or remain independent. Translated, Volar means to fly or to soar. Volar has been the wind beneath the wings of many Texans with disabilities as they reached higher levels of self sufficiency.

Don Eubanks (right), accepts Community Leadership Award from Doug Drey, SILC member.

The community leadership award was presented to Don Eubanks, SILC chair from 1999 through 2001 and a tireless advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. Mr. Eubanks is founder and president of Access Specialists Unlimited, Inc., a consulting firm for accessibility code compliance. He has served on numerous boards and advisory committees such as the Texas Rehabilitation Association, the Houston Independent Living Center, the Bay Area Coalition for Independent Living, and the Texas Architectural Advisory Board. Mr. Eubanks speaks before civic groups and volunteers as a community-based mediator in an effort to resolve conflicts related to the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Under his tenure as chair of the SILC, the council became a more cohesive body and a more effective organization. In 2000, he almost single handedly organized the first state-wide independent living conference. Mr. Eubanks exemplifies the type of consumer involvement that is the foundation of the Independent Living Movement.

Rudy Acosta (front), accepts Outstanding Consumer Award. He is accompanied by Margo Green (left), TRC ILS Counselor and Vernon M. Arrell, TRC Commissioner.

Rudy Acosta is the recipient of the 2002 Outstanding Consumer Award. Mr. Acosta has a rare and severe form of muscular dystrophy called Werdnig-Hoffman’s disease. Rudy was diagnosed with the disease at age two and spent most of his childhood and adolescence in nursing homes, because his family was unable to provide the daily care that he required. Werdnig-Hoffman’s affects the central nervous system causing degeneration of the muscles, paralysis, and respiratory complications. Mr. Acosta is unable to operate a wheelchair and relies on a special customized gurney for mobility. In spite of the many obstacles imposed by his disability, Rudy graduated from Texas Tech in 1999 and currently lives independently in the community. He is active in several organizations and was appointed as a board member by former Governor George Bush to the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities and frequently travels from his home in Lubbock to the state capital to attend meetings and to advocate for the rights of his fellow Texans, who are disabled. Rudy Acosta is the embodiment of the Independent Living philosophy: he refuses to allow his disability or other people to control his life or his outlook on life. Return to Contents

 

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Governor Perry Endorses Community-based
Alternatives For People With Disabilities

By Ted Thayer

On April 18, 2002, Governor Perry issued Executive Order, RP 13, stating that “The State of Texas is committed to providing community-based alternatives for people with disabilities and recognizes that such services and supports advance the best interests of all Texans.” He went on to state that it is imperative that consumers and their families have a choice from among the broadest range of supports to most effectively meet their needs in their homes, community settings, state facilities, or other residential settings. The Governor expressed a commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities have the opportunity to enjoy full lives of independence, productivity and self-determination.

The Executive Order addressed a number of important issues to people with disabilities such as support of the Promoting Independence Plan. The Governor called on state agencies such as the Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to assure accessible, affordable, and integrated housing in the Plan.

The Governor also expressed support for employment of people with disabilities. He asked the Texas Rehabilitation Commission and the Texas Commission for the Blind to explore ways to hire people with disabilities as attendants and to review agency policies so they promote the independence of people with disabilities in the community.

The Order directs the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to review and amend state policies that impede moving children and adults from institutions when a person desires the move, when state treatment professionals determine that such placement is appropriate, and when such placement can be accommodated.

Governor Perry also announced that Texas is expected to receive more than 1.3 million dollars in federal funds to provide assistance in promoting full community participation for people with disabilities. The federal grant money is part of the second round of funding for President George W. Bush’s New Freedom Initiative. Return to Contents

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SILCSpiel - Spring 2002
©2002,Texas State Independent Living Council