R

R

ESPECT

ESPECT

A

A

BILITY

BILITY

A publication of Tri-County Independent Living

Vol. I, Issue XI, June 1st, 2006

Keeping The Faith

Sandy Bean Finds Fulfillment

Through Her Spiritual Belief

Faith and religion have always

played a major role in Sandy Bean’s life.

According to Sandy, who was diagnosed

with epilepsy at the age of three, being a

person with a disability has actually served

to strengthen her faith.

“Living with a disability means that

you can’t always do everything that you

want to do, but it should never stop you

from trying,” said Sandy, who is a member

of the Arcata First Baptist Church. “I think

that having a disability has kept me closer

to God. My faith is the most important thing

in my life and I couldn’t live without it.

“There are days that I don’t know

how I would get through without my faith,”

the 48-year old continued. “My life would-

n’t be the same if I didn’t know Jesus

Christ.”

Sandy’s faith has been instrumental

in allowing her to travel all over the world

with different church group’s to help other

people. In fact, Sandy has written a guest

column for this issue of “RespectAbility”

about these very travels which appears on

page 11. In this article, Sandy shares

some travel tips for other people with dis-

abilities.

“Writing is one of my loves,” admitted

Sandy, who welcomed the opportunity to

be a guest columnist. “I like to write stories

and poetry, and to create anagrams.

Writing is a lot of fun for me. It lets me talk

about how I feel, and hopefully make other

people happy.”

A two-page essay of Sandy’s was

published in Michael Phillips’ series, “The

Journal of Corrie Bell Hollister,” which was

a fictional account of the U.S. Civil War.

Sandy’s story told of the adventures of a

See Sandy, jump on page 10

Sandy Bean has travelled to many places across

the world working serving her faith.

2

Letter From The Executive Director

Tapping the ‘Sleeping Giant’

B

Y

C

HRIS

J

ONES

, E

XECUTIVE

D

IRECTOR

June 6th is Election Day. We will all

have the opportunity to vote for the people

and issues that have an impact on our way

of life. People with disabilities are the

“sleeping giant” of American politics. As

the single largest

block of people who

do not vote, many

disability advocates

say it is only a mat-

ter of time before the

disability community

finally taps into that

voting block and

begins to demand influence in the

Democratic process.

Government often plays a large role

in the lives of people with disabilities. From

funding for In-Home Supportive Services

to assistive technology, healthcare, etc.,

the independence and livelihood for many

people with disabilities is directly linked to

the decisions made by lawmakers and

politicians.

People with disabilities can wield

their own power through the ballot box. As

one individual you may feel your vote is

insignificant – as a large block of people

working together, you will be heard.

It is critical that the disability commu-

nity becomes more involved in the political

process. With greater voting power, people

with disabilities will more likely have their

concerns heard and actions taken to deal

with those concerns.

To that end, we at Tri-County want to

encourage you to get involved. To help you

get to know about the legislative issues

that affect you, we are creating an

“Advocacy Center.” Starting on Thursday,

June 15th, we will establish a little corner

of the agency where you may make an

appointment to come in and read the vari-

ous materials on legislative issues that

apply to the disability community and may

directly affect you. For example, did you

know that currently legislators in the State

of California are working on measures to

ensure that there are voting machines in

each county that are accessible to every-

one, ensuring equal rights for people in

nursing homes, identifying low income

housing needs, and proposing to eliminate

cost of living increases for people who are

on SSI/SSA. One or all of these issues

may have a direct impact on you.

In our Advocacy Center, we will have

computers and stationary if you want to

write letters, pamphlets, address of the

legislators, and sign-up sheets if you

would like to meet with others to work on a

particular issue either locally or otherwise.

You CAN make a difference – don’t

forget to vote – now more than ever it is

important. And, come see our Advocacy

Center.

Chris Jones

3

Systems Change

Thanks for my Independence!

B

Y

C

INDY

C

ALDERON

, S

YSTEMS

C

HANGE

A

DVOCATE

With the Fourth of July quickly approaching, the term

“Independence” brings new meaning. The Humboldt County In

Home Supportive Services (I.H.S.S.) Advisory Board would like to

offer all recipients of Care giving an opportunity to publicly thank

their caregiver for the independence they provide.

The Humboldt County Advisory board will purchase full

page ads in local newspapers on July 4th, 2006. Statements of

recipients will be printed, pictures are optional. No last names or

cities will appear in print. This is a simple way to let the others

know how integral care providers are, not just to their clients, but to the community at

large. It is a chance to let others know how much it means to be able to remain in the

community, versus being sent to an institution and getting cut off from your home and

loved ones. If you or someone you know would like to participate in this campaign,

please contact me by June 15th at 445-8404, or by e-mail at

cynthia@tilinet.org

.

The Governor releases his budget each January and makes revisions each May

based on factors such as updated revenue estimates and the latest projections of

enrollments, case loads and population. Here are a few things to look for this year:

* SSI Benefits: Rescinds the Governor’s proposal to delay providing the federal

January 2007 COLA for SSI/SSP grants until July 2008 – 15 months longer than the

three-month delay included in the 2005-06 budget agreement. As a result, grant levels

are estimated to increase from $836 to $849 for individuals and from $1,472 to $1,491

for couples in April 2007.

* I.H.S.S.: Does not increase the limit up to which the state will contribute toward

IHSS workers’ wages and benefits. Projected 2006-07 General Fund revenue growth is

below the five percent level needed to trigger a required increase above the current limit

of $11.10 per hour. However, IHSS workers who are paid at or near the state’s minimum

wage of $6.75 per hour would receive a modest increase under the Governor’s propos-

al to raise the state minimum wage by one dollar per hour over the next 18 months.

T

RI

-C

OUNTY

I

NDEPENDENT

L

IVING

955 Myrtle Avenue, Eureka, CA. 95501

707-445-8404 (Voice)

1-877-576-5000 (Toll Free)

707-445-9751 (FAX)

707-445-8405 (TTY)

www.tilinet.org

M

ISSION

S

TATEMENT

To promote the philosophy of

independent living, to connect

individuals to services, and to create

an accessible community, so that

people with disabilities can have control

over their lives and full access to the

communities in which they live.

Cindy Calderon

B

Y

M

ARI

D

ORENSTREICH

, I

NDEPENDENT

L

IVING

S

PECIALIST

The other day I was talking to a con-

sumer who recently made a transition from

a nursing facility to his own apartment. He

says that living independently is “absolutely

wonderful. I’m loving it every moment.”

He was very

excited because he

was able to purchase

some plants for his

own home and cook

his own meals. He

realized how fortu-

nate he was to be

able to go by himself

and choose things

that he needed, put them where he wanted

to, take care of his own needs, and make his

own plans. One of his plans for the near

future is to make a trip to Capitol Action Day

in Sacramento in June.

It is unfortunate, but many people liv-

ing in institutional settings aren’t aware that

there are programs available that will allow

them to live independently in their communi-

ty.

The United States Supreme Court

passed the Olmstead Act in 1999, which

declares that forcing people with disabilities

to live in institutions is discriminatory when

there are other community supports avail-

able to allow them to live independently.

The Department of Rehabilitation

offers a Transition Funding Program (TFP)

that is designed to assist these people to get

out of institutional settings and live inde-

pendently. Tri-County Independent Living

has successfully transitioned four con-

sumers into community living settings in the

past year using the TFP.

4

Tri-County ILC News

Moving Forward: A New Freedom

Tri-County Independent Living continues its series of Independent Living Skills

Workshop in the months to come with the following events listed below. These

Workshops are offered on the third Wednesday of every month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, June 21st

*“M

ANAGING

A

NGER

&D

EALING

W

ITH

C

ONFLICT

” > This workshop offers tips on how to

deal with conflict and anger. It will help you to learn different ways to avoid and resolve

conflict. It teaches you how to handle anger from others, as well as from yourself.

Wednesday, July 19th

*“G

OING

B

ACK

T

O

S

CHOOL

” > This workshop will focus on furthering one’s education via

adult education, community college, or at a university. It will include tips on earning a

GED and using the disabled students services program for assistance.

Wednesday, August 16th

*“P

RE

-E

MPLOYMENT

P

REPARATION

” > This class offers advice on how to find gameful

employment. It will look at ways to put together a resume and cover letter, as well as

interviewing techniques and how to best present yourself to prospective employers.

Upcoming Independent Living Skills Workshops

Mari Dorenstreich

See Mari, jump on page 13

B

Y

B

RETT

P

RITCHETT

, A

SSISTIVE

T

ECHNOLOGY

A

DVOCATE

Hello! Exciting things are happening at Tri-County. We are

moving ever closer to launching our new and improved website,

www.tilinet.org

. So far, comments and suggestions have been

very positive.

This will be a great thing for all of us. Our consumers can-

not make use of our services if they do not know we exist, or are

not aware of all we can offer.

We have embarked upon a “visibility” campaign here at Tri-

County, through which we will inform the community about us, and

what we can offer. But there is much more to this effort than just handing out flyers (and

yelling at people in the street).

And a big part of this campaign will be the new website. “Oh big deal, another

website...” I hear you say. Well, this website will be something

special

.

One of our greatest challenges here is reaching those people who live in rural

areas. The fact is that for many of our consumers, just visiting our office can be time

consuming, inconvenient, and just plain

hard

.

One solution to this problem; bring Tri-County, (and much more), to you!

Soon you will be able to go to the new site, and find out everything you need to

know about Tri-County. But that is only the beginning. This site will include plenty about

us, of course. But we also plan to include everything from a disability-centered chat

forum, to news feeds, videos of interest, and other types of media as well. We are build-

ing a usable, useful links page with local, state, and international contacts. There will be

places with worksheets to help with everyday living, and words of inspiration. We will,

of course, include our Calendar of Events to help keep you informed of our groups,

workshops, and other events.

And on the very first page of the site, we would like to have an area for consumer-

submitted artwork. Many of our consumers are fine artists working in different mediums,

and we would love to have you submit anything you would like the world to see.

In short, this will be a site that opens up a world of information, contacts and pos-

sibilities. And it will also be a very good way of spreading the word about Tri-County and

how we can further our mission of living independently!

Once the site is up and running (soon! I Promise!) we will not be done, however.

With your help, we will keep the site fresh and current, and adding new ideas and use-

ful information all the time.

So please join us in making this a place like no other. I am happy to hear any sug-

gestions and comments, because after all, this website, like our Independent Living

Center itself, belongs to you!

5

Assistive Technology

Check out our new website!

Brett Pritchett

B

Y

D

ONNICE

H

ILDRETH

, S

PINAL

C

ORD

I

NJURY

S

UPPORT

G

ROUP

Are you a person with a disability.

Are you looking for a sport that is gentle,

yet fun. Why not consider Kayaking.

Kayaking is a

gentle sport that

exercises muscle

groups while being

in the water. It

allows an individual

to take in the sereni-

ty of nature that is

experienced while

kayaking. Or it can bring a sense of peace

to one's own body while feeling the gentle

lapping of the water against the boat.

There is a local organization called

Kayak Zak's that provides just this service.

This organization belongs to the American

Canoe Association and is operated out of

Orick.

The owner, Marna Powell, is an

Adaptive Paddling Instructor who works

with people with disabilities by adapting

kayaks, paddles, and gear to meet an

each individual's specific needs.

Powell developed this service after

she became disabled in '72 when she hurt

her knee. Her other physical symptoms

included an arthritic hip, a degenerated

disc in her back, and permanent function-

al loss of one wrist.

Given the opportunity to explore

other options, Kayak Zak's was born.

Powell had to go to a three-day workshop

to become an instructor for people with

disabilities. During her training, she

learned there are five requirements that

are necessary for a person's safety while

paddling a kayak:

· Consider weight restrictions for

each kayak.

· Possess the ability to close one's

mouth and hold one's breath (seal one’s

airway) for a minimum of five seconds.

· Must be able to turn your body face

up to breathe while floating in a life jacket.

· Have enough trunk control and

upper body strength to turn oneself upright

after being flipped over in the kayak so one

is face up.

· Have the assistance of a care

providers to transfer from one's wheelchair

to the kayak and back again.

The most important thing is to relax,

enjoy the peacefulness of the surround-

ings and the gentle movement of the water

against the boat.

For more information, contact Kayak

Zak's at 498-1130. Or check out their web-

page at

www.kayakzak.com

and e-mail

your questions and/or comments to

info@kayakzak.com

.

Donnice Hildreth facilitates the North

Coast Spinal Cord Injury Support Group

for Tri-County Independent Living.

6

SCI: News On Wheels

Adaptive W

ater Sports

Donnice Hildreth

7

Tri-County is an independent living

center because it is a consumer-controlled,

community-based, cross disability, non-resi-

dential, private non-profit agency designed

and operated within a local community by

individuals with disabilities. Independent liv-

ing services are designed to maximize a per-

son’s ability to live independently in the envi-

ronment of their choosing. Some of the serv-

ices we provide include:

I

NFORMATION

& R

EFERRAL

All too often people become confused

or discouraged by the complexities of the

system, and they never find out about the

programs and services that might be able to

help them solve their problems. Because

they don’t get help, bad situations tend to get

worse We offer information and referral to

break that cycle by providing information so

that people can find out where they can turn

and what they can do to help themselves.

I

NDIVIDUAL

& S

YSTEMS

A

DVOCACY

Our work in the community seeks to

make a difference in the lives of individuals

with disabilities by removing barriers.

Individual Advocacy efforts focus on acces-

sibility to public service, education, and ben-

efits issues. Systems Advocacy centers on

efforts to enhance and support local, state,

and federal legislation on a variety of disabil-

ity-related issues. These efforts attempt to

reinforce and support public policies that

provide opportunities for individuals to live

independently.

H

OUSING

A

SSISTANCE

We provide self-advocacy training on

how to look for and keep affordable, acces-

sible housing, identify resources that can

support independent living, negotiate with

landlords, understand their tenant rights,

and how to remove architectural barriers.

We assist with applications for HUD, Section

VIII housing and Renter’s Rebates. We

maintain a current list of available rentals.

Tri-County does not own housing or run a

residential facility.

A

SSISTIVE

T

ECHNOLOGY

(A.T.)

We provide consumers with informa-

tion, referrals, and services regarding the lat-

est in A.T. devices that can assist them in

their daily lives. These devices include

everything from Velcro strips to voice recog-

nition software, electric wheelchairs to hear-

ing aids.

P

EER

C

OUNSELING

Peer Counseling offers the opportuni-

ty for individuals to work with people who

have personal experience with disability

issues, creating an atmosphere of mutual

understanding. We offer this service either

one-on-one through an Independent Living

Counselor or in a small group setting.

I

NDEPENDENT

L

IVING

S

KILLS

T

RAINING

IL Skills Training provides assistance

in accessing and developing the skills indi-

viduals’ need in order to live independently.

Skill areas may include communition, finan-

cial management, household management,

accessing community services, problem

solving and identifying, and using

adaptive/non-adaptive equipment.

O

THER

S

ERVICES

O

FFERED

Living Well with a Disability Program;

Outreach & Education; Assisting consumers

apply for SSI, SSDI, or other benefit pro-

grams; Assisting with both PASS Plans and

HEAP applications; Computers For People

With Disabilities Program; Bi-lingual servic-

es; Lost Coast A.T. Expo & Disability Fair;

Cross Disability Peer Group; North Coast

Spinal Cord Injury Support Group, and a

webpage at

www.tilinet.org

.

Tri-County’s List of Services

8

Summertime is nearly upon us. The

sun is peaking out from behind the clouds

with more frequency, and the time is right

to get outside and enjoy the natural splen-

dor of the hiking trails of Humboldt County.

For many people with disabilities which

affects their mobility, the idea of getting out

and walking or taking their wheelchair on a

trail may not seem possible. But did you

know that there are 19 miles of accessible

trails available in seven state parks located

in Humboldt County.

At Prairie Creek Redwoods State

Park, for example, there are

15 different trails totaling

8.29 miles of accessible

trails. These trails range

from the Five-Minute Trail,

which is 0.07 miles long, to

the Elk Prairie Trail and

Prairie Creek Trail (Class II),

which are both 1.5 miles

long.

“My favorite accessible

trail is the Prairie Creek Trail because it

traverses a fairly wide variety of ecosys-

tems,” said Don Beers, Maintenance Chief

of the California State Parks office in

Eureka. “You can hike through the creek

under story and see salmon or steelhead

spawning, then go through some of the

largest old growth redwoods on the planet.

Or you can travel along Elk Prairie Trail,

view the deer and elk, and take in the

whole redwood prairie environment; which

is quite a unique experience.”

There are 33 accessible trails in the

California State Parks located in Humboldt

County, including: Grizzly Creek

Redwoods State Park (one trail, 0.53

miles); Humboldt Redwoods State Park

(five trails, 4.57 miles); Jedediah Smith

Redwoods State Park (three trails, 1.4

miles); Patrick’s Point State Park (six trails,

2.62 miles); Richardson Grove State Park

(one trail, 0.5 miles); and Trinidad State

Beach (three trails, 0.98 miles).

“There are some really nice (acces-

sible) trails, plus they’ve done a good job

making

campground

improvements for disabled

spaces in some of the local

parks,” said Rebecca

Simone, who has never let

the fact that she is in a

wheelchair get in the way of

enjoying the great outdoors.

“I’ve hiked many of these

trails and the most important

thing to remember is to ask

the park rangers questions about the

accessibility of the trails that you are about

to hike.”

Although there are currently no stan-

dards for accessible trails on the law

books, the California State Park system

currently uses ADA (Americans with

Disabilities Act) standards to determine

whether a trail is accessible or not, accord-

ing to Beer. For a trail to qualify it must: be

cleared of obstacles; have a linear grade

and a cross slope of less than five percent;

Take A Hike!

Accessible Trails in Humboldt

Se habla espanol

“My favorite accessi-

ble trail the Prairie

Creek Trail because

it traverses a fairly

wide variety of

ecosystem.”

Don Beers

have a minimum tread width of 36 inches;

and, stand up to a firmness and stability

test (which is based on pressure being

applied to a six-inch wheel and then meas-

uring how far the wheel sinks).

“The whole point behind these trails

was to develop access for a broad range

of people with disabilities,” said Beer, who

estimated that 10 percent of all available

hiking trails in State Parks in Humboldt

County are accessible. “We’ve designed

these trails to accommodate wheelchairs,

people with ambulatory problems and

visual impairments.

“These trails engage the user in the

outdoor environment and provide them

with a full range of experience that any

other trail user would expect,” Beer contin-

ued. “If you did not know that these trails

are accessible, you would not recognize

them as such.”

9

Rebecca Simone has hike many of the accessi-

ble trails in Humboldt County.

Tri-County Independent Living is

accepting applications for the next session

of the Living Well with a Disability

Program. The session will begin on

Tuesday, June 27th. The Living Well pro-

gram is a health promotion or wellness

training program for adults with disabilities

developed specifically for people in rural

areas who do not have access to special-

ized health care.

Additional health issues, known as

secondary conditions, can sometimes

arise for people with disabilities.

Secondary conditions can include psycho-

logical as well as physical limitations such

as pressure sores, muscle pain , obesity,

and physical de-conditioning, poor respira-

tory problems, mobility problems, chronic

joint and muscle pain just to name a few.

“One of the barriers for rural

Americans with disabilities is a lack of

access to health education programs

which teach people how to protect their

own health and well-being” said Tri-County

IL Executive Director Chris Jones. “It is

our goal to teach people the skills they

need to generate solution to these health

care needs. Attendees from our initial ses-

sion agreed that the program has helped

to empower them to set goals and develop

life improving habits.”

Given the opportunity everyone

would prefer to take control of their own

physical health. Each person needs to

become educated to meet the demands of

their environment as long as there are few

solutions to dealing with the barriers in the

health care systems in this area.

Wellness Program offered again

10

Sandy

Jump from Page 1

young girl living in the 1800’s.

“I read the first book in (Phillips’)

series and wrote him about some ideas I

had,” said Sandy, who noted that Phillips

went on to dedicate one of the books in the

series to Bean. “About how this person

should do this and how that person should

do that. He wrote me back and asked me

to contribute.”

Traveling, however, has always been

a big part of Sandy’s life. Working through

various church groups and with her family,

she has traveled all over the United States,

including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as to

Spain, Germany, and Mexico.

As a 17-year old, Sandy’s family took

a month-long vacation in their

car that took them “up to

Oregon, over to Minnesota,

down to Oklahoma, through

Texas, New Mexico and

Arizona, and then back home.”

Sandy recalls several

highlights from this trip, includ-

ing: going to a baseball game at

the Astrodome; a lightning storm in North

Dakota; visiting relatives in Minnesota;

and, eating donuts in a café in New

Orleans.

In the summer of 1981, Sandy took a

four-week trip through the Midwest with

the Campus Crusade for Christ. The trip

began with a two-week seminar in

Colorado before she traveled through New

Mexico to visit a friend, Holly. The two then

drove back to Humboldt County and visit-

ed Disneyland en route.

In 1983, Sandy spent three weeks in

Anchorage, Alaska working in an orphan-

age with the Men’s Ministries of the

Southern Baptist Church.

“We worked with the kids and helped

to paint the place,” she said. “Then we

went up to Palmer (Alaska) and built a par-

sonage for a family.”

Sandy went to Los Angeles during

the 1984 Summer Olympics with a church

group. While in Los Angeles she worked at

a Coffee Shop on Martin Luther King Blvd.

and served sandwiches and drinks to ath-

letes and tourists.

In 1999, Sandy went to Spain for 26

days with the Youth With A Mission pro-

gram. While in Spain, she worked at a villa

as well as took in the sights.

Sandy says that the only thing that

her disability prevents her from doing “is

driving. Otherwise, I can do

everything else that I want to

do.”

She is a native of

Spokane, Washington, who

moved to Humboldt County as

a toddler and has lived here

ever since. Sandy is a 1975

graduate of Eureka High

School, where she served as her Senior

Class Secretary. She went on to earn her

A.A. degree in Early Childhood Education

at the College of the Redwoods, where

she was also a member of student govern-

ment.

Sandy taught pre-school at Winzler’s

Children Center, the Stepping Stone Pre-

School, and at Redwoods United Pre-

School for 15 years after graduating from

CR.

These days, she works with kids at

Arcata First Baptist Church and is a care

provider for a young man with autism.

“I’ve been lucky in that I’ve got to do

so much,” she acknowledged.

“I’ve been

lucky in that

I’ve got to do

so much.”

Sandy Bean

11

B

Y

S

ANDY

B

EAN

, G

UEST

C

ONSUMER

C

OLUMNIST

So you want to travel, but you say

you can’t because you have a disability. I

say “go for it” because if you don’t, you

might miss out on a great adventure. I

have had a disability

for 45 years but it

hasn’t stopped me

from taking trips by

car, by airplane, and

by bus.

Here are some

simple tips for you if

you are flying. First,

get to the airport

early because you are now required to

have I.D cards in the aftermath of 9/11.

Second, passengers with a disability are

let onto the plane first. Third, if you are

traveling with a person who cannot walk

very far, you can request an airport worker

to bring you a wheelchair at each leg of

your trip. The person with the wheelchair

will push your traveling companion to the

place they need to get to.

Over the years, I have traveled to

Hawaii, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Alaska,

and to the 1984 Summer Olympic Games

in Los Angeles.

In Spain and Germany, they use the