In honor of this awareness month, we’re going to explore 7 types of rest that everyone needs. That’s right! There’s more than just sleep as a type of rest. Let’s explore:
Important Note: Sometimes we need more than rest. Talking about mental illness or negative mental health can be hard. But it’s important that you do! The National Institutes of Health says nearly 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness. This means mental illness and negative mental health are common problems. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Talk to your doctor.
1. Physical Rest
Physical rest is passive or active rest of the body.
2. Mental Rest
Mental rest is rest that gives your mind a break from thoughts. People who don’t get enough mental rest can feel like they never get enough sleep! This is because your brain needs a break.
3. Sensory Rest
Sensory rest is taking time away from bright lights, computer screens, background noise, or multiple conversations. Taking rest away from things that can cause our senses to feel overwhelmed is important!
4. Creative Rest
Creative rest is taking time away from problem-solving or coming up with new ideas. Creative rest can be very important for people who:
Creative rest allows us to be more creative!
5. Emotional Rest
Emotional rest is making space to express your feelings. Emotional rest requires you to be real with others around you. This can look like:
6. Social Rest
Social rest is when we take breaks from people who make us tired. This does not always mean taking time away from all people. You can experience social rest by being around people that make you feel good. Social rest can look like:
7. Spiritual Rest
Spiritual rest is finding places where you feel like you belong. This can be faith-based or not, or both! Feeling accepted by others and feeling love are important! You can have spiritual rest by:
We need more than sleep to rest! We hope these 7 types of rest can help you feel calmer, happier, and more like yourself. It is important to take care of yourself and get all the kinds of rest you need.
References:
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Great news!
Now every household in the United States can order 4 more free COVID-19 rapid tests!
Able SC's very own Jerri Davison shared her story, "When my daughter got sick, having a home test ready and available allowed my family to contain COVID from spreading in our home. I'm at higher risk of getting very sick because of my depression, and my mom, an older adult, also lives with us."
Even if you haven't ordered test kits before, you should take advantage of this program today. Share this news with your family and neighbors!
We know the federal administration's rollout plan is imperfect. But it is a chance to get more tests to more people, including our disability community that experiences barriers to access. If you are needing help accessing these free tests, please contact us!
When preparing to order:
Protect yourself further with vaccination
Call the South Carolina Vaccine Access Hotline
Still have questions?
Contact the Disability Vaccine Access Hotline at (800) 787-6046
South Carolina Disability Vaccine Access Hotline: A hotline staffed by Able South Carolina and Disability Rights South Carolina designed to provide people with disabilities information about many different aspects of the COVID-19 vaccine. These resources include but are not limited to:
Disclaimer: The staff of the Disability Vaccine Access Hotline are not licensed medical providers. They are unable to offer medical advice about the best vaccine for you or predict how the vaccine may affect you or your family
RESCHEDULED: LOOK! 2021 Encore Collection presented at Columbiana Centre!
Today we remember an important anniversary for the rights of people with disabilities! 5 years ago Governor Henry McMaster signed the “Persons with Disabilities Right to Parent Act” into law! Able SC worked with partners to draft a bill that ensures the protection of the rights of individuals with disabilities. Before this law, parents with disabilities did not have the same protections as parents without disabilities. Parents with disabilities would have their children taken away, only because they had a disability.
In addition to celebrating this law, we are celebrating the story of Angaliece: a mom who almost had her baby taken away, only because she had a disability. Angaliece, or “Angel” as she’s called by family and friends, is a mom with Down Syndrome and a rape survivor. After her child was born — who also had Down Syndrome — a private action was filed to remove her baby from her custody even though she had supports in place and wanted to parent and care for her child, Imani. Able SC advocated for Angaliece using the SC Persons with Disabilities Right to Parent Act. After working closely with the Department of Social Services and a Guardian Ad Litem within the court system, a settlement was reached. Angaliece and Imani were reunited. Recently Angalice celebrated Imani’s 5th birthday as a family, whole.
People with disabilities are parents. We love our children. We deserve the right to be with them
If you are a parent with a disability or thinking about becoming a parent, be sure to know your rights!
By Kevin Shoesmith
Ever since she was a child, Dr Kiah Hann had wanted to become a vet but was told her various health conditions would prevent her from realising her goal. Now six years into the job, she explains how she proved the doubters wrong, and why her autism has proven to be a strength in her dream line of work.
"Sometimes owners are a little surprised to see a vet in a wheelchair," says Dr Kiah Hann.
"Usually they'll say something like: 'Good for you!'"
The 29-year-old is a hit with animals and owners alike at Swanbridge Veterinary Hospital in North Ferriby, East Yorkshire. Using her brightly decorated wheelchair, she is supported by an assistant who occasionally helps her to handle the more lively patients.
@mydisabilityroadmap is OUT NOW in @nytimes, no subscription needed to watch!
Captions and audio description available. This new film by Dan Habib and
Samuel Habib follows Samuel, a young man with complex disabilities, as he navigates
the path to work, college, and relationships while seeking out wisdom from disability
activists across the country.
We are proud supporters of this film - please watch and share! nyti.ms/3wlvVBx
Join us this Wednesday
May 18th!
6:30 - 8:00 pm.
WHO: Survivors, family, friends, and advocates of brain injury ages 15-29 years of age
NEXT MEETING: May 18, 2022 from 6:30 - 8 pm EST
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION:
2022 Life with Brain Injury
“Virtual” Conference
Thursday, July 28 & Friday, July 29, 2022
Join Brain Injury Association of SC and SC Brain Injury Leadership Council for the 2022 Life with Brain Injury Conference. This conference will be held virtually July 28-29, 2022. Save the date and check out a list of conference sessions as well as a brief introduction to our keynote speakers, Christabelle Braden, MA and Caroline Sheppard, MSW.
For more information, contact BIASC office
at 803.731.9823 or director@biaofsc.com
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
This May, our focus is on Mental Health Awareness Month where we'll share resources on suicide prevention, statistics, and facts about the intersectionalities of Autism and mental health. Because the intersectionalities between Autism and co-occurring mental health conditions are so prevalent, it is imperative that the Autism community collaborates with health advocates, organizations, and policymakers to offer more equitable mental health supports.
Did you know: People with Autism are three times as likely to have suicidal thoughts, behaviors, and deaths by suicide than neurotypical individuals.
Access Mental Health Resources
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Summer Camps and Activities
While the free-flowing days of summer can be relaxing for some children with Autism, the break from school routines may be stressful for others, who often thrive in structured and predictable settings. Check out our Summer camp and activity resources for ideas to keep children active, engaged, and in a routine.
Access Summer Camp and Activity Resources
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Please join us for our Community Connections: Vaccine Education Initiative webinar on Friday, May 20th at 11:00 am EST with Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist and Autism parent, and Dr. Emily Hotez, Developmental Researcher and Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCLA and sibling to an Autistic sister. Together they will discuss mental health challenges, long Covid, and vaccine hesitancy during Covid-19.
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Affiliate Highlights
Contact Line 1 (800) 328-8476
ALL available durable medical equipment will be on display! If you or someone you know needs durable medical equipment you can come browse the available equipment and take what you need. ALL for FREE!
This event is open to everyone! Individuals with disabilities, family members, therapists, caregivers, educators, veterans, case workers, etc.
ALL available durable medical equipment has been cleaned, sanitized, and is FREE!
For more information contact Alli Upchurch at 803-935-5273 or alli.upchurch@uscmed.sc.edu.
The SC Assistive Technology Program is a federally funded program that helps people with disabilities identify assistive technology that will improve their daily living, their ability to work and learn and be a more independent part of the community. We provide device loans and demonstrations, an on-line equipment exchange, AT reuse, training and technical assistance. We link people with technology and work with consumers, service providers, state agencies and policy makers. Learn more at http://sc.edu/medicine/scatp.
May 12, 2022 | 10 - 11 AM ET
Questions? Contact Leah Cuthbertson
at lcutherbertson@ors.sc.gov or call 803-737-3755
In this FREE webinar, learn about CapTel captioned phones and how this equipment can meet the needs of those with a hearing challenge. Outreach Education and Installation (OEI) will discuss the different uses and features of the phone. SCEDP will walk attendees through its application process. This phone is available through SCEDP at no cost to those with a hearing challenge. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with presenters. Accommodations will be made available for this presentation to be accessible to all.
NEW ISSUE
Spiritual connection can be found anywhere, whether in a church, synagogue, at the top of a ravine or in a Facebook post. Josie Byzek talks with four wheelchair users of different faiths about how spirituality helps them find connection and perspective, and strengthens their resilience through all that life throws at them.
PRODUCTS
The New SmartDrive Controller Is Also a Fitness Tracker
Permobil and wearable company Mobvoi have partnered to release the SmartDrive Push Tracker E3, a power assist device controller and fitness tracker in one. The watch allows you to control speed and monitor battery life on your SmartDrive while it also tracks everything from your total pushes in a day to time spent coasting to sleep habits and more.
PRO TIPS
Accessible Cooking From Scratch
It doesn’t matter if you operate a spatula with your mouth or work with a caregiver to get your stir-fried veggies to that perfect level of crunch, cooking can be accessible, regardless of your level of function. We peek inside the kitchens of three quadriplegic cooks to find out their tips and tricks for making delicious food at home.
Click here to read more of this edition.
Adam Lane Handcycles Across America to Support People with SCI/D
Adam Lane, a member of the Oklahoma chapter of United Spinal Association began a 90-day cross-country handcycling trek from San Diego, California to New York City to raise funds to support the organization’s #StrongWheeled Together campaign and show how exercise and fitness can have a positive impact on the rehabilitation of individuals living with SCI/D. Learn more about Adam’s incredible journey, where to follow Adam on social media, and how to give here.
Roll on Capitol Hill (ROCH) is United Spinal Association’s premier annual event, sending advocates from the SCI/D community from all over the nation to Washington, DC to make their voices heard on the key issues affecting our community. This June, following a virtual event in 2021, United Spinal returns in-person to the Hill for the tenth ROCH, and we couldn’t be more excited. Check out this preview of this year’s ROCH, including biographies of this year’s awardees and an overview of what policy priorities are at stake this year.
Don’t Be Ashamed to Ask for Help with Anxiety, You’re Not Alone
Michaela Devins’ latest installment on mental health focuses on anxiety. Find out about the impact anxiety had on her life, and how therapy became “a space to speak my fears out loud and face them, to build skills for identifying negative thoughts cycles and patterns, to learn how to cope with the physiological responses tied to anxiety,” in this poignant reflection on coexisting with anxiety. Read more.
The Student Experience Reimagined in the LMS - Socialized, Engaged, Data-driven
Target Audience: K-20 Teachers, Faculty, Instructional Designers, Administrators
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022
Time: 10:00-11:00 a.m., ET
Speakers: Douglas Grooms, Regional Director of Southeast & Jace Gilbert, Principal Solutions Engineer.
This webinar will unpack and rethink the roles, functions, and user experiences of an open, extensible learning management system (LMS). This session will critically examine how to amplify the voices of all students and empower faculty, instructional designers, and staff to stay ahead of the ever-changing landscape of pedagogy. This session will cover: assessment, selective release, analytics, e-portfolios, SpeedGrader, and the Canvas API with tools like Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. On top of all this, we will illustrate our top-rated mobile apps for both teachers and students that give everyone access to just what they need on the go.
Participants will learn:
Posted on: April 25, 2022; Updated on: April 25, 2022
By Carol J.G. Ward ward8@mailbox.sc.edu
When Lorri and Dan Unumb’s son Ryan was almost 2 years old, they noticed he wasn’t behaving and developing like other children. The couple was living in Washington, D.C., where they both were employed as lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice. After appointments with several specialists, Ryan was diagnosed with autism shortly before his second birthday.
“They all said the same thing: For a child with this degree of autism, you need to get him into a very intensive program right away,” Lorri Unumb says. “I didn't even know what autism was. Because 20 years ago, it just wasn't the household word it is now. I didn't even know what they were telling us to do. But we were going to do it. Whatever it was they were recommending, we were going to do it.”
Two decades later, Unumb, a University of South Carolina alumna (’90 journalism and political science, ’93 law), is an internationally known autism advocate who has written ground-breaking autism insurance legislation and co-founded, with her husband, a nonprofit center for families affected by autism in South Carolina. In 2019, she became CEO of the Council of Autism Service Providers, an association of organizations serving people with autism.