Youth Leadership Forum, Advocacy Day, and more!

NPR: Kids are back in school — and struggling with mental health issues 

By Rhitu Chatterjee 

Children experience stress learning and growing up in a global pandemic. Schools are struggling to meet children's academic, social, and emotional needs. CDC's data shows kids had more frequent mental health emergency visits in the pandemic. In the fall of 2020, top children's health associations declared an emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Read more about this issue in the article linked below. 

Read the Article!

You're invited to Fundable: Fueling Our Future 

March 18 from 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm, Tickets cost $60 

Come support Able South Carolina: Fueling our Future; Our vision of a South Carolina that promotes equity and access for individuals with disabilities. Able SC’s annual fundraising & awards event will be both live and virtual to provide you the opportunity to attend FundAble on your own terms. With public health and your health in mind, you have the choice to be a part of this event either in person or virtually. 

We want you to have the experience that suits you best. Whether over heavy hors d'oeuvres and open bar, or cocktail guide and gourmet box on your couch, all ticket holders will have access to our silent auction, awards show, and live musical entertainment - all while having a fun evening with dedicated individuals who work to change perceptions and create greater access and opportunities for independence through empowering South Carolinians with disabilities and promoting community inclusion. 

Event Details:

 

Friday, March 18, 2022 

6:00 PM EDT - 9:30 PM EDT 

Central Energy 

2030 Gregg Street 

Columbia, SC 29201 

Register for Fundable here!

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Advocacy Day 

Save the date for the annual Advocacy Day for Access & Independence on Wednesday, April 13, 2022! Join us at the South Carolina State House!  We will call on the state to Unlock Barriers. We will advocate for disability rights and share our mission for a Barrier Free SC! 

Advocacy Day for Access & Independence is the only event in South Carolina that's breaking down barriers for ALL South Carolinians with disabilities. Since its first gathering in May 2014, support has grown to 30 organizations statewide, The organizations are all unified in an effort to ensure people with disabilities have equal access and opportunity. People with disabilities face unnecessary and discriminatory barriers to transportation, employment, and public access. Advocacy Day for Access and Independence will shine a light on these barriers in hopes of improving the lives of all South Carolinians. 

Register here!

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SC Youth Leadership Forum 2022 

The SC Youth Leadership Forum is excited to announce that a location has been secured and dates have been finalized for the 2022 event. YLF 2022 will be held at Presbyterian College from 7/10/22-7/13/22. The application process opened on 2/1/22, and applicants will be selected on a rolling basis. To find out more information about the event or to apply, please visit our website: 

Learn more and apply here!

Able South Carolina

720 Gracern Road Suite 106 | Columbia, South Carolina 29210

803.779.5121 | advocacy@able-sc.org 

Spasticity Solutions

March 1, 2022

NEW ISSUE

Rural Life as a Wheelchair User

This story is for everyone who wonders about how wheelchair users live their best lives outside the urban landscape — and for anyone else who likes well-told tales. Editor emeritus and longtime farmer Tim Gilmer offers a colorful and insightful look at the draw, and drawbacks, of rural living for people with mobility disabilities.  

PRO TIPS

Spasticity Solutions

The bad news is there’s no pill that cures muscle spasms for all wheelchair users. The good news is there are more alternatives to brain-clouding pharmaceuticals than ever. Richard Holicky talks to people with varying levels of spasticity to find out what works for them.  

WATCH

Predicting My MS

2014 NM Person of the Year Jason DaSilva is back with a new documentary that chronicles his quest to understand why he got primary progressive multiple sclerosis. DaSilva used the pause brought on by the pandemic to reach out to family members, doctors and researchers to better understand the disease and any possible causes in his personal history. The result is a fast-moving, informative and optimistic watch for anyone interested in MS or DaSilva’s work. You can watch the entire film at the link above. 

Click here to read more of the March/April edition. 

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

 MARCH IS BRAIN INJURY AWARNESS MONTH 

#MORETHANMYBRAININJURY

Brain injury is a complex and often misunderstood neurological disease. As Brain Injury Awareness Month occurs, Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is proud to be re-launching their #MoreThanMyBrainInjury campaign, which empowers brain injury survivors, caretakers, professionals, family members, and advocates to raise their voices.

One in every 60 people in the United States are living with a permanent brain injury-related disability. With this campaign, we are centering their stories to increase understanding, reduce stigma, improve care, and showcase the diversity in this community.

Visit biausa.org/raiseawareness to explore the ways you can participate now.

BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS DAY 

ON CAPITOL HILL 

Many TBIs, including concussions, are preventable, and you can help. Join us in spreading the word about TBI and concussion prevention throughout the month of March.

Promote Brain Injury Awareness

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 is Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill. Spread the word and support brain injury awareness all month long!

Check out CDC HEADS UP free online trainings on concussion:

• Training for Coaches
• Training for Athletic Trainers (NEW!)
• Training for School Professionals
• Training for Healthcare Providers

BIASC and Safety Net Program are available to provide education and trainings at NO COST all month! Contact Rachel Kaplan at safetynetcoordinator@biaofosc.com to schedule something. 

Check Out Our Website!

Free Webinars Across the Globe

This list of free webinars is compiled from around the world 

by the Accessible Technology Coalition. 

The SC Assistive Technology Program offers free webinars, too!

Free Webinars: Various Disabilities 

• How technology can help people with Parkinson's from AbilityNet

            March 8, 2022 at 5am Pacific, 8am Eastern

• Speech to text and the iPad Notes App from Call Scotland

            March 9, 2022 at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern (30 min.)

• Features of the ONYX OCR (for Low Vision) from Access Ingenuity

            March 9, 2022 at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern

• Accommodation Solutions for Executive Functioning Deficits from JAN

            March 17, 2022 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern

• Accessible video gaming for all from Call Scotland

            March 30, 2022 at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern (30 min.)

Accessibility

• Accessibility Testing with a Screen Reader from NCAEM

            March 3, 2022 at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern

• Accessible Social Media 2.0 from Great Lakes ADA

            March 15, 2022 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern (90 min.)

• How Any Organization Can Start Small but Deliver Big with (Web) Accessibility from TGPi

            March 30, 2022 at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern

• Digital Accessibility: Equity, Inclusion, and the Bank’s Bottom Line from LevelAccess

            March 31, 2022 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern 

K-12

• Making Student-Led Learning Accessible from Don Johnston

            March 3, 2022 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern

• Encouraging Autonomy: Executive Function Tools to Promote Independent Learning from Don Johnston

            March 9, 2022 at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern

• Building a Dyslexia/Dysgraphia Toolkit That Works! From ATforED

            March 10, 2022 at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern

• Using the Boardmaker Curriculum with Switches from SETC

            March 28, 2022 at 4pm Pacific, 7pm Eastern 

For Students and Teens

• Tech for Teens Club : LEGO Stop-Motion Videos from PACER

            March 26, 2022 at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern (90 min.)

• Help Organize Me! Part Two - Remembering the Schedule from PACER

            March 29, 2022 at 12pm Pacific, 3pm Eastern  

AAC

• Unique Perspectives Change the World! (AAC User) from SETC

            March 10, 2022 at 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern

• AAC & Transition: Life Starts at twenty-one! from AbleNet

            March 22, 2022 at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern

• Flexible tools in TD Snap (Tobii Dynavox) from Isaac

            March 22, 2022 at 4pm Pacific, 7pm Eastern

• AAC and Students with ASD: California’s Efforts to Close the Research to Practice Gap from USSAAC

            March 23, 2022 at 4pm Pacific, 7pm Eastern

• Getting Started with AAC from SETC

            March 29, 2022 at 12pm Pacific, 3pm Eastern

• AT Devices and Apps to Help with Anxiety from SETC

            March 30, 2022 at 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern

• AAC Talk:  Shop Before you Buy – Comparing Features from SETC

            March 31, 2022 at 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern

Presenting #StrongWheeled Together: A Tribute to the Power of Community Building

 

United Spinal Newsletter | February 2022 

Presenting #StrongWheeled Together: A Tribute to the Power of Community Building

United Spinal Association is proud to officially debut  our #StrongWheeled Together campaign, which will run throughout 2022.

#StrongWheeled Together will bring our community together around initiatives in Mental Health and Wellness, Fitness and Athletics, and Emergency Preparedness. United Spinal will put pathbreaking community members in the spotlight during our November 10th #StrongWheeled Together Member Awards Event—and all year long on our #StrongWheeled Showcase.

As President/CEO Vincenzo Piscopo put it in this month’s Message From the CEO, “#StrongWheeled Together is a tribute to the power of community building and to all of those who have experienced the SCI/D journey. It is a beacon signaling to everyone out there with SCI/D that you do not have to do it alone, and you may untap something unexpected—or even extraordinary—in yourself when you are galvanized by community.”

Follow us on social media for the latest on the campaign, and bookmark our campaign landing page to learn more and stay in the loop. 

Growing Stronger Together on the Frontlines of Caregiving

Disability rights advocate and educator Steve Wright reflects on the complex role of caregiving in his marriage to ADA expert Heidi Johnson-Wright. Learn about how meeting the challenges they faced together and a shared passion for advocacy taught him that “we are 100 times more capable as a team. We truly can make a positive impact and achieve our goals – when we put our best strengths together.” Continue reading.

A Focus on Mental Health: Strength Comes in Many Different Forms

This year, United Spinal will be shining a spotlight on mental health and the unique struggles faced by the mobility disability community in this space. Michaela Devins of our Boston chapter delves into the motivation behind putting mental health and wellness center stage in the #StrongWheeled Together campaign, and gives a preview of what we have in store as we work toward de-stigmatizing mental health issues and providing information and resources. Read more.

Click here to read more of our newsletter! 

You've Got Power!

No one knows more about what you need than you do. Learn how to make your voice heard! Register for a free online training on Monday, March 14 from 3:00-4:00 PM and learn all about your rights and how to effectively advocate for yourself and also for others in the disability community. 

Registration will close on Sunday, March 13. 

For questions, contact Dori at dtempio@able-sc.org. 

Register Now!

2022 Virtual Assistive Technology Expo is on Tuesday!

Join us at the 2022 Virtual Assistive Technology Expo!

Date: Tuesday, March 1st, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost: FREE! Open to the general public.

Location: Zoom Webinar with Live Captioning and ASL Interpreters

REGISTER NOW!

Go to the AT Expo webpage for more information.

The SC Assistive Technology Program hosts the SC Assistive Technology Expo and is the go-to source for people with disabilities, their families, seniors, veterans, and healthcare professionals. This is the only Assistive Technology event in South Carolina where you can learn about new possibilities, new solutions and new opportunities to change your life. 

Reminder: RFP for Life with Brain Injury Conference

 

2022 VIRTUAL LIFE WITH 

BRAIN INJURY CONFERENCE  

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS IS OPEN!

The conference is open to professionals, individuals with brain injury, family members, caregivers, and other interested persons. It provides a forum for the exchange of information on programs, resources, and best practices in brain injury rehabilitation and services. Presentation topics need to address all types of brain injuries.

Submit your proposal by emailing Yvonne 

at adminassist@biaofsc.com

ALL PROPOSALS ARE DUE BY

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022

Check Out Our Website!

Share your Personal Experience with ABA

 

The Autism Society is seeking personal accounts from members of the Autistic BIPOC community to more deeply understand and engage in conversations around ABA.

Throughout the month of February, the Autism Society of America’s ABA Commission hosted three virtual Town Halls that shared dozens of personal experiences with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), including Autistic individuals, parents, and professionals within the Autism community.

We are thrilled with the level of engagement and attendance these events received, and we welcome feedback on how to host more important discussions and do better in the future. We agree that the topic of ABA can be an emotional and challenging subject, and it is essential to be seen, heard, and valued.

We received hundreds of story submissions from Autistic individuals, parents, and professionals with personal ABA experience. Those who were selected to share their stories could choose to be a speaker at the event or remain anonymous and have their story read aloud by a moderator. We are proud to honor the vulnerability and privacy of those willing to share their stories and support their decisions. Dozens of stories were shared live during the events with equal accounts of positive, neutral and negative experiences with ABA; All of the hundreds of submissions received have been shared with our ABA Commission to review thoroughly.

The Autism Society is committed to diversity of thought, experience, and background, and this diversity is vital in our quest to create connections and address important issues like ABA.

We hear your feedback and are seeking more submissions specifically from the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community in their experiences with ABA. The BIPOC community faces systemic inequities in screening, diagnosis, and care, and we are committed to continuing our outreach efforts in order to ensure that this community is represented in our quest for more information.

Please click here to share your personal experience with ABA.

Submit Story

Visit Our Website

Free Webinar: Meet the NeuroNode Communication Device

Meet the NeuroNode: Flexible AAC to meet the diverse needs of communicators

February 24, 2022 at 10-11:00 a.m. ET

FREE Webinar

REGISTER NOW!

Join us for an introduction to the NeuroNode 3.0, NeuroNode controller application, and the NeuroNode Trilogy as a speech-generating device that offers a flexible solution to AAC. Highlights of this introduction to the NeuroNode Trilogy will include: the NeuroNode, a wearable EMG/3D spatial switch, the 3-in-1 users of the Trilogy (switch scanning, traditional eye gaze, and the Trilogy user which combines eye gaze and the NeuroNode), and Grid3 communication software. There will be a question and answer session at the end of the demonstration.

Presenter: Lane Rials, MS, CCC-SLP and Regional Consultant for Control Bionics

Participants will learn:

• What the NeuroNode Trilogy is and how it may benefit clients’ communication needs as a speech-generating device.
• How to establish and when to use EMG and 3D spatial settings for the NeuroNode.
• What the NeuroNode and Control Bionics speech-generating devices offer in terms of flexible AAC for users.

Register for Community Connections with Dr. Wendy Ross

 

Community Connections:

Vaccine Education Initiative

Through its Vaccine Education Initiative (VEI), the Autism Society aspires to promote Covid- 19 vaccine education and confidence in order to increase vaccination rates in the Autism community. Our VEI hub is designed to share information, resources, and knowledge specifically geared towards our community. Our affiliates across the country are working hard to build connections, raise awareness on vaccine safety and efficacy, disseminate information, implement educational programming, and partner to build adaptive vaccine clinics. 

We are excited to announce our first Community Connections: Vaccine Education Initiative webinar with Dr. Wendy Ross this Thursday, February 24th from 7-8 pm EST. 

Dr. Wendy Ross, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and the inaugural director of the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity, will be hosting the live event. 

Please click here to register.

The Connection Is You.™

Register Now!

Disability Benefits and Employment Workshop

Has someone ever told you that because you have a disability and receive benefits, 

you cannot work?

Have you ever been told that if you do work, you will automatically lose your benefits? These are just two of the many myths we hear about how employment may affect a person's benefits. We want to set the record straight!  

Register for our free virtual workshop on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, from 10 AM to 12 PM, where you can expect to: 

• Learn the myths about working while receiving SSI/SSDI, 
• Hear all about local organizations' employment supports, and 
• "Meet" benefits counselors who can give you free one-on-one help  

Registration closes on Monday, February 28. 

*This workshop will be most helpful to people who are already receiving SSI/SSDI.*  

Registering helps us make sure that you get the Zoom link and all the materials you need for the workshop.  

Register Here!

Get in touch!

hiremesc@able-sc.org or 803.779.5121

Request for Proposals

2022 Virtual Life with Brain Injury Conference

Request for Proposals is now open!

The conference is open to professionals, individuals with brain injury, family members, caregivers, and other interested persons. It provides a forum for the exchange of information on programs, resources, and best practices in brain injury rehabilitation and services. Presentation topics need to address all types of brain injuries.

Submit your proposal today by clicking below: 

https://www.biaofsc.com/press/life-with-brain-injury-conference-2022-request-for-proposals

All proposals are due by

Monday, February 28, 2022

Check Out Our Website!