Free Webinar on CapTel Captioned Phone

What is a captioned telephone 

and how can I get one at no cost?

May 12, 2022  |  10 - 11 AM ET

REGISTER HERE!

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.

This is a webinar from the SC Equipment Distribution Program (SCEDP).

The Power Assist Controller That's Also a Fitness Tracker

May 3, 2022

NEW ISSUE

A Spirit Runs Through Us All

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. 

Ride Across America for SCI/D Awareness

United Spinal Newsletter | April 2022 

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 2022

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.

Click here to read more of this issue. 

Registration Extended!

Don't forget to register for the Independence:

My Choices, My Life Conference!

  

Registration has been extended to May 6th.

 May 26, 2022

Registration: 9am-10am

Sessions: 10am-3pm

Click here to register!

Breakout Sessions:

Assistive Technology 

Relationships

Employment 

Rights

Free Webinar on a Reimagined LMS

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.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

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:

• Leveraging synchronous and video asynchronous content in the classroom for engagement and assessment
• Mobile first design & features for students who utilize smartphones, tablets, and iPads as primary devices
• Using actionable data to improve student success and outcomes

USC alumna becomes leading advocate for families affected by autism

Lorri Unumb channels personal journey into focus and direction as a catalyst for change

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.

Click here to read more! 

A Wheelchair User's Guide to Dressing Well

April 19, 2022 

FASHION

A Wheelchair User's Guide to Dressing Well

Dressing for chair life doesn’t have to be frustrating. For anyone who owns a mix of adaptive wear, self-modified gear and carefully-selected mainstream garb, there are plenty of ways to build your wardrobe. Here is our guide to skirts, shorts, swimsuits, jeans and formal wear. 

FUN READ

The Wheelchair Users Making Space Flight Accessible

A group of wheelchair users recently found out what it’s like to break free from gravity’s bonds when they embarked on a suborbital flight to research access needs in space flight. Their verdict? It’s every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it to be. Tim Gilmer reports on the ups and downs of learning to float like an astronaut.  

PRO TIPS

My Disability Half-Life

In her latest “Own It” column, Regan Linton celebrates the milestone of living half her life as a wheelchair user. “The purpose of the ritual is not to lament or judge,” she writes. “Rather, to recount the moments of pain, struggle, growth, difficulty, sadness, triumph — all in appreciation of what has been built, here and now.” 

New Mobility is the member publication of the United Spinal Association, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries and disorders. It's free to join United Spinal, and members may receive New Mobility magazine for free for one year. Join here. 

Announcing Community Leadership Academy Spring 2022!

 

So often, people with disabilities and their family members aren't heard. They aren't regarded as leaders in the community. 

We are here to tell you that you CAN be a leader, and an excellent one at that! Sometimes it's just hard to know where to begin. 

Community Leadership Academy (CLA) is a 6-week course designed to teach individuals with disabilities and family members of people with disabilities how to be leaders in their communities around South Carolina. 

The course is divided into six, 1 ½ hour sessions on Zoom that teach individuals ethics and responsibilities, being an effective leader, supporting your community through leadership, professionalism, communicating your message, disability rights, and how to make community entities accessible to people with disabilities. 

At the end of the course, participants will be matched with leadership areas of interest in their communities! 

Spots are reserved for people with disabilities and family members of people with health conditions. If either of those descriptions apply to you, register today! 

Register Today!

CLA Class Schedule: 

The classes will take place from 6 PM to 7:30 PM on Zoom: 

• May 4, 2022 06:00 PM 
• May 11, 2022 06:00 PM 
• May 18, 2022 06:00 PM 
• May 25, 2022 06:00 PM 
• Jun 1, 2022 06:00 PM 
• Jun 8, 2022 06:00 PM 

If any community organization would like us to present a course for your clients and family members, please reach out to Dori Tempio at 803-779-5121, or email at dtempio@able-sc.org

What Parents Should Know About Autism

 

Apr. 4, 2022

As the prevalence of autism has risen in the past decade, more families are dealing with the disorder. Sara S. Wallace, MD, FAAP, with Lexington Pediatric Practice answers parents' common questions about autism. 

Q. What is autism?

A. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder that affects 1-2% of children. It is characterized by difficulties with social skills and communication, along with restrictive, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities.

Q. What are the early warning signs parents may notice?

A. While routine screening for autism typically takes place between 18 months and 24 months of age, some parents may notice signs of autism during the first year of life. Early signs of autism may include:

• Poor eye contact
• Not smiling at others by 6 months of age
• Not babbling or pointing by age 1
• Not responding to sounds or their name
• Not reacting to a parent’s facial expressions
• Not pointing at objects of interest

Other signs may include:

• Restricted food preferences
• Hand flapping
• Making unusual finger movements near their eyes
• Getting upset by everyday noises

Some children may exhibit difficulty with social interactions, such as decreased interested in playing with other children. 

Q. How early can autism be diagnosed?

A. Typically, autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 14-16 months. However, the average age at diagnosis is 4 years old.

Click here to read more.

Free Webinar: Top Notetaking Apps and Tools

Top Notetaking Apps and Tools

Target Audience: Assistive Technology Professionals, Occupational Therapists, Educational Staff, individuals with literacy needs and their families. 

Date:  April 28th, 2022

Cost: Free

Time:  10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

Taking notes is an essential part of the learning process, especially in middle and high school and college. This webinar will share the top notetaking apps and tools available that can make notetaking and studying more effective. It is important that the student chooses the best tool to suit his or her specific needs.

Participants will learn:

• About apps and tools available to assist with notetaking and studying
• Which apps and tools work on specific platforms
• The features of the different apps and tools

Speaker: Tammy Wallace is a Program Coordinator at the SC Assistive Technology Program, Center for Disability Resources, USC School of Medicine, University of South Carolina. Tammy has worked with individuals with disabilities for over 20 years and has presented to local, state and national groups on various topics. In her current role she provides trainings and demonstrations to individuals with disabilities, their families, and professionals on various AT devices and software.

Employment Empower Hour tomorrow!

Employment Empower Hour! 

Join Empower Hour with a Special focus on Employment from 1 pm to 2 pm on April 26th, April 28th, May 3rd, and May 5th, provided by funding from the Reeve Foundation. Whether you are already searching out work or haven’t even started yet this will be the group setting for you. In a peer group setting, we will discuss topics such as Job searches, Resumes and cover letters, Interviewing, Employment rights, and Benefits reporting.  

For more Information Contact Dave Wheeler at dwheeler@ablesc.org or simply join us on the dates and times above through the following link:  meet.google.com/ive-hevx-jrj 

View Hire Me SC Website

View Hire Me SC Facebook

U of SC lab detecting autism in infants

by: Maya Lockett

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The Early Social Development and Interaction Lab at the Institute for Mind and Brain at the University of South Carolina is tracking the development of infants who are at-risk of being diagnosed with autism.

“Children who have siblings with autism or were born premature have a higher risk of being diagnosed with autism,” Dr. Jessica Bradshaw, director of the lab, said.

Click here to read more!

Check this out: "Caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities," by Sarah Mahoney, Special to AAMCNews

 

Caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Sarah Mahoney, special to AAMCNews

April 19, 2022

As children with autism, Down syndrome, and similar disabilities reach adulthood, they face unique challenges navigating the health care system. Medical schools are just beginning to train physicians in how to treat them.

Rachel Reingold, then a third-year student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, thought she knew plenty about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).

She was already an active volunteer for Einstein’s Buddies program, which allows medical students to help with the treatment of children with IDDs at the Rose F. Kennedy University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

But it wasn’t until Reingold attended a monthly meeting of adult self-advocates with IDDs that she realized the unique health care barriers that they experience.

The patients spoke candidly about navigating the health care system. “Their critiques were so specific that we were just blown away,” says Reingold. A woman with cerebral palsy described how muscle spasticity made gynecological exams challenging. A man recalled how his doctor solely addressed his caregiver when collecting a medical history instead of the patient himself.

“We knew right away we needed to find a way to educate medical students on the appropriate clinical care of patients with IDD,” she says.

Reingold and several fellow students met with faculty members about their concerns, and the result was Einstein’s first curriculum on patients with IDDs, launched in 2019 in the school’s Introduction to Clinical Medicine course.

Read More...