Adapted Toy Event November 16 and 17

Please join us for our 

Adapted Toy Event on 

November 16th or 17th! 

Type: In-Person Event

Date: November 16 or 17, 2023

Time: 1 - 4 p.m.

Organization: SC Assistive Technology Program, Poplar Building, AT Resource Center

Location: 8301 Farrow Rd.

Columbia, SC 29203

Cost: Free (Bring Your Own Toy)

Registration: Participants must register to attend the toy workshop on either day.

Register Now!

About the Program: Children with disabilities often have difficulty interacting with toys. Families, professionals and school staff are invited to bring battery-operated toys to the SC Assistive Technology Resource Center to learn how to adapt the toys for switch use. The toys should have an on/off switch and only one action. An example would be Flappy the Elephant as he only flaps his ears when he is turned on or Robo Alive T-Rex Robotic Pet that only walks when it is turned on. SC Assistive Technology Program staff and students from Richland Two will be available to assist you. Everyone will leave with their toy adapted for switch use and a switch to operate it.

Audience: Family members, professionals and school staff who would like to learn how to adapt toys for children with disabilities. 

Accommodations: If you need an accommodation to participate, please contact us at least one week prior to the scheduled workshop by phone or email to Janet Lambert at 803-935-5263 or janet.lambert@uscmed.sc.edu.

Examples of Toys to Donate or Bring: Amazon Wish List

For more information, please call 803-935-5263. 

Event Flier

 

2023-2024 Consumer Guide

November 1, 2023

NEW ISSUE

2023-2024 Consumer Guide

Our annual consumer guide is full of hands-on reviews, product news and investigative reporting in all the major disability product categories. Whether you need an easier way to access your shower, would like to consider a power-assist device, want to hear how wheelchair users are making money in the short-term rental market, or hope to add some fun to your fitness routine, our guide gives you real-world insight to help you make informed decisions.

PRODUCTS

A New Hands-Free Option to Control Your Wheelchair

While high-tech glasses haven’t caught on yet as a replacement for a smartphone or watch, Ian Ruder reports that they do offer an exciting new way to drive a power wheelchair. We got our hands on the munevo DRIVE controller and are excited with its potential. “Driving with the device took a little bit of getting used to, though tilting your head in the direction you want to travel was intuitive, and with practice a driver can navigate quite nimbly,” he says.

PEOPLE

Alana Nichols: Juggling Adaptive Sports, Advocacy, 

Motherhood and Media

As an athlete, Alana Nichols was always busy, crisscrossing the globe to become the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in both summer and winter Paralympics. But now that she’s retired from Paralympic sports, her life has only gotten more hectic as she balances raising her young son, working as a brand ambassador and advocating to lift the profile of adaptive sports. Her biggest takeaway from a life of throwing herself headlong into new adventures? “Sucking at something is the first step to sort of being good at something,” she says.

Click here to read more of this issue!

Get your flu shot! Clinic tomorrow!

Barrier Free Flu Shot Clinic 

Saturday, November 4 

10:00 AM-12:30 PM

730 Polo Road, Columbia, SC 29223

Get your flu shot! 

Able SC is partnering with SC DHEC and Community of Care Empowering Seniors to host a Barrier-free Influenza vaccine clinic. The clinic will be held, Saturday, November 4th, 10:00 AM-12:30 PM at Polo Road Park Gym, 730 Polo Road, Columbia, SC 29223. Individuals will receive a $25 gift card from SCACAP upon receipt of their FREE influenza vaccine, while supplies last.

ASL and Spanish interpreters will be available.

Don't miss your chance to protect yourself and 

others from the flu this fall and winter. 

Questions? Contact us at 1-800-787-6046.

Empower Hour Every Thursday!

EMPOWER HOUR 2023

Now available in-person and online!

Peer Networking - Discover your power!

Have a disability? Want to build your support network? Empower Hour is led by your peers and meets to discuss independence, share resources, make new friends, and give support to each other. Empower Hour is a great chance to connect with others.

If you are interested in participating in either the online or in-person support group, please RSVP by email to info@able-sc.org or by calling 1-800-681-6805, TTY: 803-779-0949 at least one day before the meeting.

To make a request for an accommodation based upon disability, for either the in-person or online Empower Hour, please call us at 800-681-6805 or email at info@able-sc.org a week before the event.

Empower Hour Online: 

Every Thursday from 1 pm to 2 pm

Empower Hour In-Person: 

Monthly from 4 pm to 5 pm 

in our Columbia & Greenville Offices

November 16

December 14

*To ensure safety people attending Empower Hour in person must have their temperatures checked at office front doors and wear a mask. The number of participants will be limited to allow for social distancing.

2023 AT Leadership Conference

2023 Assistive Technology 

Leadership Conference

Type: In-Person Event

Date: November 2, 2023

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Organization: SC Department of Archives and History

Location: 8301 Parklane Rd., Columbia, SC 29233

Cost: Free. (Registration is required.)

Register Now!

About the Conference

The Assistive Technology Leadership Conference is designed to provide resources, networking and support to South Carolina school district assistive technology leaders and teams and other state agencies. Join us for a day filled with opportunities to collaborate, share, and expand your knowledge of assistive technology best practices. Attendees will explore strategies to help lead the way to excellence in assistive technology services. Participants will receive information about legal aspects of implementing assistive technology and valuable resources for school district assistive technology teams.

Participants Will Learn How To:

• Explore the legal side of assistive technology.
• Network with assistive technology teams from other school districts across South Carolina.
• Learn what is working well for other practitioners.
• Tell us how we can support you in the coming year!

Conference Hosts

Madalina Tudora is a RESNA* certified Assistive Technology Professional and experienced educator, currently serving as an Assistive Technology and Accessibility contact for the South Carolina Department of Education. She supports local school districts and state agencies in building capacity for assistive technology by providing guidance, resources, and training for local assistive technology teams in South Carolina. Madalina conducts regional and international AT training and speaks at various conferences with a focus on technology and accessibility.

Rachell Johnson, MCD, CCC-SLP, ATP is the Program Manager of the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program in the Center for Disability Resources, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the USC (University of South Carolina) School of Medicine. She is a RESNA* certified Assistive Technology Professional. Rachell received her master’s degree in communication disorders from the University of South Carolina. She conducts regional and international training on assistive technology for persons with disabilities of all ages, their caregivers and professionals who serve them.

*RESNA - Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America

Register Today for the 2023 NADD Annual Conference

Join us December 13-15 as we celebrate our 40th anniversary!

After three years of virtual conferences, NADD is pleased to announced that the 40th Annual NADD Conference will be held in person at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, TN. 

Register Now to Join Us in Nashville!

Attendee registration is open! Several pricing options are available, with discounts for NADD members, students, groups, and more. A detailed pricing breakdown can be found in the registration brochure.

Register Here!

*****

Conference Highlight: 

Sightseeing on Lower Broadway

Get excited for a curated exploration of Nashville's famous Lower Broadway on Wednesday night of the Annual Conference. You will immerse yourself in the rich history and vibrant culture of Music City as you visit hand-picked locations, carefully selected by the NADD Conference Chairs. From iconic music venues to hidden gems, each location offers a unique glimpse into Nashville's renowned music scene. Get ready to discover what makes Nashville truly unforgettable. This will be an informal outing, and details will be provided in the conference app, Whova, as the conference approaches. Attendees will be responsible for meeting up with the group on their own, but local resources will be highlighted in advance.

Explore Nashville

We are looking forward to hosting this year's conference in iconic Nashville, Tennessee! The Loews Vanderbilt Hotel is located just steps away from the Vanderbilt University campus and Music Row. Don't miss out on this opportunity to experience the history, culture, and great food that awaits you in Nashville! Click here for all the information you need to plan your trip.

Lodging - Loews Vanderbilt Hotel

Overnight accommodations are available to NADD participants at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel (2100 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203) for a discounted group rate starting at $219/night plus tax. 

Click here to reserve your room.

 

The discounted rate is available until November 17, 2023.

Meet & Greet Training

Discover new ways to meet people and get involved in activities. 

Register for this free training! 

Online: 

November 13 from 3 pm to 4 pm

In Person at Columbia & Greenville Offices: 

November 14 from 3 pm to 4:30 pm

Registration will close the day before the training.

For questions, contact info@able-sc.org.

Register Now!

*****

Able South Carolina

720 Gracern Road Suite 106

Columbia, South Carolina 29210

803.779.5121 | advocacy@able-sc.org

November Disability Benefits & Employment Workshop

November Disability Benefits 

& Employment Workshop

Join us on Wednesday, 

November 8 from 2 PM to 4 PM 

through Zoom!

Are you interested in going to work 

or increasing your earnings?

Have you been told that doing so 

would cause you to lose your cash benefits?

If so, please register for this free workshop!

In the workshop we will:

• Break down myths about working while receiving SSI/SSDI.
• Connect you with local service providers.

This workshop will be most beneficial to people who already receive SSI/SSDI or have some basic knowledge of it.

Register Now!

• Registering ensures you get the link and all the materials needed. 
• Registration closes on Tuesday, November 7. 
• If you need accommodations and are registering after Friday, October 27, please email us at hiremesc@able-sc.org.
• For more information, email hiremesc@able-sc.org or call 1-800-681-7715/TTY: 803-779-0949.

Thank you to Disability Rights South Carolina 

for funding this program.

Able South Carolina

803.779.5121 | advocacy@able-sc.org

October 2023 Leadership in IDD

Perspectives

 

Commentary from the Field

Ann Marie Licata, PhD

Assistant Professor, Millersville University

Inclusion is not merely allowing an individual to participate or to be part of a group but welcoming another human being into the experience. Fully accessing the experience (and content) creates a sense of belonging and provides a real opportunity to become a valued member of a community. Belonging, or connectedness, can lead to higher academic success and contribute to a greater sense of fulfilling one’s inherent personal and/or professional purposes. When asked “why” we promote inclusive classroom instruction, the answer seems obvious: We engage in inclusion to achieve a greater sense of community and belonging, which contributes to greater academic success, which then leads to greater personal and professional outcomes. Communities that adopt inclusion as a moral imperative will produce a more just and civil society in which all members feel a sense of belonging and value as members.

*****

Notables

Recent awards, accolades, appointments, and other honors

Sharon Milberger, ScD

Elected Member-at-Large to the AUCD Board of Directors

*****

Justin Kuehl, PsyD, FAAIDD

Featured in AAIDD Member Spotlight

AAIDD Member Since 2007

*****

AAIDD is looking to feature notables and perspective pieces from our members in the field! Send us your commentary to be featured in a future Leadership in IDD Newsletter.

Produced by AAIDD, this monthly digest features the recent (first made available within last 3 months) and emergent (will be available within the next 4-6 weeks) work of AAIDD members only. Journal articles, while important, are not featured in this publication. 

View the archive of the Leadership in IDD newsletter here.

Join AAIDD online!

November Events: Register Now!

11/02/23 

2023 Assistive Technology Leadership Conference

Are you providing assistive technology services to K-12?  

Then this in-person event is for you!  

Register Now!

*****

11/07/23 

Empowering Learners with Varying Complexities: 

How ALL Students Can Develop Literacy Skills 

Participants must register to receive the webinar link. 

Register Now!

*****

11/14/23 

WITH, not AT: Classroom Discussion for Building Background Knowledge

Participants must register to receive the webinar link. 

Register Now!

*****

11/16/23 or 11/17/23 

Adapted Toy Workshop 

Participants must visit our website to register for 

a specific time on either day.

Register Now!

The Buddy Walk Count Down is on!

Buddy Walk 2023: 

Sunday, October 29th

Saluda Shoals Park Athletic Fields!

12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

 

Tailgating and Family Fun Activities

Crafts, Music, Trunk or Treat, Field Games, Vendors

Costumes optional!

2:00 p.m. 

Group walk around the fields, followed by the

Buddy Walk 2023 Awards Ceremony

The big day is getting closer--let's make it a great count down to our Buddy Walk celebration on October 29th!

Final Fundraising Challenge! If you haven't started fundraising--now is the time. It takes just minutes to create your page. Get started here. If you have already started--keep up the great work! Remember, you can share the link to your fundraising page on social media to ask your friends to support your Buddy Walk participation. Offline donations are also easy to add to your page.

Our final fundraising challenge is for $40 in gift cards from Target! The team who raises the most money from Friday, October 20th through Friday, October 27th is the winner! So share your story, share the link to your fundraising page, and finish strong! 

P.S. The winner of last week's Nifty Fifty challenge is Marc Anthony Robinson's Team! Congratulations Marc, your gift card is on the way!      

Buddy Walk 2023 T-shirts! We still have shirts available--if you would like to order a free shirt for a Buddy, or to purchase T-shirts, please visit our T-shirt page!

 

We would VERY much appreciate if you are able to pick up your T-shirt orders at the Family Connection office prior to Buddy Walk day. Come see us on Wednesday, October 25 or Thursday, October 26 between the hours of 9:00 - 4:30. You can also turn in any offline donations and we will add it to your team total. If you need to request a different day or time for T-shirt pick up, contact jgarbinsky@familyconnectionsc.org

Sponsor and vendor opportunities are still available! 

Family Connection of South Carolina

1800 St Julian Place Suite 104

Columbia, SC 29204

AUCD Weekly

October 18, 2023

Announcements

AUCD 2023 Conference Storytelling Workshop Lottery

How can personal relationships developed through storytelling help us frame discussions aimed at building stronger, more cohesive communities? This interactive workshop explores the role of storytelling as a tool to transform what you do every day into stories that help to strengthen and inspire your work and role in building community. Renowned storyteller, peacebuilder, and folklorist Kiran Singh Sirah will hold two exclusive workshops on Tuesday, November 7th—one for UCEDD and LEND directors and one for the Emerging Leaders Community. Please register below for a chance to win one of thirty coveted spots; participants will get to work with Kiran in a smaller group setting and hone their story craft!  Enter the lottery to win a seat in the workshop today.

nTIDE Deeper Dive – Employment Trends for Women with Disabilities

Friday, October 20, 2023, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET

Since the pandemic began, we have hosted a mid-month COVID-19 Update webinar. As emerging needs have changed, this webinar will now be a Deeper Dive into the issues. Please join us on October 20, from 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EST, for "Employment Trends for Women with Disabilities." 

View the full list of Announcements.

Funding

Wellcome, Mental Health Award: Understanding how anxiety- and trauma-related problems develop, persist and resolve

Deadline: November 14, 2023

Award Ceiling: TBD

Wellcome invites applications for its Mental Health Award: Understanding how anxiety- and trauma-related problems develop, persist, and resolve. Through this award mechanism, funding of up to $4.8 million over up to five years will be awarded to support researchers investigating the causal mechanisms through which brain, body, and environment interact over time in the development, persistence, and resolution of anxiety- and trauma-related disorders. Knowing more about these mechanisms will help find better ways to identify these problems and intervene at an early stage. Applications must focus on the causal mechanisms underlying the development, persistence, and/or resolution of anxiety-related problems.

American Psychological Foundation, Child Psychology Research

Deadline: November 15, 2023

Award Ceiling: $25,000

The American Psychological Foundation invites applications for its Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz Child Psychology Graduate Student Fellowship. Through the program, the foundation aims to nurture excellent young scholars for careers in psychology, such as child-clinical, pediatric, school, educational, and developmental psychopathology, and support scholarly work to advance knowledge in these areas. The foundation will provide fellowships of $25,000 to support graduate research projects and scholarships in child psychology.

Resources

Institute on Community Integration (ICI) Public Service Announcements: Double Dose of Awareness 

Amid worries about a fall surge in COVID-19 cases, ICI has created new public service announcements encouraging direct support professionals (DSPs) and other caregivers to get vaccinated. It will also distribute about 500 kits with information about COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, pain-relief devices for people with needle fears, and other items at upcoming fall events.

NDEAM 2023: Resources Now Available

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is well on its way with employers, educators, services professionals, advocacy organizations and others implementing a wide variety of events across the nation. Learn more about NDEAM – including how you can get involved and find resources available to assist in planning observances.

Click here to read more of this issue!

Adaptive Jeans Reviewed

October 17, 2023

TRENDING

The French Para Who Made a Wooden Wheelchair for the Pope

Paul de Livron is a wheelchair user from France who makes wooden wheelchairs by cutting wood into layers using preprogrammed computer software, gluing together and hand-sanding them into some of the most unique creations we’ve ever seen. His latest project was a custom chair for the most famous wheelchair user in the world: the pope. See the design and join the conversation on our Instagram page. 

PRODUCTS

No Limbits Adaptive Pants: Reviewed

Adaptive clothing company No Limbits makes jeans for women and men with durable materials and a variety of adaptive features, like a zippered front flap to help make cathing easier. NM reviewers Jenny Smith and Mike Franz, both quads, tested the jeans. While they appreciated the quality construction, they found the zippers hard to use with limited grip strength.

WHAT TO WATCH

Full Circle Documentary Follows the Tracks of Two Boundary-Pushing Wheelchair Users

In 2019, Trevor Kennison became the first to sit-ski Corbet’s Couloir, which is one of the most difficult runs in the U.S. and named after wheelchair user and longtime NM editor Barry Corbet. The new documentary Full Circle traces the interconnected stories of these two men and follows the “post-traumatic growth” that spinal cord injury can ignite.

Click here to read more of this issue!