Free benefits workshop on January 27!

Have you ever been told that you will automatically lose your benefits if you work? Or that because you have a disability, you cannot work? These are just two of the many myths we hear about how employment may affect a person's benefits.

Register for our free virtual workshop on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 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

Register here!

*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.

If you are requesting accommodations after January 18, please email us at hiremesc@able-sc.org

Thanks to all the agencies that make these workshops possible:

Hire Me SC

720 Gracern Road Suite 106 | Columbia, South Carolina 29210

803.779.5121 | hiremesc@able-sc.org

Brain Injury Fundamentals Classes

Registration Ends Soon!

Brain Injury Fundamentals Training 

3 Year Certificate Program

Brain Injury Fundamentals is an essential training and certificate program designed exclusively for non-licensed direct care staff, family members, and individual caregivers. The training course covers essential topics such as cognition, medical complications, and medication safety and management.

When: 

• Thursday, January 7, 2021  9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
• Thursday, January 14, 2021 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Where: Online via Zoom Platform    

Target Audience:        

• Caregivers
• Direct Support Staff
• Anyone interested in receiving a Brain Injury Fundamentals Certificate

Fees: $140 includes workbook, training, and exam

Discount available for Unpaid Caregivers

Instructors: 

• Kay Brooks, MA, CBIST, Director, Head and Spinal Cord Injury Services
• Meghan Trowbridge, LMSW, CBIS, Assistant Director

Registration Process:

• Submit the registration form by December 18, 2020
• Registration Form:  https://bit.ly/BIASCFundamentals
• Payment is due to Brain Injury Association of SC before first class
• Address:  140-A Amicks Ferry Road, Ste. 331, Chapin, SC 29036      

*Class is limited to 25 participants.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CLASS?

Please contact Joyce Davis at BIASC at 803-731-9823 or director@biaofsc.com.

At-home Wheelchair Fitness on a Budget

December 16, 2020 

Maximum Workout on a Minimalist Budget 

Wheelchair user and personal trainer Ben Clark is an expert on designing fun and intense workouts that you can do with a minimum of gear. He shares his essential home gym equipment (broom handle, anyone?) that can help you get fit without leaving the house or breaking the bank.

Diet Culture and the Shrinking Disabled Woman

While the pressure to meet conventional standards of beauty and health are strong for everyone, Erica Mones argues that the weight of diet culture is felt even more by disabled women. She shares her own journey and thoughts on eating disorders, mental health, compulsive exercise and the dangers of body conformity. 

Five Tools to Increase Your Independence at Home

Sometimes, increasing your independence at home can be simpler than you think. “A good tool doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. It just has to effectively do what you need it to,” writes engineer and C5 quad Stefan Henry. He shares a few of his favorites, from a classic key holder to a spiked cutting board, to a device that offers streamlined control over smart devices, and more. 

Click here to read the complete issue of this week's 

New Mobility’s Biweekly Newsletter.

December supports for COVID-19

As we endure the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Autism Society continues to provide urgent COVID-19 resources, as well as holiday support. Our December toolkit also includes relevant policy information for the upcoming legislative goals and transition.

This holiday season will be different due to social distancing guidelines, which may leave some feeling lonely or anxious. These resources are here to help you find ways to celebrate safely while still connecting with loved ones.

Stay safe, and stay hopeful this holiday season, we are here for you.

CHECK OUT OUR DECEMBER TOOLKIT

The Autism Society of America and national disability organizations encourage the autism and I/DD community to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, and urges the autism community to be vaccinated as distribution becomes possible.

As with any medical decision, the Autism Society of America encourages parents, caregivers and autistic individuals to discuss the COVID-19 vaccines with their physicians. 

READ FULL STATEMENT

This past Giving Tuesday, we watched with awe and gratitude as people from all over came together for a global day of giving. So far we have raised $35,000! 

To those who donated, we cannot thank you enough for your generosity. If you have yet to donate and would like to support our end-of-year giving efforts, it's not too late!

Your support helps us create a wider #SpectrumOfOpportunity for all individuals and families affected by autism.

DONATE

 

Techie Tuesday

Techie Tuesday 

December 15th 

For Speech-Language Pathologists, Early Interventionists, Occupational Therapists and Parents.

Join SCATP Staff, Carol Page, PhD, CCC-SLP for an informative and relaxed conversation about communication devices, and communication apps comparison. 

Learn how to get a FREE iPad with communication app.​

To sign up for a time for your personal

 1:1 demonstration for December 15th, 

contact Carol Page at 

carol.page@uscmed.sc.edu or 803-935-5301. 

Check out our free archived trainings and upcoming trainings here:

https://scatp.med.sc.edu/services/at-trainings/

SAVE THE DATE: 2021 Assistive Technology Expo

SAVE THE DATE: 

2021 Assistive Technology Expo

Virtual 2021 Assistive Technology Expo

March 2, 2021

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Registration is Free! Two $50 gift cards will be given away at the end of each session. You must be logged in the session to win!

Target Audience: People with disabilities, their families, seniors, educators, veterans, and healthcare professionals.

REGISTER NOW! 

Participants must register to receive the Zoom Confirmation Email.

KeyNote Speaker: Don Johnston, M.S. 

Mr. Johnston is the CEO and Founder of Don Johnston Incorporated. For forty years, Don has committed himself to developing Human Learning Tools and Curriculum for classrooms to serve the widest range of student learning needs. 

Sessions: The format for the 2021 Virtual Assistive Technology Expo will be 30-minute sessions of fast-paced demonstrations showcasing assistive technology for people with a wide range of disabilities. 

Questions? Call Janet Lambert at 803-935-5263 for more information.

The Wheelchair User's Guide to Reinvention

 December 1, 2020

Consumer Guide: How to Reinvent Yourself

Our revamped 2021 Consumer Guide features passionate wheelchair users who lead you through their favorite, most useful products in the categories of technology, tools, fitness, health, mobility and seating, and vehicle adaptations. We hope their enthusiasm emboldens you to try something new in 2021, or reclaim an activity that once brought you joy. 

American Airlines Reverses Wheelchair Weight Limit Policy

A month after we first reported on an American Airlines policy that effectively barred many power wheelchair users from flying its smaller, regional jets, the airline has reversed course. Its new policy sets cargo weight limits to accommodate the vast majority of power wheelchairs. 

Click here to read the December digital issue! 

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is today, December 3rd, and is a day to help everyone become more compassionate and understanding of the challenges faced by people with disabilities. If you are someone with a disability or know of someone with a disability, you may be interested in what assistive technology can do for you. Assistive technology can level the playing field in work, play, health, and success!

Here are our free resources:

1) Reuse

We take in used medical equipment, sanitize, and then give the items to people in need. This equipment includes wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, canes, bedside commodes, and shower benches, and more. There is no fee for this. Looking for equipment? Contact Alli Upchurch at 803-935-5273 or alli.upchurch@uscmed.sc.edu .

You can also connect with people giving away or selling equipment through our AT Exchange program. Just go to: https://scatpexchange.net/ to see the list of equipment and to sign up to receive equipment. 

2) Device Demonstrations

We are now doing demonstrations via Zoom. We will be happy to show equipment and demonstrate how they are used. Demonstrations can be for one person or more and are very informal. After the demonstration, you can borrow the equipment you viewed.

3) Device Loan

We loan out aids for daily living, communication devices, vision, and hearing devices (not hearing aids), adapted toys, and adapted computer equipment. To borrow a device, go to the SCATP device loan webpage and download the Loan Agreement Form: https://scatp.med.sc.edu/services/device-loans/ . Fill out the form and return to us. We need two different phone numbers. Please be sure and sign page 2 & 3. You can fax, scan and email, or mail to us. On the Fax cover page write what you want to borrow. The loan and shipping to the borrower is free. The borrow is required to pay return shipping and insurance.

4) Training

Just contact Carol Page at 803-935-5301 or carol.page@uscmed.sc.edu to discuss what topics you are interested in. We are now providing trainings via Zoom. Common topics include how to find and use a communication device, types of vision and hearing equipment, computer access, adapted toys, and aids for daily living. We also do an introduction training to all our services. There is no fee for this.

 Join Us!

Facebook

Twitter

 

Free pediatric equipment available

Free pediatric equipment!

Each item is linked to more information, if available. 

Magenta wheelchair

Seat width 12 inches; seat depth 14 inches.

Red wheelchair

Seat width 10 inches; seat depth 11 inches.

Pink wheelchair

Seat width 13 inches; seat depth 14 inches.

Stander-Easystand Zing size 1

Maximum user height 44 inches; 

maximum user weight 70 pounds.

Gait trainer-Rifton Pacer 502

Gait trainer-Trekker 3000

Supine Stander-Rifton E420

If we don’t have what you are looking for, you can also check the AT Exchange.

See you at the 2021 Virtual AT Expo!

http://scatp.med.sc.edu/ 

Phone: 803-935-5273 | Fax: 803-935-5342 | Toll Free: 800-915-4522

Free Webinars on Assistive Technology

The Accessible Technology Coalition 

compiles this listing of free webinars 

from around the Web. 

Follow the ATC Facebook page for late additions.

AT Webinars - Adults & General

Wired Wednesday: AT Bits & Bytes (AT demo) with TFL and WATAP

December 2, 2020 at 11:30 Pacific, 2:30 pm Eastern (30 min. plus q&a)

Social Media Management: Accessibility Basics from Great Lakes ADA

December 15, 2020 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern   (90 min.)

AT Webinars - K-12 and AAC

iPad apps for pupils with complex learning needs from CALL Scotland

December 2, 2020 at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern

Time for a Change: Case Study Illustrating a Complex Child Who Has Plateaued in AT Use from AbleNet

December 15, 2020 at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern

Making SEL Accessible for Students with Learning Differences from edWeb

December 15, 2020 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern

Archived

• Reading for All: Finding and Using High Quality EPUB from AEM/CAST
• Making Video Games That Everyone Can Play from Levelaccess
• Creating Accessible Documents and Slide Decks from NCAEM

 

Free Webinar on Mobility and Seating Aids

Drive Medical Webinar

Title: An Introduction to Inspired by Drive  

Date: December 3rd, 2020

Time:  10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 

Cost: Free! 

Speakers:  Matthew Schobert, Regional Category Vice President

Target Audience: PT/OT/ATP

REGISTER NOW!

Description: 

An introduction to the Pediatric Rehab products and categories offered from Inspired by Drive, including Car Seats, Wheeled Mobility, Walking Aids, Alternative Seating, Bathing and Toileting.  In addition, an explanation on the markets we serve, and why Inspired products are different than competitors and more appealing to families.

Participants will learn: 

• Inspired Product Portfolio
• Inspired Mission and Markets that we Serve
• How to use Inspired products in evaluations, and which products to recommend

There will be a question and answer session at the end of the demonstration. 

Presenter Name: Matthew Schobert, Inspired Regional Vice President has 17 years in the Medical Sales Industry, including Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines, Diagnostics, Medical Device, DME, and Rehab.