Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living

Connecting people to the power of independence

Advocacy

April 14-20 is Disability Awareness Week in Texas

National Disability Employment Awareness Month comes around every year in October, but in Texas, disability awareness gets an extra boost every April with Disability Awareness Week. This year, it is April 14-20, and 2013 is also the 25th anniversary of the event.

Rendell Resneder, an entrepreneur, pastor, and educational computing professional in the Ph.D. program at North Texas State University, founded Disability Awareness Week 25 years ago when he was a freshman in high school. Randell, who is also the Executive Director of Texas Disability Awareness Programs and the current Vice-Chair of the Texas State Independent Living Council, established the event to advocate his “I CAN” philosophy.

Many organizations around Texas that serve people with disabilities have commemorative events planned for this week. The Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living launched Disability Awareness Week on Sunday, April 14  with Dining in the Dark, an event to raise awareness of blindness and low vision and also to raise funds for accessible transportation.

Click here to view a video of Randell Resneder’s story, “Looking Beyond the Obvious,” in which he discusses Disability Awareness Week.

Celebrate Service: National Volunteer Week, April 21-27, 2013

by Nancy Flowers and Pat Morse

Celebrate Service captures the meaning of this signature week, honoring the people who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities.

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week has grown in scope each year, drawing the support and endorsement of U.S. presidents, governors, mayors and other respected elected officials.

National Volunteer Week embodies the energy and power volunteers evoke on a daily basis as they lead by example–not only encouraging the people they help, but motivating others to serve as well.

This year, Points of Light is also honored to recognize the fourth anniversary of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and the creation of the Volunteer Generation Fund through a series of celebratory and service events across the nation.

Celebrate Service presents an opportunity for individuals, families, nonprofit organizations and government entities alike to celebrate the ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things through service.

Facts About Age-related Hearing Loss

Think you have to be 70 to start having age-related hearing loss? Think again! According to a recent blog article from The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, hearing loss can start as early as our 40s, and we also don’t do our ears any favors with all that loud music through our headphones.

Hearing loss can sneak up on us gradually so that we don’t notice the difference until the decrease in perception is already pretty significant. Hearing loss also occurs from the top down, that is, higher-pitched sounds are the first to go.

The mechanical process of hearing loss involves the death and destruction of tiny fibers in our ears called cilia that, once gone, do not reproduce or regenerate. Exposure to loud noise for long periods of time can accelerate the loss of these structures.

Whatever the cause, some good news is that there is assistive technology that can help those with hearing loss maintain their independence. Hearing aids are, of course, the first line of defense for hearing loss. Other devices are also available, such as telephone and television amplifiers, that make life with hearing loss more enjoyable. Other technology, such as smoke detectors and doorbells with flashing lights, employ our other senses to help keep us safe.

Be sure to check out that blog post for more information.

 

Medicaid Expansion in Texas Still Undecided, But The Debates Continue

As the current legislative session draws nearer to close, Texas lawmakers are still debating what to do about Medicaid Expansion. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 offers states the option to expand their existing Medicaid programs to provide health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured adults. Texas has the largest percentage of uninsured adults in the nation at a rate of 20-25%. The federal government would pay 100% of new Medicaid Expansion costs for three years, then gradually reduce their contribution to 90%, leaving states to then sustain the remaining 10%. Unlike other federal programs that mandate sustainability, states unable or unwilling to budget this residual cost will have the choice to opt out.

Opponents argue that Texas cannot afford Medicaid Expansion because of the possibility of increased healthcare costs down the road, and that opting out of the program later would be unfair to Texans by pulling the proverbial rug from under them. Lawmakers are now exploring several other alternatives to straightforward Medicaid Expansion. Those options include using traditional Medicaid block grant money to overhaul the existing Medicaid system, setting up a new state health care system in place of Medicaid, or negotiating with federal lawmakers about how Medicaid Expansion funds could be used differently, such as using private insurers to provide the expanded care or setting up “personal responsibility” measures to offset future costs, such deductibles as co-payments for expanded Medicaid services.

Medicaid matters because it helps people and creates jobs, but it also costs a great deal of money. The important thing right now is that our lawmakers are talking actively and exploring our options. It’s our job as Texans to investigate those options for ourselves, make up our own minds, and then let our legislators and our governor know where we stand. We can surf the Internet, read newspapers, and listen to the news to learn more about Medicaid Expansion in Texas. We can also use the link below to find out who our representatives are and how to contact them.

 

Find Your Texas Representatives

 

Local Partnership Helps People Save for Education, Homeownership, and Entrepreneurship

Goal$avers is a local program that can help low-to-moderate income individuals and families save money to buy a first home, pay for school, or start a small business. Goal$avers is made possible by a grant-funded partnership between the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency (BVCAA) and the United Way of the Brazos Valley.

homeownershipeducation

small business

After filling out an application and qualifying for the program (income, residency, and asset restrictions apply), participants in Goal$avers establish a savings account called an Individual Development Account into which they place money toward their home, school, or business goal. At the end of six months, Goal$avers matches at a rate of 2 to 1 the money the participant saved, up to $2000. For example, if a participating family saves $2000 toward their homeownership goal, Goal$avers provides an additional $4000, for a grand total of $6000! Now that’s a lot of tuition or a chunk of a down payment on a house or for a business!

While Goal$avers is open to everyone who meets the qualifications, this program can be especially helpful to people who have disabilities in building their independence through reaching housing, educational, or vocational goals. One thing that people with disabilities need to keep in mind when applying for Goal$avers is that only earned income can be saved toward the match. SSI and SSDI cannot be used for the match.

For more information please contact Goal$avers Program Coordinator Tara Lazaro at (979) 255-8301 or by email at ida@bvcaa.org.

 

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

The Brain Injury Association of America reminds us that, “A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere to anyone. Brain injuries do not discriminate. Did you know that 1.7 million people will sustain a brain injury each year? An injury that happens in an instant can bring a lifetime of physical, cognitive and behavior challenges and early, equal and adequate access to care will greatly increase overall quality of life. This is our goal. Please click here for more information.