Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living
Connecting people to the power of independence
February is Low Vision Awareness Month!
Come join Insightful Connections, the organization of Texas A&M students who are blind or visually impaired, to learn more about the challenges and triumphs of those who have low or no vision. Topics will be Braille, independent travel, assistive technology, and life experiences, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Logistical details are:
When: Tuesday, February 4th
Location: Koldus 111
Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
by Gia Alexander
Independent Living Facilitator
World Braille Day is acknowledged every year on January 4 to commemorate the birthday of Louis Braille (1809-1852), who, after losing his sight, developed the Braille code that to this day affords equal access to reading and writing by people who have blindness or low vision.
World Braille Week follows each year from January 4-10. Braille is a codified system 
of patterns of raised dots arranged in groups of six, called “cells,” that represent individual characters, parts of words, or whole words, depending on the level of contraction, or shorthand, the user chooses. Uncontracted Braille uses a single cell with a specific arrangement of raised dots to represent each letter of the alphabet and punctuation marks. Contracted Braille is similar to the “text-speak” we often use today to communicate on our electronic devices, such as using the letter “u” in place of the word “you.”
Despite the advancements in electronics and other low vision-related technology, Braille is still relevant to the independent living of those who use it. It has become more than the basic codified system of dots and cells in books to include many kinds of raised markings that people who have vision loss use to make their environments more accessible. For instance, at the Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living, visitors can see many examples of Braille in use, such as Braille number labels on the microwave in the teaching kitchen, and also posted instructions in Braille describing how to get out of the building safely in an emergency. Hand-held Braille label makers and portable Braille typewriters enable ready access to this useful system for environment modification. Tactile Braille display devices that connect to computers make on-screen text accessible.
And all work and no play makes Braille a dull code! Many games and other recreational activities are available in Braille, enabling those who have low or no vision to engage in the same recreational choices as those with good sight. Braille
playing cards, Braille Monopoly, and Braille Sudoku are just three selections available to users.
Braille is a tool that people who have blindness or low vision choose to use to improve access to information and to make environments more safe and accessible. So today and for the week to come, we honor Louis Braille and appreciate his contribution to independent living.
From the program announcement:
“The summer 2014 Youth in Development (YiD) internship program is aimed at students and recent graduates with disabilities who aspire to careers in international development or international affairs. Applications are open until January 29, 2014.
The YiD program will bring a group of talented graduate students, recent graduates, and rising college juniors and seniors with disabilities to Washington, DC, for nine weeks. This will include a one-week training and orientation program followed by an eight-week internship at an international organization in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. USICD will cover the cost of fully-accessible housing during the YiD progam, reimburse travel expenses to and from DC, and provide a limited stipend. It is anticipated that the program will run from May 25 to July 25, 2014. These dates may be subject to change.
The United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) launched the YiD internship program in 2013 with funding support from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. The project follows from a vision, core to USICD’s mission, to increase disability inclusion in U.S. foreign affairs by supporting future generations of Americans with disabilities to invest their skills and talents in this field.
To learn more about the YiD program, eligibility criteria, and the application process, please visit http://usicd.org/template/
Please disseminate this email, or the printable handout, among students and recent graduates who may be interested. If you are an international organization in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area interested in hosting a YiD intern, please communicate with yid@usicd.org.
Application deadline for the summer 2014 YiD program is January 29, 2014.
P.S. In addition to coordinating the YiD program, USICD also leads the campaign for U.S. ratification of the “Disability Treaty”. This is the first international treaty to protect the human rights of people with disabilities. We are interested in hearing from campus and student leaders who want to help mobilize others to take action in support of the Disability Treaty. Please communicate with Andrea Shettle at ashettle@usicd.org for details. No time to be involved? Then you may want to simply sign and disseminate a petition at http://bit.ly/Youth4CRPD.”
Very well said! Good luck to all interested youth!
Heads up, everybody! There is a new scam afoot that could do great harm to people with disabilities who have diabetes and receive Medicare.
What’s Going On?
Companies that provide Medicare-approved diabetic testing supplies also often sell other types of durable medical equipment (DME). Some of these companies, and/or their partners who have access to our information, are submitting bogus requests for DME that we did not ask for to our doctors and other health care providers. If the doctor approves the request, then these unethical businesses bill Medicare for the cost of the equipment, but we never actually get it–because we didn’t ask for it in the first place!
What’s the Immediate Concern?
This unfair and illegal business practice could be especially harmful to Medicare recipients with diabetes who have other disabilities. Because some DME items like power wheelchairs and adjustable beds are very expensive, Medicare will only pay for one such item every few years. Power wheelchairs, for example, are one every five years. So if Medicare gets a bogus bill for a power wheelchair in your name–and then in a couple of years you really do need that equipment–you will not be able to receive it because Medicare’s records will show that they already paid for one.
How Can We Protect Ourselves and Our Loved Ones?
Our doctors, who must sign off on DME requests, will usually do their best to weed out these bogus requests. But, as we all know, clinics and doctor’s offices can get really busy, especially around the holidays. The crooks are hoping that, because they are so busy, our doctors will just sign the necessary forms without seeing us face-to-face as Medicare requires. Unfortunately, sometimes this does happen.
We can protect ourselves and those for whom we advocate in two ways:
1. If you get a call from your doctor’s office about a request for DME, don’t ignore the message just because you know you didn’t need or ask for anything. Call or see your doctor to clear up the matter and prevent the fraudulent paperwork from going through.
2. Every three months, every Medicare recipient gets a report in the mail from CMS, or the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This document is a printout from the government’s end showing all expenses billed to Medicare during the previous 90 days. Don’t just toss these reports in a drawer! Look over them very carefully to make sure you actually both requested and received every instance of care and/or item of DME shown. If you see something you know you did not request or receive, call 1-800-MEDICARE and report the item(s).
This type of fraud hurts all Medicare recipients because it depletes funds for everybody. Be sure to stand up for your rights.
Where Can I Get Extra Help?
If you have questions about this scam, your CMS report, or other Medicare issue, you can always call 1-800-MEDICARE. If you would like more personalized attention of help contacting Medicare, BVCIL has a Benefits Counselor on staff. Just call (979) 776-5505 for an appointment.
Where Did This Information Come From?
The alert about this scam came from a local clinic which received a flood of bogus DME requests. Clinic staff noticed that the requests were overwhelmingly for Medicare patients with diabetes and were coming from companies known to provide Medicare-approved diabetic testing supplies. When called, many patients reported not needing, never asking for, or already having the equipment in question.
Finding and maintaining good, steady employment can be hard for anyone, but if you have a disability, it can take some extra problem solving. National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) helps to make employers more aware of people’s abilities to promote inclusion and diversity in the workplace. The theme for NDEAM 2013 is, “Because We Are EQUAL to the Task”
The US Department of Labor organizes NDEAM each October, with support and additional activities in each state. To learn more about NDEAM, please visit:
http://www.dol.gov/odep/
To learn more about NDEAM in Texas, please visit:
http://www.governor.state.tx.
Heads up, everybody! We apologize for the very short notice, but this event looks to be very informative.
At 3:00 – 4:30 Eastern time TOMORROW, Thursday, August 29, 2013, The Aging and Disability Partnership for Managed Long Term Services and Supports is offering a FREE webcast on health care providers being both “physically and programmatically accessible” to people who have disabilities. The webinar presenters will discuss applicable laws under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation act of 1973, and the new Affordable Care Act.
This webcast is open and FREE to everyone, but preregistration is required. Please visit http://app.certain.com/