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Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living

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Something to KNOW

Press Release – Congrats Regina Blye!

September 11, 2015

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2015

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced the appointment of the following individuals to key Administration posts:

· Regina Blye – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Boar

· Christopher Stephen Hart – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

· Mathew McCollough – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

· Victor Santiago Pineda – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

· Karen Tamley – Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board

President Obama said, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them.”

President Obama announced the appointment of the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Regina Blye, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Regina Blye is the Executive Director of the Texas State Independent Living Council (SILC). Ms. Blye is a member of several national and statewide boards, including SILC Congress, National Council on Independent Living, Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council, Access Empowerment, and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. She has been a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board since 2011. Ms. Blye received an M.P.A. from the University of Texas and a B.S. from West Texas A&M University.

Christopher Stephen Hart, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Christopher Stephen Hart is a consultant specializing in the Americans with Disabilities Act and Universal Design whose principal work is serving as the Technical Advisor for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Boston’s disability community. Previously, he was the Director of Urban and Transportation Projects for the Institute for Human Centered Design. Mr. Hart formerly served as an appointed member of the Governor’s Transportation Advisory Reform Committee in Massachusetts and the National Steering Committee for Project ACTION, a national organization dedicated to promoting universal access to transportation for people with disabilities. Mr. Hart currently serves as a board member for LivableStreets Alliance, Disability Law Center, and Agassiz Village. He has been a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board since 2011. Mr. Hart received a B.A. from the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Mathew McCollough, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Mathew McCollough is the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC), which promotes independence and equal opportunity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to assuming the current position as the DDC Executive Director, he served as the Communications Manager for the D.C. Office of Disability Rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance office for the District Government. Previously, he served as a grants manager and trainer with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and for the National Service Inclusion Project – a training and technical assistance provider that advocates on the behalf of individuals with disabilities to fully participate in service and civic-minded programs within their communities. He has been a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board since 2011. Mr. McCollough received his M.P.A. in Public Administration from American University and his B.A. from James Madison University.

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda is President of the World Enabled and the Pineda Foundation, positions he has held since founding the organizations in 2003. Dr. Pineda was the University of California, Berkeley Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Academic Diversity and an Adjunct Professor in City & Regional Planning at University of California, Berkeley, positions he held in 2012. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the World Institute on Disability in 2011. Dr. Pineda was a Summer Associate at the Department of the Treasury in 2006, a Researcher at the Institute for Urban and Regional Development in 2005, a Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley Kujacic Endowment in 2004, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee of the National Council on Disability in 2003, and a Principal Investigator with Energenz do Brasil in 2002. He has received numerous grants and awards, including a National Science Foundation Innovation research grant, a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship, and the AAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award. Dr. Pineda received a B.A., B.S. and M.C.P. from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles

Karen Tamley, Appointee for Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
Karen Tamley is Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities for the City of Chicago, a position she has held since 2005. Ms. Tamley co-founded the Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing, where she served as a National Organizer from 1994 to 2004. She was Director of Programs at Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago from 1996 to 2005. Previously, Ms. Tamley was Housing Director at Atlantis Community, Inc. from 1992 to 1996 and an Executive Assistant at the National Disability Action Center from 1990 to 1992. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Meals on Wheels Chicago, the Board of Directors of Pace Suburban Bus, the National Advisory Panel of the Institute for Human Centered Design, and the Transit Access Advisory Committee of the Regional Transportation Authority. Ms. Tamley received a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley.

Filed Under: News / Press Release, Something to KNOW

2015 Mayor’s Award!

September 7, 2015

Nominate Someone!

Download the application, here.

BCSMC J505 Award Application 2015_Page_1 BCSMC J505 Award Application 2015_Page_2

Filed Under: Advocacy, Public Input, Something to DO, Something to KNOW

Workplace Accommodations Research Study

August 24, 2015

Job Accommodation Network

(800)526-7234 (V)
(877)781-9403 (TTY)
http://AskJAN.org
Request for Help
Workplace Accommodations Research Study

Florida State Unviversity is looking for participants for a research study. This study is being conducted by Stacy Rademacher, a graduate student, under the supervision of Dr. Shengli Dong from the Department of Education at Florida State University. I am looking for individuals with disabilities who have made decisions about asking for accommodations in the workplace and could use your help in reaching out to possible participants. Would it possible for you to share this email or the survey link below with those in your organization? More information about the study is provided below.

Those who are interested in participating are invited to share their perceptions on job accommodations requests through (a) answering a few questions about themselves and the organization that they are working with, and (b) completing a few measures on their ability to request accommodations, as well as on their feelings and emotions in the process of requesting accommodations. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and has been approved by the Internal Review Board at Florida State University.

Individuals who choose to complete the survey will be eligible to enter a lottery and have a chance to win 1 of 4 $25 amazon gift cards. In addition, they will be assisting us to learn more about how to improve the job accommodation process.

If you are an individual with a disability (18 years of age or older), and have had a need for an accommodation in your workplace within the past three months, please click the link below to get more information and to get started.

http://fsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8G4a8EiZAXIIQct

If you have any questions about the research study itself or need alternative formats of the survey, you can contact Stacy Rademacher by email atworkplace_accommodation@fsu.edu.

Thanks so much – your assistance is invaluable!

Stacy Rademacher
Doctoral Student
Counseling and School Psychology
The Florida State University

Filed Under: Advocacy, Public Input, Something to KNOW, Surveys

CONGRATS Texas State Independent Living Council​ on winning the Lex Frieden Employment Awards for Non-Profit Employer this year!!!

August 20, 2015

2015 Lex Frieden Awards Luncheon

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

11:30 am-1:30 pm

Fort Worth Convention Center

Presented by the state of Texas

Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD)​

The 2015 Host City. . .​Fort Worth, Texas!

Tickets are on sale now!  Click for online purchase.

Tickets:  $30 per person

Table Sponsor for 10 with Signage -$400.  Click for Table Sponsor online purchase.

​

​​~~~~

​For Assistance, please contact us at:  mcpdconference@gmail.com 

​Each year during the month of October (National Disability Employment Awareness Month), a local committee in Texas hosts the Annual Employment Awards Ceremony, and the winners in each of several categories are introduced to an appreciative audience. Award categories include large, medium, and small employers, as well as non-profit employers, the Entrepreneurship Award, Martha Arbuckle Award and the Governor’s Trophy.

For additional information:  http://gov.texas.gov/disabilities/awards/employment_awards/

This Year is especially exciting, as we recognize the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act-ADA

Each Fall since 1999, the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities produces a poster celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October. Artwork for the poster is selected by a submission and judging process and is open to any Texas artist with a disability.  (More)

An exciting FREE-Pre-Luncheon Conference, Presented and Hosted by

the city of Fort Worth Mayor’s Committee on Persons With DisAbilities (MCPD)

Monday, October 19, 2015 10 am-4:30 pm

Free to attend- Registration is Required– Click here

​

​​

 

Filed Under: Something to KNOW

Kroger Community Rewards!

August 12, 2015

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Kroger has a Community Rewards Program that allows Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living to receive funds every time our supporters shop at one of their stores.

Kroger is committed to helping our communities grow and prosper. Year after year, local schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations will earn millions of dollars through Kroger Community Rewards®.

Kroger Community Rewards® makes fund-raising easy…all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card!

If you would like to be able to donate to us every time you go grocery shopping, follow the steps below

 

First, if you do not already have a Kroger Plus Card, you will need to sign up for one. Go to www.kroger.com/account/create to create an account and follow the steps.

Next, once you have an account or if you already have one, you will login and go to “Account Summary”. If you scroll all the way to the bottom, you will see a section titled “Community Rewards” where you can click the “Enroll” button and it brings you to a search page. Enter the BVCIL NPO number 17902 or just search our name. Then, click enroll. It’s that easy!

Now all you have to do is make sure you use your card at check out when you shop at Kroger and they will automatically donate to us at no extra cost to you!

You must present your Kroger Plus Card or provide your Alternate ID at the register during the transaction in order for it to count towards the program.

You should begin seeing at the bottom of your receipts, “At your request, Kroger is donating to Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living”.

If you have any questions, email shelby@bvcil.org and I will do my best to answer them.

Filed Under: Something to KNOW

Vote for BVCIL!!

August 11, 2015

Vote for BVCIL as the best place to work in Brazos Valley! Show your support for our center and what we do for the community!

Follow the link below to vote.

http://theeagle.secondstreetapp.com/l/Best-Place-to-Work-in-the-Brazos-Valley-2015

Filed Under: Something to KNOW

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Bryan, TX 77802
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