Governor's Office of Disability Affairs January 2023

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2022 Governor's Outstanding Leadership in Disabilities (GOLD) Awards & Inclusive Art Contest

The Governor's Office of Disability Affairs was proud to continue its rich tradition of hosting both the Governor's Outstanding Leadership in Disabilities (GOLD) Awards and the Inclusive Art Program. The 2022 GOLD Awards and Inclusive Arts Ceremony took place on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at the Old State Capitol. Watch the recording of the GOLD Awards at this link: https://youtu.be/mqRYw0eaj04. We were proud to honor the following artists and disability advocates for their work:

2022 GOLD Award Recipients

Distinguished Merit Award  

Kathy Dwyer of Metarie

Patsy Barrett Memorial Award  

Lynn Stevens of Shreveport

Ken Vince Memorial Award   

David Green of New Orleans

Educator of the Year Award 

Charles Michel, EdD of Gray

April Dunn Youth of the Year Award  

Garrison St. Martin of Calhoun

Family of the Year Award

The Billings-Rogers Family of Baton Rouge

Volunteer of the Year Award        

Kathleen Cannino of Covington 

Direct Support Person of Year Award   

Rodricka Winn of Shreveport

Elected Official of the Year Award  

Representative Rodney Lyons of Harvey

Public Servant of the Year Award

John Schweitzer, PhD of Baton Rouge

Service Provider of the Year Award

Family & Youth Counseling of Lake Charles

Veteran of the Year Award

SGT Billy Robbins of Gonzales

Employer of the Year Award

Susan Riehn with Families Helping Families of SWLA

2022 Inclusive Art Contest Award Recipients

 K-4^th Grade Division

First Place- Jordan McGee

Second Place- Mia Hunter

Third Place- Julian Brady

5^{th- 8th} Grade Division

First Place- Fischer Ahrens

Second Place- Bailey Ann Bumblis

Third Place- Nyla Reynolds

9^th- 10^th Grade Division

First Place- Amy Do

Second Place- Madelyn McKearon

Third Place- Kaitlyn Meche

11^th- 12^th Grade Division

First Place- Teagan Griffin

Second Place- Amelie Wilson

Third Place- Tia Evans

Adult Division

First Place- Bonnie Dempster

Second Place- Hailey Enamorado

Third Place- Xavier Johnson

Fischer Ahrens was selected as the overall winner and the recipient of the Lynette Fontenot Excellence in Inclusion Award.

During the 2022 GOLD Awards Ceremony, Bambi Polotzola, Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Disability Affairs, was surprised with a special presentation.

Governor John Bel Edwards, the Governor's Office of Disability Affairs staff, and the disability community recognized Bambi for her advocacy, unyielding dedication, and exceptional leadership in our community.

THANK YOU, BAMBI!

The Office of Governor John Bel Edwards has released three newsletters, providing updates on the many events that have taken place throughout Louisiana.

To view these newsletters, please select the links below:

December 9, 2022 Newsletter

December 17, 2022 Newsletter

December 23, 2022 Newsletter

As we navigate this difficult time, our office wants to share disaster resources available to those impacted by this week's storm. 

Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal

• Generator Safety Tips

Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

• Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide
• emergency.louisiana.gov 

Louisiana Disaster Preliminary Damage Self-Report

• damage.la.gov

Mental Health Resources

• Office of Behavioral Health Help Line: 1-877-664-2248
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Governor Edwards' Disaster Updates

• St. Charles 
• Iberia Parish
• North Louisiana  

The FEMA mobile app team is looking for people with disabilities who are interested in sharing feedback on their mobile app usage and thoughts on early design prototypes.

• Be part of an innovative accessibility initiative.

• Join a one-on-one virtual session with a dedicated mobile app team member.

Email FEMA-app@fema.dhs.gov for more information.

The Statewide Independent Living Council of Louisiana is in the midst of developing the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL), a three-year plan to improve Independent Living Services. 

The purpose of this questionnaire is to solicit input from the community which in turn, will enable the Statewide Independent Living Council to develop appropriate goals, objectives and activities within the SPIL.

Your participation in the survey below greatly contributes in the SILC's efforts to improve Independent Living services in Louisiana.

To participate in the survey, select the link below:

Louisiana Statewide Independent Living Council: State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) Survey

To access the links provided in the flyer above, select the titles below:

HOLIDAY STRESS

PARENT SELF CARE

988 vs 211 vs 911

LAMHA - TARGET Health Program - Peer facilitated support for students: https://louisianamha.org/target-health-main/

Questions? Email: lamentalhealthcoalition@gmail.com

Click here to access the GOEA Winter Elder Newsletter

Families Helping Families of Greater New Orleans has released their quarterly magazine filled with tons of great information, including great articles, a listing of all monthly trainings and more.  The 2022 GOLD Awards Family of the Year are featured in this edition

To view this newsletter, click the link below:

2023 1st Quarter Exceptional Times Digital Magazine

Book of the Month:

No Right

to Be Idle

by Sarah Rose

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americans with all sorts of disabilities came to be labeled as "unproductive citizens." Before that, disabled people had contributed as they were able in homes, on farms, and in the wage labor market, reflecting the fact that Americans had long viewed productivity as a spectrum that varied by age, gender, and ability. But as Sarah F. Rose explains in No Right to Be Idle, a perfect storm of public policies, shifting family structures, and economic changes effectively barred workers with disabilities from mainstream workplaces and simultaneously cast disabled people as morally questionable dependents in need of permanent rehabilitation to achieve "self-care" and "self-support." 

By tracing the experiences of policymakers, employers, reformers, and disabled people caught up in this epochal transition, Rose masterfully integrates disability history and labor history. She shows how people with disabilities lost access to paid work and the status of "worker--a shift that relegated them and their families to poverty and second-class economic and social citizenship. This has vast consequences for debates about disability, work, poverty, and welfare in the century to come.