The League for People with Disabilities is committed to offering individuals the opportunity to gain independence, increase self-sufficiency and to improve the quality of life.

June Newsletter

June is Aphasia Awareness Month!

For Aphasia Awareness Month, members of our SCALE Aphasia Program’s Conversation Group held a very candid and inspiring discussion about how living with aphasia has impacted their abilities and identities. First and foremost, what is aphasia?

Learn More About Aphasia from Our SCALE Members

Things that SCALE Members Want YOU to Know About Aphasia:

Our inability to speak does not reflect our intelligence.
Please speak slowly and wait patiently for us to respond.
Get to know us as individuals and come to us to learn about aphasia, apraxia, and dysarthria.
We appreciate your advocacy in the community! Please tell everyone about the wonderful programs at The League’s SCALE Aphasia Center!

SCALE members gather at the Orchard Tree Lane location and over Zoom for conversational topics.

SCALE Updates

The SCALE Aphasia Program launched its Student-Volunteer Interdisciplinary Meetings to encourage the students to collaborate on projects and aphasia-friendly modifications, share successes within their groups, and problem solve communication challenges. Student placements at SCALE involve unique communication experiences that train the next generation of healthcare professionals to communicate successfully with, and advocate for, their future patients living with aphasia. Students and volunteers come from educational backgrounds such as Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy Clinical Doctoral, and Cognitive neuroscience.

The Woodworking group completed two projects that are now on display and in use at the SCALE Aphasia Program Center. The group members and student interns built a side table and a plant stand. Sessions involved measuring practice, cutting, drilling, staining, and reviewing one-handed adaptive tools.

"Woodwork [group] was excellent working with the [OT] students. They helped us build something that we would have never built in a long, long time. It was an adventure. They challenged us to build something new and measure things that we didn't know about. And [the OT student] helped us organize [all the projects] we wanted to work on. I loved this class." – D. Hayes, SCALE Member

The Speak Out Aphasia group has been creating slideshows, editing information, and presenting about aphasia, personal hospital and rehabilitation experiences, and recommendations to local area hospital workers, university students, physical medicine, and rehabilitation residents. Most recently, the Speak Out Aphasia Group presented to the Towson University Speech Language Pathology Masters level students. In addition to the several long-standing partnerships they present to yearly, The Speak Out group continues to expand their outreach and education to new organizations and departments.

The SCALE Aphasia Program is running their 2^nd Aphasia Friendly Business Campaign. Since the move to their new Towson location, SCALE members have yet to meet the local shops and businesses. Members are planning to provide their neighboring businesses with flyers about aphasia, easy communication strategies, and the SCALE Aphasia Program. In addition to the flyers, members are reviving the "Aphasia is not a plant" campaign. Several years ago, researchers surveyed people's familiarity with the term aphasia. Their results showed that most people did not know what aphasia was and guessed it was a type of plant. Overall, this study proved how critical it is to provide community education and awareness. SCALE members strive to increase advocacy and awareness in their community.

Support The SCALE Aphasia Program

Adult Medical Day Memorial Ceremony

On Tuesday, May 31^st, The League’s Adult Medical Day staff and participants held a "Forever in Our Hearts" Celebration of Life Memorial Service for the fifteen members that we have lost this past year. The service had uplifting song, prayer, testimony, memories, and poetry delivered by fellow participants and staff. The service concluded in the garden where participants placed painted rocks in the Memorial Rock Garden in memory of their dearly beloved and missed friends. Butterflies that participants nurtured from caterpillars were released as part of the symbolic metaphor for those who have left us but are always in our hearts. Participants can visit the Medical Day Memorial Rock Garden as they venture into the outdoor garden space for exercise, meditation, and socialization on beautiful summer days ahead.

Together,

we're

able.

Watch the Release of the Butterflies in the Garden

If you are interested in a tour of The League to learn more about our important work, including a visit to the Memorial Rock garden, please reach out to Robyn Dammers, Director of Development by phone at 410-323-0500 or email at [email protected].

Meaningful Day Summer Cookout

If you happened to drive by Cold Spring Lane on Friday, June 10^th, you more than likely smelled grilled burgers and hotdogs and heard some of your favorite summer tunes! The League’s Meaningful Day staff and participants held a cookout in the expanded outdoor garden space where they played games, sang karaoke, danced, ate delicious food, and had a wonderful time together in the sunshine. There were plenty of smiles in between servings of hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, and fresh fruit.

Learn More About The League's Meaningful Day Programs

CLUB1111 is BACK!

It’s time to dress up and get down! Our inclusive nightclub is back with a live DJ, complimentary snacks and refreshments, hot new merchandise, and guaranteed good times on the second Saturday of every month! Follow CLUB1111 on Facebook to see updates and photos of Baltimore’s coolest scene for people with disabilities.

This summer’s Camp Greentop staff volunteered at CLUB1111 on June 11^th and got to experience Maryland’s first and only adult nightclub for people with disabilities. Support staff and counselors from Florida, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Colombia painted club goers’ fingernails, applied temporary tattoos, passed out glow sticks, served mocktails, and danced the Electric Slide with guests.

Volunteer with CLUB1111

Support CLUB1111 on a Monthly Basis!

Join The League Fund’s G.E.M. (Give Every Month) Club by making a recurring donation of $11.11. CLUB is so special because it gives our members the opportunity to express themselves and build relationships in a judgement-free zone. Through your continued support, the music will be loud, the dance floors will be packed, the snacks will be plentiful, and the best memories will be made!

Join the G.E.M. Club

The League's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

As an Employer of Choice, The League is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our staff-led committees are working on initiatives to ensure that all employees are valued and celebrated for their identities. Read about the steps that we are taking as an organization to champion equality, advocacy, and unity.

Explore Career Opportunities with The League

June is Pride Month!

The League’s Cultural Diversity Committee and Employee Activities Committee are working together to educate and celebrate the validity of all persons and all forms of love. Everyone has the right to feel valued, welcomed, and respected regardless of their gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. If we stand together, we can fight to end discrimination.

Members of the Employee Activities Committee distributed rainbow pride bracelets to staff and encouraged them to show their “League Pride” in the office and in the community!

Learn About the History Behind Pride Month

Juneteenth Celebrations

The League for People with Disabilities wishes you a happy and fulfilled Juneteenth! We celebrate the commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States in 1865 and the opportunity to come together in appreciation, reconciliation and commemoration. Together, we are able to overcome ignorance and adversity and recognize African American power while emphasizing education and achievement. As we pay tribute to the long and difficult journey, we acknowledge the many roles and contributions of the African American spirit to our society. We embrace the past as well as the future that only unity, respect, and gratitude can bring. The League is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion from our participants to our employees to our volunteers. The League’s Adult Medical Day staff and participants are planning a Juneteenth celebration so stay tuned for coverage around this federal holiday!

View Adult Medical Day's Tribute to Juneteenth

A Concluding Note from Our President & CEO

Dear Friends of The League,

When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, The League has always risen to educate, advocate, and embody the beliefs that will make us stronger as a community. Whether you have aphasia or are a historically marginalized person based on ability, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or race, The League’s community will support the pursuit of self-advocacy and justice through our commitment to providing equal opportunities by meeting people where they are. The League has been, and will continue to be, a safe space for individuals to celebrate what makes them feel like their most authentic selves.

As the weather is warming and the garden is blooming, I love to see staff and participants spending time outside at our Cold Spring Lane campus. If you stop by for a visit, you may see Adult Medical Day participants meditating in the peaceful shade of the trees or tending to their vegetable garden as the butterflies pollenate the bright yellow daffodils. You may also see the children from the Youth Autism Services Program shooting hoops or playing corn hole matches in the courtyard now that school has ended and the kids are spending the full day in our programming.

Finally, I am excited to announce that today kicks off the first day of Camp Greentop’s summer sessions! The League is fortunate to be able to accommodate six camping sessions this summer for campers of all ages with talented and caring counselors from around the world! Thank you to the generous donors who supported our Amazon Wishlist Supplies Drive; your contributions will give the campers formative experiences and lasting memories as their families and caregivers replenish their mental, physical, and emotional reservoirs. Together, we are able to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities!

Sincerely,