Image Description: Finger Lakes Independence Center--FLIC--Logo: The letters: F-L-I-C and the letter I looks like an open door. Finger Lakes Independence Center Opening Doors to Independence 

Image Description: PowerPoint opening slide from presentation with white background and varying shades of blue border. Blue lettering centered in the white background reads, "Let's Talk About Disability, Finger Lakes Independence Center, 215 Fifth Street, Ithaca, 607-272-2433 - fliconline.org. Jan Lynch - Executive Director, Teressa Sivers - NY Connects Specialist.

At the end of the summer, FLIC offered training to Tompkins County Department of Social Services staff on disability rights, etiquette and workplace accomodations. FLIC offers this type of training, customized for each agency, organization, or business need throughout the year free of charge. Training can be in-person or virtual, as it was for the DSS staff. We can record to training so it is available for new staff/volunteers and future needs, or schedule ongoing training, such as once per year, so all staff and volunteers are ready to engage with all persons, including the disability community. Let us know if we can offer training for your organization.

Image Description: Photo of Shasta Savage presenting in the FLIC conference room. Shasta is a woman of color, with dark hair pulled back in a bun, wearing glasses, a black and white striped sleeveless shirt and black pants. She is seated next to a flatscreen television, speaking with her hands open.

The September board meeting for FLIC's Board of Directors focused on training on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion with Shasta Savage, the DEAI Associate with Cornell's Office of Inclusion and Academic Excellence. According to Cornell's webpage: Savage takes an intersectional approach to DE&I to support comprehensive well-being at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Shasta applies strengths and evidence-based approaches in all her efforts. Her most recent work has been in the areas of self-regulation, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. 

Below are two photos of FLIC Board Members participating in the training, seated at tables in the FLIC conference room.

Image Description: Photo of a display table set up at the Ithaca Mall with FLIC's new table covering--grey tablecloth with blue letters, FLIC. The "i" in FLIC is both an open door and a person. Below FLIC, it reads "Finger Lakes Independence Center." On the table are brochures, signs, mints and other swag.

On Saturday, September 16, FLIC staff hosted a table at the 2^nd Annual Emergency Preparedness & Safety Fair at the Ithaca Mall. The table had resources for planning for disasters, information about the Siren emergency notification system, and lots of great swag! This year, the fair had a special focus on the safety and emergency preparedness needs of older adults. Community Preparedness Coordinator Geoff Dunn says: “Older adults can face greater risks from extreme weather and other emergencies, especially if they live alone, are low income, have a disability, or live in rural areas.” FLIC participated in the fair as a member of the Core Advisory Group – a coalition that works to be sure that people with disabilities are included and prioritized in emergency planning efforts. 

On Saturday, September 23, FLIC participated in the annual Enfield Harvest Festival, at the Enfield Community Center. There were many agencies represented at various tables to talk about their services with festivalgoers. On hand were Tompkins Whole Health, Lifelong, and Fidelis, just to name a few. There were also several vendors selling homemade crafts and baked goods, along with a chicken BBQ. At the FLIC table, we were able to talk with several people who had used our services or who were surprised to learn of the breadth of services that FLIC provides. A fun and educational day with much FLIC "swag" to go around!

Three staff from FLIC attended the Statewide Conference for the New York Association for Independent Living at the Albany Capital Center. Executive Director, Jan Lynch, Chief Operations Officer, Tracy Decker, and Benefits Advisor, Rashke Bradley, attended the two day event that was themed "Our Path Forward." This year's theme embodied the principles of achieving diversity, equipty, intersectionality and accessibility driving the Independent Living community forward.

Below is a photo of the conference hall filled with people during the keynote address by Imani Barbarin. The conference biography for Imani states: Imani Barbarin is a disability rights and inclusion activist and speaker who uses her voice and social media platforms to create conversations engaging the disability community. Born with cerebral palsy, Imani often writes and uses her platform to speak from the perspective of a disabled black woman. In the last few years she has created over a dozen trending hashtags that allow disabled folk the opportunity to have their perspectives heard while forcing the world to take notice. Imani is from the Philadelphia area and holds a Masters in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, her published works include those in Forbes, Rewire, Healthline, BitchMedia and more. She runs the blog CrutchesAndSpice.com and a podcast of the same name.

https://ilny.us/speaker

Image Description: The poster is rectangular in shape with a white background. The words, “Advancing Access & Equity, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Celebrating 50 years of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973” are placed to the right of a field of red, gray, teal, blue and yellow arrows. Mixed within the arrows are diverse images of people with disabilities in workplace settings. Along the top in small gray letters are the hashtags “NDEAM” and “RehabAct50” followed by the website address, dol.gov/ODEP. In the lower right corner is the DOL seal followed by the words “Office of Disability Employment Policy, United States Department of Labor” as well as the Rehabilitation Act 50 logo.

To mark two significant events in 2023 for people with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has selected themes to promote National Disability Employment Awareness Month and honor the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

ODEP has chosen “Advancing Access and Equity” as its theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month in 2023. Observed each October, NDEAM celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive policies and practices that benefit employees and employers alike.

Each year, the agency chooses an NDEAM theme for use by organizations around the nation to recognize the importance of ensuring people with disabilities have equal opportunity to prepare for and succeed in employment.

Similarly, ODEP will use “Advancing Access and Equity: Then, Now and Next” to celebrate the passage of the Rehabilitation Act a half-century ago and its importance in prohibiting discrimination based on disability in employment by federal agencies, federal contractors and recipients of federal funds, and in the delivery of federally funded programs and activities. ODEP will use the theme to promote activities to mark passage of the act, the first federal legislation to address access and equity for people with disabilities.

“National Disability Employment Awareness Month reminds us of the valued contributions people with disabilities make in our nation’s workplaces, and the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 marks a major milestone in our nation’s ongoing quest to advance access and equity for all Americans,” said Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn M. Williams. “So, from now through October, we will be exploring the act’s impact on everything from employment to community living to non-discrimination to accessible technology.”

The Rehabilitation Act laid the foundation upon which the more comprehensive Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 now stands. These laws continue to be vital tools used to advance access and equity for workers from historically underserved communities and meet the goals in the department’s Equity Action Plan.



https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/odep/odep20230511

Image Description: Gray background. Letters in black, font looks handwritten with marker and reads "Raise Awareness!" A hand holding a black marker hovers over the dot at the bottom of the exclamation point.

October serves as an Awareness Month for many important people, programs, and disabilities. Let us spend time this month raising our awareness on these, each title is a link to learn more:

• ADHD Awareness Month
• Blindness Awareness Month
• Diversity Awareness Month
• Downs Syndrome Awareness Month
• LGBT History Month
• Long Term Care Planning Month
• Substance Abuse Prevention Month
• Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month
• Physical Therapy Month

October 11 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Hybrid: In-Person or Via Zoom

Do you have questions about NY State of Health Marketplace enrollment and options? Are you unsure what health insurance terms mean or how to use your health insurance? Join the health insurance navigators and community health advocates for a 1 hour session that will help to answer these questions (Q & A sesson to follow presentation).

Free to attend. Registration is required. Masks are optional.

To Register: www.hsctc.org/healthinsurance101 or call 2-1-1 (1-877-211-8667).

Image Description: Blue background. Light blue banner at top of image with words in red, which read, "Prepare Now. Learn How." In center of image are three circles, in a line horizontally. First circle is orange with clip art of speech box, under the circle it reads "Talk to a health care provider about what to do." Second circle is gray with clip art of a battery, under the circle it reads, "identify an alternative power source for devices." Third circle is purple with clip art of a phone, under the circle it reads "Inform your emergency contacts of the backup plan." Above circles, in white letters, it reads, "Prepare for a Power Outage if you use electric medical devices." At the bottom of the image is a red banner with white letters reading, "National Preparedness Month...Ready.gov" 

Be able to safely meet your basic needs during an electrical outage.

We count on electricity for heat, food, and medical needs. Many gas appliances even need electricity to run. A power outage is an emergency that often follows another emergency—like a hurricane, tornado, or winter storm. That makes it even more important to be prepared in advance.

Power Outage Safety

• Discard food if the temperature in your refrigerator exceeds 40 degrees for more than 2 hours
• Stay away from downed power lines and anything they are in contact with such as fences or buildings
• Never drive over downed power lines; they may be energized
• Never use charcoal or gas grills inside a structure. You may be overcome by carbon monoxide
• If you must use candles, be sure to use them safely. Never leave candles burning unattended

Task One: Have flashlights ready in an easily accessible place and check batteries in flashlights and radios.

When the lights go out, the safest way to provide emergency lighting is with flashlights or battery-powered lanterns. Keep flashlights with fresh batteries in several places throughout your home and check them for proper operation regularly. Always keep a supply of extra batteries. Think about buying a rechargeable flashlight. Batteries might be hard to find in a disaster.

Task Two: Acquire and learn how to safely use a portable generator

Using a properly connected generator of adequate size during a power outage will reduce or almost eliminate the impact a power outage has on your life. Before you buy a generator, talk to an electrician about the size and type you need. Think about what you want your generator to run. Generators can be used to keep food cool, provide lights and electricity for phones and television, power furnace blowers and pumps.

The best way to use a portable generator is to connect it to your home using a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician. This will keep the power from overloading the wiring in your home. It will also keep the power from your generator from traveling back into the power lines, which can injure or kill people working on power lines, or can unexpectedly re-energize downed power lines near your home. You may also connect equipment directly to the outlets on the generator, but be sure that any extension cords are of the proper length and gauge to handle the power requirements.

Remember: Always run generators outside. Never use a generator inside a house, in a basement, or garage. Never use a cord from a generator to back feed a circuit in your house. 

Task Three Create a power outage plan and decide what you can do before, during, and after a power outage to minimize the effect on your household.

Before the power goes out:

• Fill empty space in freezer with containers of water. Frozen water will displace air and keep food cold longer. Remember to leave space in containers for ice to expand.
• Have at least one phone with a handset cord in your home. Many cordless phones will not work in a power outage.
• If you have an automatic garage door opener, learn how to use the manual release and open your garage door manually.
• Try to keep your car’s gas tank at least half full. Many gas stations will not be in operation during a power outage. Fill up your tank if a major storm is predicted.
• Make sure you have a car or lighter plug cord for your cell phone.
• If you use special healthcare equipment like oxygen generators or dialysis equipment, notify your power company.

After the power goes out:

• Unplug major appliances and electronics. When the power comes back on, there may be power spikes that can damage large appliances or delicate electronics.
• Do not open refrigerators or freezers any more than necessary. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for approximately 4 hours, an unopened freezer will keep food frozen for approximately 24 hours.
• Use a battery-powered radio to stay informed.

https://www.do1thing.com/individuals/power/

The Finger Lakes Independence Center administers the Registry Referral Program. This is a free referral service linking individuals seeking independent employment to people who need care in their home. Opportunities include: elder companion, housekeeper, run errands, cook, personal care aide, home care aide, LPN, RN. People looking for help can call and receive names of people willing to provide those services. If you either need assistance or if you would be interested in listing your name as a caregiver, pease call FLIC at 272-2433 or email: info@fliconline.org. If you have experience caring for a friend or loved one, please consider sharing your compassion with others. This program is made possible through funding from the Tompkins County Office for the Aging.