Image Above: 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

Picture Above: Photo of number candles 33 being lit on top of a cake with string lights in the background.

Friday, July 28th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, join FLIC staff in our office conference room at 215 Fifth Street, Ithaca for a time of celebration! Have some cake! Visit with our amazing staff and help welcome our new staff members: Tracy Decker, Valerie Githinji, and Andrea Champlin. Learn about all FLIC has to offer our Tompkins County Community. No registration needed!

Learn more about the ADA by visiting: https://adata.org/factsheet/ADA-overview

Image above: white background, letters in red at top of image read Celebrate. Learn. Share. Below, in center of image, words in red with numbers in blue read ADA 33 followed by a circle of red stars with dates in the center, 1990-2023. Bottom of image, words in blue read Americans with Disabilities Act.

A writer, poet, and activist, Larry has connections to FLIC all the way back to 1989. He and his husband, Ross Haarstad, live in Ithaca.

I’m angered by the news: The Supreme Court overturns Roe V Wade, a state denies trans youth gender-affirming care, another state makes it harder to vote, and in Ithaca we are having no luck convincing Common Council to do a better job clearing sidewalks in winter. Reflecting on the ADA this year seems urgent, to remind us that good things happen too. There’s a great playground at Stewart Park. Even though it’s still a challenge, my husband and I travel on Our Bus to see family. Wheelchair accessible port-a-potties seem to sprout like weeds at downtown festivals.

In July 1990, none of these things seemed like they were ever going to happen. Other things, too, like curb ramps, audible cross walks, and technology making it possible for the Deaf to effectively use telephones, seemed a distant dream. Those of us in the trenches – like FLIC—are often pointing out these positive changes, but also describing what still needs to be addressed, such as accessible and affordable housing and unemployment among people with disabilities.

A few years after the passage of the ADA, people across the country protested at Greyhound bus stations; we did here too! We protested because the bus company hadn’t complied with the ADA, even though it had been given generous time to do so. I had given up ever being able to ride in my wheelchair, but now I can. It’s a strange time to be a civil rights advocate, and a hard time for places like FLIC. There is a lot to be worried about – and many rights to defend. The long history of the disability rights we have now – and the rights secured by other movements - is full of unimagined dreams made real. There is much reason to hope.

Dear Employer: 

Your business and its recruiters are invited to attend (in person) The 27^th Annual Tompkins County World of Skills Job Fair, scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 30th, 2023 at Hotel Ithaca. 

If you plan to hire 3 or more people in the near future, the Tompkins County Job Fair is a great opportunity to meet a large number of energized job seekers in a short time.  Please bring specific job listings of current openings, including a list of skills that are necessary for each job.

The event is free for both employers and job seekers. Space is limited. The deadline for registration is Friday, August 11th, 2023. 

If you’d like to attend, please fill out & email the linked registration form. 

Cordially,

Tompkins County Job Fair Steering Committee,       

Jan Lynch, Chair            

Contact person:

Jorge T. Cuevas

Employment Advocate

Finger Lakes Independence Center

215 Fifth Street • Ithaca, NY 14850

jorge@fliconline.org • (607) 272-2433

Picture Above: Woman using one style of voting machine to cast her ballot.

The Tompkins County Board of Elections is inviting interested members of the public to test several voting machine options being considered by the Board for use in future elections. Three New York State certified vendors are offering public sessions on the following dates:

July 11, 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. Clear Ballot

July 13, 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. Hart Intercivic

July 26, 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. Dominion Voting Systems



All sessions will be held in the Tompkins County Legislature Chambers, 121 East Court St., Ithaca, on the second floor. Use the Dewitt Park entrance.

Attending members of the public will have the opportunity to submit sample ballots and test how each machine works for voters. Board of Elections staff will be present to accept feedback on which machines are preferable to attendees. The selected vendor will provide machines for elections starting in 2024. All vendors provide paper ballots and are ADA compliant.

Image Above: Community Living Equity Center Logo--dark blue background with clipart images of people standing and a person in a wheelchair in the center on the left-hand side. In very light blue lettering, it reads: Community Living Equity Center, Centro para la Equidad en Vida Comunitaria.

Brandeis University is doing a research study to learn about barriers to access to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services faced by disabled people of color. We are interested in learning about factors that contribute to institutional placement supports that assisted with transitioning back to the community, and the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of services and supports.

• Are you a person with a disability who has lived in a nursing home or other institution?
• Are you now living in the community and receiving Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (or want to)?
• Are you a person of color?
• Are you 18 years of age or older?

If you answered YES to each of the questions above, you may be eligible to participate.

Participation includes an interview over the phone or video-conference. The interview will last about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Participants will receive a $50 gift care for their time.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Kim, the Senior Research Associate at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, at hcbaccess@brandeis.edu or 781-736-8165.

This study is made possible by the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and the Community Living Equity Center at Brandeis University.

Want to know more about this study? Watch the video below:

Image Above Read: Brandeis, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy.

Image above: Left side of image-purple background with "National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in white lettering at the top. Bottom left side has OMH in white with multicolored rays coming from the 'O.' Beside OMH, in tiny prints: US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. On the right side of image-two hands reaching across wooden table to hold each other with blue and yellow background.

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is observed each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for racial and ethnic minority groups to get access to mental health and substance-use treatment services.

Visit the website below to learn more about health disparities, the trauma of COVID-19 on minority groups, and ways to expanding your cultural health.

Image above: blurred brown background with branch of pink flowers in center.

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness month. Compassionate Friends is a local support network for all who have suffered the death of a child of any age and from any cause. Their meetings are open to all parents, grandparents and adult siblings. They meet the first Thursday of each month at the Finger Lakes Independence Center from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Entrance is through the side door off of the parking lot. 

For more information, you may contact the network at 607-387-5711 and/or tcf.ithaca@gmail.com.

Image Above: photo of the Tompkins County Public Library in the evening.

Tompkins County Public Library is pleased to offer Cybersecurity Basics for Seniors on two separate occasions: Monday, July 17 and Monday, August 14, from 10:00 to 11:30 am in the Digital Lab.

Led by trainer and consultant Lisa Carrier-Titi, participants will learn how to avoid scams and how to protect their mobile devices.

To learn more and register, visit TCPL’s online event calendar at https://www.tcpl.org/events/upcoming?keywords=cybersecurity.



Questions prior to the workshop can be directed to 607-220-4502 or via Lisa’s website, www.lisacandoit.com. 

Do you feel unsatisfied with existing mobility assistive devices or patient transfer processes?

Do you feel embarrassed or have difficulties during the tranfer to a bathroom?

You can help to create a device that will be a better solution for you.

You are qualified if you:

• currently need a mobility assistive device and the assistance of a caregiver to get out of bed and do your hygiene tasks;
• can sit up on a bed without assistance or with minimal assistance but feel it difficult to use a wheelchair or walk without external help;
• have the upper body strength to maintain a seating position but need mobility assistive devices to be transferred to a bathroom;
• are a caregiver/medical professional working with teh above-described people.

Expected contribution:

• 15-20 minute interview during which you will be asked questions about your current transfer routine and problems associated with that;
• and/or standardized survey that will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

Potential Benefits:

• You can help us create a new device that will improve your quality of life and provide you with more independence.

For more information, please contact Alexander at 339-213-96-20 or amalashchenko1@babson.edu.

Or, click the link below to schedule a short interview meeting: https://calendly.com/amalashchenko1/mobility-device?month=2023-06&date=2023-06-22

Today we have more ways to speak with one another than ever before. We are used to staying in touch with cell phones, internet, and email, but disasters can change things. These devices may not be available. Cell phone towers quickly become overloaded with people trying to reach friends and family. If the power is out at your home, cordless phones, internet, and email will not work either.

Task One: Have a phone with a cord and a car charger for your cell phone standing by in case of a power failure.

Phones with cordless handsets won’t work in a disaster because they need more electricity than they can get from the phone jack. Old fashioned phones with a cord connecting the handset to the base will work even in a power outage. Make sure you have at least one phone with a cord in your home in case of a power outage.

Keep a car charger for your cell phone in your vehicle. If the power is out in your home, you can still charge your cell phone in your car.

If you don’t have a landline and you use a cell phone as your home phone, remember that cell phone towers may be tied up with calls in an emergency. However, a text message from your cell phone may get through when a phone call doesn’t. Make sure everyone in your family knows how to send and receive text messages.

Task Two: Develop a plan for how your family will stay in touch during a disaster.

Develop a plan so you can stay in touch with your family in a disaster. Include phone numbers for all family members and those who can give you extra help, such as caregivers. Also include all work, school, and daycare phone numbers, if applicable. A wallet-size form you can use to write down this information can be found at www.ready.gov. Be sure each family member has a copy of your communication plan. Post the communication plan by a phone in your home, and include it in your go bag as well.

Outside the Area Contact

Local phone calls and long distance calls work on different circuits. When local circuits are overloaded, you may still be able to make long distance calls. Choose someone outside of the local calling area to be your “outside the area” contact. Make sure all family members carry this phone number with them. If something happens when your family is not together and you are not able to reach each other, each family member can call the “outside the area” contact and leave a message for the others.

Task Three: Program in case of emergency (ICE) into all family cell phones.

If you are hurt and can’t talk, first responders and hospital staff may not know how to contact your family right away. If you have a cell phone, you can provide the phone numbers for your emergency contacts to first responders and hospital staff.

1.    Create a new contact in your cell phone’s phone book

2.    Name the contact ICE

3.    Enter all phone numbers for the person you would like to have notified in a medical emergency

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

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.