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Newsletter - Volume #7 July 2016
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I like food, all 240 pounds of me. But, as in this picture, I love to cook, and could spend all day in front of my Barbecue. We all have our places where we find our own inner peace, and cooking is mine. For Arnaldo Rios, it's toy trucks, and rocking and flapping his hands. Each person is unique and has their own ways that they soothe their fears and their daily life pressures.
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DIG in the News
This month, there are thousands of articles about what DIG is doing, and how we are helping our clients. Over 300 media outlets have written articles about Arnaldo Rios, the horrible shooting in North Miami, and the attempts to find housing for Mr. Rios. To keep up to date, please friend Disability Independence Group on Facebook, or follow DIG at @justdigit or Matthew Dietz @dislaw.
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The Wallet Card Project -- Presented at the 47th Annual Autism Society Conference.
Two weeks ago, DIG attended the 47
th Annual Autism Society Convention in New Orleans, one of the largest autism conferences in the country, to spread awareness about The Wallet Card
TM Project. Debbie, Matt, their son, Max, Dr. Diane Adreon from UM-NSU Card, and Lt. Barta from the Coral Gables Police Department all came to represent the project. We stirred up quite a bit of attention at our booth in the exhibition hall. On Thursday and Friday a local Louisiana Fair Housing group that DIG does a lot of work with, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, stopped by our table to spread information about the rights of persons with disabilities under the Fair Housing Act. This also gave us the opportunity to talk about service and emotional support animals and how persons with Autism can benefit from them. When it was our time to speak on Saturday, we packed the house and had standing room only in our presentation space. Overall, our going to the conference was a complete success, and we are continuing to look for other ways to spread awareness about The Wallet Card
TM Project. For more information about the project please email us at:
walletcard@justdigit.org.
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Out and About with DIG
| 9-8-16 |
Child Protection Summit, Orlando, FL |
| 9-9-16 |
ABC's of Emotional Support Animals, Tallahassee, FL |
| 9-21-16 |
Shake-Shack Fundraiser, Coral Gables, FL |
| 10-5-16 |
2016 Florida Institute on Homelessness and Supportive Housing
, Orlando, FL
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10-20-16
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2016 DRBA West Coast Conference, Los Angeles, CA
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| 12-7-16 |
Coral Gables Advisory Board on Disability Affairs In-house Training, Coral Gables, FL |
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Shake Shack Party -- September 21, 2016
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Pictures
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Fair Housing Leaders chilling out at the National Fair Housing Alliance in Washington, DC
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Intern Lilli Balik and our newest client, Papo
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Debbie and Matt with International Scholar, Mizuki Hsu
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| The new Animal Services Building |
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Matt Dietz speaking on disability issues for the 2016 County Court Judges Conference
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| Max, Matt, Debbie, and Lt. Barta at the ASA Conference |
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Debbie & Renee at the ASA Conference
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Speaking about The Wallet Card Project
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Litigation: Arnaldo Rios
By:
Matthew Dietz
On July 19, 2016, Mr. Charles Kinsey was shot when attempting to escort Arnaldo Rios back to the Miami Achievement Center for the Developmentally Disabled (MACtown). Mr. Kinsey, a mental health caregiver, was shot in the leg as he lay in the middle of the street next to Arnaldo, where he was rocking back and forth holding a toy truck in his hands. Following the shooting, the officers on the scene forced Arnaldo onto the ground where they pulled his pants below his hips, frisked, handcuffed, and then placed him in a police car for three to four hours. Arnaldo received no treatment or therapy. His intense trauma from the incident went entirely unaddressed. On the following day, upon returning to the group home, Arnaldo eloped to the scene of the shooting, and pounded the street where Mr. Kinsey's blood remained - shouting and crying. At that time, he was institutionalized at the psychiatric ward at Aventura Hospital.
Click here to read more
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Kids Crusaders Corner
Julie will be back next month with a new story.
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Follow us on Instagram
or
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At The Intersection of Disability and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault
Many domestic violence survivors, are dealing with feelings of anxiety, sadness and frustration, among others. While food isn't the answer to all your problems, certain foods
can actually boost someone's mood. Here are five to try:
Fish
Chamomile tea
Spinach
Clams
Water
A healthy diet is only part of the puzzle that is taking care of yourself, but may be the start on the road to recovery.
Click here to read more about the five foods
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The Wallet Card Project
The wallet card is a tool for young adults to use when they come into contact with law enforcement; either as a victim, a witness, or as a potential suspect.
The wallet card will help to clarify any interaction with law enforcement so that the behavior of the person with a disability is not misinterpreted as suspicious or as criminal behavior.
Click here to sign up for a wallet card
The Wallet Card Project is a collaboration with DIG, CGPD, and UM-NSU CARD.
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Work Incentives Protecting Health Coverage for Persons with Disabilities
By: Lesly Lopez
Many SSA beneficiaries are afraid of losing their health insurance coverage because of employment, however, SSA provides protections to SSA beneficiaries to be able to work and keep their Medicare or Medicaid.
Other health care options:
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Eating in New Orleans
Matthew Dietz, DIG's litigation director, was
a presenter at the 47th Annual Autism Society National Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. While I am extremely proud that our Litigation Director presented at this conference, this article is not about that. However, you should consider that my segue into the real purpose of this article- to take this opportunity to discuss food with you. As such, it only seems right that I share some of my favorite places to eat in New Orleans.
I had the privilege of calling New Orleans home for a year,
so w
hile Matt, Debbie and the rest of the office were preparing travel arrangements, speeches, pamphlets, and other necessary things for their booth at the conference, I had one of the hardest jobs of them all (disclaimer: self-proclaimed hardest job, not based on actual facts) - I was in charge of preparing a list of restaurants they needed to visit while they were in New Orleans for the conference.
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Summer Recipes
I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this. --
Susan Branch
The temperature outside is rising, the sun is beaming, and keeping cool is key. While grabbing a bottle of water is the best way to stay hydrated, many people reach for an unhealthy option like an icy can of coke or iced tea. In an effort to make more healthy choices, try one of these delicious fruit water combinations.
Cucumber Mint
Pineapple Mint
Cherry Lime
- One of my favorites
Click here to read the
recipes
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Your Upward Journey
In a nutshell, Your Upward Journey: It Is Easier Than You Think!, is a three-part project (book, self-help seminars and merchandise sale). I intend to promote the book through self-help seminars and sale of merchandise, such as mugs, journals etc.
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A Parcel of Penguins
A PARCEL OF PENGUINS: an Animal Counting Book
IS A CHILDREN'S BOOK THAT TEACHES UNUSUAL NAMES OF GROUPS OF ANIMALS. THE BOOK IS ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE FOR ALL AGES!
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For more information about DIG and to find out how you can be involved, please call or email our executive director, Debbie Dietz at
305-669-2822 or
debbie@justdigit.org.
Disability Independence Group, Inc.
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Thank you to the organizations that support our projects.
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