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A note from Matt.....
Last week I was recognized by
Florida's Children First as the 2017 Outstanding Advocate for Children with Special Needs. This honor gave me the ability to highlight the constant vigilance that is required to ensure that children with disabilities are not denied care on a wholesale basis, and to alert the public how per capita Medicaid caps would place the heaviest burden on medically complex children. Until our priorities change as a community, parents who have children with disabilities will need to fight for the care and services needed for their children to obtain the opportunity to be involved in community life.
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DIG in the news
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May 11, 2017, Deaf Plaintiffs Gets 11
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Out and About with DIG
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5/25/17
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Connect Miami - Venture Cafe Miami
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Miami, FL
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6/17/17
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Family Cafe
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Orlando, FL
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6/22/17
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FL Bar Conference
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Boca Raton, FL
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8/29/17
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FL Recreation & Parks Association
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Orlando, FL
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11/16/17
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Give Miami Day 2017
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Online Event
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CONGRATULATIONS MATTHEW!
Thank you Florida's Children First for honoring Matthew and Carlos Martinez for the wonderful introduction.
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Pictures
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Educate Tomorrow and the Unite Miami Group
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FILC meeting in Tallahassee, FL
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Debbie and Lisa with Trevor our intern
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Thank you VIP Kids for the fruit basket and balloons
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Redecorating at the DIG office
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Sharon speaking at the GAL Conference
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Matt speaking at the GAL Conference
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Jon Kent filming a PSA video with Matt
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Summer Interns hard at work
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Effective Communication
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
Modern Hippocratic Oath
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you might find
You get what you need
Rolling Stones
At least once per week, I receive a call from a Deaf person complaining that their doctor or hospital will not provide them a sign language interpreter for their medical care. The doctor insists that the patient should communicate by passing notes back and forth, using Video Remote Interpreters, or by trying to lip read. At the same time, the Deaf person insists that they must have an in person, live interpreter for any and all medical interaction. The doctor or hospital insists that they have the choice, and the Deaf person insists that it is their choice. Who is right?
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Kids Crusaders Corner
By: Julie Fioravanti
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Miami Inclusion Alliance
By: Sharon Langer
Hurricane season is around the corner and if you are a person with a disability and also a victim of abuse, planning is very important to ensure your safety both during a storm and afterwards. There are additional safety risks and also challenges for victims with disabilities. While there is no scientific proof that emergencies, such as storms increase the risk of abuse, the rates of abuse do increase during emergency situations where stress levels are increased. The increased risk of abuse, coupled with the barriers that exist for persons with disabilities when they have to access services during a storm, make safety planning critical to ensuring safety.
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Most National parks require an entrance fee. This may be surprising to many of you, who like me, thought admission to the National Parks was free. However, individuals with disabilities are entitled to a free lifetime pass to all National Parks! Further, even if the park itself does not have a fee, you could get a discount on the "amenities" the National Park has to offer that they would require a fee for such as camping or boating.
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Work incentives Protecting Health Coverage for People with Disabilities
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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The View From Here
By:
Justine Chichester
I've had a love-hate relationship with my wheelchair ever since I was told I needed to use one two years ago. I have struggled with my chair being a constant reminder of my disability and all of the things I could no longer do. It was the barrier that kept me from activities as simple as climbing a flight of stairs or as long-term as my goal of running that marathon. In my mind, the list of things I couldn't do was endless because I was now a wheelchair user.
One day, after venting my wheelchair frustrations to a friend, she encouraged me to check out a few people on social media. They were people living with disabilities who were sharing their journey by posting photos and stories about their daily triumphs and struggles. She thought these stories might inspire me to change my mind about new my life on wheels.
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The Wallet Card Project
By: Deborah Dietz
The wallet card is a tool for young adults or adults to use when 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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Accessible Florida Keys: A Great Getaway for Wheelchair Users!
Recently, I had the opportunity to take a quick 5-day vacation to the Florida Keys. Getting away from the office is always a challenge, especially with business booming, so we chose to visit Key West for a few days of fun in the sun. Known for its fishing community, The Florida Keys is located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost portion of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost and most popular of the islands. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico. The southern part of Key West is just 90 miles from Cuba.
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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
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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.
Expanding Opportunities for Person with Disabilities
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Thank you to the organizations that support our projects.
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