RCM - Revitalizing Community Membership: Empowering Independence: 2020

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

21-Year-Old Man with Down Syndrome Lands Job at UPS: 'I'm So Proud of Him,' Says Sister

"Jake is so worthy and capable, so it's just awesome for others to be able to see that," Amy Hyde says of her brother and his new gig

A man with Down syndrome is proving naysayers wrong — and his latest accomplishment is landing a gig with UPS!

Jake Pratt recently marked a new life accomplishment when he earned a job working for the nationwide delivery service as a package runner, his sister Amy Hyde tells PEOPLE.

Hyde first tweeted about Pratt's new job Tuesday, explaining that her 21-year-old brother works every morning at a golf course from 6-10 a.m. before running packages at UPS for up to eight hours per day.

To read more on this story, click here: 21-Year-Old Man with Down Syndrome Lands Job at UPS: 'I'm So Proud of Him,' Says Sister

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Pictures of Holiday Parties Past!

If this were any other year, just four days ago, we would have been getting dressed to the nines to celebrate the Holiday season together at our Annual Holiday Party. We are optimistically looking forward to continuing our tradition next year. Until then, let’s take a walk down memory lane with some pictures of Holiday party past!

Friday, November 13, 2020

New American Airlines Policy May Effectively Ban Motorized Wheelchairs On Regional Jets

American is working to change a policy that puts weight limits of 300 or 400 pounds for cargo on regional jets, less than the weight of many power wheelchairs.

American Airlines is reviewing a policy change this summer that may have banned travelers from bringing many motorized wheelchairs on its regional jets and cutting off more than 100 destinations to disabled travelers.

American Airlines frequent flyer and triple amputee John Morris, who took seven months off from air travel during the pandemic, said he was surprised to find the carrier wouldn’t let him bring his motorized wheelchair on a flight from Gainesville, Fla., to DFW International Airport in late October due to new weight limitations on cargo on regional jets.

To read more on this story, click here: New American Airlines Policy May Effectively Ban Motorized Wheelchairs On Regional Jets

Art Enables Art Work Here!

Please read about all the great news happening at Art Enables!

Hello!

The news is nerve-racking to read this afternoon — to say the least!

We’re not writing to negate this — as the nation remains glued to the electoral map, it’s the undeniable truth. But we do hope that these headlines, spotlighting our shared work, make you smile at this tense moment.

Take a quick read now, and thank you, truly, for making this recognition possible.

Our very own resident artist Toni Lane, featured in the New York Times!

To read more on this story, click here: Art Enables Art Work Here!

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Happy Veterans Day! - Thank You For Your Service!

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in 2011, DeOndra Dixon, Jamie Foxx's Younger Sister Dies at 36

"I learned how to live," the actor said in 2018 of what his sister, DeOndra, had taught him

Jamie Foxx's little sister, DeOndra Dixon, has died. She was 36.

The Oscar-winning actor revealed the news on Instagram on Monday, sharing a black and white photo of himself with his sister. A source tells PEOPLE Dixon died on Monday, Oct. 19.

"My heart is shattered into a million pieces... my beautiful loving sister Deondra has transitioned...," Foxx wrote. "I say transitioned because she will always be alive... anyone who knew my sis... knew that she was a bright light..."

"I can’t tell you how many times we have had parties at the house where she has got on the dance floor and stolen the show... ," he continued, before joking, "Even gave her boyfriend @chrisbrownofficial a run for his money..."

Words Matter, And It’s Time To Explore The Meaning Of “Ableism.”

If you read more than one or two articles on disability issues, or talk to just about any disability rights activist, you will run across the word “ableism.” The word does a lot of work for disability culture. It carries the weight of the worst of what plagues disabled people the most, but can be so hard to express.

But for that reason, “ableism” can also seem like an overworked term. It often adds as much confusion and dissension to disability discourse as it does clarity and purpose. While it gives voice and substance to very real beliefs and experiences, the word “ableism” can also feel like a rhetorical weapon meant to discredit people at a stroke for an offensiveness that many people simply don’t see or agree exists.

To read more on this story, click here: Words Matter, And It’s Time To Explore The Meaning Of “Ableism.”

Thursday, October 22, 2020

At 39, DeKalb Disability Activist Melissa Blake is Modeling in Her First Runway Show — At New York Fashion Week

As a teenager in the 1990s, Melissa Blake was interested in fashion.

Unfortunately, fashion wasn’t much interested in her.

Blake, who has a genetic bone and muscle disorder and stands a little under 4 feet tall, couldn’t find jeans or dresses in her size. Paging through Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines, she didn’t see a single person who looked like her.

“That would have been a game-changer for me,” said Blake, a freelance writer and disability activist who lives in DeKalb.

Nation’s Cities Ranked On Disability Friendliness

Which cities offer the best places to live for people with disabilities? A new ranking factors everything from cost of living to access to support services in an attempt to answer that question.

At the top of the list are Scottsdale, Ariz., St. Louis, South Burlington, Vt., Huntington Beach, Calif. and Bismarck, N.D.

That’s according to an annual analysis from the personal-finance website WalletHub, which assessed data on 182 cities across the country.

To read more on this story, click here: Nation’s Cities Ranked On Disability Friendliness

Texas Social Workers Can Now Turn Away LGBTQ, Disabled Clients

A state regulatory board removed the discrimination protections following a recommendation from Gov. Greg Abbott.

Texas social workers can now turn away LGBTQ clients and those with a disability.

The state Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously to change a section of its code of conduct last week following a recommendation from Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to remove protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. Abbott’s office said the change was suggested because the board’s nondiscrimination clause went beyond the state’s policy on social work, according to The Associated Press.

To read more on this story, click here: Texas Social Workers Can Now Turn Away LGBTQ, Disabled Clients

SSI, Social Security Benefits Will Increase In 2021

People with disabilities receiving Supplemental Security Income and other Social Security benefits will soon see their payments rise.

The Social Security Administration said this week that benefits will increase 1.3 percent in 2021.

The change comes as a result of an annual automatic cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA, that’s tied to inflation. By law, Social Security benefits go up when there is an increase in the Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To read more on this story, click here: SSI, Social Security Benefits Will Increase In 2021

Friday, September 18, 2020

DC's Direct Support Professionals Week Proclamation #DSPRW2020

DC's Direct Support Professionals Week Proclamation #DSPRW2020 @TheRealANCOR

Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) Job Opening!

We currently have an opening for a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional.

The QIDP is responsible for ensuring that the people supported receive individualized, appropriate, and person-centered services. The QIDP is also responsible for providing leadership, direction, and training for reporting staff and oversees each location assigned to his/her caseload.

For more information on this position, click here: Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional

Our Amazing DSP’s Continue To Provide Quality Support!

Cheers to our amazing DSP’s who have continued to provide quality support during these trying past 6 months. You step up, you care, you do what’s needed. We appreciate you. Happy DSP week! #DSPRW2020 #ForgottenFaces

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

DSP Thank You Bags!

We are getting our DSP thank you bags together 😬!!!#DSPRW2020 @TheRealANCOR

Stuck in the Middle

Community-Based Disability Service Providers Face Impossible Choices Amid Reopening

In recent weeks, news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic has been laser-focused on school reopening, and administrators at both the K-12 and postsecondary levels face impossible choices. Should schools fully reopen and risk further transmission of the virus? Remain closed and risk further harm to students’ education? Something in between?

Just as schools grapple with these questions, so too are community-based providers of disability services confronted with their own impossible choices. In residential programs, where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are supported in their homes, should people have unfettered access to the community? Should friends and family be permitted to visit them? What about day programs, which support people to work, volunteer and otherwise be engaged in the community? When and how should they reopen?

To read more on this story, click here; Stuck in the Middle

Happy DSP Week! Today We Would Like To Acknowledge One Of Our DSP's

Happy DSP week! Today we would like to acknowledge one of our DSP's Beth for her creativity and fun spirit! Beth has come up with some pretty awesome ways to keep people engaged and entertained during these difficult times. The below picture is from their "Under the Sea" theme night featuring Phil the turtle, Helen the mermaid, Tom the crab, and Beth the shark. We hear that there were a lot of little mermaid songs being sung that evening! #DSPRW2020

Celebrating Amazing DSP’s All Around The Nation!

This week we are celebrating amazing DSPs all around the nation! They are the heart and soul of everything we do to help people with disabilities feel, and be, included in the community! #DSPRW2020

Thursday, September 10, 2020

We Are Sadden At The Loss Of, Carolyn Harris, Our RCM Family Member For Nearly 15 Years

For those of you that are part of the RCM Family you know, Carolyn Harris, and know what a great heart she has! She has been a part of the RCM Family for nearly 15 years, and this past Sunday she passed away. This is a huge loss to RCM for both employees and the many people she has supported over the years.

One story that comes to mind when reflecting on Carolyn’s impact came about 10 years ago. A person we support fell ill while on vacation and was admitted to the hospital in Virginia Beach. He needed someone to stay with him because there were other people on the trip who couldn’t be alone. Carolyn was called and immediately responded with “I’m on my way”. A four hour drive later she was right there at his bedside holding his hand. This was just the kind of person she was.

We send our love and support to her children, grandchild and long time partner, James. If any of you would like to donate to help the family, please do so on Cash App with the handle of $CarolynHarrisFund

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

This 21-Year-Old Pastry Chef Is Breaking Stereotypes On What It Means To Live With Autism

The Maryland baker, who has autism, is using his platform to defy stereotypes and inspire others. As a student at the Culinary Institute of America, he has already worked with renowned chefs like Kwame Onwuachi of “Top Chef” and Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi.

“I love baking because it makes me feel happy and confident and good about myself and my skills,” Josey told In The Know. “I’m trying to inspire a lot of people in the world and give more encouragement and confidence to those who feel like they can’t make it.”

To read more on this story, click here: This 21-Year-Old Pastry Chef Is Breaking Stereotypes On What It Means To Live With Autism

'Distance Learning Is No Learning For My Daughter' | Fairfax Mom Will Bring Her Daughter to School, Even Though Classes Are Virtual

Eileen Chollet says local officials are "standing in the schoolhouse door," refusing to provide an appropriate education for her daughter and other special ed kids.

FAIRFAX, Va. — When Fairfax County Schools reopen virtually Tuesday, it's likely to be a frustrating day for a lot of teachers, parents and students. But for the county's nearly 30,000 special ed students, it could be even more aggravating.

One Fairfax City mom says distance learning is no learning at all for her daughter.

Caroline Chollet, 7, is an endearing second grader "She can instantly charm anyone who encounters her," her mother, Eileen Chollet said. But a rare genetic condition has left Caroline dealing with more than her fair share of challenges.

To read more on this story, click here: 'Distance Learning Is No Learning For My Daughter' | Fairfax Mom Will Bring Her Daughter to School, Even Though Classes Are Virtual

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Pizzeria With All Deaf Employees Opens In DC

Mozzeria, a Neapolitan-style pizzeria, is opening its doors to customers Friday, making it the first Deaf-owned and Deaf-led business on D.C.'s H street corridor in more than 150 years.

The restaurant was founded in San Francisco in 2011 with the goal of introducing customers to Deaf culture and offering career opportunities for Deaf people. Mozzeria D.C., located at 1300 H Street NE, is the restaurant's second location in the United States.

To read more on this story, click here: Pizzeria With All Deaf Employees Opens In DC

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