vody/> RCM - Revitalizing Community Membership: Empowering Independence: August 2020

Monday, August 31, 2020

Job Opportunity: Board of Elections



JOB OPPORTUNITY: District of Columbia Board of Elections (DCBOE) is looking for ADA Compliance Assistants for polling places on Election Day. 

For more information, click here: Voting Information Center






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Thursday, August 27, 2020

Back to School Baskets Were Packed And Have Been Picked Up By Our 5 Lucky Winners!



Back to school baskets were packed and have been picked up by our 5 lucky winners! They also received a brand new Chromebook for their kiddo(s)! 






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Man With Down Syndrome Holds Nephew And The Look On His Face Is Priceless!



 

"My brother is a low functioning downsie. He used to love to hold babies but it's rare someone let's him now. My wife and I let him hold our baby today and here is his look when we gave her to him and then the way he held her without movement for 5 minutes. I almost cried. 🙂" 

Credit: Guinean (https://www.reddit.com/user/Guinean/)




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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

COVID-19 May Shut Many Disability Programs For Good



We need to find ways to keep our day services viable. There will be a time when we will need them and it would be tragic for people to lose options.

Disability service providers across the country are closing programs as the coronavirus pandemic wears on and many are unlikely to reopen.

In a survey of 191 organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationally, 77 percent said they shut down or discontinued programs as a result of challenges related to COVID-19 and 16 percent of those indicated that the programs are not expected to reopen.

To read more on this story, click here: COVID-19 May Shut Many Disability Programs For Good



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Monday, August 24, 2020

Words of Encouragement from Barbara Merrill



This tribute video is part of a campaign through The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) to honor and recognize DSPs during the COVID-19 pandemic.




 



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My Husband’s Autism Diagnosis At 44 Changed Our Family – For The Better



Eighteen years ago, I lived in Norwich and worked on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff as a co-presenter. One day, I received a phone call out of the blue from Kelly, a man I had met years prior. He had seen me on the show and decided to call the station to get back in touch.

I was over the moon to hear from him. It had been five years since we’d been in touch and I had always held a bit of a torch for him. He asked if I was ever in London, I said yes, and we met up and went on a date. We had such a fantastic evening, chatting lots over cocktails. I knew then that this was more than a regular date – it was the start of a relationship.

To read more on this story, click here: My Husband’s Autism Diagnosis At 44 Changed Our Family – For The Better



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States Pressured To Remove Disability Bias From Medical Care Guidelines



In what’s being called a national precedent, yet another state is agreeing to change its approach to providing medical care during the pandemic in order to prevent disability discrimination.

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights said Thursday that it has reached a resolution with the state of Utah to revise its crisis standards of care guidelines.

To read more on this story, click here: States Pressured To Remove Disability Bias From Medical Care Guidelines


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Friday, August 21, 2020

Customer Wants Sign On Door Warning Of Special Needs Employee



It all happened on a Sunday when a customer asked one of the employees to refill the salad bowl. The employee is Ryan Mosley and he has Down Syndrome. The customer complained.

“My manager explained to him the situation privately, ‘That’s not his job. We’ve trained him to do this and there are special circumstances,’ and the customer was still not happy.” said the owner.

The customer suggested that they post a sign warning customers that they have employees with special needs.

When Amanda Cartagine, who owns and operates the beloved Pizza Inn, heard this, she was instantly offended.

To read more on this story, click here: Customer Wants Sign On Door Warning Of Special Needs Employee



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Congratulations to the Winners of Our Back To School Raffle!



We are excited to announce the winners of our back to school raffle! Congrats to the below employees who will receive school supplies, educational materials, and a brand new Chromebook for their child(ren). 

DeAngelo C.

Ebony G.

Michelle G.

Mercy A.

Claudia D.


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Man Pulls Off 'Amazing' Surprise To Ask Brother With Down Syndrome If He'll Be His Best Man: ‘He Had No Clue’



A 24-year-old man is going viral for the heartwarming surprise he planned for his younger brother.

Will Claussen is getting married in July of 2021. To him, there was no way that anyone besides his brother Henry would be his best man.

“He has the sweetest soul and has never said a bad word about anyone so it was a no brainer for him to be my best man,” Will told In The Know.

To read more on this story, click here: Man Pulls Off 'Amazing' Surprise To Ask Brother With Down Syndrome If He'll Be His Best Man: ‘He Had No Clue’



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Johns Hopkins Graduate Students Get FDA Approval For Clear Face Mask



Baltimore-based ClearMask LLC, a privately held medical supply company consisting of Johns Hopkins University graduate students and alumni, has received an initial OK from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for what the company calls the first fully transparent, surgical-grade face mask.

The FDA clearance — officially known as 510(k) clearance — is a premarket approval that the mask is safe and effective.

ClearMask says the mask can be used in hospitals and clinics, as well as schools, retail, hospitality and other settings.

To read more on this story, click here: Johns Hopkins Graduate Students Get FDA Approval For Clear Face Mask 




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This Woman With Down Syndrome Went Viral For Explaining Things About Her Life That Don't Make Sense



A woman named Charlotte Woodward recently went viral on TikTok for shedding light on some inequalities people with Down syndrome face:

BuzzFeed spoke to Charlotte, who is the Community Outreach Associate at the National Down Syndrome Society. "I am also a college student at George Mason University — straight As all the way. I'm going for a degree in Sociology with a focus in social justice and inequality. My mom told me when I was born that doctors said I would never learn to read or write and that I would be placed in a separate workshop as I grew up. I have, however, proven those doctors wrong," said Charlotte.

To read more on thi story, click here:  This Woman With Down Syndrome Went Viral For Explaining Things About Her Life That Don't Make Sense



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Sunday, August 9, 2020

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