At RCM, we promote opportunities for helping people with Intellectual Disabilities build relationships, and integrate into the community
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Director, Andrew Reese Highlights The DSP Academy
Robin Bakes A Cake!
Video description: Robin puts the measured ingredients into the mixing bowl and whisks. Robin then decorates her cake with white, pink, and red sprinkles.
Click arrow twice to start video!
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COVID-19 Toolkit For DSPs
With the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, there is a constant barrage of information being shared. Things are changing almost hourly across the country. The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) is committed to sharing resources for Direct Support Professionals. We understand that given this global crisis, Direct Support Professionals are still working to provide supports. As Direct Support Professionals are on the front lines, we have created this tool kit with self care information and additional resources for individuals. If you have additional resources that would be beneficial for other Direct Support Professionals, please email ndama@nadsp.org.
To read more on this story, click here: COVID-19 Toolkit For DSPs
Register for the 1st Virtual African American Conference on Disabilities!
This conference is a FREE event!
Hosted by The Arizona Center for Disability Law and the Arizona Center for African American Resources (AzCAAR), the AACD is the only comprehensive conference in the U.S. that addresses the intersection between race and disabilities.
You can register for 11 sessions via the links below. The Opening Session will start on February 1st and the Closing Session will be on February 26th.
To learn more about this event, click here: Register for the 1st Virtual African American Conference on Disabilities!
Tom Ridge: It's Time to End Subminimum Wage for Workers with Disabilities
There is no excuse for treating an entire class of American workers differently from others based solely on the characteristic of disability.
Among the millions of Americans who watched President Joe Biden’s Super Bowl interview on CBS were families touched by disability. One in five Americans has a disability, so it’s not an insignificant number.
I have to believe many of those families listened with great interest to the president’s comments when it came to the federal minimum wage — and for reasons you might not expect.
To read more on this story, click here: Tom Ridge: It's Time to End Subminimum Wage for Workers with Disabilities
Valentine’s Day Tea Party!
CALLING LGBTQ+ with DISABILITIES
CALLING LGBTQ+ with DISABILITIES
The District of Columbia Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) is in the process of developing a new Five-Year State Plan (State Plan) for fiscal years 2022–2026.
The State Plan will guide the future direction and goals of the DDC.
The State Plan will reflect the diverse voices of the community. The DDC will identify the needs, activities, and supports as indicated by District of Columbia residents with developmental disabilities, their families, caregivers, friends, advocates, colleagues and other professionals who support this community.
February 18, 2021, at 12:00 pm:
For more information click here: Virtual Community Forum for the LGBTQ+ People with Developmental Disabilities in DC
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you need assistance completing the survey or the registration form, help in your language, or free interpreter assistance, please call Alison Whyte, 202-340-8563.
[Image description: Three Black and disabled folx smiling and displaying mini flags. On the left, a non-binary person holds up both a rainbow pride flag and a transgender pride flag, with her cane resting on the wall behind her. In the middle, a woman waves the rainbow flag while sitting in her power wheelchair. On the right, a woman waves both a rainbow and transgender pride flag. Credit: Disabled and Here]
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Meet Leroy F. Moore Jr., Founder of the Krip-Hop Nation
Leroy F. Moore Jr., Founder of the Krip-Hop Nation. Since the 1990s, has written the column “Illin-N-Chillin” for POOR Magazine. Moore is one of the founding members of National Black Disability Coalition and activist around police brutality against people with disabilities.
Leroy has started and helped start organizations like Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization to Sins Invalid to Krip-Hop Nation. His cultural work includes film documentary, Where Is Hope, Police Brutality Against People with Disabilities, spoken-word CDs, poetry books and children’s book, Black Disabled Art History 101 published by Xochitl Justice Press.
To read more on this story, click here: Leroy Moore
Sylvia Walker: A Champion for Disability Rights
If the name DR. Sylvia Walker does not sound familiar to you, you are not alone. I was not familiar with Dr. Walker myself when I received this blog assignment. I knew the names of many disability advocates such as Judith Heumann and Justin Whitlock Dart Jr., and their role in paving the way for the equal rights and accessible world I now live in. Thanks to some research, Dr. Sylvia Walker will be another name I always remember and affiliate with greater accessibility for all.
To read more on this story, click here: Sylvia Walker: A Champion for Disability Rights
The Virtual Polar Plunge Is On!
Virtual Event
About the Campaign
The Polar Plunge is going virtual, with socially distanced in person options to show your support for Special Olympics DC. In January and February 2021, decide how you will "take the plunge" and submit your video for the chance to win prizes!
To participate, raise at least $100 and receive the commemorative 2020- Polar Plunge t-shirt, or mask and hand sanitizer! Raise even more to receive other cool prizes!
Celebration Event – February 26, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
To learn more about this event, click here: Polar Plunge
Black History Month: Lois Curtis Artist And Disability Advocate Paved The Way
By Angela Weddle
Lois Curtis was placed in Georgia Regional Hospital when she was only 11 years old. She would spend her teenage years and early twenties in and out of various institutions for people with developmental disabilities. She would regularly call the Atlanta Legal Aid Society asking for help getting out. She talks about her desire to leave the institution.
To read more on this story, click here: Black History Month: Lois Curtis Artist And Disability Advocate Paved The Way
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Mr. Clark, AKA, Sonny Working on His Art at Home
Mr. Clark, AKA, Sonny working on his art at home, passing the time during the pandemic. Check out his art work he has for sale at Art Enables: Sonny
Curtis John Pride is a Former Major League Baseball Outfielder Who is Deaf, Served as the Head Baseball Coach at Gallaudet University
In the photo, Curtis is a Black man with medium-deep skin. He is wearing his Los Angeles Angels uniform and baseball hat. He is throwing a baseball.
To learn more about Curtis Pride, click here: Gallaudet Athletics
#BlackHistoryMonth #DisabledBlackHistory #BlackDisabledHistory
Nike’s New Hands-Free Sneaker Is Being Called a Win for Disability Design
Nike introduced its first-ever hands-free sneaker, the Nike GO FlyEase, on February 1, and its origin can be traced back nearly a decade to when a boy with cerebral palsy wrote a letter to the company.
Matthew Walzer, now 25, was born two months premature, weighing only two pounds, 14 ounces. His lungs were not fully developed, and so his brain did not receive enough oxygen. This lack of oxygen led to brain injury that resulted in cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that affect a person's movement, balance, and posture, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To read more on this story, click here: Nike’s New Hands-Free Sneaker Is Being Called a Win for Disability Design
The Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines for Direct Support Professionals
To see the video, click here: The Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines for Direct Support Professionals
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Hope Rises
"Thank you Target! 🎯 Today Oliver stopped me dead in his tracks and turned back around to see this picture that he spotted! He just stared at it in awe! He recognized another boy like him, smiling and laughing on a display at Target. Oliver sees kids every day, but he never gets to see kids like him. This was amazing! I am so happy that other kids that pass through here with their parents, will see this! There is a lot of focus on representing diversity, but representing people with disabilities is just as important! ❤"
Via Ollie's World
Cats May Improve Social Skills In Kids With Autism
Children with the developmental disorder showed increased empathy and experienced fewer problem behaviors after welcoming a pet cat into their homes. They also displayed less separation anxiety, externalizing, bullying and hyperactivity or inattention.
To read more on this story, click here: Cats May Improve Social Skills In Kids With Autism
Art Enables
Join Us Along With Kaiser Permanente Center For Total Health
Appointments to receive COVID-19 vaccines continue to fill quickly.
Join us along with Kaiser Permanente Center For Total Health
Mary's Center DC Health for a virtual town hall conversation with medical experts to get your questions answered on Tuesday, January 26 at 12:30 pm.
To register, visit https://bit.ly/C-VaxTownHall
REMINDER: Open enrollment ends January 31. So, #GetCoveredDC
White House Commits to Sign Language Interpreter at Every Press Briefing
“As a part of this administration's accessibility and inclusion efforts, starting today, we will have an ASL — an American Sign Language interpreter — for our daily press briefings," she announced.
"The president is committed to building an America that is more inclusive, more just and more accessible for every American, including Americans with disabilities and their families,” she added.
To read more on this story, click here: White House Commits to Sign Language Interpreter at Every Press Briefing
Disability Representation On TV Breaks Record
Characters with disabilities are set to account for a larger percentage of those on prime-time television shows this season than ever before, according to an analysis.
Of the 773 regularly-appearing characters expected on broadcast scripted series during the 2020-2021 season, 3.5% have disabilities. That marks a new high, exceeding last year’s record of 3.1%.
To read more on this story, click here: Disability Representation On TV Breaks Record
Pledge of Allegiance in Sign Language by Female Black Fire Captain is Praised
The Pledge of Allegiance was created in sign language during the inauguration of Joe Biden .
Andrea M Hall, the first black woman to become a Fire Captain in the City of South Fulton Fire Rescue Department, in Georgia, recited the pledge while also signing it with her hands. She is also president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3920, which endorsed Biden early in his presidential campaign.
She took to the stage shortly after Lady Gaga performed the US national anthem wearing a black and red ballgown decorated with a large gold dove of peace. Speaking about her involvement in Biden’s inauguration, Captain Hall previously said: ‘I just am intending to represent, my family, the city of South Fulton, women, African-American women, firefighters, and everyone in the nation, well.’
To read more on this story, click here: Pledge of Allegiance in Sign Language by Female Black Fire Captain is Praised
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