Inclusion News

Read success stories of service members and volunteers with disabilities

3/20/2012

New Device Assists Persons with Paraplegia

Tek RMD, provides the opportunity of movement for people with paraplegia by enabling them to independently stand up in a completely upright position with correct posture, facilitating their movement and comfortable completion of their daily tasks indoors, such as in the home, office and shopping mall. Tek RMD is not an alternative to wheelchairs, it is a totally new concept, a new platform. -courtesy of www.tekrmd.com

1/4/2012

Accessible Garden for Atlanta Seniors

Seniors living in public housing are now joining the wave of urban community gardens sweeping the city.  Atlanta Housing Authority partnered with AmeriCorps VISTA members to build an inclusive community garden for the elderly residents and residents with disabilities at Peachtree Road High Rise Apartments in Buckhead.  On Saturday, December 3, twenty volunteers participated in the initial garden build-day. 

“I love playing in the dirt and am looking forward to finishing up the garden at the Peachtree Road High-rise,” says Atlanta Housing Authority’s Director of Community Partnerships, Shean Atkins.  Mr. Atkins has been working closely with Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism VISTA Project members Jackie Wright and Harrison Mitchell to not only build the community garden, but also ensure the sustainability of the project within the community. 

“I am also excited about a continued and expanded partnership with the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism and AmeriCorps programs,” Mr. Atkins continues.

On Saturday, December 3rd, Mr. Atkins and Mr. Mitchell directed volunteers from Weston Solutions as well as the Georgia Personal Assistance Service AmeriCorps members in the construction of the raised bed garden. 

Inside the community room, volunteers from Project Open Hand hosted a healthy cooking demonstration for the residents, and a volunteer from the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging distributed brochures on community resources for senior citizens.

The garden will contain twelve raised beds of varying sizes, with three beds built high enough to accommodate the residents with disabilities.  An accessible path will link the garden to the sidewalk.  At least one work-day remains to complete the project.

Funding for this project was secured from a disability-inclusion grant administrated by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism.  Back in October, with the idea of an accessible garden in mind, the AmeriCorps VISTA members from the Georgia Commission VISTA Project brought the funding opportunity to the attention of the Peachtree Road High Rise residents and to the Atlanta Housing Authority, who owns the building.

The success of this garden shows the power of the strong partnerships developed between AmeriCorps VISTA members Jackie Wright and Harrison Mitchell, Shean Atkins and Benecia Ponder from Atlanta Housing Authority, Alice Rolls from Georgia Organics, the staff of Integral Properties Management, and all the residents of Peachtree Road High Rise Apartments.

Georgia Commission VISTA members serve at each of the 12 Georgia Regional Commission areas.  They assist in publicizing and recruiting volunteers for AmeriCorps Programs, events, and region-based national service events, as well as researching and implementing their own sustainable community service projects.

11/29/2011

Sarah's Story

“Crunch” was the sound I heard as the first wheel left the board walk and dug its way deep into the sand. I should have known this was as far as my trusted wheelchair would take me. Sand is high on my list of most challenging terrains to traverse—it’s up there with steps and gravel. About 50ft in front of me, I saw a crowd of over 200 people lining up near the surf anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff with several sea turtles that were scheduled to be released that day. Since I started working at the center only a few days ago, this was my first turtle release so I was equally excited and did not know what to expect. One thing was sure, if I was going to be a part of this experience I would have to get much closer!

Before I had time to concoct a plan, Mike – one of the many amazing AmeriCorps members working at the center – spotted me in the distance, came over, scooped me up, and carried me past everyone down to the release area. Once there, he sat me down in the sand in the middle of the roped-off square!

Okay, at first I was a bit shy sitting ‘front and center’ as people stared at me. The crowd looked at me expectantly, probably wondering if I was going to make an announcement!  Within seconds my shyness faded, however, as I was overcome with excitement seeing the GSTC staff (the Teal-Team) approaching with the first turtle to be released. 

At the GSTC, I loved being immediately integrated into the Teal-Team; I thoroughly enjoyed helping with the medical treatments and husbandry of patients. When it came to the 200lb patients, turns out, I wasn’t expected to lift them by myself! Allegedly, no one except for wildlife hero, Dr. Terry Norton, has ever performed such a feat anyways.  In fact, the whole center operates through teamwork. Everybody helps each other, contributing their strengths with the common goal of doing what is best for the turtles. The teamwork I was able to be a part of was eye opening and inspiring, and I hope to mirror this in my own practice one day.

9/26/2011

The 2011-2012 AmeriCorps Program Year Underway

The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism welcomes our new programs: The New Teacher Project, Teach for America, and GoodWill Industries of the Southern Rivers.

To promote inclusion, the Commission established 5 disability compliance measures that all of our AmeriCorps programs must meet each year. Those compliance measures are explained in the video below.

3/25/2011

Disability Highlighted at the 2011 AmeriCorps Program Director's Retreat

Paula Sotnik, the Director of the National Service and Inclusion Project (www.serviceandinclusion.org), presented to Georgia AmeriCorps program directors at our 2011 retreat. Topics included: recruitment, communication, disclosure process, reasonable accommodations, service animals, accessible outreach materials, and legal requirements. With this session, we hope to strengthen our program director's knowledge on disability and equip them with the knowledge to create an inclusive environment within their programs.

2/24/2011

Disability Day at the Capitol

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities organized the 13th annual Disability Day at the Capitol today. Over 2,000 persons with disabilities and advocates packed the Capitol steps to rally for disability rights. Chants of "unlock the door to real communities" highlight a key issue for people in the disability community. The opportunity for individual choice and independence hope to be addressed at this years Georgia Legislative meetings. Newly elected governor Nathan Deal spoke to the crowd and affirmed his support for these initiatives.

10/28/2010

Disability Mini-Grants Awarded

The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism awarded Disability Involvement and Inclusion Mini-Grants to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the Albany Police Cadets. The grants will provide funding opportunities for programs to develop and implement small projects that engage people with disabilities in Georgia’s communities. The projects must be one day in length and focus on the participation of persons with disabilities in service.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center will create an Educational Program DVD that is translated into American Sign Language and captioned. This DVD will serve as a resource for individuals with a hearing impairment, offering equal access to their educational content.

The DVD will be played in the Center, presented to disability advocacy organizations, and distributed as a resource for individuals with disabilities.

The Albany Police Cadets will organize Buddy Ball, a T-Ball event that will pair youths with disabilities with baseball players from the community. Competing together will foster a unique experience that will benefit all.

During the games, organizations will offer tents, tables, and displays that encourage service in the community. Groups such as Parent to Parent of GA, the Lee/Dougherty Navigator Team, local law enforcement agencies, Dougherty and Lee County Schools, Darton College, Albany State University, Albany Technical College, local faith based organization, AmeriCorps VISTA, and the Albany Police AmeriCorps will come together to make this event possible.

Congratulations to both AmeriCorps Programs and thank you for your commitment to inclusion.

9/9/2010

The TEAM (Technology, Environment, And Movement) AmeriCorps Program at Georgia State University is Proactive on Inclusion

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12181) was signed into law by former President George H. W. Bush. It has since, been one of the most important civil rights laws to be enacted since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and provides accessibility guidelines for facilities, programs, services and activities lacking appropriate accommodations for people with disabilities. The ADA requires that all public use facilities and buildings be accessible to people with disabilities, including the deaf and hard-of-hearing. The scope and technical requirements outlined in the ADA goes beyond minimum requirements such as installing a wheelchair ramp. It also addresses accessibility requirements for alarm systems, giving deaf and hard-of-hearing persons critical and life-saving alternatives to audible alarms—the visual alarm. As a student at Georgia State University, I’ve already encountered the impact of ADA on student life.

During my first week as a Graduate Assistant (GRA) for Georgia State University’s Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence, I found myself face-to-face with a challenge many of us take for granted—being able to hear the fire alarm system in campus buildings. Full of excitement and enthusiasm that comes with the first week of work and school, I was busy typing away at my desk, facing a broad and spacious window. I didn’t notice the office door closed behind me as I worked. As soon as I realized it, I was in panic, wondering how long the door had been closed. My immediate question was, “What if there had been an emergency?” I hurriedly looked around my office and around the center. To my relief, my supervisor was nearby. Better yet, I found three different alarm systems with strobe lights installed within the center. Without missing a beat, I shared my concern with my supervisor. He shared that he was, also, the designated Safety Officer for the floor of the center and added that he never gave thought to the visual alarms systems that were installed. Our conversation quickly led to a fundamental question: Do all urban schools and universities have accessible alarm systems available to their students and staff? This called for an accessibility audit of the department.

-Alicia Knox

Alicia J. Knox, Graduate Student Georgia State University College of Education Educational Psychology and Special Education Multiple/Severe Disabilities (Deaf/HH) aknox4@student.gsu.edu

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