Capital District & Northern Voices A Newsletter By and For Self-Advocates in the Capital District Winter 2005 On September 28th, the Self-Advocacy Association and RCIL presented the RJ Cooper Assistive Technology Workshop and Expo at Fulton Montgomery Community College. RJ Cooper is an expert at designing assistive technology and helping people to identify and meet their needs. Over 150 people came for the day and enjoyed the workshop and lunch at FMCC. This was an exciting day! RJ had “learners” come up on stage and try out devices in front of the audience, so everyone could see him ask questions and try out technology and software that could help people do things and learn to improve their skills. This was truly individualized attention to each person’s abilities, and RJ stayed late so all 10 of the learners had a chance to go up on stage and work with him. Self-Advocates, family, teachers, service coordinators and others really liked the demonstration and were impressed by RJ’s knowledge and his very simple and personal approach. He made it look so easy! Each learner was also shown on two TV screens so everyone could see exactly what was being tried. Even people who drove in from Massachusetts and Vermont said this was well worth the trip and a very valuable day. Thanks RJ! For more info, visit www.rjcooper.com Get in Print! If you would like to write an article for Capital/Northern Voices, please call Pat McBride or Neil Mitchell at (518) 382-1454. We also accept poems, short stories, and photographs or digital photos of artwork. We want to hear from you! Page 2 What is a Regional Advisor? Perhaps the most important thing the Regional Advisor does is to help improve communication among self-advocacy groups and between groups and the Self-Advocacy Association. I help out GROP coordinator Cheryl Walther and self-advocacy group advisors, as well as groups or self-advocates who have concerns or need information. Part of my job is going to selfadvocacy group meetings and regional events. I also am advisor to Saratoga Independent SA Group. Videoconferencing has made regional planning meetings more fun and productive. Unfortunately, less than half of the groups have any representatives. Participants have found these meetings to be a great way to meet new people and find out what is happening in the region; you should really consider joining in! At the recent Self-Advocacy Association conference, up for discussion were the proposed changes to the Association’s bylaws. One possible change was an enlargement of our region. Another was to reemphasize the need for groups to be independent. I will help keep you posted as this develops. I’ve tried to give you an idea of who I am, what I have been doing, and what I am interested in. Please contact me if I can be of help or if you want to be part of activities in the region at (518) 584-1680. By, Jack Lillibridge Local Group Spotlight on the…Saratoga Independent SA Group Do you want to spend some of your free time in a positive way? “Consider joining!” say group members and group advisor Jack Lillibridge. Group members are committed to improving quality of life for people with developmental disabilities. The main goal of the group is to obtain more community inclusion for those with disabilities. Some group accomplishments include: • Successfully advocated with Saratoga Library to make their free computer classes available to people with disabilities • Hosted picnics and parties for members of self-advocacy groups in our region • Attended many self-advocacy conferences at the national, state, and regional level • Enjoyed social activities like dining out together and attending events like the Ice Capades • Provided a place where we support each other and have fun doing things together We need your ideas and feedback! Contact Fred Casner (583-1908), Jack Lillibridge (584-1680), or Don Bullard (584-7283). This group is seeking new members. Page 3 Tell us what your Self-Advocacy group is up to! Your group could be featured in the Local Group Spotlight. Thank you for all you do! Contact us at (518) 382- 1454 or email your group’s story to sanys@sanys.org On Sunday, September 18th the Capital District & Northern Region had a very successful regional picnic. Over 100 people joined us at Moreau Recreation Field in South Glens Falls on a nice day. People came from the Tupper Lake area all the way down to the Albany area and in between. A lot of people had fun playing Bingo and winning prizes. There were also raffles for prizes. All of the prizes were donated by local businesses that were asked by self-advocates. We also got to socialize with our friends, and people we don’t see that often. We had a special guest, Assemblyman Roy McDonald. He had a nice time as well as everyone else. There was plenty of food thanks to everyone’s contributions. We plan on doing this next year, and people have said they would prefer a Saturday picnic but this was a good location. Thanks to the self-advocates and committee members who planned this wonderful event! Phyllis Blackburn deserves special thanks for all getting the prizes donated. And thanks again to all the people and companies to the left who made this event possible with their sponsorship and generous donations. Hope to see you next year! By, Cheryl Walther Our sponsors Boston Scientific, Glens Falls National Bank, and the wonderful Joan Taylor. Thanks also to the Capital District DDSO, BJ’s, Hannaford, Tim & Sandy Borden, Wise, Inc. and Route 9 Novelties, Electronics Boutique and other Aviation Mall stores for supporting us and donating food or prizes. Page 4 Join A Self-Advocacy Group!!! Usually, successful self-advocacy begins with the formation of a self-advocacy group. The group provides a supportive environment where individuals can develop confidence and independence. Call us at (518) 382-1454 if you would like help joining an existing group or starting a new one. You can also request a list of SA groups by mail or email. Capital/Northern groups are online as well at the regional webpage—go to the homepage and click on the Capital region on the map (blue). Groups are listed at the bottom. Self-Advocacy Assn. of New York State, Inc. Address: 500 Balltown Rd. Bldg. 5C Schenectady, NY 12304 Phone: (518) 382-1454 Fax: (518) 382-1594 E-Mail: capitaldistrict@sanys.org www.SANYS.org SELF-ADVOCACY ASSN. 500 Balltown Rd. Bldg. 5C Schenectady, NY 12304 S A V E T H E D A T E ! ! ! CAPITAL DISTRICT REGIONAL VIDEO CONFERENCE MEETINGS for SA Group Officers and Advisors to attend There will be no December meeting due to the holidays. 2006 Videoconference Schedule January 26 February 23 March 30 April 27 May 18 June 29 July 27 August 31 September 28 October 26 November 16 No December Mtg. The meeting time for all sessions is 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Locations: Capital District DDSO, Saratoga DDSO, Sunmount DDSO, and Russell Road DDSO