April April is National Autism Awareness Month. What s Inside:

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1 OSWEGO COUNTY EDITION Director: Sabine Ingerson April 2013 What s Inside: ARISE Groups 2 Habilitation News 3 ARISE Fundraiser 4 Fair Housing Coloring Contest MSC Blog 6 Calendar 7 Shoot for the Stars 8 ARISE Center for Independent Living ARISE Oswego 9 Fourth Ave Oswego, NY (315) ARISE Pulaski 2 Broad St Pulaski, NY (315) ARISE Fulton 113 Schuyler St, Suite 2 Fulton, NY (315) ariseinc.org /ARISEcny Our Mission To work with people of all abilities to create a fair and just community in which everyone can fully participate. 5 April is National Autism Awareness Month Did you know that one person in the United States is diagnosed with autism every 11 minutes? According to the latest research, 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys is now considered to be on the autism spectrum. Just a few years ago, the statistics showed that only 1 in 150 children was on the spectrum. Although children with autism live in every country of the world, the number of children with autism who live in the United States is higher than other countries. While this may possibly be the result of better diagnostic services in the US, we still don t know what causes autism and why the numbers are increasing so fast. More research needs to be done to find the answers to those questions. Locally, the Oswego County Autism Task Force was formed with the sole purpose of providing information and raising awareness of autism within Oswego County. ARISE is represented by Sabine Ingerson on the Board of the Oswego County Autism Task Force. The task force s informational website, is a valuable resource. Every year, the Autism Task Force holds a walk to raise awareness and funds to support mini-grants, scholarships, and other projects. The 2013 Autism Walk will be held on April 27 from 11 am to 2 pm at Fred Leighton School and Wilbur Field. You can form a team or come as an individual. There will also be activities for kids, information booths, and snacks. To better serve our consumers, ARISE continues to train staff about autism and behavioral interventions. In addition to social groups for teens and young adults, we now also offer social skills groups and provide one-on-one staffing at camp. Last year our agency contracted with Paul Meier, a person with autism, to provide peer mentoring and parent education. Our employment department also works with young people to gain true independence through competitive employment. We invite you to partner with us to help make Oswego a better place for families touched by autism. Page 1

2 ARISE Groups Oswego Social Club Friday, April 26th 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Join us for a movie and popcorn! This group is open to anyone who is 18 years of age and older. Please contact Jen Stanard at ext. 209 if you have any questions. Teen Group Central Square Social Club Friday, April 19th 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Come on out and enjoy this great opportunity to swim, splash around, or just relax while enjoying the water at the Institute for Human Performance (505 Irving Ave., Syracuse). There will be a lifeguard on duty and volunteers to assist our participants if needed. Participants who use a wheelchair will be able to enter the pool via a ramp. Please bring swimwear and towels. Transportation will be provided. For more information, contact Vicki Affinati at ext. 225 or vaffinati@ariseinc.org. Self-Advocacy Group Friday, April 26th 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Self-Advocacy is a group for people who want to advocate for change. For additional information, or if you have an issue you would like the group to advocate for, please contact Ken Skillen at ext Community Connections Sunday, April 28th 5:00 pm 8:00 pm Please join us for our formal dance! For information regarding this event, please contact Vicki at ext. 225 or vaffinati@ariseinc.org. Hollywood Nights Dance Come Dance in Our Own Hollywood Spotlight! Date: Sunday, April 28th, 2013 Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Fulton Municipal Building Reservations are required and refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Vicki Affinati at ext. 225 or vaffinati@ariseinc.org. Page 2

3 Habilitation Department News Staff Birthdays Brigette Walker & Kellie Keasler CIS All-Staff Meeting April 17 th from 10 am noon * CIS staff may cancel and re-schedule with consumers to attend staff development. There will be an Interactive Activity Training and a presentation on success stories and social media. Late Nights will be ending in April If you and a consumer would like to reserve a late night, please talk to your coordinator in advance so we can accommodate you. Don t forget to sign up on Doodle for the Annual Required Trainings - Safety & Security and Corporate Compliance/HIPAA/Incident Reporting! ARISE News For several years now we have hosted a Sibling Support Group called Sibshops. Why is Sibshops important? Siblings are, despite lots of ups and downs, the people you have the longest lasting relationship with. When one of the siblings has special needs, the dynamic of the relationship changes. At our Sibshops meeting on March 16, Donna Jones and Sabine Ingerson asked the kids what they would like someone to know about what it is like to have a sibling with special needs. Some of the issues mentioned were that the sibling can be annoying, may get preferential treatment (like not having to do chores), destroys toys and other items, and that his/her behavior or medical issues make it difficult to go places. The siblings also felt strongly that the public should learn more about the different disabilities and how best to relate to a person with a disability. All of them shared that they love their brother or sister. If you have a child in grades 3 to 8 who has a brother or a sister with special needs, consider giving them the opportunity to meet others siblings with similar experiences. The groups meets again in May. For more information about Sibshops contact Sabine Ingerson at ext. 210 or her at singerson@ariseinc.org. Page 3

4 Ride for Ramps Fundraiser The Oswego County Fair Housing Council Coloring Contest If you are interested in entering this contest, please call our office at ext 209 and we will mail you an official entry form. Contest Rules 1. Contest entries must be received or postmarked on or before Tuesday, April 30, Only children ages 4 to 12 (Pre-K through 6th grade) who reside in Oswego County may enter. 3. Entries will be judged based on the following categories: Ages 4-6, 7-9, and Use paint, watercolors, markers, crayons, or anything you like! 1st Prize: $50 Gift Certificate and a bowling party for 6 (for each category) 2nd Prize: $35 Gift Certificate and a bowling party for 6 (for each category) 3rd Prize: $25 Gift Certificate and a bowling party for 6 (for each category) Color and send to: The Oswego County Fair Housing Council C/o Oswego County Housing 46 East Bridge Street, Third Floor Oswego, NY Contest sponsored by: Oswego County Fair Housing Council Prizes donated by: Lighthouse Lanes, Community Bank, Pathfinder Bank, and Fulton Savings Bank Page 4

5 Fun Page Coloring contest Page 5

6 MSC Blog Hi everyone. My name is Kelly Howard. I have been a Medicaid Service Coordinator here at ARISE for 2 years and before that I was the Transition Service Coordinator for Oswego High School for 2 years. Pets are my passion, especially dogs. I have a black Labrador named Nala who is the sweetest little girl. While working at ARISE, I heard about a dog with two legs named Faith. Since then, I have read several books about Faith and her journey through life with two legs. Faith was born in December 2002 and the son of the family who adopted her saved her life. Faith s human mother was trying to end Faith s life because she knew that the puppy was too small and weak to fight for a feeding spot amongst the other puppies in the liter. Therefore, the son took Faith home and that s when Faith s life as an inspirational dog began. The family who adopted Faith made sure that she had all the necessities she needed such as food, water, and medical treatments. The family was determined to teach Faith how to walk upright so that she could get around on her own and not depend on others to help her whenever she needed to go somewhere. It was a very long process. Faith was rewarded with peanut butter every time she stood up and jumped around on her hind legs. After only 6 months, Faith had learned how to balance and move forward. With more training, Faith was finally able to walk like a human. Faith never gave up nor did the family who adopted her. They wanted her to learn to be independent and eventually she was able to walk on her own. Faith has appeared on shows such as Oprah, Maury, Ripley s Believe It or Not, etc. Faith has also traveled all over inspiring others to stay strong and continue to strive for whatever they want. Dogs are great pets for children and adults with disabilities because they are caring, friendly, energetic, and compassionate. Dogs also help foster independence in their owners. A great way to get a dog is to adopt one from your local animal shelters. Some of the places in Oswego County where you could get a friendly and furry pet dog are: Oswego Humane Society, Oswego County SPCA, and Oswego City Animal Shelter. Let a pet dog inspire you like Faith inspired others all over the world. Oswego Humane Society Oswego County SPCA Oswego City Animal Shelter dogs@oswegony.org Summer Camp Opportunities It might be hard to think about summer camp when there is still snow on the ground but we are thrilled that once again ten students with disabilities, age 8 16, and five siblings will have the opportunity to spend a week at day camp at ARISE at the Farm. Transportation will be provided from Oswego, Fulton, and Central Square. If your child needs a one-on-one assistant and would like to attend a local camp such as your town s day camp or Camp Hollis, ARISE might be able to help. If you are interested, please contact your MSC or Sabine Ingerson at ext These camp opportunities are funded by OPWDD Family Support Services. Page 6

7 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Fresh Food Giveaway United Methodist Church Sandy Creek 3:30 pm All Fool s Day 2 3 CiCi s Pizza Fundraiser 11am 9pm Please see page Fresh Food Giveaway St. Joseph The Worker 1001 Tulip St. Liverpool 3:30 pm Fresh Food Giveaway Believer s Chapel Fulton 3:30 pm Earth Day Central Square Social Club & Teen Group Please see page Social Club 11am- 12:30pm Self Advocacy 12:30-1:30pm Autism Walk Shoot for the Stars Wheelchair Basketball Tournament 28 Community Connections Formal Dance Please see page UNIQUE 2013 Submission Deadline If you are interested in submitting a visual or literary work to UNIQUE, visit or stop by one of our office to obtain an UNIQUE 2013 Submission Packet. Page 7

8 ARISE 9 Fourth Avenue Oswego, NY Phone: (315) Fax: (315) TTY: (315) ariseinc.org NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 25 OSWEGO, NY Address Service Requested Mailing Address Goes Here ACCES-VR Works! Shoot for the Stars ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation) is an agency in the New York State Education Department that has helped many individuals with disabilities find and keep employment. You may know the agency from it s previous acronym: VESID. Over the past year, ACCES-VR has helped over 900 people in Central New York (including 80 in Oswego County) succeed in careers ranging from customer service to information technology. Services to help eligible individuals reach their employment goals may include but are not limited to: job coaching, employment counseling, advocacy, and financial assistance with training, equipment, and work uniforms. If you or someone you know has a barrier to employment and is interested in applying, please call (315) to register for an information session or to receive an application. ARISE will once again form a team and compete in the Move Along Shoot for the Stars Wheelchair Basketball Tournament on April 27, 2013!