Spring Accessibility Month

This May, 2018 is Spring Accessibility Month at the North Country Center for Independence!

What Is It?

Our goal will be to rate the accessibility of at least 20 local restaurants, and post the results on the NCCI website, alongside restaurant accessibility ratings we have already done. We know we can do it, but we need your help!

Call, email, or stop by for a visit, and we will assign you a list of 5 restaurants in the Plattsburgh area to visit and assess. The focus here is on accessibility for people with disabilities, and we are asking you to rate each place on the following criteria:

_ _ _ _ _ Parking

_ _ _ _ _ Entrance

_ _ _ _ _ Restrooms

_ _ _ _ _ Interior

_ _ _ _ _ Signage

You will give each category a star rating, from 0 (worst) to 5 (best). This will enable people with disabilities and their families to plan where they can visit, and also provide practical feedback to restaurants that could be made more accessible. You can also add brief written notes on aspects of each restaurant that are welcoming to disabled customers or that create specific barriers.

About Accessibility

People with disabilities face literal, physical barriers to independence every day. Restaurants, stores, offices, and other public facilities that aren't properly accessible are failing to provide equal service, and it has a real impact on disabled peoples' ability to live independently and productively in their communities. Additionally, they may be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law that has required equal service and physical accessibility for over 25 years.

On the other hand, places that are accessible help sustain independence and community mobility, and the more of them there are, the more accessible and welcoming our community is to people with disabilities and their families, including visitors.

With your help, we can document businesses that are and are not accessible, and make that information freely available for anyone who wants to know. As more places in our area get rated, the more information we will have for residents and visitors with disabilities.

Getting Started

All you have to do is contact us in one of the following ways:

• Call us at 518-563-9058 and ask for John Farley, our Accessibility Consultant.
• Email John at john@ncci-online.com
• Stop by the NCCI office at 102 Sharron Avenue in Plattsburgh, NY.

We will give you a list of restaurants to visit, and a simple guide to measuring the accessibility of public facilities. It's easy to do, and it's a great service for the North Country disability community.

Clinton County Public Transit Route Deviation Trainings

On May 1, 2018, Clinton County Public Transit will change its Paratransit policy, essentially eliminating door-to-door transportation for people with disabilities within the City of Plattsburgh. CCPT will shift instead to route deviation.

The Clinton County Planning Department and CCPT will hold a series of trainings to orient riders to the new system. Dates and times are below:

Presented by the Clinton County Planning Department

Clinton County Government Center

137 Margaret Street

Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Scheduled trainings:

Friday, April 6, 9:30 am

Saturday, April 7, 9:30 am

Monday, April 9, 9:30 am

Saturday, April 14, 1:30 pm

Wednesday, April 18, 9:30 am

Travel training will consist of a 20 minute presentation on the new bus schedule and how Route Deviation works, followed by an opportunity to ride the bus and see Route Deviation in action.

If you wish to attend, call 518-561-1452. If you can’t attend but would like more information and opportunity for input, call NCCI at 518-563-9058.

Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018

As you may have seen in the news this week, Stephen Hawking, arguably the most famous and admired theoretical physicist in the world, died Tuesday.

Professionally, he is known as a physicist comparable to Albert Einstein. He held the same Mathematics chair at the University of Cambridge as Sir Isaac Newton. He was known especially for ground breaking theories about black holes and the nature of time and space. And in 1988 he published a best-selling book about these subjects, A Brief History of Time. These achievements alone would have warranted coverage of Hawking’s death on the evening news and the top of our internet news feeds.

The reason we in the disability community have taken such note of Stephen Hawking’s passing is that he was also one of the most famous disabled people in the world. Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, (known as motor neuron disease in the United Kingdom), when he was still an undergraduate. He was told he had just a few years to live, but he lived to the age of 76. For much of his life and professional career, he was almost completely paralyzed, and used an electric wheelchair and speech synthesizer he controlled with tiny head movements. For decades, his wheelchair and synthesizer voice became iconic, both in his professional field and in popular culture. (See the clips below of some of Prof. Hawking’s appearances on TV shows).

Already there is some discussion about how Prof. Hawking’s death and life is being covered. Is there too much emphasis on his disability, or not enough? Was his disability a tragic impediment he overcame, or an important part of the man he became? Was he a disability advocate, or just a renowned physicist who just happened to have a disability?

Fortunately, since tackling deep questions was Prof. Hawking’s speciality, he would probably be happy to see us wrestle with what his life meant to all of us.

Here are some articles with more information and perspective on Stephen Hawking and the impact of his life:

Stephen Hawking, science's brightest star, dies aged 76

Ian Sample, The Guardian - March 14, 2018

Stephen Hawking: A life in pictures

BBC - March 14, 2018

Do You Actually Know Why Stephen Hawking Was Famous?
Tanya Basu, Daily Beast - March 14, 2018

Hawking: Did he change views on disability?

James Gallagher, BBC - March 14, 2018

Stephen Hawking’s Disability Activism Was as Invaluable as His Science

Alex Barasch, Slate - March 14, 2018

Disability and vulnerability

Stephen Hawking, United Nations Human Development Report - 2018

Some people are angry about how the media is covering Stephen Hawking

Alia E. Dastagir, USA Today - March 14, 2018

Stephen Hawking, Wheelchairs, Death, and Freedom
Karen Hitzelberger, Claiming Crip - March 15, 2018

By The Numbers: NCCI Services 2016 / 2017

The main goal of providing services at NCCI is to assist individuals with disabilities, and others dealing with disability issues. Each person we work with has an individual story, and each person who achieves or maintains their independence is a win, for them and for all of us.

Once in awhile though, it's useful to take a step back and look at what all of our services throughout the year look like. Exactly who are we serving? Which of our services are the most in demand? What kind of impact are we having in the North Country community?

Have a look ...

Note: These figures represent the number of people who received services at least once during the past full October-September year. Most of these people received services multiple times, though each is counted here only once.

Winter Paralympics

The 12th Winter Paralympic Games will take place in PeyongChang, South Korea, March 9-18, 2018. The games will start with Opening Ceremonies on Friday the 9th, and continue over the next 9 days. 550 disabled athletes from 49 countries will compete in six events:

Alpine skiing

Biathlon

Cross-country skiing

Ice sledge hockey

Snowboarding

Wheelchair curling

Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of competitive sports for people with disabilities. They run concurrently with both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games every four years, usually about two weeks after and at the same location and using the same facilities.

Similar to the Olympics themselves, the Paralympics are exciting, inspiring, informative ... and occasionally controversial. One of the aims of the Paralympics is to show the world what people with various disabilities can do in competitive athletics, with the right adaptations and determination. Each Paralympics fosters high hopes for further transforming attitudes towards people with disabilities in general throughout the world.

At the same time, while the disability community typically enjoys and celebrates the Paralympics as a showcase for disability sports and disabled athletes, there is an undercurrent of concern about exactly what messages about disability are received by the viewing public. Some are concerned that showcasing Paralympians as examples of disability achievement sends a distorted message, that disabled people can literally do anything if given the chance. While this is in a sense true, most disabled people have complex needs and face barriers in society that make simple independent living a genuine challenge.

Also, in recent years there has been some debate within disability sports about how disabled athletes are qualified and categorized based on their precise impairments. Some excellent athletes are always left out because of minute deviations in their actual disabilities, and efforts to match people evenly and fairly can be messy.

On the positive side, broadcasters have steadily increased the number of hours of Paralympic coverage in recent years. NBC will air over 250 hours of the 2018 Winter Paralympics, which is double the coverage of the last Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. And again, similar to all the Olympics themselves, the Paralympics tends to transcend it’s controversies, reservations, and social critiques ... no matter how valid ... as the sheer spectacle and fun takes over.

Here are some links to help you enjoy the 2018 Winter Paralympics:

PeyongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games - Official Website

2018 Winter Paralympics TV and live stream schedule - NBC

Winter Paralympics: Day-by-day guide to Pyeongchang Games - BBC

2018 Paralympics - Wikipedia

The Ultimate Guide To The Paralympic Games - Buzzfeed

Why do Americans ignore the Paralympics? - Boston Globe

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Work Incentives Workshop

Presenter: Norman L. Karp, Certified Benefits Specialist

When: Wednesday April 18th and 25th, 10:30am - 12 Noon.

Where:

North Country Center for Independence

80 Sharron Ave

Plattsburgh, NY 12901 

For more information or to register contact Norman Karp at: 

Phone: (518) 563-9058, ext. 110 or (518) 354-0198 

E-mail: norman@ncci-online.com

Seats are limited, so reserve your spot today!!!

Are you (or someone you know) receiving Social Security disability benefits and interested in exploring your work options?

Do you have questions about work like these ...

• Can I work and still keep my Social Security benefits? 

• Can I work and keep my healthcare benefits?

• Who can help me understand how working will affect my benefits? 

What are the advantages of you going back to work?

• More money! More money! More money!

• Becoming more self-sufficient

• Meeting new people

Social Security makes this possible with work incentives, such as:

• Impairment Related Work Expenses or Blind Work Expenses

• Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS Plan)

• Student Earned Income Exclusions

• Continued Medicaid Coverage (1619 B)

• Trial Work Period Months and Substantial Gainful Activity 

• Expedited Reinstatement

• Extended Period of Eligibility and Extended Medicare Coverage

So, if you or someone you know wants to work but isn’t sure how to get started, this Work Incentives Workshop is the place to be!!!

New Medicare Cards

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they will begin mailing new Medicare cards to all people with Medicare in the near future.

Sample image of new Medicare cards

Instead of a Social Security Number, the new card will have a Medicare Number that’s unique to each person with Medicare. The new card will help protect identities and keep personal information more secure. Medicare coverage and benefits will stay the same.

Medicare will automatically mail new cards at no cost to the address on file at Social Security. So if you are on Medicare, it’s important to make sure your address is up-to-date. An address can be updated easily by signing in to or creating a “my Social Security account”.

As beneficiaries begin to receive cards, keep in mind these 3 important tips:

1. Destroy your old Medicare card right away.

2. Use your new card. Doctors, other health care providers, and plans approved by Medicare know that Medicare is replacing the old cards. They are ready to accept your new card when you need care.

3. Beware of people contacting you about your new Medicare card and asking you for your Medicare Number, personal information, or to pay a fee for your new card. Treat your Medicare Number like you treat your Social Security or credit card numbers. Remember, Medicare will never contact you uninvited to ask for your personal information.

For more information on the new Medicare cards, click here to visit the Medicare website.

This notice comes to us from Virginia Commonwealth University’s National Training and Data Center, which coordinates information programs on disability-related benefits, including Social Security Work Incentives.

For more information on benefits applications, planning, and assistance, contact Norman Karp, Benefits Specialist at the North Country Center for Independence, 518-563-9058, Ext. 110, or send an email to norman@ncci-online.com