The quarter has been really fun. We sponsored our first regional meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. The Southern Collaborative held the Kudzu Summit June 12-15, 2001. The Collaborative met in conjunction with Project Leadership. As a result of this meeting 66 self-advocates (39), parents (17), and self-advocacy advisors (10) from 11 southern states participated in discussions on self-determination, grassroots advocacy, and coalition building. The Collaborative was expanded as a result of this meeting and now includes eleven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. This is SABE’s Regions six and nine. The Collaborative identified Goals/Issues facing the States of the Southern Collaborative. The group decided to meet again in North Carolina to identify strategies to address the issues of self-determination and flexible funding for services and supports in the South.

We were not able to schedule a time for the regional meeting in Cincinnati, due to conflicts in schedules. The committee is now considering other locations. We are also considering including two SABE regions.

The committee also completed summaries of materials presented during the first week of Project Leadership. These were provided to the participants during the first week.

We also completed our second week of training for July 5-13. Your team Chester, Teresa and Elouise did a great job at the training. The team conducted disability awareness training for the hotel staff. This resulted in a tremendous improvement in staff attitudes. We also built into the schedule time to answer questions on personal issues. This really worked well.

We have also made corrections to the application and Joseph has it ready to be posted on our website.

During the quarter we spent more money than we had planned due to the fact that we are paying the expenses for three SABE board members to attend out of our funds. We also have used our administrative cost to pay for the Legislative committee to go to Washington and the Grant committee to go to Kentucky to answer questions on a grant we applied for. Based on expenses we may go over budget by approximately $3000. The Project Leadership committee and the finance committee will need to meet and make recommendations on what actions we need to take.

Project Leadership Committee ******************* SABE's new grant: Everyone Can Serve! What is the goal of the grant? The goal of the Everyone Can Serve project (Georgia Grant) is to make the inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities in national service a reality. SABE and the University of Georgia have received this grant from the Corporation for National Service. You might have heard of this organization. It runs the AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Service and Learn and Serve program in the states. These are volunteer and service opportunities whose benefits include monthly stipends and educational awards. What will SABE's role in the Grant be? SABE will work with the National Service Programs in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi in Region 6 to help them learn how to include and support people with cognitive disabilities in national service programs. We will also help the recruitment, support and accomodations needed for self-advocates to participate. How does the grant support SABE's strategic plan? SABE has a goal of promoting self-advocacy in every state. Many of the members of SABE have been involved in Americorps and VISTA as organizers for state self-advocacy chapters. State self-advocacy organizations have also served as project sites for Americorps and VISTA, including Tennessee, Oklahoma, New York, Missouri, Georgia, and Utah. These projects have focused on building self-advocacy organizations in the nation. So one of the goals of our project is to provide information to project directors for the Corporation for National Service on how to partner with self-advocacy organizations. Who do you know that has worked with the Corporation of National Service? Our own chairperson, James Meadours was a VISTA volunteer in Oklahoma for two years. According to James, his work with VISTA provided the opportunity to continue his involvement with self-advocacy by moving into the role of a community organizer. He also gained much self-confidence in his skills as a leader and feels this has led to his current career as a Self-Advocacy Facilitator for the Louisiana Self-Advocacy Project. Stay tuned for grant updates here and on the website.

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MEET KECIA WELLER

   The SABE newsletter staff is very proud to introduce you to Kecia Weller. Kecia has a unique ability to express thoughts through writing. She believes that she and everyone in the world has a "strong life path (Life Purpose) and that everyone has "something valuable to contribute to the world today."

  Kecia has studied the lives and methodologies of the following civil rights leaders: Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr; and Nelson Mandela and she sees herself as an active leader in the Civil Rights Movement for People with Disabilities.

  Kecia was born with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder in 1964. This means that she has a hard time processing information she hears through her ears.

  She is a professional as a Disability Rights Advocate and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) trainer. She became a professional advocate in 1995. Kecia explains, "I received my training in the ADA in 1998. One of my main roles is to train all the people I can about the very empowering ADA law. I have an email list called the ADA-EMPOWERMENT list that you can subscribe to and learn about the ADA. I have worked around three years as the People First of California (PFCA) State Advocacy Reporter. As the PFCA State Advocacy Reporter, I reported on self-advocacy news all across the state of California for a magazine called the People First Star. Presently, I am working at the Westside Regional Center, as their Coordinator of Consumer Advocacy."

  We welcome you all to read the two excellent articles that Kecia Weller submitted to the SABE newsletter.

  Visit more with Kecia at: http://home.earthlink.net/~keciaw/index.html

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Wolves At Our Door
How to be Effective Citizens

Written by Kecia Weller

  Why is it important that citizens get to know their elected representatives on the local, state, and national levels? One major reason why it is so important to scrutinize our elected representatives is to protect our quality of life. Our representatives in the local, state, and national government need to hear from us as voters!
  As Thomas Jefferson stated, “if once (the people) becomes inattentive to the public affairs . . . I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges and Governors shall all become wolves”  That quote from President Jefferson is very astute. If we, as citizens of the United States don’t take the responsibility to get involved in the decision making process by educating and informing our elected representatives, do you know what will happen? We will find ourselves and the USA with unjust laws. All of our social gains that we have made will go backwards and the quality of life for people with disabilities may even go back to what it was like in the dark ages.
  Think about this! Can we, as citizens afford NOT to get involved with our local, state, and national affairs? Do we, as citizens want to expand the American Dream, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution? Or, do we, as citizens want to be inattentive to the public affairs while letting our elected representatives become “wolves”? No! We have to be involved with the process of swaying our elected representatives to make the laws that benefit all people who live in the USA.
  In the USA, we have a democratic representative government which means we as citizens, elect people to represent us who have values, morals and belief systems that are similar to our own. Our elected representatives need their constituents to give them their opinions, needs, and feelings on how they want to be represented in local, state, and national government. We as, citizens have to get involved with local, state and national governments by telling the people who represent us our opinions on important issues that affect our lives.
  The following are specific techniques that we can use to be effective citizens with our elected representatives:

1.	Study the issues. Know who the important players are in making and changing a proposal, bill, or a law.
2.	Monitor voting records of legislators to see if what they promise their constituents is actually how they vote on the issues.
3.	Learn how the legislative process works. Learn the rules, so you can better understand, and are better equipped to sway elected representatives. The following two publications will help you learn about the legislative process, from an introduction of a bill, to the President’s signature. “How Our Laws Are Made,” is a publication about the House of Representatives, and “Enactment of A Law” which explains the Senate rules.
4.	Write, E-mail, or call your elected representatives with your thoughts, opinions, and your experiences give some examples on how a certain issue will affect your life for better or for worse. A good web site to find your elected representatives contact information is: http://www.votenet.com
5.	Visit with your elected representatives to state your opinions on issues that concern you. You may meet with your representatives by yourself. However, it is much better when you have a group of people to state various angles on issues that concern all of you.

  In summary, I am urging each of you to use the techniques in this article to be effective citizens. To protect our Democratic government, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, our Standard of Living and in essence the American Dream. People with disabilities are apart of the American Dream. We have to use legislative advocacy to have inclusion, Self-Determination, justice, equality in the USA and to protect the Americans with Disabilities Act (and other disability rights laws) from getting weaker. Many people with disabilities believe that their letters and telephone calls to their elected representatives don’t get anywhere or whatever they say to their representatives are swept under the rug. This is a misconception. It is because of grass roots efforts of individuals and organizations such as Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) that our elected representatives have passed many good laws that help all people in the USA. Politicians are strongly interested in what their constituents’ opinions are on the issues. That is why expressing our civic concerns to our elected representatives and important players (on a particular issue) on the local, state, national levels are so crucial.

Recommended web site: http://www.ethepeople.com

Wolves At Our Door article written by Kecia Weller. If you want to contact Kecia, email her at keciaw@onebox.com.

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Americans with Disabilities Act
Title I: Employment Provisions

Title I: Requires employers that have more than 15 employees to provide ADA qualified individuals with disabilities an equal benefit from all of the employment based-related opportunities. What does this mean exactly? It means that if you have a disability that is qualified under the ADA, then an employer or perspective employer cannot discriminate against you if you have disability. For example, it bans discrimination in the following areas: recruitment, hiring, promotions, training, pay, social activities, and other privileges of employment. Title I also restricts questions that can be asked about an applicant's ability BEFORE a job offer has been made. An example of a type of question that is illegal to ask you (during the hiring process) is anything regarding medical problems. Employers cannot ask you to provide them a list of any of your medical conditions, such as HIV/AIDS, Epilepsy, Diabetes, heart disease, neuralgic dysfunction, and sensory impairments like blindness and deafness, etc. One of the most important provisions in Title I is the requirement that an employer gives a qualified person with a disability reasonable accommodation. An example of a reasonable accommodation is: if a person with a hearing disability who is required to use the phone at their job, then the employer will have to provide adaptive equipment such as an amplifier (makes sounds louder) or perhaps a text phone for the deaf (TDD or TTY). That is one example of a reasonable accommodation that a person with a qualified disability is entitled to have. Another good example of a reasonable accommodation that many people with disabilities have is a job coach (supported employment). Title I is very useful for protecting the civil rights for people with disabilities in the employment setting.

To get technical assistance with Title I of the ADA, you can contact:
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
EEOC Headquarters
1801 L. Street, N. W.
Washington, D.C. 20507
Phone: (202) 663-4900
TTY: (202) 663-4494

Field Offices
To be automatically connected with the nearest EEOC field office, call:
Phone: 1-800-669-4000
TTY: 1-800-669-6820

Americans with Disabilities article written by Kecia Weller. If you want to contact Kecia, email her at keciaw@onebox.com.

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Region Reports

Michael Rogers and Katchen Helwig of Region 1 represent Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. From Katchen Helwig in Alaska: People First worked with the Dream Based Transition Alliance, an organization developed to assist youth with developmental disabilities in transitioning into adult life after high school. People First of Anchorage met with the Homer community in June to discuss the formation of People First in Homer. Lael Venta was hired by the Center for Human Development to promote a network between parents and self-advocates around the state of Alaska. People First President, Joe Pichler; Treasurer, Lael Venta; and Team Leader Nikki Ward joined other self-advocates from around the state in a three-day training from Alaska Works in June. Discussed were problems and solutions in Social Security, Medicaid and employment. The purpose of this training was to develop community advocates/leaders to advocate for more employment options. Lael Venta, People First treasurer, joined self-advocates and grant writers from all over the country at a conference held in Washington D.C. to promote guidance and support. The conference focus was to help people with disabilities live in the most integrated settings. People First conducted training in Self-Advocacy and Self-Determination for 20 students at Wasilla High School. This educational awareness program explains what self-advocacy is and how students can effectively be heard regarding their health and services needs especially by voting and becoming familiar with local legislators. People First members have been active participants in creating a video portraying the Alaska Quality of Life Goals titled, Ability and Beyond. This video was completed and will be used for community awareness and as a motivational tool for self-advocates.

Teresa Moore and Joseph Buchroeder of Region 2 represent Hawaii, California, Arizona, and Nevada. From Teresa Moore: Arizona is excited to be involved in the Pacific Cluster Corporation for National Service Grant which involves three major disability movements, Self Advocacy, Independent Living and Psychiatric Survivors/Mental Health groups which will make contacts in SABE Regions 1, 2, and 3. (See article for detail on national service.) Also, People First of Arizona in included in a Center for Excellence grant proposal to bring "My Voice, My Choice" self determination training to their state. Our board members are actively involved in our DD Council and our DD State organization plans for self-advocacy and self determination.

From Kecia Weller for Joseph Buchroeder: On April 25, the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA) held their annual Grassroots Day in Sacramento, CA. At Grassroots Day all 21 regional centers sent teams (that are made up of regional center staff, consumers, parents, vendors, and regional center Board members) to lobby to the State Legislators. One of the reasons why Grassroots Day exists is to ensure that the current system-which has been successful in establishing a foundation for community inclusion, independence, vocational opportunities, and a more normal way of life for people with developmental disabilities, is fully supported. It was very empowering, especially for the consumers who feel that don’t have any input on how the State Government handles issues that effect the quality of their lives. At noon, in front of the State Capitol, a rally was held with more than 2,000 people attended. State Legislators gave speeches. Some consumers introduced the Assembly members and Senators at the rally. All did a fine job in telling their legislators about their lives and why they need better services. One of the key issues this year was a bill that would meet the long-term needs of the state's citizens with developmental disabilities in the most cost-effective ways possible. Time is taken during Grassroots Day to educate legislators that don’t know anything about the regional center system, and what people with developmental disabilities need to help them live their lives to the fullest out in the community.

Beverly Stevens and Ben Borroel of Region 3 represent New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. From Beverly Stevens: The People First of Wyoming 10th Annual Conference will be held July 20-22, 2001. James Meadours was keynote speaker! Elections were held for President and Secretary and two Advisors. The People First of Wyoming board members voted for Jimmy Kerr's drawing to be used as People of Wyoming's symbol. Jimmy is a Casper Representative state board member. The symbol will be in the newsletter, brochure, etc. By-laws are being updated in order to apply for non-profit organization.

Beverly Stevens, Wyoming's Self Advocacy Specialist, is working on getting another chapter started and there is another group that is interested in coming to People First of Wyoming Conference. After the Conference, they want Beverly to come to their town to help get a chapter started! So, there should be two new chapters added in 2001!

BIO of new SABE regional rep - Ben Borroel from Colorado representing Region 3: Who is Ben Borroel? Ben Borreal was born in Steamboat Springs in 1958 and raised in Glenwood Springs Colorado where he attended school. School was extremely difficult for Ben. At the age of six months old, we was diagnosed with epilepsy. When he got into school Ben was passed from one grade to another.
  In 1975 Ben was introduced to a non-profit organization called People First and also got involved in the state organization named Speaking For Ourselves. He has been an active member and board member for over 26 years.
Today Mr. Borroel is the Acting President of People First of Colorado Springs and was picked for Project Leadership this year. He's also involved in the national organization called Self Advocates Becoming Empowered where he serves as a regional representative for Region 3.
  Another group he is involved in is Housing Advocacy Coalition. He has served as Secretary, Vice-President, and President of this organization. He has a good rapport with Representative Bill Sinclair. Mr. Sinclair as been helping to get more money in the State Housing Fund. Ben is also sitting on a committee to help start a Housing Trust Fund for the state of Colorado.
  Ben's Mom lives in Grand Junction, Colorado. Ben has two sisters, Phyllis and Charlotte and one younger brother, James. All of his family are natives to Colorado.
In 1992, Ben met his sweetheart to be and was wedded September 11, 1993. Her name is Charlene Welch. She was everything Ben wanted in a mate. Ben explains: "She makes me laugh. She's beautiful and she's fun to be around but most of all she loves me." Ben and Charlene have been married 7 ½ years and they still can't stand each other. Ha Ha.

Ben and Charlene Borroel

Joe Wrinkle and Natalie Maychrzak of Region 4 represent Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. From Natalie Maychrzak of North Dakota: I was among twenty-two people representing 20 states and two territories who completed PROJECT LEADERSHIP training in Washington DC July6-13th. People First of North Dakota will be holding its State Conference on August 16 and 17th in Grafton at The State Developmental Center. North Dakota has been working hard in regards to a grant application related to OLMSTEAD.

Todd Gatewood and Betty Williams of Region 5 represent Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. From Todd Gatewood of Ohio: "Things are going pretty good for region 5. I was scheduled to go to Iowa to talk to them about starting a state chapter out there on May the 18th but, they had to postpone the meeting till sometime this fall. They are really enthusiastic about getting a chapter going out there but, they are having a hard time getting enough people together to lay the foundation. I've also been in contact with, Lisa Miller from, People First of Wisconsin. They are discussing about having me come for a visit sometime soon. In Ohio, People First of Ohio is going good. We just held our elections for new officers as well as new board members. This concludes my report."

  From Betty Williams:

Elouise Woods and Edward Sewell of Region 6 represent Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Edward Sewell of Tennessee reports that there was a combined meeting June 12 - 15 at Birmingham, Alabama - combined with Region 6 and 9 that will also combine the Southern Collaboration Self-Determination with Project Leadership. Tennessee is still working on the lawsuit.

Bill Byrnes and Bill Ohge of Region 7 represent West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Washington DC. Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia all held Freedom Marches. New Jersey supported Maryland at their Freedom March by bringing self-advocates from New Jersey, United Self-Advocates (NJ/USA) to attend. Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia all held self-advocacy conferences that were successful. Region 7 held their First Regional Meeting in New Jersey with the following states represented: NJ, PA, MD, VA, and WV. This meeting was held in March. The region is looking to have another regional meeting in late October. In observance of the Olmstead Decision, Light the Light Campaign , Maryland and New Jersey held activities by spreading the word to our communities and asking to turn on the lights for Freedom. In early September, Region 7 will publish their first regional newsletter.

Carol Warner and Sandy Houghton of Region 8 represent Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.
Green Mountain Self-Advocates followed the lead of SABE and signed a statement of solidarity with Vermonters from ADAPT, VT Independent Living Center, and VT Psychiatric Survivors. Over 300 members of the 4 groups had a Freedom March on July 23. Speaking Up For Us from Maine is fighting video rental chain stores. The chain stores won't let people with disabilities rent videos unless they have a driver's license or credit card. One self-advocate said, "We don't want to drive the dam thing we want to watch it." Advocates in Action from Rhode Island go to schools to tell kids who we are and that people with disabilities are just like everybody else. They play games with the kids. They have done this workshop with over a thousand kids so far! People First of New Hampshire celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the closing of Laconia State School. Self-advocates spoke about what living in an institution was like, the history of People First of NH and what local chapters are doing. New York Self-Advocacy Association has pushed hard to get the State to put Self-Determination language in the budget. They got 100 more people to control their service money, 100 more next year and then open it up to everyone in three years. Mass Advocates Standing Strong has a new web site www.massadvocatesstandingstrong.org.

BIO of new SABE regional rep - Carol Warner from Vermont representing Region 8
     I am somebody with disabilities and I speak for myself. Self-advocacy is important because people talk. It gets their feelings out. I think agencies should help get groups going so they will know where people with disabilities are coming from.
      I think I can do the job for SABE because I work for Green Mountain Self-Advocates and Vermont Self-Determination Project. I teach people how to stay safe. At Self-Determination I help people write their own ISA's (contracts for service) because we’re sick of getting IPPee’d on. I am also a board member of Vermont Protection and Advocacy.

James Meadours and Julie Munnerlyn of Region 9 represent Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. From Julie Munnerlyn: Arkansas People First (APF) hosted the state meeting on May 4th, 2001. One hundred fifty self-advocates were present. We learned about self-determination and held state officer elections. APF has their website up and coming: www.rcpep6.org/people first. APF had two reps attending the Southern Collaborative Conference in Alabama. APF has 6 chapters. The next state board meeting is August 22-24. In July of 2000 Arkansas People First started writing a grant with the Region VI Rehabilitation and Continuing Education Program at the U of A, to present to the Arkansas Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council. The DDC has been supporting APF in the last few years, but APF was losing other supports, so we asked the U of A to hop a board the self-advocacy train! The DDC approved the grant in December. APF can continue to move forward. Not only will APF have the support of the U of A, we are also going to be working with the Independent Living Centers around the state. It is going to be a great year! APF staff will be traveling all over the state to help spread the word about self-advocacy.

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