Center for Independent Living December 2016 - February 2017 Register Educate Vote!! In the past decade, Tex- as has led the nation with its efforts to in- crease ballot accessibil- ity for all voters, includ- ing elderly voters, vot- ers with disabilities, and voters who do not read or speak English or Spanish. Texas has created laws requiring all polling places to be accessible to persons who are elderly or physically disabled. And Texas was the first state to require that all electronic voting systems purchased after September 1, 1999, provide voters who have disabilities a practical way to cast a secret ballot. The fact remains, people with disabilities are under- represented at the polls. You are eligible to register to vote if: You are a United States citizen. You are a resident of the county where you submit the application. You are at least 18 years old on Election Day. You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and you have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally men- tally incapacitated or partially mentally inca- pacitated without the right to vote. YOU HAVE RIGHTS! As a registered voter in Texas, you have the right to: A ballot with written instructions on how to cast a ballot. Ask the polling place official for instructions on how to cast a ballot. Cast your vote in secret and free from intimi- dation. Receive up to two more ballots if you make a mistake while marking the ballot. Bring an interpreter to assist you if you do not understand the English language. Help to cast your ballot if you cannot write, see the ballot, or understand the language in which it is written. At Disability Connections, we offer voter regis- tration forms on-site and can provide you with information about how, where and when you can vote. For additional information go to: www.votetexas.gov
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Center for Independent Living
December 2016 - February 2017
Register Educate Vote!!
In the past decade, Tex-
as has led the nation
with its efforts to in-
crease ballot accessibil-
ity for all voters, includ-
ing elderly voters, vot-
ers with disabilities, and
voters who do not read
or speak English or
Spanish. Texas has created laws requiring all
polling places to be accessible to persons who
are elderly or physically disabled. And Texas
was the first state to require that all electronic
voting systems purchased after September 1,
1999, provide voters who have disabilities a
practical way to cast a secret ballot. The fact
remains, people with disabilities are under-
represented at the polls.
You are eligible to register to vote if:
You are a United States citizen.
You are a resident of the county where you
submit the application.
You are at least 18 years old on Election
Day.
You are not a convicted felon (you may be
eligible to vote if you have completed your
sentence, probation, and parole); and you
have not been declared by a court exercising
probate jurisdiction to be either totally men-
tally incapacitated or partially mentally inca-
pacitated without the right to vote.
YOU HAVE RIGHTS!
As a registered voter in Texas, you have the
right to:
A ballot with written instructions on how to
cast a ballot.
Ask the polling place official for instructions
on how to cast a ballot.
Cast your vote in secret and free from intimi-
dation.
Receive up to two more ballots if you make a
mistake while marking the ballot.
Bring an interpreter to assist you if you do
not understand the English language.
Help to cast your ballot if you cannot write,
see the ballot, or understand the language in
which it is written.
At Disability Connections, we offer voter regis-
tration forms on-site and can provide you with
information about how, where and when you
can vote. For additional information go to:
www.votetexas.gov
Page 2
Accessibility In Progress
Lego said it will include a boy in a wheelchair in
a forthcoming set of it’s iconic minifigures!
The toymaker confirmed the plan after a handful
of websites that report on Lego revealed pic-
tures and video of the new product taken at an
industry event recently.
The wheelchair will be part of a LEGO City set
called “Fun in the Park” that will be available in
June, This is not the first time that Lego has in-
cluded a wheelchair in it’s product line but it
does mark the first wheelchair in minifigure
scale.
Have you ever changed
a person’s life in a sin-
gle day? The Texas
Ramp Project does it
hundreds of times a
year! They build wheel-
chair ramps for people
with disabilities who
can’t afford to buy one. In a few hours on a Sat-
urday morning, they give these folks the free-
dom to leave their home again—the home
where they want to remain but steps have im-
prisoned them.
If you would like to refer someone in need of a
ramp, contact Disability Connections at : (325)
227-6625
We need to make every single thing acces-sible to every person with a disability.”
Stevie Wonder 2016 Grammy Awards
Welcome our new Resource Navigator!
Hello my name is Sandra Zarate, I am a na-
tive Texan and ASU graduate. San Angelo
Texas has been my home for over 29 years. I
look forward to serving our consumers in San
Angelo and the surrounding counties.
Center News
Not Your Mother’s Hearing Aid
Page 3
Forget everything you know about hearing
aides. Gone are the days when devices were a
hidden eyesore Imagine bright colors, bling and
lots of accessories. Do a quick search online
and you will find charms, stickers, coils and
wraps; just about anything to fit your personali-
ty and tastes. Below you will find just a few
ideas and resources to dress up your hearing
gear.
Charms, wraps, bling and just for fun accesso-
ries for sale at:
www.etsy.com/shop/
HayleighsCharms
Tons of links to all the lat-
est hearing technology at
your fingertips on
Soundzoff.org.
www.soundzoff.org
Get great ideas including seasonal decals and
embellishments go to:
pimpmyhearingaids.wordpress.com
My favorite, Pinterest!
pinterest.com/NDCSUK/hearing-aids-
decoration
One cautionary note: be sure not to put stickers
on the device that will leave a sticky residue,
which will rule out many types of stickers. Also
be sure not to place stickers over the micro-
phones of the device. If you aren’t sure, ask
your Audiologist!
The West Texas Hearing and Balance
Center is located at 3001 S. Jackson
St., San Angelo, Texas
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday
8 am to 5 pm
If you would like information regard-
ing services and referral process
please contact them directly at: (325)
223-6300
Page 4
Independent Living Philosophy
Independent Living is a philosophy and a
way of life. It is a movement of people with
disabilities who work for self-determination,
equal opportunities and self-respect.
Disability Connections is a Center for Inde-
pendent Living (CIL). We operate under the
Independent Living philosophy. We are not a
residential establishment. We are people
with disabilities and family members assist-
ing people with disabilities in removing barri-
ers and finding the essential resources need-
ed for everyday life.
The Independent Living philosophy says that
every person, regardless of disability, has
the potential and the right to exercise indi-
vidual self-determination. We expect the
same choices and control in our everyday
lives that everyone else takes for granted.
We want the same freedom to try, and fail,
and learn from our failures. We want to
grow up in our families, go to the neighbor-
hood school, use the same bus as our neigh-
bors, work in jobs that are in line with our
education and abilities, start families of our
own. We need to be in charge of our lives,
to think and speak for ourselves. We need to
support and learn from each other. We must
organize ourselves and work for political
changes that lead to the legal protection of
our human and civil rights.
The Independent Living (IL) philosophy is
very different from the traditional rehabilita-
tion model. The IL philosophy includes the
core values discussed above. The outcome
we want is self-determination and full com-
munity participation for persons with all dis-
abilities.
The traditional, medical model tends to fo-
cus on what is wrong with the person with a
disability, and making efforts to “fix what is
broken.” In our philosophy, a person with a
disability is someone identified as someone
who has limited choices regarding participa-
tion in community life due to community
barriers, low community- and self-
expectations, stigma, prejudice, and discrim-
ination. Participation in community life in-
cludes getting an education, working, living
independently, shopping, worshipping, using
public transportation, and political activities.
Societal barriers, not the disability itself, are
the major reason many people with disabili-
ties have problems living independently.
Centers for Independent Living do not
“rehabilitate” the person, but instead focus
on reducing and removing the barriers that
limit our choices.
Copy Cat Chick Fil-a Chicken
Page 5
Ingredients •1 lb. chicken breast •1/2 c. pickle juice •1 Tbsp. sugar •1/4 c. milk •1 egg •1 Tbsp. powdered sugar •1/2 tsp. paprika •1/2 tsp. salt •1/4 tsp. black pepper •1/4 tsp. garlic powder •1/4 tsp. dried basil •1/4 tsp. celery seeds •oil for frying Instructions Slice up one chicken breast into strips. Place your chicken strips in either a bowl or zip-lock bag. I like to bag it. Add enough pickle juice to cover the chicken. Now add 1 tablespoon sugar. Allow to marinate for up to 1 hour. In a small bowl whisk together ¼ cup of milk and 1 egg. In a pie plate mix together ½ cup flour with the spices.
Remove the chicken strips from the marinade and pat dry. Place the chicken in the egg mixture and turn to coat. Allow to sit in mixture for 15 minutes. Coat chicken strips into the flour mixture. Heat about ½ inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Working in small batches fry the chicken strip for a few minutes on each side or until nice and golden brown. Place on a clean kitchen towel to drain any ex-cess oil. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
You can have high
blood pressure and
not know it. That is
why it is called the si-
lent killer. It is also
why it is so important
to have your blood
pressure checked.
Blood pressure has
two numbers, systolic and diastolic. Systolic
pressure (the top number) is the force on the
blood vessel walls when the heart beats and
pumps blood out of the heart. Diastolic pressure
(the bottom number) is the force that occurs
when the heart relaxes in between beats.
If your blood pressure is less than 120 systolic
and less than 80 diastolic, then your blood pres-
sure is normal; between 120 and 139 systolic
and 80–89 diastolic, you have prehypertension.
Systolic of 140 or greater, or diastolic that is 90
or greater, is hypertension.
Healthy habits, that can help keep your blood
pressure under control are; achieve and main-
tain a healthy body weight, participate in 30
minutes of moderate physical activity a day, eat
a healthy diet, and manage stress.
Healthwise
You can check your blood pressure at the Center in our Wellness room any-time during operating hours!
Page 6
Lighthouse for Blind of San Angelo
The West Texas Lighthouse
for the Blind is a manufactur-
ing facility in San Angelo,
Texas which employs people
who are blind or have se-
verely impaired vision. The
Lighthouse was established
in 1963 as a non-profit organization and now has
over 60 team members.
The Lighthouse creates jobs, and not just any
jobs. They provide stable jobs with competitive
pay and benefits to blind people.
About 70% of Americans with severe vision loss
are unemployed. Lighthouse employees share
stories of being turned away by potential employ-
ers over and over again before finding meaning-
ful work at the Lighthouse. “We have never
turned away a blind applicant--if they're at the
door looking for work, then we have a job for
them.”
By using adaptive technologies, legally blind indi-
viduals are employed in every department, in-
cluding manufacturing, logistics, eCommerce,
marketing, and accounting. Over 90% of the di-
rect employees are legally blind and nearly 75%
of all of the employees are legally blind.
They are constantly developing new products
and expanding existing product lines in order to
grow the business, increase employment for
blind Americans, and serve customers in the
Federal Government, State of Texas, and local
communities. The Lighthouse offers a huge
range of products: lanyards, badge holders, over
50,000 office products, safety gloves and glass-
es, earth-friendly items, and much more.
The main facility is located in San Angelo, TX,
and a second facility in Abilene, TX.
Many visitors have been amazed by the opera-
tion itself as well as the capabilities of blind em-
ployees. Call to schedule a tour. (325) 653-4231
Did you know ? The Submarine Wet Bag is made here in San
Angelo Texas for the United States Military !
These bags were designed to
store biodegradable kitchen
waste when the submarines
are submerged . A weight is
placed in the bottom of the bag and trash is com-
pressed until the bag weighs about 50 pounds.
The bags are then placed in a vertical torpedo
and launched to the bottom of the ocean. These
bags were designed during World War II so fish-
erman and other vessels could not gather float-
ing trash and go through it to collect valuable in-
formation. These bags are made by West Texas
Lighthouse for the Blind right here in San Ange-
lo!
Page 7
Brain Injury Awareness
More than 3.5 million children
and adults sustain an ac-
quired brain injury (ABI) each
year, but the total incidence is
unknown. An ABI is any injury
to the brain that is not heredi-
tary, congenital, degenerative,
or induced by birth trauma.
Typical causes of ABI in-
clude: electric shock, infectious disease, light-
ning strike, near drowning, oxygen deprivation
(Hypoxia/Anoxia), seizure disorders, stroke,
substance abuse, toxic exposure, trauma and
tumors.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a subset of ABI
and is caused by trauma to the
brain from an external force. Eve-
ry 13 seconds, someone in the
U.S. sustains a TBI.
There are many causes of TBI:
falls, struck by/against, motor ve-
hicle accidents and assaults. At
least 5.3 million Americans live
with TBI-related disabilities.
Aerobic exercise is especially beneficial for brain
health, and even better when combined with
strength training. Exercising for longer periods —
at least 30 minutes or more at a time — appears
to be better for brain health than shorter ses-
sions. And it's never too late to start. People old-
er than 65 showed more benefits than those 55
to 65.
Stay socially and intellectually active. Activities
that challenge your brain — including reading
books, writing letters and learning a new lan-
guage — all help preserve brain function, as do
social activities such as volunteering, playing
cards, attending worship services and talking
with friends.
Sleep quality is linked to cognitive ability. Several
studies have found treating sleep disorders im-
proved cognitive ability and memory.
What's good for your heart is also good for your
brain. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and
diabetes ,especially in midlife, are linked to poor
brain health later in life. Lowering blood pressure
with medication seems to help prevent brain
problems, but it's unclear whether lowering cho-
lesterol with drugs helps.
If you or a loved one is suffering from a brain injury and do not know where to turn, we can help. Contact the Center for an appointment find out what services are available for you. You are not alone. (325)227-6625
Brain Health and Wellness
2809 Southwest Blvd. San Angelo, Texas 76904
Michelle Crain
Nancy Penland
Anita Guy
Dana Sercos
Lupe Perez
Dolores Pina
Terri Irby
Kristi Ramirez
Sandra Zarate
Disability Connections - A Center for Independent Living
This publication is supported by funding through the Depart-ment of Assistive and Rehabil-itative Services (DARS) and the Department of Aging and Disability Services, (DADS). Opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent those of Disability Connections’ funding sources.