Apostrophe Resources . Life . Entertainment
$3.50
Summer 2008
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Going the distance
Being a fan is easy Montana Special Olympics Summer Games
Anton Veverka hits his stride on the track and on the farm
Also Inside... Re-pot your house plants A hearty marinara sauce Simplify your travel
Punching in Two Missoula men say goodbye to work services
Three Months in Montana —
Apostrophe Summer 2008
Guide to Summer Fun
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Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Apostrophe
Summer 2008
10 PUNCHING IN
6 PEOPLE FIRST
Josh and Jason of Missoula say goodbye to work services
Working together, self-advocacy group helps members take charge of their lives
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BEING A FAN IS EASY Athletes test skills at Special Olympics Summer Games
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GOING THE DISTANCE
Richey man understands family, perseverance and big dreams
Departments 14 16 19 20 22
World of Work Home & Garden Know Your Rights Access Support
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It’s the Law Health & Wellness Three Months in Montana Directory
ON THE COVER Anton Veverka
Photo by Amanda Breitbach
Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, Can’t and shouldn’t. Those words too often turn into “could have” and “should have” – regrets about lost chances and missed opportunities. Apostrophe, a magazine for, about and by people with developmental disabilities, intends to help turn “can’t” and “shouldn’t” into “can” and “should.” We’ve learned a lot about “developmental disabilities” since we started putting the magazine together six months ago. Those words contain lots of syllables and carry loads of meaning. But one important lesson we’ve learned is that big words and labels can get in the way of understanding people. Just ask People First of Montana President Rocky Hughes of Kalispell. Rocky writes in this first issue about the goals of People First members. Their main goal is to learn to stand up for themselves. Lately People First has been speaking out about the “marriage penalty” – regulations that make it nearly impossible for some people to enjoy the basic right to marry the person they love. “It’s just a stupid rule,” Rocky says. We’ll second that. And you can, too. Learn about the marriage penalty and sign a petition online at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/marriage-rights-petition. We’re taking a cue from People First by speaking up about other issues. Disability Rights Montana lawyer Tom Dooling, who is also an Episcopal priest, writes in this issue about the Olmstead Act, a court decision that requires states to administer their services, programs and activities “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.” The decision was a promise made to people with disabilities. But that promise hasn’t always been kept, according to Dooling. Tim Plaska, Community Services Bureau Chief for the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services Developmental Disability Program, talks about disabilities from the supply side in a column about services and supports people need to live as independently as possible in communities. That’s weighty stuff. But not everything in Apostrophe is serious. You can read about the Special Olympics Montana 2008 State Summer Games in this issue and check out the photos of athletes taken by Gregg Edelen of Butte. Special Olympics competitor Anton Veverka of Richey is the subject of our cover story. Anton excels in long-distance running, cross-country skiing and basketball. Running and skiing and playing hoops are Anton’s passions, but you’ll read inside how he has succeeded – sometimes against the odds – to become successful in other parts of his life. You’ll find fun things to do and places to visit during the summer in a section called “Three Months in Montana.” On other pages you can learn: how to get a job through the Job Service Navigator program; how to make marinara sauce; how to re-pot a house plant; Future issues will include how-to’s on keeping fit, saving and investing and buying a home. If you have stories or poems, photos or paintings and want to share them, let us know. Call 1-800-432-6145; or send an e-mail to: editor@apostrophemagazine.com. Oh, about the name of the magazine. Apostrophe means more than just punctuation. The name comes from a song by the late rocker Frank Zappa. In 1974, Zappa wrote and performed a tune about a man talking to his dog, Fido. We all can relate to that. But in this song, Fido talks back. “You can’t say that!” the man tells him in disbelief. “I do it all the time,” Fido replies. He talks, he says, even with all the apostrophes thrown his way: can’t, won’t, don’t, hasn’t, isn’t, shouldn’t and couldn’t. People with disabilities face apostrophes every day. Too often they’re told what they can’t do. Apostrophe will emphasize what they can do. And that’s just about anything. — Jim Tracy 2
Apostrophe Summer 2008
Apostrophe
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Resources . Life . Entertainment
PUBLISHER AWARE Inc. Editor Jim Tracy Photo/Assistant Editor Tim Pray Advertising Sales & Marketing Director Dan McClafferty Advisory Board Chris Clasby Dr. Henrietta Shirk Alexandra Volkerts Contact Us: Mail: P.O. Box 638 Anaconda, MT 59711 205 E. Park Ave. Anaconda, MT 59711 406/563-8117 editor@apostrophe.com Find us online at: www.apostrophemagazine.com
Letters to the editor should include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or space. Subscriptions: $12 a year — four issues. Copyright© 2008 Apostrophe All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission is prohibited.
Tear down this marriage wall By Rocky Hughes, President People First of Montana
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elf-Advocates all over the country are becoming leaders and making changes to improve their lives. Being a leader means listening to what people want, helping people to speak up for themselves, and speaking up for others. This is the best way to make a change. I learned how to be a leader by going to People First meetings and conferences. Eventually, I became secretary and then vice president of my local chapter in Kalispell. Four years ago, I was elected chapter president. I have been president of Montana People First since 2005. Over the years, I’ve learned that good leaders treat others the Rocky Hughes way they want to be treated and support others to reach their goals. I’ve also learned that everyone needs some kind of support. Ask for support when you need it. If you want to make a change in your life or your community, try to do it. Keep working until you reach your goals. One of our goals is to change laws that discriminate against people with disabilities who want to get married. Under federal Medicaid legislation, people with disabilities lose their benefits if they marry someone with more than $2,000 in assets. The Montana Advocacy Program is working to remove the marriage penalty for people receiving Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. We think the penalty is just a stupid rule. I know of two couples who would get married if the didn’t have to face the marriage penalty. We have contacted other organizations to see what work they have done with this project. If we all work together, we can get the rule changed. But we need help. People First and the Montana Citizen Advocacy Coalition have formed a task force that meets by conference call every week. We have already talked with Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. John Tester and plan to meet soon with Rep. Dennis Rehberg for his help. We’re writing letters and trying to get stories placed
in the newspaper explaining the penalty and why it should be eliminated. We’re having couples and single people – whoever wants – to write about their feelings. Our main goal is to get people to realize that we are just like any other people, and if that rule is overturned, we can get married. That’s one more step to equality. And that’s what People First is all about. It’s very important to be a leader in your own life. Nothing will change if you don’t try. We’re trying to get it so people think that we in People First are the people in charge. You can write to me: Rocky Hughes 313 2nd Avenue West Kalispell, MT 59901 Email: specialfriends@montanasky.net To learn more about what you can do to remove the marriage penalty, contact: Raylynn Lauderdale Disability Rights Montana P.O. Box 1681 Helena, MT 59624 (406) 449-2344 (800) 245-4743 Apostrophe Summer 2008
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We’re
People First
Livingston People First members help with highway clean-up. Left to right, they are, front row: Mary Fillbach, Kurt Himmel, Cindy Brady, Melissa Hancock; back row: Carrie Brewster, Bryan Nelson and Libby Bell. Annete Alt photo.
Working together, self-advocacy group helps members take charge of their lives By Jim Tracy Rocky Hughes used to be too shy to speak his mind — too timid to fight for his rights. Not anymore. In 1998, he joined People First in Kalispell, and life hasn’t been the same since. “People First has helped me to where I’m not afraid,” the 45-year-old Hughes said. “I would have to say People First is all about disabled people trying to get their rights — trying to get them to speak up for their 4
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rights, trying to encourage them, trying to teach them they are strong enough to do it themselves. There are a lot of people who are scared to do it.” As president and spokesman for the organization, Hughes shows others they don’t have to be afraid either. “We’re trying to teach everybody that they are just like anybody else, and they have rights in big things and small things,” he said. The big things are spelled out in formal documents — the U.S. and Montana constitutions and Americans
with Disabilities Act, for example. The small things occur in everyday life. “If someone throws a party,” Hughes said, “they don’t have to just sit back in the corner and watch. They can be active. If someone is in a wheelchair, they don’t have to just sit there and look down and think they are not worthy of participating. If someone is in a meeting, they can speak for themselves.”
Feeling like a bystander “A lot of people feel like bystanders,” he said. “But if they’re not participating, it’s kind of hard to get to know them and for them to get to know other people.” Hughes describes People First as “a self-governing, self-directing, self-advocacy organization.” “It is about people with disabilities working together and helping each other take charge of their lives. It teaches people with disabilities how to make decisions and choices that make them more independent.” People First also teaches its members how to express themselves “even if they don’t want to,” Hughes said. “I kind of understand that some people might not want to speak up, but every person should have the right to speak up and I just want them to know they have that right.” Besides serving as People First president (a position he’s held since 2005), Hughes also sits on the board of the Montana Council for Developmental Disabilities, based in Helena. His roommate, Barbara Lockhart, is the Kalispell People First chapter president and also has a seat on MCDD board. “I’m a self-advocate and I speak for others,” Hughes said. “There are
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meetings as needed.
t is about people Members spent one recent putting together with disabilities evening Christmas decorations, with the working together goal of having 5,000 handmade ornaments ready for sale for a and helping each holiday season fund-raiser. Like a lot of People First other take charge chapters, the Ravalli club is affiliated with the local Kiwanis of their lives.’ a lot of people in my chapter who are afraid to speak for themselves. They are afraid to rent their own places. They are just afraid to do anything. People First can help them get over those fears.” The self-advocacy movement began 40 years ago in Sweden. It first took hold in the United States in Oregon. “To think now that the movement is in its 35th year,” said Dennis Heath of Salem, Ore., who helped found People First in the United States. “(That’s) pretty good when you think that no governmental money was ever involved, because we figured out early on that the powers at hand would eventually tire of the client group maybe telling them what they should do.” The original People First chapter in Montana formed in Billings in 1994. Today the organization represents a dozen chapters with more than 350 members. (See list on Page 8.) They share a common purpose, with each chapter operating on its own — including paying for its own operation. The Ravalli County chapter, one of the oldest in Montana, has an official meeting once on the fourth Wednesday of every month, which also includes a board meeting. The group also schedules informal
through its Aktion Club. Club members work on the Kiwanis annual Daly Days Pancake Breakfast in July, for example, and help with the food booth at the Ravalli County Fair in August and highway cleanup in the spring. “We do a community service project with them or on our own at least once a month,” said Mary Millen, adviser to the group. The chapter also advocates for its members. “We write letters to the editor about problems we see on the street,” Millen said. “We really try to be an advocacy agency. The eight members who do belong are active.” People First chapters also participate through a representative in an annual Senate. Each Chapter elects two members to the Senate, which helps local chapters grow, solve problems, set goals, raise money, share information, and organize state-wide meetings.
Move out of poverty The Senate works to improve services and supports for people with developmental disabilities. Its goal is to have services “that advocate for people with disabilities, that are helpful, timely, flexible, are not confusing, and help people with disabilities move out of poverty.” Apostrophe Summer 2008
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PEOPLE FIRST
Anaconda Chapter Lisa Kopp 1406 1/2 MT Hwy 1 W Anaconda MT 59711 mvsdc@bresnan.net
Kalispell Chapter Marisa Henderson 313 2nd Ave. W. Kalispell MT 59901 specialfriends@montanasky.net
Billings/Red Lodge Chapter Josh Gilchrist 731 Moonbeam Billings MT 59104 joshgilch@aol.com
Libby Chapter Donna Gleaves 130 Lower Quartz Rd. Libby MT 59935 donna220@roadrunner.com
Boulder Chapter Jacie Pierce P.O. Box 351 Boulder MT 59632 badkitty633@msn.com
Livingston Chapter Annette Alt-Riemer 120 Sunrise Dr. Livingston MT 59047 annie2848@yahoo.com
Bozeman Chapter Julie Munson 116 Westridge Dr. Bozeman MT 59715
Malta Chapter Colleen Forrester P.O. Box 229 Glasgow MT 59230 ncils2@nemontel.net
Great Falls Chapter Lorraine Jacobs 2021 7th Ave. N. Great Falls MT 59401 ljacobs@mt.net Hamilton Chapter Dawn Gauthier 316 N. 3rd, Ste 112 Hamilton MT 59840 dgauthier@summitilc.org Helena Chapter Diane Sommerstedt P.O. Box 173 Helena MT 59624-0173 dsommerstedt@mt.net
Miles City Chapter Julia Boulden 25 S. Custer Miles City MT 59301 jeb@midrivers.com Missoula Chapter Andrea Dahl 700 S.W. Higgins Ste. 101 Missoula MT 59803 adahl@summitilc.org Polson/Ronan Chapter Shawn Morgan 112 Adams S.E. Ronan MT 59865 professor101@ronan.net
Using People First language is crucial Commentary by Kathie Snow People first language puts the person before the disability and it describes what a person has, not what a person is. Are you “myopic” or do you wear glasses? Are you “cancerous” or do you have cancer? Are you “freckled” or do you have freckles? Is a person “handicapped” or 6
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“disabled” or does she have a disability? If people with disabilities are to be included in all aspects of our communities in the ordinary, wonderful, and typical activities most people take for granted. We must use the ordinary, wonderful, typical language used about people who don’t have disabilities.
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Punching In Josh and Jason talk about how they said goodbye to work services
Story by Holly Michels Photos by Kip Sikora 8
Apostrophe Summer 2008
Jason Billehus hates being called handicapped. “I never liked that word,” he said. “Handicap is when you take your hat off and use it to ask for money.” The Missoula native, who has a learning disability, takes a much different approach to earning money and working for a living. Billehus, 37, has a job in the laundry at Best Western Grant Creek Inn in Missoula. He has been there four years. Before that, he washed dishes at 4B’s Restaurant, also in Missoula.“I was their longest employee,” Billehus said of his time at 4B’s. “I spent 13 years there.” In addition to those jobs, he also served as a two-term president for People First, a self-advocacy organization for people with disabilities. “Working is part of who I am,” Billehus said. “I believe if you can work, if you can do it, you should.” There are several ways people with disabilities receive money to pay for food, housing and the other necessities of life, including Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid and living with family members. But for Billehus, an active man with his own apartment decorated with wrestling and SpongeBob SquarePants posters, having a job is part of who he is. “If you can go out there and find a job, that’s the best. It makes me feel good. I feel like if I have a job, I have a job.” During his 13 years with People First, Billehus advocated for the group at the Montana State Legislature. As a man who loves to talk and knows how to tell a convincing story, the job was a perfect fit.
“I thought People First was a club (when I first heard about it),” Billehus said. “But then I was a person with a disability speaking out. We talk for ourselves, we talk about us, we make change.” The position widened his view about what a job can mean. “You see more options out there of what’s going on,” Billehus said. “It’s like ‘Wow. We’re speaking out, we’re out there, we’re doing stuff.’” Billehus wore a business suit when he spoke to the legislature, something that helped him feel more assertive. “Nice clothes help me get in the right (mindset),” he said. “The first time I went, I was nervous. But I got used to it, I started speaking more. The quicker you get at it, making it all sound right, it feels great.” Public speaking is something Billehus excels at. “The job of going out and speaking, some people won’t do that. But it’s something I saw in myself that I’m good at. I do it for explaining to people all over about myself and what it’s like, about what a person with disabilities is.” Billehus says his self-empowerment is why he succeeded at his jobs with Best Western and 4B’s. “If I have a chance to work, I take it. If I can do something, I do it, but I don’t over-do myself. I’m a person that can say if it’s too much for me, I tell my boss and they understand.”
Josh Pfau, 25, works 40 hours a week as a bagger at the Good Food Store, a natural and organic market. Pfau, who also has a developmental disability, started at the grocery store three and a half years ago after a stint in the wood shop at Opportunity Resources, a nonprofit that assists people with disabilities in getting jobs, housing and transportation. “I saw the job and thought I’d give it a shot,” Pfau said. “I always wanted to work in a grocery store. I wanted to be a bagger.” Continued on next page Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Pfau’s brother Justin Barba said Josh is too high functioning to work in a supervised workshop. “We thought he would thrive in a community job and the only thing he wanted was to be a bagger,” Barba said. “He does a lot better with a community job.”
“I’ve never been afraid to tell a Josh Pfau’s person that I have a disability because I’m not afraid of it and responsibilities as a level four bagger with I’m not embarrassed of it.” -Jason Billehus top seniority include
bagging groceries, helping customers find items, cleaning up spills and maintaining the bulk section. “I like it because I can help customers out, see my friends every now and then and it’s a good place to work,” Pfau said. His favorite part of working at the Good Food Store is community interaction.
“At Opportunity Resources, it was OK, but I’m very social and very friendly and I like talking to people and I didn’t get to do that there.” Applying for the job at the Good Food Store was intimidating, but with the support of his family Pfau submitted an application. “I was nervous because of the interview,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get (the job) or not.” Opportunity Resources helped Pfau with interview skills, and he has a job coach visit the Good Food Store every week to check up on how things are going. Pfau started out as a part-time employee, but after one year he moved to a full-time position. He now works 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday. “It was hard at first, but I got used to working more hours,” Pfau said of the transition from supervised work to the grocery store. 10 Apostrophe Summer 2008
Barba said his brother Josh worked hard to adjust to the new position. “He went from a job where he was king of the hill at the workshop,” he said. “He was the boss of four guys and he was used to that. Then he was the lowest guy on the totem pole and had to learn a new job, but he did real well.” Josh Pfau gets to train a few new baggers at the grocery store and his responsibilities have increased. “He’s in 15 minutes early every day and leaves a halfhour late every day, and he works very hard,” Barba said. “He hasn’t taken a single sick day, not in three and a half years.”
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He hasn’t taken a single sick day, not in three and a half years.’
Josh Pfau and Jason Billehus say they don’t encounter problems with people – either co-workers or customers – treating them differently because they are disabled. “With my disability, I have a guy who reads things to me and explains things to me,” Billehus said. “My mind goes out sometimes. My energy is in my arms and legs. I have a guy who reads things to me and have someone there to explain things to me.” Pfau said he has a great relationship with fellow Good Food Store employees and customers. “I introduce myself to all new employees, and I know almost everyone there and they treat me great,” he said. “I know lots of customers too. I even call a cab for one woman every week when she finishes shopping.” Pfau sometimes struggles waking up and getting ready for work in the morning, but is fine “once I get some coffee to drink,” he said. Since Pfau doesn’t drive, he takes the bus or bikes to work each morning. But Billehus has a white 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. Billehus participates in a program called PASS Plan, or a Plan for Achieving Self-Support program that helps people with disabilities set aside money to achieve a goal. That program helped him purchase and pay for the car so he has
a way to get to work. “I love my car,” he said. “It’s my baby. I keep working so I can make it nicer.” Pfau and Billehus both think anyone with disabilities who wants to get a job should apply for one. “I would tell them they can really do it,” Pfau said. “I would tell them to talk to their case manager and find something they feel comfortable with and go for it.” Billehus said having a job changed his life. “I was president of People First, and I’m proud of that. I have a job, and I’m proud of that. I have a home, I have a car, and I’m proud of all that. I’ve never been afraid to tell a person I have a disability because I’m not afraid of it and I’m not embarrassed of it.” Pfau plans to stay at the Good Food Store, but one day wants to be a stocker. “I think it would be another good job,” he said. Billehus “dreams of retirement,” but says it’s a long way down the road. “I don’t want to sit here laying around the house doing nothing.” One day, Billehus plans to leave Best Western and pursue his ideal job.
“I introduce myself to all new employees, and I know almost everyone...they treat me great.” - Josh Pfau
“My dream job is presentations, going out and doing things, going on speaking tours and speaking out. That’s my favorite job because it’s more about selfempowerment, which is what I’m all about.” The Good Food Store in Missoula where shoppers are likely to have their groceries packed by Josh Pfau. Photo by Chris Chapman
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World of Work
Looking for a place to work? Navigators can help take you there
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ooking for a job but afraid you might lose benefits if you go to work? Don’t be, says Paula Marcinkowski, a Montana Job Service Disability Navigator in Missoula. “Complex rules surrounding entitlement programs, along with fear of losing cash assistance and health benefits, can often discourage people with disabilities from working,” says Marcincowski, whose official title is employment consultant. Marcincowski is one of eight “navigators” in Montana trained to help people overcome barriers to employment. The others are in Billings, Bozeman, Glasgow, Great Falls, Kalispell, Livingston and Miles City (see contact information on page). They call themselves navigators because they help workers with disabilities and employers who are willing to hire them navigate the tricky regulations associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Medicaid and Social Security. “We are the initial contacts if somebody doesn’t know what else do,” Marcincowski says. “Half of the job is just allowing folks with disabilities to know they are not going to lose benefits by going to work.”
with interviews and resumes. We try to make sure they understand the process for applying for a job and how to fill out an application in a way that promotes their skills. And then we help them identify places in the workforce where they can use their strengths and abilities.” Those places are companies that know it makes good business sense to hire people with disabilities. “We try to make employers aware of disabilities in the workplace – to make them a little more understood and little less scary,” Marcinkowski says. “I do a lot of one-on-one counseling and visiting with employers.”
It works in Missoula
Several employers already are taking advantage of Navigators in Missoula. Marcinkowski has helped place workers at Quality Maintenance and Supply, Bob Ward and Sons warehouse and Sears, for example. “We don’t try to find people special positions but rather mainstream jobs,” Marcinkowski says. “That’s where we put a majority of our emphasis.” The Navigator program started last October in Montana with a $682,000 grant from the U.S. Persistent myth Department of Labor. After initial training, the One persistent myth is that people on Social Navigators returned to their home offices and started Security will lose their benefits if they take a job. putting into practice what they learned. That’s false. They make up part of a network of “One-Stop “The Social Security Administration has changed Centers” that bring together employment and the way it tallies earned income, allowing workers training services, making it easier for job seekers and to subtract costs such as transportation, eyeglasses, employers to use these services. special equipment and job coaches who go with One-Stop Centers first began in them and help them learn a job,” the early 1990s as demonstration Marcinkowski says. alf of the job projects and have expanded so “You should make sure you talk is just allowing there are now One-Stop Centers with Social Security about getting a job,” she says. “Don’t just assume folks with disabilities all across the country. Services available through the you’ll lose your benefits if you go to to know they are One-Stop system include such work.” things as: Navigators also help job seekers not going to lose information about job identify their own strengths and benefits by going to vacancies, career options, and natural abilities. employment trends; “We assess their interests and work. Continued on next page skills,” Marcinkowski says. “We help
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instruction on how to conduct a job search, write a resume, or interview with an employer; referral to training programs and unemployment insurance claim processing. “The One-Stop system is designed and required to meet the needs of all job seekers who want to use the system. This includes people with disabilities,” Marcinkowski says. “The establishment of the One-Stop system provides a wonderful opportunity for people with disabilities to receive services in new and different ways, right alongside everyone else,” she says. The expansion of the One-Stop Centers was authorized in a law called the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The new law has several main principles that influence services: Universal Access. Any individual should be able to go into a One-Stop and receive services called core services, to assist in making decisions about what career to pursue and in the actual job search.
Accommodations?
No problem for Missoula business Lori Cummings, operator of a major janitorial service in Missoula, wasn’t afraid of a little inconvenience when she started hiring people with disabilities through the Job Service Navigator program. People had warned her she’d have to make “accommodations.” No problem. “I think the word ‘accommodation’ still scares most employers,” said Cummings, the no-nonsense president and chief executive officer of Quality Maintenance Enterprises Inc. “Most of the accommodations are so minor though that employers should stop worrying about it. All it means is that you’re getting a good fit, and a good fit means a good long-term employee.”
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Job Service Navigators cover the state Patti McCubbins, Navigator Program Manager Phone: (406) 461-7472 Email: pmccubbins@mt.gov Paula Marcinkowski 406-542-5744 pmarcinkowski@mt.gov Missoula Job Service Workforce Center 539 S. Third Street W Box 5027 Missoula, MT 59806 Phone: 406-728-7060 Fax: 406-721-7094 Marilyn Merchen 406-655-6080 mmerchen@mt.gov Billings Job Service Workforce Center 2121-B Rosebud Drive Billings, MT 59102 Phone: 406-652-3080 Fax: 406-652-0444 Lisa Crooks 406-582-9200 lcrooks@mt.gov Bozeman Job Service Workforce Center 121 North Willson Bozeman, MT 59715 Phone: 406-582-9200 Fax: 406-582-9210
Julie Hallock 406-228-9369 jhallock@mt.gov Northeastern Montana Job Service Workforce Center 74 4th Street North Glasgow, MT 59230 Phone: 406-228-9369 Fax: 406-228-8793
Gail Habener 406-222-0520 ghabener@mt.gov Livingston Job Service Workforce Center 220 E. Park Livingston, MT 59047 Phone: 406-222-0520 Fax: 406-222-1593
Nicole Cosby 406-791-5871 ncosby@mt.gov Great Falls Job Service Workforce Center 1018 7th Street S. Great Falls, MT 59405 Phone: 406-791-5800 Fax: 406-791-5889
Cynthia Fuhrman 406-232-8349 cynfuhrman@mt.gov Miles City Job Service Workforce Center 12 North 10th Street Box 1786 Miles City, MT 59301 Phone: 406-232-8340 Fax: 406-232-6270
Mark Waugh 406-758-6253 mwaugh@mt.gov Flathead/Lake County Job Service Workforce Center 427 First Avenue East Kalispell, MT 59901 Phone: 406-758-6200 Fax: 406-758-6290
Paula Marcinkowski 406-542-5744 pmarcinkowski@mt.gov Missoula Job Service Workforce Center 539 S. Third Street W Box 5027 Missoula, MT 59806 Phone: 406-728-7060 Fax: 406-721-7094
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Home & Garden
Moving Time
A step-by-step guide to re-potting your housplants
When you see the roots of a houseplant through the bottom of its pot, you know that it is time to put that plant in a new and bigger container. The process is easy, but it is important to be gentle. Just follow the directions below for a successful re-potting experience.
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The plant that is too big for its pot
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For this project you will need:
A new, empty container that is at least twice as big as the one your plant is in. Make sure that this new pot has holes in the bottom for drainage. A tray for the new pot to sit in. This will prevent water from spilling on the floor. Potting soil; you can get it straight from the bag or put some in a container that you can scoop from. A watering can or a pitcher full of water. A small shovel, also called a trowel. A pair of gardening gloves if you don’t want to get your hands dirty.
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rom the bag of potting soil, or the container you have poured it into, scoop the new dirt into the empty pot. You want to fill it almost half way up to the top. Putting this much soil into the container will give the roots of your plant plenty of room to grow.
The idea of keeping plants in the house is not new. Scientists have discovered artwork from ancient Egypt showing houseplants in pots.
Source: Susan Walsh for Suite101.com
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ake the pot with the plant in it and gently turn the whole thing sideways, or even upside down. With one hand cupping the base of the plant, and the other hand on the pot, gently pull the plant out of the container. If you want help with this step, ask a friend to hold the base of the pot while you pull the plant out.
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nce you have pulled the plant out of its old pot, you need to gently rub its roots and break up all the dirt from the old pot that is stuck to them. You might want to do this over some newspaper or cardboard because a lot of dirt will fall.
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nce you have broken the old dirt from the roots of the plant, place it gently in the center of the new pot with soil placed almost halfway up to the top. While holding the plant so that it stands straight up, use your trowel to scoop more soil around the plant. Try and make sure that the level is even around the plant, and keep adding soil until all the roots are completely covered and you are about three inches from the top of the pot. Gently press your hand into the soil all around the plant to pack it and make sure the plant is secure in its new environment.
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he plant has been through a lot. It’s definitely not used to having its roots exposed to the air, so it will need a large amount of water. It is important to make sure that all of the soil in the pot gets completely saturated with water (think of a sponge filled with water before you squeeze it; that’s how the soil should be). Keep watering without the tray under the pot, and let the water drain through. When the draining starts to slow down, you can put the tray under the pot.
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uccess! Your houseplant will grow well in its new environment, and soon you will find yourself looking around the house for other plants to re-pot.
We are proud to support mental and physical health in our region. For more information about Billings Clinic call 255-8400 or 1-800-252-1246 or visit www.billingsclinic.com
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Know Your Rights
Disability Act strengthens civil rights By Cindy Powell DBTAC Rocky Mountain ADA Center
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he Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the most comprehensive civil rights law protecting people with disabilities. Before it passed, several civil rights laws provided limited protection for people with disabilities. 1968: Architectural Barriers Act was the first federal law addressing civil rights for people with disabilities. This law requires that buildings constructed by the federal government or with federal funding be accessible to people with disabilities. This law also resulted in the first set of standards for the removal of architectural barriers: the Uniform Cindy Powell Federal Accessibility Standards. 1973: Rehabilitation Act was the first federal law to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. This law requires that federally funded programs be accessible to people with disabilities and that federal employers provide reasonable accommodations for their employees with disabilities. Much of the terminology in the Rehabilitation Act was used in the ADA. 1975: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act established the rights of students with disabilities to a free, appropriate public education in the most integrated setting possible. This law mandated that parents and schools work together to design individualized education plans for students with disabilities. 1986: Air Carrier Access Act was passed to ensure access to air travel by people with disabilities. The ACAA was passed in response to a Supreme Court decision that found that the Rehabilitation Act did not apply to air travel. The ADA prohibits discrimination in: Title I: Employment
Title II: State and local government Title III: Privately owned businesses Title IV: Telecommunications Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions Since the ADA’s passage in 1990, people with disabilities have gained access to a wider variety of services, programs and activities across America. A 1996 poll of 1,330 individuals from 48 states conducted by the United Cerebral Palsy Association found that: 96 percent of the respondents said that the ADA has made a difference in the lives of people with disabilities; 81 percent said that the ADA had made a difference in their own lives; 57 percent stated the ADA has resulted in better access to buildings; and 46 percent reported greater inclusion of people with disabilities in the community. However, 75 percent of respondents identified employment as the area where they have observed the least change. Over a decade later, in 2007, the employment rate of people with disabilities is approximately 30 percent, compared to 75 percent to 80 percent for people without disabilities. Title I, the employment section of the Americans Disability Act, will be featured in the next issue. Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center —Rocky Mountain ADA Center, is one of 10 regional “one-stop” Americans with Disabilities Act resource centers. Located in Colorado Springs, DBTAC — Rocky Mountain ADA Center serves a six state region: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The Center provides technical assistance, education and training, public awareness, materials dissemination, and information and referral to employers, businesses, state and local government agencies, disability and rehabilitation programs, people with disabilities, architects, code officials, schools and many other entities with rights and responsibilities under the ADA. Cindy Powell is an information specialist with DBTAC Rocky Mountain ADA Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Visit www.adainformation.org. Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Access
Hearing terms like assistive technology or adaptive equipment often makes individuals think of specialized computer equipment, high tech devices for vision or hearing or mobility devices like wheelchairs or scooters. In reality, assistive technology and adaptive equipment include a broad range of equipment varying widely in price. In fact, many devices are not even designed to be assistive but are often used that way. For example, a regular pair of glasses, modified outdoor recreational equipment, or even a simple piece of duct tape is considered assistive technology just as much as specialized computer software and hardware.
Duct tape may be the most useful tool on earth. Assistive technology and adaptive equipment devices are commonly misunderstood as being only for use within limited environments like schools and offices. Some devices like adaptive computer programs have been specifically designed for use in educational or employment settings, but can also provide greater independence at home or while traveling. Other devices such as reachers and canes are used in more general settings and have been expanded to environments like golf courses to pick up balls or stabilize a golfer on a green. Some devices like adaptive fishing or hunting
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equipment were designed to be used in nontypical settings for assistive technology or adaptive equipment. An important aspect of assistive technology and adaptive equipment is that they are not always purchased or acquired through companies that specialize in making or selling “specialized” technology. Some of the best devices people find and use are often items that were purchased off-the-shelf in local hardware or department stores and personally adapted to suit the user’s needs. People usually find that devices made at home or in a friend’s shop work every bit as well as the equipment available through specialty companies, and they cost much less. MonTECH is a statewide program that specializes in assistive technology and disability-related issues. It oversees a variety of projects with the goal of providing a comprehensive, statewide system of assistive technology-related assistance. Our mission is to ensure that all Montanans
This racing chair was designed to be used in settings outside the office or school. It is an example of recreational assistive technology.
with disabilities — and those who are aging — have access to assistive technology devices and services in order to enhance their independence, productivity, and quality of life. The Montana Assistive Technology Program (MATP) provides assistive technology-related services and supports to all Montanans of all ages without exclusion. The Montana Adaptive Equipment Program provides additional adaptive equipment services specifically for individuals with developmental disabilities. Some of our exciting upcoming assistive technology-related projects will focus on tools, equipment and services for outdoor recreational activities. In future editions of Apostrophe, we will explore more specific assistive technology and adaptive equipment devices in detail.
Hopefully, we will highlight developments, categories of interest, and services available to individuals with disabilities and those who are aging. All readers are encouraged to contact the author of this article or Apostrophe with suggestions for future assistive technology topics or to ask questions you would like to see answered in future editions. All Montanans are also encouraged to contact MonTECH directly to learn more about their programs and services. Chris Clasby, MSW MATP Project Coordinator MonTECH 406-243-2426 (office) 877-243-5511 (toll free) 406-243-5751 (tdd) clasby@ruralinstitute.umt.edu http://montech.ruralinstitute.umt.edu
Apostrophe Kitchen
Try this recipe for a marinara sauce that is loaded with lycopene and tastes great! For this recipe, you will need: ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil ¼ of a medium-sized onion, diced up 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin 3 large cans of whole, peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped 3 sprigs (one sprig looks like a little branch) of fresh thyme 1 small bunch of fresh basil, chopped 2 teaspoons of salt A pinch of black pepper Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once it gets hot (but not smoking), add the chopped onions and the sliced garlic. With a wooden spoon, stir them until they turn light brown. This will probably take about five minutes. If it’s too hot, and they are turning brown right away, just turn the heat down a little bit. Once the onions and garlic are light brown, add the tomatoes that you chopped or broke apart, but only about half of the juice that they’re in. The other half that’s left in the bowl can be thrown away. Now, add the little branches of thyme and the chopped basil. Give everything a big stir. Wait for the pot to boil. The minute the sauce boils, turn the heat to low and let it simmer (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, or until it’s as thick as you want. Once it is done to your liking, use a fork or tongs to remove the little branches of thyme that you put in the pot at the beginning. Add the salt and as much pepper as you want, and there you have it. Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Support
Montana offers new services, options By Tim Plaska
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he Developmental Disabilities Program, part of the Department of Public Health and Human Services in Montana, provides federal and state funding that enables approximately 4,000 people with developmental disabilities to receive the services and supports they need to Tim Plaska live as independently as possible in communities all across Montana.
Choosing wisely
then enables each person to identify what services they would like to receive as well as their hopes and dreams for the future and it identifies who can help them achieve those goals. Case managers then help each person develop a cost plan and individualized budget to pay for the services. For the first time in Montana, funding is now assigned to the person receiving services and as long as their health and safety needs can be assured they can decide which services they would like to receive, how many hours of service they would like and where they would like to receive those services. Each person’s funding is now portable which is a big change that enables a person to pick a new service provider if they are not satisfied with the services they are receiving. As part of this new individualized service system, standard payment rates have been developed to pay providers. This helps if a person decides they would like to move to a new provider or move to a different city.
Many new services and options are now available. I’d like to suggest how consumers and family members can get more information about them. In future issues we’ll focus on individual topics and provide information to help persons make informed choices. During the past five years, staff from the Developmental Disabilities Program have been working with many consumers and their family members as well as the People First organization, service providers and consultants to develop a Jobs in the Community person-centered individualized services model that It also offers incentives for providers to help would enable persons to make choices about where consumers who would like to be in supported living they would like to live and the type of services and where they can live in their own apartment or be in supports they would like to supported employment where receive. they can work in the community. Most of the system has now erson-centered, Career plans are also a new been developed and is being component of the personal individualized implemented across the State. support planning process that services would enable Case managers have been case managers and providers are working with each person people to make choices helping people develop to assist and their family to complete a them in getting the kinds of jobs about where they would MONA, a resource allocation that they want. want live and the type of tool to identify the amount of We have also provided funding each person needs for services and supports funding for the new Home services. they would like to receive. Ownership Program and have Personal supports planning been very happy to see how
P
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Michael O’Neil from AWARE Inc. has worked so hard to use the money and help people purchase their own homes in Montana. During the past three years, this program, called the Montana Home Choice Coalition, has helped 20 people with developmental disabilities purchase homes in cities across Montana in Billings, Lewistown, Miles City, Sidney, Glendive, Bozeman, Red Lodge, Laurel and Missoula.
New medical director
We’ve been fortunate to be able to hire Dr. Jean Justad as medical services director for the Developmental Disabilities program. Dr. Justad has been working with people with developmental disabilities since 1990. In 2001, she became medical director at the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder and now as statewide medical director for our program she is helping to improve the quality of medical services people are receiving by working closely with other doctors and staff in the community programs. The College of Direct Support is another new project we are funding to provide high quality and consistent training to direct care staff working in all of the programs across the State. We expect it to be very beneficial for all of the staff and the people they are providing services to. A large part of the funding we receive comes from the federal government’s Medicaid program through what is called a Medicaid Waiver to fund services based in the community.
We have recently received approval for a new Medicaid waiver that will let us offer self-directed services to people who would like more control over the services they receive. We are also developing a new waiver to provide intensive services to young children who have been diagnosed with autism We’ll be describing all of these new services in more detail in future issues of the Apostrophe Tim Plaska is Community Services Bureau Chief for the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services Developmental Disability Program
REGIONAL CONTACTS For more information now about new developments within the Developmental Disabilities Service System, contact your case manager or contact the Developmental Disability wProgram Regional Manager in your area. Regional managers are: Dain Christianson, Region 1 Manager in Glasgow 228-8264 Bruci Ann Hall, Region 2 Manager in Great Falls, 454-6091 Suzn Gehring, Region 3 Manager in Billings 247-2590 Larry Lovelace, Region 4 Manager in Helena 444-1714 Paula Tripp, Region 5 Manager in Helena. 329-5425
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GOING THE DISTANCE Richey man understands the importance of family, perseverance and big dreams By Jim Tracy Life’s more fun if you have a passion for something. Just ask Anton Veverka of Richey. Veverka, 26, has a passion for running long distances. He’s got a trophy case full of medals (mostly gold) and a stack of newspaper clippings to prove it. Among the thousand or so athletes who competed in the Special Olympics Montana State Summer Games in Great Falls in May, Veverka was chosen — as Athlete of the Year — to light the cauldron during opening ceremonies after helping carry the Olympic torch on its last leg into the city. He finished first in the games in his specialties, winning the 3000-meter run in 12:31.78 and the 5000 meters in 20:42.53 at C.M. Russell High School track. Veverka has also excelled in competition outside of Montana. He won gold in the 1,500 meters and silver in the 800 at the World Games in Dublin, Ireland, in 2003, competing along with 7,000 other athletes from 160 delegations. That was after he won those two races handily at the Montana summer games that year. Last year he was named an alternate to the U.S. team for the games in Shanghai. In his first year competing in cross-country skiing at the State Winter Games in Whitefish in February, he took home three gold medals. “He trains all year long,” said his father, Larry Veverka. Gold medalist Anton Veverka, facing page, and retired Missoula Chief of Police Rusty Wickman carry the torch to light the cauldron at the Special Olympics 2008 State Summer Games in Great Falls in May. Gregg Edelen photo
Long-distance runner Anton Veverka, left, and retired Missoula Chief of Police Rusty Wickman carry the torch to light the cauldron at the Special Olympics 2008 State Summer Games in Great Falls in May. Gregg Edelen photo
Anton runs just about everywhere. His daily jaunts used to include delivering mail to his late grandmother, Mary Veverka, who died a month ago at age 94. “He runs over to his brother and sister-in-law’s home just for fun,” Larry Veverka said. “And he always takes time to play with his niece and nephew, Mataya and Austin.” Veverka has earned his success the hard way, overcoming a physical disability and naysayers who told him what he couldn’t do and shouldn’t do. But like all successful people, he didn’t let barriers get in his way or listen to people who doubted him. And also like other successful people, he depended Continued on next page Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Alone in his cab, Anton maneuvers a 1982 John Deere Model tractor fitted with a 32-foot cultivator on the family farm near Richey, He entertains himself by listening to music on an MP3 player. Amanda Breitbach photo
on support from others. His parents, Larry and Roxie, believed in him and found people in the tiny community of Richey to believe in him, too. Anton was born in the Glendive Hospital in 1982 and later developed a neurological disorder known as verbal apraxia, an impairment of the motor programming of speech. APRAXIA, according to the scientific literature, is characterized by loss of the ability to carry out skilled movements and gestures, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform them. “He was not born with his disability,” his mother said. “He developed apraxia when he was about a year old. It was caused by a polio vaccination.” Because of apraxia, Anton has always needed extra help. “Anton has trouble with sequencing,” his father said. “But we work with him.” The Veverkas took him when he was a baby to specialists at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Neb. The hospital is internationally recognized for clinical service and research into the treatment of childhood deafness and communication disorders. Doctors there did what they could, but they told the Veverkas that Anton would always have a disability. “It was tough,” Larry said. His parents tried to enroll him in the first grade in Richey when he turned 6, but they met resistance. 26 Apostrophe Summer 2008
“We had a hard time getting him into school,” Larry recalled. As they had in the past, they turned for help to George Biebl, a family support specialist with Hi-Line Homes Program in Sidney. “He started working with us back when Anton was a baby,” Larry said. “He was our advocate. He’s the one who made it so Anton could get into school.” THE VEVERKAS live on a sheep farm eight miles south of Richey in the shadow of the Big Sheep Mountains. Anton’s grandfather, Louis, bought the place after working for six years as a hand on the farm for 50 cents a day. Anton’s brother, 29-yearold Tristan, also lives on the farm with his wife, Jennifer. Another brother, Layton, 21, is studying engineering at the University of The joy of running shows on Anton’s face in the 3000-meter run at the State Summer Games in Great Falls in May. He won the race, competing against runners from C.M. Russell High School and Miss Montana Kristen Mantooth. Jim Tracy photo
Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, where his mother grew up. The Veverkas raise Rambouillet sheep (the “backbone” of the American sheep industry) and Targhee cross. They also run red Angus cattle and grow alfalfa grass, hay, barley, pea hay, sanfoin (a grass), spring wheat, winter wheat and organic wheat — whatever it takes to keep the place going. Raising sheep, though, is everyone’s No. 1 job, especially during March when ewes give birth to their lambs in a large community pen. If the weather is fair (it usually isn’t in March in Eastern Montana), the ewes will When long-distance runner Anton Veverka competes, his mother and father, Roxie and Larry Veverka, are usually in the stands. The Veverkas have supported their son in all of have their lambs outside. his pursuits. Amanda Breitbach photo Usually ewes lamb on their mostly to rock and roll, but Grammy-winning singer own, without help or interference. Most of the ewes Rihanna is his one of his favorites. give birth to twins or triplets. The lambs quickly get He also drives two days a week to a part-time job at up and have their first meal. the Black Bridge Fitness Center in Glendive, where he After a litter is born, they are placed in a 5-footby-5-foot pen called a “jug” with their mother, which works as a grounds-keeper and janitor. His ride is his pride and joy — a red, 2005 Chevy Colorado pickup encourages lambs and ewe to bond and allows the truck, which he often loads with supplies for the 50shepherd to easily observe them. Within the first mile return trip to the farm. 24 hours, the lambs are weighed and their ears are But running is his favorite pursuit. tagged. “I try to run some every day,” he said Anton helps herd the sheep in and out of the jugs Accompanying him on his daily lopes along the and cleans the pens. But his work doesn’t end there. country roads around the farm are a pair of border “He does whatever he can on the farm,” his father collies, Crimson and Clover. said. In summer, he spends hours in a tractor tilling BUT FOR ALL he’s accomplished in the sport and fields to prepare them for next year’s planting. as much as he’s come to love it, he may never have Soil tillage helps mix manure and other fertilizers developed a desire to run long distances without the into the root zone where growing plant roots may encouragement of the late Phil Robinson, longtime reach it. Tillage helps seeds germinate, creating a Richey High School track coach. smooth, uniform soil surface for planting. And it “Because of his disability no one expected Anton helps keep weeds under control between crop plants to participate in sports, but when he wanted to be in It’s a vital job, and Anton pursues it with the same track he turned to Phil,” Larry Veverka said. devotion he gives to running, working long hours Robinson recognized his potential and desire. maneuvering a 1982 John Deere Model 8640 Tractor “He said, ‘You bet he can join the track team,’” fitted with a 32-foot cultivator. Larry recalled. “He knows how to wing it up and move it down the After evaluating Anton, Robinson found the ideal road,” his father said. “He lives to do it. He can hardly event for him. wait to ’til he can get out there to run the tractor.” “Long-distance running — that’s where he figured He entertains himself in the solitude of the tractor Anton was best suited,” Veverka said. cab by listening to music on an MP3 player his Continued on next page parents bought him for his birthday. His tastes run Apostrophe Summer 2008
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On course, Anton Veverka glides along the trail at the 2008 Special Olympics Montana 2008 State Winter Games at Whitefish Resort in February. Veverka earned three gold medals. Kip Sikora photo
Seven years later, Robinson’s faith and encouragement paid off when Anton placed in the district track meet and earned his high school letter. Anton also wanted to play hoops but met resistance there as well. “He loved sports, and basketball was a sport he knew wanted to play,” Larry said. “He was not accepted by the different Richey coaches. He sat on the sidelines during practice and was not allowed to play in the games. But he didn’t let that disappointment hold him down, as he discovered a Special Olympics basketball team in Sidney.” He now plays with the Sidney team under Coach Tami Edwards. “They just keep winning,” Larry said. At 26, Anton is still aiming for new heights in longdistance running and now cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Pushing him in all those sports is Debbie Sevier, his coach and advocate, who trains with him weekly. Sevier, a runner and skier herself, travels with Veverka to competitions, including last February to the Special Olympics Winter Games in Whitefish, where she raced alongside him as his unified partner, or “ski buddy,” in the 1-kilometer relay, a competition they won. Anton also earned gold in the 3-kilometer race and 500-meter relay. A habilitation aide with Highland Home Services in Glendive, Sevier, along with Gloria Glaser, a case 28 Apostrophe Summer 2008
manager with AWARE Inc., are teaching Anton basic living skills like cooking and managing a budget with the goal of helping him live on his own in an apartment or home some day. Sevier, who has known Anton since 2002, is also working with him to build his endurance for a halfmarathon (13 miles) with the goal of eventually running eventually a full marathon. “I’m amazed at Anton’s fortitude and perseverance,” she said. “I admire his dedication. He doesn’t overdo it. He knows his limit and he pushes himself to that limit. He has a strength of purpose that keeps him moving upward.” He’s also confident — so confident in fact that he told his father three years ago, “Some day I want to carry the torch and light the cauldron at the Special Olympics.” He did that in May. Next year he wants to participate in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho. And by 2011, he hopes to make the U.S. team for the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece. Those who know him expect to see him standing on the medals platform at both places.
It’s the Law
The Olmstead Decision – Failure to Launch? By Tom Dooling Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Montana
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little over nine years ago, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.S. Tommy Olmstead, the petitioner, was the Georgia Commissioner of Human Resources, head of the department that ran several so-called “schools” for people with developmental disabilities. “L.C.” and “E.W.” were two women who had lived for far too long in the Georgia Regional Hospital for Atlanta. Together, they sued the State of Georgia under the Americans with Disabilities Act, better known as the ADA. Among other things, the ADA forbids states who supply public services – such as hospitals – to discriminate against people with disabilities. When the case was started, Tom Dooling the ADA itself was a relatively new law. The ADA was passed by Congress in 1990 to remove barriers which made it hard for people with disabilities to live and move around in mainstream communities. The ADA requires ramps for wheelchairs and van accessible parking places in public parking lots. The ADA requires employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities, such as allowing companion animals in offices and putting Braille numbers on elevator buttons. The ADA also made it illegal for employers and businesses that serve the public to discriminate against people with disabilities. Many people who care deeply about the rights of Americans with mental disabilities hoped that the ADA would help to make it possible for people living in institutions to move into the community. The idea is that it is wrong to force people with developmental disabilities or mental illness to live, for years or for a lifetime, segregated into an institution. This is especially true if they can live in the community, near their families and friends, with
support provided by the state. In fact, many experts who have studied the cost of keeping people in hospitals and state schools tell us that it is cheaper to support people in their own communities than to keep them in an institution. The question the Supreme Court had to answer was just that: whether keeping people in institutions who could be served in the community was discrimination. The answer, the Court said, is yes, it is discrimination, but, unfortunately, a “qualified yes”— more “maybe.” The Court doesn’t like to make broad decisions that produce huge changes, but what they call “narrow” decisions which make small improvements that aren’t going to have a lot of unexpected other results. So, the Court said, the state didn’t have to move everybody out into the community right away. If moving people from institutions to communitybased treatment would create a “fundamental alteration” in the state’s developmental disabilities program, the state could raise that as a defense against accommodation. As long as the state had a plan for moving people into the community, and a waiting list that moved at a “reasonable pace”, there was no violation of the ADA. In 1999, the disability community and those of us who care deeply about the rights of people with disabilities, thought that the Olmstead decision would create great changes for the better. “Olmstead Committees” were set up in most states to plan for the new community services and the problems with shrinking state-run institutions. Many of us thought that Olmstead would be for the disability community what Brown v. Board of Education had been for the broader civil rights movement. However, nine years after the Brown decision was announced, National Guard troops had been called out to protect black children in southern schools, Martin Luther King had given his “I have a dream” speech, and segregation and the “Jim Crow” laws of the south were on their way out of America’s life. Nine years after Olmstead, the waiting list for community services isn’t shrinking. The number of home and community waiver funding plans is not substantially Continued on Page 44 Apostrophe Summer 2008
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‘Being a fan is easy’ Athletes test skills at Special Olympics Summer Games By Jim Tracy
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ore than a thousand athletes representing 76 teams from across Montana descended on Great Falls in mid-May to take part in the Special Olympics 2008 State Summer Games. It was easy to be a fan. Athletes of all ages peddled, paddled and pitched. They swam and sprinted, lifted and leaped. And when they weren’t straining to cross a finish line, heft a weight or sink a putt, they mostly smiled. The games, a week-long celebration of competition and friendship, featured more than a dozen sports at venues spread across the Electric City. Athletes competed alone or in teams in aquatics, bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, horseshoe pitch, kayaking, softball throwing, power-lifting, soccer, track and field. Steve Brookstein, chairman of the Special Olympics Montana Board of Directors, called the games “one of the most amazing human experiences and events on earth,” which seems pretty close to the truth considering the expressions of sheer joy on the participants’ faces and the teamwork and organization required to pull it all together. Here are a few numbers provided by Vicki Dunham, chief operating officer of Special Olympics Montana: 500 coaches and chaperones accompanied the athletes to Great Falls 2,400 volunteers helped do everything from refereeing soccer games to handing out registration packets to sweeping the floors; 5,000-plus people packed into the Four Seasons Arena for Opening Ceremonies (and the lighting of the Olympics Cauldron) on Wednesday night; Kerrie Sheets and Jenna Whisenhunt of Billings Adults (facing page) give each other a hug pool-side at Great Falls High School. The pair competed in aquatics at the Special Olympics Montana Summer Games in May. Above right, Unified Partner Bryce Widhalm, Great Falls Lions, shows off his gold medal to Tina Hoeger of the Billings Police Department. Gregg Edelen photos
More than two-dozen law enforcement agencies and 600 officers helped carry the Olympic torch from 10 different starting points and 2,000 miles around Montana. They ran, biked, roller bladed and rode horseback bearing the torch through all kinds of weather over 10 days; More than 200 sponsors helped underwrite the games. But as many athletes as competed in the Games, many more could participate if resources were available, according to Bob Norbie, director of Special Olympics Montana. While Special Olympics Montana serves more than 2,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities in 120 programs year-round across the state, the organization is “restless to serve many more,” Norbie told guests at a reception preceding the opening ceremonies. Quoting the World Health Organization and the state Department of Public Health & Human Services, he said, “We have upwards of 20,000 more individuals – children and adults – who can only wish to have the opportunities that you will see 1,000 athletes have at these Games.” To open up the games to more people, Norbie said the Special Olympics Montana board and staff have “an elegant dream.” Continued on next page Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Their vision is summed up in what the organization has dubbed the “10 to the Power of 3 Endowment Campaign.” They call it 10 to the Power of 3 because they intend to raise $10 million over the next 10 years to serve 10,000 more athletes. While the State Summer Games are the largest and most comprehensive competition event conducted by Special Olympics Montana, it is just one of three major statewide events. The State Winter Games at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Whitefish during February or early
March draw upwards of 250 athletes competing in alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and snowboarding, with floor hockey introduced in 2008 as an indoor option for the winter season. The State Basketball Tournament, held annually in November, brings together more than 600 athletes from around the state competing in team basketball and individual skills. Butte will host the tourney this year and again in 2009 and 2010. The location of the event moves on a three-year rotation. The same is true of the State Summer Games. The 2008 event marked the third straight and final year that the State Summer Games would be in Great Falls. Bozeman will host the Games for three consecutive years beginning in 2009. In addition to the state games, Special Olympics stages 15-20 area and local competitions statewide every year. Each is conducted on a somewhat smaller scale than the statewide events but each features similar important components: opening and closing ceremonies, varied sports, awards ceremonies, and social events such as banquets, dances and carnivals. “By its mission, Special Olympics Montana is a year-round sports training and competition organization that provides individuals with intellectual disabilities age 8 and above the opportunity to grow and develop through sports activity,” said Dunham. She noted that Special Olympics Montana also provides leadership opportunities, and the training, through the Athlete Leadership Seventeen-year-old strongman Jacob Lingle of Missoula High Schools gets a hand with a power lift at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Great Falls. Photo by Gregg Edelen.
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Program, for athletes who are interested in public speaking, media work, fund-raising, committee and board membership, coaching and more. “In a much larger sense, as well, Special Olympics Montana and the global Special Olympics organization (present in 160-plus countries) is a significant catalyst for promoting acceptance, understanding and diversity, and creating change in the way society regards individuals with intellectual disabilities,” she said. “Athletes who participate enjoy
the advantages of independence and integration, and truly make meaningful contributions to their communities.” To learn more about Special Olympics Montana, call 800-242-6876 (instate only) or visit the web site: www.somt.org. Complete results of the Summer Games are posted on the site.
Sprinter Rebecka Danielson of Havre Schools, at right, pulls away in the 100-meter dash at the Special Olympics Summer Games. Danielson won gold in the event. Below, track and field athlete Keogh Duffy of Missoula YMCA is all smiles. Photos by Gregg Edelen.
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Stroking for home, Paula Machado, Missoula YMCA, takes a breath in the 100-meter freestyle above. Below, Cal Berryman of Butte Public Schools also competed in swimming, while Brittany Moser, below right, leaves her hair behind on a trampoline jump. Photos by Gregg Edelen
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SPECIAL MOMENTS
Whitefish track and field athletes Cedar Vance, left, and Hallie Schelling pose cheek to cheek during opening ceremonies at the 2008 Summer Games. Below, unified partner Brandon Miller, Great Falls Lions (foreground) and Unified Partner Peter Kitts, Troy Mountaineers (background) paddle for the finish line. Gregg Edelen photos
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Butte to Host Special Olympics Hoops Tourney Organizers expect 650 athletes to compete in three-day event Special Olympics Montana, a 38-year-old movement that enables children and adults with intellectual disabilities to train for life through sports has awarded the State Basketball Tournament to the city of Butte, Nov. 6-8, 2008. The State Basketball Tournament will be held in Butte for three consecutive years beginning November 2008–2010. Tournament Premier Sponsor, Town Pump, says it’s eager to welcome to its hometown corporate headquarters in Butte approximately 650 athletes and 180 coaches who represent 50-plus teams from more than 25 communities across Montana. “We are thrilled to host, once again, the Special Olympics Montana State Basketball Tournament in Butte. Opportunities like this bring together the best of humanity as we serve the greater good,” said Town
Pump spokesperson and the Tournament’s Honorary Chairwoman, Maureen Kenneally. The tournament has grown in size each year for five consecutive years. Before moving to Butte, the tournament was held in Helena, 2005–2007 and in Butte, 2002–2004. “Originally the tournament was going to be held in Havre, but shortly after we announced Havre as the tournament location, the athlete numbers jumped to 600,” said Dave Snuggs, vice president sports & competition. “Numbers are still climbing and have caused a lodging shortage in that community.” In addition to 125 team competitions over three days, more than 50 athletes are expected to take part in individual skills competition. Special events such as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athlete Victory Banquet, Dance/Carnival, Families & Friends Dinner and more, will create memorable experiences as Special Olympics Montana celebrates life through sports.
Time Out, Coaches! Bring in your team!
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COME SEE US during the Special Olympics Montana State Basketball Tournament Nov. 6-8 in Butte.
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Health & Wellness A quick guide to the things that protect your body’s cells They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover, and that’s usually true. But the red you see in your tomato, the blue of the blueberry, and the yellow of the corn are telling you that they are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that protect your cells from different kinds of pollutants that you come across on any given day. In food, antioxidants take the form of vitamins and minerals. Some of the vitamins that you may have heard of contain antioxidants…vitamins like A, C, and E. Sometimes you may hear something about beta-carotene or lycopene and how they’re both really good for you. They both have antioxidants in them, too. By eating foods that contain antioxidants in them, foods like fruits and vegetables, most doctors think that you can reduce your chances of having heart disease or certain kinds of cancer. Below, you’ll see some of the different kinds of antioxidants, the fruits and vegetables you can find them in, and their benefit to your body. Beta carotene is a kind of antioxidant, and it can be found in carrots and various fruits. Antioxidants like Beta-carotene make your cells strong and protect them from things like secondhand smoke, radiation, and viruses. Lutein (Loo-Teen) is also an antioxidant, and it can be found in citrus fruits, corn, spinach, and even eggs. Antioxidants like Lutein help with healthy vision. Lycopene (Lie-Koh-Peen) is an antioxidant that is found in tomatoes and processed tomato products like spaghetti sauce and ketchup. In many studies, Lycopene has shown that it can help to prevent certain types of cancer. For a great marinara sauce recipe, check out page 21.
Also, whole grains are antioxidants, and they can be found in bread that says “whole wheat” (make sure that the label says “whole” before “wheat”), oatmeal, brown rice, and many other foods. Whole grains may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. For more information on antioxidants and the foods that you can find them in, visit: www.ific.org/publications/factsheets/antioxidantfs.cfm.
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Watch one of the greatest plays of all time! “Macbeth” plays at Washoe Park in Anaconda one night only. The play is free and begins at 6:00 p.m. For more information, call 406.994.3901 or visit www. montana.edu/ shakespeare.
Experience a taste of Missoula! Come to Caras Park downtown for live music and a bite of the best Missoula has to offer. Many different kinds of food are available, including fresh, hot pizza and spicy Chinese food. Out to Lunch is every Wednesday, July through August from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 406.543.4238.
Missoula
Anaconda
Wednesdays through August
The Magic City Blues Festival
August 12
Helena Brewers Baseball
A two-day event filled with red-hot guitars, soulful singing and A-list talent! The Magic City Blues Festival is a yearly tradition for people who love great rock and roll, blues and jazz. Tickets are $35 per night,and are well worth it! For information, ticket sales and music schedules, call 406.670.2329 or check out www.magiccityblues.com.
Be a part of America’s favorite pastime in Montana’s capital city! The Helena Brewers are a minor league baseball team that produce players like Gary Sheffield and Ryne Sandberg. The games usually start at 7:05 p.m. Get tickets and summer schedule information by visiting www.helenabrewers.net or by calling 406.495.0500.
Billings
Helena
August 8 and 9
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All summer, check schedule
in
The Montana Antique Airplane Association Fly-In Come witness antique airplanes in flight, flour-bombing and spot landing competitions. This year’s Fly-In promises to be spectacular! The event is free, although donations are gladly accepted. Lunch and dinner will be served at no cost on Friday and Saturday. The Fly-In is held at the Three Forks Airport, southwest of Three Forks and operates from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information call 406.579.7537.
Three Forks
August 7 through 9
Racing at the Mission Valley Speedway Be a part of stock car racing at Montana’s longest and fastest asphalt track. Check out their Web site at www.missionvalleyspeedway.com for race schedules and information. Races start at 7 p.m. most nights. For information, call 406.675.7223.
Pablo
All Summer through September 20
Why not stock up on fresh produce that’s locally grown? The Helena Farmers Market offers organic produce, meats, live music, and prepared food from local vendors. For information, call 406.449.7446.
Helena
Saturdays through November 1
Montana’s Biggest Weekend
A spectacular rodeo with concerts, food, a parade and exhibitions! Find it all at Montana’s biggest weekend in Dillon during Labor Day weekend. People from all over the country travel to Dillon for the festival, so don’t miss it! For information on tickets, schedules and events, call 406.683.5771. Dillon August 30 through September 1
The Hellgate Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show Do you consider yourself a rock and fossil hound? Are you a collector of gems and minerals? The Hellgate Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show offers items for sale in every price range and is sure to be a great time for all rock and fossil enthusiasts. For information call 406.543.3667.
Missoula
September 20 and 21 Apostrophe Summer 2008
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We offer an amazing varity of workforce and business services - all at no cost
Every Customer, Every Time!
The Riot! is a free e-newsletter for self-advocates. Self-advocates are people with disabilities who speak up for themselves and others. Sign up at: www.hsri.org/leaders/theriot/
539 S. 3rd St. W. • 728-7060 employmissoula.com
Empowering Solutions Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment (HOME) is the leading provider of home medical equipment products, respiratory services and customized wheelchair solutions. respiraTory services include: • • • • • •
Oxygen delivery Concentrators BIPAP and ventilators Highest quality Sleep Apnea products CPAP Clinics Largest selection of CPAP supplies in the Billings area
cusTomized wheelchair soluTions: • •
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With the Lifeline equipment and monitoring we provide, the CareLine program provides the assurance that help is always within reach, day or night — whatever the situation may be
Issue: 6/5/0 Size: SS1
To learn more abouT our professional soluTions,
Call 406-237-8900 or visit us at 1124 16th St W, Suite 6, Billings, MT
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Directory N W
E S
The Disability Navigator Program Patti McCubbins, Navigator Program Manager Phone: (406) 461-7472 Email: pmccubbins@mt.gov
Celebrating 40 years.
Improving and protecting the health, well-being and self-reliance of all Montanans Voice/TDD 406-444-2590 Toll Free 877-296-1197
111 North Sanders Street Helena, Montana 59604 www.dphhs.mt.gov
Special Olympics Montana P.O. Box 3507 Great Falls, Montana 59403
Voice/TDD 406-216-5327 Toll Free 800-242-6876 info@somt.org
PEOPLE FIRST A self-governing, self-directing, self-advocacy organization www.peoplefirst.ruralinstitute.umt.edu
52 Corbin Hall Missoula, Montana 59812
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Quality, affordable and safe housing... of your own choosing.
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406-563-8117 800-432-6145
Voice/TTY 406.243-5467 Toll Free 800-732-0323
616 Helena Avenue Voice 406-449-3120 Suite 305 Fax 406-449-3125 Helena, Montana 59601 Email montanahomechoice@aware-inc.org
Contact us to be listed in the Directory: Dan McClafferty — 406/563-8117 Apostrophe Summer 2008
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Navigator continued from Page 15...
the focus and the desire to work. They tend to be very dependable.” Streamlining services. Employment and training Cummings thinks other employers would do well programs for all people should be brought together, to use Navigators. and be easily accessible via One-Stop Centers. “I don’t know why every employer doesn’t tap into Increased accountability. The One-Stop system is it, ” she said. “You know, a lot of employers tell me they being evaluated based on how many people get jobs don’t understand how we can do it. I tell them I don’t and the satisfaction of the customers. understand how they can’t do it. It’s great.” Empowering individuals. Customers should be Cummings, whose firm specializes in contract given more information about services in order to make informed choices and have more control of their professional cleaning – mostly office buildings and light industrial facilities – was named Employer of services. State and local flexibility. Local One-Stop systems the Year in 2006 by the Missoula Area Coordinated can set up services in different ways to respond to the Employment Network. Quality Maintenance Enterprises Inc. is located at needs of their local community. 2708 Palmer St. in Missoula. “The Workforce Investment Act is a relatively new law and, in many areas, the One-Stop system is just Olmstead continued from Page 31... beginning,” according to a Department of Labor web site. “All of the goals of the law may not be achieved greater than it was years ago. The State of Montana yet, but Centers are working toward achieving these is eligible for nearly twice as many waivers as it has principles,” applied for, and the federal dollars which would pour It’s all part of a plan to open up the world of work to into the state if those waivers were funded would everyone. Navigators are helping. create hundreds of new service sector jobs for care “If you need answers about jobs and benefits, givers, and allow virtually everybody at MDC to move or if you have questions about what to do next,” into community-based services. Marcinkowski says, “we’re the ones to talk to.” Disability Rights Montana – formerly Montana You can contact her at: Advocacy Program – has community integration of all people with disabilities as a core value. We have Paula Marcinkowski worked since the Olmstead case was decided to make Employment Consultant / Disability Navigator its dream a reality, and will continue to do so. Missoula Job Service However, if the Olmstead dream is to become real, pmarcinkowski@mt.gov it will take a change in the political will of Montana 406-542-5744 and its government, which will happen only if every employmissoula.c person with a disability, and every family member, and every person who cares passionately for social Accommodations continued from Page 15... justice to tell the Legislature and the administration Cummings manages a staff of 48 people, including that this is what the people of Montana want, need some two-dozen with disabilities. and expect to have. Among those are people with developmental disabilities, mental illness and people recovering from brain injuries. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good workers. “By and large most of the folks are dedicated,” she said. “You have to work out the kinks to help people adapt to the job, but I haven’t found any person who doesn’t come with their own brand of baggage.” Cummings frequently turns to the Montana Job Service Navigator program when she needs to hire new workers. “Navigators provides a lot of employer support,” she said. “Most of the people they have found for us have 42 Apostrophe Summer 2008
People First Language continued from Page 8... Children with disabilities are children, first. The only labels they need are their names! Parents must not talk about their children in the clinical terms used by professionals. The parent of a child who wears glasses (medical diagnosis: myopia) doesn’t say, “My daughter is myopic,” so why does the parent of a child who has a medical diagnosis of autism say, “My daughter is autistic”? Adults with disabilities are adults, first. The only labels they need are their names! They must not talk about themselves the way professionals talk about them. An adult with a medical diagnosis of cancer doesn’t say, “I’m cancerous,” so why does an adult with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy say, “I’m disabled”? The only places where the use of disability labels is appropriate or relevant are in the service system (at those ubiquitous “I” team meetings) and in medical or legal settings. Labels have no place — and they should be irrelevant — within our families, among friends, and within the community. We often use labels to convey information, as when a parent says, “My child has Down syndrome,” hoping others will realize her child needs certain accommodations or supports. But the outcome of sharing the label can be less than desirable! A label can scare people, generate pity, and/or set up exclusion (“We can’t handle people like that.”). In these circumstances, and when it’s appropriate, we can simply describe the person’s needs in a respectful, dignified manner and omit the label. Besides, the label is nobody’s business! Have individuals with disabilities given us permission to share their personal information with others? If not, how dare we violate their trust! Do you routinely tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry about the boil on your spouse’s behind? (I hope not!) And we also talk about people with disabilities in front of them, as if they’re not there. We must stop this demeaning practice. My son, Benjamin, is 16 years old. More important than his disability label are his interests, strengths, and dreams. He loves Star Wars, anything “Harry Potter,” fish sticks with malt vinegar, writing plays and stories on the computer, and his Pez collection. He earned two karate belts and has been in four children’s theater productions. Benj wants to be a movie critic when he grows up. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and cerebral palsy. His disability is only one of many characteristics of his whole persona. He is not his diagnosis. His potential cannot be defined by his disability label. When I meet new people, I don’t tell them I’ll never be a prima ballerina. I focus on my strengths, not on what I cannot do. Don’t you do the same? So when speaking about my son, I don’t say, “Benj can’t write with a pencil.” I say, “Benj writes on a computer.” I don’t say, “He can’t
walk.” I say, “He uses a power chair.” It’s a simple matter of perspective. A person’s self-image is strongly tied to the words used to describe him. For generations, people with disabilities have been described in negative, stereotypical language which has created harmful, mythical portrayals. We must stop believing (and perpetuating) the myths — the lies — of labels. We must believe children and adults with disabilities are unique individuals with unlimited potential to achieve their dreams, just like all Americans. We have the power to create a new paradigm of disability. In doing so, we’ll not only influence societal attitudes — we’ll also be changing the lives of children and adults with disabilities, and our own lives, as well. Isn’t it time to make this change? If not now, when? If not you, who? People First Language is right. Just do it. NOW! Examples of People First Language Say: People with disabilities instead ofThe handicapped or disabled He has a cognitive disability instead of He’s mentally retarded. She has autism instead of She’s autistic. He has Down syndrome instead of He’s Down’s. She has a learning disability instead of She’s learning disabled. He has a physical disability instead of He’s a quadriplegic/crippled. She’s of short stature/she’s a little person instead of She’s a dwarf/midget. He has an emotional/mental health disability instead of He’s emotionally disturbed. She uses a wheelchair/mobility chair instead of She’s wheelchair bound/confined to a wheelchair. He receives special ed services instead of He’s in special ed. Typical kids or kids without disabilities instead of Normal or healthy kids. Congenital disability instead of Birth defect. And no more “special needs!” That term evokes pity, and a person’s needs aren’t special to him, they’re normal and ordinary! Keep thinking — there are many descriptors we need to change. © 2003 Kathie Snow. This document may be copied and shared with others.
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W
hether you use a wheelchair, have a visual impairment, arthritis or some other physical ailment, your limitations should not keep you from enjoying the pleasures of traveling.
Seeing-eye dogs travel free of charge and may accompany their owner/trainer in the cabin of the aircraft, with some restrictions.
Before you travel, call your travel agent:
Prepare for your cruise:
Inform travel staff of special needs.
The more information you are able to supply about the nature of your disability, the better-prepared staff can be. Request modified lodging. Many properties offer specially designed rooms at no extra charge. Inquire about the specific equipment you need (e.g., entrance ramps, hand rails, wheelchairtransfer aids, fire exits or first-floor rooms). When traveling by air: Fly nonstop. Request a direct flight to
avoid transferring planes. If you must make connections, schedule ample time between flights. Ask about special assistance for boarding and deplaning. Request appropriate seating. Ask for bulkhead or aisle seating with a moveable armrest to make travel more comfortable. Notify travel agents or airline at least 48 hours in advance if you require an onboard wheelchair or special meals.
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Alert travel staff to service animals.
Request a specially outfitted
cruise cabin. Ask your travel agent to recommend a cruise line with special equipment and an itinerary to meet your needs. Choose a cabin near an elevator, if you have difficulty walking. Ask to reserve a table near the entrance of the dining room. Select a cruise with fewer shore excursions if you anticipate difficulty getting on and off the ship. Although advanced trip planning is always recommended, it becomes even more important for the disabled traveler. For more tips to make your trip more pleasurable, consult an experienced travel agent. These travel tips come courtesy of AAA. For more tips or travel information, visit www.AAA.com
POWER
ALL NEW 2008 MAZDA CX-9
CROSSOVER VEHICLE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Celebrating 35 Years of Service
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www.bobsmithmotors.com
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COME FOR BUSINESS STAY TO PLAY BILLINGS 1801 Majestic Lane Billings, MT 59102 406-839-9300 MISSOULA 5252 Airway Blvd. I-90 Exit 99 - Airway Blvd. 1 block 406-541-8000 All reservations toll free - 800-228-1000
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Come check out our Indoor Water Parks in Billings and Missoula!
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