November 2017 Newsletter
The next meeting of the Sonoma County SCI Support Group will be held on Monday, November 20, 2017 from 4 – 5:30 pm in the Clubhouse at the Azure Apartment complex in Petaluma (7 Indigo Drive). Newcomers are always welcome! Call 707-774-6466 for more info.
Hats off to the Disability Services and Legal Center for the yeoman work they did helping people with disabilities deal with the issues created over the past four weeks by the fires in Sonoma County. Lake Kowell and Inga Lizdenyte led the way in helping people navigate the system and get them the supports and supplies they needed as they recovered from losing their homes. However there are still people needing our help in recovering from the tragic fires. Contact lake@mydslc.org if you have equipment or supplies you’d like to donate.
The Adapted Physical Education (APE) program at Santa Rosa Junior College has a used Easy Stand 5000 standing frame in need of a good home. The standing frame is a supportive sit-to-stand piece of equipment designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of disabilities. Interested parties should contact Kathy Bell at the APE program at 707-527-4470 to follow up.
Want to try wheelchair basketball? The Santa Rosa Blazers are looking for new recruits! You don’t have to use a wheelchair to play, just a lower body disability. Their season starts this month, and the Blazers will host a regional tournament at the Tauzer gymnasium at Santa Rosa Junior College on December 2-3. For further details, contact Brent Knipe at 707-496-1836.
NorCal reports that Emeryville-based exoskeleton maker, suitX, is in need of additional “test pilots” who can try out the company's Phoenix suit. The Phoenix is a device that assists people with limited mobility in standing and walking. They are currently looking for individuals with spinal cord injury levels T4 - L5. This is a unique opportunity to test an exoskeleton and provide product feedback. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact them at: testpilots@suitx.com or apply through their web site: http://www.suitx.com/become-phoenix-test-pilot .
The Berkeley-based Center for Independent Living has produced videos of assistive technology equipment for people with SCI and others with mobility disabilities. In this episode, ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODooEyTHIm4 ) CIL traveled to San Francisco and conquered its notoriously steep hills with a pair of wheelchair power assist devices, that are used in conjunction with a manual wheelchair.
New SCI webpage – The Sonoma County SCI Support Group has a new webpage, developed in conjunction with NorCal SCI – check it out at www.norcalsci/sonoma-county . We can also be found on Facebook as the “Sonoma County SCI Support Group”.
More local disability resources:
Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) – a vocational program offered by the State of California that provides services designed to assist people with disabilities to live independently, become employed, and experience equality in the communities in which they live and work - DOR provides consultation, counseling and vocational rehabilitation services – local office is at 50 "D" Street , Suite 425 - Santa Rosa - (707) 576-2233 - http://www.dor.ca.gov/DOR-Locations/code/county.asp?county=Sonoma
IHSS – In Home Supportive Services is a Sonoma County Human Services Department program designed to help people of any age who live with a disability to remain living safely and independently in their own home - clients of the program select their own caregiver, and the program pays their wages – services are limited to tasks the individual is unable to do on his/her own - the office is open Monday - Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm and is located at 3725 Westwind Boulevard - Santa Rosa - Phone: (707) 565-5900 - http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Human-Services/Adult-and-Aging/In-Home-Supportive-Services/
Mission of the Sonoma County SCI Support Group
To assist those newly injured with spinal cord injury or disease as well as those who continue to be affected by long-standing disabilities. We meet the third Monday of the month at the Azure Apartments Clubhouse, 7 Indigo Drive - Petaluma from 4:00 to 5:30 pm.
We are here to support each other in every way possible by providing useful, up-to-date information about services and products as well as an atmosphere that allows for discussion of personal challenges and solutions to everyday problems.
Contact person: Stan Kosloski – 707-774-6466 or stankosloski@gmail.com