January 2018 Newsletter
Happy New Year from the Sonoma-Marin SCI Support Group!
The next meeting of the Sonoma-Marin SCI Support Group will be held on Monday, January 15, 2018 from 4 – 5:30 pm in the Clubhouse at the Azure Apartment complex in Petaluma (5 Indigo Drive). Newcomers are always welcome! Brittany DeJean from AbleThrive will be present on January 15 to share her new-concept program which is a one stop “platform” for people with disabilities and their families to access customized resources from around the world. Call Stan at 707-774-6466 for more info.
The Accessible Mobility Center in Santa Rosa is now the Ability Center. It has not changed function or location (3285 Santa Rosa Avenue in Santa Rosa) and has the same phone number (707-575-6997) as before. For more information go to www.abilitycenter.com.
The Disability Services and Legal Center (DSLC) has set a New date for their Tech Expo that was postponed in October due to the fires in Sonoma County. The new date for the Expo is Friday, May 11, 2018 from 10 am – 3 pm. Everything remains the same, only the date changes. If you would like more information contact Inga Lizdenyte (inga@mydslc.org) or Lake Kowell (lake@mydslc.org).
Also, DSLC is organizing an “all disability support group” to facilitate group discussion and peer mentorship among people residing in Sonoma County. The group will meet every 4th Wednesday of the month from 5 to 6 pm at DSLC (521 Mendocino Ave. Santa Rosa). Contact Lake at 707-636-3063 for more information. The first meeting is set for Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
Lastly, DSLC is arranging for individuals to “take a ride” on the new SMART train on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, starting at 9 am in Santa Rosa and returning at 3 pm. You must have a prepaid ticket and should RSVP with Lake.
The Berkeley-based Center for Independent Living (CIL) has produced a third video of assistive technology equipment for people with SCI and other mobility disabilities. In this episode, they log some miles along Alameda’s scenic walkways with the Spinergy ZX-1 and the Alber Twion Wheels, power assist attachments that can be used on most manual chairs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmiHeLpyX4o&list=PLSwAHY5NmgGJcTTMSxy0Z1adzZOReelqP&index=3
Is SCI-FIT coming to Santa Rosa? SCI-FIT (Spinal Cord Injury Functional Integrated Therapy) is a business dedicated to providing innovative training for those interested in achieving higher degrees of mobility, balance, fitness and long term health. It was founded and is operated by Dan Dumas who has a spinal cord injury and is now walking with canes. Clients include those with spinal cord injuries, MS, strokes and other debilitating injuries and diseases. When in the facility individuals are out of their wheelchair for the entire session. They do gait training on state of the art equipment, core work, exercise on equipment that stretches muscles and provides opportunities for enhanced mind-body connections, and a variety of strengthening and stamina testing exercises. For more info go to http://sci-fit.org or make the trip to facilities they operate in Pleasanton and Sacramento. Rumor has it that Dan wants to open a third facility in Santa Rosa. If you are intrigued, email Dan at dumas@sci-fit.org and let him know how SCI-FIT might play an important role in the health and recovery of your disability and those of other individuals in our area.
If you are concerned about decisions being made in Washington, DC re: support services and rights protection affecting individuals with disabilities, you can get the latest information – none of it good by the way - on:
* the withdrawal of useful ADA Technical Assistance/Guidance documents (Bad news): www.ada.gov/withdrawn_olmstead.html
* weakened ADA rights protections (Awful) - https://dredf.org/2017/10/04/ada-under-attack-tell-house-representatives-oppose-h-r-620/
* Tax cuts (Ugh) - https://dredf.org/2017/10/04/ada-under-attack-tell-house-representatives-oppose-h-r-620/
*Net Neutrality (Very bad): https://dredf.org/2017/12/14/fcc-just-voted-take-away-net-neutrality-good-news-congress-can-still-stop/
Note that our name has changed! We have a number of members who reside in Marin County and we thought it appropriate that our name recognize that fact.