March 2018 Newsletter
The next meeting of the Sonoma-Marin SCI Support Group will be held on Monday,
March 19, 2018 from 4 – 5:30 pm in the Clubhouse at the Azure Apartment complex in
Petaluma (5 Indigo Drive). Newcomers are always welcome. Call Stan at 707-774- 6466 for more
info. Topic for March: a discussion with Don Dumas from SCI-FIT (Functional Integrated
Therapy) about the innovative program he has created in facilities located in Pleasanton and
Sacramento. SCI-FIT specializes in nontraditional spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
Local Resources That May Be of Assistance
Looking for a job, vocational training, help with college expenses? Check out the Department
of Rehabilitation (DOR) – a vocational program offered by the State that provides services 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 – the 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
The Center for Independent Living in Berkeley will be hosting a free wheelchair tennis clinic
on Saturday, March 10th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for individuals of all abilities. There will be an
open shoot-around for those who have played before and guided coaching for those who wish to
learn how to play. Power chair users are encouraged to participate. Lunch, equipment and
coaches will be provided to each participant. The Clinic will be held at the College of Alameda
Tennis Courts located at 2350 5th St., Alameda. Phone: 510-849- 4663 – E-mail: info@borp.org -
Web: www.borp.org
NorCal SCI in the East Bay has a variety of disability-related equipment that is available
free of charge (power chairs, manual chairs, walkers, etc.). Contact info@norcalsci.org if
you or a loved one would benefit from any of the equipment listed -
https://norcalsci.org/equipment-list .
Other News
NBC will provide 96 hours of Paralympic programming starting March 9, 2018, presenting
unprecedented coverage of the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. The coverage
nearly doubles coverage of Sochi Paralympics in 2014. In all, NBC Olympics will present more
than 250 hours of coverage across a variety of platforms beginning with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, March 9. http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2018/01/29/nbc-olympics- to-present- 94-hours-of- paralympic-television- coverage-in- march-nearly- doubling-sochi/ .
The Winter Olympic advertising space has already featured a bevy of folks with physical
disabilities. A great example is the Toyota ad that proclaims, “When we’re free to move,
anything is possible”. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sefscV3GvWM
While the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation gutting the ADA,
legislation still needs to pass in the Senate. The fight to retain our rights is not over. California’s
two Senators (Feinstein and Harris) need to hear from us!!
https://dredf.org/2018/02/20/dredf-condemns- house-vote- gut-ada- rights/
Mission of the Sonoma-Marin 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, 5 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