In This Issue:
- We Want To Hear From You!
- Enter to Win a Trip to The Arc National Convention!
- Disability Pride: Celebrate With A Good Book
- We’re So Glad We Had This Time Together
- New Yelp Accessibility Features
- Supported Decision-Making Summit – It’s A Wrap
- Reminder - Coffee House Tomorrow
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The Arc Needs Your Opinion
We want to know if you’d like peer support at The Arc. If you are a person with a disability or a family member, please tell us what you think.
A peer is someone like you.
Peer support is when someone who has done well, helps others do well too. It’s when people use their own experiences to support others. This would be extra help, and would not replace the advocacy you know at The Arc.
What do you think about this idea?
To learn what you think we are having conversations called Focus Groups. If you decide to come to a focus group at The Arc’s office, we will provide a light dinner.
You can also attend a Focus Group online. We also have a survey you can fill out.
Focus Group Options:
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Wednesday August 7th at 5:30 pm (in person) during the regular People First meeting – ALL Self Advocates are welcome!
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Monday August 12th at 3:00 pm (virtual) for Self Advocates
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Thursday August 8th at 5:30 pm (in person) for Family Members*
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Monday August 12th at 5:30 pm (virtual) for Family Members
Each focus group is 90 minutes. The Zoom link for virtual meetings will be sent to you after you register.
To register for a focus group or fill out a survey if you cannot attend any of the in-person or virtual meetings, click here.
*On-site care will be available for family members with and without disabilities at the in-person focus group on August 8th. Simply indicate that you need this support in order to fully participate.
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Win a Trip to The Arc's National Convention
If you are a teen or adult with IDD, take less than two minutes to enter our drawing to win a free trip to The Arc’s National Convention in Columbus, Ohio November 1 - 3. You’ll hear great speakers, make friends from around the country, and have a fabulous time!
Entries are due by midnight Thursday, August 1. Click here and fill out the entry form for your chance to win!
Two winners will be selected by random drawing. Each teen or adult winner will also win the same package for one support person of their choice!
The Arc-JCCGC will cover the winners’ expenses including airfare, hotel (October 31 – November 3 only), registration fees, including the Self-Advocacy Council’s Symposium, and Local Host Event. More details are available on the entry form.
Hope to see you in Columbus!
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Disability Pride: Celebrate With A Good Book
What could be better than combining Disability Pride Month with a great summertime resource – your local library? Many library resources are available online, but if you visit in person, you can enjoy free air conditioning on a hot summer day! Aside from the free air conditioning, The Jeffco Library also has terrific accessibility options to make your visit even more enjoyable and easier to navigate.
All locations are ADA-compliant in design and architecture, including parking, public computer desks, and walkways. Additionally, their assistive technology and digitization workstations include software designed for those who are blind/visually impaired, have difficulty typing, have dyslexia or other reading difficulties, and who are deaf or hard of hearing. In addition, you can request a trackball mouse to use at their full-service locations. Click here for more accessibility information.
Once you are at the library or browsing online from home using the Jeffco Library website (click here) or app (search for MyJCPL), how will you decide what to read? The Denver Public Library published a terrific list of adult reading recommendations for Disability Pride Month. Click here to browse their disability pride-related book listings. If you find something you like, search for it on your local library’s website or get a library card for the Denver Public Library – any Colorado resident can get one for free, click here.
Finally, if you weren’t aware, many books are available as audio book downloads, allowing you to listen to them from home. Downloadable e-books let you read them on your own device, such as a Kindle or iPad. As a bonus, the e-book option allows you to change the font size for easier readability.
Now, it is time to sit back and enjoy a good book. Happy reading!
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We’re So Glad We Had This Time Together
A huge thank you to everyone who came to our 2024 picnic. It was a sizzling good time. The bright and smiling faces enjoying time together is what our annual picnic is all about. We look forward to doing it again next year!
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New Yelp
Accessibility Features
Announced just before the start of Disability Pride Month, Yelp has added new accessibility features to help the more than 42 million Americans with disabilities connect with local businesses. The Arc was one of the organizations that assisted Yelp with expanding its accessibility searchability.
Users of Yelp, one of the most popular business directories in the world, can now search for businesses in their area using several new mobility, hearing, and vision accessibility attributes. Yelp boasts that its wheelchair-accessible attribute is one of the most popular attributes used on its site.
You can now search for parking near the entrance, ADA-compliant restrooms, closed captioning on TVs, and QR code menus. To search using your desired attributes, simply include the phrases in your search – for example, “wheelchair accessible restaurants in Lakewood, CO” – and then look at the attributes listed under the Amenities menu.
If you would like more information on Yelp’s accessibility features, including examples of how to use them, click here.
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Supported Decision-Making Summit –
It’s A Wrap!
The Arc – JCCGC was honored to participate in the Arc of Colorado’s Supported Decision-Making Summit last weekend. Many of our staff members attended. In fact, our own Brent Belisle, Consulting Advocate, was a speaker. Brent was born with cerebral palsy.
His speech, The Good Life, talked about his journey with Supported Decision-Making (SDM), the importance of his parent’s support, and the continuing partnership with his wife.
“It is important for me to make my own decisions because it shows my independence and my abilities,” said Belisle. “I wouldn’t like it at all if people didn’t talk to me before making any decisions about me.”
This Summit was designed to help youths with disabilities who are transitioning into adulthood (and their families) learn more about SDM as an option instead of guardianship. Now that the Summit is over, if you would like to learn more about how SDM can help retain your or your child’s decision-making abilities, here are a couple of resources:
Click here to access a slide show on SDM from The Arc
Click here for information from National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making
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Reminder - Coffee House Tomorrow
Stop by our monthly Coffee House social gathering tomorrow, Thursday, July 18. It’s been pretty hot out there, so you may want to make it an iced coffee this week!
Coffee House is a place where everyone is welcome and people know your name. You can make new friends, mingle with people of all abilities, and promote inclusion in our community.
Thursday, July 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Panera Bread
650 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
No RSVP needed
We hope to see all of your bright and smiling faces!
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