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The RCAL Independent 1 Independent THE RCAL winter 2019 YOUR INDEPENDENCE IS OUR MISSION C ommunity Habilitation (Com Hab) is a program designed for children and adults with developmental disabilities who are liv- ing outside of an Intermediate Care Facility—either with their family or independently. The program’s primary goals are to build skills and confidence, to increase independence at home and to provide opportunities and support for participating in the community. The individuals whom RCAL serves in the Com Hab program de- velop their own goals in collaboration with a team that includes their family, their Care Coordinator, and other service providers and ther- apists they are working with. Goals are written as part of a Life Plan and shared in a document entitled Staff Action Plan which provides the Direct Service Provider and the individual with an outline designed to increase skills and independence. Direct Service Providers (DSP)s provide the actual one-on-one community habilitation with the people we serve. Our DSPs are carefully chosen, and go through an extensive series of background checks and trainings before they begin working with someone. The process of becoming a DSP can take anywhere from a few weeks to more than a month. It includes many health and safety trainings, comprehensive instruction in the philosophy and practices of Independent Living, and training to become a Mandated Re- porter. By the time the DSP meets the individual(s) with whom they will work, he or she has developed a deep understanding of not only what kinds of activities and relationships will be most beneficial, but the relevance—the how and why—with- in the independent living philosophy. They are trained in care- fully documenting their work so that an individual’s team is kept fully aware of both progress and challenges. Activities commonly focus on daily living skills such as personal care, meal preparation, and household chores; communication skills; socialization skills; community safety awareness; travel training; money management; community Community Habilitation at RCALTWO YEARS PLUS AND GROWING! Community Habilitation at RCAL—2 Years + & Growing! Benefits News/Tips How to get your (SSA-1099) Social Security Benefit Statement Advocacy announcements After the Election: A Disability Rights Advocacy Update Meet the Staff Straightening Up: A teen’s medical journey to adulthood Inside this issue Brenda DeBaun, ComHab & Waiver Respite Supervisor, with Jan Melchior (continued on page 3) Community Habilitation can take many forms—all determined by the goals of the individual receiving it.

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Page 1: Independent - RCAL · pose and prepare to transition from the classroom to the workforce. Working with RCAL enables her to continue enriching the lives of individuals, families and

The RCAL Independent 1

IndependentTHERCALwinter 2019 Y O U R I N D E P E N D E N C E I S O U R M I S S I O N

Community Habilitation (Com Hab) is a program designed for children and adults with developmental disabilities who are liv-ing outside of an Intermediate Care Facility—either with their family or independently. The program’s primary goals are to

build skills and confidence, to increase independence at home and to provide opportunities and support for participating in the community.

The individuals whom RCAL serves in the Com Hab program de-velop their own goals in collaboration with a team that includes their family, their Care Coordinator, and other service providers and ther-apists they are working with. Goals are written as part of a Life Plan and shared in a document entitled Staff Action Plan which provides the Direct Service Provider and the individual with an outline designed to increase skills and independence.

Direct Service Providers (DSP)s provide the actual one-on-one community habilitation with the people we serve. Our DSPs are carefully chosen, and go through an extensive series of background checks and trainings before they begin working with someone. The process of becoming a DSP can take anywhere from a few weeks to more than a month. It includes many health and safety trainings,

comprehensive instruction in the philosophy and practices of Independent Living, and training to become a Mandated Re-porter. By the time the DSP meets the individual(s) with whom they will work, he or she has developed a deep understanding of not only what kinds of activities and relationships will be most beneficial, but the relevance—the how and why—with-in the independent living philosophy. They are trained in care-fully documenting their work so that an individual’s team is kept fully aware of both progress and challenges.

Activities commonly focus on daily living skills such as personal care, meal preparation, and household chores; communication skills; socialization skills; community safety awareness; travel training; money management; community

Community Habilitation at RCAL—TWO YEARSPLUS ANDGROWING!

Community Habilitation at RCAL—2 Years + & Growing!Benefits News/Tips How to get your (SSA-1099) Social Security Benefit StatementAdvocacy announcements After the Election: A Disability Rights Advocacy UpdateMeet the StaffStraightening Up: A teen’s medical journey to adulthood

Insidethis

issue

Brenda DeBaun, ComHab & Waiver Respite Supervisor, with Jan Melchior

(continued on page 3)

Community Habilitation can take many forms—all determined by the goals of the individual receiving it.

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The RCAL Independent 2

How do I get the Social Security Benefit Statement?(SSA-1099)

TAX SEASON is approaching, and Social Securi-ty has made replacing the annual Benefit State-ment, also known as the SSA-1099 or the SSA-1042S, even easier.

A Social Security 1099 is a tax form Social Security mails each year, in January, to people who receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits received from Social Security in the previous year.

For those that live in the United States and need a replacement form SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S, they can go online and request an instant, print-able replacement form through their personal my Social Security account at socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

A replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S is avail-able for the previous tax year after February 1.

For those that already have signed up for a my Social Security account, log in to view and print the SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S. No printer? Just save it to the computer or email it. For those receiving benefits and/or have Medicare, their my Social Security account is also the best way to:

• Get a benefit verification letter• Check benefit and payment information• Change an address and phone number• Change direct deposit information• Request a replacement Medicare card• Report wages if working and receiving SSDI or SSI benefits

Noncitizens that live outside of the United States and received or repaid Social Security benefits in 2018 will receive an SSA-1042S in the mail.

The forms SSA-1099 and SSA-1042S are not available for people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Instead of wondering when the next check is going to arrive, why not print the payment schedule for the year? ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10031-2019.pdf

NEWS | BENEFITS | TIPS

inclusion and relationship building; and expanding the individual’s knowledge and use of community resources.

These activities can take many different forms —from hiking or going to the gym, to visits to the library, learning how to use an ATM, looking up and testing out recipes, going to the laundromat, prac-ticing taking public transportation, meeting with friends at the mall, attending an art show, a musical performance, a film, the possibilities are endless and depend upon what the individual chooses. The

job of the DSP is to follow the plan, adhere to guide-lines—especially in the area of safeguards—and to offer support. A DSP models appropriate behavior; they teach, guide, observe, praise, and assist— addressing at least one goal during each contact, but not performing tasks for the individual, rather, supporting their actions.

We find, as a DSP works with an individual over time, as trust and understanding develops, posi-tive results grow exponentially. If something is not

(continued from page 1)

(continued on page 3)

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meet the staff

RC A L

New Care Manager, LORENE ROSARIO, is married with two young adult children and two dogs. She loves music and going out to eat, movies and Broadway shows. Prior to RCAL she worked at Anderson Center for Autism as a shift supervisor at an Individualized Residential Alternative. She is cur-rently studying for her Master of Social Work and doing her first internship. Her expected graduation date is August of next year.

PATRINA TORRES joined RCAL as a Transition Assistance Project Specialist in November.

Prior to RCAL, she was employed as a career development and job placement specialist for the Hudson County Schools of Technology Adult Edu-cation and Vocational Training programs, working between two campuses. She successfully helped post-secondary adult students discover their pur-pose and prepare to transition from the classroom to the workforce. Working with RCAL enables her to continue enriching the lives of individuals, families and communities.

She is a graduate of Saint Peter’s College in New Jersey where she received her undergraduate degree in Public Policy and the 2000 Public Policy Medal for her demonstrated passion for public policy. In 1999 she was awarded the Academic Excellence Achieve-

ment Award and the 21st Century Emerging Leader-ship Award. Patrina has also studied at the New York Theological Seminary, Sarasota Academy of Chris-tian Counselors and the Global School of Ministry.

She has worked in the fields of journalism, non-profit leadership and education serving at-risk youth, juvenile delinquents and youth diagnosed with mental health or developmental disabilities in traditional, Christian, private, charter and alternative school environments.

Patrina is a survivor and child advocate dedicat-ed to child safety and helping individuals focus on recovery. As an ordained minister she has served as a women’s ministry leader, associate pastor, au-thor, TV/radio show host, conference speaker and certified counselor. Along with her husband, she en-joys partnering with missionaries, church planters, clergy and church leaders in the US and third-world countries. As a licensed insurance representative she is passionate about helping families protect their future.

Her interests include blogging about life, careers, parenting, relationships, and personal development. She loves photography, singing and music. She also enjoys traveling, good food and spending quality time with her husband, children, grand-children and family.

THEA SMALLEY is a relatively new Care Manager at RCAL, though she says she feels like she’s been here much longer than a few months. She is thankful to the people at RCAL for being genuine in their gen-erosity and kindness. Thea has worked with people with developmental disabilities for many years in many different settings and capacities, at camps, in residential settings, day programs, sheltered workshops and supportive employment before she accepted a job as a Service Coordinator in Califor-nia. She moved back to NY in 2015 where she was fortunate to work as an MSC. She is pleased to be working as a Care Manager for RCAL.

working, individuals and their families can inter-view, choose, and change DSP staff at any time.

RCAL has been working under the auspices of OPWDD (Office for People With Developmental Disabilities) to offer Community Habilitation ser-

vices for over 2 years now. We provide services to over 40 individuals with many success stories!

To learn about becoming a DSP contact Brenda DeBaun, Community Habilitation Supervisor at (845) 331-0541 or [email protected].

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MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 9AM – 3PMIf you cannot make it during these times, please call 331-0541 x 27 and other arrangements can be made.

LOAN CLOSET HOURS

PLEASE NOTE: THE LOAN CLOSET IS NOT AN EMERGENCY SERVICE

30|30

A LITTLE HISTORY: 30 years ago RCAL began offering medical equipment on loan to individuals who were unable to afford to buy their own or whose insurance did not cover the cost! We called it our loan closet. AN APPEAL: Now RCAL is asking for $30 from each and every person who has been personally helped by the loan closet, whose friend or family member has been helped, who thinks they may someday need the loan closet, or just thinks it’s a great resource for the community!

HELP US KEEP THIS RESOURCE GOING AND GROWING

SEND A TAX-DEDUCTABLE GIFT OF $3, $30, $300, $3,000, $30,000... To make your donation to the Loan Closet 30/30 please visit our website at www.rcal.org, click donate and make your gift online. Or send a check made out to RCAL to 727 Ulster Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401.

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The RCAL Independent 5The RCAL Independent 5

ADVOCACYAT RCAL

AFTER THE ELECTIONS:

A DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCACY UPDATE

THE ELECTIONS OF 2018 brought several changes to the field of advocacy. Our Congres-sional District in Ulster County is now repre-sented by Antonio Delgado. Nationally, the US House of Representatives is controlled by Dem-ocrats while the Senate remains controlled by Republicans. The biggest question for disabil-ity advocates following Congress is still what will happen with our healthcare system. With a split in the national government nobody knows for certain what will happen next.

In New York, Democrats still control the State Assembly and they now also control the State Senate. Southwestern parts of Ulster County in the 42nd State Senate District, in-cluding New Paltz, Gardiner, and Walkill, are now represented by State Senator Metzger, formerly represented by Senator Bonacic. The 39th State Senate District, including Marlboro and Plattekill, is now represented by Senator Skoufis, formerly represent-ed by Senator Larkin. Senator Amedore continues to represent the 46th State Senate District which includes a large portion of Ulster County, including Kingston, Saugerties, Wood-stock, and Lloyd. This larger turn of events in the State Sen-ate switching control will mean that single party rule may be an opportunity to advance disabil-ity rights issues. This past year the governor vetoed the small business tax credit for disabili-ty employment. Changes in the system could mean opportuni-ties for us to advance disability rights in New York.

A big challenge for people with disabil-ities can be finding home care assistance. We have heard stories of workforce short-ages and it is becoming harder all the time for people to live independently without the right supports. Since last year we are continuing to work with partners in ad-dressing these issues. This includes groups representing people with disabilities and representatives of those trying to survive as homecare workers. Wages have not kept up with costs of living and it has become increasingly difficult for many people to do this very important work in our communi-ty. We have already met with State Sena-tors Metzger and Skoufis to raise the issue of the challenges in home care services and in finding willing and able workers for this

continued on page 6

Alex Thompson, Systems Advocate

The big hall of legislation, Albany, NY

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The RCAL Independent 6The RCAL Independent 6

field. We are continuing to work on this issuebecause of the barrier it raises to allow-ing people to live independently in the community.

Another big component of disability rights advocacy these past few years re-mains the Governor’s budget. Unfortu-nately, this year’s budget contains many past items we have issues with and new se-rious concerns. The budget will once again seek to remove the spousal refusal poli-cy which allows a married couple to have their resources and assets reviewed sep-arately for the purposes of qualifying for Medicaid. This means that one spouse can receiving Medicaid and care in a nursing home while not forcing the other spouse to live in pover-ty. The program also limits the spouse living in the com-munity to one exempt house and car just like Medicaid for anyone else while also re-stricting income and assets, just at a higher level than would be done otherwise in the program. There are also ways the county can seek re-payment of Medicaid money spent if it believes that is the right course of action. This spousal refusal law is an important tool to help lower income people stay out of forced poverty and avoid divorce. For higher in-come individuals trusts and other means are available to shield assets and qualify for Medicaid.

The budget has also failed to include any increase to funding independent liv-ing. The funding would come from the state education budget, and despite sup-port of the Board of Regents that creates the department’s budget, it was again not included by the Governor. Independent Living Centers across the state have seen severe cuts in funding by the continued level funding policy.

A third big issue will be the Governor’s proposal to redesign and limit Fiscal In-termediaries that provide Consumer Di-rected Personal Assistance (CDPA). The program known as the Consumer Direct-ed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) uses Fiscal Intermediaries to let individ-uals hire, recruit, fire, train, supervise, and manage their own assistants instead of receiving Medicaid personal assistance services through an agency which manag-es everything. The Fiscal Intermediaries provide limited support services, but very important support. They are located all over the state and some specialize in serv-ing certain populations to deliver cultur-

(continued from page 5)

On NYAIL Budget Advocacy Day we will ask the state to increase funding for accessible housing, establish the small business tax credit to hire people with disabilities, and address the homecare crisis through wages and rate setting in managed care plans.

ally competent services. The Governor’s budget seeks to eliminate most of these providers and limit choices.

The biggest issue to come out of this all is that the Governor’s proposed redesign of the CDPA program requires approval from the federal government and would result in the program ending if not ap-proved. This program embodies the spirit of independent living by empowering indi-viduals to self direct services, but it may end if we don’t fight to stop it.

On NYAIL Budget Advocacy Day we will ask the state to increase funding for acces-sible housing, establish the small business tax credit to hire people with disabilities,

(continued on page 7)

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The RCAL Independent 7The RCAL Independent 7

RCAL Celebrates the Disability Integration Act Reintroduction

WATCH A RECORDED VERSION OF THE DIA INTRODUCTION: https://youtu.be/BGCytJ7ILkk

On the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., RCAL hosted a livestream broadcast for the reintroduction of the Disability Integration Act (DIA) to Congress. The live event in Wash-ington, DC was attended by Senator Schumer of New York and other supporters of the landmark disability rights bill. Many speakers noted the importance of advancing disability rights and quoted Dr. King. The DIA would ensure that people have a right to choose to live in the community. The Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision helped move this process for-ward by stating that people with disabilities should receive services in the most integrated settings, but Supreme Court decisions are not law.

In 1896, the Supreme Court decided on the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case where the policy of “separate but equal” originated. That upholding of segregation was after the Civil War and would not be overturned by the court until the 1950’s. In our case, we would hope the Supreme Court does not overturn the rights of people to live in the community as decided in Olmstead, but we are living with uncertainty. We need Congress to pass laws that protect the rights of people to live in the community and receive services in integrated settings.

People would still have a choice if they wanted to live in an institutional setting like a nursing home. We know that living in the community leads to many positive outcomes with proper supports and services. It saves money for the healthcare system and there is usually less abuse from neglect by understaffing as is typically seen in institutions.

This bipartisan Disability Integration Act was supported by former Congressman Faso and we appreciate Congressman Delgado’s decision to support the bill.

and address the homecare crisis through wages and rate-setting in managed care.

Accessible housing is currently under-funded and the Access to Home program is only available in certain counties with waitlists. The small business tax credit would allow local businesses to obtain an incentive for hiring people with disabilities without having to go through a complicated system used primarily by large businesses.

The homecare crisis can be helped by increasing wages to reflect the difficulty of the work and allow the industry to compete

with other jobs. A part of the formula to fix this issues involves the rate at which Man-aged Long Term Care plans are paid per individual with complex needs.

On February 11th RCAL will be taking part in the New York Association on In-dependent Living’s (NYAIL) Budget Advo-cacy Day to stop these harmful proposals and advocate for funding our priorities. The State Senate and Assembly will each create their own budgets later this year. Then deals will be made to create a single state budget due on April 1st.

VIEW NYAIL’S 2019 BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARDS: https://ilny.us/latest-news/16-newsroom/press-releases/299-

disability-rights-community-releases-budget-and-legislative- report-cards-in-advance-of- state-budget-and-legislative-session

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DO YOU HAVE A CLEAN DRIVER’S LICENSE,COMPASSION, AND A GOOD HEART

WE HAVEREWARDINGANDFLEXIBLEPART-TIMEJOBS

AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIESRESPITE PROVIDER Respite is a service that provides relief to family members who are responsible for the primary care and support of an individual with a developmental disability.

COMMUNITY HABILITATION Support Staff Community habilitation is a service which provides ex-perience and skill-development to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who live at home, in order that they may live more independently.

RCAL operates in accordance with the conviction that people with disabilities can and should make their own choices and decisions, and take control of all aspects of daily living, including education, employment, housing, health care, recreation, and more.

Contact BRENDA DeBAUN, Community Habilitation& Waiver Respite Supervisor at(845) 331-0541 or [email protected]

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WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S PROGRESS AT SCHOOL?

Come to a Special Education Rights Workshop at RCAL

MARCH 13, 2019 | 9:30-11:30 am

What are your parental rights with regards to your child’s education?

What are your school district’s responsibilities and mandates?

What if you disagree with district’s recommendation for your child?

Do you know how to access and utilize NYSED regulations?

A child’s greatest advocate is his/her parent. Helping parents and professionals, under-

stand the student’s rights is the goal of this workshop. RCAL strongly encourages all parents to take this workshop whether

for the first time or as a review.

Pre-registration required$5 fee for workshop materials

Call or email Special Education Advocate Gloria Toporowski at 845-331-0541 x14

or [email protected] for more information and to pre-register.

Straightening UpA TEEN’S MEDICAL JOURNEY TO ADULTHOOD

Fredrick Flamenhaft

back brace designed and hand-delivered by Satan himself that was meant to keep the curvature of my spine from progressing by applying pressure on either side (right hip, left ribs, right underarm.).

I was bluntly informed by an apathetic but well-known specialist that there was no guarantee the bracing would work. Left untreated, my scoliosis could cause severe organ damage in the future, or it could just stop progressing and leave me fine. I was told to wear it for 23 hours a day, taking the brace off for an hour at school, in the locker room, for physical education.

I refused to wear it. That worried the doctors and my parents. My mother, who only ever wanted to help, decided that if I wouldn’t wear the brace we had to look at other treatment options. The program that made an unorthodox scoliosis chiropractor in Connecticut famous consisted of a rota-tion of medieval-looking torture contrap-tions which pushed, pulled and shook the patient. I was signed up for that treatment.

Its most notable contraption was a chair which vibrated while pulling the head up. The worst of the rotation involved a table on which the patient lays; a strap placed on the patient’s head leads to a rope, which the doctor then yanks with full force. If there is no cracking sound, the procedure is repeat-ed. The doctor would personally crack other multiple places on the body.

The barbaric bracing method was first used in the 1500s. The earliest form of mod-ern bracing was created in the late 1800s, and changes have been made since.

That program was seven to ten days long. In the last few days I became very ill and returned home to recover. It just didn’t feel right to me to go back to school.

My health is one of the many things I refuse to talk about. It’s time to break my silence.

I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 13. I

was referred to a specialist. I received the standard treatment — a rock-hard plastic

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The RCAL Independent 9The RCAL Independent 9

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The symptoms got worse. I sometimes found myself too dizzy and lightheaded to walk, unable to eat because of the severe pain that left me crying whenI did, and unable to think clearly. I suffered muscle-pain and fatigue, along with other random symptoms such as inflamed lymph nodes, chest pains and inconsistent eye dilation.

The increasing number of doctors I saw either had no clue what was happening to my health or decided I had mono, even though every test for it came back nega-tive. As time passed and I remained ill, I more and more lost hope.

Testing procedures included upper en-doscopies and muscle-shocking with elec-trically charged metal pins stabbed into me to test my reactions. We found a team of doctors who put sticker-sensors all over my body. They talked about local dining choic-es, dating and more while I was strapped to a board. Then they flipped it flat, the straight up at a 90-degree angle and, final-ly, upside down at a 90-degree angle.

Light-headed, I was seconds away from losing consciousness when they flipped me back to a “normal” position to get the blood flowing correctly again.

“Yep. He’s got POTS” a doctor said. POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) was, I found out, a rare disor-der that affects the central nervous sys-tem, causing miscellaneous malfunctions (dysautonomia). I experienced low blood pressure when I arose quickly from a prone position. Chronic fatigue syndrome is com-mon in POTS patients. POTS occurs mostly in women. It cause is not clear, but it seems to be common after an illness or injury.

Since I thought I was going to just waste away, the diagnosis came as a relief. The six months I had waited for the correct di-agnosis had felt like years. Many sufferers wait years for their diagnosis.

Medications helped only so much, so over the next few months I started using some self-treatment protocols. These in-cluded exercise and diet changes involv-

ing salt and water increases, and bans on gluten and dairy to reduce stomach pain. Despite missing food, I began to feel much better. I felt confident that I was on the road to recovery. When school began again, all was well.

Then it wasn’t. Throughout my high school years I

learned that while summers were great winters were always rough. I believe that’s partly because of the stress of school, along with a something akin to PTSD.

Still, I got a little bit better each year un-til the afterprom- party I attended where everyone got sick. For most people, such things are short-term. For me it meant get-ting connected to an IV for six hours.

My spine was still far from fine. It be-came clear that surgery remained my only option for the condition that got me into all this mess in the first place. The opera-tion was scheduled for mid-August. I had a really great summer, including romance. Things were finally going well.

Spinal fusion was scheduled for the Chil-dren’s Hospital of Philadelphia, rated the second best children’s hospital in Ameri-ca. A spinal fusion involves metal rods and pins on either side of the spine as well as fusion once the spine is straight. The sur-gery took place in the early morning. They had me walking (with help) that afternoon.

It was a good experience, helped by a great staff of nurses, including “Big Ben,” a large man who reminded me of someone I knew, a and woman at whom I screamed the words, “You’re a monster!” under cir-cumstances I don’t clearly remember right after the surgery.

The ride home from Philadelphia is missing from my memory almost entire-ly, except for my request that I try driving (my parents thankfully didn’t let me). The next months involved gradual recovery, plus the pains involved in recovering from painkillers. Still, I felt optimistic. I was starting to feel better. My organs weren’t being crushed any more.

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My girlfriend Sydney tolerated my mumblings in recovery. I told her once that the walls liked her hair. I then not-ed how “I weigh an inch, an inch and a half more.” I vaguely remember crying semi-hysterically.

After months, I decided I was done with OxyContin and Valium. The next five in-creasingly awful days felt like five weeks.

Then I woke up feeling like a different person. The sun was shining in my window.

Sydney drove to be with me. I was used to counting the minutes from when she said she was leaving. I figured it would take her 17 minutes, which I rounded up to 20 to avoid disappointment. She made it in 15.

I was standing on the front porch. She got out of her car and immediately yelled, “Look at you! You’re standing!”

I took pictures of her at the reservoir that weekend. The fall had been cold, but

it was suddenly warm. Sydney kept com-ing to visit as often as she could, and once I was comfortable driving I visited her, too.

Due to the surgery, I obviously couldn’t go back to my old jobs mopping floors and stocking shelves, so through Access VR (Vocational Rehabilitation), a government-funded service for individuals with disabil-ities, I was sent to the county’s Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL), where they helped me find work writing!

I spent too much time feeling sorry for myself. My suffering was partially my own fault, I feel. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe the full extent of the vileness of my high school years. I went through a lot, and I’m thankful to have turned a corner. I’ve come to realize that when things go sideways, giving in and falling down may seem like the only option. I learned that opening up is another.

RCAL is recruiting interested individuals with backgrounds in finance, fund development nonprofit management and/or program development to serve on its Board of Directors.

For more information, please contact: ANTHONY MIGNONE, Interim CEO

845.331.0541 [email protected]

HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

JOIN OUR BOARDOF

DIRECTORS

R

This article was originally published in Healthy Hudson Valley Magazine and is reprinted here with their permission with minor edits.

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SAVE THE DATETUESDAY, MARCH 12TH

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Claudette Ford, ChairPaula Kindos-Carberry, Vice ChairPaul Scarpati, SecretaryR. Marie AltenauKeith GurguiJoan GundersenCraig Lopez

R E S O U R C E C E N T E R

for A C C E S S I B L E L I V I N G

727 Ulster Avenue

KIngston, NY 12401

(p) 845.331.0541

(f) 845.331.2076

(tty) 845.331.2076

www.rcal.org

VISION STATEMENT

Our vision is to create a fully accessible, integrated community without barriers

for people with disabilities, to assist, empower individuals with disabilities to

live independently and participate in all aspects of community life.

MISSION STATEMENT

RCAL’s mission is to create accessibility and choice for persons with disabilities

in Ulster County and surrounding communities through advocacy, self-determination and services

promoting inclusion, empowerment and participation in all aspects of life.

We can’t wait to see you at the Hudson Valley Mall for fun and fundraising!

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DEBORAH ADAMS > Care Manager

CHRIS AL-NAZER > Transition Specialist

MARY AYERS > Peer Advocate

SUSAN BROWN > Care Manager

JAIME BUNT > Disability Awareness Instructor

TOM CAPLAN > Olmstead Housing Subsidy Specialist/Employment Specialist

CHRISTINE CASTELLANA > Employment Specialist

KATIE CLAYTON > NHTD Service Coordinator/ Health Homes Care Manager

SHERRY CRESCINI > Chief Fiscal Officer

JENIFER DAVIS > Care Manager

BRENDA DEBAUN > ComHab & Waiver Respite Supervisor

DEBBIE DENISE > Benefits Advisor

RACHEL FISCHETTI > Fiscal Assistant

KAROLINE FORD > Care Manager

COURTNEY FRANTZ > Care Manager/ ISS Coordinator

ZOE GOLD > Clerical/Office Assistant

JULIET GREENWOOD > NHTD Service Coordinator/Health Homes Care Manager

BRIDGET HAUG > Care Manager

TONI HEDGES > Social Worker

ZACHARY HILTY > Peer Advocate

KATHY HOCHMAN > Chief Operating Officer

NICOLE HUBBARD > Care Manager

QIWANNA HYLTON > Fiscal Assistant

LESLEY KELDER > NHTD Service Coordinator/Health Homes Care Manager

DIANN KEYSER > Supervisor of Service Coordination & Care Management

MARGE KNOX > Assistant Office Administrator / ACCES-VR Orientation meetings

GILLES MALKINE > Architectural Modification Consultant & Loan Closet Representative/ Accessibility Consultant

JENNIFER MEHLICH > Employment Specialist

JAN MELCHIOR > HR Onboarding Specialist & Marketing

ANTHONY MIGNONE > Chief Executive Officer

HILLARY NICHOLS > Supervisor of Employment Services / ACCES-VR Information

MIRIAM OREGLIO > Representative Payee Assistant

KIM PARRETT > Employment Specialist

CHRISTINE RANGES > Receptionist

MELISSA RAPPLEYEA > Care Manager

CAROL RAY-HUDSON > Office Administrator

CHRISTINA REA > Care Manager

RICHARD ROMAN > Peer Advocate

LORENE ROSARIO > Care Manager

MATTHEW RUSSO > Care Manager

THEA SMALLEY > Care Manager

PAUL STOKES > Clerical/Office Assistant

ALEX THOMPSON > Systems Advocate

GLORIA TOPOROWSKI > Special Education Advocate

PATRINA TORRES > Transition Assistance Project Specialist/Employment Specialist

ELLEN WREN > Business Liaison for Employment Services

RCAL STAFF