"THE
POINT" OnLine
Newsletter
Archive
Summer
2001 - Volume 3 , Issue 2
Article
Links Menu
SELF-DETERMINATION
DAY
MESSAGE
FROM ARKANSAS PEOPLE FIRST PRESIDENT
Arkansas
Olmstead Coalition - Big Tent Revival Meeting in Little Rock
Meet
Board Member Susan Board
National
Center for Independent Living National Conference in D.C.
Real
Choices in D.C.
Hello
People First!
State
Advisory Board
****
Remember if you would like to submit an article
****
Please
send it to:
Arkansas
People
First
1918
Birch
Fayetteville,
AR 72703
or
Link
here to email at: peoplefirstark@yahoo.com
SELF-DETERMINATION
DAY
It
was a beautiful day on May 4th, when over 100 self- advocates gathered together
at Ferncliff Camp in Little Rock to learn about self determination.
The
state advisory board elected new officers at Self-
Determination
Day. We started the day by hearing from all the candidates. Then we started the
group groovin’ to the self- advocates version of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Tia
Nelis from People First of Illinois facilitated the group through using
definitions and various activities from “My Voice My Choice”.
At lunch time we had a barbecue outside by the lake. Self-advocates enjoyed the
break, the fresh air and took time to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Tia finished up the training after lunch. Self-advocates then got to “tell it
to the mic” during opening microphone session. Many people expressed their
thoughts and dreams of being their own guardians, having their own home and just
getting rid of labels! LABEL
JARS NOT PEOPLE!
Thanks
to every one for coming and all the support people for helping! We’ll see ya
next year or sooner!
NOTHING
ABOUT US WITHOUT US!!!!
Top of Page
MESSAGE
FROM ARKANSAS PEOPLE FIRST PRESIDENT
I want to thank each of
you for allowing me to serve as your president for the next two years. Arkansas
People First has a new direction with a grant from the Governor's Developmental
Disabilities Council and the support from the University of Arkansas’ Region
Six Rehabilitation Continuing Education Center and the many hours and miles our
state coordinator, Julie Munnerlyn, puts in.
We are six months
into the year 2001 and we are showing signs of success. This is due largely to
being a team, not only in our state board meetings but the monthly conference
calls with the board. I am looking forward to the next six months, as we will
accomplish even more.
We
have started conference calls with the advisors and presidents.
I
will talk with each of you at our next conference call. Keep on Advocating
Your
President,
Eric Treat
Eric
Treat was born and grew up in Searcy Arkansas.
Eric moved to Conway in 1996 when he
founded the Eric Trat Eye Research
Foundation. Eric host’s a golf tournament every year to raise money for his
foundation. Eric is active on many
different boards and organization. Welcome
aboard the self-advocacy train Eric!
Top
of Page
Arkansas
Olmstead Coalition - Big Tent Revival Meeting in Little Rock
by:
Chasity Murray
On May 21st the
Arkansas Olmstead Coalition held a Big Tent Revival Meeting in Little Rock at
the Arkansas State Fair Grounds to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Bob
Kafka, the Director of ADAPT of Texas, spoke at the tent revival. He discussed
Community First and pulling together community resources to get individuals out
of the nursing home. At the end of his speech, he led the crowd in chanting,
“Free our people”.
Bob Trevino,
Liaison to the Governor, read a message from the Governor. John Selig, Deputy
Director of the Department of Human Services, discussed Independent Choices.
He said there is
discussion about trying to make Independent Choices a national program. He also
said they are projecting an extra 30 million dollars being added to the DDS
waivers within the next few years.
Ralph Rouse,
Regional Manager of the Office of Civil Rights Region VI, discussed the
direction the Arkansas Olmstead Coalition should take in the future. He said he
was proud of the progress the Olmstead Coalition had made, but we have a long
way to go. A video called “Transition to Freedom” was showed. The video
contained stories of individuals who had moved out of nursing homes to be more
independent. Cynthia Stone, the Assistant Director of The Arc of Arkansas, gave
the closing remarks. The Arkansas Olmstead Coalition has been working very hard
this past year, and will continue to work even harder. If you would like more
information on the Olmstead Coalition call 501-375-7770.
Top of Page
Meet
Board Member Susan Board
I started back
to school at the Adult Education Center in 198 while living in Conway. I've started back to school to learn
how to read and write and to get my G.E.D. They had a litery program to show
people how to read and write, so there was a special program named the "Lauback".
I also went through the "Challenger" books. I graduated from the
"Laubach" and the "challenger" books. It was difficult to
learn in the first Laubach book about to consonants and the vowel were very
difficult for me.
Now, I'm
studying in the G.E.D. level, the subjects is Math, English, Writing, Social
Studies, and Science. I've gotten a few rewards from the school for being an
excellent student. The Log Cabin did a story about my life in the news paper.
When
I first started to work at Kroger, they had me to start out as a bagger for
about one and a half years. My supervisor asked me to be a janitor. My job is to
clean the four bathrooms, breakroom, upstairs, and do the outside, mop, dust mop
the floor. Every Monday I write down the order for the week. Mr. Williams has
given me a title, it's a courtesy clerk and gave me a raise. I've been working
there now for three years and seven months.
I've been
involved in the People First Chapter in Conway for three years.
Your
Friend,
Susan
Board
Top of Page
National
Center for Independent Living National Conference in D.C.
by: Eric Treat
May 16th through 19th Executive Director Jim Eakins,
Council Member Evelyn Bradford, and myself, Eric Treat, attended the NCIL
National Conference In Washington DC. The
conference started on Wednesday evening with “How to be a Policy Change
Agent?” On Thursday the 17th we marched to the nations
capitol where a rally was held. While there we listen to the founder of the ADA,
Justin Dart. We spent the rest of
the day visiting with our Congressmen and Senators.
The workshops kicked off Friday and ended Saturday afternoon.
I attended the following workshops: Empowering Tomorrows Leaders
Today, Community Advocates Agents for Change, Using the D word Developing Policy
and Political Activism, Supreme Court Review, April’s Rural Transportation and
Writing & Giving Congressional Testimony.
This was a great experience not only for the workshops I attended but the people
I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with as well.
Top of Page
Real
Choices in D.C.
On
May 24th and 26th, Suzanne Crisp and Julie Munnerlyn represented the great state
of Arkansas at “The Systems Change Conference” in D.C.
The Health
Care and Finance Administration is inviting proposals from states and others in
partnership with their disability and aging communities, to design and implement
effective and enduring improvements in community long term support systems.
In other
words, HCFA wants to give some money to states to make supports for the elderly
and people with disabilities better.
In order to
be allowed to apply for the Real Choices grant, states must have a consumer task
force in place. The
task forced has had two meetings, first initial meeting and the second meeting
was a stagiec planning session on what we’d like to see in the grant.
At
the conference in D.C., we learned about other progressed systems around the
nation in order to get ideas for systems change.
All people
with disabilities should be involved in system change. If you have any ideas on
what needs to be changed in Arkansas, please email your ideas to peoplefirstark@yahoo.com
Top of Page
Hello
People First!
I
just wanted to share a little about my first visit to D.C.
I really did not have time to do much, but I did see the FDR Memorial,
went to our nations capital, and rode the
subway for the first time (which is totally
accessible). There is so much to
see and do! I can’t wait to go
back!
Hope
to see ya soon.
Your Friend,
Julie Munnerlyn
Top of Page
State
Advisory Board
Eric
Treat, President ,Conway
Tim
Hill, VicePresidnt ,Little Rock
Angela
Allen, Secretary, Batesville
Billy
Jones, Treasurer, Ft. Smith
Susan
Board, Conway
Doug
Burrows ,Batesville
Patricia
Chaney, Monticello
David
Dickerson, Russelville
Rebeccas Elbert,Little Rock
Burke
Fanari, Fayetteville
James
Ivy, Pine Bluff
David
Long, Hope
Jeremy
Minchew, Springdale
Shannon
Rivas, Hot Springs
Link
here for for PF State Board Member Contact Information
Top of Page
People
First Quick
Link Menu
|Link
to Statement of
Beliefs| |Link
to Mission and
Goals| |Link
to Local
Chapters|
|Link
to State Board
Members| |Link
to Announcements|
|Link to
Newsletters|
|Link
to Calendar|
|Link to Photo
Album| |Link
to Info
and Resource Links|
|Link
to Meet the
Coordinator and State Advisor|
or
Link
to People First Home
Page Site Map
Arkansas
People
First
104
Arkansas Union
Fayetteville,
Arkansas 72703
(toll
free) 1-888-488-6040
(V) 479-575-4015 - Fax: 870-488-8004
Link
here to e-mail at: peoplefirstark@yahoo.com
Julie
Petty, State
Coordinator
Kim Worlow,
State
Advisor
Kim Pace,
State Liason
Leon
Oehlers, MS,
CRC, Webmaster
Link
here to e-mail Webmaster at: loehlers@rcep6.org
End
of page.
2