Newsletter 5-1

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		CCL Newsletter Issue 5-1: Oct.-Dec. 2008

Skip Navigation\| Connections for Community Leadership Links: Program Areas: Connections for Community Leadership Home LeaderLINKS Leadership Development Training Supports and Connections Informed Communities Proud and Powerfull CONNECT Other Links: Information for Participants Information for Partner Organizations Disability History Models of Disability Model of Leadership CCL Newsletter CCL Publications Contact Us Communities of Power Links: Communities of Power Home About MDRC Join MDRC		Use the following to help you navigate this page. Inclusion on Campus \| Spreading the Word \| Leadership Opportunities \| CCL Trainings \| Peace for Inclusion \| Call for Papers: The Body as a Site for Discrimination \| Proud and Powerful \| LeaderLINKS \| Positive Approaches to Confrontation \| Creating Change Together Manual \| Gift Ideas \| Subscribe MDRC Fall Open House a Success! MDRC held an Open House on Friday, October 24 to show off our new offices and to get a chance to meet with partners and friends in a celebration of the fall season. Approximately 100 people showed up for: Discussions with people we haven't seen in a while. Pizza, salads, and cakes. Chances to win a "Feisty and Non-Compliant" t-shirt by participating in the spinning wheel contest. In addition, attendees were given the opportunity to watch the videos from our Many Faces, One Voice project and, let me tell you, the viewing room was packed! Missed the videos? Don’t worry, you can still see them by visiting the Many Faces, One Voice website. Return to the top of this page. Inclusion on Campus Micah Fialka-Feldman has a cognitive impairment and has been a pioneer in inclusion. Micah has been taking classes, participating in clubs, and currently pays full tuition at Michigan's Oakland University (OU). In 2007, the university gave Micah a tour of the dormitory, accepted his deposit, confirmed his "move in date," and then said NO. In the last 60 days, the student body, the local media and people from across the country have expressed support for Micah's dream and the right of all Option Program students to live in the dormitory. The Oakland University Board of Trustees received many letters of support and a clear message that Micah and other Option students should have the right to live in the dormitory. The November 5 board meeting was filled beyond capacity (more than 150 attendees). Student government leaders, peers, community disability activists, agency advocates, family, and friends spoke out to change the policy. They spoke of Micah's impact on their personal lives and the campus, along with the belief that inclusion should include dormitory living. Many speakers recognized the pioneering contribution of OU and they challenged Oakland University to take the next step. The university continues to say "no" while the students continue to say "yes." The student government and the committee hosted a campus wide forum on inclusive education and the right to live in the dormitory on November 19, 2008. Advocate for Inclusion Do you believe Micah and other students in the Options program at Oakland University have the right to live in the dorm? If so, Take Action! Spread the word to the media, to disability activists, and to concerned community members across the country. Send stories and articles to your local media friends. Get the story on CNBC, CNN, NPR, and Oprah. Another way to advocate is to write a letter to Governor Jennifer Granholm at: P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909. Let her know your thoughts on this important issue. For more information on what you can do to help, contact Micah Fialka-Feldman at micahff@aol.com or Rich and Janice at ruaw@aol.com Receive Our Youth E-zine The Youth E-Zine is an electronic newsletter connecting subscribers to leadership opportunities, scholarship information, internships, and networking opportunities for young adults and college students with disabilities and their allies. To subscribe to the Youth E-Zine, send an email to connect@prosynergy.org with “subscribe” in the subject line. Return to the top of this page. Spreading the Word Connections for Community Leadership is really getting the word out about disability pride and our model of leadership development. This fall, CCL staff had the honor of presenting at two national conferences. In September, we introduced the Proud and Powerful initiative to people with cognitive disabilities from around the country at the Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) Conference. Then in October, CCL staff offered several workshops on leadership development, college activism, building inclusive environments, and disability pride and power at the Association of Rural Programs for Independent Living (APRIL) Conference. In addition, CCL staff also presented at the Investing in an Accessible Community Annual Fall Conference in Muskegon, Michigan. Presentation topics included developing action plans, talking to elected officials, giving public testimony, and working with the media. Return to the top of this page. Leadership Opportunities National Youth Leadership Network (NLYN) Governing Board NYLN is looking for new leaders and want you to apply to serve on their governing board. NYLN is a non-profit organization run by young people with disabilities that empowers all young people to reach their maximum potential. Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 28; have a disability; and have leadership and advocacy skills. Visit the NYLN website for more information and to download the application. You can also contact Betsy Valnes at 1-866-480-6565 or bvalnes@tie.net. Connections for Community Leadership Steering Committee CCL is always looking for leaders with disabilities to be part of our Steering Committee. Committee meetings are two hours in length and are held four times a year in Lansing. Can’t get to Lansing? Don’t worry! All meetings are accessible via free teleconference. Our next meeting is January 6, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at MDRC. If you are interested in joining the Steering Committee, please contact us at 1-866-532-2669. Michigan Disability Rights Coalition Board of Directors Come tell your story to the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition’s Governing Board. All meetings are open to the public and we encourage people to attend. 2009 Meeting Schedule: January 9th * April 30th * July 30th * October 29th All meetings begin at 5 p.m. and are held at 3498 E. Lake Lansing Rd., Ste 100, East Lansing, MI 48823. For more information, contact Carolyn Lejuste at 1-800-760-4600 ext. 321 or clejuste@prosynergy.org. Become a Mentor and Help Guide Youth with Disabilities to Career Success As part of an ongoing initiative to improve employment options of persons with disabilities, Hire Disability Solutions is expanding their mentorship program to include email based mentoring! Studies have shown that high school students who have been fortunate enough to participate in mentorship programs increase their overall grade point average, are more likely to attend college, and are better prepared to enter the employment arena. Mentoring programs are especially critical to the success of students with disabilities. The email based mentoring program was designed with both the mentor and mentee in mind. It allows our mentees to benefit from your wealth of knowledge while allowing you to communicate with your mentee entirely via the internet, allowing you not only flexibility but the ability to maximize the time you spend with your mentee. A commitment of as little as 15 minutes per week allows you to converse with your mentee via email. As you field career related questions from your mentee, you will not only help to foster increased communication skills but will also help to guide your mentee down the path to career success by increasing their self-confidence and job readiness. To join our initiative or for more information on the program, please email Jeff Klare at JKlare@hireDS.com. Please be sure to include your name, company name, title, email address, and phone number in the email. Return to the top of this page. CCL Training Opportunities DID YOU KNOW… You can have CCL come do leadership training for your group. Topics include: Running a meeting, Creating action plans, Leadership styles, Getting to know oneself, Disability pride and power, Talking to the media, and Much more Let CCL help you build your leadership skills! Call 1-866-532-2669 or email leadership@prosynergy.org for more information. Return to the top of this page. Peace for Inclusion Check out the blog for the Peace for Inclusion Tour with Erin Socall and Judith Snow. Judith is traveling the country reaching out to youth groups with the hopes of raising awareness and teaching that inclusion is one strategy for peace. The first stop on the tour was Oakland University. In her blog, Judith writes, “Finally, it seems that we have not just a leader but also grassroots energy arising everywhere in the world to organize ourselves as gifted people and communities in order to make great lives available to all alive now and in the future on this planet.” Read more of Judith's blog. Return to the top of this page. Call for Papers: The Body as a Site of Discrimination Via Feminist Response in Disability Activism (FRIDA) The Body as a Site of Discrimination will be an interactive, educational, multi-disciplinary, high quality, critical, and cutting edge online journal. This creative project will fulfill the degree requirements for two Master's of Social Work students at SFSU. This is a call for submissions to explore the following themes, but other interpretations are also encouraged: Disability and Ableism Fatphobia or Size Discrimination Ageism Racism Gender Discrimination Transphobia, non-conforming gender identities, sexual assault, sexism, and reproductive rights Cultural and academic communities are invited to contribute for a well-rounded exploration of the theme. The significance of this project is to examine the intersectionality between varying forms of body-based oppressions. Crossing disciplines is necessary to understand this matrix of discrimination and will lead to inventive strategies of change and resistance. The outcome of this journal will contribute to the body of knowledge and serve as a resource for subsequent generations of social workers and other helping professionals. Entries can explore activism and resistance around these issues, focus on social justice, and examine implications for social work practice and policy. Representative voices from the identified communities are encouraged to submit. Submissions can include personal narratives, research articles, performance and visual art, fiction, poetry, music, etc. Electronic copies of submissions will be considered for publication. All submissions must be sent to bodydiscrimination@gmail.com and received by January 15, 2009. Return to the top of this page. Proud and Powerful This quarter, we would like to feature the work of several people with disabilities. Michigan Partners for Freedom posts stories and thoughts regarding self-determination on their website. These stories come from people with disabilities themselves about their own experiences with self-determination. These are certainly stories of people feeling proud and powerful! To view the stories, visit their website. Michigan Partners for Freedom invite your comments and ask that you share with this listserv by sending your thoughts to mifreedom@listserv.prosynergy.org. “I Believe That” by Ingemar Johansson This is an excerpt from “I Believe That.” To read the entire document, visit MI Partners for Freedom's website. “I believe that every person should have a decent place to live and choose where and with whom. I believe that every person should have the opportunity to make income, be it with a job or a business venture no matter how small but always with an eye to inclusion with other community members. I believe that every person should have the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of his/her neighbors and give back by means of volunteering for others. I believe that every person should have easy access to community resources for play and spiritual aspirations. I believe that every person should have the opportunity to make lasting meaningful social relationships. I believe we should simply do our part in assisting people to live by these basic American values. As proud public servants it is our responsibility to, rather than segregating our constituents in buildings and programs, actively engage ourselves in creating a welcoming community for people with disabilities. We have an important role to create opportunities, not only for those that we serve, but also for the community at large. Therefore, we need to think outside the box, recognize opportunities that are put before us and utilize our power to promote community inclusion for those that we serve and make our constituency a vital part of our neighborhoods.” Return to the top of this page. LeaderLINKS Come search our statewide database to find a leadership opportunity near you! There are currently more than 2,000 leadership opportunities in the database, including: Conferences Workshops Groups/Clubs Camps Internet Courses Trainings Accessing the database is simple. You can call us toll-free and we will do the searching for you or you can search the database online on our website. You can search by opportunity type, topic, or location. Return to the top of this page. Approaches to Positive Confrontation CCL staff recently attended our last of a series of multiculturalism and self-awareness workshops offered by Michigan State University Extension. While all of their tools and resources have been extremely helpful in our work here at CCL, we wanted to share one particular tool with you. As leaders, we often find ourselves in situations where we want to confront language and behaviors that are hurtful and oppressive to others. Confrontation is a scary thing and many of us relate confrontation to negative experiences. Here are some excerpts from Approaches to Positive Confrontation from Michigan State University Extension: Be aware of yourself. Take a deep breath and be mindful of your thoughts and feelings before speaking. Find your center of powerfulness. Draw strength from your wisdom, confidence, and sense of personal power to impact positive change. Confront privately when possible. The goal is not to embarrass but to educate and challenge from a place of support. Be respectful and constructive. Don’t blame or shame people when they make a mistake. Model what you want to see from others to promote growth, healing, and learning. Be clear. Be sure that the person you’re confronting knows what language or behavior is being questioned. You may need to repeat the offense. Use “I” statements. “I” statements help us speak from our own perspective and avoid blaming language that often makes others feel defensive. Connect your “I” messages to your feelings to promote empathy and caring. Use “softening statements.” Softening statements help us hear feedback and reduce defensiveness. It shows the person you’re confronting that you care about them and are concerned about the behavior. Example: “I care about you and know you wouldn’t want to intentionally hurt others and I am concerned about…” Invite further discussion. Let others know you are available to them and that you are open to keeping the conversation going. Remember that silence is consent. Not speaking up communicates that we don’t care. Silence communicates that the hurtful behavior is acceptable. For more information about workshops and other educational offerings focused on issues of diversity, multiculturalism and social justice education, contact Karen Pace at (517) 432-7628 or Dionardo Pizaña at (517) 432-2666. Return to the top of this page. Creating Change Together Manual—Coming Soon! Connections for Community Leadership and United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan are pleased to announce the completion of Creating Change Together, an advocacy manual for people with and without disabilities. This manual provides information on several topics relating to leadership and advocacy including: Rights and Responsibilities Assertiveness Action Plans Talking to Elected Officials Goals Voting Serving on Governing Boards Government Negotiation Rules to Running Meetings Talking to the Media In addition, the manual offers tools and activities to help increase the success of advocacy efforts and also lists resources to help individuals continue to learn about advocacy and leadership. The manual is in its editing stage and will be available free of charge on the CCL website soon. You can also purchase a printed copy for $10. For information on obtaining a copy, please contact us. Return to the top of this page. Your Online Holiday Shopping Can Help CCL! CCL and MDRC invite you to change your shopping into support for leadership initiatives at MDRC by shopping online at more than 681 well-known stores. You’ll receive free deals and coupons for being an iGive.com member. If you join iGive.com and make a purchase within 45 days, iGive.com will donate $5 FREE to MDRC! To date, MDRC has raised more than $980 through iGive.com. Just imagine the donation total if 100 supporters like you would shop online using iGive.com HOW IT WORKS: 1. Join at http://www.iGive.com/mdrc 2. Shop the Mall at iGive.com. You'll see many familiar stores. 3. Up to 26% of EACH purchase is donated! Return to the top of this page. Great Gift Ideas Don’t know what to get your niece, mother-in-law, or brother? Feisty and Non-Compliant t-shirts, mugs, bags, etc. make great holiday gifts. Be sure to check out our Zazzle website to order gifts for the feisty ones in your family. Return to the top of this page. Subscribe To subscribe to the CCL newsletter, please send an email to leadership@prosynergy.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line. If you need to receive the newsletter in an alternative format such as large print or plain text, please note that in the email or call 1-866-532-2669. Return to the top of this page. Connections for Community Leadership is funded by the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council.
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