Visitable Homes, Visitable Communities
Posted on June 11, 2010
By Terrie Lincoln, Systems Advocate
On Friday, May 14th a co-worker and I went to Syracuse, New York to look at a visitable Habitat for Humanity home. The event started off with a speech from a city representative thanking everyone for their hard work and commitment. Next, a lady from Habitat spoke about what it means to be visitable, how it impacts the community, the cost, and how the homeowners feel. The event on this day declared May Visitability Month in Syracuse.
What is Visitability, you ask? Good question.
Most homes have steps at every entrance and have bathroom doors that are narrower than other interior passage doors. Visitable homes have:
- One entrance with zero steps;
- 32 inches clear passage through all interior doors, including bathrooms; and
- At least a half bath (preferably a full bath) on the main floor. Read more
Filed Under Accessibility, Advocacy, Americans with Disabilities Act, Assistive Technology, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Terrie Lincoln, Visitability | 1 Comment
REFORMING LONG TERM CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE CENTER FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS POSITION PAPER
Posted on February 10, 2009
FEBRUARY 5, 2009, VOL. 6
IMPROVE STATEWIDE CONSISTENCY OF SERVICES.
By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst
There are vast disparities in services offered from community to community across New York State. There is little State enforcement of regulations and the counties make inconsistent decisions, sometimes directly in violation of federal and state mandates. The disparities in the system affect the information disseminated to consumers, the hours of services provided, and the programs and service options available in each community.
VIOLATIONS OF STATE MEDICAID PLAN
New York State’s Medicaid Plan requires all counties to offer all services listed in the State Plan to satisfy the federal requirement of “statewideness.” However, with limited state enforcement, counties seem to be able to choose to offer only selected services—directly violating the federal rules. For example, Personal Care Attendant Services (PCA) is on the list of mandatory services in the state plan, however PCA services are not currently offered in Monroe County.
CORRECTION Read more
Filed Under Abuse, Advocacy, Attendant Services, Attitudes, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Institutions and Institutionalization, Leah Farrell | 5 Comments
Web Blog
Posted on January 15, 2009
By Dean DeRusso, Deaf Systems Advocate
On January 14th, 2009 there were several police cars parked around the Center for Disability Rights building – and there was no protest going on! Even better, no one got arrested. The police were here for a good cause. They came to get together and discuss how each police department in Monroe County can work with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Participating police departments included East Rochester, Greece, Brighton, Fairport, Webster and Irondequoit and the Monroe County Sheriff.
The Regional Center for Independent Living’s (RCIL) Deaf Police Subcommittee has been working with the Rochester Police Department (RPD) on improving the relationship between police officers and deaf and hard of hearing people in Rochester. Read more
Filed Under Advocacy, Deaf Community, Dean DeRusso, Housing, Independence, Police/Law Enforcement, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Ronald Mace and His Impact on Universal Design
Posted on December 17, 2008
By Stephanie Woodward, Transportation Systems Advocate
Ronald Mace made a huge impact on not only the disability community, but the whole human population, yet very few people are aware of this. Born in 1940, Ronald was a healthy baby. However, when Ronald was nine years old he contracted polio leading him to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Ronald then began to see all of the barriers that people with disabilities face daily. Refusing to let barriers get in his way, Ronald continued to strive for success, attending North Carolina State. At the time Ronald attended North Carolina State his wheelchair did not fit through the bathroom door and he had to be carried up and down the stairs to attend class. Read more
Filed Under Accessibility, Advocacy, Attitudes, Housing, Independent Living, Public Transportation, Stephanie Woodward | Leave a Comment
ENTRY, ELIGIBILITY AND SERVICES SHOULD BE NEEDS-BASED
Posted on November 21, 2008
REFORMING LONG TERM CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE CENTER FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS POSITION PAPER VOL. 5
NOVEMBER 19, 2008
By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst
New York State should focus on functional needs of the individual, rather than age or diagnosis, in reforming long term care services. This applies to outreach and point of entry, eligibility, and service provision. The current system is fragmented based on classifications of diagnosis and age, stemming from social and political accidents of history, and now reflects an outmoded, confusing and impractical approach to meeting very real human needs. For example, cueing and supervision assistance should be available to anyone with cognitive impairment, such as a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a person with a Traumatic Brain Injury. However, the person with Alzheimer’s may be denied cueing and supervising assistance due to lack of funding in Alzheimer’s programs, while the latter receives the needed assistance through the Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver. A carefully planned shift toward services based on functional need is an important component of long term care services reform. Read more
Filed Under Abuse, Advocacy, Attitudes, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Institutions and Institutionalization | Leave a Comment
REFORMING LONG TERM CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE CENTER FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS POSITION PAPER
Posted on November 6, 2008
By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst
NOVEMBER 5 2008, VOL. 4
MAKE CONSUMER DIRECTED SERVICES THE FIRST CHOICE.
The traditional model of agency controlled long term care services is outmoded, expensive, and paternalistic. Consumers need to be empowered to control what services they get, when and by whom. This kind of empowerment of the consumer will lead to better health outcomes and cost savings.
Previous volumes of Reforming Long Term Care Services in New York State established the historical policy framework that has made the long term care system institutionally biased and has resulted in excessive costs to NYS and lower satisfaction among consumers. Read more
Filed Under Abuse, Advocacy, Attitudes, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Institutions and Institutionalization | Leave a Comment
REFORMING LONG TERM CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE
Posted on October 23, 2008
OCTOBER 22, 2008, VOL. 3
ADOPT AN INDEPENDENT LIVING APPROACH RATHER THAN MEDICAL MODEL OF LTC SERVICES.
By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst
The traditional model of long term care services emphasizes a medical approach to meeting needs, often involving unnecessary high cost professionals. The independent living (IL) approach to long term care services vests control of services in the consumer rather than the professional. Many of the services that are widely perceived as “medical” are simply a part of daily life to a person with disabilities. The independent living paradigm supports an integrated life in the community, with personal care workers providing needed assistance in tasks ranging from dressing and bathing to managing breathing devices, feeding tubes and catheters. Tasks that hospitals routinely train family members to perform can also be done in a home setting by other laypersons under the direction of the individual or their family member. Read more
Filed Under Abuse, Advocacy, Attitudes, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Institutions and Institutionalization | Leave a Comment
REFORMING LONG TERM CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE, CENTER FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS POSITION PAPER
Posted on October 13, 2008
OCTOBER 13, 2008, VOL. 2
By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst
LIVING IN THE MOST INTEGRATED SETTING MUST BE THE NORM, NOT THE EXCEPTION.
People must be able to live and receive services in the most integrated setting desired. In 1999, the US Supreme Court established in the Olmstead decision the civil right that people are to receive long term care services in the most integrated setting (MIS) appropriate to their needs. Unfortunately, New York State government regulations too often continue to reinforce traditional and costly facility-based approaches when community-based services would be more effective, producing both higher consumer satisfaction and more cost-effective outcomes. Read more
Filed Under Advocacy, Attitudes, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Institutions and Institutionalization | Leave a Comment
Making Our Voices Heard at the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council
Posted on October 10, 2008
by RCIL Systems Advocate, Terrie Lincoln
On Wednesday, October 8th, twenty one disability rights advocates headed from Rochester to Albany for the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC) meeting. MISCC was established to develop a statewide plan to ensure that people with all disabilities and of all ages receive long term care services in the most integrated setting, rather than being forced into facilities.
We met in RCIL/CDR’s parking lot at 7:00 a.m. Our group was so excited to get there, that being pulled over by the police and receiving not one but two tickets could not stop us. We pulled into the Empire State Plaza by 11:30 a.m. After lunch and a pre-meeting, we filed into the meeting room, which was set up to accommodate over one hundred visitors as well as web-casting the entire proceeding. Read more
Filed Under Accessibility, Advocacy, CDR Programs, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Deaf Community, Home Care, Housing, Independence, Independent Living, Institutions and Institutionalization, Medicaid, Regional Center for Independent Living, Terrie Lincoln | 1 Comment
REFORMING LONG TERM CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE
Posted on October 4, 2008
CENTER FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS POSITION PAPER
SEPTEMBER 29, 2008, VOL. 1
By Leah Farrell, Policy Analyst
New York State’s long term care system needs reform. The current system is complicated, inefficient and biased toward institutional placement for seniors and people with disabilities who need long term care services. As the population ages, the need for long term care services in the community will continue to grow. While the Center for Disability Rights (CDR) has a reputation for activism, CDR advocates an evolution rather than revolution in long term care services. Below is a list of ten issues that must be addressed through the reform process. CDR will issue position papers expanding on each of the issues outlined below. Read more