The Disability Network

01/16/2021

January 6, 2021 was a tumultuous day for a number of reasons. If you were watching the events unfold at the nation's Capitol or became aware of them later in the day or days following, you may still be processing the events. We all deal with stress, anxiety, and trauma differently. Please know there are support networks here for you. You can reach out to The Disability Network here on Facebook or at 810-742-1800.

Genesee Health System has resources available and can be reached at:
810-257-3740
TTY 810-232-6310
Toll-free 877-346-3648

GHS also works with the Crisis Text Line. Text FLINT to 741741 24-hours a day.

01/16/2021

People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.

People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.

Tens of thousands of Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from covid-19. Their parents, guardians and caregivers are struggling to get them vaccinated.

01/15/2021

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Zeta Beta Omega Chapter

"Sock it Forward" with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.-Zeta Beta Omega Chapter for our annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 18, 2021! We are collecting NEW Men's, Women's and Children's Socks for Carriage Town Ministries, Shelter of Flint and My Brother's Keeper. Socks can be dropped off at The Ivy House between 11 AM and 1 PM on January 18th. Our goal is 1500 pairs of socks! Can you help us reach our goal?
#MLKDayofService #FlintAKAs #AKAGreatLakes #Excellence #SockItForward #ZetaBetaOmegaChapter #ALPHAKAPPAALPHA #SupremeInService

01/14/2021

Valley Area Agency on Aging

Thank you Valley Area Agency on Aging for sharing this update from the Genesee County Health Department.

Update from Genesee County Health Department:

We have been receiving an overwhelming number of phone calls inquiring about COVID-19 vaccination appointments due to the Governor's announcement yesterday afternoon. Preparations have been made to begin Phase 1B vaccinations as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

Scheduling for COVID-19 vaccinations will be available ON-LINE when vaccine becomes available.

Please visit our COVID-19 vaccine webpage at www.gchd.us/covid19vaccine/ for information on the COVID-19 vaccine, priority groups, and the vaccine registration form. We will continue to post updates as we have them related to vaccine availability. Please continue to check our website for updates.

01/13/2021

Service and Learning Opportunities for MLK Day 2021 |

Though events and service work may be different this year, there are still many ways to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 18th, and the rest of the year. Check out these opportunities from some of our partners in the community: Flint Public Library, Communities First, Inc., Flint & Genesee Literacy Network University of Michigan-Flint, United Way of Genesee County, AmeriCorps

Did we miss an event or service opportunity? Let us know!

Though events and service work may be different this year, there are still many ways to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 18th.

01/08/2021

Disability Rights Michigan

We are still collecting essays! Deadline has been extended to the 15th.

Disability Rights Michigan (DRM) is proud to, once again, hold our annual essay contest in honor of an outstanding disability rights advocate, Ernie Reynolds, who passed away in 2012.
We are looking for motivating stories about people with disabilities who have successfully overcome barriers and achieved success while advocating for themselves or others.
First Prize: $300
Second Prize: $200
Third Prize: $100
Entry deadline: January 15, 2021
Visit our website to learn more
https://www.drmich.org/ernie-reynolds-essay-contest/

01/07/2021

Disability Scoop

Disability Scoop

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is acknowledging for the first time that COVID-19 poses an especially high risk for people with Down syndrome.

01/04/2021

The Disability Network's cover photo

01/04/2021

We are sending our thoughts and love to Flint & Genesee Literacy Network and Danielle Brown's family and community. Ms. Brown was a friend, activist, and valued member of our Flint network. We are thankful for her service and her heart that she shared with so many.

01/04/2021

Welcome, 2021!
Happy New Year!

12/23/2020

Genesee District Library

Genesee District Library

Trying to connect with family online, but Zoom has you confused? Click 'Learn More' to visit an online tutorial to get you caught up to speed.

12/23/2020

Community advocate and retired TDN employee, Gary Kidd, shared his favorite thing. "I always enjoyed the holiday parties we had for the people we served. We used to give away gifts like TV's, kitchen appliances and other electronics."

Thank you for sharing your favorite, Gary!
#TDNFavorite

12/21/2020

TDN Favorite: Heath Hoffman, Hoffman Decor Deli & Cafe

We're still sharing some of our favorite things! Joel Feick spoke with Heath Hoffman, owner of Hoffman's DECO DELI & CAFE, to share some words of gratitude and hear from Heath why community engagement matters to him.

12/21/2020

Lisa chose Alan, a TDN volunteer, as one of her favorites. Lisa says, "I met Alan on my third day working at TDN. He talked my ear off the entire day. What struck me about Alan immediately was his sense of humor. Alan loves to joke around. I knew we’d hit it off."

#TDNFavorite

12/18/2020

Let’s Normalize All Feelings This Holiday Season | The Disability Network

TDN's Jessica Dixon shares some tips and tricks for managing stress and hard feelings during the holiday season. Visit our website to read her recent article.

Four very simple and straight forward ways in which you can manage stress this holiday season and make sure you don’t get your tinsel in a tangle!

12/17/2020

Community Connection Conversation | Mindfulness with Jessica Dixon

In this final Community Connection of 2020 with Jessica Dixon of The Disability Network, we wil bel talking about mindfulness and coping during the holiday season.

12/17/2020

Learn how to not get your tinsel in a tangle this holiday season with Jessica Dixon! Join our conversation at 1 PM via Zoom or phone.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88919819369?pwd=N3cwS0Voa2ZkVHV3Y1RBYk85aTlwQT09

Join by phone: (312)626-6799
Meeting ID: 889 1981 9369
Passcode: 225928

12/17/2020

TDN Favorite: Jaime, Flint River Watershed Coalition

Carrie G. at The Disability Network identified Jaime Welch from the Flint River Watershed Coalition as one of her favorites. Carrie and Jaime work very closely together on the iKayak program which introduces individuals to adaptive kayaking equipment and outdoor recreation experiences. #TDNFavorite

12/16/2020

Flint seniors now eligible for free critical home repairs - Flint Beat

Residents interested in applying for the program can visit the Genesee County Habitat for Humanity’s website (https://www.geneseehabitat.org/) or by calling 810-766-9089 ext. 213.

To be eligible to receive funding, a person must be:

A Flint resident who owns the home they live in.
At least 60 years old.
At or under 120% of the area median income based on household size ($53,760 for one person and $76,680 for a four-person household).

Flint, MI— The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation awarded $120,000 to The Genesee County Habitat for Humanity to provide home repairs and

12/16/2020

Sarah from The Disability Network shares one of her favorite people she's met at TDN. #tdnfavorite

12/15/2020

We asked staff to name a few of their favorite things (and people) here at TDN. We'll be sharing these stories and photos over the next couple of weeks.

If you have a favorite TDN thing, please share! #tdnfavorite

[Image contains snow falling on a blue background with the words: these are a few of our favorite things (and favorite people). The Disability Network logo is at the bottom of the image in a pile of snow]

12/14/2020

Michigan Disability Rights Coalition

Join us on 12/22 for the Launch of our #TechTuesday Training Series! (😄) The Michigan Assistive Technology Program (MATP) will kick off our Assistive Technology (AT) virtual training series (💻) on Tuesday, December 22nd from 11:30am-12:30pm. Join us on Zoom over the lunch hour to learn about AT to Decrease Social Isolation & Loneliness; Including Celebrating the Holidays at a Distance. Times are especially hard right now and a lot of us are feeling more and more socially isolated. Learn strategies for connecting with friends and loved ones virtually, online resources related to your interests, and Assistive Technology devices that may help!

Please register here: https://tinyurl.com/MATP1222. CART captioning will be provided. This training is free and registration is appreciated. This session and series will also be broadcast live to our Michigan Disability Rights Coalition page as a part of our #TechTuesday campaign.

12/22 is the first in our new, virtual AT training series with more details to follow about future sessions. Topics will include: ‘Disability Pride and AT’, ‘AT for Petcare’, 'Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, & AT’, ‘AT for Your Workspace’, ‘AT for Attention & Focus’, ‘AT for Crafting and Creating Art’, and more! Join us on Tuesday’s starting on December 22nd and then January 12th-March 30th from 11:30am-12:30pm. Training sessions will be recorded and made available.

Follow our page for information about our #TechTuesday AT training series offerings or join or listserv when you register for an upcoming training session.

The Michigan Assistive Technology Program (MATP) is a program of Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC); our work is by people with disabilities for people with disabilities and their allies. Our following mission is woven into everything we do: “MDRC cultivates disability pride and strengthens the disability movement by recognizing disability as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity while collaborating to dismantle all forms of oppression.” For more information about MDRC, please visit our website: https://mymdrc.org

[Image description: 7 lightbulb graphics laid out in a curvy heading. Image text: hashtag Tech Tuesday Training Series. Also included is the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition logo. End image description.]

#TechTuesday #AssistiveTechnology #AT #MichiganAssistiveTechnologyProgram

12/13/2020

Pandemic Helpline Launches For People With IDD, Caregivers

"Known as Project Connect, the telehealth line (📱) is free and available anytime for people with disabilities, their families, caregivers and other members of their support teams across the nation. Project Connect is available by calling 888-847-3209."
[Image description: A zoomed in view of a COVID-19 particle. End image description.]

As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, a new 24-hour support line is working to help individuals with developmental disabilities and those who care for them cope during this tough time.

12/11/2020

Flint Housing Commission opening Section 8 wait list for three days next week

"Any Flint residents hoping to receive a Section 8 voucher is invited to apply for the Flint Housing Commission’s waitlist on three days next week.

The housing commission will accept online applications for the Housing Choice Voucher program on Dec. 15 to 17."

The housing commission will accept online applications for the Housing Choice Voucher program on Dec. 15 to 17.

12/09/2020

Netflix

Do you know about BASL?

Did you know about Black American Sign Language?

Meet Nakia Smith a.k.a. Charmay. She's the 4th deaf generation of five generations — she is here to inject some knowledge in our veins about BASL and how the dialect is so different from standard ASL.

12/09/2020

12/07/2020

There is still time to order from our holiday shop! You can purchase greeting cards, notecards, and mugs with our holiday designs painted by artists in our Expressions Inclusive Art Class.

https://www.cafepress.com/TheDisabilityNetwork

A portion of sales supports TDN's programming!

12/07/2020

Joel and Ben of TDN installed this temporary ramp at a home in Genesee County last week.

Our temporary ramp program helps people transition out of the the hospital quickly as they do not have to wait for a ramp to be built which can take weeks, sometimes months. Learn more about our ramp program at https://disnetwork.org/services/temporary-ramps/

This program was launched with funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

12/04/2020

Healthy Flint Research Coordinating Center

Flint COVID-19 Community Webinar with Healthy Flint happening right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLUnD--Ma7A

12/03/2020

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a world-wide observance calling for " full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to taking action for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development."

The United Nation's theme for this year's event is: “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”.

How do you think we can build "back to better" here and across the globe?

12/02/2020

The Disability Network Holiday Shop

You asked for it and waited patiently! We've set up a holiday shop to offer the cards and a few other surprises! You can now purchase single and packs of cards on CafePress and a portion of the sale will come to TDN.

This shop is powered by CafePress Inc. Copyright © 1999- CafePress.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Non-US currency rates are updated daily and may fluctuate.

12/02/2020

The Disability Network's cover photo

12/01/2020

Genesee County Department of Veterans Services

Thank you to the outstanding crew at Lear Corporation! They have repaired the power chair. Now all we need is a worthy recipient for it. Alright Facebook, let us know and we will try and match someone up to it. I know we will get a lot of names and we will do the best we can. Let me know if a veteran can use it!

12/01/2020

The Disability Network's cover photo

12/01/2020

Today is Giving Tuesday: a worldwide act in generosity, community-building, and love. Donations of any size and resource can have more power when we are all working and building together. Are you donating today? Why do you pariticipate in Giving Tuesday?