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Allison M. Murowany

DecemberHAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2 0 1 9 M e m b e r s h i p G o a l2 , 0 0 0

A S O F 10 / 15 / 19 W E H AV E X X X M E M B E R S !

S E P T E M B E R M E M B E R S

v i c k i g o e r k e , p a m e l a k r o l l , h o l l y l e n n o x , l y n n l e o n h a r d , s o n j i a r e g a n , m a r g a r e t r o p p ,

j u d y s h o r t

O C T O B E R M E M B E R S

d e n i z a l t i n o k , j o a n c r a i g , g r e g d u f o u r , n a n c y h e k k e r , s t e v e n h i r s c h , b a r b a r a k i n g , p a t r i c i a k l e i n e d l e r , s h i r l e y o l n e y , m i c h a e l

p e r a t o n i , l o r i s t e v o n s

N E W M E M B E R S

2019-2020Board of Directors

Tom Quakenbush, PresidentJerry Rubin, 1st VP

Tom Lias, 2nd Vice PresidentLisa Kowalski, Secretary

Suzanne Marquardt, TreasurerDavid Loeffler, Past President

Delegates-at-largeRon Cheli

Tim Hatfield Linda Knox

Julianne LalikRandall Meono

Nadine Milostan Barbara Scott John Torrone

Ann Wiedelman

Beth M. LafataComptroller / Office Manager

Kiesha D. LawtonAdministrative Assistant

Patricia D. LukerStaff Advocate

Diane M. McDanielFiscal Intermediary

Erin E. McDanielFiscal Intermediary

Leanne E. MayesFiscal Intermediary

Allison M. MurowanyPublic Relations / Development

Garret C. VandrunenFiscal Intermediary

The Arc of Oakland County Staff

Thomas F. Kendziorski, Esq.Executive Director

Megan L. ArnoldFiscal Intermediary

Larry W. BizonFiscal Intermediary

Megan E. BroskyFiscal Intermediary

Patricia A. BusickFiscal Intermediary

Bernadette L. DuhoskiThe Forever Plan Monitor

Monica P. GoergDirector, Fiscal Intermediary

Monica M. KnoblockProgram Development,

Fiscal Intermediary

November26 – The Arc of Oakland County Board of

Director's Meeting, 7 p.m. at The Arc office

IN MEMORIAMStephanie W. Ellwood

Elizabeth GillespieJoel Alexander Zelle

Profiles is published by The Arc of Oakland County • 1641 West Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48084 • 248-816-1900

January28 – The Arc of Oakland County Board of

Director's Meeting, 7 p.m. at The Arc office

ProfilesSERVING PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIESSINCE 1967

Volume 44, No. 11 - 12 www.thearcoakland.org NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2019

Gorman's Recliner Event....................................................................Page 3

Annual Run Challenge Recap......................................................Pages 4-6

Support The Arc Using AmazonSmile..........................................Page 7

Misson Statement

The Arc of Oakland County advocates for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We strive to improve systems of supports and services; connect families; inspire our community, and influence public policy.

"From TheDirector's Chair"

By: TomKendziorski

A year ago, I introduced you to the then new-est member of our staff, Tricia Luker. She has been concentrating her efforts in the area of special education advocacy. Tricia came to us as a parent, but also as an experienced pro-fessional expert in the field. We are extremely fortunate to have her serving our families, chil-dren and adults with intellectual impairments and other related developmental disabilities. Tricia will now be coordinating an expansion of our geographic service area to include a part of Genesee County.

Like so much in life, things change. As of Oc-tober 1, 2019, The Arc of Oakland signed on to participate in a state-wide grant coordinated by our state office. It is called the Michigan Alliance for Families (“MAF”) program and we will provide special advocacy services for fam-ilies covering school districts in the eastern half of Genesee County (The Arc of Livingston County will cover the western section). This annual grant of $21,500 brings us back to about two-thirds of the funding lost as a result of United Way’s decision to no longer support chapters of The Arc in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties.

For the record, MAF is a Michigan Department of Education Individuals with Disabilities Edu-cation Act (“IDEA”) initiative and is our state's federally-funded Parent Training and Informa-tion Center. MAF provides information, sup-port, and education for families who have chil-

Continued on Page 3

Here is a sneak peak at our holiday appeal card that will be mailed out in November.

We respectfully request your consideration of The Arc of Oakland County as you plan your end-of-the-year tax-deductible donations. Your support of The Arc of Oakland Coun-ty will allow us to extend our outreach of advocacy into the community, to help families, and to educate the general public. Your entire gift will be earmarked towards the main-tenance of The Arc of Oakland County and its unequalled leadership in advocacy, which benefits so many.

Also, please ask your employer’s human resources or payroll department if they offer a charitable matching gift program. These matches are often dollar for dollar, which doubles your charitable-donation power!

Many thanks for responding to this need as generously as you are able. Large gifts are wonderful and appreciated; but every gift — regardless of amount — will help!

Wishing you all a happy and joyful holiday season!

Annual Holiday Appeal

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ASK THE ADVOCATE![TRICIA LUKER, THE ARC OF OAKLAND COUNTY'S STAFF ADVOCATE, WILL BE WRITING ON TOPICS PERTAINING TO

SPECIAL EDUCATION. IF THERE IS A TOPIC YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE COVERED, PLEASE EMAIL TLUKER@THEARCOAKLAND.ORG.]By Tricia Luker, Staff Advocate

My 17-year-old daughter is in 11th grade. She has intellectual disabilities and divides classroom time equally between special education classes/resources and general education classes. The special education department at my child’s school is planning to graduate my child with a diploma NEXT YEAR! I’m afraid she doesn’t know her subjects well enough. I also worry that she still needs help in learning social and working skills. What are my child’s rights? How do I make sure she gets the education she needs to succeed after high school?

ANSWER:

1. Generally, when a student earns a high school diploma, the district’s obligation to provide educational services to the student ends. But students with disabilities and an Individualize Education Program [IEP] might be able to receive additional services even if the district “graduates” the student with a diploma.

2. Consider these factors when your child with disabilities nears adulthood and the end of pre-college school learning activities:

3. The student’s IEP generally identifies and governs the required special education services and for how long the district must provide the services. In Michigan, students may receive special education services up to age 26.

4. High school student IEPs must include transition plans. The plans identify the student’s post-high school goals and the steps needed to meet those goals. If the goals include earning a high school diploma, the IEP should spell that out.

5. If a student’s IEP identifies the goal of a high school diploma, the IEP sets out the student’s path to earn that diploma.

6. Student IEP transition plans, also identify what other needs must be addressed before the district completes its requirement to educate the student. Required skills in a student’s IEP may include the ability to count money, talk with others about specific topics, understand and demonstrate skills required to obtain jobs and perform the duties of the job. The IEP also may state the student’s expected level of achievement in the speech, occupational and physical and social/life skills domains.

7. The IEP, which is the primary contract between a district and a student’s parents, also generally verifies that the district’s duty to provide services has ended. The IEP process, using an exit IEP Team meeting, reviews the student’s goals and achievement to ensure that the goals remain relevant and that the student has indeed met those goals.

PARENT STRATEGIES:

• The whole purpose of education, from Day One, is to prepare a child to enter the adult world with the skills she or he will need to be able to live a self-determined life. Don’t wait until your child is 15 or 16 to start the transition process. Make sure every IEP considers both a near view and the long view. If your child wants a diploma, you must start weighing the factors in early elementary school.

• The IEP process should be grounded in your child’s educational experience. As your child moves through the grades, use the IEP process to identify needs and prepare strategies that will help your child achieve success.

• Use the IEP process to address any concerns you or your child might have about what she or he still needs to achieve her goals as an adult. If you think she/he is not ready to graduate or has not met IEP exit objectives, use the IEP process to extend the child’s education so she/he can be as completely prepared as possible.

• Remember that graduation by diploma generally will terminate the district’s obligation to provide any more special education services. If your child needs more services that the district should provide, don’t agree to the diploma. Tell the IEP Team what more is needed and insist that the district provide it before accepting the diploma and exiting the IEP process.

I hope this helps you work through the significant choices that await you and your child as she nears the end of the childhood educational process. We have resources available to help you understand and prepare for the graduation/transition process. Please call us when you have questions. We wish you and your child success.

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ADVOCACY VIGNETTE “SUCCESS STORIES”(Examples of our direct advocacy service and how it impacts the lives of

persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities)By Tricia Luker, Staff Advocate

Educational and Community-based Advocacy:

The Arc Oakland County has been working with a member family whose early adult-aged daughter has faced multiple educational and community supports problems. Her behavioral challenges, which stem from anxiety and social skills deficits, have resulted in multiple school absences. She has been hospitalized for medical problems related to her disabilities. Her parents have been battling without success to obtain adequate community support services in the home. The family also has faced obstacles in finding a proper residential setting for their daughter.

An advocate at The Arc attended several IEP Team meetings with the parents to assist them in securing a positive behavior support program that will help the client address her behavioral challenges. The Arc also has attended com-munity resource meetings with the parents, the young adult and service providers. With our help, she was approved for a significant number of community living supports (“cls”) hours in her own home, and at an increased hourly rate because of her individual needs. The parents were also able to locate a home within her community that will allow their daughter to remain at the same school and be near her parents.

Although it will take time for this young lady to recover from her hospitalization, the educational and community sup-ports she requires is in place and she is transitioning into it at her own pace. She should be back in school full-time and in her new home by the beginning of 2020.

Community Accessibility:

A member of The Arc Oakland County has a young adult child who uses a wheelchair full-time. The family wanted to visit a popular local restaurant located on the second floor of a downtown building. The primary community access to the restaurant was via a long flight of stairs. The building did have an elevator, but it was in disrepair. An advocate for The Arc contacted the business and the local building code department. After an investigation and negotiation, the restaurant owner had the elevator repaired and is now allowing restaurant patrons with physical disabilities to access this fine dining establishment.

With the holiday gift-giving season upon us— we would like to make you aware that The Arc of Oakland County is a participating charity with AmazonSmile!

Do you already have an Amazon or Amazon Prime account? Do you not yet have an Amazon account, but would like to sign up for the first time? Here is what you can do to keep everything the same with your account, but still help support The Arc of Oakland County! Amazon-Smile is the same Amazon you know— same products, same prices, and same service.

Follow these SIMPLE steps!

1. Go to https://smile.amazon.com2. Log In with your normal Amazon or Amazon Prime username and password (or create new username & password for first-time users)3. Select The Arc of Oakland County, Inc. as your preferred charity

DONE! Now every time you want to log in to your account you will go to https://smile.amazon.com and select your items to purchase! Everything will remain the same with your existing account.

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to The Arc of Oakland County. As of October 2019, The Arc of Oakland County has received $1,012.45. With your help— we can increase that!

Support The Arc Using AmazonSmile

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2019 BROOKSIE WAY HALF MARATHONPHOTO ALBUM

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Continued "From the Director's Chair" on Page 1

dren and young adults (birth to 26 years of age) who receive, or may be eligible to receive, special education services. MAF strives to connect families of children with disabilities to resources to help improve their children’s education. This project also helps to facilitate parent involvement as a means of improving educational services and outcomes for students with disabilities. MAF assists parents in knowing their rights, effectively communicating their child’s needs, and advising how to help them develop and learn. Each MAF staff member is a parent or family member of an individual with disabilities who has first-hand experience with the aspects of the special education system. Every staff member is trained in listening, communicating, and problem-solving.

Interested parents may request services with MAF by either e-mailing a request to: info@michiganallianceforfamilies.org or by call-ing: 1-844-920-0270. For further information, families may examine the MAF website at: https://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org. Please also note that The Arc of Oakland’s “traditional” special education advocacy service will not change locally. MAF does operate in Oakland County, but not through The Arc of Oakland.

The leaves of the trees are almost down. Snow will soon blow in the wind. The Arc moves forever forward. We are strong. I person-ally enjoy the support of a wonderful board of directors, a dedicated and hard-working staff team, along with a large and committed membership base. For all of this, I am extremely thankful and most grateful. I sincerely wish for everyone the experience of a happy and safe Holiday season! …………. TFK

Support Gorman's Home Furnishings & The Arc of Oakland County

GOOD NEWS! Gorman’s Home Furnishings and Interior Design will once again raise money for The Arc of Oakland County through its Recliners event.

You can give a lifeline of hope and give the gift of comfort this season. Donate $50 to The Arc of Oakland County benefitting children & adults with intellectual, physical and related disabilities and get $200 OFF any leather recliner from Gorman's 10 best brands including world famous Stressless.

The event will run from November 22, 2019 through January 20, 2020.

Gorman’s Home Furnishings & Interior Design has supported nonprofit organizations and the community for over 25 years. For more information, please visit The Arc’s website at www.thearcoakland.org or Gorman’s website at www.gormans.com.

Social Security / Supplemental Security Income Increase People with disabilities who receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits will get more money next year.

The Social Security Administration recently said that benefits will rise 1.6 percent for 2020.

The increase is due to an automatic cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, that’s mandated by law and is tied to inflation. It’s trig-gered when the Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics goes up.

The change will take effect beginning Dec. 31 for over 8 million SSI beneficiaries across the country and in January 2020 for more than 63 million Americans receiving Social Security.

With the uptick, the maximum federal SSI payment for an individual will go from $771 per month to $783 per month for 2020. For couples, the federal maximum will rise from $1,157 to $1,175 per month.

Some states offer additional money to SSI beneficiaries, so actual payments may be higher.

Though beneficiaries will see bigger payments in 2020, the COLA for the coming year is down substantially from last year’s adjust-ment. Benefits grew 2.8 percent for 2019 compared to the year prior.

4

Another 13.1 miles down! Kevin Knoblock completed the Brooksie Way Half Marathon on Sunday, September 22, 2019, which started at Oakland University and ended at historic Meadowbrook Hall. The race was full of various elevations and took runners along the Clinton River and Paint Creek Trail as well as through Downtown Rochester.

The race was a great success as Kevin completed the Brooksie Way Half Marathon with an impressive time of 1 Hour, 43 Minutes, and 32 Seconds. Congratulations, Kevin!

We issued our Annual Run Challenge first in July to members and friends of The Arc of Oakland County with the 2019 goal being $15,000. To date, the total amount pledged and raised is $14,545,00! We are so close to meeting our goal! You can still send in a donation to the office or donate directly online through our website.

The Arc of Oakland County would like to reach out and thank all of those who have contributed and supported Kevin in his endeavors and in the Annual Run Challenge. Below please find a list of donors as of 10/15/19. Your support is greatly appreciated and we couldn’t have done it without you!

ANNUAL RUN CHALLENGE !

Thank You!Last Name First Name Amount

Anonymous $200 Ahearn Gwen $25 Alexander Larry D. $100 Andrews Judy $100 Arafat Johnny $25 Arens Linda $10 Banacki Walter J. $100 Barnhart David $100 Benvenuto Mary E. $50 Berlin Shirley $25 Berman Jacob $50 Bernacki James $250 Blum Louise $50 Bortman Caroline $50 Bosetti, Sr. Eugene R. $100 Brown Gloria Edna $100 Brubaker Edward $10 Buckstaff Marilyn $50 Burke Rosemary J. $25 Burns Bernice $500 Burnstein Myra $50 Buzzelli Robert $45 Callaway Pamela $25 Calvert, Jr. Ken $50 Cambridge Jr. Alfred E. $200 Canada Penny $50 Cardine Linda $50 Carpenter Mary $100 Carson James R. $50 Chand Sharon $50 Cheli Ronald $100 Church Edward P. $50Cihelka Milos $40

Last Name First Name Amount

Collette Diana F. $250 Counihan Terence J. $1,250 Cronin Larry $25 Crowley Louis $50 Cueter Joseph $50 Daiza Ronald $150 Dalton Brad $250 Dege Patricia $60 Dettore Michael L. $40 DiGiovanni Cheri Howe $100 DiSessa Mary Lou $50 Doll Walter J. $5 Dolney Pamela $50 Duncan Alan $30 Dziurgot Theresa $50 Emerson Mary $25 Fallat Martin $50 Falvay Sherida K. $50 Farooq Aftab & Naila $200 Feloni Sandra $100 Fill Jill $25 Freer Darrell $50 Galazin Catherine $50 Gannan Laura $100 Gelfond Allan $100 Ghassemi Dina $50 Glac Marlene $35& Butler Kathryn Gregorich, Sr. Donald J. $15 Guisinger Mary Lou $30 Haack Marlene $25Hall Elmyra $100 Halsey James $50

5

Last Name First Name Amount

Hardy Donald O. $20 Hay Edward C. $50 Hejhal Margaret $100 Hill-Pack Beatrice $50 Hoenig Donald $25 Holm Roger $100 Hughes David $20 Hurvitz Edward $30 Inman Catherine E. $25 Jones, Jr. Royden E. $50 Julow Deborah $500 Kalcec Elizabeth Friday $100 Kaminer Sheryl $10 Karp Gary J. $100 Kelly Susan P. $90 Kemp Patrick $30 Kendziorski Thomas F. $100 Kendziorski John D. $50 Kinnan Linda $200 Klingler Martha $20 Knox Linda $25 Kowalski Joseph $50 LaFontaine Connie $25 Lang Donna $20 Lawson Ardis $30 Levinson Debra $20 Lewis Jan $50 Lias Thomas $100 Locke Mary Jo $25 Lomas Marilyn A. $50 Lonero Toni $25 Losonci George B. $10 Mamassian Harry E. $25 Marshall Harold & Judith $100Matuszak Jerry & Cindy $25 Mazurek Heinz $50 Meador David $300 Mellott Karen $100 Meono Randall $150 Mich Lorraine $50 Milostan Nadine $100 Mischley Linda $25 Moscovic Richard $150 Moss Amy $50 Mueller Isidor $50 Murdy Robert $100 Murphy Richard $40 Myers Muriel $15 Natale Patricia $25 O'Connor Susan D. $100 O'Donovan Erin $50Olszewski Gerald $100

Last Name First Name Amount

O'Reilly Kevin $25 Pacheco Jorge A. $50 Pagel, Jr. Edwin A. $50 Penn Deborah $50 Phelps Douglas S. $75 Pivetz Rick $75 Price Karen $30Provo Allan $20 Quakenbush Tom $50 Rabinowitz Harvey & Carole $150 & Bender AdamRajput Minoti H. $100 Rangi Rosemary $25 Rebh Stephen A. $10 Rexin Dennis A. $50 Reynolds Russell $40 Rhames Sandra $100 Richart Gerald $25 Rodriguez Hector $20 Rogulski Barbara $30 Rubin Jerry I. $250 Salako Amy $25 Schabinger Lynn A. $50 Schovan Gregory $100 Schwab Michael $100 Sellers Phyllis $30 Sellers Dean $100 Shah Rajendra M. $25 Sherlitz Ed, Mark & Janet $1,000 Shink Patricia $50 Stack-Miller Janet $50 Steiner Peter $25 Stern Robert $500 Stevenson Janice $50 Summers Robert $100 Theaker Philip $100 Thomas, Jr. Paul $50 Titze William $50 Torrone John $50 Vlachos Theodoros $50 Warner-Bell Helen $100 White Robert Louis $100 Wiedelman Mark $125 Wilson Donald J. $250 Wolfe Diane $40 Woll Douglas $100 Woodward Corrine $25 Wysocki Kenneth $50 Yahia Samir $50Zdanowski Michele $25

GRAND TOTAL $14,545.00