Title Page Picture: Winter Scene Oklahoma Trees covered wit frost Picture: String of lights Picture: Office of Disability Concerns Logo Oklahoma Pledge Office of Disability Concerns Winter 2015 December, 2015 Page 2 Picture: Green Ribbon Cerebral Palsy Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary between people. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing and speaking. Often babies with cerebral palsy do not roll over, sit, crawl, or walk as early as other children their age. Difficulty with the ability to think or reason and seizures each occurs in about one third of people with CP. While the symptoms may get more noticeable over the first few years of life, the underlying problems do not worsen over time. Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. Most often the problems occur during pregnancy; however, they may also occur during childbirth, or shortly after birth. Often the cause is unknown. Risk factors include premature birth, being a twin, certain infections during pregnancy such as toxoplasmosis or rubella, exposure to methyl mercury during pregnancy, a difficult delivery, and head trauma during the first few years of life, among others. About 2% of cases are believed to be due to an inherited genetic cause. A number of sub-types are classified based on the specific problems present. For example, those with stiff muscles have spastic cerebral palsy, those with poor coordination have ataxic cerebral palsy, and those with writhing movements have athetoid cerebral palsy. Diagnosis is based on the childÕs development over time. Blood tests and medical imaging may be used to rule out other possible causes. Babies born with severe CP often have an irregular posture; their bodies may be either very floppy or very stiff. Birth defects, such as spinal curvature, a small jawbone, or a small head sometimes occur along with CP. Symptoms may appear or change as a child gets older. Some babies born with CP do not show obvious signs right away. Classically, CP becomes evident when the baby reaches the developmental stage at 61Ú2 to 9 months and is starting to mobilise, where preferential use of limbs, asymmetry, or gross motor developmental delay is seen. Resulting conditions can include seizures, apraxia, dysarthria or other communication disorders, eating problems, sensory impairments, disability, learning, urinary incontinence, and/or behavioral disorders. Impacting language, skeleton. Pain and sleep, and eating. Cerebral palsy is due to damage occurring to the developing brain. This damage can occur during pregnancy, delivery, the first month of life, or less commonly in early childhood. Structural problems in the brain are seen in 80% of cases, most commonly within the white matter. More than three quarters of cases are believed to result from issues that occur during pregnancy. While in certain cases there is no identifiable cause, typical causes include problems in intrauterine development (e.g. exposure to radiation, infection, fetal growth restriction), hypoxia of the brain (thrombotic events, placental conditions), birth trauma during labor and delivery, and complications around birth or during childhood. CP is partly preventable through immunization of the mother and efforts to prevent head injuries in children such as through improved safety. There is no cure for CP; however, supportive treatments, medications, and surgery may help many individuals. This may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Medications such as diazepam, baclofen, and botulinum toxin may help relax stiff muscles. Surgery may include lengthening muscles and cutting overly active nerves. Often external braces and other assistive technology are helpful. Some children have near normal adult lives with appropriate treatment. While alternative medicines are frequently used there is no evidence to support their use. CP is the most common movement disorder in children. It occurs in about 2.1 per 1,000 live births. Cerebral palsy has been documented throughout history with the first known descriptions occurring in the work of Hippocrates in the 5th century BCE. Extensive study of the condition began in the 19th century by William John Little, after whom it was called ÒLittle diseaseÓ. William Osler first named it Òcerebral palsyÓ from the German Òzerebrale KinderlŠhmungÓ (cerebral child-paralysis). A number of potential treatments are being examined, including stem cell therapy. However, more research is required to determine if it is effective and safe. Picture: Hope Matters Page 3 Ability Job Fair Picture: Sign ÒNew JobÓ Next Exit Picture: Ability Fair Survey Picture: Stone Soup Label FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE! 2015 ABILITY JOB FAIR Your Road to Employment! Thursday, October 22, 2015 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK.ÊÐ Oklahoma Works Partners and the Oklahoma Office of Disability Concerns are actively seeking diverse candidates for jobs in central Oklahoma.Ê Job seekers will learn about employment and career opportunities from leading employers that include Tinker AFB, Federal Aviation Administration and associated federal contractors, State Agencies, customer service, retail, manufacturing, oil and gas, transportation and many others at our 2015 Ability Job Fair ÒYour Road to EmploymentÓ on Thursday October 22, 2015. They are interested in hiring the talents and abilities that YOU represent! Learn from discussion panels about what it takes to be hired for a federal position, learn from employers what they are looking for, listen to a peer group about their road to employment and finally learn what it takes to be job ready! And network with employers to learn what they are looking for and how best to apply. Learn strategies for obtaining your employment goals. Network with potential employers. Stop by and visit with available resources from education, support services and many more. Remember to be ready to make the most of this opportunity by visiting your local Oklahoma Works office for of a one-on-one resume review, and attend workshops on completing a successful application, conducting a successful interview, and writing cover letters. What: 2015 Ability Job Fair ÒYour Road to EmploymentÓ When: Thursday, October 22, 2015 Hours: 9:00 am Ð 3:00 pm Where: Shepherd Mall 2401 NW 23rd St, Oklahoma City, OK 73107 Cost: Free Event including free parking RSVP: http://ok.gov/odc/AbilityJobFairJobSeeker.html For additional information please contact Kyle King 405 522-6698 orÊemail odc@odc.ok.gov. Were you there? It was a great event! Page 4 Picture: Approved Customer Credit Financial CAPabilities! -What You Need to Know About Borrowing ¥What is credit? ¥Why is it important to have good credit? ¥How do you establish credit? ¥What are credit reports and credit scores? What is Credit? Credit is money that you can borrow with the promise to repay it at a later date. Credit is not free. It allows you to borrow money when you donÕt have cash, but you may be charged interest and fees. There are two main types of credit: Installment Credit and Revolving Credit. Why Is It So Important to Have Credit? Good credit is necessary if you plan to make a major purchase and have to borrow the money. You need to establish good credit. Good credit means that you pay your bills on time and you donÕt have too much debt. The importance of good credit also goes beyond purchases. It also means that you will be able to do things like rent an apartment in your own name, have a cell phone, get a credit card, or obtain a loan for school. How Do You Establish Credit? There are several ways you can establish credit. You need to show potential lenders that you will be responsible for paying back a loan in the time period that you said you would. How can you do this? ¥You can take out a personal loan from a bank and pay it back on time. ¥You can get a credit card, charge purchases on your card, and pay your monthly credit card bill by the due date. ¥You can even establish credit by paying back a student loan on time. Debt Debt is money that you borrow and must repay. For example, if you borrow $25 from a friend, you will need to pay her back $25. $25 is a debt that you owe your friend. Beware! DonÕt Get Trapped by Payday Loans! If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Payday loans are small loans made by check cashers or similar businesses at extremely high interest rates. Typically, payday loans are short term (two weeks) for a few hundred dollars. To get a loan, you write a personal check for the amount that you are borrowing, plus a fee. The lender agrees to hold onto the check until you are ready to repay. In return, you get cash immediately. David took out a payday loan for $500. He plans on repaying his loan in two weeks. The payday lender says he will charge David $20 interest for every $100 that he borrows during this time period. This means that David will owe $600 when he repays his loan in two weeks. Why? ¥$20 interest for every $100 borrowed. David is borrowing $500. ¥$20 x 5 ($100) = $100 interest ¥$500 borrowed + $100 interest = $600 Unfortunately, David didnÕt have the $600 he needed in two weeks, so he extended the loan for another two weeks. Suddenly, he owed $700 because the interest kept piling up! If David kept extending the loan for a year, it would cost him $2,600 in interest just so he could borrow $500. The main reason to avoid payday loans is that they donÕt help you solve the real problem. If youÕre having financial difficulties, payday loans can only make the problem worse. YouÕre paying a really high rate of interest which means that your expenses are just going up. Credit reporting and Credit Bureaus Credit reporting is a system lenders use to decide whether or not to give you credit, or a loan, and how much interest they will charge you. Your credit report is a record of how much you owe and how well you pay it back. A credit report will also include information like where you live, whether youÕve ever declared bankruptcy, or been referred to a collections agency. Your credit history usually goes back only seven years; however, a bankruptcy will stay on your report for ten years or more. Page 5 Picture: File folders with label ÒLoansÓ Credit reports are available from three different credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) that get their information from many different sources. See the end of the chapter for information about how to contact these three credit bureaus. Credit Scores Based on the information in your credit report, lenders calculate your FICO (stands for Fair, Isaac and Company) credit score. The score is an indicator of your ability to repay a loan on time. The scores usually range from 300 to 850. A higher score is better; it means the risk of lending you money is less than if you have a low score. ItÕs also possible for someone not to have a credit score. This usually means that someone doesnÕt have enough of a credit history to receive a score. Why Is Your FICO Credit Score Important? Your credit score will follow you for your entire life. - If you decide to borrow money, a lender will look at your credit score to determine whether or not to lend money to you. Need to buy an adapted vehicle? The lender will check your credit score. In fact, some employers check credit scores when hiring to help determine who would make a good employee. Your credit score also determines how much it will cost you to borrow money. - People with higher credit scores are assumed to be less of a risk and therefore typically receive lower interest rates. Those with lower scores are viewed as more of a risk, so the bank will guard against that risk by lending money at a higher interest rate. And when youÕre talking about larger loans, such as buying a vehicle or a home, just an extra interest rate point could add up to thousands, or tens of thousands, of dollars in interest. Improving Your Credit Score What happens if you have made some financial mistakes in the past and your credit score is low? ¥DonÕt worry. The good news is that your credit score is constantly updated, so every month, as you begin to make improvements to your credit history, your score will improve. But keep in mind that items on your report will stay there for seven years or more, so it will take some time for serious financial mistakes to disappear completely. ¥Remember, if you make payments on time, youÕll slowly start to raise your credit score. ¥You can also improve your score if you reduce your total debt. As you can see in the pie chart at the left, the second largest part of your score is how much debt you have, so if you can lower your overall debt youÕll also begin to make some serious headway with improving your credit score. ¥You are entitled to one free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) every twelve months. ItÕs always a good idea to review your credit report and make sure what is being reported is correct! ¥For your information: Your FICO score does not come with your credit report. You may have to pay a fee to receive your score. What Should You Do If You Find a Mistake on Your Credit report? If you find a mistake on your credit report, contact the credit-reporting bureau that is reporting it and give them details and all supporting documents. They will tell you what documents are needed. Follow-up with the credit agency if you do not receive a satisfactory response within thirty days from the date your letter was mailed. It is also a good idea to contact the other credit reporting bureaus too. The three major national credit bureaus are: ¥Equifax, 1-800-685-1111 or www.equifax.com ¥Experian, 1-888-397-3742 or www.experian.com ¥TransUnion, 1-800-916-8800 or www.transunion.com Page 6 Picture: CAP Logo with a hat Tip of the Hat from CAP Our last ÒTip of the HatÓ talked about preparing for a new semester of school for clients of the Department of Rehabilitation Services. Not all DRS job seekers need schooling in order to achieve their Employment Outcome, but some do. August/September is time for the fall semester, but December/January is also a time for preparations for school. This time the spring semester is upon us. The same things we suggested before are applicable now. LetÕs recap. Before the Department of Rehabilitation Services can pay for a new semester of work, they must have a written grade report from the previous semester if you are already in school. You must earn at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4 point scale in order for the department to finance the next semester. If you do not achieve a 2.0 grade average, the agency will not pay for another semester until you have achieved a 2.0 grade average for work you pay for. As we said in the last ÒTip of the HatÓ, lower grades cost you money. If the department is going to pay for the upcoming semester, you need to provide them enrollment information for the new semester including cost of coursework and the number and title of classes you will take. In the spring and fall you must enroll in at least 12 hours of coursework. Summer is less. You must also provide a printout of your textbooks and their cost before DRS will authorize payment. The same goes for fees. Tuition, books and fees must be in writing in order for the agency to complete an authorization. Sometimes DRS will do a direct-pay authorization, and sometimes they will do a client-pay authorization. This goes for all authorizationsÑnot just authorizations for schooling. In a direct-pay authorization, the department will send a check directly to a contracted vendor to pay for whatever service or equipment you are going to get. They need to have a contract with that vendor in order to issue a check directly. If DRS does not have a contract with a particular vendor, they may issue a check directly to you the client. In that case, you will be responsible to pay the vendor for the service, collect the receipt and present it to your DRS counselor. When you are directly given money by the department, there is a big responsibility on you. Many DRS job seekers are living on a shoestring budget, and a check in hand for $800 or whatever amount is a huge temptation. Why donÕt I get Uncle Joe to fix my car and use the money to pay the rent? This is a bad idea for many reasons. First of all reasons is that there will be consequences in the services you need to get employed in the field of your choice. You must provide receipts to equal the amount of the check issued to you. If you do not provide receipts, your services which cost money will be discontinued until you either provide the receipts or pay back the money. Nobody wants that to happen. Receipts are very important. They provide documentation that you have used money correctly. They also demonstrate the Department of Rehabilitation Services is using federal and state money properly. DRS gets audited on a regular basis. Working closely with your DRS counselor will eliminate a lot of the pitfalls which can occur. Ask questions when you donÕt understand something. Ask questions to better find out how the program works, and donÕt hesitate to ask the Client Assistance Program about anything having to do with the agency as a whole or your case in particular. Call 405-521-3756 #7. CAP is here to serve you. We want to be a part of your team so you can get a job which is meaningful and meets your needs. Never lose sight of that final goal. Everything else is just a step on the way. Tuition, books and fees must be in writing in order for the agency to complete an authorization. . . . a check in hand for $800 or whatever amount is a huge temptation. Page 7 and 8 Picture: Various Service Animals wth Holiday Wishes To our Service Animal Happy Holidays & Website www.ok.gov/odc Friends, Companions! Joyous New Year! Follow US on Twitter! Find US and Friend us on Facebook! Page 10 Picture of a lion saying ÒJust wanted to say HI and I am not Lion!Ó Picture: Quote ÒI get the best feeling in the world when you say hi or even smile at me because I know, even if its just for a second, that iÕve crossed your mond/Ò - Unknown WhatÕs the best way to approach a person with a disability? ItÕs simple: Just say hi. One of the hardest parts of having a dis.ability is social rejection, or having people avoid eye contact or become tongue-tied by the possibility of saying something wrong. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF) launched a new public service campaign Tuesday called ÒJust Say Hi,Ó addressing the uneasiness and hesitation some might feel around people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Richard Ellenson, CEO of The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, said: Ò[Our] mission is to transform the lives of people with cerebral palsy today. One real and immediate area of opportunity is simple engagement. ÒWhile Ôjust saying hiÕ only scratches the surface of all we can do, itÕs a simple and impactful first step.Ó Instead of worrying how you might interact with someone with cerebral palsy, the video campaign encourages you to strike up a conversation just as you would with anyone else the video campaign encourages you to strike up a conversation just as you would with anyone else. It features celebrities and public figures such as The Wire actor Jim True-Frost (in the video above), CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Shameless actor William H. Macy. Page 13 Picture: A dog in custom of an airplane Some Faking Disabilities To Travel With Pets On Airplanes Some Americans are faking disabilities in order to travel with their pets on airplanes. This is becoming more of a problem as the number of people traveling increases. Eric Lipp of Open Doors Organization Ð a group that supports people traveling with legitimate disabilities Ð says that people who need support animals ÒdespiseÓ people who Òfake it. ÒThe people who really need support animals despise people who fake it,ÕÕ Lipp told the New York Post. ÒI call it Ôthe Paris Hilton effect,Õ where people want to take their cute little dogs everywhere.Ó A lot of travelers argue that their pets are emotional support animals. The Air Carrier Access Act is meant for people who have serious problems functioning and require the assistance of an animal. The law allows animals to board the plane and be placed with its owner in the cabin. In order for this to happen, a traveler must have a doctorÕs note. The problem therein lies when some travelers abuse and buy doctorsÕ notes online. Unfortunately, some American travelers faking disabilities in order to travel with their pets on airplanes resort to the black market for these types of letters. They also have access to animal emotional support vests, which cost up to $200. Airlines arenÕt likely to question the notes because if they refuse the legitimacy of an animal needed as a support companion, they could be fined as much as $150,000. ÒA man once insisted that his emotional support monkey needed an emotional support bird,ÕÕ Lipp said. ÒWe have seen multiple people want bunny rabbits. One woman said she needed five of them, and the airline finally let her keep one in the cabin and waived the fee for the others, but made them ride in cargo.Ó ThereÕs are a few states with laws banning people from bringing animals into areas off-limits while traveling. Advocates for disabled people are want the U.S. Department of Justice to issue stronger guidelines to deter travelers from pretending to be disabled. Page 14 Picture: Woman going over a checklist for travel Happy Holiday Travel - Plan ahead! 1. Call ahead. Service providers are required by law in many cases to accommodate travelers with special needs. However, most need some time to make the necessary arrangements. Mention your needs at the time of reservation, and call the provider 24 to 48 hours before your arrival to confirm that proper accommodations have been made. 2. Be specific and clear when describing a disability. Not all service providers know the ÒlingoÓ of accessible travel, or the medical terms for certain conditions. Give as many details as you can about what you can and canÕt do, and donÕt downplay the severity of the disability. The more information a service provider has, the better they will be able to accommodate you. 3. Be specific and clear when describing the trip to your doctor. A doctor can often prescribe measures for coping with an unusually long flight, limited medical facilities at your destination, the unavailability of prescription drugs and other pitfalls of travel.ing. Be prepared -- in some cases, your doctor may question the advisability of travel. For more information, see Medications for Travel. 4. Take a doctorÕs note and phone number. Travel with a statement from your doctor, preferably on letterhead, covering your condition, medications, potential complications, special needs and other pertinent information. Be sure you have a number where your doctor (or another medical professional) can be reached in an emergency situation at any hour of the day. 5. Bring extra medication. Many experts advise that you travel with two complete packages of essential medication in case of emergency. Store all medications and other necessary medical supplies in your carry-on bag. 6. Investigate physician availability where you will be traveling. Your doctor, health care provider, insurance company or local embassy can provide the names and con.tact numbers of physicians at your destination. For more information, see Health Care Abroad. 7. Carry medical alert information, prefer.ably in a place that a medical professional or anyone who assists you will find easily (wallet card, necklace, close to your identification). Page 15 Picture: Airplane flying 8. Consider using a specialist travel agent. Some agents provide niche services; one might be very experienced in working with hearing-impaired travelers, another with developmentally impaired travelers. Since the requirements for these varied travelers can be different, it helps to find someone who knows the differences. Check the agent search feature at 9. Avoid connecting flights. Although wheelchairs are the last items to be checked into the luggage compartments, and thus first to be pulled off, flying direct can save you unnecessary time and hassle. One exception: If you have trouble maneuvering into airplane lavatories, long flights may become uncomfortable -- so a series of shorter flights might be a better option. If you do choose to connect, be sure to allow plenty of time between flights. 10. Allow plenty of time before your flight to check in, get through security and transfer to your gate. Arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an inter.national flight -- more if youÕre traveling at a peak time. 11. Check in with your flight attendant before your plane lands to make a plan for exit. 12. DonÕt forget about transportation to and from the airport. If you have a wheelchair, make arrangements in advance to have an accessible vehicle pick you up in your destination city. 13. Bring spare parts and tools. Wheelchairs can take tremendous abuse while traveling; assemble a small kit of spare parts and tools for emergency repairs. You may also be required to dismantle a wheelchair for certain flights or activities; make sure you and your traveling companions know how to do this. 14. Know your rights. Before going through airport security, be aware of the TSAÕs rules for travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. The U.S. Department of TransportationÕs Aviation Consumer Protection Division has a comprehensive guide to the rights of disabled air travelers. Page 14 Picture: Sheep saying Baa, Baa HumbugÉ. Beating them Holiday Blues! Joy to the world! ÔTis the season to be jolly! Festive music fills the air; holiday cheer abounds. Everyone is happy at holiday time Ñ right? Wrong. Truth be told, many people feel lonely, sad, anxious and depressed at this time of year. How can this be? Do any of these reasons for feeling bummed sound familiar? DonÕt despair. Here are some ways for you to effectively beat those holiday blues: ¥ItÕs OK to feel what you feel: If you donÕt feel as happy as you think you should, donÕt fight it. Forcing feelings that arenÕt there will only make matters worse, and there real.ly arenÕt any ÒshouldsÓ about it. ¥Seek sun and endorphins: If you find yourself feeling blue, be sure to get at least 20 minutes of sunlight each day. This isnÕt always easy to do when winter weather hits, but do your best. And donÕt forget to exercise. Both sunlight and exercise help to fight any chemical causes for your holiday funk. ¥Help someone else: ItÕs hard to feel down while you are busy helping someone else. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, wrap gifts for unfortunate kids, or spend time with an elderly relative or friend. Instead of feeling glum youÕll find yourself experiencing what the holidays are really about: Giving to others. ¥Create your own traditions: Contrary to popular opinion, there are no rules for how you spend your holidays. So if old traditions bring up unhappy memories, start new ones. If you donÕt have family, share the holidays with good friends. DonÕt wait for them to include you; make them welcome in your home instead. If cooking a Christmas dinner feels like a drag, do brunch. If going to a synagogue or a church service dampens your spirits, have your own worship service outdoors, at home or wherever you wish. ¥Stay busy and avoid unstructured time: If you know the holidays are difficult for you, why not plan ahead and minimize your difficult feelings. Try to fill your calendar with fun events. Too much time spent alone may bring you to an old, familiar place: down. Now hereÕs the most important thing you can do to beat those blues: No matter what is happening in your life, think of the blessings you do have. Taking stock of all of the positives in your life Ñ right here and now Ñ can go a long way toward ending your Òbah humbugÓ mood. Page 17 Picture: Quote ÒYour life, begins to change the day you take the responsibility for itÓ KyleÕs Korner - Personal Responsibility Ð ItÕs Easy Personal responsibility is the willingness to both accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behavior and to make strenuous personal efforts to live by those standards. But personal responsibility also means that when individuals fail to meet expected standards, they do not look around for some factor outside themselves to blame. The demise of personal responsibility occurs when individuals blame their family, their peers, their economic circumstances, or their society for their own failure to meet standards. The three areas of personal decision making in which the nationÕs youth and young adults most need to learn and practice personal responsibility are education, sexual behavior and marriage, and work. When applied to education, personal responsibility means that students accept the responsibility to study hard and to learn as much as they can in courses that press against the limits of their capacity. For most students, this aspect of personal responsibility means that they must take cours.es that prepare them for college. Hard work is a must because the single most accurate predictor of college performance is high school grade point average, probably because grades reflect both capacity and hard work. Students who choose not to prepare for college must prepare for the world of work, a goal that also requires strenuous personal effort. Students who do not go to college should enroll in training courses after high school. Without job training, an apprenticeship, or a two-year or four-year degree, most young people are destined to a life of marginal employment and income. When applied to sex and marriage, personal responsibility means that young people should have the personal responsibility of taking all necessary measures to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Both research and centuries of human experience show that single parenthood is difficult for both parents and children alike. Non-marital births, which are almost always caused by a lack of commitment or to act responsibly in light of those norms, bring a new dimension to personal responsibility because the future of three people are implicated, one of whom has no voice. At the apex of his astonishing inaugural address, President Obama called the nationÕs attention to Òa new era of responsibility.Ó What did he mean? At minimum, he meant that young Americans should be guided by a clear and straightforward set of goals: finish your education, get a job, get married, and only then have children Ñ and get the sequence right. After that, everything is possible. Page 18 Back Page Picture: ÒHappy New Year 2016Ó 2401 NW 23rd St Suite 90 Oklahoma City, OK 73107 (405) 521-3756 (800) 522-8224 odc@odc.ok.gov