Residents@JV

March - Disability Awareness Month

The Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities celebrates Disability Awareness Month every March since its conception and founding twenty years ago in 1987. They put forth an educational campaign and catchy slogan every year and this year’s 2007 Campaign Theme for Indiana was ‘Room for Everyone’. Jacob’s Village is in their third year of visiting schools and informing students about disability issues and the need to be aware of the disabled population’s community. Karin Macke, Program Director at Jacob’s Village, and Scott Huck, resident, arranged to present Programs of Disability Awareness to local schools one day at a time on their own campus. All total, there were over 225 students plus faculty members from all three schools taking in the disability information. Each group of students was very well disciplined and an attentive audience with questions following the 20 minute brief. St. Joseph Catholic School was the first one scheduled and 4th Grade Teacher Diane Hill, 5th Grade Teacher Sharon Fink, and 6th Grade Teacher Debra Wade had their classes meet in the Activity/Library Room. At the St. Wendel Catholic Schools right before lunch period; which worked out rather well, Diane Carithers, Teacher of the Kindergarten Class coordinated most of the Elementary Classes and had them meet in their new gymnasium. Following the brief, Ms. Carithers invited Karin and Scott to join her Kindergarten Class for lunch. An enjoyable lunch it was with the 15 Kindergarten students, Ms. Carithers, and a plate of chicken patty on bread, corn, French fried potatoes, sliced pears, and milk. A bonus after lunch was a tour of the Kindergarten Class room. Incredible…high tech it is, with the latest in student friendly teaching devices, for example, a computerized power-point presenting teaching tool. At New Harmony, Scott’s alma mater, Dianna Simpkins, Special Needs Instructor for the K-6 classes arranged for the entire student body of the New Harmony Schools minus four of the Middle School’s classes that were on a field trip, to meet in the School’s gymnasium; a receptive bunch. Across the nation, people with developmental and related disabilities face a crisis in accessible housing. Over 750,000 people with developmental disabilities live with aging caregivers over the age of 65 and homes need to be found. This is where Jacob’s Village and the state have common ground, the state is working towards private not for profit facilities. Programs currently in place include Section 811 and Section 8. Section 811 is the Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program measure which provides housing for people with physical or developmental disabilities or people with chronic mental illness who are at least 18 and have a low income. Disabled adults are receiving recognition; their plight is at the top of the page, but still a work in progress.

posted by J V Resident Blog @ 8:19 AM