I Linå'lå-ta (Our Life) A Newsletter For Individuals With Disabilities VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 7, 2007 Page 1 Transit Talk: Nihi Tafan Hanao No more busless Sundays or early evenings. Biba! Transit is back to regular schedules. So, why did hours and service change in the first place? With the month-to-month procurement across the year, expenses exceeded the budget. So like mom and her purse strings, Department of Administration (DOA) cut spending to make the money last to the end of September. Will there be anything new to look forward to this year? Yes! We have a couple of new bus shelters: one at Chamorro Village and another just north of Micronesia Mall on Marine Corps Drive, just a quick, accessible 10 minute walk to the north entrance and parking lot of the Mall. The stop at Fatima Road remains, so now you can access the mall from either side. Will there be more new stops? DOA Deputy Director, Joseph C. Manibusan says, “Yes, you can expect greater convenience with additional stops.” These changes reflect your input on travel needs and the observation of service patterns. Please keep your ideas flowing into the planning process by contacting a Commission member or planners at the Chamorro Village office location. This year you can also expect signs for all stops so passengers and the general public clearly understand where the fixed route buses stop. No more guessing where you should wait! Also be aware that drivers are required to call out all stops to familiarize you with stop locations. Listen for the drivers’ announcement, and if he forgets, politely request that he announce all stops. Senator Frank Ishizaki got a taste of your transit experiences last September. His trip from the Legislature to Chamorro Village, Mangilao, and Barrigada provided him with opportunity to converse with riders and observe operations. With new understanding of the gaps in service, he held a roundtable discussion in October to build ideas for legislative initiatives in support of change. Other change ideas brewed up in Washington, D.C. in August. A Guam Team, comprised of Mr. Manibusan, David Dell ’Isola, Charlene San Nicolas, and Ginger Porter, representing stakeholders concerned about reliable transportation options, participated in the 2007 Institute for the Coordination of Human Services Transportation. Their challenge?...to dream up strategies to get more ideas for the same assets, simplify access to transportation, and increase customer satisfaction. Photo with caption: Senator Frank Ishizaki, (standing, center) Chairperson, Committee on Governmental Operations and Organizations, Mina Bente Nuebe Liheslaturan Guahan, participated in a field trip on September 4 to observe first hand the challenges of riding public transportation. Joining him on the trip were (L-R) Ginger Porter, Guam CEDDERS Training Associate, Evelyn Duenas, Vice President of the Transportation Commission, & Zachary Taimanglo, Legislative Staff Assistant. This shelter, just north of the Micronesia Mall on Marine Corps Drive, is one of two new transit shelters funded through funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Page 2: TBI Support Group Motorcylists, bicyclers, pedestrians, auto drivers, shaken babies, and victims of family and domestic violence are all at high risk for traumatic brain injury, sometimes described as “The Silent Epidemic.” This serious and debilitating injury to the brain can lead to a host of challenges, some of which are personality changes, coordination problems, memory and communication loss, and mood swings. Who helps those affected? Guam Legal Services Corporation (GLSC) has been active in involving families, medical and service providers, and public agencies to form a TBI Consortium to increase awareness of traumatic brain injury and how it affects individuals and their family members. The Consortium has now evolved into the TBI Advisory Board, which addresses service availability, delivery, and planning through regular, collaborative meetings with individuals with TBI, their family members, service providers, and policy makers. The completion of a local needs assessment has identified current issues and concerns in services. The process of community awareness presentations and outreach is methodically increasing community participation. Individuals with TBI and their family members are encouraged to participate in the TBI Advisory Board meetings. These meetings are held every second Wednesday of each month at the Guam System for Assistive Technology (GSAT) Center, House 19, Dean Circle, University of Guam. For more information, contact Norma Jean Lizama, GLSC Advocate, at 922-4571-4 or William Brandshagen, TBI Program Coordinator, Department of Public Health & Social Services, at 735-7301 or 7174. “Help At Hand” Works For All Are you a person with a disability who is worried about what would happen if you have an accident while you are alone? Or are you concerned about yourself or a family member having a medical emergency or some other “scary” situation while alone? Well, the “Help at Hand” is a device that may provide peace of mind. “Help at Hand” is designed to dial the telephone numbers you select in the event of an emergency. You choose the persons to be called and you record the message you want them to receive. By simply pulling the ring on the wireless pendant, you can contact the persons you choose to hear the message you record. This device dials the phone for you. Silent dialing provides additional protection during a crime. Regardless of your age or disability, you can feel secure knowing you are never completely alone. Best of all, there are NO INSTALLATION OR SERVICE FEES! Range of the pendant is 75-100 feet. For more information, you can call Maxiaids at (631) 752-0521, or go on-line and do a Google Search for “Help at Hand.” For additional information, you may call Mike Terlaje at the Guam System for Assistive Technology at 735-2490. Photo with caption: The “Help At Hand” Alarm (at right) is ideal for individuals who spend time alone in their homes and wish to have an extra sense of security. The wireless device may be set to call up four different numbers at the press of a button to signal that the user needs emergency assistance. Getting Support Off-Island Conferences Can Be Easy! I’ve heard of scholarships since I was a child, but I never knew there were different kinds for different reasons. So, when I talked to my friend Berni about a conference she had gone to, I couldn’t help but ask her how she got help for her trip. She told me she was granted a scholarship. “What?” I asked. I thought that scholarships were only given to college students. Time passed, and now working at the Sagan Mami Enrichment Center, the word and flyers came my way about the Alternatives 2007 Conference on Mental Health. I had heard from other scholarship recipients how consumers plan, facilitate, and run the whole show, and then enjoy the fun. The application for the scholarship was on the internet, and with help from my friend, Simeon, I accessed it online. Printing out the application and filling it out was very simple. I provided general information about my need for money for my flight, hotel, meals, and even ground transportation. I checked “yes” on all the boxes! The only thing that took a bit of time, but was really easy, was answering questions such as 1) what do you want to know at the conference and 2) would you be telling others in your community about what you learned? Just five (5) questions, short and simple. I had only one page. I answered it honestly and had my boss Berni edit my work. The last piece was a recommendation from the Mental Health Planning Council confirming that I was a good person for the conference. With the help of Mental Health, I put my application in an envelope, and they mailed it for me. Three months later, I got a letter saying that I had been awarded the scholarship, which granted me money for all the boxes I had checked ‘yes.’ Completing my application took about 3 hours across three days. This paid off! On October 9, I left for St. Louis, Missouri to attend the Conference I always wanted to participate in. I learned a lot of new things about Mental Health and took it as a vacation I otherwise couldn’t afford. Good luck on taking the easy and simple steps on applying for a scholarship and enjoy the experience and the trip. Paulina Torre, works at Sagan Mami, a program of the Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse and Guma' Mami, Inc. Page 3: Opening Doors: Working To Improve Accessibility What do the Holiday Resort & Spa and the Guam Public Library System (GPLS) have in common? Hotel and library employees are listening to and responding to the special needs of consumers with disabilities. Recently, in preparation for her daughter’s wedding reception, Dr. Alicia Aguon contacted the Holiday Resort & Spa to secure reservations for a wheelchair accessible room. Dr. Aguon sought the assistance of the Guam CEDDERS and GSAT personnel to help convey the urgency and specific need for accessibility. Dr. Aguon’s intention was to secure overnight hotel accommodations for the bride’s grandmother, Tan Andresina Cruz, who uses a wheelchair. Hotel staff were able to accommodate the request and Tan Andresina was happily able to attend the festivities. The room, though intended for wheelchair accessibility, still presented a challenge because its shower facility was not wheelchair accessible. Through this experience, hotel management is learning to fine-tune their response to this special need. Even now, as we approach the end of the first decade of the new millennium, consistent, continued, and orchestrated efforts are needed to open doors for persons with disabilities in our communities. The library is actively seeking ways to better improve accessibility to their facilities as well as services, according to GPLS Library Technician Ron Ayuyu. Currently, GPLS houses more than 5,000 books in four-track audio cassette (talking books) format which are made available to persons who are blind or physically challenged. Once certification of disability is processed, patrons can have access to four track audio cassette players free of charge. These resources are made available through the U.S. National Library Services (NLS). A select collection of books in Braille are also available. Inquiries can be directed to Mr. Ayuyu at 475-4755. If you have suggestions on how the library can better meet your special needs as someone with a disability, call or write to CPLS Acting Director Sam Souza at 475-4755. You may also email her at sam.souza@mail.gov.gu. Talking books are available at all GPLS branches: Hagåtña, Barrigada, Yona, Malesso, Hågat, and Dededo. The main branch in Hagåtña is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am to 5pm. Call or write the library for specific branch and bookmobile hours and dates. Accessibility can be achieved by working together. Keep the dialogue open! J Photo with caption: After initial problems obtaining appropriate hotel accommodations, Tan Andresina Cruz was able to get a semi-accessible room at the Holiday Resort & Spa where her granddaughter’s wedding reception was held. Although the entry to the room met accessibility requirements, the shower area had a regular tub. (L-R) Eddie Invencion, Assistant F&B Manager; Jesse Fernandez, groom, Ermar Reyes, F&B Manager; Rowena Smith, Assistant Front Office Manager; Tun Joaquin Cruz bride's grandfather; Chiricka Fernandez, bride, & Tan Andresina Cruz (seated). Photo with caption: A library technician at the Nieves Flores Memorial Library, shelves one of the hundreds of books on audio tape which are housed at the Hagåtña branch. Page 4: GOAL-AT Assists 14 Consumers Guam Options for Alternative Loans for Assistive Technology (GOAL-AT) is a federally funded island-wide program that provides affordable financial loans to persons with disabilities for the purchase of assistive technology devices and services. As of November 30, GOAL-AT has disbursed 14 loans to consumers to purchase assistive technology. For more information on the GOAL-AT Program, please contact Mike Terlaje, AT Specialist at the Guam System for Assistive Technology (GSAT) at 735-2490. Mike may also be reached via email at mterlaje@ite.net. Photo with caption: GOAL-AT Loan Recipients include Bill Fuppul (left photo) who purchased a laptop, cell phone, and a printer, Linda Leon Guerrero (center photo) who used her funding to purchase a motorized scooter, and Catherine McDonald (right photo), who purchased hearing aids. 8 Hearing aids 1 Vision aid 3 Mobility aids 1 Adaptive exercise device 4 Computers/accessories 1 Adaptive lawn care device Advertisement: Upcoming Events March 7-8, 2008 Tri-Agency Disability Expo Venue TBA For More Information Call Mike Terlaje at 735-2490 Advertisement: Guam Developmental Disabilities Council September 2007 Election Result The Guam Developmental Disabilities Council is pleased to announce the results of the 2007 Election of Officers. The newly elected officers will serve a term of two years. Chairperson - Eugene Santos 1stChairperson - Josephine Cortez 2nd Vice Chairperson - Esther Arca Secretary - Ella Cruz Congratulations!I Linå'lå-ta is a quarterly publication published and funded through a Tri-agency collaborative partnership between the Guam Developmental Disabilities Council, Guam Legal Services Disability Law Center, and the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, & Service (Guam CEDDERS). Comments may be sent to: Guam CEDDERS Office of Academic & Student Affairs University of Guam, UOG Station Mangilao, Guam 96923 Phone: 735-2480/1 Fax: 734-5709 TTY: 734-6531 Email: fejarang@ite.net Guam DDC Executive Director: Manuel Cruz GLS-DLC Executive Director: Rebecca Santo Tomas, Esquire Guam CEDDERS Director: Heidi San Nicolas, Ph.D. Editor: Cecilia “Lee” Perez Cruz Assistant Editor: Terrie Fejarang Layout & Design: Margaret Johnson This issue of I Linå'lå-ta was made possible by contributions from the following individuals: Alicia Aguon, Rose Babauta, Lee Perez Cruz, Terrie Fejarang, Mayfe Muyco, Ginger Porter, & Mike Terlaje. Alternative formats (e.g. Braille, large print, or audio tapes) of I Linå'lå-ta will be made available upon request. Please contact Margaret Johnson at 735-2477 (v), 735-6531 (TTY), or 734-5709 (fax) for more information.