the Independent blog

By Scott Burlingame, Assistant Program Director and Don Brunette, Board Member

If a person without a disability wants to go to work, they are guaranteed at least a minimum wage. If a person without a disability becomes employed, they go to work in an environment that is conducive to the job they are doing. For far too many people with disabilities, this is not true. For those among us with the most significant disabilities, the only employment options have long been in segregated shelter workshops working for wages significantly below minimum wage.  People with disabilities have been legally denied the basic human right to even a minimum wage and have been legally segregated while attempting to contribute to society. However, that is slowly starting to change.

By Nate Aalgaard, Executive Director

            He had the perfect name for someone in real estate - Sell. And sell he did, over a 35-year career as a successful real estate agent and owner in Moorhead. He was known as a hard worker, a loyal and dedicated family man, a fun guy to be with.   Freedoms Board President, Larry Chial, worked with Leon for a time at Wagner Realty.  "If it was late on a Friday afternoon, most people would take off.  But even if he had sold five houses that week, Leon would still be there working on another deal," Larry said.

A fall from a ladder and subsequent paralysis drastically changed his life in 2003.  He spent four years in a nursing facility, finally getting home in March of 2007. On April 10, 2008, Leon Sell, 71, passed away following eight months of hospitalization as a result of complications from a car accident, which happened in August, 2007. That accident was a tragic event that cut short what his wife Judy called, "Five wonderful months."

            Leon was a persistent guy.  And that persistence helped him make arrangements to leave the nursing facility and return home.  He had built an accessible house.  He bought an accessible minivan with a lowered floor and hand controls, and he had learned how to drive it.  He put ads in the paper and found nurses and personal assistants to come to his home and help him morning and night. He purchased a vast array of durable medical equipment of all kinds to help make his life better.

            According to Judy, the summer of 2007 was just great.  Leon spent a lot of time driving around in his van, taking his grandkids to the lake, and visiting friends around town."That van was a godsend," she said. He even got to be sort of a daredevil at the lake.  He would go down and sit at the end of the dock in his power wheelchair.  "He scared us to death," Judy said. "He would go out there and fall asleep and he would leave the power on his chair on.  We were afraid that he would bump it and go right off the end.  We couldn’t tell him not to do it. That’s one thing about Leon.  He would always do it anyway."

              It was all cut short on August 30, when Leon, stopped at the stop light on Highway 10 right by Wal-Mart in Detroit Lakes, was rear-ended at high speed. Fortunately, the grandkids were not with him this time.  His van went into the median and across the oncoming lane of traffic, coming to rest only a short distance from a rail car.  His van and chair were both totaled.  He had broken legs and a broken arm, serious bumps and bruises, and internal injuries. His kidneys failed, which forced him to go on dialysis.  His arms also became somewhat paralyzed.  He could no longer feed himself, brush his teeth, or comb his hair.  He spent the next few months in the hospital. He knew he was in really bad shape.  After such a long struggle the first time around, he just didn’t see much in the future for himself, knowing he would not be able to drive again. 

He kept his spirits up though, and his mind stayed extremely sharp.  He enjoyed visits from friends and family, and was determined to hang in there until his birthday on April 7. On April 10, Leon finally succumbed to the infection and tremendous stress that these injuries put on his body.  

            Even though Leon had to endure two tragic accidents that eventually took his life, Judy still looks at the positive. " I’m so glad he had the chance to come home, even if it was just for five months.  That summer was wonderful."

Thursday July, 24

4:00 to 7:00 pm

Lindenwood Park

Fargo, ND

Commemorative Walk to

Support the ADA

FREE PICNIC

Join our community at the Rotary Universal Playground at Lindenwood Park where people

of all abilities will come together

to celebrate the ADA

For questions, call Freedom at 701-478-0459

Wilderness Inquiry

By Scott Burlingame, Assistant Program Director

Are you glad winter is finally over? Are you looking to do something big this summer, something that will provide memories to keep you warm next winter?  Perhaps Wilderness Inquiry (WI) is an option for you. WI is a non-profit organization that helps people from all walks of life to personally experience the natural world. Each year they operate over 200 multi-day trips to locations around the world. In addition to these trips, they offer a variety of day-long programs, training sessions and other events designed to promote involvement in outdoor pursuits for people of ages, backgrounds, and abilities. WI adventures include, canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing and many more outdoor activities.

WI has a flexible payment schedule and financial assistance may be available for some activities. You can find out more by calling 1-800-728-0719 or going to www.wildernessinguiry.org.

Courage Regional Day Camp

By Cyndi Collins, Independent Living Advocate

Courage Regional Day Camp gives young people with physical disabilities or sensory impairments opportunities to enjoy outdoor camping experiences close to home. Directed by trained staff from the community, Day Camps offer varied outdoor activities which make use of natural sites and recreational resources in each area.  Campers must be between 5 to 14 years of age. For more information on day camps in your area or to fill out an application for camp, contact Maria Schugel at (320) 963-3121 or E-mail dayandfamilycamps.org 

The the United States House of Representatives voted by a wide bipartisan majority to restore the full protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act overturns several Supreme Court decisions interpreting the ADA in such a way that people with obvious disabilities from epilepsy to missing limbs have nonetheless been found by a court not to be disabled.

The bill, passed 402-17, is designed to bring people back under the ADA’s protection. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

"Today’s bill makes it clear that Congress intended the ADA’s coverage to be broad and to cover anyone who faces unfair discrimination because of a disability," said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.

Senator Tom Harkin, a longtime leader in ensuring equality and the opportunity for self sufficiency amongst the millions of Americans with disabilities, is the author of companion legislation in the Senate. He made the following statement:

"Today, people across this country with conditions that common sense tells us are disabled are being told that the ADA’s protections against discrimination do not apply to them. I congratulate my colleagues in the House for acting so decisively to restore the protections of the ADA to all Americans with disabilities, and I look forward to building on their success by passing a strong bipartisan restoration bill through the Senate in the near future. "

The White House said it supports the legislation, even though it wants some changes. The Bush administration is working to update ADA regulations and this month proposed an overhaul of public access rules.

The bill has the support of business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said the proposal "represents a balanced approach to ensure appropriate coverage."

Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. is a disability rights organization. Our Mission is to work toward equality and inclusion for people with disabilities through programs of empowerment, community education, and systems change.  At Freedom, we have a commitment to change, so as to create opportunities for people with disabilities of all ages to be as productive and independent as possible.

Core Services

Information & Referral

Information on any disability-related topic,

referrals to appropriate agencies and programs,

and assistance in applying for services.

Individual Advocacy

Empowering people to make choices and have

input in all aspects of their lives. Assistance and/

or representation in obtaining access to benefits,

services and programs.

Independent Living Skills Training

We offer a variety of training to increase

independence including budgeting, meal

planning, social skills training, organizational

skills, drivers test training and personal care.

Peer Mentoring

We recruit and train people with disabilities who

can foster independence in others by becoming

a peer mentor and match them with individuals

who may be experiencing similar situations.

Systems Advocacy

Efforts made to implement local, state and

federal policy changes to make facilities,

services and opportunities available and

(FARGO, ND) Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living is proud to announce that Billy Altom, the Executive Director of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) will be presenting at two events in Fargo this month.
On September 18th, he will give the keynote address at Celebrate in 2008, Freedom’s annual meeting and celebration, which runs from 5-8pm at the Ramada Plaza Suites-Crystal Ball Room.
On September 19, Mr. Altom, along with representatives from both the Minnesota and North Dakota Secretary of State’s offices, will present a training called Grassroots Advocacy: Transforming Yourself and Your Community from 9am-3pm at the Ramada Plaza Suites. This training will work to engage leaders in the disability rights movement to organize in changing the world for all people with disabilities, and provide them with information on how to get their voice heard this election season.
Both events are open to the public at a cost of $10 each. For more information, or to purchase your tickets, please call Freedom at 701-478-0489 or 1-800-450-0459.
Altom, Little Rock, Arkansas, has worked in the disability rights movement for over 15 years. Prior to his employment with APRIL he was the Executive Director of the Delta Resource Center from 1996 through 2007. He is also member of the Easter Seals Project Action National Steering Committee and a past member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL).
A person with a disability, he has an ingrained knowledge and responsibility to promoting and upholding the independent living philosophy. He has seen and experienced the injustices people with disabilities have endured and is committed to the ideal of advocacy and empowerment, which will enable people with disabilities to lead self-directed lives.
 

Freedom Resource Center is a disability rights organization. Its mission is to work toward equality and inclusion for people with disabilities though programs of empowerment, community education and systems change.