ACTION ALERT
The Preventing Harmful Restraint & Seclusion in Schools Act (S.2860)
Protect students from inappropriate seclusion and physical restraints, and for other purposes!
S.2860 is a bill that will stop schools from restraining children, confining them in seclusion rooms, and using aversive interventions to harm them. This Act would require the Secretary of Education to issue regulations regarding "seclusion and restraint" practices for students in both public and private schools that receive federal funding. While numerous States already have some standards and regulations in place, this legislation would require States to meet minimum standards.
Minimum standards that all states must meet or exceed:
• Prohibiting school personnel from imposing on any student mechanical restraints, chemical restraints, physical restraint or physical situation that restricts breathing or aversive behavioral interventions that compromise health and safety.
• Prohibiting school personnel from imposing physical restraint or seclusion on a student unless: (1) the student’s behavior poses an imminent danger of physical injury to the student or others; (2) if less restrictive interventions would be ineffective in stopping physical injury; (3) if physical restraint or seclusion is imposed by an aide who is familiar with the student (someone who "continuously monitors the student face-to-face"); and (4) if such physical restraint or seclusion is imposed by trained and State-certified school personnel, or other school personnel in the case of an emergency.
• Prohibiting the inclusion of restraint or seclusion as a planned intervention in a student’s individualized education plan (IEP), but allowing local education agencies (LEAs) or schools to establish policies for use of physical restraint or seclusion in school safety or crisis plans, provided that they are not specific to any individual student.
• Requirement for reporting after an incident to the parent of the student involved with an immediate verbal or electronic communication, and written notification within 24-hours of the incident.
Contact your Senators and urge them to support The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (S. 2860) to protect students while preserving their right to a free and appropriate education, without using restraints in our schools. Support S.2860 without any amendments that would weaken the bill. Thank you for your support!
ND Senators
Sen. Kent Conrad (D) (202)224-2043 – 530 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510 – conrad.senate.gov
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D) (202)224-2551 – 322 Hart Senate Off Bldg, Washington, DC 20510 -dorgan.senate.gov
MN Senators
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) (202)224-3244- 302 Hart Office Bldg, Washington, DC 20510 – klobuchar.senate.gov
Sen. Al Franken (D) (202)224-5641 -320 Hart Office Bldg, Washington, DC 20510 – franken.senate.gov

Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc.
 

LIVING WELL WITH A DISABILITY
Independent Living Skills Training to help people with disabilities:
• Set and accomplish goals
• Improve communication skills
• Learn problem solving skills
• Advocate for yourself
• Seek information
• Improve overall physical and mental health
“The healthier you are the more you are able to do!”
Living Well With a Disability was developed by The Rural Institute on Disabilities at the University of Montana and has been empowering people with disabilities to change their lives for over 10 years.
Join us for an orientation session 4/22/2010 at our Fergus Falls office at 125 West Lincoln #17 at 2 P.M.
Contact us at with any questions at 218-998-1799.

It means that this place meets accessibility standards. It can be placed on signs for parking, restrooms, or entire buildings. Sometimes it is a true indication of the accessibility of the place, sometimes it is not. At Freedom, we attempt to recognize businesses that meet minimum access standards as set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We have identified a few local businesses for being accessible and provided them with certificates and window stickers. We also work with Mayors Committees in the Fargo-Moorhead and Jamestown communities on their access awards. Some of the businesses are:

Jamestown
Stutsman Harley Davidson
Pizza Hut

Moorhead
Moorhead Sports Center
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery

Fargo
Lone Star Steakhouse
Buffalo Wings (42nd St)
Ruby Tuesday (25th St)
Urban Plains Center
Silver Moon Supper Club

West Fargo
Hooligans Bar and Grill
 

Discrimination is in the eyes of the beholder                                                                   By Nate Aalgaard, Executive Director                                                                                

Our mission statement says that we are working toward equality and inclusion for people with disabilities. Sometimes discrimination is preventing people from equal opportunity to participate in different aspects of life, such as employment, access to goods and services, communication, and education. When we interview people for jobs, we often ask if they or someone close to them has ever experienced discrimination. Most of the time they answer that they have not. This surprises me, because I feel that I could legitimately say I am discriminated against every single day of my life. I tend to believe that most people have been discriminated against if they have a disability. They just don’t look at it that way.
Am I just some angry and bitter person, blaming everybody else for my problems? No way. I’m looking at it through a different lens. I look at it through the lens of a person who expects that if there are barriers to people with disabilities participating equally, and those barriers are easy to remove, they should be removed. I see no difference between a business that out-and-out declares that they have no intention of putting in accessible parking, or a ramp, or installing tables that are low enough for somebody in the wheelchair to use comfortably; than the business owner who simply ignores it and hopes the whole issue never comes up. It doesn’t matter if it’s an intentional act of exclusion, or a passive one. The effect is the same.
I don’t spend every day of my life being frustrated that every single business doesn’t suit my needs. I am lucky enough to live in a community that has many different choices of restaurants, stores, and other businesses. I simply choose the ones that I feel best meet my needs, including accessibility, and boycott the rest. I often refer to this “silent boycott” in which many people with disabilities participate. We don’t bother struggling with places that are more difficult. Neither do we make a big deal of it, because it just seems like more work than it will ever be worth.
On the other hand, if I lived in the small town where I went to high school, my options would be very limited. I understand the economic reality of small towns. Many of the people who grew up there are now gone. Populations are dwindling, revenue is shrinking, and a business owner is oftentimes struggling to keep the door open, much less make the door more accessible. I also know that people in small communities are resourceful. Would it be a problem to get a few people together on a Saturday and put a ramp on that two-step entry? Probably not.
One thing I have decided to do is to be part of a group of people who regularly go and visit businesses, speak with the management or owner about accessibility issues, and follow-up with written information. We have even filed a few complaints when we feel that the barriers would be easy to remove and are within the parameters of what would be considered “readily achievable.”
Here at Freedom, we are also in the business of recognizing people who do the right thing. We are working with other groups and individuals to provide proper recognition, as well as education on the rights and needs of people with disabilities. Plus, we want to help people with disabilities locate and utilize businesses that they will not have to struggle with.
According to the National Disability Institute, the estimated 50 million people living with a disability in the United States is an under-tapped market with an aggregate annual income of more than $1 trillion and $220 billion in discretionary spending power. Even in a recession, that’s a lot of money.
 

7. Need More Information?
The DBTAC: National Network of ADA Centers (800-949-4232 (voice/tty; www.adata.org) provide free, confidential and accurate information, technical assistance and training on how to make your facility accessible and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition, the DBTAC’s ADA Training Resource Center (www.adacourse.org) is a comprehensive resource for training materials, including free self-paced web courses, on accessibility and the ADA.
www.realeconomicimpact.org
 

As always, please feel free to contact Freedom Resoruce Center for Indpendent Living as your number one sorce for disablity related infromaiton!

Opportunity for Fun in Moorhead! Call today!

Clay County Interagency Early
Intervention Committee and the ARC of West Central Present:

Fun With Yoga!
Come and discover the fun and benefits of yoga. We will
explore playful and relaxing poses, energizing and calming
breath work, and we will end with calm relaxation.
Laughter and creativity is encouraged as we bring
balance and joy into this mind-body journey, geared
especially for a young child of any age.
Bring a large towel or mat for each participant.
arcwestcentral.org
Time: 6:30-7:30
April 20th, 2010
Probstfield Center for Education
Room 224
2410 14th St. S, Moorhead
 

Send registration to:
Arc West Central
810 4th Ave. S. #134, Moorhead, MN 56560
1-800-411-0124 Fax 218-233-0853
Email: arcwcm@702com.net
Register by April 14th, 2010
Name: ___________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________
City: _____________________ State: ____ Zip: _________
Email: __________________________ Phone #: _________
# Adults attending: _____ # Children Attending: _____
 

Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. is proud to present
Becoming JobSmart™
This humorous program will allow you to laugh as you learn the skills you need to meet your employment goals. JobSmart introduces a new practical approach to learning and re-learning basic job skills for people with disabilities.
 

Topics Include
Part 1: How to Avoid Staying Unemployed
Part 2: How to Avoid Irritating Co-Workers
Part 3: How to Avoid Irritating the Boss
Part 4: How to Get a Promotion
Part 5: How to Avoid Getting Fired
Part 6: How to Avoid Getting Hurt

Join our advocates as we facilitate JobSmart starting April 26th at 2pm at our office at 2701 9th Ave. S. Suite H in Fargo. Contact Cyndi with any questions at

701-478-0459 or 1-800-450-0459
Or call for other times in other locations!

Cyndi Collins, Independent Living Advocate

Much has changed in the world of fitness in the last 10 years. With gyms popping up all over, fitness options are increasing each year. As a certified Group Fitness Instructor, I have spent a lot of my time in a variety of gyms, and have continued updating my skills and repertoire to keep up with every changing demand.
Some things still stay the same, particularly the layout of the centers. Whether this is due to economy or some other driving force, gyms seem to be getting increasingly smaller and are still packing in as much equipment as possible. This makes the space inaccessible to people with disabilities trying to reach their wellness goals.
According to the ADA, fitness centers fall under Title III, meaning these facilities -whether it is public or private- must comply with basic nondiscrimination requirements; prohibit exclusion, segregation and unequal treatment. Centers must also comply with architectural standards; remove barriers in existing buildings and alter and/or modify policies, practices and procedures to all people with disabilities unless it causes undue burden on the business.
One of the biggest complaints from members with disabilities is that the entire center isn’t accessible. Equipment is too close together, making it difficult to access, disabled or not. A standard spacing of equipment should be at least 36 inches apart. Other complaints have been: inaccessible restrooms, lockers too high or too low, lack of accessible parking, and access to equipment on all levels of the gym. The law states if the center offers different activities and equipment on different levels, each level must be accessible unless it causes undue burden on the business.

.
There are a few cheap and easy ways to decrease the barriers inside a gym. With cardio equipment and weight lifting machines, use a label maker or contact your local Services for the Blind to have labels printed in Braille or larger print. Provide machines with speech output commands. Lower equipment so individuals can transfer onto it; and make it reachable. Provide training to your staff in regards to people with disabilities. Some limited assistance getting set up on machines may be appropriate.
Alternative wellness and specific exercise classes have been offered at some fitness centers, and that makes those classes exclusive and not inclusive. There is a lack of training in regards to making classes inclusive and many don’t take the time to learn how to modify aerobics classes to meet the needs of all participants. According to the American Journal, 36 percent of people with disabilities engage in leisure physical activity compared to 56 percent for non-disabled people. Modifying classes may seem difficult, but that’s not necessarily true. Most people with disabilities can participate in basic-to-maximal strength training, endurance and competition training, and active recovery. It’s important to take the time to get to know all participants in the class to learn everyone’s limitations, develop modified routines and/or purchase adaptive equipment for each class.
 

6. Can I Get Help with Making my Facility Accessible?
People with disabilities can be your best source of information on making your business more accessible. Periodically ask individual customers and disability groups in your community to give you feedback on accessibility.
Useful Resource: Centers for Independent Living (www.ilru.org/html/publications/directory/index.html)
Federal tax incentives are available to offset costs for making your financial institution accessible.
Useful Publication: Expanding Your Market: Tax Incentives for Businesses( www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/taxincent.htm)
Source:www.realeconomicimpact.org
 

Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. is proud to present
Becoming JobSmart™
This humorous program will allow you to laugh as you learn the skills you need to meet your employment goals. JobSmart introduces a new practical approach to learning and re-learning basic job skills for people with disabilities.
Topics Include
Part 1: How to Avoid Staying Unemployed
Part 2: How to Avoid Irritating Co-Workers
Part 3: How to Avoid Irritating the Boss
Part 4: How to Get a Promotion
Part 5: How to Avoid Getting Fired
Part 6: How to Avoid Getting Hurt

Join our advocates as we facilitate JobSmart starting April 26th at 2pm at our office at 2701 9th Ave. S. Suite H in Fargo. Contact Cyndi with any questions at 701-478-0459 or 1-800-450-0459