Disability Connection

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2015 Arbor Day RUN/WALK/ROLL SUCCESS

Donations over the run fee can be made to Disability Connection, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation.

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The Arbor Day Run/Walk/Roll is a one day event promoting healthy lifestyles to individuals of all ages, with and without disabilities.

This event has 3 goals:

  • to promote health lifestyles
  • to encourage people with disabilities to be active community participants and join the fun of a run
  • to share information on community resources for people with disabilities and the under-served

Those paying the registration fee will wear their t-shirts and meet at the tree at Town Green, Biloxi, to participate in the Arbor Day 5k-1 mile- 1/4 mile Run/Walk/Roll. This event is brought in partnership with the Gulf Coast Running Club, the most respected running club in South Mississippi. The race includes a 1/4 mile challenge so that everyone, including wheelchairs, can participate in the healthful benefits of a run with awards following. Run/Walk/Roll participants receive a tree, and those with challenges to running receive a medallion from the City of Biloxi.

The Registration Fee is $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Registration includes a t-shirt and a tree, and those with challenges to running receive a medal. Caregiver/volunteers do not need to pay to accompany a walker. TEAMS are encouraged to participate. Contact the Disability Connection office for a TEAM packet. Donations gladly appreciated!

Latest Event Video


 

Paul Smith's Animal Artwork Made with a Typewriter

Hero Artist’s Work Lives On

“Paul Smith, born in 1921 with severe spastic cerebral palsy, learned to use a standard typewriter to create beautiful pictures that from a distance resemble fine pencil or pastel drawings. Paul died in Roseburg, Oregon in 2007.” -Via YouTube

2014 Buddy Walk- National Down Syndrome Society

Buddy Walk 2014
Buddy Walk 2014

Disability Connection loves an all inclusive event!  October 18th, The Buddy Walk®, held by the Gulf Coast Down Syndrome Society,  is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. It is a wonderful, heart-warming event that celebrates the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. Whether you have Down Syndrome, know someone who does, or just want to show your support, come and join them for their Buddy Walk®!

Click link below for more details!

http://www.gcdss.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month 2014

In Honor of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month,

here are a few related resources that have impressed us!

NSCIA's Free Publications
NSCIA’s Free Publications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Rolls On Inspirational Videos
Life Rolls On Inspirational Videos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center

 

 

 

 

 

@Spinalinjury on Twitter
            @Spinalinjury on Twitter
LASCI Facebook Page
LASCI Facebook Page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shriner's Hospitals Spinal Cord Awareness and Prevention Page
Shriner’s Hospitals Spinal Cord Awareness and Prevention Page
Disability Connection WXXV Jackson County

Ocean Springs Pairs Up with Disability Connection

We are incredibly thankful for our partners, volunteers and supporters. Together, we are creating a connected community. This week, the city of Ocean Springs has partnered with our organization in support of our  Community Assist  program.

Connie Moran, Ocean Springs Mayor, says, “In order to provide information and resources for people with mental and physical disability, veterans, and for the elderly, a disability staff member will be available 20 hours per week at the new office starting next month.” (Via WXXV)

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If you’re an employer who may have positions available and would consider interviewing our applicants, please contact Deborah Snyder:
office@disabilityconnection.org or (228)-870-7775.

By Knight Foundation (Knight-Crane Convergence Lab) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

2014 Senior Fraud Prevention & Wellness Expo

Harrison County
Senior Resource Agency & SMPDD

Present:

Senior Fraud Prevention and Wellness Expo 2014

This is an event designed to compliment the lifestyle and needs of the older adult.

September 24, 2014 9:00AM – 2:00PM

Door Prizes and Giveaways You Won’t Believe!!!

• Extra Help – application assistance to Medicare beneficiaries • Games
• Special Entertainment
• Nutritious Lunch & Snacks

• Specialized Health Screenings
• Flu & Pneumonia Shots
• Shredding Available on site for Sensitive Documents

Lyman Community Center

13472 Highway 49

Gulfport, MS 39503
For more information on how to become a vendor or to register your organization

Please Call 228-896-0412

 

Download the 2014 Senior Expo flyer

Download the 2014 Expo Registration

Hero Ex-SVP : “Walgreens has “dream goal”, …10% disabled workforce within five years”

ex-Walgreens SVP Randy Lewis
Picture and Quotes via “www.hrmagazine.co.uk”

A Truly Uplifting Story

Randy Lewis has an incredible story to tell. “It’s the tale of how a man who led logistics at America’s largest drug-store chain, supporting it as it grew from 1,600 to 8,000 outlets with the most advanced logistics network in its sector, did so while giving job opportunities to thousands of disabled people.”

 

Randy is an advocate. He understands the benefits that inclusive organizations experience. Think ability, not disability.

This is another quote from the article. It really shows how perseverance and teamwork are so important to the success of any strategy:

Walgreens had previously employed disabled people to do “ancillary rather than mission-critical work”, cleaning for example, but Lewis wanted to do something more. “We wanted an opportunity to bring people in as our own employees,” he recalls. That opportunity came with the building of a new distribution centre; larger and more automated than any the company had owned before.”

The full article goes in to depth regarding Randy’s personal inspirations and current advocacy work.

I encourage our followers to read the full article 

 

Hero Community Volunteers Help Veteran

Community Volunteer HeroesDC is extremely proud of these hero community volunteers that have come together to help a fellow neighbor after a fire destroyed her home.

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“I just feel blessed, you know, just blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed,” Silva said.

“We need to all come together and support our friends and neighbors because none of us know when it might be ourselves,” Founder of Disability Connection Janie O’Keefe said.

Quote and Photo Via WLOX News

July 2014

View the local news stories below:

Volunteers  help a woman who lost everything in a fire – WLOX

Disability Connection helps out Local Veteran – WXXV-25

Introducing “The Ability Club”

There are a plethora of online job-search sites available today.

Now there is a job-search site specifically for people with disabilities.

“Online applications are so complicated that they form a barrier to the job market for people with developmental disabilities.  When I saw that the McDonald’s application included psychological testing, I knew there was a problem,” says Wade Ogletree, IDD Director, Jackson County.

“Ability.Club is a system “where employers can post jobs for free and prospective employees and their service providers can search for free.”

 

Ability.Club Website Screenshot

 

This is an excellent new resource for the disability community.