Welcome 2011......!
2010 was quite a year for all of us here at SCCIL. Many new and exciting events have happened; most notably the move of our main office in Cocoa to Rockledge. If you did not get a chance to join us for our Halloween Party or Thanksgiving Dinner, please stop by and visit our new location. A first-time grant request was awarded through the Department of Transportation, so we were able to secure a fifth van for our Need-A-Ride Transportation Program. Our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program is now up and running full speed; with support groups, trainings, and an 8 week American Sign Language class held here at the Rockledge Center. Matching funds from the Fair Housing Continuum has allowed us to serve 49 new consumers, to date, in our Home Modifications Program with ramps, walk in showers, and grab bars. And our 3rd Annual Holiday Party was of great success according to those who attended.

So what will 2011 bring?
Not another office move, I can assure you, even though SCCIL staff did an excellent job throughout the process. There has been an overwhelming amount of interest, and requests, so we will continue to offer the 8 week American Sign Language class. We are looking to reopen the Computer Lab for SCCIL consumer use and are looking to start a Caregiver’s Support Group and Training. On June 16th, SCCIL will be hosting the 2011 Workshop for Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities. We are in the beginning planning stages, so more information with be available on this event and other happenings at the Center soon.

INDEPENDENCE

What does Independence mean to you?

For us at SCCIL, it covers a broad area of subjects such as Information and Referral, Skills Training, Peer Support and Advocacy. These are just some of the ways SCCIL assist Disabled Individuals with empowering their Independence.

If you are stuck in the house with nothing to do, a SCCIL Support Group just may be for you. Come join us as we learn more on independence, socialize with others, and attend recreational activities within the county. We encourage input in our groups which help keep us informed of all events for individuals with disabilities in Brevard County.

So contact the SCCIL office nearest you and help us get started helping you.2011-02-25

SCCIL ACTIVITY SCHEDULE

SCCIL sponsored events take place every month. Cutoff to register for free transportation is one week prior to the activity. Below are the activities, times, and locations. Please contact Ray Herring at (321) 725-5194, or email him at sccilrherring@sccil.com, for more information.

South County
Support Group/Skills Training Class
- 2nd Tuesday of the Month
- 11:00 PM to 1:00 PM
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 955 University Blvd., Melbourne

Volunteer Day
- 4th Tuesday of the Month
- 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
- Woodlake Village Office Park, 4650 Lipscomb St. NE, Palm Bay

Central/North County
Volunteer Day
- 2nd Thursday of the Month
- 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
- 571 Haverty Court, Ste. W, Rockledge

Support Group/Skills Training Class
- 4th Thursday of the Month
- 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

- 571 Haverty Court, Ste. W, Rockledge

Home Modification Program

Brandon Scaglione is the SCCIL’s Accessibility Specialist and heads up the Home Modification Program. The Home Modification Program has money to spend on making homes more accessible and safe for disabled residents. The modifications range from grab bars to walk in showers and more. Each home must qualify under HUD guidelines for income and price of home. These funds are available to all disabled residents of Brevard and Indian River counties.

The Home modification program has additional funding with CDBG in the cities of Cocoa and Titusville. The CDBG or Community Development Block Grant funds are available strictly to disabled individuals living within the city limits of these two cities. These are also used to make homes safe and accessible for disabled residents.

If you feel you, or someone you know, could benefit from any of these funds please contact Brandon Scaglione at the SCCIL or via email at sccilbscaglione@gmail.com.

Need-A-Ride Transportation Services

Transportation is provided in Brevard County using our five wheelchair lift-equipped vans to transport individuals with disabilities when there is no other means of transportation.

SCCIL’s group meetings, individual service appointments as well as to area outings, personal business, medical appointments, shopping, or social gatherings are a few of the destinations SCCIL can take you to. A small fee will be charged for each trip scheduled to anything other than a SCCIL activity or appointment.

Please contact Roddy Crocker at 321-806-3199, or email him at sccilrcrocker@gmail.com, for more information or to schedule a trip.

What Is Happening In The
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program?

WOW!! Did you see that awesome news article in the Florida Today about the New Sign Class at SCCIL? It was a great article and generated a lot of attention to the Program. Over 60 phone calls and many emails from Brevard residence wanted to register for the class which started on Jan. 20th. Twenty students sign us before the week was out and another 30 are on a waiting list. Even the popular television show “Extreme Makeover” called looking for an interpreter due to seeing the article published! Now in the third week of the class there is much positive feedback about our instructor Dave Fisher. Dave teaches at Brevard Community College and we are thrilled to have him teach at SCCIL. Sign Language is the 4th most studied language on college campuses throughout the US. And it’s FUN!

But fun is not the only reason for taking the class. Many of our students are losing hearing and preparing themselves, some have family members or children who are hearing impaired, some are social workers or nurses who often see Deaf patients. We are pleased to be able to offer this class to benefit our community in so many ways.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program is less than 2 years old but has become a very busy office….

• We provide various types of equipment “at cost” such as vibrator alarm clocks, visual door bells, smoke alarms, pocket talkers and more.

• We presently have two support groups serving about 20 consumers; providing Speech Reading classes, informative sessions about coping with hearing loss, tips for beating the noisy restaurant scene and more. On March the 29th, we will have a special speaker from Cochlear providing in depth information regarding cochlear implants. If you are interested in this seminar please contact me at 321-632-9119.

• Last but not least, I would like to personally say THANK YOU to all our volunteers who work diligently to provide language skills for some of our Deaf Culture clients. One-on-one sessions in ASL, and English are provided weekly by our volunteers and they do an awesome job providing language skills where needed. You are greatly appreciated!!

Marietta Patchin,
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Coordinator

Rules Regarding Assistance Animals
By Dana Sloan, ADA Specialist

There seems to be a continuing misunderstanding of rules regarding service animals throughout Brevard County. From city police departments, to businesses, to county/state probation department officials, the 20 year old ADA Civil Rights of people using these animals are being violated. The viola-tions of peoples’ civil rights that have been recently reported range from pre-cluding people from doing laundry or buying groceries in public accommoda-tions, to fulfilling mandatory reporting to probation offices, to having police officers actually forcing people from the businesses and threats of violation and retaliatory acts against users of service animals.

The Department of Justice and Florida Statutes are very clear about what constitutes a service animal, what can and cannot be asked of a service animal user, and what the rights of both the user and the business/government entity are. One would think after 20+ years folks would have learned what is allowable and what’s not.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires privately-owned businesses that serve the public to allow people with disabilities to bring ser-vice animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are gener-ally allowed. Among the businesses included are restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls and sports facilities.

A word of caution; Service animal fraud is a crime. I repeat, it is a FEL-ONY in most states to claim your pet as a trained Service Dog, your dog may be put down and you may face up to 2 months in jail.(in FL) (REF: Criminal Fraud, Impersonating a Disabled person) Some of these may apply: FS 414.39 Fraud, F.S. 68.081 Florida's False Claims Act. If and when you see it, report it; fraudulent people faking service animals make it hard on the people who need them.

Service animals are not pets—they perform some of the functions that people with disabilities cannot do for themselves. The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal trained to assist people with disabilities. If they meet this definition—regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by state or local government—they are considered service animals under ADA.

Some service animals, but not all, wear special collars and harnesses. Some, but not all, are licensed or certified and have identification papers. Businesses may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of the person’s disability. But such documentation cannot be required as a condition of providing service to a person accompanied by a service animal.

Likewise, proof of state certification cannot be required before a service animal is allowed to accompany a person with a disability. In addition, people using service animals may not be segregated from other customers. (Last Re-vised: July 12, 2010)

In a recent brief, the Department explained that 1) the FHA requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations to their normal policies in cases where people with disabilities use assistance animals, regardless of whether those animals have special training; 2) the ADA regulation on service animals, which requires that animals be trained, does not apply to residential settings governed by the FHA; 3) under the FHA, generally applicable fees, such as pet fees, must be waived when necessary to provide tenants with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their residence; 4) while the FHA allows landlords to recover the cost of damage caused by a tenant’s assistance animal, unless a connection between fees and damages caused by tenants’ assistance animals can be established it is illegal; and 5) A policy that discriminates against tenants with mental disabilities who use emotional support animals because it imposes fees and other requirements not imposed on tenants with disabilities who use trained assistance animals is illegal as well.

Remember, whenever one person with disabilities is discriminated against, we’ve all been discriminated against. We all need to support each other whether we use a service animal or not; no matter what our own individual circumstance may be we need to speak out. Let’s spread the word and educate, wherever necessary, to businesses and agencies about this important issue.

Some thoughts for today, tomorrow...forever.
By SCCIL Consumer, John A. La Couture, Sr.

I CAN!
I can make a difference -
Though it may be very small!!
The difference that I make is
Better than no difference at all.
You, too, can make a difference -
In this mixed up world about.
When we put our heads together,
Results will start to mount.
We can make a difference, and, -
Real goals up to the sky.
But, for any of us to do anything, -
We must start with I WILL TRY!