Concerned Veterans 4 America

A first I was quite disappointed with the non-profit. I was asked to contact veterans and ask them to talk to legislative offices about appointing Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. What is wrong with that? I know that my time could be spent on many bigger issues. I would just succeed in angering veterans and they were not actively involved in the vote anyway. I told the lady in charge...I'm glad I did. She is going to start some real advocacy campaigns that have nothing to do with the court appointments and everything to do with education on advocating for issues. I will have the opportunity to meet people and they will have the chance to vent. I am really looking forward to letting them feel that their voices count. All of this is because I got involved with Team River Runner.

"The Plight of the Veteran"

It's time to share the story of the challenges that veterans experience re-entering society upon their return. Among them include finding work and the beliefs some employers have when considering applicants who have been in the military. There are many good qualities veterans have like work ethic, work under pressure, and collaboration. Unfortunately PTSD is a very powerful barrier. Among the solutions include adaptive paddling and that's where Team River Runner enters the equation. This non-traditional therapy is powerful and positive ammunition to strengthen core muscles, relax the mind, and improve relationships. Society needs more awareness of the plight of the veteran and veterans need a tool that will empower them, and give them the will to live (decrease the suicide rate). Presentations will be held at chambers of commerce, libraries, and rotary clubs in Dauphin, Lancaster, and York Counties. Hopefully this effort will increase our membership but at the least it will increase awareness.

Veteran Venues

Outreach efforts will now be much greater; everything will be expanded to the greater York and Harrisburg areas. Rotary clubs will be re-visited through facebook and then with visits. Libraries, which traditionally were not popular, can be once the presentation is expanded to include PTSD information, food, and have better marketing. Chambers of Commerce traditionally have nice size audiences and offer good exposure. Total number of contacts will be 70 (in addition to the 5 we made before and all the events we attended). Often the sequels are better than the originals and in this case that will be true. This is already a successful program accepted nationally and it has good websites as well as videos to illustrate a variety of testimonials from veteran participants. It's high time for Susquehanna Valley Team River runner to shine.

Empowerment booklet

Since the target audience is those who have been discharged from rehabilitation centers. I will try to reach them through home healthcare agencies. My first I thought was to visit them but that would turn out to be a challenging endeavor. Instead it may be best to just email the entire booklet, include a note to please give me feedback, and then then share the booklet with clients. This way staff will better understand what I offer and hopefully realize it's something that could enhance what they do. The one concern is that the spacing will be wrong and that will make the entire booklet look bad. There is a need for this information and cannot be provided by a person who does not live with the challenge. The amputee support group leader states that he becomes unhappy when professionals do not give the individuals on support groups. I feel the same way when professionals refuse to allow me to create groups on things that are related to social work since they should be aware but do not always care. I also spoke to the man who runs the West End Market. Hopefully he will have some ideas to promote the educational booklet.

Strategies for employers: growing success

In order for the 18.7% disability employment rate to increase the hiring successes and the barriers to employment must decrease. In order for that to happen success stories must be shared. Companies should offer trainings to provide disability awareness to other companies and the community. A few examples are workshops, giving papers at conferences, holding community fundraisers in conjunction with vocational rehab agencies, supportive groups for employers like the ones at Careerlinks, and on a much smaller scale, they can have educational programs during staff meetings. Topics may include transportation barriers, attitudinal barriers, success stories, examples of assistive technology, community integration, vocational rehabilitation counselors discussing their programs, employees with autism and companies that employ them, and more.

Strategies for employers: assistive technology

This section will discuss devices that help some disabled employees secure and succeed at their jobs. They increase ability and productivity for people with disabilities regardless of limitations. Simple examples are electric staplers for people with poor dexterity and complicated examples are voice activation for computer use and braille writers (for people who are blind). There are many items some are even create by individuals. They can help people with disabilities get, keep, and advance in employment. Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT) offers the training needed to use this technology. Employers should have a staff person who can teach and fix the equipment because if it's broken that costs the company an entire day of work. Some items may be borrowed and other costs may be defrayed through tax credits like the IRS 190 which covers architectural barrier removal. In general for every $1 spent of devices $23 is earned by that specific employee's work.

Strategies for employers: hire the best

One concern for employers is where to find qualified people with disabilities who are seeking employment. They are not likely to be locate at a networking function or a job expo. The first type of event is very uncomfortable for people who use wheelchairs since everyone is standing around and no one even sees you, since you are sitting down. The second type of event is very uncomfortable for people who use wheelchairs, since it gets extremely crowded in the room with table after table of employers who are making judgements based on appearances. Partnerships are an interesting way to find job seekers as well as learn about agencies who serve people with disabilities. They could create interesting fundraisers together and educational workshops for the community. The agencies can also present trainings in their workplaces. This can all ultimately lead to employment opportunities. There are now secondary educational classes and work-study internships for job seekers with disabilities.