MILC RUN
MIDSTATE INDEPENDENT LIVING CONSULTANTS
“Working for persons with disabilities towards empowerment to make informed choices.”
PAGES 2-3
Get Out And Vote
Rep Payee
Another Hay Ride?
Disability Pride
ISSUE 1
PAGES 4-5
PAGES 6-7
Peer Support
Benefits For Youth In Transition
Donor’s Corner
Just For Fun
Kayak Event
Chili’s Give Back Program
Toxic People
Loan Programs
Cell Phone Sensor
Consumer Appreciation Day
OCT-DEC 2014
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GET OUT AND VOTE!
Only a 15% turnout of
eligible voters will actually
get out and vote for the
Partisan Primary Elections
this August. One vote can
make a difference, and
anyone who is eligible to
vote, should get out and
vote because it is your
right!
Many people are uninformed of candidate information, where to vote,
how to vote if you are a
person with a disability,
and how or when to use
absentee ballots.
To
break down those barriers
that prevent people from
voting there is a great resource provided on the
Government Accountability Board’s website that
will answer all of your questions about voting. Also, check
out information on the My Vote
Wisconsin website, which is also a great resource for understanding voting procedures.
https://myvote.wi.gov/
http://gab.wi.gov/voters
Also, when you vote, check
out the accessible voting machine which is available at
every polling place now. Poll
workers are there to assist
you with using this machine.
It is really important to let your
voice be heard. In case you
didn’t know these are the offices that are up for grabs and
during the November Elections,
this is who we will be voting for:
State offices to be elected include Governor, Lt. Governor,
Attorney General, Secretary of
State, State Treasurer, Representative in Congress, State
Senator (odd-numbered districts) Representatives to the
Assembly (all districts). County
offices up for election are Sheriff, Clerk of Circuit Court and
Coroner (where applicable).
County candidates file with their
County Clerk or the Milwaukee
County Election Commission.
REP PAYEE
Are you or someone you know experiencing issues with the management of your SSI/SSDI
benefits? Are you handling someone’s benefits and frustrated? Know that you do have options!
MILC Representative Payee program can help. We serve SSI/SSDI recipients who are required
by Social Security to have a representative payee and are 18 years of age and older.
Our program can receive and manage your benefits! We help determine - with your input your current day-to-day needs, set up a budget and disperse payments out of your benefits. We
make sure your rent and utilities are paid on a timely basis. And, as your budget allows, we can
even set up a weekly spending allowance or savings for emergencies or other purchases.
Our staff will also refer you to assistance programs as needed for help with energy bills, job
searches, housing searches, or Social Security questions.
Interested? Please give us a call at 715-344-4210 ext 220 or 238. We would be happy to sit
down with you to discuss your options.
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ANOTHER HAY RIDE?!?
It’s hard to believe that
MILC’s annual Hay Ride
Event is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for
Friday, October 10th, from
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm, when
Midstate Independent Living
Consultants and The Junction City Pumpkin
Patch
Community will once again
host this FREE event.
Please join us for lunch,
music, games, and of
course a ride on the Hay
Wagon, which is fully accessible!
To register, or if you
have questions, comments, or suggestions,
please call Nancy Keller at
800-382-8484 ext. 211
(Pre-registration is required by 10/6 please).
We have had great success with this relatively
new event, and I am anticipating that this year will
be the best yet!
DISABILITY PRIDE
By Karalyn
I had the privilege to
attend the Disability Pride
Festival on, July 26 in
Madison. There were information booths about
where persons with disabilities can get assistance
and there were assistive
technology devices on display.
The main attraction;
however, were the booths
full of beautiful jewelry and
artwork that persons with
disabilities had made. It
was very inspiring to see
people, of all abilities, using their creativity and talents to make things, both
useful and pretty!
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One of MILC’s 4 Core Services is
Peer Support. Peer Support refers to a
mutually beneficial relationship where
participants share life experiences for
the purpose of assisting at least one of
the participants with developing coping
skills, gaining knowledge, making decisions, etc.
We are currently recruiting people
with disabilities who are interested in
becoming a Peer Mentor to other people with similar disabilities.
If you are willing to share your story,
resource information, coping techniques, knowledge, etc., please call
Robyn at MILC at 715-344-4210 ext.
228. Being a Peer Mentor is a very rewarding experience!
DONOR’S CORNER
KAYAK EVENT
SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES THAT
SUPPORT US!
Stensberg Central Graphics
Notable Impressions
Klasinski Clinic
Lands End
Contrucks, Inc.
Investors Community Bank
Free and Accepted Masons
Thank you to everyone who
came out and participated in
this years 10th annual adaptive kayak event; and a big
thanks to Dive Point Scuba
and Boys and Girls Club for
all their help in making this
event happen.
Chris and Kaaran Northwood – Remax
GFWC Stevens Point Junior Women’s Club
*And several other private anonymous donor’s
We are still accepting your tax deductible donations.
Thank you to all who have already made donations!
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Toxic People – Letting Them in Your Head
Moodiness from people
with up and down emotions
may be very challenging at
times. Type of mood, negative behavior, is that of the
bully who will use their mood
swings to intimidate and manipulate.
Source: Marc and Angel Hack Life:
Practical Tips for Productive Living
Observe their behavior
and you will notice their attitude is overly self-referential.
They prioritize their needs in
a selfish manner. Toxic mood
swings should not be inflicted
on one person by another.
Here are some ways to
best protect and manage
from relentless toxicity of other people’s behavior.
1. Move on without them; this is
a means of self-care for you.
2. Stop pretending their toxic behavior is ok; don’t make special pardons for their continued negative behavior.
3. Speak up; stand up for yourself.
4. Put your foot down; find the
strength to defend your
boundaries.
5. Don’t take their toxic behavior
personally; it’s them — not
you!
6. Practice practical compassion
– we can act with a genuine
compassion, when we set
boundaries in place.
7. Take time for yourself. Selfcare is something I always
practice myself. Self-care will
benefit in strength to deal with
toxic people.
CELL PHONE SENSOR BY BELLMAN & SYMFON
There is a new piece in our loan library for persons who rely
on a cell phone. This new item will instantly let you know when
you get a phone call, text, email, or social media message. The
Sensor will work on your cell or tablet.
Sensor can be used as part of a signaling system when used
with the Bellman & Symfon Transmitter. When used with the
multi purpose transmitter, other devices can also be triggered.
Bellman & Symfon has several items that work together for signaling such as: door chime, alarm clock, fire alert, bed shaker,
baby cry, door mat, or window magnetic switch. (Not all of the
products are available through TEPP.)
If you are in need of an amplified telephone or a signaling system, please call our office at 715-344-4210.
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BENEFITS FOR YOUTH IN TRANSITION
As youth move into
adult life, it is important to
be aware of changes and
supports available. This is
true with everyone, but especially with youth who
receive disability cash
benefits.
Understanding
the
changes and using the
supports will help as youth
begin this journey into
adulthood. With pursuits
such as post-secondary
school, work, and general
independence, youth can
benefit from knowing and
understanding Social Security Administration Benefit Programs. One of these benefit helps for youth
in transition is called Section 301.
There are two types of
benefits high school students
may be receiving; Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
and Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI). Both of these programs have different
rules and work incentives to
utilize as students begin to
transition into adult life.
In the SSI program if under
age 18, a child must be medically disabled and both the
child’s income and the family’s income must be below
certain income limits. Once
the youth turns 18, the income of the parents is no
longer counted; however, the
youth must meet medical disability requirements as an
adult. The youth may no longer meet the disability requirements as an adult.
JUST FOR FUN
Brain Teasers

How far can a horse run into
a forest?

What do you put in a toaster?

What is so fragile that when
you say its name you break
it?
Answers from last newsletter:
1.C and Y! 2.Greenhouses are made from
glass! 3. A TON!
If the youth no longer
qualifies medically, they may
be able to keep receiving SSI
benefits if participating in a
Vocational Rehabilitation
Program or receiving similar
services.
Social Security Administration must decide that
participation in this program
or service will increase the
likelihood of their permanent
removal from the Federal
Benefit Program. This is
known as Continued Payment Under a Vocational Rehabilitation or Similar Program or Section 301.
For more information contact Jill Walter with Midstate
Independent Living Consultant’s at 715-344-4210 ext.
212, WIPA at http://eri-wi.org
or a Benefit Specialist in your
area.
CHILI’S GIVE BACK PROGRAM
Midstate Independent
Living Consultants has
partnered with Chili’s for
their 15% Give Back
Fundraiser! It’s easy! To
participate, show your
server this coupon either
on your phone or in person, and they will give
15% of your meal to
MILC! The voucher can
be used multiple times so present it every time
you eat between now and October 31!”
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LOAN PROGRAMS
What is Wisloan?
Wisloan is a statewide,
alternative loan program
that allows Wisconsin residents or their families with a
disability to purchase adaptive equipment, assistive
technology or modify their
homes so that they can live
more independently. The
applicant must be 18 and a
resident of Wisconsin who
wishes to improve his or her
quality of life through the
acquisition of (examples include assistive technology,
modified vehicles, etc.)
Both
Telew ork
and
Wisloan loan amounts will
depend on the item being
purchased and the ability to
repay. The current interest
rate is 6.5%.
Bad credit, including bankruptcy
is not a reason to not apply. The
focus is on the ability to make the
monthly payments. Reasons for
credit issues are taken into consideration by the review board.
Contact an IL Consultant at the
MILC office for assistance in
completing an application.
This program will issue a
voucher (like a check) to
help pay for qualifying equipment. The application can
be done online, by mail or
you can contact MILC to
have an IL Consultant assist
you with the process.
What is Telework?
What is TEPP?
Telecommunications, Equipment
Purchase Program
TEPP is a program in Wisconsin that helps people who need
special telephone equipment get
assistance purchasing that equipment. Common examples are:
amplified phones, TTY and hands
-free speaker phones. The program will allow you to choose
equipment needed and where
you want to buy it.
CONSUMER APPRECIATION DAY
Telework is a statewide,
alternative loan program allowing Wisconsin residents
with disabilities to purchase
computers and other equipment needed to work from
remote sites away from the
office, including at home, on
the road or at a Telework
center. In addition to the
purchase of equipment, the
loan funds can be used for
training to use equipment,
extended warranties, the
cost of maintenance and repair.
MILC held our first annual Consumer Appreciation
Day on July 2nd and we had an amazing turn out and
a really fun day! About 50 people came and enjoyed
lunch together while being able to access resources. Available resources included: the Travel
Trainer, Marlene Pohl; Jim Joque, UWSP Disability
Services; Marge and Nika, OBVI; Shawnee Thomas,
ODHH, and several MILC staff talking to consumers
about accessible voting, assistive technology and
our grassroots advocacy network. Thank you to all
who were able to attend – we look forward to the second annual Consumer Appreciation Day next year!
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Midstate Independent Living Consultants
NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION
3262 Church Street, Suite 1
US POSTAGE PAID
Stevens Point WI 54481
STEVENS POINT, WI
PERMIT NO. 314
Midstate Independent Living Consultants
3262 Church Street, Ste. 1
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-344-4210 V/TTY / 800-382-8484 V/TTY
www.milc-inc.org
To contact the following departments dial:
MOVING?
Let us know so we can keep
you on our mailing list.
Contact us at [email protected]
IL Program: Ext. 228
PAS Program: Ext. 221
Human Resources: Ext. 226
Accounting: Ext. 214
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