Mandy Smith
DATE DESCRIPTION Tuesday, October 16 Last day to register to vote in general election Wednesday, October 17 Advance voting begins for general election Friday, November 2 Deadline for voters to apply for advance voting ballots to be mailed Monday, November 5 Noon deadline to cast advance voting ballots in person in office of County Election…
Humans and pets are not the only things that shouldn’t be in excessive heat. Neither should power chairs and scooters. Power chairs and scooters have batteries and electronics that can lose their charge in excessive heat (or excessive cold for that matter). When a chair or scooter loses power like this, people tend to…
Is it possible to eat healthy and still stay on your budget? I’ve always heard “But eating healthy always costs so much more.” I guess it depends on what your definition of eating healthy is but really it doesn’t have to cost any more than eating “regularly or non-healthy”. Eating healthy really has to…
In January 2013, Medicaid and HealthWave will change their names to KanCare. KanCare will also provide new benefits, such as basic dental care. To learn about KanCare please attend one of the meetings in your area. If you have questions, call (866) 305-5147. If you require special assistance for a meeting please call Rita at…
From AFB eNews Are you or a family member having difficulty seeing? Or perhaps been diagnosed with an eye condition such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone: vision problems affect 25 million Americans, and that number is on the rise. To support this growing community,…
Kansas has recently changed its law about requiring an ID in order to vote. (You may have seen a commercial lately about it.) DO NOT let this stop you from voting! First off, a registered voter who does not possess any of the valid ID documents may obtain a FREE nondriver’s ID from the Division…
Although it has felt like summer since winter, it seems, it is now official! What are you going to do for summer? I came up with some of my favorite things to do in summer time and some new ideas I’m going to add to my list. 1. Go for a walk 2.…
Mark your calendar! The Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK) AT Expo for 2012 will be on September 27th from 1:00pm to 7:00pm and September 28th 7:30am to 4:00pm. The 2 day event will be held in Wichita this year at the Wichita Hyatt – Century II. The theme for this year’s AT Expo is “Imagine…
Lighting is so important when trying to accomplish daily tasks. Think about when you are outside and the sun is so bright you are unable to see. Think about when you are indoors and cannot find the light switch in a new environment. Lighting becomes even more important when you have a vision loss. When…
Due to home and community based services, Ross is able to live at his own home. Watch this video as he tells his own story.
Diabetes is a complicated condition that is able to affect many aspects of your health, including your eye sight… Diabetes is when your body does not produce or use insulin and you end up with high levels of blood glucose. This condition causes complications in the rest of the body which can result in heart…
Please watch the video to find out about Heidi’s story. Being at home is important and so are home and community based services!
Please ready Elise’s story of independence through using home and community based services. My name is Elise, I suffer from Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Spinal stenosis, Bile duct reconstruction, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety. I also just had open heart surgery. I live with my husband Bill Fears who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. I…
Who really enjoys change? Maybe you enjoy a change of scenery or you enjoy the change of seasons? These are nice changes because you know they aren’t permanent and they are planned. Unplanned changes usually aren’t enjoyable and are usually permanent (at least until the next change). But change always happens! There is nothing we…
The House & Senate conference committee for the FY 2013 budget have held four rounds of negotiations thus far. Next round is scheduled for 1:30 this afternoon. Senate negotiators (Carolyn McGinn, John Vratil & Laura Kelly) have held firm on two items that are crucial to the disability community. Please take a moment and email…
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. You have probably been hearing more lately about brain injury, as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan, as professional and school sports are looking more at preventing brain injuries, and with the recent high profile brain injury of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Here are some stats that you may not…
Who doesn’t love a cute face? What about a cute face that has puppy breathe? I’m sure many of you are familiar with dog guides, but did you know that people/families raise dog guides from puppies to about a year old? Dog guide facilities such as The Seeing Eye, KSDS Inc., Leader Dogs for the…
Just like any other twenty-seven year old American woman I just want to live a happy, successful, and meaningful life. From the outside I look like a “normal” woman. When you look at my brown hair, brown eyes, and average height you will see a woman who looks pretty “normal”. What you won’t see is…
We have written a lot on this blog about the change to the Financial Management Services (FMS) change in Home and Community Based Services and the implementation of Kansas AuthentiCare. This change resulted in a massive overhaul of our Payroll Department and the staff members that work in…
The Legislative Session has passed the halfway mark and our advocacy efforts are ramping up. There are so many big concerns for the disability community this time around and it is imperative that we get input to the Administration, the Legislators, and to our communities from Kansans with disabilities. The Resource Center for Independent Living,…
The House Social Services Budget Committee’s report on SRS and KDOA budgets stated “…there is considerable fraud and abuse in the system of Home and Community Based Services.” It goes on to state that this fraud, by Centers for Independent Living, is responsible for the Waiting Lists. These statements seek to villify the Centers and…
Today we share the story of Rebecca T. She has been on the Waiting List for Home and Community Based Services for almost 3 years. The following words are hers. Notice that Rebecca would need a minimal amount of supports to assist her in the activities that she is physically unable to do on her…
Harveyville, Kansas was the site of an EF-2 tornado last night that struck without warning causing severe damage to dozens of homes and injuring 11 people, 3 critically. RCIL employee, Stuart Jones, immediately requested permission to donate needed durable medical equipment to those in need. Deone Wilson, our Deputy Director added cases of bottled water…
From now through March 6th, we need the disability community to contact each member of the House Appropriations Committee. A complete list of names and contact information is available here. They will begin debating the budget on March 6th. As they are working on budget issues we need to make sure they know the importance…