Ability360

Voter Access | Cronkite News

Check out this story from Cronkite News on new bills that could affect members of the disability community.

Want to receive alerts from Ability360 about Voting Legislation and other Disability Related Bills at our Capitol that you should know about? Sign up for our Empower! Alerts here https://ability360.org/empower-advocacy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nows0p-47WI

Voter Access | Cronkite News Members of the disability community are bringing attention to how new election-related bills could affect them. (Video by Mia Marquez/Cronkite News)Cronkite ...

A high-five may seem like a simple gesture, but as anyone who has played a sport can tell you, it means so much more. It means anything from “great job,” “we did it,” “thanks for being my teammate” or “I support you.” With this in mind, we have started a way for our fans to give Ability360 a high-five every month with a recurring donation.

The High Five Monthly Giving Group is a recurring donation club that has no minimum or maximum giving amount. Each dollar pledged helps Ability360 continue to support over 2,700 members and their health and wellness goals.

https://ability360.org/donate/

Come get your 1st Shot, 2nd Shot or Booster at our vaccine event at the Sports & Fitness Center this Saturday, March 5th from 3pm to 8pm.

Beacon Story: Fai Mo

To celebrate Rare Disease Day Foundation Fighting Blindness told the story of Fai Mo who was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 2009. Check out their video below of Fai at the Sports & Fitness Center!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpuO9c55_-4

Beacon Story: Fai Mo Foundation Fighting Blindness Arizona Chapter President Fai was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 2009, after experiencing vision loss for almost a deca...

“I haven’t had many role models to look up to, so the life the I live, I want to be a role model for other people to look up to, other children to look up to, even adults.”

As comes to a close, we thank the lovely Denisha Davis (@_milkchocolateonwheelz) for coming by and sharing her story! We’re excited to cover many more 😉

Photography: @danareedphotography
Videography: @karamdont
Set production: @christianguerithault
Producer: @aitanamallari

Our vaccine event is coming up on March 5, 2022 from 3:00 pm- 8:00pm. If you need help getting to the Sports & Fitness Center you can request a discounted ride through Lyft.

The 2022 Phoenix Sister Cities International Competition for Writers with Disabilities is now accepting entries of poems! Prizes include: 1st -$500, 2nd-$300, 3rd- $150. Certificates of Participation will be provided to all participants. The submission deadline is May 2, 2022.

Check out the website for more information on how to apply!

https://www.phoenixsistercities.org/icwd/

Looking to get vaccinated? Check out our vaccine event on March 5th from 3pm to 8pm at the Sports and Fitness Center!

https://ability360.org/cal-events/covid-19-vaccination-event/?utm_content=sked_6204586073264d71a77525a6&utm_medium=social&utm_name=sked&utm_source=instagram

Check out GIT Phoenix Startup Bootcamp! It is a 3 day startup boot camp to guide newbies in tech entrepreneurship to develop products/services for the youth/adults with disabilities.
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​Target Participants for Boot-camp: Early-stage entrepreneurs that already have an idea and/or team and aspiring entrepreneurs who don’t yet have an idea or a team.
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​The event will be held here at Ability360!
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https://www.eventbrite.com/e/git-phoenix-startup-bootcamp-tickets-261366192317?utm_content=sked_6216df37b9172307de08a2fd&utm_medium=social&utm_name=sked&utm_source=facebook

Ability360 will be closed Monday, February 21 in observance of Presidents Day.

The Socialization through Recreation Program offers opportunities to meet new people, develop interpersonal skills, gain self-confidence, reduce stress, improve social or communication skills, and most importantly, to have fun! Check out the schedule below!

Socialization through Recreation February – April 2022 (via Zoom)

February
3 – Leisure Education
10 – Game Day
17 – Health & Wellness
24 – Movie

March
3 – Leisure Education
10 – Game Day
17 – Health & Wellness
24 – Movie
31 – Escape Room

April
7 – Leisure Education
14 – Game Day
21 – Health & Wellness
28 - Movie

All event times are from ~ 10:30 am – 1:30 pm on Thursdays

Game Day - Come play some trivia games to test your random knowledge

Health & Wellness – Come learn different types of health and wellness care

Movie Day - Come watch a movie

Leisure Education: Learn new skills to work on goals

https://ability360.org/socialization-through-recreation/?utm_content=sked_620e6b4b37a8f443c84ddc16&utm_medium=social&utm_name=sked&utm_source=facebook

For Arizonans with disabilities, access to quality and affordable health care is not just important. It’s essential.

That’s why Ability360 strongly supports Medicare Advantage, which provides vital health care coverage to over 637,000 Arizona seniors and individuals with disabilities. Medicare Advantage benefits, including preventative care services and fitness programs, empower people and help keep them healthy and living independently. These are the same objectives we strive for at Ability360.

On behalf of Arizonans with disabilities who depend on Medicare Advantage, Ability360 urges Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Senator Mark Kelly along with Arizona’s entire congressional delegation, to continue supporting this critical program.

Ability360 is hosting a 6 week support group for women with disabilities who want to feel more empowered and improve their self-image in a supportive, caring environment. Please commit to attending as many sessions as possible.

To RSVP and request an application, please contact
Polly Queen at 602-296-0533 or [email protected]

Our first vaccination event is happening this Saturday February 12! Schedule your appointment today using the link below!
https://bit.ly/3JfUEuG

ALL 4 of our teams competed this past weekend in the 2022 Valley Shootout Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
Thank you to all the players and @per4max for coming out and making this last weekend a blast!

VITA – Get your Taxes Done for Free
Ability360 will not be a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Site in 2022. However, the City of Phoenix will still be hosting VITA sites. All sites will be by appointment only.

To schedule an appointment with the City of Phoenix VITA Tax Sites call (602) 534-8359 or email [email protected]

To find VITA sites outside the City of Phoenix, contact the IRS at 800-906-9887 or go to https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

If you don’t have time for an appointment and want to do your taxes yourself, email [email protected] to receive the link to the free, secure tax preparation software.

Don't forget about our Covid-19 vaccine event coming up on Saturday, February 12th and Saturday, March 5th from 3pm to 8pm. You can get your first shot, second shot or a booster! Learn more at Ability360.org/vaccination

Best Life: Ways to keep aging loved ones safe at home

A Harvard study found the five most important universal design features in the home are no-step entries, extra-wide hallways, accessible living spaces on the ground floor and accessible light switches and door levers. But the same study found only one percent of homes in America have all five features.

Best Life: Ways to keep aging loved ones safe at home Ninety percent of older Americans say they want to age in place and live in their home and not in an assisted living facility.

We're hosting a Disability Community Vaccination Event! Need a 1st shot, 2nd shot or a booster? Schedule your appointment today!

Saturday, February 12 | 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 5 | 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.

We'll be providing vaccines for:
- Persons with disabilities
- Caregivers
- Children 5 years old and up
- Community members living in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area

Here are the available vaccines:
- Booster
- Pfizer
- Moderna
- Johnson & Johnson

Learn More: Ability360.org/Vaccination

'This is a broken system': Arizona disability groups want better crisis care

Ability360 thanks azcentral for helping shed light on the long standing issues related to the ineffective and, in many circumstances, detrimental crisis response strategies experienced by Arizonans with disabilities, particularly those with mental health issues and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The experiences described in this report are all too familiar throughout the disability community.

Ability360 stands with the authors of this report in calling on policy makers to implement the recommendation in the report in order to swiftly and appropriately address these serious issues.

We are confident that the various state agencies and entities mentioned in the report, including Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (Arizona's Medicaid agency) and the state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities recognize these issues and will work to prioritize solutions.

Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
Autism Society of Greater Phoenix
Arizona Center for Disability Law
Stephanie Innes

'This is a broken system': Arizona disability groups want better crisis care Advocates say Arizonans with disabilities are getting shortchanged by a crisis response system that's ill-equipped to meet their needs.

1.5 MILLION Americans with disabilities miss out on Earned Income Tax Credit because they don’t file an IRS tax return 💵 can mean more money in your pocket if you qualify! For more info: go.usa.gov/xRFAk

Last year, 25 million eligible workers and families received about $62 billion in . On help spread the word in your community: www.irs.gov/eitc

Join us for the You Can Fest on February 5th! The event is free to attend!

https://ability360.org/cal-events/you-can-fest-2022/

COVIDtests.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests

Did you know that every home in the US is eligible to order four at-home COVID-19 tests for FREE? If you haven't yet, click below and order yours! Stay safe!

COVIDtests.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days.

CDC Director Apologizes To Disability Advocates For 'Hurtful' Comments

There's nothing "encouraging" when people with disabilities have always been at risk during the pandemic. We must do better to keep our communities safe!

CDC Director Apologizes To Disability Advocates For 'Hurtful' Comments Rochelle Walensky apologized to advocates after calling it "encouraging" that most vaccinated people who have died from COVID-19 "were unwell to begin with," but they say the CDC needs to do more.

Registration and Sponsorship now available!

What: Virtual African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD)

When: February 1 - 17, 2022

Description: The conference examines avenues for self-advocacy to ensure the effective provision of services, resources, and enforcement of civil rights in the African American and disability communities.

FREE Registration: https://mailchi.mp/azdisabilitylaw.org/aacd-virtual-2022

Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.azdisabilitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2022-Conference-Sponsorship-Letter_Final.pdf

Accommodations: ASL and CART Services will also be available

Questions: Renaldo Fowler, Arizona Center for Disability Law (602) 274-6287 or [email protected]