The racing auditory display (RAD) - enables gamers who are visually impaired to play the same types of racing games that sighted players can play with the same speed, control, and excitement that sighted players experience. The audio-based interface, which a player can listen to using a standard pair of headphones, can be integrated by developers into almost any racing  video game, making a popular genre of games equally accessible to people who are blind.

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A report was recently published describing the percentage of adults with disabilities in the United States living in communities. The  report found that over 53 million adults in the US have a disability.  It also  found that that age plays a factor--over a third  of  adults 65 and older reported having a disability.  There are many other interesting statistics in   this report..

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Meet InControl Wisconsin board member, Jim Canales.  When he’s not busy serving his community, he enjoys doing such things as biking, gardening, and hanging out with friends.  He has seen self-determination transform from a far fetched concept to an actual movement that has provided opportunities for many people to live self-determined lives.  He encourages people to keep conversations about his/her desires and wishes for self-determination going, so they can actually happen.  We’re so fortunate to have Jim as a member of the Self-Determination Network.

How are you involved with self-determination? Why did you join the SD Network?

 Jim originally became involved with Self-Determination through his work as the CEO of Community Care of Central Wisconsin, now known as INCLUSA. He explains that Community Care of Central Wisconsin (CCCW) grew out of one of eight original Family Care pilots operating in Portage County, WI. The organization believed that Self-Determination was not just a concept to consider, or to use as an add on to the managed care service. Rather, Self-Determination became a valued component of their offering to their participants, or members. As a result, Self-Determination was offered and used by a good percentage of members, either through Family Care or a distinct SDS option.  When he retired in 2016, he felt really good about how Self-Determination worked for their members.

Tell us some good news - what's the most exciting thing happening for you  (or in Wisconsin) in terms self-determination?

Jim shares that the good news is that self-determination moved on from a concept in Wisconsin Long-Term Care circles in the late 1980’s to an actual movement that has provided opportunities for so many Wisconsin residents to live self-determined lives. “The fact that there is a Self-Determination Network and so many people working to support SDS is great news,” he says.

What tip or resource would you like to share with people who want to be more self-determined?

Jim encourages people who want to become more self-determined in his or her life to make sure that those around you--your circle of friends and support--know what your desires and wishes for living a self-determined life are--and that you keep those conversations at the forefront of your life so that it can actually happen.

What message would you like to share with the members of the SD Network?

Jim’s involvement with self-determination has continued in retirement with his involvement with the InControl Board. He says, “this is a really dedicated group of individuals whose purpose is to keep Self Determination in the forefront of conversation when it comes to the provision of long term care opportunities for residents across Wisconsin.”

What are some of your hobbies?

In addition to his involvement with the InControl Board, Jim enjoys serving his community (Stevens Point) by being a part of the Community Foundation and Green Circle Boards, and by hosting a long time radio show on 90FM WWSP called “The Acoustic Revival” every other Sunday morning. He loves to ride his bicycle, tend to his flower gardens, attend live music performances, walk his dogs, ride trains, cook, catch fish, feed the birds, talk to his daughters, hang out with friends, and pick at his guitar.  

***We love hearing the views and opinions of Network members. We need to mention that the views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the person who is sharing them. They do not necessarily reflect InControl Wisconsin or any of our supporters and funders.

Is it safe to go anywhere anymore?  Regardless of political beliefs, it’s a question is on many people’s minds lately.  Years ago, questions about safety weren’t very prevalent, but due to recent events, we have no choice but to consider “what would you do?”.  As unbelievably disheartening as it is, we have to think about what we would do in a violent situation.  While most people would know what to do (generally speaking) and could physically react to the situation, people with disabilities and health conditions don't have the ability to try to protect themselves.  Truthfully, we, people with disabilities, are among the most vulnerable in violent situations.

I’ve been watching the news coverage of all the horrific events going on, but I hadn’t really ever thought about what I would do if I was in a shooting situation until a friend tagged me in a Facebook post.  The post was written by a teacher in Ohio.  The day after the Florida school shooting, the teacher got the dreaded question from a student—“what will we do if a shooter comes in your room?”  The teacher explained that she cares about her students very much, but since she was in a wheelchair she couldn’t protect them like an able-bodied teacher would.  She told them to escape if they could and not to worry about her.  A student in a class then explained that they had already discussed it and if anything would happen they would carry her.  That post touched me on so many levels.  As I’ve explained in previous entries, if my circumstances were just a little different (mainly if I had the ability to speak), I would have been a teacher.  It made me think about how I would have responded to the question.  I would have said the exact same thing.  Of course, I’d want my students to escape if they could rather than worrying about me.

The post also made me think about other situations.  Unfortunately, these awful things seem to be happening all over the place in today’s world.  I’m blessed to have the cognitive ability to know what was happening, but physically, I wouldn’t be able to do much to protect myself or others.  I could move my wheelchair around, but I’m unable to get out of my chair myself.  I can kind of cover my head with my arms, but with cerebral palsy in exciting or stressful situations my body tends to really tense up.  I can only imagine how tense my muscles would be in a situation like that.  Oftentimes, under dangerous circumstances, you are supposed to be as quiet as possible.  For me, the harder I try to be quiet the more noise I unintentionally make.  It’s just the way my body unfortunately works.  Also, many times in those situations, herds of people often run to escape danger.  When a person uses a wheelchair or another mobility device, it’s often very difficult to navigate through a crowd of people. 

Those with mobility limitations aren’t the only ones more at risk in those violent situations.  People with intellectual disabilities may not understand what’s going on in dangerous circumstances.  This could cause behaviors that could provoke the situation even more.  Screaming and lashing out could attract the suspect’s attention.   Depending on the circumstances, running could also cause danger.  Some people with intellectual delays may not understand the importance of following directions under the circumstances.

It’s troublesome to me that this even has to be a topic of conversation.  As a person with a disability, it’s my reality that I’d very vulnerable in if I was ever in a violent situation.  Like most people, I’d rather have others save themselves than risk their life helping me; however, I truly believe most people in this world have a good heart and would risk their own life to save others.  It’s getting to the point where it’s a risk to even leave our homes, but we can’t let a few bad people ruin life for the rest of us.  Although, at times it’s hard to believe, the good still outweighs the bad in the world, and we have to continue living life like we always have.  If we put ourselves in a bubble, we would conceding be to those few evil people, and we don’t want to do the that! 

***The views expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of InControl Wisconsin, the Network or any of our sponsors.

Voting has long had various obstacles for people with disabilities, from inaccessible locations to unusable paper ballots. People with disabilities often need special voting machines, equipped with earphones and other modifications that increase accessibility at the polls. However, as cybersecurity concerns have increased, many states and counties have switched back to paper ballots. obstacles include untrained poll workers and accessible machines that are not turned on. According to a 2016 survey, voter participation has decreased among people with disabilities over the last two elections. The study pointed out a number of contributing factors to this decrease, including lack of accessible voting machines, physical barriers at polling stations, voter I.D. laws, and other obstacles.

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Are you trying to keep track of all the potential Medicaid waivers that are pending or approved? The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a new interactive Medicaid Waiver Tracker. 

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For Daina Shilts of Nielsville, snowboarding is about being free.  She took home two silvers and a gold medal from the Special Olympic World Games Games in Pyeongchang.  However, probably more important than that, she found a new confidence in her abilities.  She has had the opportunity to train with famous Olympians and she has gained so much confidence in herself.

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Despite strong opposition from disability advocates, the House approved the ADA Education and Reform Act.  The legislation would require people facing accessibility barriers at public plain to provide written notice of their concerns.  Businesses would have up to 60 days to respond and then an additional 60 days to begin improvements.  The bill is aimed to decrease frivolous lawsuits around the ADA, but advocates feel the language in the law would basically allow businesses to take no action on accessibility until a complaint is filed.

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Feedback Wanted on Proposed Changes to the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set

Public Comment Open From February 13 - March 13

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) invites the public to comment on proposed changes to the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). There are new measures, changes to existing measures and guidelines and strategies for addressing issues that apply across various HEDIS measures.

Submit Comments

 This is an opportunity for health plans, purchasers, consumers and other stakeholders to weigh in on the relevance, scientific soundness and feasibility of new and revised measures.

Proposed New Measures

• Risk of Chronic Opioid Use
• Hospitalization Following Discharge From a Skilled Nursing Facility
• Health Assessments for People With Multiple High-Risk Chronic Conditions
• Adult Immunization Status
• Prenatal Immunization Status
• Long-Term Services and Supports Comprehensive Assessment and Update
• Long-Term Services and Supports Comprehensive Care Plan and Update
• Long-Term Services and Supports Shared Care Plan With Primary Care Physician
• Long-Term Services and Supports Reassessment/Care Plan Update After Inpatient Discharge

Proposed Changes to Existing Measures

• Controlling High Blood Pressure
• Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness
• Plan All-Cause Readmissions
• CAHPS® Health Plan Survey 5.0H

Cross-Cutting Topics

• Exclusions for Advanced Illness
• Telehealth

Guideline Update

• General Guideline 2: Product-Specific Reporting
• General Guideline 19: Self-Insured Members

NCQA reviews all feedback submitted during the public comment period.
 
Reviewers are asked to submit comments by 11:59 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, March 13. Visit the NCQA website to submit comments.

Most cities aren't known to be disability friendly, but that could soon be changing.  A few cities are undergoing an amazing transformation.  For people with visual impairments, a "beacon of navigation system” sends audio cues to users via their smartphones, providing directions, flagging escalator outages and otherwise transforming what previously were“no-go” areas.  For people with physical disabilities, apps such as AccessMap allows users to enter a destination, and receive suggested routes depending on customized settings, such as limiting uphill or downhill inclines.  

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