ANCOR SAYS:
 
Your engagement during this budget negotiation is crucial to ensure that people with disabilities continue to have access to the Medicaid-funded services they require. It is essential that your representatives in Washington hear directly from you, regardless of their prior involvement with disability issues. Your elected officials need to understand the significance of Medicaid-reliant supports and the importance of increased funding for their sustainability.
 
Please act today to let Congress know:

• The DSP workforce and Medicaid-funded long-term support services (LTSS) provider infrastructure are in deep crisis due to decades of underinvestment.  
• Investments in Medicaid community-based programs are desperately needed to ensure individuals with I/DD have the necessary services to succeed.

 
Together, we can strengthen the Medicaid program and ensure that millions of Americans continue to have access to the care they need. Your advocacy can make a tangible difference, and we deeply appreciate your commitment to supporting people with I/DD.

July Family Support Parent Happy Hour


Does your child use an augmentative or alternative (AAC) communication device?
 
If so, you are invited to join us for our July Family Support Parent Happy Hour, which will be on the topic of “Augmentative & Alternative Communication.”
 
This event features:

• Information on how children with complex communication needs learn to communicate.
• Strategies to create communication opportunities.
• Strategies to be a supportive and effective communication partner.
• Scenario role playing with your child's AAC device.
• Networking with other parents.

​IMPORTANT DETAILS:

• We only have space for one parent per household at this event.
• Light refreshments will provided.
• You must bring your child's AAC device (high/mid/low tech).

EVENT DETAILS:

• WHEN: Thursday, July 20th from 6-7:30pm.
• WHERE: Community Vision, 2475 SE Ladd Avenue, Suite 120, Portland, OR 97214. 
• HOSTED BY: UCP Oregon’s Family Support Department. Also brought to you by Community Vision AT.

Are you a member of UCP Family Support Department? Have you been eagerly awaiting our next OMSI Play Lab?

We’re excited to announce our summer Play Lab date:

• July 29, 2023 from 10-1am (for English-speaking families).
• July 29, 2023 from 3-4pm (for Spanish-speaking families).

Each Play Lab includes an hour-long, hands-on, family-centered STEM program, followed by unstructured play time at OMSI. Every participating family will receive a free year-long family membership to OMSI!


NOTES:

• Participating children must be aged birth to 6 years old.
• There is a cut-off of 20 people per Play Lab. If our July 29th date gets filled, we will add a second summer Play Lab date. 
• ​To save your spot, please send an email to Katherine, listing the names of everyone who will be attending with you.

Are you passionate about social justice? Would you love to work one-on-one with customers from diverse backgrounds and experiences, supporting them to live their best lives?
 
If so, UCP Oregon might have the perfect opportunity for you!
 
We are currently seeking a Personal Agent (Caseload Manager), who will work in one of our support services brokerages (“UCP Mentors”).
 
As a Personal Agent, you’ll support 36-40 adults to navigate the support services system; secure resources and services; and address their health and safety needs.
 
You’ll also advocate with (and for) your customers; manage intensive paperwork; monitor the quality of services; and ensure choice and independence.
 
You’ll be part of a team that is a collaborative, fun, and diverse.
 
After passing your introductory evaluation, you will have the opportunity to work a hybrid schedule (partially working from home).

Do you love to meet new people? Are you passionate about making a difference every day?
 
Then UCP Oregon might have the perfect job for you! We’re seeking a Recruiter & Onboarding Specialist.
 
You’ll be hiring for direct care positions—employees who work one-on-one with children or adults who experience a disability. You’ll also be hiring for caseload managers and the occasional mid- or upper-management position.

You’ll also oversee UCP’s onboarding process, ensuring that new employees have what they need to start in their new jobs.
 
After passing your 180-day introductory evaluation, you may be able to work a hybrid schedule (partially working from home).

We think all of us are beautiful people! And so does a local filmmaker named Zian Chavez.
 
Zian is making a documentary about the lives of people who experience disabilities, here in Portland and around the world. The film is entitled “We are the Most Beautiful People.”
 
UCP Oregon sponsored the documentary, and some UCP Oregon customers have been interviewed as a part of the project.
 
As the filmmaker, Zian says, "We live in a world that's centered on the rights and needs of non-disabled persons. Our documentary challenges the notion of beauty and centers on the lived experience of adults with disabilities. It will contribute to the disability justice movement, raise awareness and deconstruct norms embedded in cultures worldwide."
 
Zian says, “So many of the interviews we have already completed reveal the inequities that exist all around the world today.” The film will feature, among others:

• Indigenous and First Nation voices: a grandmother in New Mexico; a member of the Comanche Nation in Santa Fe; someone from the Garden Hill First Nation in Canada.
• Several organizations in Portland, including UCP Oregon, and representatives from the Portland Black Lives Matter Movement, Don’t Shoot Portland, and PHAME Performing Arts Academy.
• Detroit advocates including Detroit Disability Power and Detroit Black Deaf Advocates.
• People from around the world, including Ghana, Chile, India, Taiwan, and even Lizzie Acker from the Great British Bake Off.

Zian will be submitting an application to the Sundance Film Festival in the fall—so cool!
The film has an expected release date of December, 2023. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

There are more than 18 million Asian Americans in America today. More than 1.3 million of them experience some form of disability.

There are also 612,857 native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders living in the United States; almost 65,000 of them experience disabilities.

Ollie Cantos is a Filipino-American attorney who has been blind since birth. He successfully upheld anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. At one point, he was the highest-ranking person with a disability in the federal government.

Ollie reminds us that these battles are still being fought every day, saying, "As a society, yet again, we are at a critical crossroads. By coming together to amplify our voices, in the spirit of the great Mahatma Gandhi, we each get to BE the change we want to see."

​What change do YOU want to be?
  

• Learn more about several prominent Asian-Americas who experience disabilities here. Profiles include a contestant from Bachelor Season 25, two US Senators, and more.
• Read some interesting statistics here.
• Learn more about Ollie Cantos here and here.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. ​In honor of this month, UCP Oregon would like to share a piece written by Andrew Haynes.

​Andrew is the Brokerage Administrative Assistant for UCP Connections, and is a person with Asperger’s. Andrew would like to thank Silas Bird (Operations Coordinator for UCP Connections) for assistance in creating this piece.

​By Andrew Haynes, Brokerage Administrative Assistant, with assistance from Silas Bird, Operations Coordinator

Autism Acceptance Month is a time to celebrate and embrace the unique qualities of individuals on the autism spectrum. It's no longer enough to simply raise awareness about autism; we must shift our focus towards acceptance and inclusion.
 
We must advocate for policies that prioritize inclusion, education, employment opportunities, healthcare access, and social support for autistic individuals.

Reminder! Tomorrow is UCP Oregon's Family Support Group meeting.

The meeting will be held on April 13, at 6:30PM, via Zoom.