6,000 Miles for the Change of a Lifetime

Four individuals with developmental disabilities embark on an experiential learning cross country trip On May 30, four guys will begin their journey of traveling 6,000 miles – an experience that will change them for a lifetime. It may seem like just another cross-country road trip to the west coast, but it couldn’t be further from ordinary. These four guys are part of Guys Group, a social group for young men with developmental disabilities (DD). Developed by People Inc.’s Life Quality Coaching Department, the Guys Group helps participants discover and nurture their passions, build lasting friendships and develop important life skills so that they have increased opportunities to live and work independently. People Inc. is the leading non-profit human services agency in Western New York. With the assistance and support of two People Inc. life quality coaches, this trip is their chance to learn in action everything from planning and budgeting to safety and social skills – almost everything needed for an average tourism venture. One way the guys helped prepare for the trip was by making a check list. Twenty-two-year-old Aaron Hanson, a People Inc. Guys Group and trip participant who is autistic, said making the list helped him learn new organizational skills. “I have to make sure I have enough clothes for each portion of the trip,” he said. He also learned how to develop a budget and use his new bank card. But beyond the planning and preparation, Hanson can’t wait to see new parts of the country. “I want to learn about new places and take a lot of photos,” Hanson said. He hopes to take his picture in front of “Welcome to” signs to recap the many places he’ll visit on the trip. As Hanson and the other participants make their way across the country and see the likes of the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and Hollywood, they will also visit other DD agencies to share the kids coaching philosophy and encourage them to create programs similar to People Inc.’s Guys Group. The agencies they plan to visit are Bethesda Lutheran Communities in Fort Collins, Colorado; Opportunity Village in Las Vegas, Nevada; TERI Inc. in Oceanside, California; and New Horizons in San Fernando Valley, California.  This trip is the first sponsored trip of its kind for People Inc. Their journey can be followed in real time on the Facebook page “Crossing Borders WNY.” The trip will be documented on film and combined with footage of the group preparing for the journey. People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human services agency providing programs and services to more than 12,000 people with special needs, their families and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.

Headway of Western New York Hosts Annual Spring Fundraiser

Headway of WNY, a not-for-profit agency and an affiliate of People Inc., will host their 16th Annual Spring Gala, Diamond Anniversary – 30 Years of Caring, on Thursday, May 28, 2015, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Classics V Banquet Center, 2425 Niagara Falls Blvd, Amherst. The event is presented by ECMC. The event features an awards presentation, music, food, silent auction and a large basket raffle. Proceeds from this event support Headway of WNY to ensure that individuals in WNY with brain injuries and other disabilities have access to advocacy, resources and support systems to enable them to live as independently as possible. Headway of WNY, a not-for-profit agency and an affiliate of People Inc., provides resources, support groups, recreational programs, training and educational programs to both survivors and caregivers of brain injury. Headway of WNY, Inc. is a volunteer support, advocacy and resource organization that was founded in 1985 by caring families and individuals who have survived brain injury and other disabilities.

Museum of disABILITY History Hosts Training in Accessible Voting

Machines Make Voting Possible for those who are Blind, Unable to Mark Traditional Ballot May 21, 2015: The Museum of disABILITY History is happy to host “Every Vote Counts—Yours Matters,” an accessible voting training event, on Monday, June 1, 2015, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.

Author Rosanne Higgins, PhD, to speak at Museum of disABILITY History

Presentation to focus on research behind author’s work The Museum of disABILITY History is pleased to welcome author and anthropologist, Rosanne Higgins, PhD, as the latest presenter in its Dialogues on disABILITY Speaker Series. The presentation, entitled “Libraries, Ledgers and Graveyards: Unearthing the Facts Behind Historical Fiction,” will take place on Friday, May 29, 2015, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 3826 Main Street, Buffalo. Higgins will speak about her Orphans and Inmates book series and the research that shaped its creation. She will also highlight her involvement with the University at Buffalo’s Erie County Poorhouse Cemetery Project, and share how it inspired her second novel, A Whisper of Bones. Additionally, Higgins will discuss the relationship between poverty and disability in the nineteenth century. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and have books signed by the author. Higgins, an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University at Buffalo, was born in Enfield, Connecticut, but spent her youth in Buffalo, NY. Her experiences traveling in both the United States and in Europe as a child resulted in a love of history from an early age. In 1998, she went on to earn her PhD in anthropology from the University at Buffalo. Her studies focused largely on the nineteenth century’s Asylum Movement and its impact on disease specific mortality in Erie, Niagara and Monroe County Poorhouses. In the spring of 2012, she was invited to join the Erie County Poorhouse Cemetery project, undertaken by the Department of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo. This project, paired with a longstanding desire to tell a side of the ‘Poorhouse story’ that was accessible to more than just the scholarly community, resulted in her novel, Orphans and Inmates. The book is the first in a series chronicling fictional accounts of poorhouse residents inspired by historical data. The series’ second installment, A Whisper of Bones, was released in October 2014. The Dialogues on disABILITY event is $6 for adults, $3.50 for students, seniors and human service employees, and free for Museum members. The event fee includes admission to the gallery space of the Museum of disABILITY History. For more information or to register, call 716-629-3626. The Museum of disABILITY History, a project of People Inc., is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and display of artifacts relating to the history of people with disabilities. The mission is to tell the story of the lives, triumphs and struggles of people with disabilities as well as society’s reactions. The Museum of disABILITY History, located at 3826 Main Street in Buffalo, NY, offers educational exhibits, programs and activities that expand community awareness.

Seniors in West Seneca Celebrate their New Home; Apartment Wait List Speaks Volumes

Resolved court case allows seniors to live in affordable apartments at former Houghton College campus What: Celebration for People Inc. Walnut Senior Living in West Seneca   When: Friday, May 8, 2015, at 2 p.m.   Where:  804 Union Road, West Seneca (between Seneca Street and East and West Road)   Who:  Congressman Brian Higgins, People Inc. President and CEO Rhonda Frederick and staff from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will share remarks to celebrate the collaboration. Tenants will share their personal stories and what it means to live in their hometown.   Why:  People Inc. worked through the court system and partnered with the West Seneca Town Board to resolve any initial concerns to build a 46-apartment unit building for seniors to live safely and affordably on the former Houghton College campus. This new location, People Inc. Walnut Senior Living, marks the agency’s 19th Senior Living location as it responds to the needs of a growing elderly population, while helping seniors to have a meaningful life by living affordably and safely, along with providing support services as needed. Although there were initial concerns, a need was recognized to provide this type of housing. “We proactively met with community members to avoid any misconceptions,” said Rhonda Frederick, People Inc. president and chief executive officer. “In fact, the success of this project has only shown that the need is evident as this new location has the highest wait list – actually enough to build two additional apartment buildings in the area.” People Inc. Walnut Senior Living is home to independent seniors, age 62 and up, who meet the federally mandated income guidelines. People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human services agency providing programs and services to more than 12,000 people with special needs, their families, and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.

People Inc. Hosting Southtowns Open Interview Day in Silver Creek on May 7

Seeking Group Home Staff, RNs and LPNs April 30, 2015: People Inc. is looking for qualified candidates to assist individuals with disabilities with personal care, household duties and recreational activities so they can live as independently as possible. A Southtowns Open Interview Day will be held on Thursday, May 7, from 3 to 6 p.m. at 17 Park Place, Silver Creek. Full and part-time group home staff, RN and LPN day, evening and overnight positions are available.   Employees receive numerous benefits, including health insurance, 401(k) pension plan, tuition reimbursement and paid time off. Additionally, People Inc. offers paid training, holiday incentives and other benefits.   Candidates should dress professionally and be prepared for an interview with a resume. Descriptions for specific jobs are listed on the agency's website. For those who cannot attend the Southtowns Open Interview Day, but are interested in applying may do so online at people-inc.org/careers.   People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human services agency providing programs and services to more than 12,000 people with special needs, their families and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.

Artistic Talents of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities at People Inc. Appreciation Arts Event

What: People Inc. Foundation Supporting Member Appreciation Arts Event   When: Friday, May 1, 2015, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.   Where:                 People Inc., 2635 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo (Delaware Camera Plaza, across from Target)   The artistic talents of People Inc.’s Arts Experience program participants who have developmental disabilities will be displayed during the agency’s exclusive People Inc. Foundation Supporting Member Appreciation Arts Event.   Scheduled live performances of various mediums of art will be demonstrated, including: country and salsa dance routines, a rap performance, puppet demonstration, poetry readings and woodworking. An artist panel with a question and session will also be held. The event represents the talented individuals People Inc. is proud to serve.   The People Inc. Arts Experiences is a fine arts day habilitation program offering an array of classes from music, drama, visual art and dance to creative writing and dance aerobics. Classes are instructed by qualified artists and educators. To live a healthy lifestyle, in both body and mind, participants benefit from an outlet where the focus is on self-expression, creativity, relaxation, free movement within the body and self-enlightenment.   People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human services agency providing programs and services to more than 12,000 people with special needs, their families and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.

ADA25 Legacy Tour and Reception at Museum of disABILITY History

Buffalo, NY Part of National ADA25 Legacy Tour Bus The Museum of disABILITY History is pleased to host the ADA25 Legacy Tour and Reception on Wednesday, April 29, from 4 to 6 p.m., 3826 Main Street, Buffalo. The ADA25 Legacy Tour is a cross country trip raising awareness about the 25th anniver

Documentary Screening of Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement at Museum of disABILITY History

The Museum of disABILITY History is pleased to be a host site for a screening of the movie Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement, Wednesday, April 1, from 7 to 9 p.m., 3826 Main Street, Buffalo. The one-hour documentary questions commonly held beliefs about disability. Following the screening, there will be a discussion and Q&A session with producer and director Regan Brashear. The screening is presented by the University at Buffalo Accessibility Resources and Wellness Education Services and the Museum of disABILITY History. Event admission is $6 for adults, $3.50 for students and seniors. For more information or to RSVP, call 716-629-3626.