November 2012 Staff Reports to the Board for the Month of October 2012
Program Staff position summaries (alphabetically):
Assistive Technology (AT) Advocates (2)
Assists consumers in securing and providing information on AT resources and make
referrals for services as appropriate. Provides information and referral services about AT issues to
consumers, agencies and other interested persons utilizing in-house resources and consulting
ATI&R Centers. Gathers and organizes information on a wide range of AT topics. Resolves
inquiries of a general nature and makes referrals to community resources and agencies when
appropriate. The AT Advocate also assists consumers with locating and applying for benefits
programs and resources to fund their needed AT equipment. Provides community education and
awareness on the benefits of Assistive Technology to the independence of persons with
disabilities.
Community Living Advocates (CLA) (8)
CLAs (4) conduct consumer intake procedures and needs assessments. Provide
independent living skills training (ILS) in the areas of Housing Seeking/Maintenance, financial
management, Transportation/Mobility awareness, Community Resource Utilization, Personal
Assistant (in-home care) Management and Self-advocacy. Advocates with consumers when
access rights are limited or denied in housing, employment, transportation, benefits and health
care. Drafts written Independent Living Plan goals with all consumers or obtains waiver. Serves
on Committees to promote Systems Advocacy In the areas of housing, transportation and Personal
Assistance and keep abreast of area issues.
CLA – Benefits (2) staff provide ILS as well, and have specialized training on financial
benefits programs. They assist consumers in applying for all state and federal benefits for which
they are eligible, assist consumers in appealing adverse benefits decisions. Discuss work
incentives with consumers and the impact of other federal benefits systems on SSI/SSDI and
conduct benefits analyses. Network with key agencies such as DOR, SSA, EDD.
The CLA for Deaf consumers (2) provides ILS and training to consumers on
communications and appropriate use of sign language interpreters. This position serves the entire
tri-county area.
Bi-Lingual/Bi-Cultural Information & Referral (4)
One position in each ILRC office assists the public, in person and on the phone, acting as initial
point of contact with consumers, their families and community. Provides information regarding
ILRC’s services and independent living focus and connect them with the staff that will provide the
needed services. Provides information regarding disability related resources and services and
makes referrals of consumers and community contacts to appropriate community services.
Maintains and updates Information and Referral resource files. Represents ILRC at informational
related community events. Conducts structured outreach activities, with emphasis on underserved population groups. Provides Spanish Language access for consumers by interpreting
materials, appointments with service staff.
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Interpreter Coordinator/Advocate (1) Position Serving Tri-County
Area - based in Santa Maria
Conducts consumer intake, assessment and follow-up procedures. Provides advocacy on
behalf of consumers for communication access. Provides self-advocacy and community resource
utilization training to consumers. Updates consumer files and case notes on a regular basis.
Provides communication assistance to speech/sensory-impaired consumers/staff. Processes and
schedules interpreter requests. Secures services of registry members for interpreting tasks in the
community. Recruits for & maintains the Interpreter Registry. Facilitates payment of Interpreters
through submission of Requests for Payment for interpreter invoices. Provides
information/referral to consumers/public regarding services and resources and conducts
community education presentations.
Program Manager (1), Serving Tri-County
Area - based in Santa Barbara
Supervise Program staff, overseeing their duties, providing training, monitoring
performance and adherence to independent living philosophy, program objectives and certification
standards. Monitor program performance and participate in program development. Develop and
provide monitoring tools for staff and board evaluation of service data and goal attainment of
service objectives and consumer satisfaction surveys. Conduct annual employee evaluations and
assist staff in setting and attaining goals. Make referrals to the Employee Assistance Program
when indicated or needed for staff performance. Provide program narrative input to Executive
Director and Business Manager for grants and related reports. Keep current on labor laws,
personnel management tools and training opportunities. Recruit, screen, interview, candidates for
program positions. Provide initial orientation and training to new employees. Update program job
descriptions, consumer manuals, and provide input to policies and procedures and coordinate with
Business Manager. Process employee time sheets, track/monitor employee leave accounts,
provide payroll information to Accountant for semi-monthly payroll, track and initiate salary step
increases and submit Payroll Authorizations. Conduct or oversee community outreach, education
and systems change projects/events. Serves on committees that network with other agencies and
local governments to promote civil rights and increase capacity of access to consumers with
disabilities in the community.
Systems Change Advocate (1) Position Serving Tri-County
Area - based in Santa Barbara
Through interaction with the Statewide Network for Systems Change, the Systems Change
Advocate provides training and leadership to consumers with disabilities to develop a network for
information exchange and advocacy at the local level. The Systems Change Advocate facilitates
opportunities for consumers to develop and use the tools and skills needed to address barriers and
affect systems change. The Systems Change Advocate is a Community Organizer around State
and local issues, legislation and works with consumers and community partners to organize events
and volunteer activities according to the State Wide plan and ILRC’s Advocacy Plan.
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Staff Serving All 3 Counties
Jennie Morales, Interpreter Registry Coordinator –jmorales@ilrc-trico.org (based in
Santa Maria)
I am reporting on the month of October. I always like to start with off statistics,
coordinating is a huge portion of my position and I feel it gives you board members an idea of
how many requests come in every month and how many are actually fulfilled. So, for the month of
October, I received over a hundred interpreting requests. We have received A LOT more
interpreting requests these past 2 months due to school being back in session. I have placed
interpreters in UCSB and CSUCI Universities as well as substituting for Elementary schools in
both Santa Barbara and the Santa Maria area. I am quite the busy coordinator, however, that is
great, and I prefer it this way!
We attended the annual “Opportunities Expo” event on October 25th held at the Santa
Maria Veterans’ Hall. This is an annual event and VTC is the entity that sponsors/puts this
together every year. We had a table again and had quite a few people come up to our table, take
some brochures, etc. It was fun and always a great opportunity to do some outreach as well as seek
other services in our area.
I am putting together a power point presentation and gathering more information for the
training I will be conducting on both November 7th and the 14th for the City for Santa Maria’s
employees. I will be discussing the difference between the English language and American Sign
Language. How to interact with Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, how to utilize the Video
Relay Service and provide a live demonstration by calling Beth at her desk that day, etc. I am
looking forward and only pray that it will be a successful training, I am so darn nervous, really!!
My son’s 5th grade teacher approached me about coming into her classroom sometime and
speaking to her students regarding Deaf and Hard of Hearing folks too. I will also discuss ASL,
show them a few signs as well as discussing other disabilities they may come across. I am excited
about doing this community education opportunity as I love speaking to children, they are much
easier to speak to than adults. I will be having a very busy gal in November too!
Kathleen Riel, Program Manager – kriel@ilrc-trico.org (based in SB)
October is the beginning of our fiscal year and new cost allocations, grant goals, etc. I
participated in narratives for upcoming grants and reporting for the closing fiscal year. There
were application interviews, public hearings and reports due particularly for the Ventura County.
I have met with AT and Systems Change staff regarding this year’s grant goals and will meet with
more staff next month. I updated our time sheet forms and cost allocation columns for each
individual employee’s time sheets and trained staff per written instructions and some one on one
coaching as needed. Staff are now entering their own percents as required and providing original
signatures thus meeting our Federal 704 compliance requirements on both issues associated with
the time sheets.
On October 10th, I attended a training on section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act compliance
requirements as it relates to accessible electronic documents. Most of it was review such as
describing images being sent electronically, using generally accessible applications and formats
that are compatible with screen readers such as TextEdit, Word, etc. We did learn more in depth
about structuring Word documents with headers so screen readers can filter and jump to various
structures within a document. Since this training, we are looking into how our own policy and
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procedure manuals can be more screen reader friendly. We are also verifying whether our
employment applications are screen reader compatible.
Jake Sanders, Veteran’s Outreach Specialist – jsanders@ilrc-trico.org
October was a full month of meetings. I attended several committee meetings in Ventura,
Santa Maria, a Job Fair in Oxnard and CFC Campaign at Vandenberg Air Force Base. I met with
local Santa Barbara Vet programs in planning for the Santa Barbara County Veteran’s Stand
Down, which was a success in terms of ILRC getting consumers to sign in to our program. Frank
Karcich, an ILRC consumer, received attention for his teeth and also was able to meet with
various outreach programs on his way to receiving housing benefits. Also William Banduca was
able to receive attention on his way to receive his SSI. We added 16 new consumers to our
database for future work. Those that gave me an email are now part of my email circulations.
Those that gave me addresses will receive newsletters and information, and those that gave me
phone numbers I will reach out to by phone. I have ordered CalVet Information Booklet’s for
ILRC and also delivered a donated Wheelchair to Ziva Hirsch. Consumer Interview and
Assessment Training was completed.
Lulzim “Lu” Traga, Systems Change Advocate- ltraga@ilrc-trico.org (based in SB)
This past month, we started working on voter education, registration and GOTV campaign
for the last local/state/national election. To this end, I worked with Work Force Resource Center,
their staff and their consumers to educate them on the local/state/national elections and issues. We
encouraged registration as well as taking advantage of voting by mail.
We have also worked with our own consumers to encourage them to vote. I have made
telephone contact with our active and inactive consumers directly in the tri-County area to remind
them to register to vote as well as to vote on November 6th elections.
We also brought attention to improve communication of political campaigns at the local
and national level to millions of Americans with Disabilities. Of particular concern to us is the
almost complete lack of captioning of political campaign ads. Most of our seniors use captioning
and so do deaf and hard of hearing individuals. In practical terms, this means that many youth,
adults, veterans, and seniors with disabilities do not fully understand their policy as it concerns
them. Moreover, they are subject to misinterpretations, misrepresentation that may lead to
misperceptions.
I also attended several webinar trainings on State Budget and Advocacy, Voting Webinar
trainings, housing needs for our community members as well as responded to several calls to
action on issues that concern people with disabilities.
Santa Barbara County
South Santa Barbara County:
Carol Baizer, CLA-Benefits Coord. - cbaizer@ilrc-trico.org
Social Security has issued a Fact Sheet reflecting 2013 Social Security changes. This
contains important information for consumers who are beneficiaries of SSDI and SSI. Most
notably, for consumers who are working and receiving SSDI, the new non-blind rate for
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Substantial Gainful Activity will be increased to $1040.00 per month for non-blind beneficiaries
and $1740.00 per month for consumers who are blind.
For SSDI beneficiaries who have not yet started to work, a Trial Work Period month
begins when one earns $750.00 a month, an increase of thirty dollars over the 2012 amount. The
mechanics of work incentives, themselves, remain unchanged. Consumers are responsible for
reporting their monthly earnings to SSA.
In addition SSA offices will close at 3:00pm and at noon on Wednesdays. There has been
a greater emphasis by SSA in recording information online and presumably shortened hours will
not affect those who have access to a computer. Consumers report long waiting periods in the
SSA office now. The waiting time will probably become even longer.
Ziva Hirsch, AT Program Coord. – zhirsch@ilrc-trico.org
October was a busy month, it started off with the mayor’s breakfast, Coffee with a Cop,
SB transition collaborative, a Traumatic Brain Injury training, and a visit to Atascadero to talk
about outreach and the AT grant with Cary. I also did an assessment for a consumer at Buena
Vista for a communication device after his recent stroke left him unable to communicate verbally.
I recommended a push button device and his speech therapist said they would provide him with
one and start working with him so that he would understand how to use it. We also stayed very
busy helping another consumer move in to her new apartment and attended her walk-through to
help make sure she gets back most of her deposit. I also helped a consumer finish her application
to a 4-year university and apply for financial aid. Happy Thanksgiving!
Rosa Lopez, Bilingual Information and Referral - rlopez@ilrc-trico.org
This last month has been busy with a lot of calls coming from people looking for housing
in the area, especially section 8. I have also had a couple walk-ins as well as phone calls from
people looking for work as caregivers. I always explain how our organization works and that they
will have to wait for work to appear. A lot of people think that once they submit an application,
they will start working right away and start getting paid. I have been adding more referrals into the
referral section of CIL Management as well. There has been a couple of more consumers needing
more help with moving issues, such as finding movers, finding where to recycle appliances and
where to find household items. I have also helped a Spanish-speaking consumer with his
application for food stamps, he seems to keep getting the same old forms again and again and we
keep filling them out for him. I have made a lot more ILRC Handbooks this last month due to
more outreaches and tables we have had. I went to the Neighborhood Clinics and gave them some
of our brochures for their waiting areas and explained what we do. I hope everyone is staying
warm on these cool days ahead of us. Bring out the sweaters.
Petra Lowen, Community Living Advocate- plowen@ilrc-trico.org
October was a very busy month, as my statistics show: I had 9 self-care intakes (personal
assistant requests), 3 for new consumers. I also had 9 community living (housing) intakes, 5 for
new consumers. I had 6 self-care placements, 3 for consumers on In-Home Supportive Services
and additionally one consumer found a personal assistant not referred by the ILRC and met his
goal. 6 consumers found housing. Altogether I had 221 consumer contacts for the month. I also
had 121 community contacts. I talked to 26 non-consumers with housing questions. I interviewed
1 personal assistant applicant.
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The consumer who had been looking for better housing under section 8 for months and
had gone through mediation on July 31, 2012 finally found housing: a cute apartment in a
beautiful apartment complex close to downtown. The consumer was relieved and happy, the effort
that the ILRC (along with the consumer) put into this paid off in the end. This was one goal met
that stands out. The consumer moved this past weekend. Another consumer, who had to find a
new room by November 1, rented one more or less on the last day. That one also required a lot of
effort, we put 2 ads on the craigslist for the consumer because she does not have a computer.
At the end of October I attended a section 8 hearing for a consumer, who was accused of
several section 8 violations and threatened with having her voucher revoked. She had obtained a
pro bono attorney. The hearing lasted over 3 hours and then was extended to another day, which I
could not attend. Now the consumer is waiting for the decision, hopefully she will keep her
voucher, otherwise she will not be able to pay her rent.
Cathy Martin, CCT Transition Program Coordinator- cmartin@ilrc-trico.org
In the month of October the CCT program received 5 more referrals. We started working
with a new nursing home in Oxnard and also one in Westlake. The Westlake facility also
indicated that they would be referring several more consumers to the CCT program. By mid
November we will have 6 active transitions with 3 consumers in case management. Towards the
end of December we will have several other referrals that will be ready to move into the active
enrollment stage.
Two of our CCT consumers have complicated medical issues and we need to receive a lot
of assistance once they leave the skilled nursing facility. Both of these consumer are quite young
and even though need a lot of medical care still have a possibility of a long and full life. To me
this is exactly what the CCT program is for. I am very excited to assist these consumers and
believe they will become an integral part of our community and the ILRC.
This is all very exciting and continues to get lots of positive feed back from the
community. Kathleen is working on getting our reimbursements from medi-cal. From what I
understand we are continuing to get larger and larger payments. This is all great news and we
seem to be getting the program running full speed ahead.
Ken McLellan, CLA- Deaf - kmclellan@ilrc-trico.org (based in SB)
This past month has been very challenging. I have learned that deaf people with severely
limited reading and signing skills are often unable to understand what comes out in the courtroom.
From what I have seen, the courts do not seem to understand the problem and do not know how to
deal with such defendants. It is very important for people to not answer any questions with such
poor communication. I thank each and every one of you for being part of this community and its
changes as we move forward! Hope you have a good Thanksgiving Week!
North Santa Barbara County
Elizabeth Houston, Community Living Advocate -Deaf – bhouston@ilrc-trico.org
I went with our ILRC staff to the Opportunities Expo for our booth and saw many
interesting people and agencies that have helpful information for us to use, also bowls of candies
and free pens are awesome as well! I also went to Deaf/Hard of Hearing service Workshop and
there were around 25 people who showed up and we shared feedback on various ideas for our
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Deaf community events and how to improve for the year of 2013 and I am going to fix that to
make it happen!
We will have a movie with all Deaf actors who play in full of ASL and yes, CC will be
provided for hearing people and it is called "Hard Man." Tickets are now available on sale for
$11.00 and it will be on November 30th Friday at Allan Hancock College in building C-40 forum.
The doors will open at 5:30pm and it starts at 7pm. The tickets will be sold at the front doors and
please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. You can contact me at bhouston@ilrctrico.org Thank you!
Sandra Santana, Community Living Advocate/Bilingual Information & Referral –
ssantana@ilrc-trico.org
The month of October turned out to be our Annual Abilities Expo month. The turnout this
year was very fruitful. I was able to meet with many potential consumers. Throughout the year I
have attended several events within the community that targeted the Mexican- American
population, which proved to make a difference at this years Expo. I did see and speak with quite a
few of those people that I have spoken with regarding ILRC services throughout the year at each
of those events. I went out of my way to make copies of the Event fliers and place them in a few
local businesses prior to the Expo for more exposure in the community. I believe that many of the
Mexican and Mexican American population are not aware that our services are here to serve them
as well as all other ethnic groups. I have noticed as well a higher number of consumers actually
working on goals to transfer out of Santa Maria and being more open to moving to Santa Barbara
and also SLO County because of the lack of funding, resources and housing. With the end of the
fiscal year here many providers are out of or near the end of their available funds to assist the
community. I have had a much more difficult time finding resources for many of the needs I face
with consumers throughout the year. I have noticed many consumers on disability asking
questions about working while receiving benefits. I have referred more consumers lately to our
benefits advocate here in the area. I also notice a higher number of our disabled consumers
wanting referrals with employment and education related goals. Their inability to make it on their
benefits alone seems to be more of an issue during these times. I have noticed a few seniors have
talked about coming out of retirement to be able to make ends meet. It just goes to show how
tough times really are and the cost of living affecting everyone. Our services change along with
the economy and the struggles affect everyone.
Ventura County
DeAnna Grove, Community Living Advocate- dgrove@ilrc-trico.org
The most exciting news Ventura had in October was that the Area Housing Authority
(AHA) opened their waiting list for 7 public housing units throughout our county. Three of the
units are senior only. The other 4 are family complexes. I spent the beginning of the month
contacting consumers, who qualified and had previously informed me that they were interested in
living in these areas of Ventura, with information on how to apply.
October seemed to be a month where people were re-assessing their personal needs and
looking for options that could increase their success. I assisted several consumers in applying for
In-Home Supportive Services and also attended their IHSS home visit. I also advocated for a
legally blind consumer requesting Assistive Technology equipment through the Department of
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Rehabilitation. I assisted another consumer in applying for funding for Assistive Technology
equipment. Several new consumers contacted us in regards to building vocational skills.
In October, I spoke on behalf of ILRC at the Ventura Public Hearing for the Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG). I also attended the Port Hueneme Naval Base CFC
Presentation where I sat at a booth handing out ILRC materials, met one-on-one with persons
inquiring about our services, and presented information about ILRC services as part of the group
presentation.
Jennifer Martinez, Information & Referral – Bilingual- jmartinez@ilrc-trico.org
October calls consisted of consumers seeking assistive devices, benefits information and
resources for holiday employment. With Election Day approaching, there were more consumers
asking about information on voter registration and how to vote as well. I had a couple of
consumers go over the General Election Guide publications both printed and audible versions. It
was interesting to listen to consumer views and concerns with the upcoming elections.
This month our office participated in the Transition Networking Teams meeting hosted by
Ventura County SELPA as part of an outreach effort to students and teachers of Ventura County.
San Luis Obispo County
Paul Collagan, Community Living Advocate Benefits – pcollagan@ilrc-trico.org
October was a great month and I hope everyone had a happy Halloween. I attended Mental
Health First Aid and Suicide Prevention trainings with Cary McGill at the San Luis Obispo
Transitional Mental Health Association. It was very helpful and informative. I attended training
with Advocacy and Resource Connection for the Homeless (ARCH), numerous agencies and
organizations that have collaborated with Social Services. In these sessions we designed an
informational tri-fold that contains the services offered in San Luis Obispo County to inform those
in need. I will be attending another session later this month. It focuses on speeding up the process
for successful SSI and SSDI claims. I have added 6 new consumers in October. One of my
consumers has received their benefits and their back pay. I have attended several SSI
appointments with consumers at both the San Luis Obispo and the Santa Maria Social Security
offices.
Kelly Hannula, Community Living Advocate - khannula@ilrc-trico.org
As a follow-up to last month’s success story, my consumer “Jeffrey” won another victory
in court with the Arch Diocese of San Francisco due to strong advocacy on behalf of ILRC. This
time it was overturning of a ban placed upon him stating he could not remarry in the church due to
the false allegations of mental illness his ex-wife stated about him two years ago. This intense
appeal also took two years to rectify but it was done with unequivocal facts, testimony and
supporting medical documentation in support of our consumer. Believe me getting the Catholic
Church to overturn a verdict is harder than any civil court. I can say this because it is the church I
belong to, so it was especially important to me that “my” church not condemn an innocent man.
Two more of my Vets have been housed and two more are in the pipeline. We still have 42
homeless vet vouchers available in this county. We also still have TBRA money available to assist
with deposits through December. Of course the issue is finding available, low-income housing
and landlords that will take a voucher. It is always such a struggle.
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We have a new Echo Homeless Shelter director in North County. He brought the Board
Chair by our office to show him how he wants to model the services and professionalism we
exhibit at ILRC to shelter consumers. It was a great compliment. Since then I have met with his
new case manager to educate her on who we are and what we do so she can refer her consumers to
us. We are already matching up a homeless caregiver with a consumer of ours that needs a live in
aide. See you all in December.
Cary McGill, Assistive Technology (AT) Advocate- cmcgill@ilrc-trico.org
The month of October has been very busy in assistive technology. I have acquired many
new consumers who are busy working on all of their new goals. Voter registration forms filled
out, applications for recycled computers, requests for eyewear through the Gift Of Sight program,
and mobility accessories have been requested many times this month. Also this month, Paul and I
were able to attend classes together through Transitional Mental Health Services. I really enjoyed
them and learned so much in order to assist many of our consumers. Recycled assistive
technology has gone to consumers, especially mobility devices. Referrals from DOR have come in
at a steady pace and items that are not covered by Medi-Cal/ Medicare/ insurance have been asked
for, especially eyewear.
Jerry Mihaic, Bilingual I&R - jmihaic@ilrc-trico.org
In October, I had the opportunity to attend some very useful forums and presentations
dealing with various topics. At the beginning of the month, I attended a Suicide Prevention
Forum, which was sponsored in part by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and TMHA
(Transitions Mental Health Association). At the forum, there were several service providers that I
was able to network with. We all had the opportunity to learn about suicide prevention and how
suicide affects so many different types of people in our county—including an increasing number
of veterans.
Later in the month I attended an educational presentation on the topic of Addiction and
Substance Use Disorders. The North County Connection had a very knowledgeable doctor as
guest speaker. There were several local service providers at the event and it was also a great
opportunity to network and learn about a problem that affects many of our consumers. At the end
of October, I attended a couple of presentations dealing with homeless issues in our county. One
of them was about the introduction of Hope’s Village of SLO—an innovative approach for
homeless adults in San Luis Obispo County.
Needless to say, October was a very busy month of activities that help enhance our
knowledge of the consumers we serve and how we can provide our services in the most effective
way. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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