One in Five, (Screen readable version)
Summer 2005 - Volume 4 Issue 3
One in five Americans has a disability.
(Note to reader: each article begins with the words BEGIN ARTICLE followed by the number of the article and ends with the words END
ARTICLE followed by the number for easier movement within the publication. A table of contents has been included below. Any suggestions
about how to make One in Five more user friendly for screen readers should be directed to editor@alphaonenow.com.
Managing publisher — John Nunan
Editor – Karen Farber
Contributing Writers — Karen Crouser, Matt Peterson, Harriet Schultz
Photography — Karen Farber, John Nunan, Matt Peterson
Layout — Steve Darnley
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An Alpha One Publication — One in Five is published quarterly by Alpha One Enterprises, www.alphaonenow.com. Copyright ©2005 Alpha
One Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of One in Five without the expressed permission of the publisher is prohibited.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE 1: Doors close and those who died at AMHI remembered
ARTICLE 2: Casco Bay access improves with new vessel
ARTICLE 3: Vantage Point: Team work will take independent living movement forward
ARTICLE 4: Cycling notches to conclude tri-sport event
ARTICLE 5: Health care advance directives: guidelines, not rigid prescription
ARTICLE 6: It takes a village to raise an assistance dog
ARTICLE 7: iPod Shuffle sets the bar for things to come
ARTICLE 8: Accessing Mother Nature
ARTICLE 9: Discovering access in Maine’s parks: In the woods, along the shore, among the lakes, and in the County
ARTICLE 10: Ms. Wheelchair America rolls into Maine
ARTICLE 11: Long time Acadia ranger looks toward retirement
ARTICLE 12: Acadia: An access focus
ARTICLE 13: Maine Deaf Film Festival hosts Maine premiere
ARTICLE 14: New two-speed manual wheelchair wheel
ARTICLE 15: Online customer service platform meets Rehab Act
ARTICLE 16: Disability Expo planned for Kennebunk
ARTICLE 17: Water sports with Northeast Passage
ARTICLE 18: WGBH closed captioning pioneers honored
ARTICLE 19: Two agencies move forward with apartment complex plans
ARTICLE 20: Organizations in this issue
ARTICLE 21: Advertisers in this issue
BEGIN ARTICLE 1
Doors close and those who died at AMHI remembered
By Karen Farber
“Forgotten and neglected graves of persons who died in state institutions convey a message of devaluing the people who struggled with
mental illness, contribute to the burden of stigma that people still face today, and perpetuate an old image of the state hospital as a
dehumanizing warehouse.”—Statement of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, 2001.
During the years 1840 to 2004, roughly 45,000 patients entered what we know today as the Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI). Over
the course of those same years, more than 11,600 individuals died there. Until recently, that latter number was completely unknown. It is only
after five years of painstaking effort that the AMHI Cemetery Project was able to assess how many people died while in the state’s care there.
AMHI doors close
In late June, AMHI was formally closed and all those who died while at AMHI were remembered at a memorial service.
One may wonder why this group believed it was so important to learn who died at AMHI. Lead researcher Laura Wilder told memorial
service attendees, “Because it’s the right thing to do and for the families to know what happened. It’s also important for ea ch person
who struggles and lives with mental illness. I am acutely aware that if I were born 30 years earlier or if I had fewer resources when I
became ill I could have had my name in this Book of Remembrance. To forget the history of the dead is to forget the stories o f the
living.”
A release
Cathy Bustin, a former patient advocate with the Disability Rights Center, said the memorial service, “Feels like releasing souls to God. It
feels good that a lot of good people worked together and cared deeply. (The project is important because) people shouldn’t die in oblivion,
they shouldn’t get thrown away like trash along with their hopes and dreams.”
Helen Bailey, an attorney with Disability Rights Center, speaking at the service, said, “I see how fitting it is that we read these names. They
are not able to walk out (of AMHI) today but they can symbolically walk into the light of day as we close the doors behind them.”
Confidentiality hurdles
The cemetery project had its fair share of hurdles. The initial goal was to find the cemetery at AMHI—something that still has not been found.
Volunteers spent hours combing the Maine State Archives discovering in the spring of 2002 that the number of people who died at AMHI
numbered in the thousands.
Initially, Maine’s confidentiality laws prevented volunteers from accessing AMHI records and when that hurdle was overcome other
confidentiality laws kept the list of those who died from being released publicly for a memorial service. With the assistance of Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) and legislators both roadblocks were eventually surmounted.
Equipped now with a list of who died at AMHI, the project still has work to be done—finding the cemetery and creating a memorial garden.
Overwhelmed
Wilder described herself as, at times, being overwhelmed by the numbers who died. “The number of patients who died increased decade by
decade until the twentieth century. Some died the day they arrived, some died after 50 years. For many this was the end. One in four came
through the doors and died here up until the late 1900s. I think death here became commonplace.”
A prayer
Concluding, Wilder said, “It is my fervent prayer that in another 100 years, there is not another group at Riverview (Psychiatric Center) doing
the same thing.”
The cemetery project received ongoing support and a home from the Amistad organization in Portland. DHHS provided ongoing financial and
staff support.
END ARTICLE 1
BEGIN ARTICLE 2
Casco Bay access improves with new vessel
PORTLAND—Casco Bay Lines took delivery of, and is running on regular routes, the newest addition to its fleet—the M/V Aucocisco III.
The Aucocisco III accommodates up to 399 passengers and meets all ADA guidelines for a vessel of its size.
The twin-screw vessel was christened in late May. Its name, Aucocisco, originates from the Native American term for Casco Bay meaning
resting place. The Aucocisco III replaces the Island Holiday in the company’s five-vessel fleet.
This summer, Aucocisco III will operate at 5:05 a.m. on the Downbay run, at 7:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the Innerbay run, and at 7:15 p.m. and
10:30 p.m. on the Peaks Island run.
Both the Federal Transit Administration and the Maine Department of Transportation provided primary funding for construction of the vessel.
In related news, a Supreme Court ruling in June, expanded the American Disabilities Act to apply to foreign cruise lines sailing in U.S.
waters. The justices ruled in the six-to-three decision that the ADA is applicable to foreign ships in U.S. waters to the same extent that it is
applicable to American ships in those waters. The decision affects the $2.5 billion foreign cruise industry, which carries 7.1 million
passengers each year.
In the case, Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd., three passengers with disabilities who boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line in Houston in
1998 and 1999 say they paid premiums for handicapped-accessible cabins and the assistance of crew but the cruise line failed to provide
access to restaurants, elevators, and other facilities in violation of the ADA.
Also last month, the National Council on Disability (NCD) released its report, “The Current State of Transportation for People with
Disabilities.” The report states that despite improvements much remains to be done in the area of transportation.
The report highlights industry best practices and successful initiatives that can serve as models for communities wishing to enhance
transportation and mobility for people with disabilities. It also recommends service improvements and proposes research that could lead to
more transportation options for the six million Americans with disabilities who have difficulties obtaining needed transportation.
END ARTICLE 2
BEGIN ARTICLE 3
Vantage Point: Team work will take independent living movement forward
By Dennis Fitzgibbons
All my life, I have shared a common passion with many others who have grown up in New England—the fate of the Boston Red Sox. We
never gave up hope, though it was often easy to get discouraged. For those who love the Red Sox—that patience was rewarded last year.
Baseball as a metaphor for life has been overworked, but I take away some important lessons from last year’s Boston Red Sox success. The
Red Sox championship underscored the value of teamwork and the virtue of never giving up, even when things look bleak.
Parallels
Over the last two decades while working in the independent living movement, I have noticed a few parallels with my beloved Red Sox. The
cause is just, the spirit is strong, the opportunities are real, and we have to suit up and play—year in and year out. Victories must be won
every day, and while we savor them, we know there is always a new season and inevitable new challenges.
In the independent living movement, we have made great strides. The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, improvements in an
inclusive educational opportunities through a strengthened IDEA, Social Security Administration employment initiatives such as the Ticket to
Work, and the growth of home and community based alternatives to institutions are all positive developments. They are great starts, but more
needs to be done to consolidate these victories.
Issues the same
The major issues that energize the independent living movement remain the same:
* meaningful employment;
* accessible, reliable, affordable transportation;
* home and community-based services that promote independence and health;
* affordable, accessible housing; and the desire for personal control, autonomy and choice.
Today, we face a situation where resources are becoming more severely limited. The recent budget exercises in Augusta, and those pending in
Washington, point clearly to the future. It is not a future where resources to promote independent living are likely to expand significantly, the
opposite is more likely. At the same time, the aging of the baby boom generation will continue to place even greater strains on these finite
resources, as the percentage of people with a disability, in the population, grows.
Independent living at its best
Yet, like any good Red Sox fan, I am not discouraged by the task ahead. Independent living has always been best at asking the hard
questions, challenging assumptions, evaluating systems, and promoting positive change that empowers individuals. These basic skills
will continue to carry the independent living movement forward, especially at a time when we need to be thinking in new ways about
existing systems in order to produce the most results with the limited resources.
The key will be our teamwork. Working together, we can promote an enhanced quality of life for all citizens and a cost-effective use of our
precious resources. Alpha One is strong because of our team—starting with the consumers at the core of the organization, including our
outstanding staff and board members, and extending to our many partners in Maine and across the country. We have been at the forefront of
promoting real change and real choice for people with disabilities for over twenty-five years, and we are just getting started.
I look forward to the opportunity to lead Alpha One during its next period of growth and development. I am fortunate to be working from
such a strong foundation of people and successful programs. Through collaboration with others in the disability community, in government,
and in the private sector, Alpha One will continue at the forefront of the movement to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to
become independent.
Back in the field
Just like the Red Sox, Alpha One is back out on the field. There will always be a few changes in the line-up and ongoing adjustments to
approaches and strategies. The team—just like the challenges—are constantly evolving. In the independent living movement, we must work
together and always be on the look out to recruit and develop new talent and leadership for the challenges ahead. For sure, we must all
continue to work our hardest until our independent living objectives are achieved for all people with disabilities just as the Sox played until
the very last out of every game to win the World Series.
Dennis Fitzgibbons was appointed the president and chief executive officer of Alpha One effective July 1, following the retirement of Steven
Tremblay, after almost 26 years of service.
END ARTICLE 3
BEGIN ARTICLE 4
Cycling notches to conclude tri-sport event
SCARBOROUGH—One could not have asked for a better day. The sky was a rich blue; the sun was strong; and a light breeze kept
temperatures cool, as kayakers set off through Scarborough’s marshes in part two of Northeast Passages’ (NEP) Mountains to Marshes event.
Both experienced kayakers and first timers, climbed in for the three-hour paddle—broken in two by a lunch break. NEP volunteers built up seats and
leg supports, using a variety of foam-like materials, for those kayakers who needed additional supports.
Part three of Mountains to Marshes kicks off on Sept. 12 at Three Notches in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The expedition will
challenge cyclists to conquer three mountain passes in three days, covering 100 miles and 4,300 feet of elevation gain.
Mountains to Marshes is about the sport, not the disability—Nordic skiing in February, kayaking in June, and cycling in September.
Martin’s Point Health Care and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Granite State Independent Living and Alpha One, and Prudential Financial
make the trio of events possible. ABC WMTW 8 is the exclusive television sponsor.
END ARTICLE 4
BEGIN ARTICLE 5
Health care advance directives: guidelines, not rigid prescription
By Karen Farber
Although the national media attention on health care advance directives (HCAD) or “living wills” has lessened, the issues surrounding end-of-life
care and who has the right to decide when care will cease are no less important than they were three months ago.
In Maine, any spoken or written decision or instruction about the health care that one wants in the future is known as an advance directive.
Although these decisions and instructions can be delivered verbally, it is best to document one’s wishes.
Anyone living in Maine who is 18 years of age or older can complete an HCAD. In this state, an advance directive can be used in the field of
general health care as well as for mental health care.
Never too early
It is never too early to complete an HCAD. Sign and execute it, then, experts emphasize—tell family members and physicians what the intent
is and where to find the directive and to give them copies.
Barbara Carlin of Portland and Lewiston-based Carlin and Kienitz, said that a recent Journal of the American Medical Association article stated that
though advance directives have to be followed, as a practical matter, if the family objects to withdrawing care, the doctors follow the family’s wishes.
Marilyn Westerfield, a former critical care nurse and now an attorney and consultant in Portland, concurred, “The medical profession must
really believe the advance directive; they don’t want to cause death. My old boss used to say, “If you’re going to err, err on the side of life.”
The future?
Most people approach advance directives thinking that they are addressing a time in the distant future and they do not consider the possibility
of the directive having application today — say, at the age of 48.
Carlin said, “I see it all the time, healthy people, 99.9 percent of whom say, ‘At point ‘x,’ pull the plug.’ I have clients who, pre-quadriplegia
would have said, ‘Pull the plug,’ but now they have a quality of life that they do not want to give up.”A drawback to the advance directives is
that they do not take into account the human spirit and its resiliency, Carlin emphasized.
Time can be a crucial factor, said Westerfield. In the medical environment, the family is often given time adjust to the fact that a patient is not
responding over a period of days and they ease into the decision to let a loved one die. “The reverse is also true. People who experience
trauma often cannot immediately imagine life lived that way,” Westerfield said. However, with time and rehabilitation, the life that one can
imagine living changes.
Don’t be too specific
Carlin cautions clients, particularly younger ones in good health, not to be too specific in their HCADs. She cited amputation and brain injury as
situations where people who have not experienced them may make erroneous assumptions about the potential quality of life and identify these
situations as ones in which they do not wish to continue living.
Westerfield concurred, “Give people direction (in the HCAD), something to go on overall. It should be guidelines.” There may be a situation
or treatment that healthcare professionals see as a temporary setback and not a permanent one—use of a respirator for example. However,
some individuals will identify use of a respirator as a boundary of care they do not wish to cross, assuming the use would be long term. If the
medical professional has a paper directing them not to provide such treatment, the professional now must be able to reason the patient’s
wishes into the equation, she said.
People often see HCADs as all or nothing, Westerfield said, but more should be said about revisiting them.
Revocable directives
Carlin added, “You can revoke the directive (verbally) on the spot.” The only aspect of the HCAD that must be revoked in writing is the
designation of an agent. The agent is the individual identified to make health care decisions either right away or when the individual is too
sick to choose their own care. Not everyone identifies an agent.
One of the roles an attorney plays when assisting with the execution of an HCAD is to assess the capacity of the individual creating the
directive. According to Carlin, an HCAD executed prior to establishment of guardianship, in other words made under capacity, will trump a
health care decision made by the guardian. Also, an agent identified in that HCAD can make decisions over the guardian.
Carlin said that courts are told to make guardianships the least restrictive possible. Therefore, many guardianships are limited. Whether
having a guardian precludes one from executing their own HCAD should be discussed with an attorney.
Having a conservator for finances does not preclude one from having a HCAD. “These decisions (financial) are much harder than many
independent living ones, “ Carlin said, “The capacity necessary for a HCAD is fairly low whereas the capacity needed for a contract is much
higher.”
Carlin makes sure to meet with her clients at least once without their children and/or caregivers present—even if they are only in the other
room. “Capacity is not a bright line, particularly with dementia. One needs to look at the whole picture. There’s a lot of information gathering
involved. I won’t just meet with someone and hand an HCAD over. Particularly for those with dementia, there are good days, good times, and
good locations.”
END ARTICLE 5
BEGIN ARTICLE 6
It takes a village to raise an assistance dog
By Karen Farber
They say it takes a village to raise a child — it also takes a village to raise an assistance dog. Foster families, teen trainers, puppy sitters, and
the staff and volunteers at My Wonderful Dog (MWD), northern New England’s only assistance dog training and placement organization, all
contribute to the care and training of assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
Pups join their foster family at eight weeks old. Twice a month the “parent” and the pup visit MWD for their training classes. Each dog goes
to “school” twice a week during the school year with the teen trainers from MWD’s teen at-risk program. In the summer, dogs attend at least
two weeks of camp led by teens. All told, the dogs are in training for at least two years. Foster families are responsible for all of the dog’s
basic skills and their socialization. The teens work on these skills as well as the more advanced ones such as opening doors, retrieving items,
and turning lights on and off.
Teens train dogs
The Teen Trained Assistance Dog (TTAD) program began with four Spurwink students four years ago and now includes 30 from Sweetser,
Spurwink, Portland West, and South Portland High School and will include students from Longcreek Youth Development Center by the end
of the year. The program not only helps train the puppies to perform tasks such as picking up items from the floor, it helps engage at-risk
youth in the care and training of these highly skilled animals. Using the dog as a conduit for learning, this program teaches care-giving and
training skills to youth, facilitating the development of self-esteem, self-discipline, and positive leadership skills.
Learn patience
Rachel Corriveau, an ed tech from Sweetser who accompanies those students to MWD, said the students “learn a ton of patience” in working
with the dogs—“they really have to wait the dog out.”
Besides patience, the students learn and experience the responsibility involved in showing up to work and caring for an animal as well as
fostering the creation of relationships not only with the dogs but the other volunteers and individuals at MWD.
The Sweetser students who volunteer at MWD are all residential students who are in the staff intensive programs there. The st udents’
primary reasons for being at Sweetser are behavioral issues. Those behaviors for which they are at Sweetser tend not to arise on the
two days a week the group goes to MWD. Such behaviors mean students will not be going.
Later this year, MWD hopes to begin a program with the Maine Correctional Center in which dogs will go into the women’s facility at 18
months old and remain there until their training is complete.
Once the dog finishes training, they, along with their new partner (consumer) must attend at least 13 days of training at MWD as required by
Assistance Dogs International.
Teams pass tests
If the team successfully completes the training process and passes MWD’s skills test and the public access test, they receive a card citing
certification by MWD. After placement, MWD is in constant contact by phone or email and re-tests the dog at six months. At nine months,
consumers complete a survey and then they come back at a year for another re-test. If all is well at that point, the pair returns for annual
retests. As problems come up, MWD is available to assist the dog and the consumer.
During the summer months, MWD’s teen training camp brings dog-loving teens together with the puppies to work one-on-one. Campers ages
11 to 17 learn the basics of service dog training and they begin to understand the role the assistance dog can play in someone’s life.
Self-sufficiency target
Financial self-sufficiency and training 12 dogs per year are two goals MWD President Elsa Larsen highlighted at the spring grand opening of
MWD’s new Cove Street facility off of Portland’s Marginal Way. Raising and training a puppy to become an assistance dog requires funds and
MWD and consumers are finding ways to fill those needs. Portland-based Great Bay Foundation, provided MWD with a $41,000-plus grant to
expand its programming in 2004.
Individual donors are key to consumers affording the $5,000 price tag for assistance dogs. Thirteen-year old Meaghan Lyndaker contacted
MWD asking to be matched with a service dog. She has muscular atrophy a form of muscular dystrophy. Lyndaker began raising the $5,000
needed to pay for the dog and its training. Then, MWD contacted UnumProvident about assisting Lyndaker. The company agreed to fund the
full $5,000. Speaking at MWD’s grand opening in April, Chris Trout of MWD said, “That might have been the end of the story but it wasn’t.
Thirteen thousand dollars later, Lyndaker has raised enough to fund her dog Salem’s upkeep and retirement and with $5,000 begin a fund
(now known as Meaghan’s Fund) to help other consumers pay for dogs.”
Life improves
Lyndaker who now lives with her assistance dog Salem, explained, “Salem is definitely an improvement in my life. There are ti mes
that I wonder about him but it’s worth it.” Salem helps Lyndaker with tasks such as picking items up off of the floor, opening doors,
and reaching items generally out of her grasp.
The foster families or puppy raisers are integral to the process. Consumer Irene Wilson, who has MWD-trained Champ, said, “Without puppy
raisers there are no dogs. Elsa is the heart of MWD but the puppy raisers are the backbone.”
END ARTICLE 6
BEGIN ARTICLE 7
iPod Shuffle sets the bar for things to come
By Matt Peterson
The digital revolution is in full swing and advances in technology are making the world more user-friendly for citizens of all abilities. A case
in point is Apple’s iPod Shuffle, the latest release in Apple’s wildly popular iPod digital music player line, it is a device that may be
accessible without even trying to be.
Today, music is stored in digital files. Storing and accessing music digitally allows one the luxury of taking more music—in the car, to the
gym, or to the office.
Designed as an affordable alternative to the Apple’s iPod, the iPod Shuffle is available in 512 megabyte and 1 gigabyte versions, for $99 and
$149 respectively. (The iPod begins at about $299.) Based on four-minutes per song, the 512 MB version typically holds up to 120 songs,
while the 1 GB model holds double that at 240.
Inconspicuous
Totally inconspicuous at just over one-inch wide, 3.3 inches long, and thinner than a five-stick pack of gum, the iPod Shuffle takes up less
area than a standard deck of sticky notes. In addition to music, the iPod Shuffle serves double-duty as a flash drive capable of storing many
types of files including Word documents and images.
Managing music collection
Brad Strause is a music lover and is blind. Like 90 percent of individuals living with a visual impairment, Strause does not read Braille, so
managing his massive music collection is a constant struggle.
The iPod has a visual screen user interface making it inappropriate for Strause. The iPod Shuffle, however, with its lack of visual-interface
made it a distinct possibility; so, One in Five asked Strause to give the iPod Shuffle a try.
Detectable buttons
The circular, ergonomic controls on the iPod shuffle place the play, pause, skip, repeat, hold and song shuffle commands all at the touch of a
thumb. “Buttons are raised and detectable and the on/off slider on the back of the unit can be easily felt,” Strause noted. “Other devices have
touch pads or flush buttons and controls that are difficult or impossible to feel and operate. With the iPod Shuffle, there is a crisp, definite
click to the button operations. You can easily feel when you’ve engaged each action. The slider on the back has clear, tactile click stops so
you know where you’re at.”
Print instructions
As Strause went through the process of loading music and audio books onto his iPod Shuffle, his biggest complaint was the inaccessible
support systems. All instructional and reference materials were in print format—unusable to Brad.
In order load the iPod Shuffle with music or an audiobook, Apple’s digital jukebox program, iTunes, is needed. Although iTunes is incredibly
straightforward, it is still a computer-based product and requires some familiarity with computer use.
A step in the right direction
“The unit itself seems great and I would want to have one,” Strause offered as his final thought. “However, I would not buy o ne if I
didn’t have accessible manuals, or if I couldn’t access all of the other support services and systems I need in order to get music and
books on and off the unit.”
Hopefully, the iPod Shuffle is a sign of things to come. It is certainly a giant step closer to universal design. Perhaps one day there will be a
music player that truly fits all users abilities.
END ARTICLE 7
BEGIN ARTICLE 8
Accessing Mother Nature
By Matt Peterson
Eureka, in conjunction with BlueSky Designs, recently unveiled the first outdoor shelter offered to campers with physical disabilities. The
Eureka three-season Freedom tent was designed with the idea that nature belongs to everyone and that the physical demands and limitations
of tents should not present barriers to anyone wishing to enjoy the outdoors.
An avid camper both pre- and post C-5 level spinal cord injury, I was more than a little anxious to test the tent when the opportunity arose. In
recent years, I have found myself moving toward more domestic notions of camping—overnights at cottages that come standard with indoor
plumbing and amenities. This in response to dealing with the hassle of mangled tent, mosquito net, and cookware conglomerations that are a
part of the wilderness experience. The thought of a tent with enough space in which to negotiate my wheelchair, that I could set it up on my
own, had me more than a little intrigued.
Initial Impressions
At a packed weight of 16 pounds and 8 ounces, the Freedom is a substantial amount of weight to haul around. Fortunately, my fiancé and I had a
minimal push to our campsite. Had it been any sort of distance I would have felt the burn. The carry bag, when packed with the tent and all
components, was of manageable size, sat comfortably on my lap, and did not roll off—even when I was pushing on uneven, soft terrain. The main
components are typical to any tent—a body, fly, and fiberglass poles—and I was able to empty the contents of the carry bag with ease and arrange the
materials for assembly.
Assembly under sunset
As the sun started to set, I began the construction process. I snapped the “shock-corded” poles into place and unfolded the tent body without
much effort. At step three, when instructed to insert the 16-foot and 13-foot top poles into place, is when I ran into a snag.
Despite boasts of continuous rod sleeves and pole pockets for ease of set-up, I found handling the long poles and sliding them up the length of
the flaccid tent body awkward.
Insert poles
After many frustrating minutes trying to work the poles through the sleeves across the tent, I sought assistance to speed up the process.
Together, we cracked the code of ‘which poles went where’ in a matter of minutes. It was not long before we had all four main poles in their
correct positions and saw the assembled tent fully realized as illustrated in our instructions. From there, it was a simple matter of inserting
some short poles into the door for stability and one leg post across the back tent. All told, it was about a 30 to 40 minute process of careful
reading, understanding the instructions, and assembling.
What makes a tent accessible?
The construction chore complete, we were free to investigate the Freedom’s features. The tent’s most notable accessibility characteristic is its
size. The vestibule area is plenty large to roll into without ducking on your way in and to park a wheelchair in. The unique vestibule door is
zipper-less and requires minimal dexterity to open and shut—a feature that is functional for me as a quad. The zippers, where they do exist,
all have large pull handles that eliminate the need for fine-finger-movements to operate.
Spacious
The tent area itself is plenty high and spacious enough to roll into and turn around in, but what is perhaps most impressive is the secondary
entry points. Combination window-side entry doors were added to both sides of the sleeping area so that an individual can transfer onto a cot
from the outside of the tent, thus eliminating the possibility of tracking in dirt or mud that could come with rolling into the sleeping area itself.
The specifications indicate that the tent sleeps two. With myself on a cot—my chair stored in the vestibule area—and my fiancé in her
sleeping bag on the floor, we were both able to comfortably enjoy the tent.
Final thoughts
The next day, we left the woods with fond memories of our wilderness excursion/product testing tour. We agreed that now that we had assembled the
tent once, it would only take us a matter of minutes to slap the structure together the next time around. I definitely found the tent to be a new spin on
what is typically a difficult maneuver. As for the claim that the Eureka’s Freedom is designed for easy set up from a wheelchair? True as that may be,
this C-5 quad will always welcome the assistance of an able-bodied individual when putting this tent together.
END ARTICLE 8
BEGIN ARTICLE 9
Discovering access in Maine’s parks: In the woods, along the shore, among the lakes, and in the County
About this feature
The Bureau of Parks and Land offers an online accessibility guide to state parks and one to historic sites at
www.maine.gov/doc/parks/accessibility/access_guide.html. There is also a downloadable .PDF guide combining both. Each park and site is
rated for accessibility for mobility impairments. To check out what is available in Maine this summer, One in Five visited four parks, each
identified in the guide as having good access. For contact information at each of these four parks, refer to “Organizations in this Issue.”
Wolfe’s Neck Woods
Freeport
Just a few minutes outside of downtown Freeport, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park has clearly taken a step toward providing and clearly
marking wheelchair accessible features. (The neck is a peninsula bounded by Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River.)
Upon arrival, pass through the park’s gate and continue driving around to the second parking lot, where there are four, clearly identified,
handicapped parking places with curb cuts to the pavement. From here, one can reach the sheltered group barbeque area, the accessible
restrooms, accessible picnic table areas with fire grills, and the accessible White Pines Trail.
The group picnic area has more than a dozen tables. Though the ground surface is a little uneven there is plenty of space to pass between the
two rows of tables. However, the tables themselves are not extended for wheelchair access.
There are two accessible restrooms—one designated for men and the other for women—located next to the non-accessible ones.
The individual picnic tables are scattered among the trees and look out onto grassy, mowed field areas. There are at least three picnic tables
marked with signs for handicapped access. The access indication is really about the table site—the tables are standard-issue picnic tables.
The White Pines trail is a 0.5-mile-barrier-free path that meanders through white pines alongside Casco Bay. There is an occasional root or
divot in the trail but generally it is a well-packed sand, dirt, and gravel surface—even on a damp spring morning. The trail originates at the
picnic area near the handicapped parking and ends at a viewing area overlooking Googin Island, an osprey nesting area. There are occasional
interpretive, information plaques discussing the area vegetation and wildlife, along the trailside.
Range Pond
Poland
Located in the lake region of Poland, just off Route 122, Range Ponds State Park launched its new accessibility features last summer. The
park is a popular water sports destination for swimming, boating (no more than 10 horsepower motors), canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing.
The highlight of the park’s accessible features is a wheelchair accessible water ramp that allows those using a beach wheelchair to roll into
the water along a ramp that submerges.
The bulk of the handicapped parking spaces are located at the third left after entering the park. There, one finds 11 paved handicapped
parking spots connected to the central facilities by a paved path. The central facility houses the park’s only wheelchair accessible restrooms—
one stall in the women’s and one stall in the men’s. The concrete floored restrooms are large and offer a fair amount of maneuvering room.
Ask the ranger at the entrance gate for a map of the park to assist in locating the accessible restrooms and ask them to identify where the
accessible parking is located.
The central facilities are immediately adjacent to the wheelchair accessible, smooth surfaced promenade that parallels the pond and runs alongside the
beach for about 1,000 feet. From the promenade are two paths made of decking material on which one can roll out onto the beach as well as a
connection to the accessible water ramp.
A beach wheelchair is available and can be reserved by calling the park’s ranger station. If one forgets to reserve ahead, let the ranger at the
gate know that the beach wheelchair is desired and they will have the chair brought down to the lifeguards at the beach.
Surprisingly, the majority of picnic tables throughout the park have extensions at one end making just about every table useable by a
wheelchair user. Although some of the tables are placed on uneven surfaces, many, in addition to those already identified as accessible, will
be reachable.
Most of the paths connecting picnic areas, playground areas (with new, modern equipment), restrooms, and the beach area consist of packed
gravel making movement throughout the park fairly easy. In general, the park is flat making many of the grassy areas accessible too.
Popham Beach
Phippsburg
Popham Beach State Park is one loveliest sandy beaches. A popular summer spot, the parking is always at a premium on a warm summer
weekend. There are 12 handicapped parking places divided among the three access points to the beach—east side, center, and west side. Each
access point has a path to the beach and restrooms.
Unfortunately, nowhere is there a sign indicating that the accessible restroom, a single unisex one, is at the west side (as one enters the
parking lot, to the far right).
Beaches are tricky places at which to provide wheelchair access. The sand is constantly shifting which means even the best-laid decking
material becomes uneven with time, wind, and erosion.
What appears to be the best wheelchair route to the beach is the fully decked path at the west side. However, in early May, that route was closed due
to substantial beach erosion at the end of the path. Call ahead to see if repairs have been completed.
At the center beach entrance, there is a pathway that combines both decking and a packed sand and gravel combination.
According to the Maine’s access guide, there is a beach wheelchair available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Fort Popham Historic Site is just down the road. A semi-circular granite fort built in 1861 for use during the Civil War, Fort Popham was
again used during the Spanish American War and World War 1 with some modification. Historical records conclude that fortifications,
probably wooden, existed here and protected the Kennebec settlements during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Sitting on a point, the fort offers lovely view. Parking is limited and only one spot is designated for handicapped parking. The restrooms are
not accessible but the standard-issue picnic tables immediately next the parking area that are spread out over grass are probably accessible
with a little assistance. The first level of the fort and its parade grounds are accessible (the grounds are grassy) but the second floor is not.
Aroostook State Park
Presque Isle
Aroostook State Park, located just south of Presque Isle and west of US Route 1, includes 800 acres and encompasses both Echo Lake and
Quaggy Jo Mountain. Built in 1939, it is Maine’s oldest state park in Maine, yet it is still boasts many modern and wheelchair accessible
features.
To reach the wheelchair access to Echo Lake’s beach, immediately upon entering the park make a right turn at the boat launch area.
All of the park’s accessible areas are clearly marked with signs. The accessible parking at the beach is well done. A hard packed gravel path
begins there and winds through the beach, where one can finds several picnic tables along the lake’s edge. The path is rough in spots but is
still easily maneuverable with a wheelchair or walking aid.
One picnic table, located on a concrete pad, is designated for easy access. It has an extension that offers plenty of room for a wheelchair user.
However, other tables could possibly be used as well, depending on the persons’ capabilities.
There is a unisex bathroom located at the beach area, which is extremely accessible. After coming through the doorway, which is flat, there is plenty
of room in which to maneuver a wheelchair. It also has grab bars, a lightweight door with a latch within easy reach of a seated person. There is even
an accessible water fountain nearby.
Although Echo Lake is known for its trout fishing, the beach area does not have a wheelchair accessible fishing pier. However, fishing from
along the bank may be a possibility for some. Ambulatory individuals fish from the boat launch or the lake’s edge.
Further into the park is the accessible kitchen shelter, which is available for group use by reservation. In addition to the large, wood, cook
stove, the shelter houses five, picnic tables, one of which is designated for wheelchair accessibility and has an extension. The entrance to the
shelter is completely flat from the parking area.
Next to the kitchen shelter, but reached from the handicapped parking on the other side of the building is another accessible restroom and
shower house. There is complete access, both inside and out, to these facilities, including parking and straight entry into any of the three
doors.
Across the accessible path from the shower house are the campsites. As with other park features, only one site, number 15, is officially
designated as accessible, but several others could easily be used by campers with various mobility impairments, including wheelchair users.
Again, the table at site 15 has an extension for wheelchair use.
Overall, Aroostook State Park does a great job of accommodating people with physical disabilities.
END ARTICLE 9
BEGIN ARTICLE 10
Ms. Wheelchair America rolls into Maine
By Karen Farber
Maine resident Danell Libby, a former independent delegate to Ms. Wheelchair America (MWA), is establishing a Ms. Wheelchair Maine
organization with assistance from Black Bear Medical and Pride Mobility Products. She hopes to send a Maine delegate to the national
competition in July 2006.
Libby became involved with MWA after reading a newspaper article about the organization. She decided to apply as an independent delegate for the
July 2004 national competition. Unfortunately, Libby had only a few weeks to organize herself after learning she would compete and had no time to
line up sponsors or fundraise. She ended up paying all of costs—roughly $1,300 plus clothing and travel expenses—herself.
Grueling and demanding
Asked about her week at the national competition in Virginia, Libby said, “The week was very grueling and demanding; we had a tight
schedule. There were lots of speakers and classes. We also had one-on-one personal interviews with the judges.”
The overall experience, however, was powerful. “It was incredible to be with a huge group of women with disabilities who had passion for
their state, platform and advocacy. These were women with so much independence and firm beliefs. It was a bonding time.”
Average Joes
Although the 2005 national winner Juliette Rizzo, is an accomplished journalist and impressive individual by any standard, Libby said, most
of the delegates were “average Joes with average jobs.”
MWA contestants are judged on their accomplishments, self-perception, communication, and projection skills in personal interviews, platform speech
presentations, and onstage interviews. This July, delegates from 15 states as well as an independent delegate from Massachusetts will compete in
Albany, N.Y. for the 2006 crown.
Stripped of crown
This past winter, the MWA organization’s national board of directors received extensive criticism for supporting the decision of the
Wisconsin organization to strip Janeal Lee of her state title. National media outlets reported that Wisconsin pageant officials took the action
as the result of a news photograph taken of Lee, who at the time, was standing in a math class that she teaches. Lee, a teacher, has muscular
dystrophy. She uses a scooter for general mobility but walks among the desks of her classroom.
The Wisconsin organization then handed the state crown to the first runner up who immediately refused it.
Protest
As a direct result of the controversy, three former national pageant titleholders Christina Gilmore, MWA 1999 and Cinda Hughes, MWA 2004, with
the support of Catherine Gugala, MWA 2003, are leading a grassroots effort to place women who utilize wheelchairs in the positions of executive
director and board president of the MWA organization. Neither of the women who currently hold these positions—Pat O`Bryant or Gail McKoon,
respectively—lives with a disability or utilizes a wheelchair.
Libby is hoping that in the end, the media attention will have a positive impact on MWA and the fledging Maine organization. “It’s really
brought disability into the spotlight and got a lot of people thinking about it.”
END ARTICLE 10
BEGIN ARTICLE 11
Long time Acadia ranger looks toward retirement
By Karen Farber
After 27 years with the National Park Service (NPS), 17 of them spent at Acadia National Park, Shirley Beccue is considering retirement. The
winters are starting to feel longer and her family is in the Carolinas. Besides, she would like to do some traveling.
Working for the NPS was not something she planned to do. During her senior year of college, Beccue was involved in a toboggan accident
that resulted in paraplegia. She ended up completing her degree in art education at University of Illinois because of its accessibility—the
result of changes made to accommodate returning WWII veterans.
Not the end of the world
“It was important that people didn’t think it (the paraplegia) was the end of the world and they thought I’d have a life. My father’s attitude
was, ‘you’re hurt, yeah, but you’ll have a job and get on with it.’”
Following college, Beccue bought a nursery school in Florida. After 10 years there, she became drawn to recreation and applied for a seasonal
opportunity at Everglades National Park (ENP). Eventually, a long-term position opened up.
Today at Acadia, Beccue supervises the supervisors of park interpreters—the park storytellers who relay a park’s natural and historical stories
to visitors—and oversees the creation of educational presentations such as the films and wayside exhibits.
When she began at ENP, Beccue was a front line interpreter. ENP’s topography lent itself to easy access. The flat terrain and many
boardwalks through ENP’s swamps made it fairly easy for Beccue to navigate about in her manual wheelchair.
She leads only a few programs nowadays. Recently, it has been bird related. Birdwatching and conservation are two interests that Beccue said
she will leave Acadia with.
Teaching about access
Being a wheelchair user has given Beccue the opportunity to teach NPS staff about access. “I do an access session every year (at Acadia) in
which we talk about how to include all of the audience. For example, don’t talk and walk at the same time. Look for signs that someone might
be straining to hear or see. Place yourself level with the listener. Read your audience and adjust accordingly. For example, an interpreter
might take a short walk off trail to point something out but they need to rethink the off-trail segment if someone in the group appears to have
a mobility impairment. But most importantly, don’t make assumptions such as ‘the hike is too strenuous for that 80-year old.’ Ask when
unsure.”
In Beccue’s presentations to Acadia staff, she focuses on “universal interpretation—interpretation that enables all visitors to participate to the
maximum degree possible in programs and services in Acadia.” Beccue said, “I hope I’ve planted seeds for people.” Asked whether the park
service has changed over the last 17 years in terms of accessibility, Beccue responded, “It really depends on personnel. My chief here is very
supportive. Overall, there’s real support here and a real awareness. The ADA really moved things forward.”
END ARTICLE 11
BEGIN ARTICLE 12
Acadia: An access focus
BAR HARBOR—The amount of accessibility information about Acadia is impressive. An access guide is available in hardcopy and is on the
park web site at www.nps.gov/acad/access.htm.
The large print, 18-page guide addresses information centers and museums, picnic areas and campgrounds, stores and restaurants, beaches,
carriage roads and trails, boat cruises and interpretive programs. In addition, the park’s monthly newspaper, Beaver Log, identifies which of
the ranger-led programs are wheelchair accessible.
The Visitor Center’s orientation video is captioned and descriptive narrative and French and German translations are also available. Forty-five
miles of rustic carriage roads weave around the mountains and through the valleys of Acadia National Park, the gift of philanthropist John D.
Rockefeller, Jr., and family. Acadia’s carriage roads offer one of the best ways to access the park’s interior. The roads are made of broken
stone and are about 16-feet wide. They were originally graded for horse drawn carriages.
Some of the carriage roads are steep and can be uneven with sections of loose sand, gravel or rocky areas. Two of the easiest roads, according
to the Acadia access guide, are Eagle Lake with a parking area off of Route 233 and Bubble Pond off of the Park Loop Road. Both have
accessible restrooms and parking. Park staff can assist in providing additional information on specific routes.
At Wildwood Stables, in the park, there are two wheelchair accessible horse-drawn carriages, each accommodating two passengers using
wheelchairs and several additional passengers. Prices vary and reservations are advised.
Privately operated boat cruises are another way to see the park. Participants can remain in their wheelchairs throughout the cruises. Contact
information for both the horse drawn carriages and boat cruises is available in Acadia’s access guide.
American Sign Language interpreters are available for ranger-led programs with a two-week advance notice. In addition, an Acadia audio
tour in cassette and CD formats is available for purchase.
The Golden Access Passport, a lifetime entrance pass to national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and nati onal
wildlife refuges, is available to citizens or permanent U.S. residents who have been medically determined to have a permanent
disability. The passport is available year round at Acadia’s park headquarters as well as other federal fee areas. For more i nformation,
visit www.nps.gov/fees_passess.htm.
END ARTICLE 12
BEGIN ARTICLE 13
Maine Deaf Film Festival hosts Maine premiere
By Harriet B. Schultz
Due to a technical glitch at the Maine Deaf Film and Video Festival, hearing members of the audience at the Maine premiere of Dear Frankie
inadvertently had the rare chance to watch the movie in silence—from something of a deaf perspective. With a malfunctioning DVD player
capable of supplying either sound or closed captioning, but not both, the movie was viewed in silence.
Unable to hear the actors speak their lines, the noise of the characters’ actions or the soundtrack music, all viewers had the opportunity to
focus on the actors’ faces and actions. The actors’ expressiveness became critical to providing life to the words that ran across the bottom of
the screen.
Dear Frankie was the centerpiece of the third annual Maine Deaf Film and Video Festival at the University of Southern Maine (USM), which
showcased a variety of short and feature length films and videos made by Deaf filmmakers as well as about the Deaf experience. USM’s
Linguistics Department and its American Sign Language (ASL) Club sponsored the April 16 festival.
In addition to providing an opportunity for those in the Deaf community to view films in the emerging “Deaf Cinema,” the festival also
provided a way to build a bridge between hearing and Deaf people.
Varied film techniques
Filmmakers used a variety of techniques to appeal to both audiences. Some employed subtitles and no sound. Others had a voiceover
translation of the actors’ use of ASL. One film offered neither sound, subtitles, nor ASL—and the audience quickly lost interest.
Movies and videos were shot in color or black and white with varying degrees of professionalism indicative of budget constraints. A few had
the feel of badly shot home movies. Films ranged from documentary to romance, comedy, drama and even animation.
Dear Frankie, a mainstream feature film released this year, premiered in Maine at the festival through a special arrangement with Miramax.
Scottish director Shona Auerbach’s film stars Emily Mortimer (Notting Hill, Scream 3) and Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera, Lara
Croft: Tomb Raider), with an exceptional performance by hearing actor Jack McElhone (Young Adam with Ewan McGregor) as the title
character, a nine-year-old Deaf boy, Frankie Morrison.
Although the film is set in Scotland, Auerbach shows that country’s gritty side in its Glasgow location instead of the lochs, kilts, and warring
Highlanders that are the usual fare of movies set in Scotland. The Morrison family is poor and lives above a fish and chips shop. The
characters’ lives are presented objectively, without the usual Hollywood sentiment.
Deafness is treated matter-of-factly
Frankie’s deafness is treated matter-of-factly by the filmmaker and is not portrayed as a handicap. The boy is smart and confident and he
displays a sense of humor when a classmate at his new school writes “def boy” on a piece of paper and slides it in front of Frankie, who then
nonchalantly picks up a pencil and adds an “a” to the word, correcting his new friend’s spelling. Another child asks, “What does it feel like to
be deaf?” When Frankie’s mother enrolls him in his new school, she tells the principal, “There’s nothing wrong with his brain, is there
Frankie?” and warns, “He’s a champion lipreader, so be careful what you say in front of him.”
Mortimer plays Lizzie Morrison, a young woman who, along with her mother and son, is on the run from an abusive husband. We learn just
how much damage the man caused when Lizzie tells a friend, “You know Frankie wasn’t born deaf. It was a present from his daddy.”
Creates a fairy tale
Because Lizzie does not want Frankie to know the kind of man his dad is, she creates an absent father for her son. This fairy tale dad is a
merchant seaman who sails the world aboard the HMS Accra. Frankie exchanges letters back and forth with his dad and keeps track of him
via a large wall map stuck with markers indicating the Accra’s location. What Frankie does not know is that the letters from his dad are
actually written by his mother who purchases foreign stamps to make them appear authentic.
When kids at school ask about his dad, Frankie tells them about the Accra until one day a classmate shows him a newspaper clipping
announcing that a ship called the HMS Accra is expected in port in a few days. The kid bets Frankie that his dad will not show up to watch
him at that week’s soccer tryouts.
Enter, The Stranger
Lizzie panics at first and considers telling Frankie the truth, but then comes up with a plan to pay someone to pretend to be Frankie’s father
for a day. Her friend Marie says she knows just the man for the job, but tells Lizzie nothing about him. The man, known as The Stranger
(Butler), accepts Lizzie’s money, asks a few questions about Frankie, and shows up at the Morrison apartment.
Butler’s performance has just the right degree of restraint and mystery and he is taken aback and uncertain about how to resp ond when
Frankie throws his arms around him at first meeting. The two spend the day together and g row predictably fond of each other. In a
telling scene, The Stranger shows Frankie how to skim a stone over the surface of the water. He hands Frankie a perfect, smal l flat
rock, which the boy pockets as a keepsake.
After The Stranger brings Frankie home, he spends some time with Lizzie and it is apparent that he is as taken with her as he is with her son.
He sees in Lizzie a combination of strength and fragility as well as devotion to her son. He tells her that his ship’s departure has been delayed
and he will be in port one more day, which he wants to spend with Frankie. She reluctantly agrees, fearing the truth will out.
Sappy ending avoided
Auerbach resists the predictable sappy ending and leaves viewers with the sense that both Morrisons are survivors and they will be fine.
Brenda Schertz, USM faculty member and overseer of the Film Festival, explained that Dear Frankie happens to have a Deaf character
played by a hearing actor, but it was not specifically made for Deaf audiences. “Although McElhone’s performance is almost authentic, Deaf
people almost immediately knew he is not deaf,” she said.
Lipreading skills unrealistic
“During a few scenes of the film, Frankie is shown in a mainstreamed classroom with other children without a sign language interpreter. He
was shown as capable of lipreading literally everything in the classroom—which is unrealistic.
“On the other hand, the film does show some typical experiences of a young Deaf boy in that setting—he was taunted by his classmates and
shunned by other children. And, there’s the sensitive child that would befriend him,” Schertz said.
Deaf audience impressed by audism film
Schertz said, “Most of my ASL students enjoyed the film very much but Deaf audience members did not seem impressed.”
David Crespo, of the festival planning committee, noted that since the film has received such a positive reception among general audiences, it
may have an impact on society’s view of Deafness and Deaf audiences might wish to be aware of the movie and what it does and does not
portray accurately.
The recipient of the 2005 Maine Deaf Film Festival Audience Award went to Audism Unveiled (USA, 55 min., ASL), directed/produced by
H-Dirksen Bauman, with Ben Bahan and Facundo Montengro. Bauman was a special guest of the festival and spoke to attendees.
While the word “audism” may be relatively new, what it refers to—the discrimination of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people—[that] has been
occurring for centuries. This documentary explores in detail, through real-life stories, experiences of audism as encountered by individuals.
Bauman became involved with the Deaf community as a dormitory supervisor at the Colorado School for the Deaf. He’s currently teaching at
Gallaudet University in the Deaf Studies Department where he continues to research and publish in his primary areas of interest: ASL
Literature, Cultural Studies, postmodern theory and the politics of identity development.
END ARTICLE 13
BEGIN ARTICLE 14
New two-speed manual wheelchair wheel
SEATTLE—Magic Wheels, Inc. was established in 1996 to develop and commercialize a unique two-speed manual wheelchair wheel
expected to revolutionize the estimated $1 billion (USA) wheelchair market.
According to the company, wheels for manual wheelchairs are essentially unchanged since invented over 150 years ago. Traditional nongeared wheels have limited ability in varying terrain (hill climbing, hill descending, rough / uneven surfaces) and high driving loads can cause
repetitive stress injuries of shoulder, arm and hand. These problems are amplified for patients with limited upper body capability. The US
Education Dept. National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and others have identified “innovative geared hubs for
manual wheelchairs” as a major need.
The Magic Wheels product was designed from the ground up expressly to meet the needs of long -term wheelchair users. The company
believes that the unique design not only meets almost all the design criteria identified by the NIDRR, but also includes two important
additional features—automatic hill holding (with override) and down hill finger tip assisted dynamic braking.
Magic Wheels have also been designed to allow instant “snap-on” retrofitting in the field, to cater to the millions of people who
already have wheelchairs. OEM arrangements and direct sales to local dealers can serve the new wheelchair market.
Magic Wheels, Inc. successfully developed the two-speed manual wheelchair product with grants from the National Center for Medical
Rehabilitation Research at NIH and the Washington Technology Center to support wheel strength and endurance testing at the University of
Washington Materials Science Lab.
The Industrial Designers Society of America NW Design Invitational 2004 presented Magic Wheels with a Gold Award in the Transportation
category.
For more information, visit www.magicwheels.net.
END ARTICLE 14
BEGIN ARTICLE 15
Online customer service platform meets Rehab Act
NEW YORK—LivePerson, a provider of communications solutions for online sales, marketing and customer service, recently announced that
its online communication platform, Timpani, meets all current guidelines for compliance with Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act.
By addressing Section 508 access standards, LivePerson offers users of Timpani with vision, hearing or mobility disabilities greater access to
the Internet. Timpaniis designed to work with standard assistive technology hardware (such as specialty keyboards and Braille readers), as
well as operating system technologies (such as stickykeys and mousekeys). LivePerson selected Freedom Scientifics’ JAWS Version 4 as the
baseline to test assistive technology software screen reader products.
To ensure access, LivePerson has added the following features to its products:
* chat window capabilities are accessible through the keyboard;
* images on the chat window, proactive invitations and buttons use alternative text tags;
* frames on the chat window use title fields;
* form fields use explicit labels; and
 script elements provide no script alternatives.

LivePerson enables persons with disabilities to connect with live service representatives. Businesses are able to track and respond to visitor
behavior in real time on every page of their website. Based upon rules that the business establishes, visitors are automatically routed to the
most appropriate communication channel and the most knowledgeable representative.
The Timpani platform enables online businesses to identify and engage the customer with the right communication chan nel at the right
time, thereby enhancing the online experience. Chat, marketing and selling tools, a self -service knowledgebase and email management
are combined with industry-leading channel matching technology, rules-based intelligence, routing and reporting, to offer clients the
opportunity to increase sales, lower customer service costs and enhance the customer experience.
For more information, visit www.liveperson.com.
END ARTICLE 15
BEGIN ARTICLE 16
Disability Expo planned for Kennebunk
KENNEBUNK—In late August, Stepping Back into Life, Inc. and the St. Martha Knights of Columbus Council 12033 will be co hosting a disability expo at St. Martha parish hall at 34 Portland Road (Route 1), Kennebunk, Maine. This Aug. 20 event is de signed to
allow individuals the opportunity to interact with organizations that help individuals with disabilities live independent lives.
Northeast Passage, Maine Handicapped Skiing, Ride-Away, Maine Artificial Limb and Orthotics and Alpha One will be just some of the
organizations available to help educate and show what is available to the disability community.
Visit www.loignon.org for up dates on the event and to learn more about Stepping Back into Life, Inc. and its scholarship foundation.
END ARTICLE 16
BEGIN ARTICLE 17
Water sports with Northeast Passage
DURHAM—Those who enjoy the water might want to try waterskiing with Northeast Passage (NEP) this summer.
No experience is necessary—participants can try waterskiing for the first time, be ready to jump the wake, or learn to deep-water start
independently. Waterskiing nights fill up very quickly. There is a two -night maximum. Cost for 2005 is $20 per evening and includes
all equipment, instruction, and skiing. In Tyngsboro, Mass. waterskiing will be offered on July 5 and 12, Aug. 2, 9, and 30.
NEP will also conduct two waterskiing weekends this summer. Different from NEP’s weekly waterskiing, weekends offer all levels of skiers
the opportunity to gain the skills needed to start skiing or improve on current water ski skills.
All the equipment needed, as well as expert instruction, will be provided. However, people who want to ski must be able to turn themselves
from face down in water to face up while wearing a PFD (personal flotation device or life jacket). Instruction on how to do this can be
provided, but this is an essential eligibility requirement for waterskiing.
The first weekend is at John’s Pond in Mashpee, Mass. July 16 and 17. The second weekend is at Newfound Lake in Alexandria, N.H., Aug.
13 and 14.
NEP also rents sports equipment. All equipment available for rental is pictured on the NEP website with additional information. Rentals are
reserved on a “first come first served” basis, so reserve today. If an item of interest does not appear on the website, check directly with NEP.
For more information on all NEP programs, visit www.nepassage.org or call 603-862-0070 (V) or for TTY call N.H. Relay at 800-735-2964
or Maine Relay at 207-955-3323.
END ARTICLE 17
BEGIN ARTICLE 18
WGBH closed captioning pioneers honored
BOSTON—Five current and former members of WGBH’s Media Access Group (MAG) were honored on May 14 by the Accessible Media
Industry Coalition for their pioneering efforts in developing captioning for television programming, which made media accessible to people
who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The Pioneers Banquet, held in Fairfax, Va., celebrated the silver anniversary of closed captioning and those who made it possible.
In 1972, WGBH began exploring ways to make media more accessible to people with disabilities by establishing its Caption Center. WGBH
subsequently developed “open” captioning, where captions on prerecorded television programs were visible to all viewers. By 1980, the
technology that allowed captions to be hidden and accessed by a decoder-”closed” captioning was created.
Today, over 100 million television sets equipped with built-in decoders have been sold and can be found in almost 100 percent of
American households. WGBH continues to pioneer access, developing tools that make me dia accessible in classrooms, in movie
theaters and on the Web.
The Accessible Media Industry Coalition (AMIC) is a coalition of 26 companies that provide nearly all of the captioning services in the U.S.
today, plus subtitling and description for vision-impaired viewers.
For more information visit www.wgbh.org.
END ARTICLE 18
BEGIN ARTICLE 19
Two agencies move forward with apartment complex plans
PORTLAND—Both The Iris Network and Shalom House are proceeding with plans to build apartment units in Portland.
In mid-May, The Iris Network broke ground for a 31-unit apartment complex at 189 Park Ave. The complex is intended to serve visually
impaired, low-income residents. The $4.7 million complex will be the first of its kind in Maine and only the second in the nation. The
building will include tactile signs and changes in surface textures to assist those who are blind as well as walls and floors with significant
color contrast.
Shalom House, which provides housing and social services for people with serious mental illness, hosted public neighborhood meetings in
May to discuss its housing plans. The agency hopes to build 24 subsidized apartments and a group home for six mentally ill adults on land
between Gilman and Valley streets. The project is anticipated to cost $5.5 million.
END ARTICLE 19
BEGIN ARTICLE 20
ORGANIZATIONS THIS ISSUE
Acadia National Park
207-288-3338 (V)
207-288-8800 (TTY)
AMHI Cemetery Project/Amistad
207-773-1956
Aroostook State Park
212-807-8686
Carlin & Kienitz
www.elderlawmaine.com
207-783-8500 (Lewiston)
207-775-2882 (Portland)
Casco Bay Lines
www.cascobaylines.com
207-774-7872
Maine Deaf Film Fest
http://deaffilmfest.tripod.com
deaffilmfest@yahoo.com
Eureka! The Tent Company
www.eurekatent.com
Ms. Wheelchair America, Maine
Danell Libby
207-767-2189
My Wonderful Dog
www.wonderfuldogs.org
207-780-9792
National Council on Disability
www.ncd.org
Northeast Passage
www.nepassage.org
603-862-0070
NH Relay 800-735-2964
ME Relay 207-955-3323
Popham Beach State Park
207-389-1335
Range Ponds State Park
207-998-4104
Wolfe’s Neck
Woods State Park
207-865-4465
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BEGIN ARTICLE 21
Advertisers this issue
(in order of ad’s appearance in the publication)
Rideaway (modified vehicles and adaptive equipment), 888-RIDE-AWAY,
www.rideaway.com
Murray, Plumb, Murray (civil rights and disability law, business and employment law, and more), 75 Pearl St. Portland, 04104-5085,
www.mpmlaw.com
Alpha One Medical (Stairglide special), 800-660-7600 (V/TTY), www.alphaonemedical.com
The Buckley Group (employee benefits, retirement plans, insurance planning), 207-772-4311, www.buckleygroup.net
Keybank (Mortgage Solutions), 207-874-7382
All-ways Accessible (now serving Maine from Gray—lifts, elevators, ramps), 800-775-4387, www.all-waysaccessible.com
Alpha One Medical (Living life independently), 800-660-7600 (V/TTY), www.alphaonemedical.com
Alpha One Access Design, 800-640-7200 (V/TTY), www.alphaonenow.com/accessdesign
Stepping Back Into Life Recreation Expo, www.loignon.org
Systems Engineering (connecting business with technology), 207-772-3199, www.syseng.com
END ARTICLE 30