Eastern Oregon Training Center Closes

Yesterday the last person living in Eastern Oregon Training center moved out making Oregon one of only two states in our country without an ICFMR.

From The East Oregonian:

The activity room at Eastern Oregon Training Center is hushed now, only the bubbling of a fish tank breaking the ghostly silence.

Direct care staffer Eileen Waggoner can still hear echoes of voices and laughter in her mind from days gone by, along with soft jazz from the boom box, a whirlwind of cutting and pasting, tambourine banging, Yahtzee and Bingo, the planting of marigold seeds.

Now most of the clients are moved out to residential settings and even the nine fish in the activity room need homes. The final three clients move out Tuesday.

EOTC has been on and off the chopping block for years, but finally the axe blade hit firmly this year when Oregon legislators directed that EOTC’s 40 residents move to smaller neighborhood group housing by the end of October.

“It’s really sad – I’ve been here 28 years,” Waggoner said. “They are family.

Nurse Conrad Bozlee worked two stints at EOTC, plus ten years at Salem’s Fairview Training Center. Bozlee said care of the developmentally disabled has evolved from warehousing to immersion.

“At the turn of the century, institutions were built to remove them from the spotlight,” he said. “They were considered to be evil – a blight on society. It was a fancy way to say they were scum.”

Fairview opened in 1908 as the Oregon State Institution for the Feeble-Minded. During World War II, society softened its view, Bozlee said, and began viewing the developmentally disabled as innocents who would forever remain children. Institutionalizing them, however, was still the norm.

Later, civil rights activism prompted changes.

“A lot of money went into mainstreaming,” Bozlee said. “People started asking, ‘Why are these people in prison when they never committed a crime?'”

With the latest move to community settings, he said, “Oregon is actually ahead of the curve.”
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Thanks for Kathryn Weit for the link.

Emerging Leaders Northwest

emergingleadersnwEmerging Leaders Northwest is a community, web-based information and guidance center for young adults with disabilities. The organization provides ways to develop leadership skills through workshops and trainings, mentorships and internships and an interactive website. ELN works closely with yound adults with disabilities between the ages of 13 and 30.

ELN provides a wide variety of trainings including:

  • Your Education and How to Succeed
  • Solving the Employment Puzzle
  • Healthy Lifestyles
  • Disability Culture and Family
  • Person Centered Planning

ELN currently has internships available through: Portland Development Commission, City of Portland, PacifiCorp, State of Oregon, McMenamins, PGE, Care Medical and OHSU.

For more information check out their website at www.emergingleadersnw.org and contact Chuck Davis at 503.494.3281 for more information.

Halloween Party Through Emerging Leaders NW and Children’s Healing Art Project

Who: People w/ disabilities interested in a Halloween Party!
When: Saturday, October 31st from 2:00pm-4:00pm
Where: 1030 NW Marshall in the Pearl
What: Costume Party/Dance

This will be a great opportunity to for young people with disabilities to learn about what we do, meet new friends and have a great time.   Many thanks to the Children’s Healing Art Project for allowing us to join this event!

Emerging Leaders Northwest is a youth led resource center for young people with disabilities ages 13 – 30 which provides training and resources on leadership, independence, getting a high school diploma and going on to college, self-advocacy, employment skills and living a healthy lifestyle.  Youth leaders facilitate training for their peers and act as mentors.  Leaders may also gain valuable employment experience by participating in internships in business and non-profit entities.

Our meetings are held the fourth Friday of each month from 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, Room 1125,  707 SW Gaines Street, Portland, OR 97207.

For more information contact Rob Pollock
(971) 244-0305 or Rob@incight.org
www.emergingleadersnw.org
www.chap.name

Do You Need Subsidized Housing? Short Window for Openings

Waiting lists at six public housing communities for seniors and persons with disabilities will be open October 12 – 16, 2009.

Click here for information.

How to Apply
Application forms will be available on Monday, October 12 at the apartment communities or at www.hapdx.org. Completed applications may be submitted by mail to the addresses above. Applications must be postmarked between October 12 – 16. by fax to 503.802.8488. Only applications faxed between October 12 and 4:30 p.m. on October 16 will be accepted. in person from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. October 12 – 16 at the addresses listed above.

Eligibility Requirements
Applicants and/or co-applicants must be elderly (62 or older) or disabled. Total household income must be less than 80% of the area median income to qualify. Please call one of the sites above or visit www.hapdx.org for current income guidelines.

For More Information
Call HAP’s public housing hotline at 503.288.5750, visit www.hapdx.org/options/phapply.html or contact the apartment staff at the phone numbers listed above.

* Applicants for 2-bedroom ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) apartment waiting lists will need to provide
documentation verifying they require an ADA unit prior to moving in.