by independencenw | Jan 9, 2010 | advocacy
The State of Oregon has released a preliminary cut list of what might happen if Measures 66 & 67 fail on January 26, 2010.
Their cut list includes:
- Closure of Support Services Brokerages on January 1st, 2011
- Elimination of the Fairview Housing Trust Fund
- Elimination of funding for DD employment and inclusion programs
- Elimination of transportation services for people with disabilities
- 10% reduction in rates for providers who perform residential supports for adults with disabilities
The State has said as recently as the week of January 8th that they have no contingency plan if these measures fail.
The Independence Northwest Board of Directors supports a YES vote on Measures 66 & 67.
To read more about INW’s effect on our local economy, click here and remember to vote on January 26th.
by independencenw | Jan 9, 2010 | advocacy, multnomah county
The Portland Police Bureau Disability Accommodation Registry is a voluntary registry for people with developmental, mental health or physical disabilities who may have difficulty communicating their needs to an officer because of an acute crisis or a continuing disability. The Disability Accommodation Registry has been a Portland Police Bureau program since 1996.
Who can register
Individuals with mental health, developmental or physical disabilities, or their legal guardian, may register for the program:
- If you have a disability and you are your own guardian. If you feel there are times when you may be unable to tell a police officer about your disability, you are encouraged to register.
- Legal guardians can register individuals who may have difficulty communicating with police.
- Parents can register minor children who are eligible for the program.
Why register
By participating in the DAR program, you are sharing important information with law enforcement that can enable them to better assist you or someone you are responsible for. Here are two examples where DAR information is extremely helpful:
- If a DAR participant gets lost in the community, the officer can use the emergency contact information to locate the participant’s support system.
- If a DAR participant is in a crisis situation, the officer can get more information about their particular needs.
How to register
To register yourself:
- Fill out the attached form completely.
- You will need a contact person (family member, caseworker, caregiver, doctor or other) to sign the form as a witness to your informed consent. You must have another person sign on the “Witness” line.
- Have your contact person fill out the “Contact Information.”
To register someone if you are their guardian:
- Fill out the attached form completely.
- Attach a certified copy of the guardianship papers to the completed DAR form. Guardianship papers must be sent in each year, even if the person has been registered in the past. Parents registering minor children do not need to send proof of guardianship.
- You will need to sign on the guardian signature line. No witness signature is necessary with guardian signature.
How frequently do you have to register
Registrations are updated annually. A new form must be completed every year in order to continue as a participant in the DAR. A reminder letter and new form are sent to registrants each year. You may withdraw from the registry or change your information at any time.
Can you still be arrested if you register with the DAR
Registration in the program will not prevent anyone from being arrested if a crime has been committed. However, DAR information allows police and jail personnel access to pertinent information regarding the registrant’s special needs.
How information is used
DAR information is entered into the Portland Police Data System. When an officer comes in contact with a person who has signed up for the DAR, and their name is entered into the officer’s computer system, the name comes back noting they are a participant in the DAR and provides the officer with the information you provided on the registration form.
All information in this system is governed by Oregon Public Records law applying to the Portland Police Data System. Information will be released to public agencies for public agency purposes.
Mail completed form to:
Portland Police Bureau, Disability Accommodation Registry
Family Services Division
10225 E. Burnside Street, Portland, OR 97216
Or
Fax completed form to: 503-823-0078
Questions about the program may be directed to:
Freda Vanderberg
Police Administrative Support Specialist
Portland Police Bureau
Family Services Division
503-823-0090
by independencenw | Jan 9, 2010 | advocacy
From Full Life:
Please join us for a full evening live music which all benefits goes to YES on 66 and 67!
Measures 66 and 67 will protect nearly $1 billion in funding for our classrooms, senior care, and other critical services. But most people–including your friends and family–don’t know there’s an election coming up, or that they should vote YES.
A YES vote on Measures 66 and 67 will protect health care coverage for tens of thousands of Oregon’s working families by protecting almost $1 billion in funding for essential services such as healthcare, education, and public safety.
January 16th…Saturday
from 6:30 til 11:00 pm
$5.00 (all proceeds go to YES on 66 and 67)
by independencenw | Jan 7, 2010 | advocacy
From WWeek:
BY NIGEL JAQUISS
What a way to start the new year.
We get to vote on raising taxes. Twice, actually.
Oregon voters will soon receive ballots asking them to vote on Measure 66, which would raise personal income taxes on the highest-income Oregonians, and Measure 67, which would increase corporate income taxes.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature already approved the tax hikes in 2009, but opponents then gathered enough signatures to put them on the ballot for voters to decide.
Tax policy is thorny. It’s never so simple as “taxes are good as long as someone else pays them.” In fact, if you take a close look at this state’s tax structure, you will often see a reflection of our collective psyche. Nothing speaks to the stubborn individualism of Oregon quite like our continued refusal to adopt a sales tax, for example.
To dispel some of the overheated rhetoric surrounding the tax hikes, here’s a look at how we got here and what our collective response to Measures 66 and 67 may say about Oregonians as we enter a new decade.
Oh, and WW’s editorial board also tells you at the end how we think you should vote.
What would Measure 66 do?
It would raise the state income tax rate from 9 percent to 10.8 percent on an individual’s personal income between $125,000 and $250,000, and to 11 percent on every dollar above $250,000. The measure would also eliminate the state income tax on the first $2,400 of unemployment income. The Legislative Revenue Office, which crunches numbers for lawmakers, projects fewer than 3 percent of Oregonians would pay this increased tax—that’s why some people call the measure “class warfare.”
How about Measure 67?
Measure 67 is a lot more complicated. First, corporations with no taxable income now pay a minimum $10 tax. This measure would raise the minimum to $150. It would also raise the corporate income tax rate on companies with profits to 7.9 percent, compared to the current 6.6 percent. This measure would do something completely new, as well: It would create a new tax on companies with more than $500,000 in annual sales but no taxable profits. All companies would pay the new minimum tax or the 7.9 percent tax on profits, whichever is higher.
Continue article here.
by independencenw | Jan 7, 2010 | advocacy, lgbtq, resource
What: CELEBRATE! A drag show featuring performers with developmental disabilities and allies
Date: Monday, January 11th, 2010.
Time: Door opens at 6:30pm, show 7:30-9:30pm
Where: Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N. Interstate Ave. (at Killingsworth)
See below for more info, or contact Bridges to Independence.
More information on their website.
From Willamette Week:
I’ll fess up. My 2010 resolution to keep an open mind was already tested when I read a recent email from Bridges to Independence, a local nonprofit that helps adults with developmental disablities learn life skills, from money management to job training and sex ed. “We’re holding a fundraiser featuring drag performances by artists with developmental disabilities and [their] allies,” wrote Bridges board president Emi Koyama. “The show will also launch the agency’s LGBTQ+DD Program to serve specific needs of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.” I’m all for supporting both the rights of gay and differently abled locals, but dressing up disabled people in wigs and heels and having them lip sync to Gloria Gaynor seems like the worst idea ever—or at least like a creepy, exploitative episode of Glee that never made it past the network brass. Not so, according to Koyama. She says a number of the 80-plus high-functioning people with developmental disablities (“DD” for short) at Bridges self-identify as gay—and there’s many more who need help and support revealing their sexuality to their families. Koyama, who is queer, hopes a big, bold coming-out party like this will be just the ticket to connect Portland’s DD community with gay allies—and have a little dragilicious fun in the process.
WW: Why is it hard for LGBTQ-DD people to come out?
Emi Koyama: People with DD in general are supposed to be non-sexual. [As recently as the past century] they were even sterilized and could not reproduce. There’s still this idea [in the DD community that] “My son or daughter [with DD] should never have anything to do with sex.” On top of that, obviously the [gay] taboo becomes more significant if your parents are conservative. Because many people with DD rely on parents for housing [and financial] support.
But a drag show? That seems too sexual.
It’s a way to get everybody involved and make a stand. In Portland, a drag show is not a big deal, but within this community it’s a really big deal…I want people to have pride. I am worried about how families of people with DD [in general] will react to this idea (although not those who already work with Bridges). Some people feel this is not appropriate for this community because they [think] individuals with DD are like children. But they are not children. They are adults. And most adults have some kind of sexual desire and identities and experiences. That’s often denied to people with disabilities. Even being seen as performers with a need to express themselves [is a] big deal…. [Next year] we’re applying for a grant to be in the Portland Pride Parade.
Do you have any idea what your clients will be performing to?
I think one performer [with DD] is doing “Barbie Girl.” And one of the drag kings said she wanted to do a country song. It’s still…developing.
