Week Three Action Items
Take a Friend to Coffee House
Let’s expand our circle of self-advocates who attend this monthly social gathering. Our Coffee House meetings are warm and social and everyone is welcome. Coffee House is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on March 16 at Panera in Belmar - 650 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood. Click here for more information.
Hope to see you there!
Be a Changemaker – Find a Need and Fill It.
A recent news article tells the story of Chad Lemons - a Colorado music teacher who created a unified band to include students with intellectual disabilities.
When Lemons realized students with disabilities only exposure to music at the school where he taught was watching the marching band practice, he started an inclusive drum group bringing together high school students with intellectual disabilities and students who serve as mentors. This story expresses the significance of personhood, compassion and belonging, so we want to share it with you.
To read the article, click here.
Invite Some Friends to Watch and Discuss the movie Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.
According to a description of the documentary from Netflix: In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination and institutionalization. Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp "for the handicapped" in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Crip Camp depicts a movement that blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting landmark change.
Watching this documentary - or any movie you choose featuring information about the history of the Disability Rights Movement - and discussing it with friends can build knowledge and understanding. Challenge yourself and others to go beyond the expectations of inclusion and diversity. Strive to learn more about disability rights history – see what’s changed for the better and learn what needs improvement now.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, rated R, is currently free to stream on The Netflix YouTube account by clicking here.
Check out the documentary’s discussion guide and curriculum.
Buy Something From a Brand That Supports People Who Have IDD.
While we can’t spotlight specific brands, an internet search can lead you to options if you want to support companies that help empower people who have IDD.
Create a Reading List – Featuring a Variety of Books – Highlighting Experiences of People With Disabilities
Check out books highlighting the experiences of people with disabilities.
Numerous suggestions featuring a variety of interests and reading levels are here and here, or create your own reading list.
Better yet – invite some friends to read and discuss a book – what can be learned from the story?
Books representing disabilities are available for checkout from Jefferson County Public Library. Check out the library’s website by clicking here.
Set Up Your King Soopers card to support The Arc—JCCGC. Here’s how.
Did you know that The Arc could receive a donation from King Soopers each time you shop there? Simply name us as your King Soopers Community Rewards organization. There’s no added cost to you, and setup is easy:
1. Go to https://www.kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards
2. Log in or create an account using your Shopper’s Card number or alternate ID
3. Search for The Arc - Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties by name, or use code MY949
That’s it! Then, when you use your King Soopers card as you normally would, The Arc will receive a donation, at no added cost to you!
Review The Arc’s Position Statements
Learn more about how The Arc enhances people’s lives by clicking on this link. These position statements address critical issues related to human and civil rights, health care and treatment, and services and programs for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Which of these position statements matters most? How can you advocate for what’s important to you?
