September 27, 2010 -- EPI's CHOICE Day Habilitation Services for adults with intellectual disabilities offers a relaxed homelike setting where people participate in leisure and skill-building activities. Through the many activities planned, individuals at the CHOICE program develop skills to help them become more independent at home and in the community.
Giving back to the community is an area this program continues to look for ways to grow. Recently members from the CHOICE program collected, packaged and delivered personal care items such as travel size soap, colognes, lotions, tooth paste and more to our area hospitals. The care packages were taken to the hosptial ERs and will be given parents of children who ill and are unexpectedly faced with a stay in the hospital.
Katie Slade
Communications & Development Director
A Visit with Senator Harkin
August 10, 2010 -- Senator Harkin stopped by today to first and foremost check in and see how the men formerly from Atalissa are doing. It's been 18 months since the men moved to the Waterloo area and Senator Harkin shared that this visit is something he's wanted to do for a long time.
The men shared with the Senator what their life was like prior to moving to Waterloo and what their life is like now. The men showed joy over having been able to select their house, roommates and their activites. When asked "Who's name is on your home lease?" one man proudly pointed to his chest saying "My name is."
Many of the men raised their hands when asked if they had a job. The men also shared their top two criteria for employment: 1) no turkeys 2) "I want to get my money."
Senator Harkin reassured the men that even though the process takes time, they are working to get the men's back wages to them as well as any missing Social Security.
Katie Slade
Communications & Development Director
EPI 5K Run, Walk & Roll Benefit - September 18
July 15, 2010 -- The fifth annual EPI 5K Run, Walk and Roll Benefit is fast approaching. We hope you’ll make plans to join with us.
This is an event where persons of all gifts and abilities can participate and make a strong unified statement showing persons of all abilities have value and contribute in a positive way to our community.
There are a number of ways you can show your support.
Register to take part in running, walking or rolling on Saturday, September 18 at George Wyth State Park. You’re also welcome to simply come out and support all of our participants by cheering them to the finish line.
Make a one-time donation (even if you can’t make the event) to benefit persons living with disabilities - specifically to gain life experiences most important to them. Maybe it’s getting a job in the community, making friends, being active in the community and so much more
Help us spread the word. If you believe, like we do, all persons have value, tell your family, friends, co-workers, church community, neighbors - your whole social network - of the event you’re proud to support and ask them to sponsor you in the 5K, support you by joining you or to help you spread the word.
Registration is free and everyone is welcome to participate. If you’re able to help us raise money, we’ll award water bottles to those who raise at least $25, t-shirts for $100 raised and sweatshirts for $1,000 raised to benefit EPI. Registration is due by 9/8/10 with your pledge goal in order to be guaranteed a prize.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Chris Sparks
Executive Director
Call Your Senators and Governor ASAP—Last Chance for Passage of FMAP Extension
June 4, 2010 -- In March, the Senate passed the American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213) with a six-month extension of the Recovery Act’s enhanced federal Medicaid match. All Senate Democrats, except Ben Nelson (D-NE), voted for this bill with the FMAP provision. On May 28, the House passed a renamed version of the bill, American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, without including this vitally important Medicaid funding.
ANCOR urges the Senate to immediately correct this omission by restoring and passing the six-month FMAP extension in a manager’s amendment, which Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) and the Administration strongly support. This is likely the last opportunity to get the FMAP extension in a bill and passed by this Congress.
The Senate Democratic Caucus is to meet Tuesday (6//8/10) to discuss strategies in moving the bill forward and we need your help to put pressure on the Senate to act. We need to make sure at the Tuesday (June 8) caucus meeting there is clear support for restoring the extension. States are waiting to finalize their budgets and will revise them because FMAP has not yet passed.
Why Support the FMAP Extension?
According to Congressional Budget Office, temporary FMAP assistance, similar to unemployment benefits, is one of the most effective measures to create jobs and increase demand in the economy.
If the FMAP assistance ends on December 31, 2010, states’ budget-balancing measures for FY 2011 will result in deep budget cuts and/or tax increases that will jeopardize numerous private and public sector jobs.
As of April 29, 2010, thirty states assume the six-month extension of the ARRA FMAP in their budgets. These states include: AL, AK, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IA, KS, KY, ME, MA, MD, MI, MN, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, SD, UT, VT and WA. If the FMAP extension is not approved by Congress, these states will be forced to reopen their budgets and adopt even deeper budget cuts and/or tax increases that will undermine the national recovery.
URGENT: Take Action
This is the time to pull out all of the stops. This is the time for ANCOR members to reach out themselves AND ask all of their constituencies to do the same. This includes your board of directors, DSPs, individuals you support, and their families.
Who to call:
Your Senators, especially Democrats.
Your Governors—ask them to pressure your Senators.
What to say:
Senators: Strongly urge ALL of your Senators to restore, through a manager’s amendment, the FMAP extension in the base extenders and jobs bill the Senate takes up.
Governors: Urge your governors to support the inclusion of FMAP in the extenders and jobs bill by reaching out to the Senate as well.
Chris Sparks
Executive Director
Remembering a Pioneer, William E. “Bill” Brown (1920-2010)
May 25, 2010 -- Nearly 53 years ago several community leaders in the Cedar Valley were facing the daunting task of creating an organization focused on developing community services for people with disabilities – and more specifically choosing the right person to provide leadership to such an agency.
One individual remembered vividly coming across an obviously talented and bright social worker named William E. “Bill” Brown at a conference and suggested he would be a good fit. A short time later Exceptional Persons, Inc. was incorporated and, just as importantly, Bill Brown was hired as the founding Executive Director.
Bill Brown was a true visionary and pioneer in the field of disability services. Bill and others involved with EPI were literally trail blazing as there were no models or established paths to follow. Armed with a passionate belief all people with disabilities had the right and ability to a productive life in the community, and an uncanny ability to read and motivate people, Bill created services for children and adults with disabilities from the ground up.
If you speak to people who had the opportunity to work directly with Bill you hear descriptors like brilliant, perceptive, politically astute and selfless. Bill was a master motivator who worked very hard, and was guided by the credo - generally attributed to Harry S. Truman - “it is amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
Organizations, like so many things in life, have a tendency to grow and flourish when built upon a solid foundation. Bill Brown was that strong foundation for EPI and his fearless vision of community inclusion has had immeasurable positive impacts upon countless people with disabilities and
their families.
Grateful for the legacy Bill Brown left, we are
inspired by the standards
he established.
Katie Slade
Communications & Development Director
Hire Persons with Disabilities – It’s Easier than You May Think
April 27, 2010 – Individuals with developmental disabilities want and need community jobs like everyone else. Having a job leads to independence, the making of new friends and feelings of self worth. About 10%, a growing number, of the U.S. population has disabilities; but within that group, only 22% with developmental disabilities are employed. Doing the math for Black Hawk County, that’s approximately 9,828 unemployed individuals with developmental disabilities.
Hiring persons with a disability benefits your business, the employee and the community as a whole. Hiring and retaining qualified employees with a disability is easier than you may think. Take a look at these frequently asked questions.
How will hiring a person with a disability improve my business?
Employees with disabilities are good employees who bring strong skills and work ethics to the workplace. Research studies dating back to 1948 have consistently shown employees with disabilities have average or better attendance, lower turnover, average or better job performance and average or better safety records than their nondisabled counterparts.
According to a National Survey of Consumer Attitudes towards Companies that Hire People with Disabilities, 92% of the American public view companies that hire people with disabilities more favorably than those that do not. And, 87% of the public would prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with disabilities. Further, people with disabilities and their networks, as reported by the U.S. Census, represent $1 trillion dollars in discretionary spending.
Where can I find qualified candidates with a disability?
Several local service organizations offer employment service to persons with disabilities. Forget about high recruitment and advertising costs to fill your position. In fact with Exceptional Persons, Inc. (EPI) the service is free. Not only will you find a qualified person with a disability but you and your new employee will receive the following free services: pre-screening, post-hire follow-up services, and job retention supports.
Do I need to provide anything special for employees with disabilities?
Many employees with disabilities require nothing more than the consideration you may already be providing to your employees. Some employees may require accommodations which are tools to ensure that someone can be productive. In general, reasonable workplace accommodations are low, or cost nothing. In 2007, the Job Accommodation Network released the results of a study from a range of industries; 46% reported workplace accommodations cost absolutely nothing, while 45% experienced a low, one-time cost of around $500.
Are there tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities?
Yes. You may be eligible for $2,400 to $15,000 in tax credits. These tax credits are available to help make workplaces accessible and for accommodations. Visit the Internal Revenue Service’s website for more information and talk with your tax advisor.
Chris Sparks
Executive Director
Not an Easy Decision, However Necessary - Exceptional Bargains to Close
April 7, 2010 - - After five years of successfully running monthly sales at Exceptional Bargains it has now become necessary for the store to close and make way for new opportunities. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, however necessary it was given today’s economic condition, because we know how very special it is to so many.
Exceptional Bargains has always been, first and foremost, a training and employment site for persons with disabilities to gain skills needed to work in the community. Proceeds from the store’s sales went directly toward assisting individuals with disabilities find employment opportunities. Unfortunately, the economy has changed and proceeds have become a thing of the past as the quality and quantity of the merchandise has dramatically declined while the cost to purchase has increased.
The closing of Exceptional Bargains provides the opportunity to focus on the mission of our Employment Services program. We can train a broader range of skills - better equipping each individual to find and be successful in an EPI Employment Services crew or in a competitive work setting.
We invite you to come out and support Exceptional Bargains in its final sales of the year. With the final sale of the year taking place Friday, May 7, 2010 – click here for all dates. But, this isn’t the last you’ll hear of Exceptional Bargains. We’ll also be taking this time to focus on researching and developing a bigger and better store for the future.
Thank you for the support you’ve shown to Exceptional Bargains and EPI over the years. We hope to have your support once again with a new store in the future.
Chris Sparks
Executive Director
State’s financial problem reaches EPI’s services
February 22, 2010 -- We hear the news reports daily, telling us of the shape our economy is in and the effects on our federal and state budgets.
The impact on the services and programs the community has come to rely on locally is sure to be great. And, we know few to no programs will go unharmed.
Over the last few months EPI has worked extremely hard to manage the 2.5% rate reduction to our Medicaid funding - around $170,000 - for fiscal year 2010.
While $170,000 may not seem like a lot of money in a budget of $20 million, the cut is concerning. The rates we receive are required to be very close to expenses - leaving little to no profit to absorb such a cut.
We’ve asked all of our staff to join with us in finding ways to reduce expenses and also to increase revenue. Swift action was taken to cut expenses. With half of our fiscal year now complete, we can see our efforts making a difference.
While managing this year’s challenge, we continue monitoring the effects we could see coming from the current legislative session - likely resulting in deeper cuts for next year.
The bumpy road we face with state funding doesn’t for a minute take our focus from why we’re here - and that’s to provide quality service to the vulnerable persons we serve. The valuable service EPI provides makes a positive difference for people with disabilities, strengthens families and the entire community.
Over the last 52 years, EPI has seen its share of difficult financial cycles. With the help of our volunteer board members and loyal community we’ve made it through each one before and we’re confident we’ll come through this as well.
Background: October 2009, following lower tax revenue predictions, Governor Culver ordered a 10% across-the-board spending cut.
Effective December 1, 2009, EPI’s Medicaid funding received a 2.5% rate reduction resulting in $170,000 of lost revenue.
The 2.5% rate cut for services under the Intellectual Disabilities waiver resulted in a funding loss of $7.6 million to services.
Astonishingly, it’s estimated the $7.6 million cut saved only $385,000 of state money. In addition, the state also lost $5.2 million in federal draw down money available from these cuts.
