- by Andy Rausch and Joe Reinecker

Each SKIL office has an annual customer appreciation dinner or picnic each year. Fredonia's dinner, which will be held on Friday, October 4, 2019. The event will be held from five to seven p.m. It will be at the Grace First Assembly of God church at 1102 Washington Street in Fredonia.

Independent Living Coordinator Ed Viers says they had a good speaker last year but the turnout was low. This year he is hoping for a better turnout. At this time, he is unsure who will be speaking to the guests.

“I invite our customers to the dinner because it gives us the opportunity to show our appreciation for them,” explains Viers. “And that's really what it's all about. But it also gives them the opportunity to come and have a nice meal and show their appreciation for us. I think it serves kind of a mutual purpose.”

According to Viers, there will be door prizes. The dinner will consist of fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and homemade cookies. There may also be a deejay playing music, but that's up in the air at the moment.

The event is welcome to the public, even people not affiliated with SKIL. Come on out and enjoy a nice chicken dinner and hang out with us.

The Kansas Perkins V State Planning Team is currently writing the new State Plan for career technical education, and need your input and expertise. The law includes provisions for “special populations” which includes students with disabilities, and the experience of those on the Subcommittee is highly valued.

Please use the link below to take the short survey. Thank you!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KSCTE-SCS

For more information about the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), please visit www.kansasregents.org/CTE

It is time to ask for nominations for the Michel Lechner Advocacy Award. The deadline for nominations is October 11th.

Every year the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns (KCDC) recognizing one or more persons or organizations for their advocacy work during 2018 to improve their community or the State of Kansas for people with disabilities. To nominate someone or an organization you need to provide a summary of the nominee's advocacy activities including: the issue/situation; nominee's activities that improved the condition or situation; and the geographic area of Kansas in which the improvement occurred. It also helps to have a support letter from someone else praising the nominees advocacy efforts.

You can read more about it on our website<http://kcdcinfo.ks.gov/about-us/michael-lechner-award>. 

This is the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns (KCDC) 70th anniversary and we want to be sure we have several nominations.

We will present the awards at our November 15 commission meeting.

Thank you for considering nominating someone or organization for this award.

Have you been paying the State monthly for your in-home services?

As of September 1, 2019, you may not have to any more, OR you may not have to pay as much!

Thanks to the work of disability advocates, the Kansas Legislature increased the amount of money people can keep (Protected Income Level) to $1,177/month. So you get to keep any money you earn or receive each month up to $1,177.

The Governor is asking the Legislature to make this change permanent in 2020, and to increase the amount even more.

Please contact your representative and senator (Look them up here >> https://openstates.org/ks/legislators/ ) and thank them for letting you keep more of your monthly money. Tell them what you will use the “extra” money for each month. Remind them that their work is not done; we need the increase to be permanent, and we need it to be increased to 300% of SSI level so no one has to pay for the services that keep us in our own homes!