“To improve the living and working conditions and opportunities for persons with severe disabilities.”
EEO/AA/M/F/D/V

DIRECTOR’S CORNER
By: Phil L. Taylor
 

I guess the best way to help keep everyone informed about what’s going on lately is to summarize the building and renovation projects we are presently doing.  For our new building on Main Street in Blytheville (which formerly belonged to the other CRP that went out of business last year), the renovations are coming along at a rapid pace.   There are two roof leaks to be repaired, all of the AC/heating units are up and running, all of the partitions have been dismantled to open up the primary sales area, wall and ceiling repairs are in process, new store front windows are being ordered  and paint colors for the walls and ceilings have been picked out.  We hope to open the thrift store by November 1st.  All of the staff here and in Blytheville are really excited about the new location and its potential.

The Monroe building’s renovations are finally starting to take shape.  The new accessible restrooms are 90% complete and plans are being made to occupy the building in the next few weeks.  Fire and safety inspections have to be made after the building addition is complete.  Then, these inspections and a floor plan have to be sent to DDS for approval.  This building will primarily be used for adult development programming which will be moved from our production location on Church.

Our steel building addition to our Union location has arrived.  We still have to complete some underground drainage and foundation work before putting it up.  I anticipate a good two months or so to get the job finished.  Again, this building will make the back lot look better, give us more work room and help protect our donations which often are subject to being stolen.

Our PAC location has had to have several repairs to the yards to help prevent surface water in the front yard and in the court yard from flooding our basement area.  Also, the roof has sustained damage in several areas that had to be repaired.  We have determined that the shingles will not make it another winter, so we will be replacing the shingles and repairing the decking.  We hope to have it finished in a couple of weeks.  This pretty much covers our building improvements that we presently have going.

A very important process to mention is that DDS is trying to get hundreds of people qualified for Waiver services which could reach to more than 1,000 by next March or April.  It is a massive effort and we will voluntarily help people with some of their applications.  If you are aware of someone who has recently received an application and need help with it, call the Jonesboro office (870.932.1551 Ext. 14 for Cheryl or Ext 18 for Stephanie).  These applications have to be returned fairly quickly and we need to help anyone in these communities get this done, so they will have a chance of receiving Waiver services.

We are working on other projects that we hope will improve the service delivery system for Waiver consumers.  We are excited about some of these options, which we hope to be able to announce in the near future.  Also, we are looking at other employment options for people with disabilities in the areas of self-employment and other business options.  Some of these ideas have been reinforced with some of my work with the Workabilities International and the Americas-Group of which we are members.  It is always exciting to think about the possibilities that are out there, if we just keep trying to develop them and bring them into reality.  As always I want to thank everyone for the work they do on behalf of our consumers.  Keep up the good work.
October Birthdays

Loretta Cook  5th
Ada Chestnut  8th
Julie Watkins  9th
Chris Paslay  14th
Thomas Webb 16th
Mary Mooney  20th
Will Howard  26th
Jean Williams  27th
Bryan Simons  31st
 

Welcome to Abilities Unlimited
Kendall Johnson ACS Implementor
Calvin Smith  ACS Implementor
Maurice Oliver ACS Implementor
Cynthia Gibbs ACS Implementor
Laura Cribbs  Flex- Paragould
Patricia Baldwin ACS Implementor
Julie Watkins  ACS Implementor
 
 
 

September Service Awards
 Several employees celebrated their one year anniversary with A.U. in September. Those employees are Dean Lamberth, Sharon Dachs, Earline Coleman and Sylvia Rodgers. They each received a pin and certificate. Ada Chestnut celebrated her 5 year anniversary with A.U. last month. She received a plaque and pin. Thank you to all of you for your hard work and dedication. You are appreciated more than you know!
 
 
 
 
 

Blytheville  A.U.  attends Business Expo
The Blytheville/Gosnell Area Chamber of Commerce held the 2003 Sunbelt Business and Industry Expo on Wednesday, September 24th. Local businesses and industries were invited to showcase their products and services and participate in several activities. Christy Wyatt and Paul Hedge manned a booth along with the Special Olympics Coach, Shirley Stevenson. The clients attended as a field trip, and had a good time doing something different. They especially loved to pick up the little freebies that the different booths were offering. The people there were happy the meet the clients and staff, and it was good exposure for Abilities Unlimited of Blytheville. The staff made many contacts in the areas of employment for clients, special services for clients, and contracts for future production jobs. Christy even learned where to get new shoes for the diabetic clients. We may have picked up a couple of new clients from the exposure as well. It was an effective way to make our services more visible to the public.
 

Fall Savings at
 the Unlimited

40% off lavender tickets   Oct. 4th-10th

  50% off lavender tickets   Oct. 11th-17th

20% off orange tickets     Oct. 18th-24th

30% off orange tickets     Oct. 25th-31st
 
 
 

Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.
-Mother Theresa
 
 
 
 
 
 

Back Safety
I bet you didn’t know that the best way to prevent back injuries is to develop good habits that reduce the unnecessary strain placed on the back. Back injuries are on an ever-increasing rise.  Employees can do numerous things to help reduce back strain.  As supervisors you need to make sure your employees are knowledgeable of the correct lifting procedures and equipment they can use to assist in lifting so it will decrease their chances of back injury. Since you can’t always avoid lifting, try different ways to reduce the amount of pressure placed on the back.

 - Take a balanced stance with your feet about a shoulder-width apart.  One foot can be behind the object and the other next to it.
-Bend your knees and squat, keeping your back straight.
-Get a firm grip on the load, using your hands - not just your fingertips.
-Lift steadily with your legs and keep load close to your body.
-Once you’re standing, change directions by pointing your feet in the direction you want to go and turning your whole body.  Avoid twisting at your waist while carrying the load.
-When you put a load down, use these same guidelines in reverse.
-Reduce the amount of weight lifted.  Better to load several small boxes than one extremely heavy load.
-Don’t be a superman or superwoman.  If something is too heavy for you to handle, get help from a co-worker or use a mechanical aid!!!
It’s important to know your body’s limitations and it’s important to be aware of your body position at all times.  Learn to recognize those situations where your back is most at risk: bending, lifting, reaching, twisting, etc. - then take measures to avoid an injury.
on-the-job injury policy and procedures
of abilities Unlimited
By now, most of you have seen the new On-The-Job Policy and Procedures. For those of you who have not, here is a quick overview of the new policy. If you do not have this policy in your possession, come by the office to get a copy or call me(Carrie, ext.32) and I will make sure you get one as you will be held responsible for abiding by these procedures. The following procedures must be followed for the claim to be accepted by our workers compensation insurance carrier.
Step #1- Immediately notify your supervisor. Office, Retail and Productions workers are to contact the next supervisor in line or DeeDee Daniel, HRM if they cannot reach their supervisor.

Step #2- Implementors, if you are unable to reach your supervisor, then you must call the Company Nurse to determine if medical treatment is necessary. The number is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, toll free: 1-877-740-5017. You must also be trying to reach your supervisor until you succeed. For all other employees, your supervisor will fill out the First Report of Injury form and forward it to DeeDee Daniel within 2 days of the occurrence.

Step#3- Implementors, your supervisor will then fill out the First Report of Injury form and forward it to DeeDee Daniel within 2 days of the occurrence. For all other employees, your supervisor will call the Company Nurse and they will determine if medical treatment is necessary.

Step#4- If the Company Nurse determines that medical attention is necessary, then the injured employee will go to one of the approved facilities, the Company Doctor, in your area as follows:
West Memphis-
Blytheville- Baptist Memorial Hospital- 1520 N. Division St., Blytheville, AR 72315
Paragould- Family Practice Clinic- 1015 W. Kingshighway, or
                  AR Methodist Hospital- 900 W. Kingshighway, Paragould, AR 72450
Jonesboro- NEA Clinic- 3003 Apache Drive, or
    St. Bernard’s Hospital- 225 E. Jackson St., Jonesboro, AR 72405
Note:A drug test will be conducted on all employees at the medical facility as required by the company and as told to you in company policies and procedures documents. If for any reason the injured employee is not able to go to one of the approved Company Doctors, then that employee bears full responsibility to seeing that a drug test is administered at their first office visit.
Step #5- Implementors, your supervisor should be notified as soon as possible on the next working day. If he/she is not available, contact DeeDee Daniel at 870-932-1551, x- 15 to properly report the incident. For all other employees, your supervisor should notify DeeDee to properly report the incident as soon as possible or within at least 2 working days.

Consumer Services
Jonesboro
A Way with Words
by Janet Gregory
When working with people with disabilities, it is important that we understand how terminology effects them.  People with disabilities are not conditions or diseases.  They are individuals human beings.  For example, a person is not an epileptic but rather a person who has epilepsy.  First and foremost they are people.  Only secondarily do they have one or more disabling condition.  Therefore, they prefer to be referred to as people with disabilities.

Likewise, a person has a disability not a handicap.  Society imposes handicaps.  A disability is a condition caused by an accident, trauma, genetics or disease which may limit a person’s mobility, hearing, vision, speech or mental function.  Some people with disabilities have one or more disabilities.  A handicap is a physical or attitudinal constraint that is imposed upon a person, regardless of whether that person has a disability.  Webster defines handicap as “to put at a disadvantage”.  For example, some people with disabilities use wheelchairs.  Stairs, narrow doorways and curbs are handicaps imposed upon people with disabilities who use wheelchairs.

There are four keynote concepts to keep in mind:
1.  Avoid stereotypical or stigmatizing depictions of people with disabilities.
2.  Avoid phrases and words that demean individuals with disabilities.
3. Promote the “people first” concept, i.e., not “disabled person” but “person with a disability”.
4. Portray people with disabilities in the same multidimensional fashion as others.
 
 

“It’s not important what happens to you, but what you do about it”.  W. Mitchell

AUI’s Mission Statement: “... to improve the working and living conditions and opportunities of persons with severe disabilities”.
 
 
 

A great attitude
Your attitude is your own personal filter for everything that happens to you, around you, or within you.  What takes place in this is not as important as how you view it.  You can not choose what will happen to you.  You can not guarantee success and happiness for yourself.  These things are out of your control.  You can, however, choose how you feel about these things, about how you respond to these situations.  With a positive attitude, you will have the ability to be happier each and every day, make others around you happier, and live a good life.
 
 
 
 

JUST A REMINDER:
Time sheets are due in the office no later than 9:00am on Mondays.  (If you feel that you have a justified reason to be late with your time sheet, call Sherry immediately!).  Late time sheets will not be processed until the next Monday.
 
 

Put Your Consumer First:
I would like to remind you all that when you are on the clock the time is to be spent doing things that concern the consumer.  Taking care of your personal  business is not acceptable.   This includes using your cell phone to visit with friend or relatives.  If you receive phone calls while working, please explain to the caller that you are working and will return the call as soon as possible.  The coordinators would like to remind you that when you are working with a consumer you are to put them and their interest first.  Please do not allow other things to distract you.  Such as allowing your children to come with you while working with a consumer.  You can put the consumer first if you are having to deal with your children.