JACIL Connections for September 2020

Article 1:

JACIL promotes independent living

At JACIL, independent living is what we are all about. We are committed to helping people with disabilities in our  four-county service region to live independently on their own in the community and be productive and useful citizens.

We have many ways in which we can help facilitate this independence. Our BBS Department is very active in helping people who are 55 and older deal with the various problems that come up for people with disabilities. We have a wide range of magnifying devices that are available for people with low vision. We also help provide hearing-amplified devices and telephones to help people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Contact Kandi Horrer for more information.

We have a variety of educational services for young people with disabilities. We offer assistance in developing Individualized Education Programs and also offer a Fast Track program to help older young people transition from high-school into employment. Contact Colton Pettyjohn for information in these areas.

JACIL also offers a personal assistance referral program. We orient prospective personal assistants and prepare them to serve people with disabilities in their homes. We maintain a referral list and people with disabilities can contact us and obtain the names of several prospective assistants. We have also spent a great deal of time providing emergency assistance during this covid-19 pandemic. Contact Danielle Pollard to sign up for a personal assistant orientation or to receive names of potential PAs for hiring.

We have an advocate for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals on staff who is there to provide advice and referrals to assist deaf consumers with any difficulties they may be having. For more information contact Sarah Wilson.

We offer referrals to both the Jacksonville Community Food Center and the First Baptist Church Personal Needs Pantry. We also loan various types of adaptive equipment including wheelchairs, walkers, commodes and shower benches. For those who need assistance in these areas, call Roger Deem.

For assistance with any of these programs call us at (217)245-8371 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Article 2:

Brooklyn Knapp joins JACIL staff

by Brooklyn Knapp

I am the youngest in my family of four children. I have two sisters and one brother. I grew up in the small town of Meredosia with my parents and siblings, where I still live now.

After I graduated from Meredosia Chambersburg High School, I attended John Wood Community College in Quincy for two years before moving back to Meredosia after receiving my Associates Degree.

I started working in bookkeeping about a year ago which will be part of my responsibilities here at JACIL. That experience will assist me in fulfilling my duties to JACIL, my coworkers and our consumers. I'll also be working within Human Resources at JACIL which is new to me so I'm very excited for this learning opportunity. I hope to return to college soon to further my education in accounting and bookkeeping so I can expand my knowledge and capacity to serve at JACIL.

In my free time I like to read books, knit, do puzzles, and spend time with my family swimming, riding our golf cart and tending to our garden. I grew up playing softball, doing gymnastics and competitive cheerleading so I had a very active childhood into adolescence.

I have a nephew, who is five years old. I was a nanny to him for about three years, so we are very close.

I'm excited to utilize my experience to serve Jacksonville and the surrounding counties with Independent Living services and I am looking forward to seeing what the next few years bring here at JACIL. l        Happy to serve at JACIL!

Article 3:

Ask Kasthy

by Kathy Price

Each issue Kathy will answer your questions about anything--from household hints to the price of tea in China. 

Please e-mail your question to her at kathy@jacil.org.

This Month’s Question:   It is always irritating

when I try to remove a price tag and it tears off

one little piece at a time. How I can remove them

without making it an all-day project?

Kathy says: Use a hair dryer to soften the

adhesive and then pull very slowly. That should

help get those tags off in one piece.

Article 4:

September KIP deals with COVID-19 and Your Mental Health

by Lisa Viles

On September 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. JACIL will hold its next KIP Café.  This month's topic will be "COVID-19 and Your Mental Health" presented by Jonathan Ponser - Manager, Child & Family Therapy at Memorial Behavioral Health.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to everyone's life, altered daily routines, created financial worries and social isolation.  You may feel that your life is out of control and that you are powerless to do anything about it.  Join us to learn  about self-care strategies and how to get the care you need to cope.

Anyone coming into the JACIL building will need to wear a mask and practice social distancing.  We will be screening participants when they arrive and will also take your temperature.  It might be a good idea to arrive a few minutes early to go through the process. 

Lunch will be served starting promptly at 11:30 a.m.  It will be served out back behind JACIL under the shade trees.  Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.  Each person will choose the components of their own sack lunch with the assistance of JACIL staff.  Lunch will include a pre-wrapped sandwich, chips, cookies and a drink.  Everyone will need to wash their hands before they eat. 

After eating, we will put on face masks and go inside for the presentation.  Mr. Ponser will then give a short presentation followed by a Question & Answer session. 

The number of people allowed to attend this Kip Café will be limited to no more than 25 people.

An ASL interpreter will be available and anyone wanting printed information handed out during the presentation in an alternate format must request it no later than September 22. 

Interested in attending this KIP?  Call Lisa at (217) 245-8371 no later than September 22.  If I am not available, ask to leave a voice mail message on my office phone.

Article 5:

One Step at a Time

 by Roger Deem

What does one do when he has one foot amputated and finds the other one suddenly in the grave?

The year 2020 has been, for most of us, as Kryptonite is to Superman. It has been hard on everybody in one way or another.

While dealing with a serious infection, I landed in the hospital and then proceeded to suffer near kidney failure. As they were working on me in the operating room to install a pick line for potential dialysis treatments, I had a heart attack and stopped breathing. In those few moments the world was without Roger Deem. I can just hear the parties starting now!

I did not experience bright lights or heavenly music. I was, in what is often been described as my typical state, dead to the world. When I came back I was in another town and in another hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

My kidneys rebounded and I never had to have dialysis. But after a month of laying on my derriere in a hospital bed that was about as comfortable as trying to leap frog a porcupine and missing, I am now on the road to recovery, taking rehab to regain my strength.

The big question is why am I still here? I was given another turn at life and I really feel like there's something else left for me to do. I'm here for a reason. I know that part of that reason is to continue to advance the cause of JACIL  in which I firmly believe and support. As to what else God has waiting for me, who knows?

As Rush Limbaugh says, as long as I have not assumed room temperature, I will do my best to lead a productive, useful and beneficial life. Second chances are everything they are cracked up to be.

Article 6:

Utility Tips

by Scott Allen, Citizens Utility Board

In March, when the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) imposed a moratorium on utility shut-offs and late payment fees, the protections were temporary with the intent to negotiate a longer-term plan for the recovery period.  Over two months, consumer advocates, including CUB, negotiated with investor-owned utilities to introduce new consumer protections that were approved by the ICC in June.

The formal agreement is lengthy, and contains several provisions meant to assist consumers struggling to get on their feet.  Additionally, utilities agreed to continue discussions on how to make service more affordable in the future.

It's important to remember that these protections only affect investor-owned utilities; Ameren, Illinois American Water, Aqua Illinois, etc.  For a detailed look at the protections, CUB has written a fact sheet which is available at the website CitizensUtilityBoard.org. Here's a summary of the protections:

l  Extension of the moratorium on shut-offs and late fee.

l  A bill-payment assistance program for eligible customers.

l  For six months after the moratorium ends, utilities are required to offer more consumer-friendly payment arrangements for people in debt with their utilities.

l  For six months after the moratorium ends, utilities will not report late payments and nonpayment for active customers to credit bureaus and reporting agencies.

If you have questions about these protections, please feel to call CUB at 1(800)-669-5556, or file an inquiry online at CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

September Calendar of Events

Wed   2    Friends Helping Friends Action Club - 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.

Mon   7    Labor Day - JACIL office closed

Mon 14    Voter Registration Drive - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

                ASL interpreter present from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Mon 14    BBS Statewide Party Line for Low Vision

                Groups - 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Wed 16    People First Aktion Club -  3:30 to 5:00 p.m

Wed         23    Personal Assistant Orientation - 9:30 a.m. to noon

                Via Zoom from JACIL Office

                Contact  danielle@jacil.org for a link to attend

Thu  24    KIP Café - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

                Program:  COVID-19 and Your Mental Health

                Presenter:  Jonathan Ponser

                                     Manager, Child & Family Therapy

                                     Memorial Behavioral Health