Aloha Memories – Recalling a Conference in Paradise

Linda Gonzales, Executive Director

For months after the 2003 conference in Savannah, Georgia, the APRIL staff weighed the “pro’s and con’s” of having a conference in Hawaii. Could we successfully plan an event from 5000 miles away? How might we justify traveling so far off the mainland? Our answer was to open our invitation to the world of rural independent living. We identified the major obstacles, researched the costs, planned our strategies, gathered our allies (the Hawaii CIL and SILC) and came up with a “bottom line” before the APRIL Board gave its final approval. But looking back now, with all the time spent, challenges and headaches, it was well worth the price we had to pay.

I’ve said it before (and hopefully, I’ll say it again) this was our BIGGEST conference yet. Over 400 people showed up from across the United Sates and from a dozen foreign countries for an event that will forever stay in their minds and hearts. Whether it was the fresh ocean air, perfect blue sky, ominous clouds on mountains, or the Aloha attitude of the islanders -- we were energized even as we relaxed and rested. We were peaceful even in the midst of all the workshops and people.

Or perhaps it was the shining faces of our new international friends among us – all meeting in the middle of the ocean so very far from home, not sharing a common language, but united in a common goal – to free our people. We became fast friends though few words were spoken – knowing that smiles and hugs breed familiarity. Young and old, black, brown, red, yellow and white, men and women -- we were empowered by the energy that was created by our collective gathering in that island paradise.

“Love”, a silly word perhaps to some, but I believe that those who were there felt it. More than just colleagues attending an annual conference, people there with us, were getting engaged, being married, celebrating honeymoons, anniversaries and birthdays. Many brought their spouses, their parents, kids, siblings and friends. And all around us – that Aloha feeling -- not just a “hello” or “good-bye” greeting, “Aloha” is a feeling – a state of mind.

Serious issues dominated the conference agenda: emergency preparedness; disaster relief; global experiences of disability advocates, the teaching of our emerging leaders. Ceremony marked our victories: from the opening chant by a native islander that celebrated our coming together, to the Sunday morning “Tribute to Heroes” that recognized those in our movement who have passed, as well as those yet to come.

How far will this wave of contentment, enthusiasm and inspiration take us: watching in the early hours of morning as surfers bring in the day on the shores of Waikiki Beach; night times listening to the soothing roar of the ocean in the darkness; walking in the dark, on a moonlit pier where waves sprayed upward from the rocks below? As winter settles in across the country, even as the holidays are upon us, that Aloha feeling persists. More than an annual conference, this year’s gathering was a once-in-a-lifetime event that we are proud to have been able to offer to you.

http://www.april-rural.org/

Have you visited our website lately? It’s not an extreme makeover, but it is definitely a face-lift, with the features to continue to expand and add new areas. Visit us online and tell us what you think – we are always open to suggestions on how to improve our website.

PENCIL IN THE DATES FOR THE APRIL CONFERENCE TODAY!!!

The 2006 Twelfth Annual National Conference on Rural Independent Living will be held in San Antonio, TX October 7th – 9th with pre conference(s) TBD on October 6th, 2006. The room rate for the APRIL conference is $135.00 per night and will be good 3 days pre / post conference dates. More details to come later.

If some of you are wondering about what happened to Missoula, MT -- it will now be the site for our 2007 Conference providing construction is completed on the new Hilton Garden Inn / Missoula Convention Center. As many of you may know, Missoula, MT was voted in as the site for our 2006 conference but construction delays prevented us from holding the conference there, so we moved on to your second choice – San Antonio.

APRIL, in cooperation with Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and Project ACTION will be holding a National Summit on Accessible Rural Transportation. The summit will be held on Monday and Tuesday, June 5th and 6th as a pre-conference before the CTAA EXPO. The Summit will be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida.
The pre conference will explore new mobility options and resources that CILs can use as a result of the New Freedom Program. New tools and advocacy options for rural CILs will be presented and APRIL will unveil our “Replication Kit” for voucher programs.

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Interview with Michael Beers

APRIL continues it’s commitment to bringing youth into the rural independent living movement in a significant way. At the October Annual Membership Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, members voted onto the APRIL Board of Directors our first youth leader – Michael Beers.

Well known within the disability community for his comedic routines Mike says he’s taken the past semester off from his degree work in Communications at the University of Montana to pursue several opportunities to hone his talents on the stage.

Mike feels “incredibly honored and very excited” about his new position on the board and is looking forward to his own “increased sense of community and to working with and learning from some great people.” He says APRIL has given youth a unique opportunity to be on equal footing with the rest of the Board. “It’s no longer the ‘kid’s table’ but a real chance for the voice of youth to be heard. It’s a step up from the usual Youth Advisory Council – APRIL asked us how we would like to be a part of the organization” and then did something about it”.

Currently working with the Peer Program at Summit CIL in Missoula, Montana, Mike got his start just out of high school four years ago when he was chosen as a member of the President’s Taskforce on Employment for the Adults with Disabilities Youth Advisory Council. Summit heard about him and Jude Monson called to ask if he’d come work with the CIL. He now does presentations and team teaches a high school class called Building Advocacy and Learning Leadership Skills (BALLS) to boys with disabilities. Hoping to expand the program to middle schools, Mike says, “by the time these guys get to high school, they’ll be running their own IEP meetings.”

Mike says one of his best, earliest experiences was going to the “Nothing About Youth, Without Youth” conference where he was one of only two youth present…”Yeah, interesting, huh? Anyway,” he says, “I hope no big decisions were made based on what two country boys from Montana said, because we were really forced to open up and talk about all kinds of things I’m not sure we knew anything about.” He credits Jude and his director, June Hermanson for making him move “out of my comfort zone” and begin to speak up. “I was pretty ignorant back then, but I began to learn all about a history and culture that I had no idea I was a part of.”

When asked what he would like to work on in the future, Michael said, “Aside from making sure the youth voice is heard, I’d like to work more on youth transition, especially to employment. I believe educating kids with disabilities about the history or their culture is increasingly important as it pertains to disability awareness within the greater community. It’s important that we not only educate youth, but instill them with the responsibility of taking that information on to younger generations as well.”

The APRIL Board of Directors enthusiastically welcomes Michael to their ranks!

2005 Earl Walden Award Winner

Interview with Kathy Hoell

Executive Director of Nebraska SILC

As soon as she was honored 2005 recipient of the Earl Walden Award for Outstanding Rural Advocacy, Kathy Hoell immediately donated $500 to APRIL’s Katrina Fund, saying “It just seemed like the right thing to do. When Katrina happened soon after I was notified I’d received the award, donating part of it to APRIL’s efforts felt like the next logical step.”

Kathy started in the mid-1980s as a self-advocate, working diligently to get the kinds of services she needed personally, when she realized, “if I have to fight this hard from my own stuff, how can folks get what they need who can’t fight?” This led to a move to Omaha, Nebraska where she immediately went to City Hall to find out where local services might be located. She was told, “No people with disabilities live here.” To which she answered, “Well, they do now!” And that was the beginning of an on-going personal mission to fight for the rights of people with disabilities.

Kathy was involved in opening the first CIL in Bellevue, a branch of the League of Human Dignity in Omaha and in 1995, became a SILC member, going on to become Chair in 2000. Once the SILC acquired its 501©3 standing in 2002, Kathy became the first Executive Director and still holds that position.

She is most proud of recent technical assistance the SILC has been able to provide to the Nebraska CILS in the form of DVDs and players, videos, and books. Working with the Nebraska Consortium for People with Disabilities, Kathy has also helped to get crucial Medicaid Buy-In legislation introduced in the state and is hoping it will pass in the coming year.

Kathy feels the greatest challenge for people in rural independent living is “letting people know we exist. Folks think they’re out there all alone and we need to somehow get to them so they don’t feel so isolated.” She says “the disability community needs to develop power and the only way to do that is through the political system.” Kathy paraphrased Justin Dart’s words, saying “we have to vote as if our lives depend on it, because you know what, they probably do.” Congratulations to Kathy from all of us at APRIL!!

Good-bye / Hello

Many thanks for all your good work and many years on the APRIL Board and best wishes for the future to:

Garry Owens
Red Rock CIL
St. George, Utah

Warm welcome from the Board and looking forward to working with you to our newly elected members:

Kirt Toombs
Eastern Oregon CIL
Ontario, Oregon

Tiffany Johnston
Walton Options for Independence
Augusta, Georgia

Michael Beers
Summit ILP
Missoula, Montana