SERVICES FOR THE DISABLED Last updated: 2/28/08 CAPITAL
AREA CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 -5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Services: Provides independent living information and links people with disabilities of all ages with available services which can meet their needs. Provides peer and family consultation, provides personal advocacy and undertakes systems advocacy for needed community change - especially the development of needed services and resources. Also provides skill building and other needed services which are not available in the community. Certifies riders for paratransit (Spec-Tran) services. Eligibility: All handicapped persons in Ingham, Clinton, Eaton & Shiawassee counties. Cost: Services are free to all persons. Donations are accepted and appreciated. CAPITAL AREA DISTRICT LIBRARY Outreach Services 401 S Capitol Ave Lansing, MI Ph: (517) 367-6308 www.cadl.org Services: Outreach services provided to people with special needs who do not have convenient access to a library. Bookmobile; book nooks; books by mail; and reminiscing presentations offered. Bookmobile stops at over 40 sites for residents of senior housing, community centers. CDs and DVDs may be checked out by anyone with a valid library card. Ramp-accessible. Check schedule on website or visit any library location. Book nooks- these book collections are located in senior citizen residences, community centers and the Ingham County jail. Primarily large print books available whcih are refreshed periodically. Books by Mail allows patrons to borrow materials by mail. Books, audiobooks, CDs, videotapes and DVDs are loaned with no charge for mailing. Reminiscing Presentations are presented live using music, props, pictures and activities to encourage the exchange of stories and memories among seniors. Over 20 topics are available. Call for more information. CHOICE MAGAZINE LISTENING PROGRAM Lucerna Fund Ph: 1-888-724-6423 www.choicemagazinelistening.org Services: 8 hours of articles, short stories, poetry and interviews selected from current publications like National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, etc. Cassete tapes go out every other month. Requires a four track player which eligible listeners can get free from the Library of Congress.
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FOR THE BLIND Fax: (517) 335-5140 Website: www.michigan.gov/mcb Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Services: Offers vocational rehabilitation and independent living skills for legally blind adults to achieve employability or to function independently in society. Two other programs: Youth Low Vision and the Deaf-Blind, offer specialized services. Call for more information. Eligibility: Legally blind individuals or those meeting criteria to receive services. Cost: None. ENRICHMENT
AUDIO RESOURCE SERVICES (EARS) Website: www.earsforeyes.org infor@earsforeyes.org Services: Instructional audio tapes to help seniors with low vision manage everyday activities. No designation of legal blindness required. A vision counselor will determine which tapes are appropriate. Designed for use in the privacy of your home. Ten tapes are available including, Basic Kitchen Skills, Eating without Embarrassment, Indoor Mobility, Managing Medications, Personal Grooming, Using a Sighted Guide, etc. Eligibility: Seniors with low vision. Cost: None. HANDICAP
CERTIFICATE OF IDENTIFICATION Services: Offers special parking permits and license plates for handicapped persons to put on their car in order to park in reserved areas for the handicapped. Applications can be picked up and returned when completed to your nearest Secretary of State branch office. Eligibility: Must have a doctor's authorization or a handicap permit. Cost: No fee for permit. License plates are regular registration fee. Parking permits may be transferred to different vehicles, it is not permanently attached to windshields. A person may be temporarily or permanently handicapped to obtain a permit and does not have to own a car. License plates are authorized to permanently disabled persons. To obtain a license plate the handicapped person does not have to own the vehicle, but must be living at the same address as the vehicle owner. HEAR NOW PROGRAM A Division of Starkey Hearing Foundation 6700 Washington Avenue South Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Ph: (800) 648-4327 Website: www.sotheworldmayhear.org Services: National program providing assistance to acquire free hearing aids through an application process. Works with licensed practitioners, in the applicant's area, willing to give of their time and talent to assist clients with the fitting and follow up process. Eligibility: Call for information regarding income guidelines. Must be a permanent resident living in the US, meet financial criteria, complete the application process and be approved for hearing hearing aids. Verification of financial situation and proof of a need are part of the application process. Cost: Applicant is responsible for the cost of the hearing evaluation and a nominal processing fee to the program. Newsline National Federation of the Blind (NFBP 1800 Johnson St. Baltimore MD 21230 Ph: 1-888-882-1629 Fax: (410) 685-5653 Website: www.nfb.org Services: Newspapers across the nation available for those visually impaired through a touch-tone telephone. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Eligibility: Visually impaired. After application a personal ID & securtiy code given to access. Cost: Free SERVICES
FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED (SBPH) Fax: (800) 726-7323 Website: www.michigan.gov/sbph Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tues., Weds., & Friday;1:00-5:00 Monday & Thursday. Services: As a member of the National Library Service the Library of Michigan SBPH provides recreational reading materials in Braille and in recorded format for persons unable to read printed materials because of visual or physical handicaps. Cassette tape and record players are furnished to play the recorded materials. All services including mailing of materials to and from readers, are free of charge. Eligibility: Service is available statewide through a network of regional and sub-regional libraries. Call or write for application/certification of eligibility. Cost: None. WKAR
RADIO TALKING BOOK Hours: The Radio Talking Book broadcasts 24 hours a day. Services: Radio Talking Book is a news and information resource for persons who have difficulty using print. Broadcast on a sub-channel of WKAR-FM, listeners utilize a pre-tuned radio receiver loaned free of charge to pick-up programs. More than 240 community volunteers provide verbatim selections from thirteen daily newspapers, current periodicals and other information. Listeners hear grocery and department store advertisements, television schedules, movie reviews, and cultural and social calendars. To apply for a pre-tuned radio receiver, one must be unable to use printed material due to a physical or visual condition, e.g. blindness, post-stoke paralysis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, newsprint allergy, dyslexia. etc. Although there is no charge for the service, radio receivers remain the property of Michigan State University and must be returned when no longer needed. Program guides in large print or Braille or cassette tape are mailed to listeners monthly. Eligibility: Must reside in broadcast area, roughly a sixty mile radius. Cost: A voluntary, fully refundable $25 (twenty-five) dollar deposit is requested. Deposit will be waived should it present a financial hardship; no individual will be denied service due to financial status.
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