Disability Action Center NW, Inc.

Events and Announcements
Here’s an outline of some of DAC’s upcoming events and announcements. If you have any questions, would like more information, or to get involved, please feel free to contact the respective office, or send email to events@dacnw.org.

Moscow Office

Since the publication of our last newsletter, Mark Leeper, director of DAC Northwest, Inc., has been engaged in such things as lobbying at the Capitol for disability rights-related legislation. He also has been attending the usual meetings of the various boards of directors he serves on. Additionally this month, Mark has been making re-organization efforts to improve the team-work of the staff of the Moscow and Lewiston DAC offices.
David L. Wegeng, Gina Morris, and our newest Independent Living Advocate, Steve Corr (see his biography on page three) recently joined forces in leading a presentation at Washington State University on the history of the Independent Living Movement. The information presented was well-received, and the three look forward to working together on various other systems advocacy efforts in the near future.
David L. Wegeng, an Independent Living Advocate and Web-Developer, continues to work hard on the DAC website (www.dacnw.org) and the production of our newsletter.
Mellowdee Brooks, Gina Morris, Vanessa Bachman, and Amy Dreps will be attending the annual conference of the Association of Programs for Independent Living (APRIL) in Hawaii. Expect to see an article about the event in the next DAC newsletter.
Leading the DAC Personal Assistant Services (PAS) team, Mollowdee has been working very hard the last few months to assist old and new customers in providing personal assistant services and information. Their efforts in the last two years to help more people live as independently as possible have resulted in more than doubling the DAC-PAS customer-base.
All of us at DAC make an ongoing effort to improve and expand our education in the Independent Living Movement, its history, and the disability-rights field. We strive to be a force in the community, teaching and advocating, and providing IL-based services. Please feel free to share with us any suggestions or questions you have on Independent Living and the services thereof by contacting us by phone or visiting our website, www.dacnw.org.

Coeur d'Alene Office

A collaboration between DAC and CORD (Coalition of Responsible Disabled) from Spokane spent a very hot day celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Mirabeau Park in Spokane Valley on July 26, 2005. The picnic was enjoyed by all 75 people in attendance. Entertainment was provided by A Class Reunion.
Amy Dreps attended the September meeting of the Self-Help-Hard of Hearing Group and met the new Executive Director of the Idaho State Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Wes Maynard.
DAC staff Amy Dreps, Gina Morris, Mellowdee Brooks, and Vanessa Bachman attended the annual conference for APRIL (Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living), held in Hawaii, October 8-10, 2005. It was an international conference including 300 individuals from the United States and many Asian, European, and South American nations! As a board member of APRIL, Amy will continue her position of Member-at-Large through December 2006.

Lewiston Office

The newest addition to our staff, Steve Corr, is in Lewiston on Mondays and Wednesdays. Vanessa Bachman, our fearless bookkeeper and resident sage (and she’s so young too!), is now in the Lewiston office two mornings a week.
Gina is currently working with two members of the Colville Nation to assist their members living on the Nez Perce reservation. This has been challenging and rewarding.
Steve, Melissa, and Vanessa have rearranged the office and made it much more user-friendly. They did a great job and we would like to invite folks to come in and see how nice everything is!