Info on Pre-ETS

Welcome to Independence Associates’ first writing contest with $500 in prizes.  This year’s contest will be an open format which can include nonfiction, fiction, poems, short stories, and even journalism.  The theme for this year is disability.  While the topic is general, we hope submissions represent the uniqueness in each one of us.

Winners

The Independence Associates Board of Directors will act as the judges and choose winners for first, second, and third places.

Prizes

• 1^st place prize of $250
• 2^nd place prize $150
• 3^rd place prize of $100

Rules

• Submissions must be 1500 words or fewer
• May be fictional or nonfiction
• Must be original and written by the submitter
• Must be unpublished
• Deadline to submit is September 7^th 11:49 PM EST
• Winner will be announced September 21
• Participants retain rights to their submissions
• Participants grant us allowance to share submissions on www.iacil.org
• No entry fee and open to all

How to submit

Email submissions to writing2020@iacil.org.

Thank you for exploring the new supports and services offered by Independence Associates’ youth department online! The schools are closed, but IA is open online! We are happy to answer questions!

View the email sent out explaining all youth programs available online!

Check out our youth referral page with live chat support!

Schedule an appointment with youth department manager Ryan!

Jock Talk is back! Join Bryan and Adam as they discuss disability issues, the NFL & wheelchair football, and much more!

Check out the latest episode of Jock Talk as Adam and Bryan are joined by wheelchair basketball player and advocate Megan Anderson and 2 time track and field Paralympic champion Joe LeMar to discuss the current state of adaptive sports and the impact it has had on their lives.

• PCA program changes
• IA’s changes in response to COVID-19

PCA program changes

If you receive PCA services but are struggling to access these services during the COVID-19 outbreak, call the MassOptions hotline at 1-844-422-6277

• MassHealth PCA Program Consumer Information: Update
• Paid Sick Leave Under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (English)
• Paid Sick Leave Under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Spanish)

IA’s changes in response to COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with recommendations from the CDC, Independence Associates is making some changes to protect the well-being of our consumers and staff. As of Monday, March 16^th, the following policy changes are in effect until further notice:

• IA staff are being asked to implement Social Distancing. What this means is effective Monday March 16, 2020 we will not be having any un-scheduled (Walk in) appointments at our office.
• Face to face meetings with staff will only occur with scheduled appointments for which staff will call with you to confirm and ask a few questions that we have been advised by our funders before visiting you or having you come to the office. For some of our programs we will be making minimal in person visits only as necessary.
• Skills training will continue via video chat, telephone, or email until it is deemed safe to return to in-person meetings. We apologize for any inconvenience and will do everything we can to help you as much as possible during this time.
• All in-person social events at IA are canceled until further notice. This includes our monthly Board & Committee meetings, youth and DDS event as well as Dungeons and Dragons, BTV, and other groups facilitated by us. IA may explore virtual options to hold some of these groups remotely, check IACIL.org for announcements.
• IA staff may be working remotely from outside of the office. This will cause a few changes. Please have patience as we implement these and learn together:
• • Staff not in the office will not be able to directly answer phone calls. To reach your skills trainer by phone, leave a voicemail message on their extension as all staff will still have access to their voicemail and can return calls during business hours.
  • Staff may return calls from a number you are not familiar with or an unlisted private phone number so please consider answering your phone from an unlisted number if you are expecting a return phone call from us.
  • All staff have access to email outside of the office so please consider contacting them that way.

The wellbeing of our consumers is our highest priority and Independence Associates will remain open during our regular business hours unless otherwise announced. If you are having difficulty reaching your skills trainer and require additional assistance, please email rmacleod@iacil.org and this will be looked into as quickly as possible. This is a very challenging time for our community and Independence Associates will be there to assist you as much as we possibly can while doing everything we can to protect the health of our consumers and staff.

Thank you very much,
Independence Associates Management