Staff Orientation and Resources

• Resources
• Orientation

Staff Orientation

Welcome to EOCIL! As an employee — or general advocate — you will find the following links and materials invaluable.

General Orientation to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Independent Living

• Basics of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a project of DBTAC, the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center
• Acronyms
  Oregon DHS: www.dhs.state.or.us/tools/acronyms_01.html
  ADA National Network: www.adacourse.org/glossary.php
• The ADA National Network training modules (by DBTAC), featuring information and guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Orientation to the history and philosophy of the independent living (IL) movement, presented by ILRU. Note that in addition to presenting accessible versions of all presentations, most are also available in Spanish as well as Engish.
• Disability rights course, a free online overview of disability rights laws produced by the New England ADA Center

EOCIL Policies

• Code of Ethics
• Conflict of Interest
• Suicide Prevention
• Whistle-Blower

Training and Legal

• EOCIL staff are required to report any suspected abuse: www.oregon.gov/DHS/abuse/mandatory_report.shtml
• Learn the warning signs of possible abuse and how to report it. Access additional related resources: www.oregon.gov/DHS/spwpd/abuse/index.shtml
• Oregon.gov — Technical Assistance for Employers, training seminars for Oregon employers, supervisors, managers, and human resource professionals:
  http://oregon.gov/BOLI/TA/T_SEM_Taseminar.shtml

Resources

See the complete Resources section of this Web site for a wealth of information and links to local, regional and national agencies and organizations. The following are more targeted to IL staff:

• The Brain Injury Handbook: A Resource Guide for Employers
• The Brain Injury Handbook: An Introductory Guide to Understanding Brain Injury for Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals
• Web Sites and Resources —extensive list ranging from organizations and Web links to mobile phone apps distributed at the 2011 Oregon Disability Megaconference
• From the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — Emergency sheltering guidelines to help state planners and nonprofit organizations ensure people with access and functional needs receive lawful and equitable assistance after disasters
• 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
• On December 10, 2010, Oregon homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages due to unemployment or a significant loss in income can turn to a new online resource. Under the Oregon Homeownership Stabilization Initiative’s Mortgage Payment Assistance (MPA) program, the state will pay the mortgages of selected applicants for as long as a year, up to a $20,000 maximum. Learn more about this program:
  www.oregonhomeownerhelp.org
• Oregon Home Care Commission (on Facebook):
  www.facebook.com/pages/Oregon-Home-Care-Commission/178480408855973
• The Oregon Tax Code provides an additional tax exemption for parents of children with disabilities in Oregon. The procedure for claiming an exemption for the 2010 tax year is explained in the Oregon Individual Income Tax Return and Instruction booklets. Read a description and summary.
• Tax preparation assistance and resolution
  • The IRS has two programs, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), that provide free tax preparation assistance for qualified individuals
  • Locate help with AARP's Tax Aide service
  • If you have a tax-related problem and have not been able to contact anyone directly at the IRS to work with you toward resolution, contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). TAS is an independent organization within the IRS