In this Issue...

Services Page 2
Picnic Page 3
Service Area.. Pages 4, 5
On the Web Pages 6, 7
Board, Staff . Page 8

VOL I No 1

Options: Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living

SUMMER 2015

What is Options Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living (IRCIL)?

Mission and Vision
Options is an advocacy organization promoting individual
independence of people experiencing the effects of aging and people with any type of disability.
We are a non-profit organization committed to assisting individuals with disabilities to live independently in
the communities of their choice and to eliminate attitudinal, architectural and communication barriers
from the environment. Options sees a world where individuals with disabilities: enjoy the same human
and civil rights as citizens without disabilities; live, attend school, work and play in an integrated
accessible community; are respected citizens and community leaders; face no attitudinal, architectural or
communication barriers.

Service area in Minnesota and North Dakota

The main office of Options is in East Grand Forks, MN. This office serves all counties in the service area
and is open between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Each branch office is
staffed by one person and is not always open during the day due to staff traveling to people receiving
direct service. Feel free to call the main office if you are seeking information about resources or
equipment.

Call the main office for immediate assistance.

V/TTY 218.773.6100 or toll free 800.726.3692

Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
East Grand Forks, MN
Permit No. 30

Options Services
Information and Referral

Community Education and Outreach

Are you overwhelmed by a new life

altering event such as a medical
condition or accident? Do you want to
know what resources are available in
your community? Options has been a
disability related information and
referral resource in this region for over
20 years. No need for you to start from
scratch when staff from Options have
been there, done that. Call
218.773.7119 or toll free 800.726.3692
to find answers.

This newsletter is one of several ways Options provides

information to the region about services and resources. Other
outreach activities include presentations to groups including
disability awareness.

Community Education and Outreach

Community Education: Options benefits from staff and
volunteers who have experience in facing barriers to
independent living. They share their experience and
knowledge with people and programs needing the
information. Topics include self-advocacy, housing and civil
rights.

Peer Visiting
Persons with disabilities, who have
been there, develop supportive
relationships with other people who
have disabilities. Options assists
support groups with information and
technical assistance to foster peer
relationships.

Individual and Systems Advocacy

Connect with friends! Opportunities to

gather with those with similar
experiences:
Cavalier Recreation Group
Grand Forks Peace of Mind Group
Crookston ADAPT Group
Thief River Falls Group

Direct Service

Equipment Loaner Closet

Transition ServicesYouth

Options has durable medical

equipment for loan to people who need
the equipment right away and/or have
limited financial resources. The
equipment includes wheelchairs,
walkers, power wheelchairs, canes,
reachers, transfer benches, raised
toilet seats and more. The person
receiving the equipment is responsible
for working with their medical provider
to ensure the equipment is used
correctly. Any individual checking out
equipment is required to read,
understand and sign a release of
liability waiver form.

There are times when advocacy is needed to make a system

more inclusive to people with disabilities. This could mean
advocating for a change in policy or removal of an
architectural barrier such as a step. Options will help you
advocate for your rights.

Direct Service is provided one-to-one to individuals with

disabilities who have a goal of becoming more independent.
Training in life skills is available on topics such as budgeting
and organizing your day to be successful at work. Other
activities include helping individuals with paperwork to access
community resources.

Options supports and empowers youth in making a

successful transition into adulthood, whether that be
attending post-secondary school, entering the workforce or
anything else.

Transition Services
From Institutional Settings
Options assists individuals transitioning from institutional
settings in order to access the community of their choice with
the necessary services to live independently.

Individual Choice and Individual

Control
Individuals with disabilities have the same rights as all other
citizens. This is the basic philosophy of independent living civil
rights movement.
It is essential for individuals with disabilities to enjoy equal
access to the cultural, vocational, residential and leisure
opportunities open to any other citizen in the community. All
individuals have a right to such integrated experiences.
Individuals with disabilities are entitled to choose daily living
options like everyone else. We all have the right to privacy, a
home, work, school, leisure activities, social interaction, sexual
relationships and to choose where that will be in the community.
Just as individuals with disabilities have the right to full access
to the community, they have the responsibility to follow through
with their commitments in good faith and respect the rights of
others. Everyone is accountable for their own actions.

Building
Accessibility
Standards
There are government
regulations for construction and
structure remodeling to ensure
access to people with
disabilities. Options provides
technical assistance to federal,
state, and local governmental
entities, private businesses, and
outdoors facilities. Individual
homeowners can receive
planning assistance to improve
home access for family members
with limited mobility. This
includes onsite evaluations and
home renovation
recommendations for bathrooms
and ramps.

Devils Lake, ND - Heidi Gustafson

223 4th Ave NE Suite D
701-662-6004 phone/fax

Cavalier, ND - Revel Sapa

114 Main St.
701-265-4618 phone/fax

heidi@myoptions.info

revel@myoptions.info

East Grand Fo
318 3rd St NW
218-773-6100
options@myo

Options Service

Harvey, ND - Heather Everson

900 Lincoln Ave Suite 5
701-662-6004 phone/fax
heather@myoptions.info

Crookston, MN - Gordie Haug

123 S Main Suite A
218-281-5722 phone/fax
gordie@myoptions.info

Thi
213
218
rox

orks, MN - Main Office

W
0 phone, 218-773-7119 Fax
options.info

Roseau, MN - Kari Miller

216 Center St W Suite 003
218-463-1166 phone, 218-463-1176 fax
kari@myoptions.info

e Area

ief River Falls, MN - Roxanne Iverson

3 N LaBree Ave Ste 202
8-681-1403 phone/fax
xanne@myoptions.info

Paula Oas
Advocate/Trainer

Corey Birkholz
ADA Specialist

Kate Sapp
MFP Coordinator

Mike Peterson
Information and
Referral
Dave Espinoza
Equipment
Specialist
Tami S. Staven
Independent Living
Specialist
Shelly Bondy
Independent Living
Specialist
Clearbrook, MN - Jessie Smith
218-773-6100 phone
jessie@myoptions.info

Options on the Web

MyOptions.info
Is Options: IRCILs main website and is full of tangible, practical information you can use. The website
has many features, including a Swap Shop, which provides a listing of people selling and seeking
various equipment, such as bath benches, crutches, wheelchairs and more. If you are curious about what
equipment might be available, do not be afraid to contact us at (218) 773-6100 or
(800) 726-3692 toll-free. You can also email Mike, mike@myoptions.info
With our resource page, we attempt to answer the biggest and most common questions people might
have pertaining to living fully independent lives. Some topic include, but are not limited to: housing,
transitioning, companion/service animals, civil rights, renters rebate, veterans, home ownership,
accessibility, and more.
We also provide links to various organizations that may be to help you achieve your goals in your
community.

Options on Social Media

We also have a page on Facebook at facebook.com/OptionsRCIL.. Like our page!

OptionsOutdoors.org
is a site dedicated to helping people with disabilities to access accessible outdoor elements including
locations for Nature Watching, Hiking, Deer Hunting, Waterfowl Hunting, and Fishing. Each of the sites
listed were reviewed with accessibility and use in mind in order to give the individual reader an idea on
whether it will be usable based on their disability.
Options has done a great deal of work with public and private organizations that have created outdoor
elements specifically for people with disabilities or where they wanted to insure their public sites were
accessible. Through the course of this work it has been our observations that few accessible elements
were being used which we thought was due to the publics lack of knowledge of what is
available. Additionally, we observed that people with disabilities have encountered elements they have
presumed are accessible, but when they get there find they cant use it because of layout. For these
reasons, we decided to develop a web site to inform people with disabilities about the types of elements
that are available with descriptions of the sites layout and its features.
Our observations are intended to help a person plan ahead, to figure out what they need to accommodate
based on the particulars of the element compared to each persons individual disability, each person will
have a better idea on whether they need a mobility devise, to bring a chair, or an assistant etc. in order to
enjoy the outing.
If you have a favorite place you love to go and would be willing to share it we would invite you to sign in
and enter the information. This site is designed so anyone anywhere can enter accessible elements.
After logging in you can open up a data entry form with instructions on what to include, this will be
reviewed by our staff. After acceptance we will contact you for up to five pictures that give readers an idea
of the layout and the accessible features and we will then post it on the site. For persons that have a
willingness to do more and a demonstrated competency we have higher levels of administrative
permissions available in order for them to act as regional liaisons. If you belong to any clubs,
organizations, or know other people with disabilities who may be interested in the information found on
the site, please forward them a link and extend our invitation to them too add their favorite elements.
Our thanks go out to the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Aries 350 located in East Grand Forks,
Minnesota, the substantial underwriter of this site. We hope you will help get the word out about the site,
and please add any elements you know about to expand use of the site. Thank you so much for visiting
us, if you have any recommendations to improve the site, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Options Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living is an

independent, community based, consumer oriented, non-profit organization.
It assists individuals with disabilities to reach and maintain the highest level
of independence to which each aspires through programs of information and
referral, direct service, community education, outreach and advocacy.
Options IRCIL believes every person , whether possessing a disability or not,
has the right to make decisions about his or her life. At Options, a person has
the freedom to choose which aspects of the program she or he wishes to be
involved in and which information or services to utilize. The Center provides
the options, and the consumer has
Options Board of Directors
the right to make decisions and take
John Hanson, President
responsibility for his or her own
Michael S Frisch, Vice President
actions. Options IRCIL believes all
Sandy Parent, Treasurer
people should be able to take risks,
Wendy Nelson, Secretary
design their own destinies, be allowed
Terri Cuppett, Member at Large
to succeed or fail, but most of all, have
Janna Peterson
the right to choose.
Lynn Pankratzbn
Danielle Tate
Carol Torgerson
Alan R Lindemann
Dave Bennett

318 3rd St NW
East Grand Forks, MN 56721
(218) 773-6100 V/TTY
(800) 726-3692
(218) 773-7119 Fax
Options@MyOptions.info Email
If you would like to receive Options notices and publications by email, please go to
www.myoptions.info and submit your request under the CONTACT tab.
If accommodations are necessary to read this newsletter, such as audio format, braille,
please contact us at (218) 773-6100 or toll-free (800) 726-3692 or email us at
mike@myoptions.info
The production of this brochure is funded at 41.71% under a grant from the Department of
Education. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of
Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.