Transportation Security Administration helpline for travelers with disabilities After numerous, troubling stories from travelers with disabilities experiencing difficulties with airport security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched "TSA Cares". "TSA Cares" is toll-free a phone number designed to provide information about security procedures for people with disabilities. A few days before heading to the airport, travelers with disabilities can call "TSA Cares" at 1-855-787-2227 for information about airport security procedures and any special procedures relating to their specific disability or medical equipment. TSA recommends calling 72 hours ahead of travel so that "TSA Cares" can coordinate with TSA at the airport when necessary. The "TSA Cares" phone line is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm EST, excluding federal holidays. More information on security procedures is available at TSA's website, http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm . Travelers can also contact the TSA Contact Center at 1-866-289-9673 or TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- College Students with Disabilities  I would like to share with you the link to the We Connect Now website. http://weconnectnow.wordpress.com/ The website was created while I was a college student with a grant I received from YP4 to develop a website to serve college students with disabilities. The website was developed in an effort to connect and integrate college students with disabilities as a virtual community with a voice on important issues. The We Connect Now website has been up and serving college students with disabilities since April of 2008.   I wanted to share the We Connect Now website with you so that you may post it as a resource in your website or otherwise share it with students that you serve or have contact with. The website has been used as a resource by institutions of higher learning and has been linked to by colleges and universities and groups serving people with disabilities in 50 states and at least 9 foreign countries.   I thank you for any and all help that you and your office may give me in promoting this project as a service to all college students with disabilities.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How Medicare Works For Consumers  We are pleased to announce the release of “How Medicare Works With Employer-Based Insurance: A Guide for Employers, Professionals and Consumers”, a toolkit of educational materials designed to help older adults and people with disabilities navigate the transition from employer-based health insurance to Medicare. The toolkit is available at www.ageoptions.org. Its release comes at a time when the first baby boomers are aging into Medicare, although many of them are expected to work past the age of 65.   The toolkit aims to clearly explain how Medicare coordinates with different kinds of employer-based health insurance, including current employer coverage, retiree or union coverage and COBRA.  Useful for both consumers and professionals, it contains PowerPoint trainings, frequently asked questions, common scenarios, a glossary of terms and more. The guide will be especially helpful for professionals such as employment benefits counselors, social service agencies, health care providers and human resources staff who serve people who have or are becoming eligible for Medicare.   The Medicare Rights Center and AgeOptions, on behalf of the Make Medicare Work Coalition, partnered on the project in order to pool resources and reach a broader audience than either organization could reach alone. The project is made possible by funding from the Retirement Research Foundation.  Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions. Georgia Georgia Gerdes, HealthCare Choices Specialist AgeOptions1048 Lake Street, Suite 300Oak Park, IL 60301phone (708)383-0258  fax (708)524-0870georgia.gerdes@ageoptions.orgageoptions.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ New Program “Access To Recreation”   Attached below is the program announcement e-mail, please let me know if you have any questions. Access to Recreation:  Wheelchair Recycler (WCR) a 501 c (3) non-profit from Ashland, MA is preparing to implement a new program “Access to Recreation” in 2012.   As part of the program WCR will donate corporate sponsored power wheelchairs to candidates selected from the WCR client service database. Qualifying candidates will be those wheelchair users who live in rural areas, or have active/outdoor life style that requires a power wheelchair that will handle the challenges presented by unpaved roads, rural wooded areas and the beach.  Commencement of “Access to Recreation” involves collaborations, first with existing local and national charitable organizations to help identify candidates to receive a chair and second meeting with corporate sponsors that will provide the funding.  We are using this program as a way to help increase awareness of the WCR mission and presences in new geographic areas. WCR has a mission to improve the quality of life of individuals with mobility impairments through the redistribution of refurbished used power wheelchairs and scooters.  We also have conversion chairs that specifically address the needs of those wheelchair users who desire the outdoor life.  The chairs used as part of the “Access to Recreation” are the conversion chairs that we expanding into (Illinois, Ohio and New Jersey).. This announcement e-mail is being sent to organizations to introduce Wheelchair Recycler and our new program.  We are also looking to identify those organizations that would like to collaborate with us in our efforts to deliver the sponsored chairs.  Please contact Ricardo Tolliver, Wheelchair Recycler’s Executive Director with any questions.Contact Information:Ricardo Tolliverricardot@wheelchairrecycler.org847/327-3173www.wheelchairrecycler.org  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------	NICIL gives a THUMBS UP!! If you see a NICIL Approves sign at a local business,it is in recognition of the efforts of them becoming more accessible for people with disabilities! Do you know of a business that deserves to have a  NICIL Approves sign for working to improve the accessibility of their community? Call NICIL at 815-625-7860 or Email here