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Wednesday, September 26, 2018 to Saturday, September 29, 2018 ATTENTION: We sincerely apologize for any delays in communications with our agency. Our communications provider is currently experiencing a service interruption in the greater Houston area which is creating intermittent problems with our internet and phone services. We are doing our best to correct this issue and get our phones back online. Our email services seem to be functioning normally so please feel free to email your point of contact with any concerns and a staff member will get back with you as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

S T E A R (State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry) The state of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry program is a free registry that enables local emergency planners and responders to maintain a better understanding of the needs of their community. Anyone who sees themselves being at risk during emergencies or natural disasters should register for STEAR. The information provided to Texas communities can be used in many ways to benefit those in crisis situations. This does not guarantee any specific services during an emergency. Services vary by community and availability. You are encouraged to register if: Disabled Have limited mobility Communication barriers Require additional medical assistance during an emergency event Require transportation assistance Require personal care assistance Information that would be needed upon registry: Name Address Phone Number Primary language Additional information that may be asked: Emergency contact If you have a caregiver Pets Transportation Communication Barriers Disability and functional or medical needs Where to Register? STEAR.dps.texas.gov or call 211 or 877-541-7905 Do not hesitate to register before hurricane season arrives. Registration is not mandatory, but highly encouraged for all. Please be informed that any information provided will be kept completely confidential.

As CDS and Managed Care continue to grow, we experience growing pains. We apologize for any problems that you have experienced as we make changes to address the increased volume of services and the challenges of Star Kids. We listen to all of you and especially to those of you who have been with IHAS for years without many hiccups. We are changing how staff duties are divided up and assigned. This involves changes in where people are located in the office along with their telephones, faxes, and computers. Moving equipment has caused some temporary glitches especially with the telephones. You should have received notice of new telephone and fax numbers. All staff are in training during certain times when you call. Our more experienced staff are attending refresher courses while our new staff are in general training. This is only temporary. We want to ensure that all of our staff are well trained and knowledgeable. Staff members have been re-positioned to better meet the needs of our members, some have been assigned specializations and others have been promoted. We also faced the loss of some staff due to Harvey recovery. Please be patient with us as we are working diligently to remain the IHAS our members know and love. We ask for your continued feedback as to how these changes are impacting you. Gene and Pat Whitten-Legé

Stephen Hawking (1/8/1942 to 3/14/2018) was a truly inspirational person. Wether his theories on the nature of existence are ultimately proven correct he rose early in life to the top of a highly competitive and dificult field. His unwavering effort and optimism are a testament to the ability of any person and have earned him a place in history alongside the most unforgetable figures in the modern era. Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Niels Bohr... Thank You Dr. Hawking for sharing your life with us. "I accept that there are some things that I can't do, but they are mostly things I don't particularly want to do anyway. I seem to manage to do anything that I really want." - Stephen Hawking learn more about Stephen's facinating life here

Due to weather, the office is closed and will open as soon as weather permits tomorrow. For Agency option participants, the Disaster plan was activated Monday evening. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We are nearing the end of the 2017 year and our favorite holiday is getting closer! Here at In Home Attendant Services, we wish you a vibrant holiday season, and a New Year filled with joy, peace, and prosperity. As our clients, we want to make this month convenient for you and with no surprises about our schedule. Here is the December list of days we will be out of the office. Our Office will be closed: Monday December 25, 2017 Christmas Day Monday January 1, 2018 New Years Day At the holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible. It is in the Spirit, we say, simply but sincerely, Thank you.

As the holiday season draws near, we here at In Home Attendant Services wish to say thank you to our loyal clients. Here’s to enjoying the company of good friends and family. We wish you a happy Thanksgiving! Here is the upcoming schedule for Thanksgiving week: IHAS offices will be closed Thursday, November 23rd & Friday, November 24th in observance of Thanksgiving “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” -Anonymous

Governor Greg Abbott Proclaims October Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month Throughout our state’s history, Texans with disabilities have played an outsized role in making Texas the greatest state in our nation to live, work and raise a family. Demonstrating the remarkable qualities of the Texas spirit – courage, independence and ingenuity – Texans have filled some of our highest offices, fought in historic battles and contributed to the art and culture of our state. Each October is designated Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month in Texas. The state’s observance was enacted by the 82nd Texas Legislature with the passage of House Bill 3616. This law encourages public schools and state agencies to celebrate the accomplishments of people with disabilities. The intent is to increase public awareness of the many achievements of people with disabilities, to encourage public understanding of the disability rights movement, and to reaffirm the local, state, and federal commitment to providing equality and inclusion for people with disabilities. In Governor Abbott’s 2017 Proclamation, he encourages all Texans to learn more about the achievements of Texans with disabilities who have contributed so much to our society and about the disability rights movement as it takes its rightful place as part of the story of Texas. There is no better place to learn about the story of Texas and Texans with disabilities role in our state’s rich history than the University of Texas at Arlington. This month the UT Arlington is exhibiting their accessible campuses history collection on the ground floor rotunda of the Capitol Building. According to Dr. Sarah Rose with UT Arlington’s Disability Histories Minor Studies Program, people with disabilities make up about twenty percent of the population of the United States and worldwide: one of the largest minorities. Yet their history—and their fight for full civil rights and equal opportunity—is just beginning to be told. As is often the case, Texans have played a prominent role, especially in the disability rights movement that led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. “Godfather of the ADA” Justin W. Dart, Jr. crisscrossed the country during the 1980s, talking with ordinary Americans with disabilities about the barriers they faced. As executive director of the National Council on Disability, “Architect of the ADA” Lex Frieden guided the drafting of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Bob Kafka of ADAPT of Texas, in turn, organized grassroots protests crucial to raising legislators’ awareness about longstanding, systemic barriers. For those seeking to learn—or teach—more, one could hardly do better than explore the thousands of virtual artifacts and teaching tools available at the online Disability History Museum (http://www.disabilitymuseum.org). Closer to home, University of Texas at Arlington’s new Texas Disability History Collection website http://library.uta.edu/txdisabilityhistory/ showcases Texas’s central role in the disability rights movement, especially adapted sports and access to higher education, among many other topics. Students in UT Arlington’s Disability Studies Minor http://disabilitystudies.uta.edu —the first such program in the South—can also study the history of disability. Established in 2013 and sponsored by UTA’s Department of History, the Minor explores the experiences of people with disabilities, as well as how conceptions and representations of disability have shaped human experience. GCPD’s Executive Director Ron Lucey remarked, “This year we are proud to partner with the University of Texas at Arlington to support additions to their disability history collection through gathering informational interviews with prominent Texans who shaped the disability rights movement of the 20th and 21st centuries. The next chapter in the story of Texas is still being written. Working at the Office of the Governor I’m reminded by historic images in our building and through our current interactions with leaders in the disability rights movement that Texans with disabilities make meaningful contributions that continue to shape the future direction of our great nation.” The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (Committee) provides GovDelivery updates for informational purposes on a variety of disability related issues for a diverse audience. Updates may include information provided by external sources. The inclusion of this external information does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Committee or the Office of the Governor of any information, policy, product, or service offered by an external source.

In the aftermath of hurricane Harvey, we were relieved to find our Houston office was spared. A few of our staff had their homes and cars flooded but thankfully we suffered no casualties. The Houston community has shown strength and resiliency in the midst of such a severe natural disaster. We apologize for not being able to immediately acknowledge all of your calls and voicemails. Your messages of care and concern have lifted our spirits and warmed our hearts. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Our staff was able to communicate and get coordinated as we worked hard both on-site and remotely throughout the worst of hurricane Harvey. As a result, time sheets and payroll were processed on time. Direct deposits have been released for deposit on the normal payday of wednesday. Paper checks were put in the mail last thursday, which is a day earlier than our regularly scheduled release date. Our Houston office resumed full front and back office operations on friday. Some employees volunteered on Labor Day to continue the efficiency of our service to you, and we will be open as usual on tuesday September 4th. Please bear with us as we prioritize all incoming calls. Our receptionists home was damaged in the flood waters and in order to better serve you, temporary assistance will be arriving tomorrow to help staff who have been filling in wherever there is a need. A key player in our office, Marlene, is currently undergoing the tear down and rebuilding of her new home due to the flooding. She received 6 feet of water in her home and in spite of the damage, her and her family are unscathed. She has been in and out of the office and is staying in touch while she handles this challenging situation. At one point, the only way to check on her home was to kayak down her street. They managed to collect what they could for supplies. She is staying with family and trying to figure out how her kids will get to school across town next week. Her oldest daughter starts her first day of college at UH tomorrow. Her car flooded making it a little more difficult but not impossible. Overall, they remain in good spirits. We will post some stories as soon as we catch up on basics.

NRG Park The Abilities Expo has scheduled it's Houston event for Friday, August 4th through Sunday, August 6th. The expo features informative workshops as well as helpful products and services and is admission free. Visit the Houston Chronicle Senior Living section for more information. Click here for more info

Electronic Timesheets are now available for all CDS participants. eTimesheets makes submitting your employee's hours quick and easy. Say goodbye to paper and fax machines and input time data directly into our billing system. Search and view your time sheet history from your computer. Did you remember to send in a timesheet last pay period? Just log on to your eTimesheet account to find out. Simply click on the Resources Tab and select the eTimesheet button to get started. With eTimesheets, being an employer has never been easier!