When Sabrina Tumlin-Ward was 17, she was the victim of a shooting. The bullets hit both of her knees, and though she recovered from the assault, the strain of working on her feet as a server in a restaurant continued to damage her body over time. By the age of 50, the injury was so severe that her doctor told her she should not continue her work.
“When your knee is messed up, your body overcompensates for it. It messes up your back, your hips,” said Tumlin-Ward.
In 2013, she moved from New York to Indiana to be closer to her fiance. While she was thankful for his support, aspects of the transition proved challenging.
“When I first came here, I was on a cane and barely mobile. Coming here, I was lost,” said Tumlin-Ward. “I had to start from scratch with finding doctors and programs I can work with as a disabled person. (AccessABILITY) helped me get a computer, and I found out about a home nursing aid. They got me in contact with the health care that I needed and different agencies that could help me.”
AccessABILITY is a disability rights organization that believes those individuals should maintain control over the decisions that affect their lives. The organization provides skills training, mentorship, assistive technology services and advocacy with the goal of equipping individuals with the tools to accomplish their own objectives. All of AccessABILITY’s services are free to the public, and individuals seeking help only need to call their office. The staff of the organization view their work as more of a calling than a job. In fact, many of the employees and members of the governing board have disabilities themselves.
Glenda Mark has worked for AccessABILITY as an advocate for about a year and a half. She currently assists Tumlin-Ward and 32 other individuals, helping them find housing, jobs, transportation and even get their marriage licenses.
“It’s whatever they want their goals to be, that’s what we work on. If there is something that we think they should be doing and they don’t agree, we don’t do it,” said Mark. “We work to keep them in their own community, in their own home, we keep them out of nursing facilities and institutions. We connect with lots of different organizations that will assist along with us.”
Derick Brady, director of community engagement for AccessABILITY, says a large percentage of people who contact them do so because of issues with housing.
“Trying to find people safe and affordable housing, especially accessible ones, that’s our push right now. We are having a major issue finding housing, but we are submitting for a couple of grants and we want to use (a room in our office) to host housing searches on laptops, and we will staff it with different advocates to work with them,” said Brady.
Due to cuts in funding, the number of individuals AccessABILITY is able to serve has been reduced. Brady says there are more than 200,000 people in Marion and surrounding counties who identify as having a disability. According to the 2014 American Community Survey, 14 percent of people in Indiana have a disability. The organization currently has seven advocates each helping 40 to 60 consumers a year.
Tumlin-Ward said her advocate has helped her deal with issues with her landlord when he refused to make a much-needed repair for months. Most importantly, her advocate was willing to listen to what she needed when no one else would.
“They ask you, ‘What are your goals, what will it take for you to be happy and self sufficient?’ You tell them your dreams, and they help facilitate it,” said Tumlin-Ward. “I came here in 2013. Before them, I was on a walker; I was in the bed all the time in constant pain. I now go places, I am the secretary of my church; I have a life. When you are in a position that causes you pain, you will have psychological problems with it. When you give them your dream list, it pulls your depression down and brings up your self worth. The person I was in 2013, I don’t know who that woman was, and I will never see her again.”
To learn more about AccessABILITY, visit abilityindiana.org or call (317) 926-1660.
Derick Brady, director of community engagement for AccessABILITY, presents technology that can help individuals with disabilities complete tasks in the kitchen. (Photo/Keshia McEntire)
“> Derick Brady, director of community engagement for AccessABILITY, presents technology that can help individuals with disabilities complete tasks in the kitchen. (Photo/Keshia McEntire)
Glenda Mark has worked for AccessABILITY as an advocate for about a year and a half.
“> Glenda Mark has worked for AccessABILITY as an advocate for about a year and a half.
