STIC FAQs

• Applying for SSI or SSDI?
• Applying for Workers' Comp or NYS Disability?
• Awaiting benefits approval?
• Budgeting or debt problems?
• Can't afford rent?
• Can't afford utilities?
• Denied social services?
• Denied SSI or SSDI?
• Handicapped parking permit?
• Job discrimination? Reasonable accommodations?
• Sign language classes?
• Sign language interpreter training?

1. Where can I take sign language classes?

Sign classes are scheduled pretty regularly at Broome-Tioga BOCES and Broome Community College. Or, stop in and check out the bulletin boards in our Deaf Services area; we update them constantly with notices about sign classes and Deaf culture events in our region.

2. Where do I go for sign-language interpreter training?

There are two high-quality interpreter training programs within reasonable traveling distance of Binghamton:

Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
Contact: Marylin Mitchell
(301) 608-0050

(You can find out about other Interpreter Training Program locations from Marylin also)

Bloomsburg University
400 East 2nd. St.
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
ATTN: Interpreter Training
Contact: Joanne Jackowski
(717) 389-4076 (voice)
(717) 389-3980 (fax)
jjacko@planetx.bloomu.edu

Our region has a severe shortage of qualified interpreters. STIC's Interpreter Services Program is a dispatching service for interpreters working as independent contractors. Interpreting is a very demanding profession; we cannot use people who have just "taken a few sign classes", but we are always looking for well-trained interpreters. We strongly encourage you attend one of these programs if you are interested in interpreting as a career.

If you're already an interpreter and looking for continuing education opportunities, check out the bulletin boards in our Deaf Services area for information on workshops and seminars being held in our region.

3. What do I do if I'm being discriminated against at work due to my disability, or if I need a reasonable accommodation for mydisability at work?

Document, document, document! When you make a request or meet with your supervisor about an issue, always write a memo about it, noting the date and time, what you said, and what your supervisor said. Then have this memo placed in your personnel file and keep a copy for yourself. Do this for every meeting as you work your way up the chain of command. This has two beneficial effects: First, it shows your employers that you are serious and determined, which may be enough to convince them that it would be better if they didn't argue with you. Second, it creates a permanent record that will be important evidence both of what happened and of the fact that you are a responsible person, if you need to file a complaint to an authority outside your workplace.

4. How do I apply for Social Security Disability or SSI?

Call 1-800-772-1213 (the Social Security Administration's nationwide phone number/teleservice center) and make an appointment.

5. How do I apply for NYS Worker's Compensation, or NYS Disability?

Ask your employer for the forms.

6. What do I live on while I'm waiting to get approved for disability benefits?

Apply for Public Assistance at the Department of Social Services.

Pick up an application any weekday, and inquire about the hours for Intake Interviews.

7. What do I do if I am denied SSD or SSI?

Call 1-800-772-1213 and have the appeal forms sent to you. If you get denied again, call and request the next set of appeal forms. Mail them within 60 days of the date stamped on the denial.

8. What do I do if I am denied a service from the Department of Social Services and I think they made a mistake?

Call DSS and request a "Fair Hearing". This is a meeting where someone higher up reviews the issue and makes a new decision.

9. If I am having trouble paying my rent or finding an affordable apartment, is there any help out there?

Call your town hall or city hall and ask if they have a program called "HUD Section 8 Rental Assistance". If so, have the application mailed to you. Also, apply for HEAP, even if utilities are included in your rent (see below).

10. If I am having trouble paying my utility bills, is there any help out there?

Apply for HEAP (the Home Energy Assistance Program) every winter. In November, call the Department of Social Services and have a HEAP application mailed to you. If DSS doesn't handle HEAP in your area, ask them which agency does.

11. If I have a lot of bills and debts and I am having trouble budgeting, is there any help out there?

Call "Consumer Credit Counseling" or Cornell Cooperative Extension and ask for an appointment for a consultation. Thess are free services.

12. How do I get a "Handicapped Parking" placard?

For the little card that hangs from your mirror (called a "hang tag"), contact the municipal clerk in the town, village, or city in which you live.

For a handicapped license plate, call the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles at 1-800-225-5368 and have the application mailed to you, or pick one up at your local Motor Vehicle Bureau.

In either case, you will need to have a doctor sign the form to signify that you have a legitimate disability that qualifies you for handicapped parking.

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