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Kevin Maynus - Community Resource Advocate, Beckley Office

My name is Kevin Maynus and I wear many hats at MTSTCIL. I am the point person, Community Resource Advocate, Transition Specialist, and WVATS liaison for the Beckley office as well as the lead advocate for all MTSTCIL offices.

As the Beckley point person, it is my job to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Beckley office and to provide support and supervision to the Beckley staff. I am also the liaison between the President/CEO and the Program Team Leader.

As a community resource advocate and lead advocate, I can help you if you have been discriminated against in the following areas: employment, program access, public access, housing or education due to your disability then, I can relate with you! I too have a disability and I've been discriminated against as well. I have an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and I'm legally blind. I've had this condition since birth and I've been discriminated against in just about every way known to man. This is why I believe it's our responsibility to learn and know our civil rights and what we can do to ensure our rights are protected.

Advocacy is the core of our organization. Because of that, our primary goal is to ensure people with disabilities can become self-advocates while learning to make informed choices. I am able to provide technical assistance concerning the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair housing Act (FHA), WV Human Rights Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), WV Policy 24/19, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and most other disability laws and regulations.

When you call our office I will ask you several questions in order to determine which disability law may best cover your particular situation, and to provide you with the most accurate information. My first step would be to write a letter to the agency or public entity that you feel has discriminated against you.

Once the letter has been written and they refuse to comply with the law, I will assist you with completing discrimination forms, which we will send to the appropriate local, state or Federal agencies so they will start investigating your complaint.

I can also provide businesses, educators, parents, students and the general public with training and resources on all the above mentioned laws and work with them to ensure that businesses, schools, housing facilities, and all other places comply with the law, including doing accessibility surveys for businesses, agencies and housing complexes to ensure they are accessible for people with disabilities.

I monitor and attend the WV Legislature on an on-going basis to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are protected. I also work with the Legislature on new and existing legislation in order to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

I am also the liaison for the Beckley area WVATS (West Virginia Assisted Technology) Program that covers Raleigh County. If you need information on assistive devices or equipment, I may be able to assist you through our loan closet or computer database. We may have items you can try for a period of time to see if it meets your needs. The items range from utensils for eating, magnifiers to help you read, canes, alarm clocks and much, much more.

As the transition specialist for the Beckley office, I provide assistance to individuals with disabilities who want to transition from an institutional setting to the community. If you are in a nursing home or at risk of going in to a nursing home and you want to maintain your independence and remain in your own home and community then I can assist you. I will work with you to ensure that you locate and obtain accessible and affordable housing, attendant services, in-home health care services, TANF, SSI, SSDI, etc. I will also work with you to assist you with locating furniture and other house hold items to help you get started in your home or apartment.

You can reach me in the Beckley office at 304-255-0122 from 8:00 am to 4:15 pm Monday through Friday, or send me an email (kmaynus@mtstcil.org).