Michael Sheriff

We also celebrate communion around the table in the front of the sanctuary. I was aware of at least one individual at church who was on a restricted diet. So, at the begining of the year I started searching local markets looking for gluetin free options to offer during communion and also for daily dietary meals during the week. I ended up at a local Whole Foods store where I purchased a bag of frozen dinner rolls, small dish of frozen brownies, pasta and sauce. I brought the groceries to their home for them to enjoy as a family dinner. Even eating a dinner at resteraunts can become a dificult task when you are seeking gluetin free options. The feedback I received was positive for all of the products and said the products also didn't contain the soy, nut or other allergy ingredients. We now offer the gluetin free dinner rolls along with a loaf of bread during communion. The best part is there are about 10 rolls to a bag. This way you can serve the amount you feel is needed beacause they are frozen. Just defrost and serve as a small loaf or slice into pieces. Although I agree it would be nice to have one loaf for communion, I have not been able to locate a similar product in the form of a loaf which was not presliced into sandwhich bread. I am including the link here for Whole Foods Special Diets web page as a reference for home or church. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/special-diets It provides useful information worth passing along. Unfortunately I do not remember the brand name of the dinner rolls, but I will find out for you if your interested.

Mark,

      I believe the reply I recieved from Senator Menendez of New Jersey supports your position and demonstrates again why we need to get UNCRPD passed. Thanks for your advocacy and concern for "all persons."

Dear Mr. Sheriff:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).  Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you on this important issue.

 As you know, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international Treaty that seeks to ensure that countries around the globe provide people with disabilities the same rights as everyone else in order to live full, satisfying, and productive lives.  The United States is already a world leader in this regard - having passed important legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 - and would not be required to pass any new legislation to meet its obligations under the Treaty.  Furthermore, the Convention would not impose any new costs on the United States.

 U.S. ratification of the UNCRPD would improve access for Americans with disabilities that live, work, or travel abroad, including disabled students and wounded veterans, and would help guarantee that these Americans receive the same rights abroad that they do at home.  Ratification would also promote the United States' continued global leadership on disability rights and enhance our ability to participate in substantive policy discussions in international fora to affect the elimination of disability discrimination worldwide.

 The United Nations Convention on Persons with Disabilities entered into force in December 2006 and the United States signed the treaty in 2009.  On May 17, 2012, the Obama Administration transmitted the treaty package for Senate consideration following a three year inter-agency review.  I proudly voted in favor of ratifying the Convention on December 4, 2012; however, the Senate was unable to garner the necessary two-thirds majority required for advice and consent to ratification of the treaty.  Rest assured that I will continue to advocate for disability rights and for U.S. ratification of the Disabilities Treaty.

I appreciate you taking the time to express your opinion on this important issue, and please be assured that I will keep your views in mind.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of more assistance.  I invite you to visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov) to learn more about how I am standing up for New Jersey families in the United States Senate.  

 

I think we are obsessed with stamps, labels, boxes and categories. Mainly because of living in a systematic society and an overindulgence to become more intelligent. I believe everyone would benefit by "being human" first to every human being God has created and then worried about the categories. Maybe then we could realize how little classifications help us.

     One reason I appreciate each of you sharing your experiences with hearing loss and the impact it has on your life is because of our youth. I see teenagers either walking with headphones, ear buds or the radio blasting as they are driving in their cars. Each device playing music at excessive volumes. They are constantly bombarded with marketing that ignores how this will affect their hearing except for maybe some fine print in the instructions. But who reads instructions on how to wear headphones?

     Maybe our youth will think about how they listen to music if we educate them about hearing loss by sharing real life experiences.