| IN THIS ISSUE |
| Family Supports |
| Community Supports |
| Disabilities |
| Health & Mental Health |
| Legal & Legislation |
| Assistive Technology |
| Life Skills |
| Housing |
| Education |
| Employment |
| Recreation & Leisure |
| Quality Assurance |
FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT.....
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"Flower Rays," by April Johnson
The artwork images in this newsletter has been generously contributed by WVSA ARTs connection (WVSA), which is a unique non-profit organization providing multiple creative environments, opportunities, and experiences for children and adults through arts-infused educational and vocational programs.
Click directly on the images to purchase them at the WVSA Arts Online Store or click the link below.
Learn More about WVSA ARTS
Purchase WVSA Artwork
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Greetings,
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This month's special focus is on funding and getting financial supports for individuals with disabilities and their families, both directly and indirectly.
We feature the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which represents a major financial investment in our country's future. The Act is designed to help the millions of families whose lives and personal income may have been affected by the economic crisis and whose support services may have been reduced. Here's a website that allows you, the taxpayer, to see how the money from the ARRA is being distributed and managed. Visit Recovery.gov The ARRA can do more than provide short-term stimulus. Projects will play an important role in modernizing our health care, improving our schools, updating our infrastructure, and investing in the clean energy technologies of the future. We look at various aspects of the Act and how they impact families and disability services and programs under each topical section of this issue. We'd also like to let you know about a moderated discussion going on in the KIN Family Forums. Barbara Ciconte and Jeanne G. Jacob, authors of Fundraising Basics: What You Need to Do to Strengthen Your Organization, offer advice and guidance and answer discussion questions until August 11. Talk to them and to your peers about their fund raising ideas and your needs. Learn How to Register and Use the KIN Forums HereRead the Funding Discussion Here |
FAMILY SUPPORTS
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What It Means to be the Sibling of Person with a Developmental Disability
Siblings of individuals with disabilities may spend more time with their brothers and sisters than anyone else does, especially over the long haul. Yet many may have never had anyone to talk to. The Sibling Support Project is just the place to find the peer support and information opportunities for brothers and sisters of people with special needs and to increase parents' and providers' understanding of sibling issues.
Read Interview with Director of the Sibling Support Project by the Online Developmental News Source Disability Scoop
Go to the Sibling Support Project Website
A Guide to Child Care for Children with Disabilities
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to almost all childcare centers. This guide from the Department of Justice explains the law through FAQs (frequently asked questions.) If you wonder if a diabetic child is entitled to get her finger pricked to check if she needs glucose, if an allergic child can get a shot on the spot to counter a bee sting or if a child with HIV should be cared for with other children...you'll find answers here. What parents can expect, what centers are obliged to provide and more. If you want to dig deeper, there's a list of places to go for further information.
Read the ADA FAQs about Child Care Centers and ADA
Stimulus Funds for State Medicaid Funding
Under the The American Reconciliation and Recovery Act, the Department of Health and Human Services will distribute over $15 billion dollars to help states cover the costs of Medicaid. This money is intended for hard-hit families.
Read HHS's article about Medicaid Grant Award Process
Find How Much Money Your State is Receiving
Stimulus Programs Affecting Low and Moderate-income Families
The Center for Budget Policy and Priorities provides state-by-state estimates of the key economic stimulus act provisions. You can find out more about help for low and middle-income families as well as states facing serious budget shortfalls. One example is the extra $25 per week in federal funds for those claiming unemployment benefits. There is also an extended deadline to qualify for emergency unemployment benefits. Other provisions of the new law relate to education, training, food stamps, childcare and more.
Read the State by State Estimates on the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities Website
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COMMUNITY SUPPORTS
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Community Support from The Mentor Network
This national organization provides help to three special-needs populations, individuals with developmental disabilities, "at risk" youth and people with acquired brain injuries. The organization provides a full range of community-based residential and non-residential programs. If you're looking for help you can zoom in to find out what is available in your area.
Visit The Mentor Network Website
 "Dancing," by Jamal Pone List of Community Services Grantees Under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Do you want to know who is getting community service grants? There's a list on this web site. It's provided by the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. Some examples that will help individuals with disabilities include the Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help, which will provide mini grants to help recipients with disabilities develop small businesses, and a Garden Center in IL, which will employ individuals with disabilities in the production and selling of garden products.
Read about All the Grantees on the Administration for Children and Families Website
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DISABILITIES
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The Myths About Autism This will grab your interest and take just a minute. You can watch a public service announcement video that describes and debunks the myths about autism. Hear people speak for themselves. "Autism is an integral part of who I am" and "My brain may be different... I can do anything anyone else can do even if it isn't in the same way." The website shows the general public we all should listen to people with autism and include them as part of our national dialog.
See the No Myths Public Service Announcement Videos
How Stimulus Money is Broken Down for Disability Issues
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Legislative Affairs Report dated Feb 11, 2009 shows how the stimulus money is broken down for disability issues. Read about the Developmental Disabilities Councils, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities and the Combating Autism Act. The goal is to make sure the influx of new funding helps families.
Read the Report from AUCD
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HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH
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Profiles of Long-Term Care and Independent Living Data for 2009
AARP provides this one convenient reference with data gathered from a wide variety of different sources. The full report is available in PDF form as is an executive summary. You can look at reports for earlier years and learn more about costs, quality, and trends. Extensive links allow you to research gender and ethnic differences, state and international comparison, and statistics for state long-term care systems.
Read the Long Term Care and Independent Living Reports on the AARP Website
Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility is Protected for Jobless Families That Get a Boost in Unemployment Benefits
Unemployment benefits will increase by $25.00 per week under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While unemployment benefits typically are included as income when determining eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP, ARRA excludes this additional $25.00 per week from the Medicaid and CHIP income eligibility calculations.
Congress set up this special exclusion to make sure that the weekly increase will not affect a family's eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP. Read the details on this and other supports on this Center for Budget and Policy Priorities Website.
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| LEGAL & LEGISLATION |
A New Web Site for the Class Act Coalition
CLASS is the acronym for Community Living Assistance Services and Supports. The Class Act would amend the Public Health Service Act to create a national, voluntary disability insurance program. It's described as being like Social Security, in that a premium would be deducted from your paycheck and go towards a collective fund. You can read the language of the bill, see its recent history and find out about meetings and events near you.
Visit PasstheClassAct.org
 "Capitol Domes," by Zachary Lynch
No matter how much you read ABOUT it, there is nothing like reading the actual act. From rural development to Veterans affairs, health care technology to struggling families ...it's at your fingertips.
Read the ARRA in Pdf Form
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| ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY |
Assistive Technology ExplainedTechnological devices can really make things possible for people with disabilities. This University of Washington site defines and explains what is meant by assistive technology and gives a history of AccessIT (the National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education). There are lots of links to resources, videos and publications you'll find useful whether you need an electronic reading device or just a grabber to reach something more easily. And these are just two examples. There are loads more! Visit The National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education WebsiteFunds for Special Education Could Include Assistive Technology
How well are people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind doing with the new total digital broadcasts from television which began on June 12th? The Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) has lots of useful information on their website and is also asking all those "with ongoing problems with closed captioning" to help the FCC understand "how widespread the problems are." There are many different options for taking the survey. This is your chance to let you voice be heard about captioning. Find Out More from CSDFCTD is funded by the US Department of Education's Office of Special Education, and has a web site with information on assistive technology, related links, success stories and you can also submit your own story. There's also information on the Summer Institute this organization runs and some data on summer camps. Visit the FCTD Website |
LIFE SKILLS
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A Parent's Guide to Teaching Life Skills
"Ready, Set, Fly", is a companion tool for the Casey Foundation's Life Skills Guidebook. Daily living skills cover money management, self care, social development and much more. You can select activities based on the child's age (four levels from age 8 to adult). A few examples: evaluating a fast food meal, planting a vegetable garden, planning a week's meals and shopping alone with a set amount of money, car repairs and learning about candidates. There are even some stories interspersed with tips.
Read the Life Skills Guidebook
Read the Parent's Guide
Independent Living Funding Increase
From the U.S. department of Education, this web site tells you what you need to know about new funding for independent living under the Economic Recovery Act.
"ARRA funds provide an unprecedented opportunity to implement innovative strategies to improve and expand Independent Living services for individuals with significant disabilities and older individuals who are blind."
Learn More Details at Ed.Gov
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| HOUSING |
Housing Options for People with Disabilities
Often finding a place to live when you or someone you love has a disability is quite a challenge. This website can help. The site is set up in a question and answer format and offers advice from two partners in a firm that specializes in finding living situations for people of all abilities. You'll find a summary of the range of options that might be available, including supportive living situations and adult foster homes. The advice is upbeat, respectful and encourages a search for creative solutions. There's also a list of additional resources.
Read the Interview from Disability Scoop
 "Florida Avenue," by Derek Holloman Deciphering the government bureaucracy and finding the information you want is made a lot easier on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's website. It explains what the government is doing to create jobs, ease pressures on the housing market and jumpstart the economy. Specific local projects are listed. The Treasury Department and HUD will be awarding funds. You can apply for grants via this site and follow what's happening via blogs, twitter updates and more. Read More about the HUD Implementation of the ARRA |
| EDUCATION |
Free Appropriate Public Education for Students with Disabilities Free appropriate public education, or FAPE, is an important right for students with disabilities. Some children do not qualify for special education services under IDEA, but do need special help to succeed in school. How do their needs get addressed?
Read about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 on the US Department of Education's website. It explains Section 504 services and explains who is eligible for such supports. There is also information on FAPE under IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. End notes provide legal references, and tell you where you can order copies of the same material.
Learn More about FAPE from the Department of Education
Department of Education and the Stimulus Act Read this policy document, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Saving and Creating Jobs and Reforming Education, and you'll have a much better sense of the thinking behind the Economic Stimulus Bill and the part that effects education. You'll find the principles and strategy behind the big picture, with both long-term and short-term goals, plus the specifics of what is covered including information about Pell Grants and Education for Homeless Youth and the details of the "Race to the Top" competition. Categories of funds, schedules for distribution and what states must do to receive funds provide a lot of information.
Read the Policy Document on the Department of Education Website
Stimulus Act Funds for Infants and Toddlers
This Department of Education web page has information on funding for services that are available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for infants and toddlers with disabilities. IDEA funds under ARRA provide an opportunity for states and early intervention service programs to implement innovative strategies to improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities while stimulating the economy. There are links to sites that provide more details on each state's allocation.
Learn More about the Stimulus Funds for Infants and Toddlers
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| EMPLOYMENT |
How the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) Protects Applicants with Disabilities
Your privacy is important and there are things an employer cannot ask you on a job interview. Take a look at this fact sheet on questions employers can ask about a disability and what they cannot inquire about until after they offer you the job. You can also get legal definitions of who is an individual with a disability and what are reasonable accommodations you should expect and are entitled to. This site provides up to date information including the recent amendments to the Americans With Disabilities Act that became effective in January 2009.
Learn More from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
U.S. Department of Labor Q&A on Stimulus Funds
The U.S. Department of Labor has a list of frequently asked questions about implementing the Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009). These funds may apply to you, so learning about what's available is useful. And when you have read up on rules and regulations, you can click on the right column on Find Job and Career Information for an extensive list of resources.
Read More on the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Website
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| RECREATION & LEISURE |
Sports Activities
National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) is one of the largest outdoor therapeutic recreation agencies in the world. It has helped thousands of children and adults with disabilities learn more about sports - and themselves. The mission of the NSCD is to provide quality outdoor sports and therapeutic recreation programs that positively impact the lives of people with physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral challenges. The center is located in Colorado; check out the list of resources around the country on their chapter listings page.
Learn More about NSCD
Funds for Parks Under ARRA
The Recovery Act will put millions of dollars into restoring and protecting America's national parks and creating new jobs. From the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall to Yellowstone and Death Valley, the National Park Service will undertake more than 750 projects at parks across the country to create jobs, restore and protect our nation's parks, and preserve our history and heritage for future generations.
Learn about Projects Across the Country and in Your State
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| QUALITY ASSURANCE |
Rating Systems for Child Care
Child care is important and you want to know that your child is being well cared for. Check your state's rating system for quality child care. There is a definition of a Quality Rating System, information on funding, information about the five common elements that make up a QRS, and helpful links to other sites.
Learn More at the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center Website
How To Find an Excellent Rehabilitation Center to Treat Brain Injury or Spinal Cord Injury
This website will guide you through the three steps to take to find rehab help after a serious brain or spinal cord injury. The site helps you know what questions to ask as you search for the right place to start the process of healing. It also helps you assess rehab facilities you are considering, including what to research, staffing questions, and frequency of services. You'll find answers to many of your questions, get links to related sites, watch videos including The Latest Developments in Traumatic Brain Injury Treatments, and get connected to social network links and blogs.
Visit BrainandSpinalCord.org
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HOW DID WE DO?
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Too much information? Not enough? Have something you'd like us to announce here? Your input will help us improve. Please feel free to contact us at familysupport@aed.org or call 877-535-7575.
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