May 14, 2025
The Boost News
SPOTLIGHT: CONGREGATE CARE
Disability Rights Center-NH launches online portal tracking the state’s care facilities
The New Hampshire hub will provide basic information about congregate care settings.
“The reality is that many of today’s congregate care settings still have institutional-like conditions where people with disabilities face abuse, neglect, exploitation, and isolation,” writes the news site. The hub “provides basic information about each facility — who it serves, its capacity, where it’s located, photos, and its parent company — but also offers details that had previously been harder to access.
“It includes any police reports associated with that facility, the rights residents have specific to each facility, and the facility’s licensing information. The hub also allows people who live in, work at, or have a loved one in one of these facilities to report incidents. There are 71 facilities currently listed in the hub.”
If you know of any similar effort being worked on in New York, let me know.
NEW YORK
Disabilities Beat: PPL announces bank cards for CDPAP PPL says they may alleviate some issues with payment (WRVO)
New York legislative health chairs eye action to address CDPAP issues (NY State of Politics)
New York’s cellphone ban: Exemptions explained It will not apply to students who need their device to manage a medical condition and whose IEPs mandate access to their devices. (Chalkbeat)
Autism center abuse whistleblower says there are other victims The Anderson Center whistleblower spoke publicly for the first time. (Fox 5 NY)
OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK
CT starts Purple Alert for missing people with cognitive disabilities (News 12 Conn)
NJ towns are spending millions to make playgrounds more accessible (North Jersey)
NJ group home residents face neglect, abuse and despair in a flawed system Calls for help to the state ombudsman have increased nearly threefold in the past five years. (North Jersey)
More than a dozen states, DC sue Trump administration over ‘dismantling’ of federal health agencies The states include New York. (CNN)
AUTISM
Kennedy Announces New Database for Research Into ‘Root Causes’ of Autism After weeks of confusion, the HHS Secretary announced a “real-world platform” that would allow researchers to examine insurance claims, electronic medical records and wearable devices like smart watches. It will draw the records from Medicare and Medicaid. (NYT)
Privacy concerns swirl around HHS plan to build Medicare, Medicaid database on autism (CNN)
In response to RFK Jr., Pritzker signs first in nation executive order protecting autism data (Chicago Sun-Times)
EDUCATION
Arizona Autism Charter School Founder Tapped as Ed Dept. Special Ed Chief (The 74 Million)
‘She’ll fall through the cracks’: Parents of kids with disabilities brace for new reality (The 19th)
TOOLS
This Startup Has Created AI-Powered Signing Avatars for the Deaf (Wired)
BAD ACTORS
Why people are using AI to fake disabilities like Down syndrome online (CBS News)
ENTERTAINMENT
Most TV Characters With Disabilities Are Played by Able-Bodied Actors, Study Finds (Gothamist)