Uber lets caregivers monitor rides, ballot measures will be easier to read, and more developmental disability news for the week ending June 7, 2024
There are two stories I want to highlight this week.
Uber Launching Service To Help Caregivers
The offering, known as Uber Caregiver, will allow Uber users to designate a caregiver to arrange, pay for and monitor rides for them. Caregivers will also be able to set up deliveries for individuals with disabilities or others they assist. As part of the service, a three-way chat will allow caregivers and those they provide care for to communicate with Uber drivers. And, caregivers will be able to see real-time updates as rides or deliveries are in progress. (Disability Scoop)
Disability Advocates Are Winning the Right to Plain Language Voting
This is very encouraging news. Ballot measures are said to require a graduate-school reading level to understand, an obvious challenge for, well, many people, including people with intellectual disabilities. This article takes a look at the strides being made to use what’s called plain language, which is designed to be easier to understand on a first reading. New York passed legislation to put ballot measures in plain language in 2023. They now can’t exceed an eighth-grade reading level. (Mother Jones)
Disability Rights New York wins records’ battle vs. NY Ed Department The records were requested from Shrub Oak International in Westchester County. (Times Union)
Judge temporarily blocks migrant children from JCCA’s Mount Pleasant facility The residential treatment center for emotionally troubled children ages 7-16 with educational, behavioral and emotional challenges can’t stay out of the news. (lohud.com)
New York Spends $225 Million on Its Own “Cop City” This worries me for lots of reasons, including this one: People with disabilities are more likely to experience victimization, be arrested, be charged with a crime, and serve longer prison sentences once convicted, than those without disabilities, per The Arc. (The Intercept)
4 N.J. school districts cutting more than 60 teachers, staff positions The districts are Hazlet Township, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional, Red Bank Regional and Upper Township. This is just a head’s up so that residents can check out what cuts, if any, will be made to special ed. (nj.com)
Minnesota tightens special educator requirements While the law may potentially hurt school districts’ ability to address special educator shortages and diversify the teaching profession, there’s a chance the state prevented the loss of federal funding due to a “threat” from the U.S. Dept. of Ed. (k12dive.com)
Gavin Newsom delayed California disability worker raises. Lawmakers fighting to keep them More bad budget-related disability news out of California. (Sacramento Bee)
This Boston-area dad is asking the Supreme Court for the right to make videos of school meetings about disabilities services. It’s unlikely the court will choose to review an earlier decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, but this is an important story. (USA Today)
ADHD diagnoses are rising. 1 in 9 U.S. kids have gotten one, new study finds I missed this interesting news last week. About 1 in 9 children in the U.S., between the ages of 3 and 17, have been diagnosed with ADHD according to the CDC. (npr.com)
Autism, dyslexia, ADHD: How colleges are helping ‘neurodivergent’ students succeed (Hechinger Report)
SC college programs provide a path to independent living for students with disabilities South Carolina has hundreds of students enrolled in one of its six college programs for mild to moderate developmentally disabled students. (scdailygazette.com)
RESOURCE ALERT!: Interested in college options for students with intellectual disabilities? Check out the Think College website. (And check The Boost’s Community Events section for related webinars.)
Ed Department Sees Jump In Disability Discrimination Complaints In School (Disability Scoop)
Scientists find a likely cause of many unexplained cases of intellectual disability: A genetic disorder New research points to mutations in a single gene as a contributing factor. (NBC News)
Wall Street Is Making House Calls Big Pharma and private equity are taking over the booming in-home care industry while pushing back against needed reforms. (The Lever)
Paris Promised the Olympics Would Be Accessible. The Clock Is Ticking. (NYT)
VOICE Buffalo A.R.I.S.E. presents a free webinar on how to ensure your voice is heard regardless of disability.
It will explore various voting options, including:
The event is open to all New Yorkers. Note: There will be certain segments more relevant to Erie County residents. For example, it will review the accessible voting machines that Erie County is implementing.
Details
When: Tues., Sept. 1o, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Register here.
The New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is required to perform a conflict-free comprehensive needs assessment for people receiving OPWDD services. The Coordinated Assessment System (CAS), according to OPWDD, “is the comprehensive assessment that OPWDD uses for people 18 years or older to identify their strengths, needs and interests. The CAS provides information used in person-centered planning for the person’s care. Understanding of what kinds of support each person needs is the foundation of an equitable service system that focuses on providing the right amount and type of support, in the right way, to each person.”
This webinar from NYC Fair features Albert Pruett, director, Bureau of Assessment Oversight and Coordination at OPWDD. It will cover what you need to know about a CAS and how to prepare for one. Plus, you can ask your questions.
Details
When: Wed., Sept. 18, 2024
Time: 7. p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
This free webinar is for those thinking about living independently or are supporting someone on their housing journey.
Transition stipends are a service available through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) for people who are seeking to live independently. They are a critical service to fund the basic and necessary costs for moving and establishing a home, such as furniture, linens, kitchenware, security deposits and moving costs.
This presentation will provide an opportunity to hear directly from content experts representing each region of New York State who support people to access these funds as they move and set up their home.
Presented by: Kim Rinehart, Arc of Monroe; Tammy Fuda, AIM Services; Jennifer Teich, AHRC NYC; and Jeanne Johnson, ISS. The facilitator is Seth Greenman of the NY Housing Resource Center.
Details
When: Wed., Sept. 25, 2024
Time: 10 a.m.
Register here
Do you have or know someone with a developmental disability looking for a fun relationship in Westchester County? This Speed Dating event might be just the ticket.
The goal of the event is to meet someone the participant wants to see again! It will start with the “traditional” speed-dating format of moving table to table for one-on-one talking, and then the group will get together for a scavenger hunt.
There will be pizza, light beverages, chips and dessert.
The evening is for people who are 21 or over and identify as heterosexual.
Details
When: Saturday, July 27, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: 42 Memorial Plaza, Pleasantville, N.Y., 10570 (next to Starbucks)
Fee: $20.00
Application: Participants must fill out an application. You can email Brendan Klein at Bklein@wihd.org to get one!
The literacy program Sensory Story Time is designed for young children on the autism spectrum as well as any child who may have difficulty with large groups.
There will be songs, interactive stories, rhymes and movement followed by activity stations with sensory material. A visual schedule will be used to help with transitions.
Details
When: Aug. 2, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Maria Lin Kim via Unsplash
Join this virtual discussion on program options and considerations for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities who are not going to college. Participants can ask any questions they may have including the eligibility process for services through the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and other state service systems, the types of programs and support services available, as well as things to consider when selecting or visiting adult community-based programs.
Organizer is the WIHD Community Support Network.
Details
When: Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Hear our Voices, part of the Community Support Network at Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD), offers educational programming exploring relevant topics for self-advocates. It meets via Zoom the third Wednesday of each month. Anyone in New York State with a developmental disability is welcome to attend regardless of having attended prior meetings.
Details
When: Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
ADAPT Community Network, a nonprofit serving New York City, is hosting a free webinar open to all New York families who have children with emotional and behavioral issues as well as a developmental disability.
The speaker will be Gary Shulman, who has decades of experience assisting families with children, teens and adults with developmental disabilities. Most recently, Schulman served as a private Special Needs Consultant, but he has also held the position of Special Needs and Early Childhood Coordinator for the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and Social Services and Training Director for Resources for Children with special Needs Inc., in New York City.
Details
When: Thursday, June 20, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Spanish and Mandarin interpretation will be provided.
Are you a parent navigating the challenges and joys of raising a child with disabilities? The “Life Planning Summit for Parents of a Child with a Disability” might be for you.
The summit is being organized by James Lange, author of Retire Secure. And don’t worry about it being a three-day event: You can pick and choose what you want to attend. You’ll find the schedule of events and speakers as well as all other information here.
Here’s what the summit offers:
Details
When: Tuesday, June 18, Wednesday June 19 and Thursday, June 20, 2024
Time: Approximately 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.