Many families make it successfully through OPWDD eligibility for Self-Direction only to struggle with the next stages of the process. This includes finding a broker, especially since there seem to be fewer available than ever.
Learn about the steps involved in becoming a Self-Direction Startup/Support Broker, or just learn about what their roles and responsibilities are in greater detail. Join a panel of expert guests for a presentation and discussion of Self Direction brokerage.
Presented by the Marlene Myerson JCC in Partnership with In the Driver’s Seat.
Details
When: Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024
Where: In-person or online. Address: 334 Amsterdam Ave, at W. 76th St, NYC, 10023
Time: 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Cost: $25
Are you a person with a disability, a graduate student in a disability-related field, or a parent/sibling of an individual with intellectual/ developmental disabilities? Consider applying to the Westchester Institute of Human Development (WIHD) LEND Program as a trainee for 2024-2025.
LEND stands for Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities. The program at WIHD is a two-semester interdisciplinary leadership training program — one of 60 nationwide funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Federal Government. LEND Program participants graduate with competencies required by family leaders and advocates in the field of developmental disabilities.
Demonstrated interest in working with individuals with disabilities and their families meeting one or more of these criteria:
You can find much more about the program, and find the application, here.
This is a guest post from Katy Foxen Faivre, Administrator, New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities (NYADD)
As New York State budget negotiations begin in earnest, self-advocates, families, service providers and members of the New York State Senate and Assembly raised their voices and gave testimony in Albany on Monday, Feb. 12 in support of getting people with developmental disabilities the money they need to live healthy, safe lives.
Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, chair of the People with Disabilities Committee, summed up the dire situation in her opening statement, saying, “The prognosis doesn’t look good.”
Advocates need to reach out to their legislators to demand that they prioritize these funds. There’s strength in numbers. The people elected into office must know that our votes count.
Applied Self-Direction, a national hub that provides technical assistance, training, and community to stakeholders in self-directed services, conducted an extensive national survey of self-direction programs in the U.S. The research revealed eight key findings on the growth of self-direction, along with data on program expansion and ideas for future policy development.
Highlights
RELATED NEWS: Self-Direction and Community Classes in NYS: Know Your Rights
Self-direction empowers people with disabilities to decide for themselves how, when, and from whom they receive services and supports. Self-direction theoretically affords participants more choice, control, and flexibility relative to other models of care.
Study methods: Self-direction program data were collected from October 2022 through February 2023. We first conducted a comprehensive review of publicly available information via state Medicaid waiver applications, Medicaid state plan documentation, and state websites across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Building on these findings, we conducted 65 interviews with state agency staff from 43 states and corresponded with administrators in every state. Read more here.
Four individuals with I/DD sue over “discriminatory” guardianships, New Jersey injects money into getting people with disabilities out of nursing homes, a deep dive into Applied Behavior Analysis and more news for the week ending Feb. 17, 2024.
Do you know about the 1 in 36 podcast from the Anderson Center for Autism? Named after the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children in the U.S., it describes itself as addressing “hot topics affecting the autism community in the Hudson Valley and beyond.”
It features host Eliza Bozenski of Anderson Center for Autism, along with celebrity guests, professionals in the field, community partners and more. Find out more about it here, including when and where you can tune in.
People with disabilities demand fund in N.Y. budget to permanently raise staff pay At the Feb. 12 rally in Albany, DSPs said they no longer want to have the same fiscal battle with state lawmakers over their salaries each year. (Spectrum News)
Disability rights group sues state over guardianship system Four people with I/DD allege that “illegal and discriminatory” guardianships over them have violated their rights to due process and equal protection. (Timesunion.com)
Rockland BOCES opens preschool to connect kids with key education support earlier Children age 3-5 with an IEP can access free preschool. But only if there’s space. (lohud.com)
NJ to spend $6 million to move people with disabilities out of nursing homes Advocate says money alone won’t solve the housing problem. (northjersey.com)
$3.7 Million grant expands Abilis assistance for those with disabilities in Stamford The non-profit provides therapeutic services for over 800 individuals. (Westfair Business Journal)
Oklahoma Bills Would Give Full-Tuition Scholarships to Students with I/DD (Enid News & Eagle)
The Argument Over a Long-Standing Autism Intervention Applied Behavior Analysis therapy has a troubling history, and even many supporters say it was used too widely in the past. But has criticism of the practice gone too far? (The New Yorker)
At 17, she found out she was autistic. It’s a story that’s becoming more common. An interview with Journey Early from Love on the Spectrum. (USA Today)
Young cheerleaders with disabilities in Cumberland County, Pa., are headed to Disney for competition They’re on their way to the Disney World Cheer Competitions. (PAhomepage.com)
With New Season, ‘The Good Doctor’ Adds Character With Autism (Disability Scoop)
Going to the movies shouldn’t be a stressful activity. To keep it fun, a growing number of movie theaters are presenting sensory-friendly film screenings to those who need less restrictive, more flexible environments, ones sensitive to sound and light.
Here’s a sampling of upcoming sensory-friendly events in New York.
Movie: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
When: Sat., Feb. 17. 2024
Where: 633 Old Post Rd, Bedford, N.Y.
Time: 12 p.m.
Movie: The Land Before Time
When: Sunday, March 10, 2024
Where: 364 Manville Rd, Pleasantville, N.Y.
Time: 11 a.m.
AMC partners with the Autism Society to offer unique movie showings where the lights are turned up, and the sound turned down, and where people can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing. Its Sensory Friendly Film program is available on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Wednesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month.
Check your local theatre listings for specific showtimes, and/or check out this link which will point you to AMC sensory-friendly films.
Image: DeviantArt
The next virtual meeting for Hear Our Voices, a program from the Community Support Network at Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD), is coming up.
The program is aimed at empowering, educating and developing social connections for self-advocates. If you know someone with disabilities anywhere in New York State who is interested in self-advocacy, have them check it out.
Details
When: Feb. 21, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Registration Link: Click Here
The developmental disability community is in crisis and as with many crises, the solutions often come down to money. To help advocate for these individuals learn what’s in, and not in, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed New York State 2024 – 2025 budget on issues ranging from a living wage for Direct Support Professionals to housing, job skill development and more.
One great way is to attend a town hall being presented by NYC Fair, which will put the governor’s budget under a microscope and answer your questions.
Details
When: Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Register here.
Do you know a person with developmental disabilities who is looking for a fun relationship? Check out this Scavenger Speed Dating event organized by Brendan Klein, coordinator of Self Advocacy & Community Engagement at the Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD), and his awesome Comm Hab support staff. (Note: This is not a WIHD event.)
The evening is for straight people over the age of 21 who can attend without support staff. Its goal is to have people meet someone to go on a special date with 1 on 1. (And then, who knows?) There will be pizza, beverages, chips and dessert nibbles.
Details
When: March 16, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: 42 Memorial Plaza, Pleasantville, N.Y.
Cost: $10.00 (not covered by Self-Direction)
Application: You must fill out an application! Request one from CJ O’Brien at ceejayobrien@gmail.com or Brendan Klein at bklein@wihd.org.
The Bedford Playhouse in Bedford, N.Y., which has a monthly Sensory-Friendly Film Series produced in collaboration with the Inclusive Initiative, is asking for your feedback.
The monthly screenings are meant to provide a comfortable viewing environment for the neurodivergent, the young, or anyone who might benefit from a more flexible film experience. To help the playhouse make it the best experience possible, it has put together some questions to help ensure the movies it shows are the movies people want to see.
You’ll find the survey here. It’s an easy, fast one!
Photo: Bedford Playhouse (Credit: Phillip Ennis)