A free resource and transition fair for students of all ages with and IEP or 504 Plan, families and professionals is being offered through Rockland BOCES and the Rockland Transition Consortium in West Nyack, N.Y.
The day will include:
Breakout programs include “Self-Direction for Individuals Eligible with OPWDD,” “Overcoming Barriers: Build Your Pathway to Employment,” “Social Security,” “Access-VR” and more.
Details
When: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Palisades Center Community Rooms (4th floor near the ice rink), 1000 Palisades Center Dr., West Nyack, N.Y., 10994
Drop in when you can. No need to register!
Questions? Contact Mary Ellen Urinyi at murinyi@boces.org.
Image: Palisades Center, Flickr
New York City’s special education woes, a Direct Support Professional speaks truth to power, children’s books recognized for stories about disabilities and more news to know for the week ending Feb. 3, 2024.
A shout-out to Disability Scoop, which has been on a roll the last two weeks with a handful of great articles, including the FDA’s expected ban on shock devices; the rebounding of special education disputes; coffee clubs for adults with autism; the Census weighing overhaul of disability questions after uproar on changes; and speech providers pushing back on insurance effort to cut rates.
Westchester school tests drive sports wheelchairs for Able Athletics events Students participated in athletics from the seat of a sports wheelchair. (lohud.com)
10,000 NYC students are shut out of programs for children with autism. Adding 160 seats is a start City officials said 95% of children who attend these programs graduate from high school, more than 30 percentage points higher than students with disabilities overall. (Chalkbeat)
Eric Adams boosted pay for special ed pre-K teachers. Now they face deep cuts. This article covers a lot of ground in terms of the state of special ed in NYC. Things are not good. (Chalkbeat)
Arizona Parents of children with disabilities receive funding and certified training to be Direct Care Workers In 2020 Arizona issued a temporary flexibility allowing for parents of minor children with disabilities to receive certified training to be Direct Care Workers for their own children. In 2021, it expanded the support beyond the COVID-19 flexibility window. (Arizona Illustrated)
Oklahoma sent bonuses to elementary and special education teachers of up to $50,000. Then it asked for them back What a fiasco. The bonuses were awarded under a program that is intended to help recruit new teachers for the most difficult jobs to fill. (Fortune.com)
Hundreds of Companies Legally Pay Disabled Workers Below Minimum Wage. This Needs to Change Teen Vogue tackles the subminimum wage. (Teen Vogue)
‘I’m Not Safe Here’: Schools Ignore Federal Rules on Restraint and Seclusion No federal law prohibits restraint and seclusion, leaving a patchwork of practices across states and school districts with little oversight and accountability. (KFF Health News)
FYI, from August 2023: New York Approves New Rules Limiting Restraint, Seclusion in Schools
Autistic Boys and Men Camouflage, Too Camouflaging is linked to public self-consciousness. (Psychology Today)
DSP Spotlight: Lawrence Discusses Hardship Imposed on Direct Care Workforce An excellent take from a DSP. “It is important for people to recognize the skills, training, and importance of our profession and how comparable it is to jobs with similar requirements.” (The Arc)
Making Information Accessible One Document at a Time YAI writes about “Easy Read,” a document format that offers pictures on the left side of the page and clear, short text on the right, and the work the agency is doing to help train others how to use it. (YAI)
Children’s Books Recognized For Stories About Disabilities The American Library Association named three winners and six honorees of its Schneider Family Book Awards this month. (Disability Scoop)
Mar Galcerán makes history as Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down syndrome The achievement was also a reflection of the decades Galcerán had spent working to advance the status of people with Down syndrome in Spain. (The Guardian)
Are you a BIPOC Parent of a child with special needs of any age? (BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) Parent to Parent of NYS is offering a safe and supportive space that recognizes the diverse experiences within the BIPOC community.
The one-time virtual session is being offered on a variety of dates (see below).
In the words of Melanie Baker, an advocate and parent who is running the panel, “I understand the realities of parenting our children with special needs while walking that tightrope of living on the margins struggling to be seen! Let’s address the high-pressure reality on us as BIPOC parents so we may begin to re-energize ourselves, re-focus on what’s most important, and re-up our enthusiasm to increase our effectiveness in our roles. As we share our paths forward together, the better off we will be for our journey ahead, emotionally and physically, and the better off our families will be.”
Details
Dates: Feb. 7, March 13, April 17, May 15, June 12
Time: 7 p.m.
ADAPT Community Network is offering a free webinar “Turning Five: Moving from Preschool to Kindergarten for Students with Disabilities.” Participants will learn about the kindergarten admissions process, how to get special education services in kindergarten, parents’ rights, advocacy tips and how to get help.
The presenter is Liliana Diaz-Pedroza, an attorney at Advocates for Children (AFC).
Spanish and Mandarin translations will be provided.
Details
When: Thursday, Feb. 8
Time: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities has announced that new Front Door Information Session videos are now available for viewing on the OPWDD website.
The Front Door Information Session outlines the process of how a person can become eligible for OPWDD supports and services, the types of supports and services available and where they can get assistance. OPWDD stakeholders suggested that short videos that break out the steps to the Front Door process would be the most helpful for viewing and retaining the information.
These short videos provide easy-to-understand information about OPWDD services and how to get started receiving services. The videos are separated into segments that provide an overview of important steps in the process and will replace the practice of requiring Front Door Information Sessions in person or online:
Getting Started with OPWDD
The Front Door Process
Eligibility
Services
OPWDD Residential and Housing Supports
OPWDD Employment Services
Self-Direction
OPWDD Care Management
Assessment
Funding
These videos are currently available in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese and will be translated into other languages over the next several months. Until those translated videos are available, OPWDD is providing translation services for anyone who needs a different language.
View Front Door videos in English
View Front Door videos in Spanish
View Front Door videos in Chinese
This webinar is part of the Transition Workshop Series from Rockland BOCES, which covers topics relevant to all New York families and students with disabilities.
The session is designed to assist parents and young adults who plan to pursue a college degree in understanding the differences that can be expected as students move from high school to any two- or four-year college setting.
Info will include:
Details
When: Feb. 7, 2024
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
RSVP: Click this link or email Mary Ellen Urinyi at murinyi@rboces.org to participate.
Parents are integral partners in the special education process. Join a conversation that explores how parents can effectively prepare for the annual review and be effective members of the CSE. Learn about planning strategies, approaching differences of opinion, and keeping the focus on your child.
Details
When: Jan. 30, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Register here.
The organizer is WIHD Community Support Network.
Advocacy and resource network NYC Fair has put together an excellent overview of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal.
Here are some preliminary highlights affecting caregivers and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities:
OPWDD
Photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
Last year’s New York State legislative session failed Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), the dedicated, hard-working and critical workforce that helps care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This year is not shaping up to be any better.
The $229 billion in the current 2023-2024 budget had landed on a mere 4% cost of living increase for DSPs, ignoring an escalating crisis in the disability community that has seen DSPs jumping ship, group homes closing, and support services and agencies understaffed and overworked.
New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities had been asking for 12.5% COLA for non-profit service providers (with 8.5% being negotiated in the budget dealings) and a DSP wage enhancement of $8,000 to boost their pay, the latter of which didn’t make it into the budget at all.
This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul seemingly has decided not to fix the crisis. In fact, it gives DSPs additional responsibilities without adequate compensation.
Here, in its entirety, is a statement released by The ARC New York that does a great explaining the situation:
“Governor Kathy Hochul released her FY 2025 budget today. In her budget address, she pointedly acknowledged years of “neglect and disinvestment” in New York’s system of supports and services for New Yorkers with I/DD. She committed to reversing that neglect.
Unfortunately, the budget she’s proposed is not a real solution. If the Governor wants to better support New Yorkers with I/DD, she needs to listen.
Year after year we emphatically tell state leaders that the workforce crisis is crippling our system. That is the crisis we need to solve. Now.
The Governor’s proposal includes investment in employment programs, new housing and new service opportunities.
She is not hearing us.
Twenty percent of DSP positions across the state are currently vacant. We cannot staff the services that exist today. We won’t be able to staff the new opportunities proposed for tomorrow.
We appreciate that the administration recognizes that our system is suffering from years of disinvestment. But she needs to recognize the very real crisis that has resulted from that disinvestment, and she needs to make meaningful investment in our providers and our workforce to address it.
Today, starting wages for our skilled staff are barely more than minimum wage. Yet the only mention this budget makes about our workforce is giving DSPs MORE responsibility – expanding their roles to include skilled nursing tasks – with no additional compensation.
The 1.5% COLA committed to voluntary providers does not even compensate for the year’s inflation.
Governor Hochul stated that keeping New Yorkers safe is her number one priority. We have made it clear we cannot keep New Yorkers with I/DD safe without staff. If Governor Hochul truly wants to break from the pattern of neglect of New Yorkers with I/DD, her commitment to the safety of her citizens must include a commitment to our workforce.
She proudly shared investment in improved access to swimming for all New Yorkers, enhanced state park programs, and expanded employment opportunities for New Yorkers with disabilities – all opportunities New Yorkers with I/DD will be denied because there is not enough staff to support access to them. The neglect and inequity continues.
We have told Governor Hochul what we need to begin reversing the decades of disinvestment she acknowledged.
We need a 3.2% COLA to help address rising costs due to inflation. We need a Direct Support Wage Enhancement to stabilize our workforce and bring DSP wages more in line with the skill and responsibility of their roles. We need commitment to sustained and meaningful investment in New Yorkers with I/DD.
We need state leaders to listen.
The Arc New York State Office will work diligently with its partners in NYDA to refocus our efforts over the coming weeks and months to secure that commitment from the legislature. We will need your support.
Continue sharing and participating in our current campaign to get our message to the legislature as they develop their one-house budget bills. Rally with us on February 12 at 11 am in the War Room of the Capitol. Reach out to your legislators to ensure they are aware of our needs and how this proposal fails to meet them.”
It doesn’t take much for far-right political creeps to get ugly.
After a section of a Boeing 737 Max blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight, Elon Musk and others took to social media to lay the blame on the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity measures, implying that people of color are less qualified employees than those who are white.
Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety? That is actually happening. https://t.co/FcTyzZD0uW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2024
But it didn’t stop there.
Right-wing media outfits, including Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News and New York Post, took this a step further, implying that quality issues might also be the fault of the FAA hiring people with intellectual disabilities. (If you’re interested, this link will take you to info on the FAA’s National Outreach Program for Diversity and Inclusion.)
After throwing this out like red meat, the article also included a statement from the FAA:
“The FAA employs tens of thousands of people for a wide range of positions, from administrative roles to oversight and execution of critical safety functions. Like many large employers, the agency proactively seeks qualified candidates from as many sources as possible, all of whom must meet rigorous qualifications that of course will vary by position,” the FAA said.
Still, others jumped on, including former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
Uh, #FAA can you be more specific? #DEI @PeteButtigieg #InclusionTakenTooFar ? #AirlineSafety #TransportationSafety pic.twitter.com/cOeSu1NOUd
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) January 15, 2024
More reputable media outlets pushed back with actual reporting, some noting the willful ignoring of parts defects by one of the aircraft’s manufacturers.
Additionally, “both Boeing and its supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, are not particularly diverse,” reports Popular Information. “In 2022, minorities made up 35% of the workforce. At Spirit AeroSystems, minority representation was at 26% in 2022. This number shrinks as you move up the corporate ladder.”
I’m torn about amplifying extremist positions that go for the lowest common denominator, but with the presidential elections coming up I feel obligated to note that, as Maya Angelou wrote, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Photo: Flickr