New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation has sent out information on this wonderful workshop for professionals, self-advocates and sexuality educators to better support LGBTQ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
The Alliance notes that LGBTQ people with I/DD have felt invisible when someone is supporting them around the topic of sexuality.
Speaking from personal experiences, the presenters will delve deep into issues and barriers that impact LGBTQ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and focus on knowledge and supports that are affirming and liberating to the LGBTQ community.
The agenda includes:
Details
Date: June 13, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The presenters are Pauline Bosma, founder and coordinator of the Rainbow Support Groups, and Oscar Hughes, who started his career as a special education teacher for high school and transition-age students with I/DD, where he sought to create a classroom and school environment that was inclusive to trans and gender-diverse students. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. in special education at Boston University, where his research focuses on supporting LGBTQ+ adults with I/DD to express their gender and sexuality.
To celebrate the great outdoors, a whole host of New York agencies are coming together on June 10 to offer inclusive free activities at State parks and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) locations.
Think free games and events, and guided fishing, hiking, paddling, camping, birding, archery and more!
Locations will offer a selection of accessible activities, and use of adaptive equipment and demonstrations will be provided at many sites.
Westchester County folks will, unfortunately, have to travel a bit, but what’s better than a summer weekend to get into the car for a short road trip.
DEC Event Locations
All locations offer wheelchair-accessible features and activities, including restrooms and select recreation opportunities. Please get in touch with the event coordinator directly with accommodation requests and to find out about the adaptive equipment and activities offered at each site.
State Park Event Locations
Program and scheduling details for each location will soon be available on the NYS Parks website at parks.ny.gov. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic lunches and their own games or sporting equipment. For details about visitor amenities at each location, visit parks.ny.gov.
The day’s hosts are the DEC and the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks), in partnership with the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and the NYS Division of Veterans’ Services,
If you’re thinking about a residential placement for your child and wondering how to get started, Parent to Parent of NYS is offering a new virtual webinar to help explain the process.
This workshop will provide information about what to ask when looking at potential placements and tips to make the transition go more smoothly for your loved one.
Details
Date: May 18, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Register here.
The Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (DDAC), a New York State workgroup that meets quarterly, is holding its next quarterly meeting in person and virtually.
DDAC provides recommendations for statewide priorities and goals, comprehensive planning, resource allocation, and evaluation processes for state and local services for people with developmental disabilities.
The Council is comprised of self-advocates, family members, provider representatives, and other stakeholders; the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State; provider associations and provider councils; the Statewide Family Support Services Committee; the County and Local Mental Hygiene Directors; and the Real Choice Systems Committee.
Date: June 20
Time: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: It’s being held in-person and virtually.
The virtual meeting is being held via WebEx.
The meeting details and the registration link can be accessed here: https://opwdd.ny.gov/
From equine therapy to adaptive swim programs, Include NYC recently shared a long list of great resources for kids with disabilities, and I’ve got some of them here!
The organization, FYI, “promotes positive futures and enhances the quality of life for New York City children and youth with disabilities, ages birth through 26, and their families.”
Check out these links and summer rec options, and enjoy.
Adaptive fitness, sports, and arts programs at parks and recreation centers (all abilities; think adaptive games, flag football, a paint party and more)
Accessibility in New York City parks (from beaches to carousels)
Adaptive swim program for people with disabilities
Flying Manes Therapeutic Riding
President Biden has signed an Executive Order described as a “comprehensive” set of executive actions at improving care for people with disabilities.
It includes more than 50 directives to nearly every Cabinet-level agency to expand access to affordable, high-quality care, and provide support for care workers and family caregivers.
RELATED: Biden Budget Carves Out Billions for Disability Programs
The far-reaching plan touches on child care, long-term care, early education and more. Its goals include boosting compensation and improving job quality for care workers and expanding care options. Actions (currently a bit vague) include directing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider reducing or eliminating certain care costs; identifying grants that support care programs and expanding access; and improving access to home-based care.
The Biden administration is also calling for investments to support high-quality, affordable child care, preschool, and long-term care in its fiscal year 2024 budget.
You can read more here.
Stay tuned for updates and more details.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health News takes a deep dive into how the medical system has not kept up with what it calls an “extraordinary increase in the number of adults with Down syndrome.”
One person they speak with, advocate Charlotte Woodward, says that many general-practice doctors “seem to have little knowledge about adults with Down syndrome” and that adults “should not be expected to seek care at programs housed in children’s hospitals.”
You should read the whole article, which includes pointed anecdotes about people with Down Syndrome whose doctors ignore signs of other medical issues, information on where to find the appropriate medical practitioners and more.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to soaring unemployment rates for people with disabilities, and these rates have not declined as quickly in New York as they have nationally, according to a report released this month (April 2023) by the New York State Comptroller’s Office.
RELATED: Disabled Workers Reap Benefits of Booming Labor Market
The report includes interesting data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey:
Unemployment rates for people with disabilities similarly show slower recovery in New York than the nation.
The report also goes over efforts the state has made to increase opportunities for people with disabilities:
Right on schedule, the New York State Education Department has proposed “clarifying” and adding limits on how and when students can be physically restrained or placed in seclusion in school settings, the Albany Times Union reports. Earlier in the year, the department convened an internal working group to examine possible regulatory changes and planned to present the proposed amendments in Spring 2023.
RELATED: Times-Union Investigation Spurs NYS Bill Limiting Physical Restraints by Schools
The changes are in response to a Times Union investigation — and the paper’s subsequent reporting — that revealed a high number of instances in which physical restraints and “timeout” rooms have been used on school children, especially as applied to elementary students and students with disabilities (highlight mine). Case in point, the Times Union just posted (April 20) a report on an autistic Saratoga County teen being restrained and hurt.
Back in February 1985 (info/dates are from the NYS Education Department) the New York State Board of Regents banned corporal punishment in public schools while permitting school employees to use reasonable force to protect themselves, other students and school property, as well as to restrain or remove a disruptive student. So, it left the gate wide open.
By July of that year, the New York State Education Department had begun collecting reported incidents of complaints regarding the use of corporal punishment from school districts and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES).
RELATED: New Bills Introduced to Address Corporal Punishment in New York Schools
In 2007 the Board of Regents adopted amendments that generally prohibited the use of “aversive” interventions (“intended to induce pain or discomfort to a student for the purpose of eliminating or reducing maladaptive behaviors”).
In 2012, the U.S. Office of Special Education (OSE) issued a field memorandum concerning guidance released by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) entitled Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document. New York State concluded that its regulations and guidance were consistent with the federal guidance and that all schools “should review their policies and procedures to ensure they were consistent with federal and State standards.”
RELATED: FYI, Oklahoma Says ‘Yes’ to Hitting Kids With Disabilities in Schools
This brings us to August 2022, when Gov. Kathy Hochul amended the Education Law to address a new (well, newly discussed) issue: Parent notification. The law was amended to require boards of education or trustees of each school district to notify the parents of students on the same day that a physical or mechanical restraint is used on the student or the student is placed in a timeout room.
By December 2022, the Times Union had begun its excellent reporting on the issue (its original investigative piece was posted Fall 2022). It also noted many violations of the Commissioner’s regulations for reporting, safety, documentation, length of time spent in seclusion, and communication with parents.
Not surprisingly, the Education Department informed the field of the requirements and encouraged school districts to review their policies, procedures and practices.
In March 2023, the USDE issued a Dear Colleague Letter urging Governors, Chief State School Officers, and School District and School Leaders to end corporal punishment in schools.
First, a suggestion: Check out the Bloom blog, run by Louise Kinross and produced by the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto. It’s a beautiful mix of real family stories, expert advice, plus news and opinion on disability.
This week I wanted to link to Kinross’ blog post, “Pretending to be someone you’re not takes a toll on autistic girls.” It centers on two books and takes a look at how difficult and alienating it can be to be autistic. Frankie’s World is a graphic novel for kids that follows an autistic girl trying to fit in, while the memoir The Electricity of Every Living Thing is about a British author who after a life spent feeling like an outsider discovers, at 38, that she’s autistic.
The piece not only offers two great books to read but is a poignant look at self-acceptance.