The Boost has been sharing reports of corporal punishment still being used in New York schools, despite the practice being banned. (That is, it’s banned in public schools, not private.) In response, lawmakers recently introduced a series of bills that would clarify the regulations and, for the first time, extend the laws to all private schools. Additionally, a new bill, “Keeping All New York Students Safe Act,” has been introduced by New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages.
Now, news comes that lawmakers in Oklahoma, where the practice is still legal in both public and private schools, voted “no” on a bill to ban the use of corporal punishment on students with developmental disabilities.
According to Oklahoma Watch, the bill, introduced by Rep. John Talley, a Republican, “would prohibit school staff from using corporal punishment, defined as hitting, paddling, spanking, slapping or any other physical force used as a means of discipline, on any student with a disability.”
“My wife retired as a special ed teacher, district administrator and a principal of an alternative school,” Talley told Newsweek. “So she’s seen a lot of students be misused, mistreated through her work with special needs students.”
Oklahoma Watch said there were 45 votes against (all by Republicans), 43 for, and 13 excused. A notice to reconsider has been filed, it added, “so it could be brought back to the House floor.”
During the bill’s debate, GOP lawmaker Rep. Jim Olsen quoted the Bible to argue against the bill. Which passage did Olsen quote? The Washington Post has the answer: “Proverbs 29: ‘The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame,’” Olsen said. “So that would seem to endorse the use of corporal punishment.”
Oklahoma is one of 19 states that have yet to ban corporal punishment in public schools.
APE, BIP, OHI, IDEA, IEP — these acronyms come at you fast and furious when you navigate your child’s special education services.
Now, the National Education Association (NAE) has posted a list of terms used in, and about special education to help you sort through the jumble soup.
“Learning these unfamiliar terms, and the commonly used acronyms that represent them, can help in navigating the special education and 504 processes,” it writes. “This list is intended to help familiarize you with common terms, definitions, and acronyms that are frequently used in the disability space.”
Each entry includes “Acronym,” “Acronym Defined” and “Definition.” For example:
Acronym: IEP
Acronym Defined: Individualized Education Program
Definition: An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written plan developed for a student identified with a disability by a team of education professionals, the parent/guardian, and the child (when appropriate) that describes the special education instruction, supports, and services a student needs to receive free appropriate public education (FAPE).
It’s a great guide, check it out here. And of course, there are other such guides, such as this one from the Center for Parent Information and Resources.
New data suggests that ongoing school bus delays “help drive chronic absenteeism and missing learning for [New York City] students with disabilities,” reports Chalkbeat.
Some 350 school buses are delayed daily, it writes: “As of March 1, almost 63,000 school bus delays had been reported for this school year, an average of over 10,000 each month. Of these, the majority were buses for students with special needs, according to public data.”
A big reason for the delays is a shortage of drivers. The Times Union reports that New York State overall faces a 15% to 20% shortage of drivers, which causes some kids to miss out on school. School attendance in general is down nationwide.
Click here for more information and some potential solutions.
Federal labor data released March 10 showed a ” historic labor market recovery continues to pull in workers from all corners of the economy — and disabled workers are among the biggest beneficiaries,” reports NBCnews.com.
“Businesses are coming to us, knowing that it is a good group of people who can work and should work, and want us to find job opportunities for them,” Carrie O’Connell, director of Ability Beyond, told the news site. Ability Beyond works with thousands of people in Connecticut and New York living with developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and more.
There’s a wealth of information in the NBC article, so check it out to learn more.
Do you know about Guggenheim For All? The initiative to make museum visits accessible and welcoming for visitors with autism and sensory sensitivities is having an in-person event on April 2 designed to be, naturally, a sensory-friendly, inclusive look at art and artmaking. It takes place in the museum galleries and its studios so, that sounds fun.
The museum by the way, as part of the initiative, has some helpful resources on its website (the same link as above). They include a social narrative containing photographs and descriptions of what to expect during a trip there and a sensory map.
All family members are invited to attend the in-person event, so bring those siblings.
Details
Date: April 2
Time: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (NOTE: If you’re a GFA “family,” you can also go 12 p.m. to 1. p.m.)
Where: Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10128
Photo: FlickrGugg
The free, 18th annual Transition Linkages Fair for parents, educators and advocates to learn more about adult services and transition planning takes place on March 28.
The fair is an opportunity to visit with representatives from more than 60 vendors serving Westchester County for information on:
Presented by the Linkages Fair Committee, an independent group of volunteers made up of Westchester parents, school personnel, transition professionals, and service providers including: Fox Lane High School, The Arc Westchester Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health SW BOCES, White Plains High School Westchester Institute for Human Development.
CONTACT: Agnes Blazkiewicz at (914) 422-2076 or Matthew Faulkner at (914) 995-5253 with questions.
Date: March 28, 2023
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Westchester County Center (onsite parking is $8.00)
You can register ahead of time here.
It took nearly 10 years to implement, but Medicaid’s “new” Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule is finally in effect. What does this mean for you and your loved ones? Let’s break it down.
HCBS is a Medicaid waiver program providing opportunities for beneficiaries to receive services in their own home or community, such as in group homes, rather than in institutions or other isolated settings.
The new standards, first set in 2014, clarify what counts as home-based and community services, and the rights of those accessing them. They were put on hold for a variety of reasons, including the pandemic, and then implemented on March 17, 2023. Not all states are prepared to meet all the new standards, in some cases despite their best efforts. (For example, new regulations concerning direct support professionals [DSPs] may be unduly affected by the current crisis in available DSPs.)
So how prepared is New York? A thorough and easy-to-understand NYC Fair Town Hall on the new standards, see below, can help you understand both the regs and the challenges the state faces. (Thanks to Tara Klein and Lynn Decker for pointing me to this YouTube video.)
Also, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network has posted resources that might help. They cover:
The New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation (NY Alliance) has opened registration for its Spring 2023 Virtual Housing Navigator Training Course that begins April 4, 2023.
Housing navigation is a service that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who need or want to move to community-based housing.
The NY Alliance Housing Navigator Course was developed in 2015 through the Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) grant. Throughout this training, students will:
It’s a thorough course so a commitment to the program is needed. And yes, it costs money: $800.00 for NY Alliance Provider members and $1,200.00 for everyone else.
Learn more about the program and register here.
Plane travel can be challenging — not to understate it — for people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers, but a program, launched in England in 2016, is trying to ease the way for fliers worldwide.
(UPDATE: Since posting this story, I came across The ARC’s Wings for Autism®/Wings for All® program — check it out!)
In January, The Boost wrote about Westchester County Airport joining the international program, called Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, which provides free sunflower lanyard necklaces discreetly indicating who might need additional support. (These “hidden” disabilities can range from autism and PTSD to hearing loss.) Now, the Washington Post has a feature-length article about the program that’s worth a read.
The Post notes that the success of the program depends on the training offered by any given airport — training that’s often voluntary. This is one reason, it writes, that implementation and/or understanding of the project has been somewhat inconsistent.
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower has grown to include nearly 200 airports worldwide, including some 80 airports in North America. Below are the New York-area airports that offer the program, and information on where to get the lanyards. (Also, be sure to check ahead of time for airlines’ special assistance coordinators, especially when your loved one is traveling alone; all airlines have some kind of help available.)
In the U.S., according to Hidden Disabilities, the airports collectively have formed a Sunflower group that shares ideas on how to implement, train and distribute the Sunflower to travelers.
The U.S. also has three Sunflower-friendly cities: Mesa, AZ; Visalia, Calif.; and Vacaville, Calif. The Sunflower is distributed at visitor centers and is reportedly recognized at hotels, museums, attractions and parks.
Look here to see the other airports, in the U.S. and internationally, that take part in the program.