For Black History Month, the Autism Society website has listed a variety of links and resources addressing the topics such as inequalities in screening, diagnosis, and care; vaccines; and the intersection of race and autism.
One article, for instance, teaches parents how to advocate for their child, and starts off by noting that “autism services are not distributed equally, according to research. As a group, children who are Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, or low-income often receive fewer therapies and services for autism. They also may be diagnosed later, which delays their ability to get help. What can parents do to help overcome those differences?”
It also offers a look at 30 Black Autistic People You May Want To Know About (and you do!) courtesy of The Art of Autism, which celebrates Black autistic influencers.
Engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario say they’re successfully using a robot to help keep children with learning disabilities focused on their work, reports The Water Loo News.
Their study used a small humanoid robot called QT that “performs gestures using its head and hands, accompanied by its speech and facial features, [which] makes it very suitable for use with children with learning disabilities,” according to the website.
The article also notes that educators exploring whether social robots can help students learn have mostly focused on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
How Robots Can Assist Students With Disabilities (NYT, March 2022)
Can robots help level the playing field for children with disabilities? (The Water Loo News, February 2021)
Faculty research asks: Can robots help students with autism? (Youngstown State University News, December 2022)
It might not be the Northeast’s snowiest winter, but there are still mountains to conquer and, even better, adaptive ski and snowboard programs to help people with disabilities to do so with confidence. These programs can be found at almost every resort in the state, so the below is just to get you started.
I Ski NY has a solid list of suggested spots, including the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center at the Windham Mountain ski resort in Windham, N.Y. It’s run by the Adaptive Sports Foundation, which says it’s been providing sports and recreation opportunities to thousands of children and adults with both cognitive and physical disabilities since 1984.
FYI, the Adaptive Sports Foundation also now operates at New Jersey’s indoor Big Snow American Dream, which offers ski and snowboarding lessons year-round. It’s part of the humongous American Dream mall adjacent to the New Jersey Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.
Another notable New York program on the list is Greek Peak Adaptive Snowsports at Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland, N.Y., which offers reduced-price lift tickets during the GPAS Sunday program. (It also hosts some Special Olympics State Games.)
Also, STRIDE adaptive sports, which provides over 11,000 adaptive sport and recreation lessons each year to individuals with disabilities according to the organization, offers adaptive ski and snowboard lessons at three mountain resorts in New England, including Catamount Mountain in Hillsdale, N.Y., and Titus Mountain in Malone, N.Y.
An analysis from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that compared to traditional public schools, charter schools that received Department of Education “Charter Schools Program” grants enrolled fewer students designated as receiving services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
Researchers, it says, “have identified potential factors that may contribute to enrollment patterns. For example, students with disabilities and parents may already be connected to programs in traditional public schools. According to researchers, charter schools may [also] use practices that discourage students with disabilities from applying.”
Charter schools are publicly funded schools governed by independent organizations. The Department of Education awards “Charter Schools Program” grants to help open or expand charter schools across the nation. The GOA analysis (published Feb. 23, 2023), reviewed charter schools that received funds from these grants between 2006-2020.
The schools receiving grants generally had higher student enrollment growth compared to similar charter schools that did not receive them.
Poll: Majority of New Yorkers Find Charter Schools Discriminate Against Students with Disabilities (The Boost)
A collection of links from around the web for the week ending Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.
Ed Department: Graduation Rate For Students With Disabilities On The Rise (Disability Scoop)
Testing new socialization and sex education curriculum for young people with developmental disabilities (new-medical.net). If you’d like some sex resources, check out The Boost’s previously posted Valentine’s Day Special: Sex Ed Resources for People with Disabilities.
Nyack nonprofit bakery gives young adults with special needs chance to work and learn (Westchester.news12.com) Excited to see a start-up to add to this group of cafes, coffee shops and bakeries hiring people with disabilities.
This story hails from Kansas, but it blew me away with its breathtaking offensiveness: JoCo Republican doubles down as disability rights groups seek apology for ‘hurtful’ comments (Kansascity.com)
Senators Want Disability Complaints Against Airlines Made Public (Disabilityscoop.com)
The Best Disability Programs Are Designed By Those Who Use Them (nextcity.org)
The Unhidden show at London Fashion Week was a masterclass in inclusivity and adaptive clothing (metro.co.uk)
On Feb. 13, a rally in the New York State capitol’s war room drew people statewide to demand that care workers get what they deserve in the New York State budget. Advocates and activists included those from the disability community, who are calling on lawmakers to increase the cost-of-living adjustment for those that care for people with intellectual and learning disabilities.
THANK YOU to all who joined us in Albany yesterday to show lawmakers that the I/DD community has a voice and we’re not afraid to speak up!
This rally has come to an end, but our work isn’t over. We’ll keep making noise until we secure the funding our community needs & deserves! pic.twitter.com/SamHb7wvPh
— New York Disability Advocates (@NYDisabilityAdv) February 14, 2023
For coverage of the rally, check out these stories:
Push to support caregivers for people with disabilities (news10.com)
Push to support caregivers for people with disabilities (mytwintiers.com)
New Yorkers Care About Care. The State Budget Should, Too. (inequality.org)
When New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gave her 2023 State of the State Address on Jan. 10, she neglected to mention the state’s disability community and workforce. Not surprisingly, then, the budget itself barely addresses the needs of New Yorkers with I/DD. To help make sure that changes, consider joining a rally being held in Albany on Feb. 13 to let our legislators know this is a community that counts. (See rally details below.)
“Earlier this month, Governor Hochul outlined her administration’s vision of the ‘New York Dream,’ a government that will uplift all New Yorkers,” said Mike Alvaro, president of New York Disability Advocates, in a statement. “Unfortunately, with the release of the Executive Budget … the ‘New York Dream’ for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and the individuals that provide life-supporting services to them is not fully realized.”
NYDA outlines two solutions:
Photo: Beyond My Ken, creativecommons.org, via Wikimedia Commons
Join Pace University in Manhattan and the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems for its ninth annual People with Disabilities in Film marathon. It features discussions, neuro-diverse projects, musical performances, expert panelists and short films on the autonomy and empowerment of people with disabilities.
Most of the films have been recognized at the international Sprout Film Festival, which is dedicated to helping people with developmental disabilities grow through experiences that enhance socialization, self-confidence and inclusion.
The program is free for all.
To RSVP, contact Jim Lawler at jlawler@pace.edu or (212) 346-1013.
Photo: Benjamin Kraft via Flickr
Nationwide, state agencies and people who receive aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are “reporting the theft of millions of dollars in benefits,” according to a report from Stateline. “And unlike regular credit or debit cards where refunds are often available when thieves poach funds, EBT cards don’t have those protections.
“Some help may be coming, thanks to a new federal mandate that allows states to use federal money to reimburse SNAP recipients whose benefits were stolen through electronic card fraud. The federal law also calls on states to increase the cards’ security. But advocates for those with low incomes and some lawmakers say the payments are only a half-step toward fixing the problem,” it goes on to note.
Read the whole article here.
Stateline, which provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy, is part of The Pew Charitable Trusts. I found the article via Governing.com, another great site.
And there’s more SNAP news!
Low-Income Americans Are Losing Yet Another Covid-Era Benefit as Prices Keep Rising (Bloomberg)
Extra SNAP benefits set to expire for millions across 32 states, including New York and New Jersey (pix11.com)
As grocery prices climb, millions of New Yorkers brace for the end of pandemic-era food stamps (Gothamist.org)
New Yorkers Highlight Opportunities to Grow SNAP Incentives (nrdc.org)
With the Biden administration set to send its annual budget for the next fiscal year to Congress on March 9, 2023 — a submission that marks the beginning of the appropriations process — ARC is asking you to add your name to an online petition demanding “a long overdue investment” in supports and services for people with disabilities.
ARC is calling for:
The petitions will be delivered in person to elected officials in Congress on Feb. 28. You can also join ARC online that day for a live-streamed event, featuring speakers impacted by the care system. Check its Facebook page for the petition, and to find updates about the event. (Sorry that I can’t post the petition, but the link keeps taking me to the one I signed!)
Your voice counts!
Image: Rawpixel.com
New York voters overwhelmingly oppose the expansion of charter schools and instead want elected officials to focus on programs that strengthen local public schools, according to a poll from the New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers, conducted by Hart Research Associates.
When asked to rate the importance of seven policies for improving education, the poll found that only 33% percent say charter schools are a high priority, with 81% responding that the statement “Charter schools in New York have been found to discriminate against students with disabilities” makes them feel less favorable toward charter schools. (Granted, a leading question.)
Charter schools, which are privately operated but receive substantial amounts of public money, have been in the hot seat since being established in the 1990s. In part, this is due to the belief by some that charter schools come at the expense of traditional district schools and lack the proper resources for students with disabilities. Additionally, critics say that privatization gives nonpublic schools the right to discriminate and operate without public scrutiny.
The recently conducted phone survey used a representative sample of 801 registered voters in the state. It comes on the heels of Governor Kathy Hochul’s draft New York State budget, which proposes to keep the statewide cap on charters at 460 but remove the cap on charters in New York City. A quick calculation, courtesy of NYS Senator John C. Liu, explains that the city cap of 275 had been reached a few years ago. Currently, there are 357 charters operating statewide, so an additional 103 charters could be established throughout the state outside NYC, meaning the additional 103 charters would likely be established in NYC.
Rights of Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools (Advocates for Children of New York)
School Choice Series: Charter Schools — Implications for Children with Disabilities (National Council on Disability, 2018)
Education for Everyone? Charter Schools and Disability (Barnard College)
School choice had a big moment in the pandemic. But is it what parents want for the long run? (The Hechinger Report)