Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

2009 College Scholarships for Students with Parents with Disabilities

Patti's Comments:  Important scholarship information:

2009 College Scholarships for Students with

Parents with Disabilities Announcement

 All application materials must be completed and postmarked by Monday March 16, 2009.

Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families are pleased to announce new scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who have parents with disabilities.  These scholarships are part of Through the Looking Glass’ new federal grant  (New National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families). Please note that these are new awards and have different application procedures than in the past.  There are two separate scholarship awards, and each has separate eligibility requirements:

1. High School Seniors.  To be eligible, a student must be a high school graduate (or graduating senior) by Summer 2009, planning to attend college in Fall 2009 and have at least one parent with a disability. Five separate $1000 awards will be given out in Fall 2009. Individuals may submit only one application per award period.

2. College Students. To be eligible, a student must be currently enrolled in a college or university, be 21 years of age or younger as of  March 16, 2009, and have at least one parent with a disability. Five separate $1000 awards will be given out in Fall 2009. Individuals may submit only one application per award period.

Selection criteria for all scholarships include academic performance, community activities and service, letters of recommendation and an essay describing the experience of growing up with a parent with a disability.

These Scholarships are also part of a research study on young adult children of parents with disabilities.  As explained in the Consent Form in the Application, you may be willing to participate in an optional survey about young adult children of parents with disabilities.  The additional information you submit on this survey will not affect your scholarship chances and will not be disclosed to anyone outside the project researchers; all identifying information will be removed.  If you consent to participate in this optional survey, we will email you the survey after we have received your completed application.

Thanks,

Scholarships Coordinator
Through the Looking Glass

The National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families
2198 Sixth Street, Suite 100
Berkeley, CA 94710
(800) 644-2666 (voice)
(800) 804-1616 (TDD/TTY)
FAX: (510) 848-4445
Website: http://www.lookingglass.org/

Economy shreds hopes of disabled

Patti's Comments:  It is really a shame that there is still such a shortage in services for folks, and long waiting lists for support.
 
From Rocky Mountain News: (click for entire article)

The flush of optimism the developmentally disabled community felt last summer with the signing of legislation to give them long-awaited relief and opportunities is fading fast.

The 10 bills Gov. Bill Ritter signed June 5 were meant to provide jobs for the disabled, increase oversight of care and reduce by as many as 700 the number of people on a years-long waiting list for service.

The waiting list is being pared slowly, but the econmy's collapse is wiping out nearly all of the other gains.

None of the job programs is under way, an online registry of abusive or neglectful caregivers isn't close to being ready and legislation seen as providing the next big steps forward for the disabled won't be introduced.

Lagging tax revenues are forcing almost every aspect of state government to scale back. But advocates for the developmentally disabled say they fear for that community if hard-earned gains are rolled back.

Innovation in Diversity Awards

Patti's Comments:  Anyone working with an innovative vocational program may consider nominating folks for this award.

Now accepting nominations for Innovation in Diversity Awards

A diverse workforce can approach problems more creatively or find new opportunies. We're looking for companies that can provide measurable results on those fronts.

Innovations that have been launched within the past two years and have delivered a positive outcome will be considered. Winners will be honored at the Diversity Conference and featured in the March 30 edition of Crain's Detroit Business.

Click here to fill out the nomination form.  Nominations are due Jan. 12.

Questions? Contact Jennette Smith, assistant managing editor/Focus at jhsmith@crain.com,  or call 313. 446.1622.

District Seeks To Privatize Services for Mentally Ill

Patti's Comments:  Hopefully this will improve access to services for folks!

From The Washington Post:  (click for entire article)

D.C. officials are planning to privatize the city's mental health agency, a cost-cutting move that union leaders say would put about 200 health-care professionals out of work and force thousands of emotionally troubled residents to seek private care.

An audit of the D.C. Community Services Agency this year found that the city could save as much as $14 million by contracting the bulk of its services to private agencies. Health-care advocates who support the transition said the shift is needed because the agency duplicates many services provided by private clinics.

The Department of Mental Health is preparing a transition plan that is expected to be submitted to the D.C. Council soon. The plan is expected to recommend shifting most mental health services provided by the Community Services Agency to private agencies by the start of summer.

The Autism Christmas Miracle in the Church

Patti's Comments:  I just have to share this touching post from this mom. At my daughter’s holiday band concert I watched a family go through a similar situation without the same amount of success. Thankfully the community was understanding and made the family feel welcome anyway. It brought back memories for me of traveling with my children when they were young (or even now on some days). I hope that when any of us see folks supporting family members in need of assistance to participate in a church service, concert or other community outing, that we go out of our way to make them feel a welcome part of the community. This should apply to babies, seniors, and folks with disabilities, or in my case, fighting siblings. Peace, Love and Understanding to you all this Holiday Season!

From StimTalk blog:  (click for entire post)

For the record, we’re Catholic. Typical daughter goes to Catholic school. Autistic son to public. Both are in the perfect place for them. (I won’t get into how ridiculous their different vacation schedules are…)

Do we go to Mass every week? No. Every month? No. On holidays? Does running the Girl Scout cookie booth sale in the church lobby on Palm Sunday count?

Hey, my daughter gets her religious education during the school day and she goes to Mass once a week with her class. That’s something, right? It’s not really that I’m lazy. I just think that burning in hell for eternity would be less painful than suffering through an hour in church with my little angel boy.

And God gave our family autism, right? So He presumably understands. And hopefully forgives. But I digress…

2008 - The Year in Review

Patti's Comments:  See link below for important public policy information from the National Center for Learning Disabilities:

Download NCLD_Newsletter

Casey Martin at ease in Oregon

Patti's Comments:  I am very glad to hear that things have worked out for Casey Martin. I think he is a very brave guy!

From SFGate: (click for entire article)

In 2000, Casey Martin found himself serving as grand marshal of a parade he wanted no part of.  On the PGA Tour that year, Martin was the guy in the golf cart.

He has a congenital circulation problem in his right leg that prevents him from walking a course, so he asked the PGA to allow him to ride in a cart. The PGA reacted as if Martin had asked to drive a Sherman tank.  That's a fitting analogy, because a figurative war ensued. The PGA fought Martin with a battalion of lawyers, and with testimony from Jack Nicklaus and lesser gods.

While waging the fight he eventually would win in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2001, Martin was allowed to use a cart. He had long dreamed of being on the PGA tour, but he was now more like a weird appendage to it, especially with all the attention he and his cart received.

Martin recently told Golf Digest, "When we go to heaven, we will all be whole. We'll all have perfect bodies, physical ones. I don't know if there will be golf - the Bible sort of hints against it - but no way will there be golf carts."

Exceptional Parent magazine enters media partnership with UCP's new Web venture

Patti's Comments:  As many of you may know, I am on the board of UCP of Metro Detroit.

From Media dis&dat: (click for entire article)

EP Global Communications, Inc. the parent company of Exceptional Parent (EP) magazine, announced Dec. 16 that it has entered into a media partnership with United Cerebral Palsy of New York City (UCP/NYC) and UCP national. This agreement includes the use of certain media content developed by EP for a new Web site called http://www.mychildwithoutlimits.org/.

My Child Without Limits is a comprehensive informational and social networking resource for families and caregivers of children ages 0-5 with cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities and for the professionals who work with them. The site will be launched in January 2009 by UCP/NYC in collaboration with the national office of UCP and its more than 100 national and international affiliates.

As the Media Partner to My Child Without Limits, EP will provide copyrighted materials for use on the Web site. Edward R. Matthews, CEO of UCP/NYC, affirmed, "EP's library of highly regarded content is a valuable asset for this site, which is intended to be both an authoritative content destination as well as a community support resource. Their participation brings additional resources to this initiative."

"We are excited to partner with EP to get the word out about My Child Without Limits," said Stephen Bennett, President & CEO, United Cerebral Palsy, Inc. "It will be the one-stop shop for parents and professionals and help children with disabilities start achieving a life without limits at an early age."

Exceptional Parent magazine has published extensively on the subject of cerebral palsy and related issues during its 38 years as a leading resource in the special needs community. EP President and CEO, Joseph M. Valenzano, Jr., explains, "We are grateful for the opportunity to expand our working relationship with UCP in helping parents and caregivers better access valuable need-to-have information that can help improve the quality of life for people with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities."

Deaf Life to name John Yeh Deaf Person of the Year for 2008

Patti's Comments:  Now this is an inspiration!

From Media dis&dat: (click for entire article)

John Yeh came to the U.S. as a deaf teenager; today, he heads a multimillion-dollar tech firm.

"The quality of life for deaf people depends greatly on the quality of communication," says John T.C. Yeh, president and CEO of Viable Inc. of Rockville, which develops technologies for the hearing-impaired community.

Starting a business in itself is a daunting enough task, with hurdles such as acquiring funds, paying taxes, meeting payroll, finding clients and learning the ropes. In fact, at least one-third of new small businesses fail in their first two years and more than half in their first four years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Add to that being deaf, emigrating from another nation and having to learn English, and you will begin to understand what John T.C. Yeh has overcome in leading the impressive growth of several Rockville businesses.

Yeh said he felt he had little choice but to take the entrepreneurial route, after being turned down for numerous jobs in the 1970s, despite earning a master's in computer sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a bachelor's in mathematics from Gallaudet University.

He was often told that his lack of English skills was the key factor blocking suitable employment, but Yeh also thought being deaf played a role. He finally found a job as a computer programmer back at Gallaudet, the Washington university that specializes in education for deaf people, but yearned for something more.

"Many companies then couldn't deal with someone with a disability in the workplace," said Yeh, 61, speaking through sign language and an interpreter in his Rockville office that contains a wall full of awards from President Reagan, the SBA and others. "A lot of people with a disability have potential and can contribute. Many businesses didn't understand that [decades ago], but more have become open-minded."

Caretaker stole thousands from man with CP

Patti's Comments:  All too familiar story!

From Media dis&dat: (click for entire article)

Police said that a missing roll of quarters helped a disabled patient discover that his caretaker had stolen thousands of dollars from him, 10TV's Maureen Kocot reported. According to police, Darren Wray was hired to take care of a man who suffered from cerebral palsy. Wray and his patient were together every day.

"There were nights that (Wray) would stay nights at his house," said Columbus police Det. Wyatt Wilson. "While he slept (Wray) would play video games, be on his computer and so forth."

At one point, the patient noticed a missing roll of quarters and contacted the company that employed Wray. Police then uncovered several crimes that he had allegedly committed, Kocot reported.

Police said that on Dec. 2, Wray attempted to purchase a car from a Columbus car dealership. When Wray did not qualify for car financing, police said he forged the patient's signature on paperwork.

"He had told the dealership that it was his grandfather and he was unable to come in because he had Parkinson's disease," Wilson said.

In addition to forging the patient's signature, court documents allege that Wray altered a copy of the victim's driver's license. It is also alleged that Wray made a down payment of $6,000 using a credit card in the patient's name, Kocot reported.