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

Synagogues offer education about disabilities in February

Excerpt from The Sacramento Bee: (click for entire article)

Three local synagogues will commemorate Jewish Disability Awareness Month with special Sabbath services next weekend.

This February is the third annual Jewish Disability Awareness Month. It is recognized for the purpose of "raising awareness and supporting meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities and their families in every aspect of Jewish life," according to a release from the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento region.

Special services will be led by individuals with disabilities and their families and will feature guest speakers, disability awareness activities and education programs, according to the release.

Program gives caregivers a break

Excerpt from The Sun Times: (click for entire article)

A new volunteer-run program is being offered in Owen Sound to provide temporary care to people with life-threatening or debilitating illnesses while at the same time giving caregivers short-term relief from the day-to-day task of supporting a loved one.

The Grey Bruce Palliative Care Hospice Association has received $32,000 in seed money from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to set up The Dove Loft — a furnished suite on the top floor of Francis' Place — where trained volunteers provide non-medical support and comfort to clients for up to one week.

John Tennant, the association's volunteer executive director, said the primary goal of the loft is to provide respite for people who are caring for a loved one who is ill.

"Caregiver burnout is a big issue," he said Friday.

Expanding Employment and Career Options for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum in 21st Century Digital Media and Communications Technology

Excerpt from The Arc Michigan: (click for entire article)

As we begin the second decade of the twenty first century, we recognize that digital media and communication technology permeate every level of our rapidly changing global society. We also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the 35th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the 38th anniversaries of the Rehabilitation Act of 1972 and the creation of Supplemental Security Income, together with the 40th anniversary of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, the 45th anniversaries of Medicare and Medicaid and the 75th anniversary of the Social Security Act.  In spite of these signifi cant and landmark laws which were enacted to advance the fi nancial status, health status, education, employment and legal and civil rights of individuals living with disabilities, as well as the investment of billions of dollars of federal funding to promote the American dream for all, the promise of increased opportunities for integrated employment and career advancement for individuals with all types of disabilities has not been realized. In the U.S., 65 percent of people experiencing long term poverty (greater than one year) are individuals with disabilities (Fernstad, 2009). The 2010 Kessler/NOD Survey of Americans with Disabilities, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals no substantial gains on 10 key indicators since 1990.

2011 Income Tax Guide

Excerpt from The Arc Michigan: (click for entire article)

This authoritative income tax guide has proven invaluable for families and individuals concerned about tax deductions and credits related to the care and support of a child or an adult with an intellectual or developmental disability. After thirty-seven issues, this booklet has become an annual “must-have” for the informed parent. Many of the figures contained within this guide are calculations by CCH, Inc., based on its Consumer Price Index estimates due to official IRS tables not being released in time for either publication.

Integrated listening system - case study

Excerpt from Autism Support Network: (click for entire article)

Presenting Problem:
Autism Spectrum Disorder with Pragmatic Language Deficits, Auditory Processing Weaknesses, Sensory Integration Dysfunction and Gross/Fine Motor Skill Delays.

Therapeutic Goals:
Goals of therapy focused on decreasing echolalia in conversation and improving the following: eye contact during conversation, initiations and engagement, auditory processing skills, pretend play, phonological awareness, verbal sequencing and expression, body balance and core strength, motor planning and sequencing skills, categorization skills, spatial orientation skills, localization of tactile stimulation, constructional praxis, bilateral coordination skills, praxis on verbal command and design copying to within normal limits as compared to peers.

The Autism Society Launches New Website

Excerpt from The Autism Society: (click for entire article)

Last week, the Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, launched its new website, www.autism-society.org. The new site will continue to serve as the top “go-to” source for the autism community worldwide while introducing new user experiences such as a blog, seamless interaction with our social media channels, an art gallery and “story spaces” where visitors can share their stories with millions of users each year.

ADVISORY: Kaiser Briefing on Opportunities for Long-Term Services in Health Reform; HHS Secretary Sebelius to Give Opening Remarks

Excerpt from Kaiser Family Foundation:

The Kaiser Family Foundation will hold a policy briefing at 10 a.m. Monday, February 7, 2011 to examine provisions in the health reform law designed to improve long-term services and supports. The event will feature opening remarks by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, as well as a panel discussion on Medicaid’s role and Kaiser’s latest data findings regarding long-term services and supports for seniors and people with disabilities.

The briefing will include a presentation of new data and findings on home- and community-based services and Money Follows the Person transition grants by Molly O’Malley Watts, a former Senior Policy Analyst for the Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU). It also will include perspective from Barbara Edwards, Director, Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Mercedes Witowski, Associate Executive Director, Community Access Unlimited in New Jersey, as well as one other state-based expert to be announced. Diane Rowland, Executive Vice President of The Kaiser Family Foundation and Executive Director of the KCMU, will moderate.

WHAT: Briefing, “Opportunities for Long-Term Services and Supports in the Health Reform Law”

WHEN:
Monday, February 7, 2011
10 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. ET (Registration and breakfast beginning at 9:30 a.m.)

WHERE:
Barbara Jordan Conference Center (Kaiser Family Foundation Office)
1330 G Street NW, Washington, DC (one block west of Metro Center)

RSVP:
Please register online to attend this event in person.

CONTACT:
For further information, please contact Chris Lee at 202-347-5270, or Craig Palosky at (202) 347-5270.

An Unwanted Inheritance

Excerpt from Newsweek: (click for entire article)

Greg Martin wasn’t sure what to expect when his mother died last May, forcing him to return to his childhood home for the first time in nearly 18 years. The house, located on a pleasant block in San Diego, had always been cluttered, but now it was virtually uninhabitable. “There were piles as tall as me, six feet or so,” Greg said. “Where there used to be floor, there were trails—a foot and a half high, so you’d be walking on stuff.” Greg was forced to navigate through piles of magazines, papers, and books, plastic bags filled with thrift-store purchases, expired medicine bottles and literally tons of clothes. The only “living space” was a small pocket by the front door, where his mother, a colorful and fiercely independent woman, had collapsed shortly before her death at the age of 83. Greg, who has taken a leave of absence from his job, expected that cleaning out the house would take six months. It’s now been eight—and counting.

Shirver Center Financial Webinar for People with Disabilities

Excerpt from NALSWD Blog: (click for entire article)

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and The Abilities Fund are hosting a FREE webinar on strategies and innovative programs that promote asset building and independence for individuals with disabilities. To get more information and register for the event click here.

WEBINAR: Accessible Assets, Part 2
Thursday, February 17, 2011
1:30 PM- 3:00 PM CST
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/786745491

People with disabilities have lower employment levels, report lower levels of savings, and are more likely to experience poverty than those without disabilities. The inextricable connection between disability and poverty requires special attention to developing policies and programs to give people the ability to save, acquire assets and permanently escape poverty.

Saline education program cultivates independence for adults with disabilities

Excerpt from AnnArbor.com: (click for entire article)

Lee Ann Redies says she’s made friends and learned new skills in her first three weeks at Liberty Club, a new four-day-a-week program for adults with disabilities that meets in Room 20 of Liberty School in Saline.

And she’s not alone. Amy Acree of Saline has learned about healthful eating by drawing and discussing the food pyramid.

Lance Massie, another participant and Saline resident, enjoys sanding and painting wooden cars during meetings of the club, which aims to build job skills as well as provide a safe and educational environment for people who may have few other outlets.

Massie has also cultivated business skills through the Saline school system. For the past five years, he's run a small dog-walking and pet-sitting business.

Saline Community Education started Liberty Club earlier this month to assist the families of adults with disabilities, whose needs extend beyond the school years. After age 26, a Saline student is no longer under the district's umbrella, and caregivers must plan daily supervision and continuing education -- no small feat when parents work day jobs or need to go out of town.