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

Help Build the New Online Assistive Technology Directory!

Excerpt from LinkedIn: (click for entire article)

As a part of Michigan’s approved State Plan for Assistive Technology, Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC) is developing an online directory of resources for all types of assistive technology. The Assistive Technology(AT) Directory will include information on:

    * Products for Sale
    * Devices to Rent
    * Repair and Maintenance Services
    * Funding and Financing
    * Evaluation/Assessment Services

California parents sue school district over non-challenging special ed curriculum they say is "babysitting"

Excerpt from Media dis&dat: (click for entire article)

Patrick MacAuley is on his school’s honor roll.

The 13-year-old earns 100 percent on many of his assignments. There are few red marks on his homework and hardly any corrections or comments.

That’s precisely what concerns his mom.

As a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, Patrick was enrolled in what’s known as a Special Day Class at Warren T. Eich Intermediate School in Roseville last year. But his mother Dodie MacAuley calls it “babysitting.” His homework — even the papers marked “A” — contain misspellings, incomplete and incorrect answers. He reads at a third-grade level.

“We just want him to get an education,” she said.

Autism society in Kenya tries to build awareness among parents, help them ease cost of treatment

Excerpt from Media dis&dat: (click for entire article)

When Felicity Ngungu, a grandmother of a 27-year-old autistic man, set up Kenya Autism Society in 2003, her aim was to create awareness and help parents ease their financial burden.

With many parents spending millions of shillings visiting one doctor to another, Ms Ngungu sought to sensitise the public on detecting the condition at an early age to avoid future financial strains.

New findings from the Autism Society of Kenya show that parents are spending a larger portion of their income on children diagnosed with autism.

Ms Ngungu, says some doctors often gives parents false hope that their children may be cured of the disorder with many spending millions of shillings on quacks who promise to do so.

Spotlight on Seniors

Excerpt from NSCLC: (click for entire article)

As I watch Elena Kagan's Senate confirmation hearings, I can't help but wonder whether others are noticing all of the aging issues that keep popping up.  Older adults are not getting explicit attention, but make no mistake, the issues being discussed have enormous implications for older adults.  What power can the federal government yield to protect vulnerable citizens?  What type of deference must the Court show when interpreting laws?  What responsibility does the Court have to ensure that powerful interests do not squelch the interests of ordinary citizens?
 
The answer to these questions have consequences for the safety net programs upon which vulnerable older adults rely.  The ability of these programs to deliver on their promise is dependent upon a Supreme Court that understands and respects that the purpose of these laws is to protect and provide for older adults and other intended beneficiaries.

Michigan football team's Jon Bills recovering well, feeling 'very lucky' after serious car accident

Patti's Comments:   I know you are all shocked that I posted an article about a Michigan football player, but his family and mine have been friends for over 4 generations of Greeks, and he is a North Farmington Graduate (Go Raiders). We are all glad to hear that all of them are alive and well. Lots of family Angels were looking after the guys and hopefully will continue to do so.  All the best from your extended Greek Camp Family.

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

Jon Bills had been looking forward to this day for months.

It’s a rite of passage in the Bills family. Turn 21 and get invited to the Tony Thrubis Greek Open, a guy’s weekend of golf and cards and relaxing and fun.

A couple dozen friends and relatives had already gathered at the family cottage up north when Bills, who celebrated his birthday last month, and his cousin, Michigan football teammate Mark Moundros, left Ann Arbor on June 4 after their regular Friday morning workout.
Bills_Jon_2009CT.JPG

They drove to Flint, where they met Mark’s brother, Kirk, and piled into Kirk’s Chevy truck for the second half of their four-hour drive to Lincoln, a lakeside community in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.

Blog This: JANE LYNCH in a New Campaign for VH1's Do Something Awards

Patti's Comments:   Oh Evil Sue from Glee, I love you and I love this campaign.

Excerpt from Benzinga: (click for entire article)

Jane Lynch's heartfelt honesty and deadpan delivery in comic roles, has made her one of today's most sought-after character actresses. Far from the role of Sue Sylvester on Fox's 'Glee', Jane has a thoughtful, poetic concern for humanity. She recently described herself as having "a fascination with the emotional experience" and is "essentially a hopeful person".

Despite the recent explosion of her popularity, her recent marriage to Lara Embry, a new season of Glee and her much anticipated return to Starz 'Party Down', Jane is set to host the 'Do Something Awards', broadcasting July 19th, on VH1. The award show is part of DoSomething.org, an organization boasting much success promoting volunteerism amongst young people.

Michael Jackson Stacks Paper From The Grave

Excerpt from NPR: (click for entire article)

If you walked into Hollywood's Amoeba Music in early June last year and asked for the Michael Jackson section, someone would have pointed you to a small selection of Jackson music that was dwarfed by Amoeba's hipper inventory: world music, hip-hop, jazz. It wasn't quite like asking for Barry Manilow, but almost.

Then Jackson died on June 25, and within an hour of the news rocketing around Los Angeles, things changed: "We put everything out, and every single copy of everything good just sold within the hour," says Daniel Tures, Amoeba's manager.

Dad Won't Pay For College, So Daughter Sues

Excerpt from NPR: (click for entire article)

A woman in Connecticut sued her father for failing to pay her tuition for her senior year of college. She won.

Her dad had to pay $47,000, according to the Connecticut Law Tribune.

In a 2004 divorce, the father agreed to pay for the education of his three children. The daughter persuaded him to sign a contract agreeing to pay for tuition as well as expenses such as books and car insurance.

The father paid for the first few years of the daughter's education at Southern Connecticut State University. But he refused to pay for her senior year, according to the article.

Not So Neighborly Associations Foreclosing On Homes

Excerpt from NPR: (click for entire article)

Capt. Mike Clauer was serving in Iraq last year as company commander of an Army National Guard unit assigned to escort convoys. It was exceedingly dangerous work — explosive devices buried in the road were a constant threat to the lives of Clauer and his men.

He was halfway through his deployment when he got a bolt from the blue — a frantic phone call from his wife, May, back in Texas.

"She was bawling on the phone and was telling me that the HOA [homeowners association] had foreclosed on our house, and it was sold," he says. "And I couldn't believe that could even happen."

Residential Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities: Status and Trends Through 2008

Excerpt from Poughkeepsie Journal: (click for entire article)

On June 30, 2008, 42 states operated 2,615 residential settings housing people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD), 45 fewer settings than in 2007. Of these 2,577 were facilities, special units or other settings primarily serving people
with ID/DD and 38 were psychiatric facilities. In 2008, 91.7% of these settings had 15 or fewer residents.

By June 30, 2008, nine states had closed all state operated residential facilities with 16 or more residents with ID/DD (Alaska, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia). States closed or downsized to fewer than 16 people their last state operated facility for people with ID/DD in the following years: New Hampshire, 1991; Vermont, 1993; Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, 1994; New Mexico, 1995; Alaska, 1997; and Maine, West Virginia and Hawaii, 1999. In 2009, Michigan and Oregon also closed their last state institution.