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Another SLI has Come and Gone!

/in /by The Arc
This year’s Summer Leadership Institute was a resounding success – but don’t just take it from us!

A note from Carrie Hobbs Guiden, NCE Chair, Executive Director, The Arc of Tennessee:

Carrie Hobbs-Guiden

Carrie Hobbs-Guiden

It is hard to believe that another NCE SLI has come and gone!  With over 50 speakers, 30 sessions, and over 25 topics, it was hard to choose who and what to attend.  We had so many amazing sessions this year and over 100 new attendees joined us to experience this wonderful program. Our conference was opened with the story of how SAP is tapping into the often unrecognized talent of people on the autism spectrum by Jose Velasco, head of SAP’s Autism@Work and closed with a thought-provoking address on how to look beyond inclusion to foster a sense of belonging for people with I/DD in their communities drew many questions from the audience. In between, we were captivated and emotional by Chris and Nicole Jorwic’s story of Chris finding his voice; intrigued by Alonzo Kelly’s many insights into building effective relationships by examining the intersection of emotional intelligence, book smarts and life experience (especially his “pause two–seconds” rule before responding); explored ways to engage our DSP workforce with insights from both The Arc of Prince George’s County and John Dickerson from Quillo; identified ways to maximize legal advocacy with state leaders from Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania; and amazed by the magic of Michael Karl and his ability to have us look at our environments in new ways. And so much more.

Though the weather was less than ideal, we learned that it takes more than a few clouds to dampen our spirits! Between the raindrops, over 80 attendees took on the Great SLI Instagram Scavenger Hunt and took Penn’s Landing by storm. Please check out the fun on Instagram with the #NCESLI2018 (My team did come in 2nd). Of course, the Phillies and Dodgers decided to go to extra innings (16!?!?!) and an intrepid few even made it to inning 13!

We laughed, we talked, we engaged, we networked, we pondered, we explored, we learned, and we’ve come home with experiences and connections that can help us continue to grow and be strong.

If you just came back from SLI 2018, don’t forget to give us your feedback with the online attendee questionnaire. And if you missed 2018, don’t worry, we’ll be doing it all again in 2019! 

 

And, we heard from first-time attendee and speaker Dante Martin from The Arc of Prince George’s County:

As a first time attendee and speaker at the NCE SLI conference, I was extremely impressed with how well organized the entire event was, in particular, the concise and very informative presentations of each speaker as well as the ability to access each sessions notes using the NCE website. Furthermore, the breakout session provided greater opportunities for interaction with the audience who were more apt to engage on topics of interest and relevance to their area of service.

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The Arc Condemns Plan to Fund Paid Leave by Putting Retirement Security at Risk

/in /by The Arc

Today, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation to provide new parents with a partially-paid leave benefit, funded by cutting their future Social Security retirement benefits. Representative Ann Wagner (R-MO) has indicated that she plans to introduce similar legislation in September.

“While we appreciate Senator Rubio and Representative Wagner turning their attention to paid leave, this legislation completely misses the mark. It is unconscionable to make workers choose between time with their family after the birth or adoption of a child and a secure retirement.

“In addition, this legislation offers a very limited benefit that won’t meet the needs of many families, such as parents who need extended leave to care for an infant born with multiple disabilities. Furthermore, this plan doesn’t address the most common reason workers take leave – namely, to address a serious illness of their own or of a family member.

“It is shocking that the authors of this bill think that asking people to sacrifice their future financial security for time with their family is appropriate or a solution. Our nation can and should put in place an inclusive and fiscally responsible paid leave policy that reflects the full range of workers’ leave needs, including people with disabilities and their families. The Arc calls on Congress to reject the Rubio/Wagner plan and the harmful trade-offs that it promotes,” said Peter V. Berns, CEO of The Arc.

A 2017 research paper by The Arc and the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality found that workers with disabilities and working family members of people with disabilities face significant barriers to economic security and stability. On average, lower incomes and added disability-related costs leave many people with disabilities and their families disproportionately living in or near poverty, including in old age. These findings highlight the importance of paid family and medical leave and Social Security to the financial well-being of people with disabilities and their families.

The Arc recently released the Family & Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS) Community Report 2017. The FINDS Survey results highlight the challenges faced by caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in our nation. With respondents reporting an average of 57 hours of support provided to their loved one each week, 95% of caregivers reported being stressed and nearly 50% reporting being very or extremely stressed. Nearly 90% of caregivers reported that partial paid leave would be helpful to them as they support their loved one with I/DD.

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The Arc Responds to Trump Administration’s Final Rule on Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance

/in /by The Arc

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services released the final “short-term plan” rule. These “short-term plans” can provide hollow coverage with hidden gaps for those who sign up. Expanding short-term plans will raise premiums and reduce plan choices for individuals and employers in the regular insurance market.

The proposal expands availability of a group of products that may implement discriminatory practices. This will likely draw healthier individuals off the Marketplace by offering them skinnier, medically-underwritten products, which will inflate prices and out-of-pocket costs on the Marketplace. The Arc believes that insurance coverage must ensure access to timely, affordable, high quality, and comprehensive health care that meets the needs of individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions.

Expanding access to short-term plans will move us even further away from achieving these goals. Short-term plans are not subject to consumer protections that have tremendous value for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, such as mandated essential health benefits, protections for people with pre-existing conditions, prohibitions on use of lifetime or annual caps, and other non-discrimination provisions. For these reasons, The Arc, in partnership with a coalition of other disability rights organizations known as the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, released comments earlier this year opposing this rule.

“The Affordable Care Act ended the practice of discriminatory health insurance practices; this rule allows insurance companies to once again set higher premiums based on health conditions. This limits access to comprehensive coverage and that will have a dire impact on people with significant health issues, like individuals with chronic illness and disabilities.

“Make no mistake, today’s final rule undermines current law and puts Americans with pre-existing conditions at risk. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the Affordable Care Act and the benefits it provides for people with disabilities,” said Julie Ward, Deputy Executive Officer for Public Policy, The Arc.