Ensuring Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) During COVID-19

/in , , , /by Pam Katz

This session explored some of the common hurdles for students with disabilities in distance learning/hybrid models during the pandemic. The presenters shared recommended practices and effective strategies that promote equity and meaningful progress. The presentation includes practical tips for families that can be put to use immediately.

Download the presentation slides here.

Speakers:

  • Denise Stile Marshall,M.S., CEO, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
  • Amy Bonn, Esq., Member and Consulting Attorney, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)

For further questions, please email school@thearc.org.

 

Planificación Futura: Es Posible y Necesaria

/in , , , , , /by The Arc

This webinar on future planning for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) was presented in Spanish.

Planning for the future is important for all families. Thinking about the future can be challenging and emotional. However, experience shows that people with disabilities make a better transition from the family home when a future plan is in place. A future plan can also provide peace of mind for caregivers of people with IDD. Learn from staff at The Arc of the United States on how to get these discussions started and the steps your family should take to create a future plan. This presentation also provides an overview of The Arc’s Center for Future Planning website and resources that can help facilitate discussions to create a future plan.

Hacer planes para el futuro es importante para todas las familias. Pensar en el futuro puede ser emotivo y desafiante. Sin embargo, la experiencia muestra que los adultos con discapacidades logran una mejor transición de la casa familiar cuando tienen un plan futuro. Tener un plan también le puede dar tranquilidad a los cuidadores de las personas con discapacidades intelectuales y de desarrollo. Aprenda de personal de The Arc cómo empezar estas discusiónes y los pasos que su familia debe seguir para crear un plan futuro. Esta presentación también proporciona una descripción general del sitio web del Centro de Planificación Futura de The Arc y de los recursos que pueden ayudar a facilitar las discusiones para crear un plan futuro.

Presentation Slides

A Forum on Financial Planning for People With IDD

/in , , , , , /by Pam Katz

The ability to save is crucial in securing a life plan for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who often rely on public benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and housing and food assistance to pay for things that they need to live in the community. However, many public benefits have very strict limits on how much money you can have to qualify and keep the benefits. How do people know what public benefits they are eligible for? How can people save to buy the things they want and need when they have so little money to start with? What are special needs trusts and ABLE accounts, and when should people have one? Our panel of experts provides an overview of these important issues, plus helpful resources.

Presentation Slides

Q&A

Financial Planning for Families With a Member With Special Needs: by Theresa Varnet

Speaker Bios

Theresa Varnet

Theresa Varnet, M.S.W. J.D., has been an advocate for people with disabilities and their families for over 50 years. She is a former teacher and social worker and is now an attorney with Spain, Spain & Varnet, P.C. in Chicago, Illinois and Fletcher Tilton, P.C. in Worcester, Massachusetts. Theresa joined the Arc in 1968 and has been an active volunteer with chapters of The Arc in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Kentucky. She is also the parent of an adult daughter with IDD.

Miranda Kennedy

Miranda Kennedy is the Director of the ABLE National Resource Center (ABLE NRC), the leading source of information on Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts. ABLE NRC’s mission is to educate, promote and support the positive impact ABLE can make on the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities and their families. Miranda served as Director of Training for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s national Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) and Disability Program Navigator Initiative (DPN) from 2006-2018. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Denver Institute for Public Policy Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from University of Colorado at Boulder.

Delores Sallis

Delores Sallis is the founder of Parent University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Parent University serves as a resource for black families of people with disabilities and helps them navigate the systems of support for people with disabilities, including school systems, in the Milwaukee area. Delores has a great passion for the families she serves, because she knows there is a great divide of resources. Delores is the mother of five children, the youngest of which has multiple disabilities. She also has a granddaughter with cerebral palsy.

Alexa Blueprints and Routines

/in , , , , , /by Pam Katz

Talking to technology is something that most of us do every day. It’s become commonplace to ask a device to set a timer or turn something on or off rather than touching a button or flicking a switch. Amazon Alexa offers two new ways for students, educators, and parents to use their voice to interact with technology that can save time, deepen learning, and provide access to critical information.

With Alexa Blueprints and Alexa Routines, students can now track upcoming events on their calendar, create study resources, or even make appointments – all without needing to open their computer. Teachers can use Alexa to prepare for upcoming lessons, create quizzes and offer Q&A resources to students. And administrators can quickly access information needed for planning and communicate with faculty about dates, timelines and meetings.

With feedback from parents and educators, Alexa Blueprints now offers a feature that focuses on helping students regulate their emotions. Parents, educators, support professionals, and students themselves can access breathing and meditation exercises, calming music and even a “glow” that changes in color and intensity, all ways to help with self-regulation. It also features the capacity to build “social stories” that model desired routines and good behaviors.

For more information, check out this overview and this user guide to get started.

Town Hall: The Arc’s Response to COVID-19 and Plans for the Future

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by Pam Katz

We are in the midst of a global health pandemic that is wreaking havoc on all of our lives and has been particularly devastating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. While we battle COVID-19, we must also plan for the future and the challenges ahead. In the wake of this health emergency and economic crisis, we need to organize and advocate more than ever before. The human rights of people with IDD and the supports and services they need to both live in and be valued members of their communities are at stake.

This Town Hall delves into The Arc’s response to the pandemic, the progress we’ve made, and the threats that remain. We also unveiled the new Strategic Framework for the Future of The Arc¸ a dynamic plan to build a more powerful, nationwide disability community movement.

View Town Hall Presentation Slides here.

View a transcript of the discussion here. 

Emergency Planning: Preparing for the Unexpected

/in , , , , , /by Pam Katz

As we begin to come out of the current phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a time for reflection. How can we plan for crises and emergencies? Emergency planning is tough but important. Planning ahead can help ensure that you, your family, and people with disabilities know what to do when crises happen. Now more than ever, we are learning to adapt when we are isolated, the importance of pre-establishing key relationships in the community, and pre-planning for any emergency. Our webinar speaker will provide tips and strategies that people with disabilities, families, and disability professionals can use to help plan for when disasters strike. Many of our tips will be applicable to the current COVID-19 pandemic, but we also will provide strategies that you can use to prepare for different types of emergencies.

Speaker Bio:
Jill Pidcock is the Executive Director of The Arc of the Central Mountains in Colorado. Jill serves on several Boards of Directors and Committees to further her efforts to increase awareness and put plans and services into action, including Colorado Collaboration for Autism and other Neurological Disability Options (CO-CANDO) and Family Supports and Services Program for the local Community Centered Board. She is also on the Early Dispute Resolution Advisory Board and is a facilitator for Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP), two programs managed by the Colorado Department of Education.

View the PowerPoint slides

Preparedness Workbook-English

Preparedness Workbook-Spanish

COVID-19 Resources-English

COVID-19 Resources-Spanish

Video: Preparing for Disasters

Strategic Framework for the Future of The Arc

/in , , , , , , /by Pam Katz

What does true inclusion and equity look like for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities?

As we look to the future of disability rights, The Arc is excited to meet this question head on with our new Strategic Framework for the Future of The Arc.

This document is also available in plain language and Spanish.

This framework is intended to be a guiding light for our work across the local, state, and national levels. It is the result of an exhaustive, two-year process—culminating in the middle of a global pandemic and human rights reckoning that will shape our advocacy for years to come.

Now more than ever, The Arc must do its part to strategically build the disability rights movement into a more diverse and powerful force for change. We are proud to present our Strategic Framework for the Future of The Arc, which will guide us along this journey.

 

Debunking the Myths of Supported Decision-Making and Guardianship

/in , , , , , , /by Pam Katz

Being able to make your own decisions about your own life is one of the most important rights that people have. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have the same right to make decisions about their lives as people without disabilities. However, their ability to make their own decisions is often questioned by teachers, doctors, family members, and others. Research has shown that individuals with reduced self-determination have diminished quality of life outcomes and are less likely to live and be integrated into their community. Guardianship can be an obstacle to the development of self-determination skills. However, people with IDD are at an increased risk of being placed under guardianship, and guardianship is frequently still the only option presented and utilized by families and supporters of people with IDD. This webinar will describe guardianship and less restrictive decision-making alternatives, as well as help debunk some of the myths about guardianship and supported decision-making that persist.

View the webinar’s slide deck here.

See a Q&A with links and resources here.

Speaker Bios:

Morgan Whitlatch
Morgan Whitlatch is the Legal Director of Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, a non-profit advocacy organization that has advanced the interests of people with developmental disabilities since 2002. She is also the Lead Project Director of the National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making. Morgan has devoted her legal career to working with and on behalf of people with disabilities in matters involving capacity, guardianship and alternatives, and the right to self-determination; community integration; living free from abuse and neglect; and accessing public benefits and services. Prior to joining Quality Trust in 2009, Morgan was an attorney at Disability Rights Rhode Island, the state’s protection and advocacy program for people with disabilities. Morgan graduated with honors from Georgetown University Law Center, and with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, from Wesleyan University.

Shawn Ullman
As Senior Director of National Initiatives, Shawn Ullman leads The Arc’s individual and family support initiatives, which seek to provide reliable information and assistance to people with IDD, their family members, and the professionals who support them on topics such as navigating special education and disability services, healthy aging, housing, decision-making, financial planning, and healthy relationships. Prior to joining The Arc, Shawn was a staff attorney with Disability Rights DC, the protection and advocacy agency for the District of Columbia, for 11 years where she advocated for children and adults with developmental disabilities to obtain the services and supports they need to live, learn, and work in the community. Shawn received her bachelor’s degree in political science from DePauw University in 1997 and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2001.