People with disabilities and families can use special needs trusts to save for the future. Watch this video to learn more about how they work. You can access the video slides here.
This video is also available in Spanish.
ABLE accounts are one way for people with disabilities to save money and not lose their public benefits. Learn more about them in this video. You can access the video slides here.
This video is also available in Spanish.
People with disabilities are often involved in the criminal justice system. They can be involved as either defendants or victims. A victim is someone who is hurt when a crime is committed. It’s important for victims to know that they have rights.
This session addresses three key rights:
James Meadours, a survivor of sexual violence, leads this discussion and provides insight into this topic.
This listening session is hosted by The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability (NCCJD) and supported by the People With Disabilities Foundation.
Participants will learn what bullying is, how to respond to it, and how to get support. Too many people with disabilities are experiencing bullying and harassment every day and often don’t know how to handle it. This second webinar in the “Know Your Rights” series will also explain the difference between bullying and harassment and talk about ways to heal.
Access the PowerPoint presentation here.
Every day, people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) are sexually abused.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) people also face high rates of sexual violence.
It is important that you talk openly with your medical providers about sexual abuse and abuse prevention.
This guide has suggestions to help you share your experiences with medical providers.
As a crime victim with a disability, it may be hard to know what to do. With this fact sheet, you can know your rights and where to find help.
The Arc of the United States was founded over 70 years ago by families who wanted their family members with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) included in every aspect of life. Yet, most people with IDD had to leave their families and go live in institutions to receive the daily supports they needed because of their disability.
Our system of services and supports for people with IDD has come a long way since those days, but many people with IDD and their families still struggle to plan for the services needed to live a quality life in the community. Many people with IDD wait years to get off the waiting list for services only to find few direct support professionals available to provide the services they need in the community and even more limited affordable and accessible housing. Even when they do find a home in the community and a trusted professional to meet their needs, they often have to start their search again in six months or a year because the turnover in the field is so high. Or worse, they move to another state to be near family after a parent dies and end up on the waiting list for services all over again.
Congress finally proposed a bill, the Home and Community-Based Services Access Act, to make changes to the system of support for people with disabilities to ensure community-based services are there for all people with disabilities who want to live their lives in the community, with their friends and family.
In this webinar, you will learn about barriers in the current system, the proposed changes, and what you can do to make sure these changes become a reality.
Speaker Bio: Nicole Jorwic was previously the Senior Director of Public Policy at The Arc of the US. Prior to joining The Arc, Nicole served as Senior Policy Advisor and Manager of the Employment First Initiative in Illinois. Prior to that appointment, Nicole served as the CEO/President of the Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities. Nicole is also an accomplished special education attorney and an advocate for students with disabilities and their families. Nicole received her JD and Child and Family Law Certificate from Loyola University and her BS from the University of Illinois. Nicole is also a sibling; her brother, Chris, is 31 and has autism.
Many chapters nationwide offer pooled special needs trusts to help people with disabilities pay for the things they want and need in their life while protecting their public benefits.
Pooled special needs trusts are run by non-profit organizations, like chapters of The Arc. Individual accounts are established for each beneficiary, but the accounts are pooled together for investment purposes. Beneficiaries or a designated representative make requests to use the trust money. The pooled trust manager will decide whether to approve the request. The pooled trust manager is responsible for complying with federal and state laws regarding special needs trusts.
Pooled trusts are often more affordable than individual special needs trusts and offer consistency for the beneficiary.
This database can help you find a chapter of The Arc near you that runs a pooled trust.
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.
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.
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.
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