Please join our Special Education Advocates, Karen Lynch and Jennifer O’Neill on January 26th, 2021  from 9:30 am - 10:30 am, for a workshop and an open discussion (virtual/Zoom) on preparing  parents/caregivers and/or students for their CSE or 504 meeting.  

Topics that will be discussed include the following: 

• An overview on ways to review an Individualized  Education Program (IEP) or 504 Accommodation  Plan, school documents (evaluations, assessments, other plans, or data); 
• Methods and strategies to facilitate discussions to  help determine an appropriate education that  meets your child’s needs;  
• Tips and Techniques to become an effective self advocate; 
• Approaches to help ensure a child stays in  school, accesses the curriculum/services and  reaches educational goals; 
• Finding where and how to access information on  other community resources and services.

Date & Time: 
January 26, 2021 
9:30am - 10:30am

Presenters: 
Karen Lynch and  
Jennifer O’Neill,  
Special Education Advocates

Zoom Meeting: 
Register in advance  
by clicking this link:  
Helping Families Prepare  for A CSE or 504 Meeting


After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the  workshop, which will include the Zoom link. 

​For additional information regarding advocacy and our services, please feel free to contact either  Karen Lynch at k.lynch@taconicresources.org 845-249-8293  
or Jennifer O’Neill at j.oneill@taconicresources.org at 845-214-7893.  

You may also complete and return our intake form by visiting: https://taconicresources.org/parent intake-form/ and our advocates will contact you to schedule a remote intake.  

If you require a Sign Language Interpreter to participate in this meeting, please contact Karen Lynch  by Friday, January 22nd k.lynch@taconicresources.org  

Funding for this program is provided by OPWDD Family Support Program, ACCES-VR and Dutchess County Agency  Partner Grant. As a result of these generous grants, this service is free to the families and individuals that we serve.

​

President’s Budget for FY 2021 Released
President Trump has released his Budget Request for the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021). This is the first step in the complex process of funding the federal government and is indicative of the Administration’s policy priorities. The House and Senate budget committees will review the budget and create their own versions, which will need to be passed by all relevant committees and through both chambers of Congress before becoming law. The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network has put together a plain-language toolkit of the budgetary process for those who would like more information about how this complicated process works.
Unfortunately, the President’s budget contains many cuts to programs that support people with disabilities, such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Our colleagues at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities have put forth an initial analysis of this budget.
It should be noted that this budget is not expected to be adopted by the Democrat-controlled House, which has very different priorities for funding and systemic reforms. We anticipate that the budget ultimately passed by the House will look very different from that proposed by the Administration and will not contain the same drastic cuts to many of the safety-net programs upon which people with disabilities rely.


New HCBS Infrastructure Bill Introduced
The HCBS Infrastructure Improvement Act has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). This bill would provide funding for critical infrastructure in states’ Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) systems, including around workforce, employment, integrated housing, and transportation. A House version of the bill is also in the works and is expected to be introduced next month. NDSC is supporting this bill and will ramp up advocacy efforts for it in the near future.


 Medicaid Waivers for Block Grants Approved
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a proposal, called Healthy Adult Opportunity (HAO), to invite states to restructure their Medicaid funding into block grants. Currently, Medicaid is financed by a federal-state partnership with an unlimited federal match tied to a state’s needs and funding levels. This new proposal would allow the federal government to cap the amount of funding it provides to states for certain Medicaid beneficiaries, including some people with disabilities, many direct support professionals, and other allies of people with disabilities who obtained Medicaid through the Medicaid expansion in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We have serious concerns about this new model because states would be allowed to restrict eligibility, provide limited health care benefits, reduce access to prescription drugs, impose burdensome work requirements, and make other changes that could be detrimental to all Medicaid beneficiaries. If a state’s Medicaid needs exceed the federal funding cap, then states would be responsible for shortfalls, causing them to potentially cut other services (including long term services and supports for people with disabilities). For more information about these concerns, please see this brief provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The House of Representatives recently passed a resolution (H.R. 826) expressing disapproval of this new Medicaid funding proposal and asking CMS to withdraw this guidance. We anticipate that there will be legal challenges to this guidance as well. In the meantime, we encourage you to contact your state legislature, state Medicaid Directors and Governors to share your concerns about the HAO waiver.


Continue to Take Action on Two Important Bills
NDSC is still advocating for passage of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act (S. 651, H.R. 1814) and the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act (H.R. 873/S.260) and we need your help. Please call and email your Representatives and Senators and ask them to sign on to cosponsor these bills. Even if you have called in the past, keep those calls and emails coming! The cosponsor list for both of these bills has been growing as a result of your advocacy efforts, but we still need more.
·  The ABLE Age Adjustment Act (S. 651/HR 1814) would raise the age of onset of disability from 26 to 46 for people with disabilities to have ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts. This change would enable six million more people with disabilities to become eligible to open an ABLE account. It would also greatly enhance the sustainability of all ABLE programs nationwide. Please use our Action Alert to call or email your US Representatives and Senators and ask them to cosponsor this bill.
·  The Transformation to Competitive Employment Act (TCEA) will address barriers to employment and expand opportunities for competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities while phasing out subminimum wage certificates under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act over a six-year period. In addition, for those who choose not to work, work part-time, or for whom their disabilities make it too difficult to maintain work in a competitive integrated setting, the TCEA includes individualized wraparound services that provide them with opportunities for meaningful training and social activities in the community. You can use this NDSC Action Alert.
  
Join us in March for Advocacy Training & Meet with Your Members of Congress!
NDSC has partnered with The Arc, AUCD, AAIDD, NACDD, SABE, the Autism Society and UCP to host the 2020 Disability Policy Seminar. The Disability Policy Seminar, which will be held March 23 – 25, 2020, features two days of informative sessions led by policy experts and offers opportunities for participants to discuss key issues with others from their same state. On the third day, attendees will meet with their elected officials or their staff to speak about the high-priority issues that affect them most. Registration is now open; we hope to see you in March in Washington DC!




Postsecondary Education
NDSC is a proud cosponsor of the State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education and Students with Intellectual Disability that will take place October 7-8 in Syracuse, NY. This conference is a great opportunity to hear from and meet experts in the field, students, families. Are you interested in presenting at the conference? If so, go to the SOTA conference website to find out more.




TIES Center Update-NEW Inclusive IEP Brief
Ricki Sabia, NDSC’s Senior Education Policy Advisor, continues to work with the federally funded TIES Center on Inclusive Practices and Policies, which is focused on students with significant cognitive disabilities. Ricki focuses primarily on the universal technical assistance component of the project, which is aimed at parents, educators, administrators, and others across the country. This component involves the development of publications and other means of sharing best practices and information so that the work in the intensive and targeted technical assistance states can be scaled up everywhere.
Ricki has co-authored three publications, called “briefs.” The most recent brief (#3) is titled Developing IEPS that Support Inclusive Education for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. 
Brief #1-Ten Reasons to Support Inclusive School Communities for All Students.
Brief #2- An Alternate Assessment Does NOT Mean a Separate Setting.
Each of the briefs mentioned can be downloaded by clicking the links. You can explore all the TIES resources including TIPS for educators.  To find out the most recent information from the TIES Center, Like them on Facebook. 




After Nick Harmon made news with the “UCCS student with Down syndrome and others with intellectual disabilities will get to walk at graduation” story, we got to chat with him and ask a few questions.
Q: In your own works, why was this topic so important to you? 
Nick: It is important for me to be a part of my college graduation because I have been a part of college for four years and this is important to me like everyone else.
Q: How did you prepare your speech to the committee? 
Nick: I worked with Jon to prepare my presentation to the student government at UCCS. Me, Jon, and two other students presented our resolution 
Q: What was the most important part in your opinion? 
Nick: It was important to have the support of all the students at UCCS
Q: What advice do you have for other self-advocates who want to make a change in their communities? 
Nick: Stand up, speak out and believe you can make a difference 
Q: What is your favorite part about the program at UCCS?
Nick: I love my classes, my friends. learning new things




NDSC will hold our second College Fair on June 26, at the 48th Annual NDSC Convention in New Orleans. This event is a collaboration with Think College and will be a great opportunity for self-advocates and families to meet college representatives to learn more about postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disability.
Colleges, community colleges, and universities may register to participate. A flyer with all the details of the event can be downloaded and shared.



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​Be a part of the NEA Big Read and join us for a special needs book club led by education majors from Marist College using adaptive text. 

Meets Thursdays October 17—November 21 at 5:30pm 
(skipping Halloween) Charwat Room at Adriance Memorial Library 

For ages 14 and up, with a caregiver.

Register by calling 485-3445 x 3707; limited to 8 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. It is designed to broaden our under- standing of our world, our community, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. 

Saturday, September 7, 2019
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Bring your family and friends – and a picnic lunch, games and/or sporting equipment.
All are invited to this inclusive day of fun with accessible activities for people
with and without disabilities.
 
Long Island - Sunken Meadow State Park, 25A and Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park, NY. Meet at Field 1/Main Bathhouse area for nature programs, a Special Olympics New York bocce experience and more. Guarded swimming will be available at the beach.
 
New York City - Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive, New York City.  Meet at the Main Stage for park tours and a Special Olympics New York bocce experience.
 
Hudson Valley - Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, 2957 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights. Meet at Picnic Area 1 for nature programs, park tours and health and fitness activities with Special Olympics New York.
 
Capital District  - John Boyd Thacher State Park, 830 Thacher Park Road, Voorheesville. Meet at the Visitor Center for tours and activities. A hawk watch and Birds of Prey program will be held from 10-2 p.m. in the Upper Overlook area.
 
Central New York - Green Lakes State Park, 7900 Green Lakes Road, Fayetteville.
Meet at the Environmental Education Center for nature programs and a demonstration of the accessible kayak launch.
 
Genesee Region (Rochester area) - Letchworth State Park, 1 Letchworth State Park,  Castile.
Please Note: the event begins at 11:00. Meet at the Humphrey Nature Center for activities.
The September Nature Walk will take place at 1 p.m. A butterfly garden walk will take place at 3:00 p.m.  followed by a butterfly release at 3:30 p.m.  Please present Access Pass or sign-in for Get Together Day at park’s entrance gate.
 
Western New York - Buffalo Harbor State Park, 1111 Fuhrmann Boulevard,  Buffalo.
Meet at Shelter 4 for park activities, nature programs and health and fitness activities with Special Olympics New York.
 
Visit parks.ny.gov or opwdd.ny.gov for details.
 
Let’s get together, meet new people and enjoy all that New York  State has to offer!
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