|
May 24, 2013 |
|
Subscribe to Friday Mail
Website Feedback |
|
News Items:
|
|
Opportunities for Comments and Involvement
|
|
U.S. International Council on
Disabilities Network call to Action
If you were unable to
make our community leadership call last week, we heard
from Senator Harkin as he called us to action.
Senator Harkin
explained that “the number of calls that came into the
Senate offices last year opposing the disability treaty
outnumbered the ones that came in supporting it by a
factor of 50 to 1. But we also know that the vast
majority of the American people want this and support
it.”
As Marc Bristo,
USICD's President, said on the call, "We're calling upon
our Senators to have the courage and the dedication to
do what's right... It's seldom that people have a second
opportunity to do the right thing"
Click here to take action
www.disabilitytreaty.org
top |
|
The Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): Ready for Success in
2013!
from
USICD
After a narrow but
sad defeat in the Senate last December the disability
community remains determined to see the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ratified in
2013. Your voices were essential to getting us to a
positive vote out of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and a final vote on the Senate floor. As we
move towards another vote this year, we want to get you
the latest information on the CRPD, and the
newest materials to assist your networks and your
own advocacy.
Click here to read more...
The
U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD)
and
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
can support you!
Contact Esme Grant at
egrant@usicd.org
with any questions, comments, or requests. Lets get to
1,000 supporting orgs!
Make sure your organization is on
the list of supporters
top |
|
People with
Disabilities Priced Out of Nation's Housing Market
New study reveals that people with disabilities
receiving Supplemental Security Income cannot afford
housing anywhere in the United States
Washington, D.C.- May 21, 2013
The Technical
Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and the Consortium for
Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force have
released a study,
Priced Out in 2012, which demonstrates that the
national average rent for a modestly priced one-bedroom
apartment is greater than the entire Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) payment of a person with a
disability. The study sheds light on the serious
problems experienced by our nation’s most vulnerable
citizens – extremely low-income people with significant
and long-term disabilities.
Click here to read complete release.
Click here to view Fact Sheet
top
|
|
Barriers to a Strong HCBS
Workforce—New Survey Findings
Last year, the
Michigan Office of Services on Aging (OSA) of the
Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) conducted
surveys of the provider organizations delivering CMH
waiver services and the CMH funded workforce serving
self-directed individuals. The five surveys also include
the MI Choice waiver providers, Home Help agency
providers, and MI Choice workforce serving self-directed
individuals.
The survey findings include data on compensation, job
vacancies, health insurance, mileage reimbursement,
turnover, and training as well as the motivations of
family, friends, and the professionals serving
self-directing participants.
Go to
www.PHInational.org/michigan/workforcesurveys to
review all
the surveys and
executive summaries.
top
|
|
May Consensus Revenue Report Adopted
May 15th
from
Wiener Associates
The State Treasurer
and Budget Director, along with the House and Senate
Fiscal Agency Directors, met for the second Consensus
Revenue Estimating Conference of 2013, as required by
the Michigan Constitution.
The adopted consensus
report paints a slightly better outlook than the first
estimating conference in January. Fiscal Year (FY) 2013
General Fund/General Purpose (GF/GP) revenues are
projected to be up $397 million from the original
January estimate, while the School Aid Fund (SAF)
revenue coming in at $38 million more than expected.
Looking ahead to FY 2015, the agreement expects General
Fund revenues to be $200 million higher than the January
2013 report, with the School Aid Fund coming in at $44
million higher than original estimates.
Click here to read more top
|
|
Medicaid Expansion Bill Introduced
in the House May 8th
Attached is a copy of
HB 4714, which Rep. Matt Lori introduced on Medicaid
expansion. This is a starting point in the negotiations
between the House, Senate and administration regarding
reforms to the Medicaid expansion proposal.
Click here to read more
House Republicans' Medicaid reform plan includes five
main pillars
See flyer:
current system vs. new reforms (pdf)
See
Legislative Analysis of HB 4714 and
Wiener Associates' Report on Medicaid Reform Hearing
on May 14th
top
|
|
Leaders in Policy Advocacy Leadership Training Opportunity!
Interested in taking your leadership and
advocacy skills to a higher level?
The Arc Michigan is pleased to announce
an intensive leadership training program for adults with
developmental disabilities and parents of children with
developmental disabilities. Leaders in Policy
Advocacy, a grant project funded by the Michigan
Developmental Disabilities Council and administered by
the Arc Michigan, will support participants to become
leaders in the movement for people with disabilities to
claim full, productive lives in their communities.
Participants will learn about disability history,
inclusive education, assistive technology,
self-determination, systems change, access to
employment, housing and recreation and more!
Leaders in Policy Advocacy
training requires a commitment to attend overnight
sessions. There is no charge for the program, which will
begin this July in the Lansing area. The training will
eventually be offered across the state. If you would
like to apply to participate, or just want more
information, please contact Salli Christenson at the Arc
Michigan. She can be reached at 800 292-7851, ext. 130
or
salli.c@arcmi.org.
Download application (pdf)
Share this message (pdf)
top |
|
Mental Health &
Disability Groups call for Legislative OK for Federally
Funded Michigan-Based Resources
The
attached letter (pdf) promoting benefits of Medicaid
expansion has been sent to every legislator
-
Michigan would be
able to craft a Michigan approach to Medicaid
Services.
-
Persons with
mental illness, developmental disability and
substance use disorder would benefit from increased
Medicaid coverage.
-
Improved mental
health would make dent in huge problem of persons
with mental illness becoming incarcerated.
-
Areas of savings
would include substance abuse and mental health
treatment for parolees undergoing the (community)
re-entry process
-
Primary care
physicians would be willing to accept new Medicaid
enrollees.
-
Health Centers
would be able to expand delivery of integrated
primary care and mental health/substance use
disorder treatment to a previously uninsured
population
-
Hospitals in
state that opt out of the Medicaid expansion will
face large uninsured populations
-
Medicaid
expansion would generate immediate General Fund
savings in the budget
top
|
|
Emergency
Planning Webinar - May 30 (10am - 11:30 am)
Sponsored by The
Developmental Disabilities Institute at Wayne State
University, this Webinar is especially for people with
disabilities, their caregivers and family members. If
you don't have access to a computer and the Internet,
you can dial in and listen. If you can't listen or watch
at the time of the event, you can log on after the event
to get the information you need. See Flyer for details.
Questions? Please
contact Elizabeth Janks, LMSW at 248.990.6467.
Click here to
register online or contact Anita at ab4773@wayne.edu
or 313.577.2654 by May 20, 2013.
See flyer for more details.
top
|
|
Legislative Package to Create a National I/DD School to
Work Transition System Reintroduced
from
Federal Perspectives - April 2013
"Transition toward
Excellence, Achievement and Mobility Act" (TEAM Act),
a legislative package that aims to redesign federal
programs for individuals living with intellectual
disabilities as they transition from Secondary school to
the workforce, has been reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Gregg
Harper (R-MS). To read more, see
Federal Perspectives, page 3.
top |
|
Michigan Alliance for Families
announces release of new DVD “Making the Most of Early
On®”
"Making the Most of
Earlyon" is designed to help parents
better understand and access the system of supports and
services for children from birth through age three.
This video is
chaptered into six easy to navigate topics:
|
• What
is Early On? |
•
Parent to Parent Advice |
|
•
Natural Environments |
•
Problem Solving |
|
•
Transition: Leaving Early On |
•
Parent Survey |
Each topic includes
options for Spanish subtitles, Arabic subtitles, and
English closed caption. In addition to the DVD, parents
can find more early intervention resources at:
www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/babies-and-toddlers.
Parents and professionals can view the videos via the
Michigan Alliance for Families YouTube Channel at
www.youtube.com/michiganalliance.
A limited quantity of
DVDs is available.
Contact
info@michiganallianceforfamilies.org
“Making the Most of Early On®” was produced through an
IDEA grant awarded by the Michigan Department of
Education to Michigan Alliance for Families.
top |
|
Action Alert! Speak up now on
Medicaid!
from
Michigan League for Public Policy
From
the United Way for Southeastern Michigan:
Here
in Michigan we have a shrinking window of opportunity to
expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 500,000 individuals
at no additional cost to state residents. This expansion
will help provide much needed health coverage to
low-income individuals. Gov. Rick Snyder has been
working diligently to move this proposal forward and we
fully support this effort. Unfortunately, the issue has
been met with some resistance in the state Legislature.
Will you write to your lawmakers today and ask them to
support Medicaid expansion?
Click here to speak up now
By offering this
federally funded expansion, the state actually saves
precious dollars which can then be used to fund other
priorities. According to Michigan Health and Hospital
Association, if Medicaid is expanded, Michigan will save
about $1 billion over the next 10 years.
Please speak out and tell the Michigan Legislature to
act on this opportunity. Remind lawmakers that it’s time
to put politics aside and make the right choice for
Michigan.
Michigan Disability Rights
Coalition (MDRC) strongly encourages you
to contact your state senators and representatives to
tell them that you support Medicaid Expansion.
In Michigan there are 109,828 citizens with disabilities
who are not receiving SSI and are not on a Waiver.
These people do not have any coverage for their basic
healthcare needs, such as doctor visits or prescription
medications. Without Medicaid coverage, low-income
individuals, including those with disabilities, are
forced to go without care or use hospital emergency
rooms for non-urgent care.
Expanding Medicaid in Michigan would extend coverage to
people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty
level. That's $15,414 for an individual or $31,809 for a
family of four. These federal funds have already been
set aside to expand preventive and lifesaving health
care in Michigan. Your legislators need to hear that you
want them to vote to include Medicaid Expansion in the
budget.
Click here for a sample letter you can use.
top |
|
Call your state representative,
it's good for your health
By
Glenn Gilbert,
The Oakland Press, 4/05/2013
It
is apparently much easier to educate consumers about the
benefits of Obamacare in Michigan than it is to inform
legislative Republicans.
That actually probably isn’t true. Republicans — unless
they are invincibly ignorant — know full well what they
will be doing if they turn down federal Medicaid funding
that would make hundreds of thousands of state residents
eligible for health coverage.
They will be catering to Tea Party extremists who
threaten their political futures, and also to
constituents who hate the new Affordable Care Act
because it was promulgated by Democrats.
These Obamacare foes are almost definitely not the ones
who need the coverage.
Read more here.
top |
|
Call to Action
from Michigan Association of Community Mental Health
Boards (MACMHB) from Alan Bolter, Associate
Director
Board Chairs and
Directors – The House appropriations subcommittee took
Medicaid expansion out of their budget (the Senate will
report their budget the week of April 8 without Medicaid
expansion as well), and legislators we are visiting here
in Lansing say the only constituents they are hearing
from do not support expansion. They need to hear from
those of us who do.
Attached for your
review and action:
We have 4 weeks to
turn the Medicaid expansion discussion from rejection to
support. If each of you commits to taking action and
asking one other person to take similar action, we would
have thousand of contacts in support.
Please call Alan
Bolter at 517.374.6848 if you have any questions.
top |
|
Feds Conditionally approve
Michigan for Health Care Insurance
by David Eggert,
Associated Press, March 7, 2013
Lansing, MI - The
Obama administration has conditionally approved Michigan
to help run a health insurance exchange in partnership
with the federal government.
Click here to read more.
top |
|
American Disabled for Attendant
Programs Today (ADAPT) Fundraiser 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm on April 6th
American Disabled for
Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT)
See Flyer
top |
|
The
Arc Michigan Conference & Silent Auction - June 20th &
21st |
|
Where:
Arc Michigan
Room Rate: $119/night |
McCamly Plaza Hotel
50 Capital Avenue SW
Battle Creek, MI
49017
269.963.7050 |
|
Watch for additional
announcements on our Website and Facebook Page
Online Registration Form
Conference Agenda
Mail in Registration Form &
Credit Card Authorization Form
Children's Program
Registration Form
MCE Silent Auction
June 20th
Auction Items Needed (pdf)
Proceeds to Benefit MCE Chapter Support
Call Cheryl Polite at
734.729.9100 or Ron Kimball at 586.469.1600
cherylp@thearcww.org or
rfkimball@arcservices.org
top |
|
Michigan Alliance for Families
Announces Free Webinar Series
Here
is a link to the
flyer
(pdf)
Here is a link to the
Webinar calendar and registration form |
|
May 23 |
“What Parents
Need to Know About Mental Health and Education”
|
|
Michigan
Alliance for Families' upcoming workshops can be viewed at:
www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/upcoming-events/
Michigan Alliance for
Families' archived Webinars are located at:
www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/webinar/
top |
|
Michigan Partners for
Freedom (MPF) whose sole purpose is to build
statewide demand for self-determination for citizens
with disabilities, has released a new DVD “Owning the
Process: Individual Budgeting” which highlights
meaningful supports in the public mental health system.
“Owning the Process: Individual Budgeting” The DVD
connects the stories of five MPF Local Leaders who “own
the process” and oversee the payment from tax dollars
for the services they receive. MPF has created a
Viewing
Guide (pdf) to assist viewers to understand the concepts
presented and facilitate discussions using the viewing
questions. Produced by Avalon Films, a full-service
production company based in Royal Oak, Michigan, Owning
the Process was made possible through a grant from the
Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council to the
Michigan Arc for MPF and is available for viewing at
www.mifreedom.org.
To arrange a presentation by a MPF Local Leader near you
contact:
Jill Gerrie
Project Coordinator
The Arc Michigan
Direct Line: -(517) 487-5426
Toll Free: (800) 292-7851, extension 114
Email: jill.gerrie@arcmi.org
top |
|
Customizing Job Development:
Un-Occupying the Workshop, One Person at a Time
by Cary Griffin, Bob
Niemiec and Megan Zeilinger,
Down Syndrome News - Volume 35 # 6
"A young woman with
disabilities graduates high school with few employment
prospects that excite her. She and her support team
struggle to see beyond the few jobs typically available
to individuals who’ve received special education
services in K-12 schools. But then she gets connected
with an employment specialist versed in the job creation
strategies central to Customized Employment (CE).
Together they explore her Vocational Themes™, the large
umbrella topics that represent an accumulation of many
jobs, environments, skills/task sets, and interests.
Within a couple weeks she is working in the fashion
field for a small modeling company, using her emerging
sewing skills and learning about the proper application
of makeup. Before the CE approach was offered, she faced
a fairly traditional list of jobs ranging from cleaning
bathrooms, to busing tables, to opening boxes for a
large retailer. Today, she is around others who have a
passion for fashion and who willingly teach her new
skills, naturally advancing her career...
Customized Employment
is a set of techniques that makes Supported Employment
more rigorous by using an economic development approach
to job creation. It requires active tactics to create
opportunity, rather than the passivity of luck and the
willingness of companies to “give someone a try.” Its
foundation is the Discovery process."
Click here to read more.
top |
|
Michigan History of Our State
Institutions for People with Developmental Disabilities
This video documents
this regretful history and celebrates the hard work of
families and advocates with the final closure of our
last institution in Michigan in 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlg-g7l-MBg
top |
The White
House Disability Group E-mail Distribution List
In order to keep the public informed about various
disability issues the White House has been hosting
monthly calls. To learn about future calls, request to
be added to the White House Disability email
distribution list, by
visiting the White House website.
These calls are open to the public and offer a unique
opportunity to hear about important disability issues
from individuals who work in the Federal government. You
can also submit questions before the call at
disability.gov.
top |
|
Self-Advocates with FASD in
Action (SAFA) announce a New Web Site
The Self-Advocates
with FASD Network (SAFA) unveiled a
new web site, giving
people with FASD a central place to connect on-line and
helping the world of disability and self-advocacy become
familiar with SAFA and its overall mission. This
easy-to-use web site provides information about SAFA
activities and presentations, short bios and pictures of
SAFA members, and a resource page with a private message
board. The message board is open to SAFA members only,
but membership is free and those interested in joining
can submit their application on the site.
If you know
someone with an FASD who would like to get involved, or
if you have an FASD and want more information, contact
Leigh Ann Davis at ldavis@thearc.org
or (202) 534-3727.
top |
|
Michigan Alliance for Families Web
site offers Resources to help Families
Michigan Alliance for
Families is excited to announce that our website (www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/eo)
now includes information to help families become more
involved in the growth and development of infants and
toddlers.
Michigan Alliance for Families, in partnership with
Early On Michigan, announces resources to help families
know their rights, better communicate their child’s
needs, support the development of infants and toddlers,
and prepare for the transition out of Early On into the
preschool years. These resources are available to
families, Early On Service Coordinators and Service
Providers to increase the involvement of Michigan
families in the growth and development of infants and
toddlers.
Website resources include:
Handouts and video
information on developmental milestones and how to
promote development and learning through play
- Handouts and
video information to help families prepare to leave
Early On and move on to Preschool
- Learning
tools to help families improve communication skills
-
Information to
help families know their rights (Procedural
Safeguards),
including evaluation, Individualized Family Service
Plan (IFSP) development, natural environments and
service coordination.
top
|
|
|
|
top |
