Journal staff report
The Providence Journal
Projo.com
December 10, 2009
Colleen Dorian, of Coventry, who has 22 years’ experience as a child-care provider, says she wasn’t afraid to have an outside evaluator assess her program.
She said she welcomed BrightStars, Rhode Island’s new rating and quality-improvement system for early childhood programs, because she wants “to continue to improve what I’m offering.”
Dorian’s is among 20 early education centers and homes — a tiny fraction of 1,148 licensed providers in Rhode Island — which have voluntarily joined BrightStars.
The program, a public-private initiative in the planning for four years, aims to drive up the quality of early childhood care and improve the odds that youngsters will arrive in kindergarten ready to learn.
Parents “really want information about what constitutes high-quality child care,” said Elizabeth Burke-Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count.
“The biggest return on investment is in very small children,” said United Way CEO Anthony Maione, whose agency has taken the lead in financial support for the program.
The United Way spent $344,000 for planning from 2005 to 2008. The Rhode Island Foundation and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation contributed an additional $390,000. BrightStars, formally launched at a reception at the Providence Marriott Wednesday night, has an annual operating budget of $250,000. That allocation is funded by the United Way, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Nellie Mae, the Rhode Island Foundation and the state Department of Human Services.
BrightStars is run by the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children. It awards up to four stars on the basis of nine criteria, supports child-care operations in enhancing their programs, and plans a push to reach parents in 2010.
Evaluators look at the child-teacher ratio, the staff’s level of academic education and training and the interactions they have with the children and their parents, as well as classroom materials, the design of indoor and outdoor play areas, curriculum, health and safety considerations.
A nationally prominent researcher in early childhood development says the Rhode Island effort is part of a fast-moving national trend that has sprung up to define good conditions for young learners and raise the bar in programs available to parents.
Anne Mitchell, of New York, who helped plan BrightStars, says 21 states, including Rhode Island, have put quality improvement and rating systems in place since 1998, and most of the rest of them are headed that way.
Most of the programs have voluntary membership, she said. The highest participation — as much as 70 percent in Pennsylvania — occurs in states which have a “generous and wide array of financial incentives” that fill the gap between the amount families can pay and the cost of quality child care, Mitchell said.
The incentives range from small grants to new members for improvements, to scholarships for staff to further their education, and even bonuses for achieving higher standards. Louisiana has school-readiness tax credits which go to parents, depending on the quality rating of the child-care or early education center their child has attended.
Of all the components to a successful program, Rhode Island is weakest on financial incentives, Mitchell said. “Rhode Island has to work on that,” she said.
For the ratings online, see brightstars.org.
http://www.projo.com/education/content/BRIGHT_LIGHTS_12-10-09_U1GO8P3_v15.3a64c1e.html
© 2009 , Published by The Providence Journal Co., 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.
All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) is Atlanta's preeminent resource on developmental disabilities, providing support services to families for more than 55 years. We are often the one place where people with developmental disabilities can go to achieve personal empowerment, family stability and community participation. AADD provides family support; public policy and advocacy; and community engagement.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Followup on Premier's Vowed New Legislation
By: Kevin Rollason
Winnipeg Free Press
December 4, 2009
Manitobans with disabilities say the changes they want to provincial laws will also be important to the many others who could become disabled later in life.
"If you are not disabled now, you soon will be," said David Steen, executive director of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities.
Thirty per cent of people over 65 have a disability. Almost four million Canadians were seniors in 2001, but that is expected to grow to about 7.7 million by 2020.
Participants in a forum Wednesday on the province's long-term disability strategy suggested Manitoba could follow Ontario's lead and create a law for accessibility standards or amend the province's building codes or Human Rights Code.
Steen hopes the public forum will lead to changes in the province's building code to encourage accessible and visitable housing.
"When you start applying universal design, you have to look at more than the housing stock. You have to look at, where are stores located? Do you have curb cuts? Do you have a parking system that is accessible?
"This public consultation is a positive first step in support of our new premier's commitment to disabilities legislation."
During the NDP leadership race, then-candidate Greg Selinger announced he wanted to impose a deadline for the province to become fully accessible to Manitobans with disabilities.
Last June, the Manitoba government released its Opening Doors discussion paper, intended to build upon a 2001 policy that dealt with income support and employment. The new strategy includes rights and justice, housing, gender and diversity and accessibility.
Yutta Fricke, acting director of the province's disabilities issues office, said the forum was the third and final one for the general public following similar consultations in Brandon and Thompson. The next three forums will get feedback about disability issues from women, aboriginal people and francophones.
Don Ament, who uses a wheelchair, also hopes the province puts accessibility into its building code.
"You have to get in the front door and the back door," Ament said. "You have to have an accessible bathroom. You have to have doors wide enough to get in."
Alfred Spencer, director of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, said his province became the first in the country in 2005 to create comprehensive accessibility standards for customer service, transportation, buildings, parking and entrances.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg Free Press
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/reform-to-disability-laws-touted-78502027.html
© 2009 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved.
Winnipeg Free Press
December 4, 2009
Manitobans with disabilities say the changes they want to provincial laws will also be important to the many others who could become disabled later in life.
"If you are not disabled now, you soon will be," said David Steen, executive director of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities.
Thirty per cent of people over 65 have a disability. Almost four million Canadians were seniors in 2001, but that is expected to grow to about 7.7 million by 2020.
Participants in a forum Wednesday on the province's long-term disability strategy suggested Manitoba could follow Ontario's lead and create a law for accessibility standards or amend the province's building codes or Human Rights Code.
Steen hopes the public forum will lead to changes in the province's building code to encourage accessible and visitable housing.
"When you start applying universal design, you have to look at more than the housing stock. You have to look at, where are stores located? Do you have curb cuts? Do you have a parking system that is accessible?
"This public consultation is a positive first step in support of our new premier's commitment to disabilities legislation."
During the NDP leadership race, then-candidate Greg Selinger announced he wanted to impose a deadline for the province to become fully accessible to Manitobans with disabilities.
Last June, the Manitoba government released its Opening Doors discussion paper, intended to build upon a 2001 policy that dealt with income support and employment. The new strategy includes rights and justice, housing, gender and diversity and accessibility.
Yutta Fricke, acting director of the province's disabilities issues office, said the forum was the third and final one for the general public following similar consultations in Brandon and Thompson. The next three forums will get feedback about disability issues from women, aboriginal people and francophones.
Don Ament, who uses a wheelchair, also hopes the province puts accessibility into its building code.
"You have to get in the front door and the back door," Ament said. "You have to have an accessible bathroom. You have to have doors wide enough to get in."
Alfred Spencer, director of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, said his province became the first in the country in 2005 to create comprehensive accessibility standards for customer service, transportation, buildings, parking and entrances.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg Free Press
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/reform-to-disability-laws-touted-78502027.html
© 2009 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved.
Nigeria: 'Disabled Persons Want Desk in All MDG Offices'
Akor Ojoma
Daily Trust
December 3, 2009
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) office in Nigeria has been urged to include a disability desk in all its offices at federal, state and local levels all over the federation.
The call was made by President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) Barrister Bashir Danlami yesterday to mark the 2009 International Day of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in Abuja.
He said the MDG cannot be achieved without the inclusion of the needs and participation of persons with disability in its framework.
"Any attack against poverty should start with the disabled because we are the poorest of the poor. Disability remains a major cause of poverty and so the disabled must be empowered in order to remove poverty. "
Women Affairs and Social Development Minister Salamatu Hussain Suleiman said the day is set aside by the United Nations aims to promote an understanding of disability issues, among others.
She said stigmatization and relegation of persons with disabilities still lingers in our society and as such the two houses of the National Assembly have both debated and passed the draft law on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Highlights of the celebration was the presentation of wheel chairs,
hearing aids, tricycles, Braille materials and other appliances to
persons with disabilities by the MTN foundation.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200912040378.html
Copyright © 2009 AllAfrica Global Media.
http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=10618:disabled-persons-want-desk-in-all-mdg-offices-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009. Daily Trust - The online edition
Daily Trust
December 3, 2009
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) office in Nigeria has been urged to include a disability desk in all its offices at federal, state and local levels all over the federation.
The call was made by President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) Barrister Bashir Danlami yesterday to mark the 2009 International Day of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in Abuja.
He said the MDG cannot be achieved without the inclusion of the needs and participation of persons with disability in its framework.
"Any attack against poverty should start with the disabled because we are the poorest of the poor. Disability remains a major cause of poverty and so the disabled must be empowered in order to remove poverty. "
Women Affairs and Social Development Minister Salamatu Hussain Suleiman said the day is set aside by the United Nations aims to promote an understanding of disability issues, among others.
She said stigmatization and relegation of persons with disabilities still lingers in our society and as such the two houses of the National Assembly have both debated and passed the draft law on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Highlights of the celebration was the presentation of wheel chairs,
hearing aids, tricycles, Braille materials and other appliances to
persons with disabilities by the MTN foundation.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200912040378.html
Copyright © 2009 AllAfrica Global Media.
http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=10618:disabled-persons-want-desk-in-all-mdg-offices-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009. Daily Trust - The online edition
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Disability Groups Denounce Budget Cuts at Town Hall Meeting
Groups lose millions in funding for training, transportation
by Joshua Garner, Staff Writer
Gazette.Net, Maryland Community Newspapers Online
December 10, 2009
Prince George's County residents and disability advocates are urging Maryland to put the brakes on budget cuts to programs and services for disabled individuals, saying the cuts are putting extreme hardships on individuals and families dependent on training, transportation and other services.
Nearly 300 residents packed into the Melwood campus, a training facility in Upper Marlboro for the disabled, for a town hall meeting Dec. 3 with representatives from the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, a state agency that funds community services and support to people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The administration has seen its budget cut by $30 million during the last year as the state looks to alleviate a budget shortfall. The DDA helps fund family and respite organizations, employment programs and residential services, and assists adults with significant disabilities.
The meeting Dec. 3 was one of more than a dozen town hall meetings that had been scheduled across the state to address what advocates call a growing problem for individuals with disabilities as services such as transportation, employment, training and therapy have all had their funding scaled back or cut completely.
Residents pleaded with politicians and state officials that funding for the DDA is essential to their way of life. Others said the strain left by cuts in services is tearing their families apart and forcing them to make tough decisions relating to their care.
More than 19,000 state residents who have disabilities and are in need of services are on the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Community Services waiting list.
Prince George's County is second only to Montgomery County with the highest number of individuals on the waiting list, with 2,953 as of June, according to the DDA. The number represents a 134 percent increase from 2004.
Dorma Rodriguez of Bowie said cuts to the services she received meant she had to decide between speech therapy and physical therapy for her 8-year-old daughter, Gabby, who has cerebral palsy.
"I need to pay for my daughter's therapy," she said.
Other complained the waiting list, which also provides housing for the disabled, should be shortened to relieve pressure from the aging parents of older disabled individuals.
"This is a devastating cut; unfortunately, when the governor went in, he had to make cuts," said Del. Tawanna Gaines (D-Dist. 22) of Berwyn Heights. "Many of their people have been in their parents' homes all their lives."
Bill Ohge of Largo said that housing for the disabled should be better integrated with communities and not isolated.
"People should be living in the community with a house of their own," he said. "[Disabled] people need to be living in the community," he said.
Michael Chapman, executive director of the Developmental Disabilities Administration, urged residents to be patient, saying that economic pressures have caused constrictions in funding for the DDA. Chapman said it could be another seven to 10 years before the state is in a position to expand the administration's programs, and that things will get worse before they better.
"Next year's budget looks worse. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think about [those affected by the cuts]," he said. "We're trying to understand the needs of people in this state."
E-mail Joshua Garner at jgarner@gazette.net.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/12102009/lanhnew173125_32580.php
Copyright © 2009 Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./Gazette.Net
by Joshua Garner, Staff Writer
Gazette.Net, Maryland Community Newspapers Online
December 10, 2009
Prince George's County residents and disability advocates are urging Maryland to put the brakes on budget cuts to programs and services for disabled individuals, saying the cuts are putting extreme hardships on individuals and families dependent on training, transportation and other services.
Nearly 300 residents packed into the Melwood campus, a training facility in Upper Marlboro for the disabled, for a town hall meeting Dec. 3 with representatives from the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, a state agency that funds community services and support to people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The administration has seen its budget cut by $30 million during the last year as the state looks to alleviate a budget shortfall. The DDA helps fund family and respite organizations, employment programs and residential services, and assists adults with significant disabilities.
The meeting Dec. 3 was one of more than a dozen town hall meetings that had been scheduled across the state to address what advocates call a growing problem for individuals with disabilities as services such as transportation, employment, training and therapy have all had their funding scaled back or cut completely.
Residents pleaded with politicians and state officials that funding for the DDA is essential to their way of life. Others said the strain left by cuts in services is tearing their families apart and forcing them to make tough decisions relating to their care.
More than 19,000 state residents who have disabilities and are in need of services are on the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Community Services waiting list.
Prince George's County is second only to Montgomery County with the highest number of individuals on the waiting list, with 2,953 as of June, according to the DDA. The number represents a 134 percent increase from 2004.
Dorma Rodriguez of Bowie said cuts to the services she received meant she had to decide between speech therapy and physical therapy for her 8-year-old daughter, Gabby, who has cerebral palsy.
"I need to pay for my daughter's therapy," she said.
Other complained the waiting list, which also provides housing for the disabled, should be shortened to relieve pressure from the aging parents of older disabled individuals.
"This is a devastating cut; unfortunately, when the governor went in, he had to make cuts," said Del. Tawanna Gaines (D-Dist. 22) of Berwyn Heights. "Many of their people have been in their parents' homes all their lives."
Bill Ohge of Largo said that housing for the disabled should be better integrated with communities and not isolated.
"People should be living in the community with a house of their own," he said. "[Disabled] people need to be living in the community," he said.
Michael Chapman, executive director of the Developmental Disabilities Administration, urged residents to be patient, saying that economic pressures have caused constrictions in funding for the DDA. Chapman said it could be another seven to 10 years before the state is in a position to expand the administration's programs, and that things will get worse before they better.
"Next year's budget looks worse. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think about [those affected by the cuts]," he said. "We're trying to understand the needs of people in this state."
E-mail Joshua Garner at jgarner@gazette.net.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/12102009/lanhnew173125_32580.php
Copyright © 2009 Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./Gazette.Net
Reprieve for the Disabled
Massachusette Governor Patrick Withdraws Cuts to MassHealth
By Christine Legere
Globe Corresondent
Boston Globe
December 10, 2009
In an 11th-hour turnaround, Governor Deval Patrick announced last week he no longer plans to make $100 million in cuts aimed at addressing a deficit in the MassHealth budget - reductions that would have left some of the state’s most vulnrabl residents without services they had been receiving.
To agencies south of Boston that provide day habilitation and other services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the change of plans was welcome. But many say they worry the reprieve is only temporary. Budget deliberation for fiscal 2011, set to start in January, may once again bring discussion of deep cuts to programs for the developmentally disabled adults.
“I’m sort of waiting for the other shoe to fall,’’ said Christopher White, president of Marshfield’s Road to Responsibility program. “Fiscal 2011 has all of us very anxious because so much of this year’s budget was propped up by one-time stimulus money.’’
In an announcement late Friday, Patrick’s office said revenue from an $82 million one-time tax settlement and $37 million in above year-to-date benchmark revenue collections would allow the state to avoid the previously announced round of emergency budget cuts.
“It gives us some breathing room,’’ Patrick said in a statement. Two weeks earlier, the governor had laid out a list of reductions that would have hit hard at agencies providing services.
Lee Damore, an Abington resident who took over the care of her sister a year ago when their mother died, is closely watching decisions on Beacon Hill that will affect her family.
Her sister, Tess Lamarre, was born with cerebral palsy and severe mental disabilities. The challenges have been many for the 52-year-old, who can speak just a few words and must undergo daily physical therapy so that she can continue to slowly move about with the aid of a walker.
“Personality-wise, Tess is extremely easy, but you have to have someone with her 24-7,’’ said Damore. She, husband Tom, and teenage daughters Marina and Emily all pitch in.
Lamarre attends a day habilitation program at the Arc of the South Shore in Weymouth on weekdays, along with 47 other developmentally disabled adults in the area. She has been going there for six hours a day since she turned 22, in 1979. And while she is in the day habilitation program, Damore is able to work full time at Stonehill College.
Damore said her sister enjoys the day program. “They have their activities, and they have their friends, and it gives them a purpose to get up in the morning and go,’’ she said.
Lamarre receives physical, occupational, and speech therapy in the program. Without those services, her physical abilities would quickly decline. “Walking is a struggle for her, but she is determined to keep going,’’ said Mary Jo Campbell, habilitation coordinator at the Arc of the South Shore. “If she just sat and did nothing, it would be a week and she wouldn’t be able to walk.’’
First page: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/10/despite_reprieve_providers_families_of_disabled_fear_for_masshealth_budget/
To read second page go to: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/10/despite_reprieve_providers_families_of_disabled_fear_for_masshealth_budget/?page=2
© 2009 NY Times Co.
By Christine Legere
Globe Corresondent
Boston Globe
December 10, 2009
In an 11th-hour turnaround, Governor Deval Patrick announced last week he no longer plans to make $100 million in cuts aimed at addressing a deficit in the MassHealth budget - reductions that would have left some of the state’s most vulnrabl residents without services they had been receiving.
To agencies south of Boston that provide day habilitation and other services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the change of plans was welcome. But many say they worry the reprieve is only temporary. Budget deliberation for fiscal 2011, set to start in January, may once again bring discussion of deep cuts to programs for the developmentally disabled adults.
“I’m sort of waiting for the other shoe to fall,’’ said Christopher White, president of Marshfield’s Road to Responsibility program. “Fiscal 2011 has all of us very anxious because so much of this year’s budget was propped up by one-time stimulus money.’’
In an announcement late Friday, Patrick’s office said revenue from an $82 million one-time tax settlement and $37 million in above year-to-date benchmark revenue collections would allow the state to avoid the previously announced round of emergency budget cuts.
“It gives us some breathing room,’’ Patrick said in a statement. Two weeks earlier, the governor had laid out a list of reductions that would have hit hard at agencies providing services.
Lee Damore, an Abington resident who took over the care of her sister a year ago when their mother died, is closely watching decisions on Beacon Hill that will affect her family.
Her sister, Tess Lamarre, was born with cerebral palsy and severe mental disabilities. The challenges have been many for the 52-year-old, who can speak just a few words and must undergo daily physical therapy so that she can continue to slowly move about with the aid of a walker.
“Personality-wise, Tess is extremely easy, but you have to have someone with her 24-7,’’ said Damore. She, husband Tom, and teenage daughters Marina and Emily all pitch in.
Lamarre attends a day habilitation program at the Arc of the South Shore in Weymouth on weekdays, along with 47 other developmentally disabled adults in the area. She has been going there for six hours a day since she turned 22, in 1979. And while she is in the day habilitation program, Damore is able to work full time at Stonehill College.
Damore said her sister enjoys the day program. “They have their activities, and they have their friends, and it gives them a purpose to get up in the morning and go,’’ she said.
Lamarre receives physical, occupational, and speech therapy in the program. Without those services, her physical abilities would quickly decline. “Walking is a struggle for her, but she is determined to keep going,’’ said Mary Jo Campbell, habilitation coordinator at the Arc of the South Shore. “If she just sat and did nothing, it would be a week and she wouldn’t be able to walk.’’
First page: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/10/despite_reprieve_providers_families_of_disabled_fear_for_masshealth_budget/
To read second page go to: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/10/despite_reprieve_providers_families_of_disabled_fear_for_masshealth_budget/?page=2
© 2009 NY Times Co.
Law to Limit Use of Restraints and Seclusion by Schools
Steve Carter
Dallas Disability Examiner
December 9, 2009
Based on information from the Texas governor's office on disabilities, on Wednesday, December 9, U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will hold a press conference to introduce new legislation to protect all children in schools from misuse of restraint and seclusion. Miller is the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a member of Democratic leadership, McMorris Rodgers is a member of the Committee and the Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference.
This legislation is the first national effort to prevent and reduce harmful restraint and seclusion in schools. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation found hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms; a disproportionate number of them were children with disabilities. Yet unlike in hospitals, and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal funding, there are currently no federal policies that prevent the misuse of restraint and seclusion in schools. State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.
Steven Carter is a clinical assistant professor in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation Psychology. He has published a number of articles in professional journals and conducted research in areas related to disability and rehabilitation.
http://www.examiner.com/x-21533-Dallas-Disability-Examiner~y2009m12d9-Legislation-introduced-to-prevent-harmful-restraint-and-seclusion-of-children-in-schools
Copyright © 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com. All Rights reserved.
Dallas Disability Examiner
December 9, 2009
Based on information from the Texas governor's office on disabilities, on Wednesday, December 9, U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will hold a press conference to introduce new legislation to protect all children in schools from misuse of restraint and seclusion. Miller is the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a member of Democratic leadership, McMorris Rodgers is a member of the Committee and the Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference.
This legislation is the first national effort to prevent and reduce harmful restraint and seclusion in schools. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation found hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms; a disproportionate number of them were children with disabilities. Yet unlike in hospitals, and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal funding, there are currently no federal policies that prevent the misuse of restraint and seclusion in schools. State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.
Steven Carter is a clinical assistant professor in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation Psychology. He has published a number of articles in professional journals and conducted research in areas related to disability and rehabilitation.
http://www.examiner.com/x-21533-Dallas-Disability-Examiner~y2009m12d9-Legislation-introduced-to-prevent-harmful-restraint-and-seclusion-of-children-in-schools
Copyright © 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com. All Rights reserved.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Small-Business Survival a Key Concern at Forum
By ROMI HERRON
For Sun-Times Media
December 9, 2009
Nearly 100 Kane County elder care providers, senior citizens and their advocates discussed federal and state issues relating to elder care during a legislative forum Monday in St. Charles.
The event was sponsored by Kane County Senior Resources, Asbury Gardens, Countryside Care Center, Heritage Woods of Yorkville, and the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging.
Among challenges discussed were the state of Illinois' lagging Medicare payments to small businesses that provide elder care and services.
Betty Schoenholtz, executive director of Senior Services Associates, said state payments to elder care providers -- many of whom are small-business owners -- have lagged for months because of the state's budget shortages.
"It is of great concern to me what is happening to our (provider) agencies," Schoenholtz said, adding that those funds would help stimulate the economy through purchases made by small businesses. "When the state of Illinois doesn't pay its bills, we can't buy things from small business ... . We hope (state legislators) can step up to the plate and resolve these issues."
She also recommended that legislators change state law to require the Illinois Department of Public Health to allocate at least $750,000 into the ombudsman program, or to implement a "bed fee" similar to Ohio's, which requires a $6-per-bed fee to help offset costs to agencies. Schoenholtz also said the elder abuse program is owed $134,000 from the state and that the figure represents one-third the budget for elder abuse cases.
Lucia Jones, executive director of the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, also said she is concerned about how the state's budget issues are impacting service providers.
"The providers are all small-business owners," Jones said. "The numbers they serve are going up tremendously, because of the economy ... . There are hundreds and thousands of families in the state of Illinois in need of elder care; and if the ombudsman program is cut, those people will have to go into long-term care."
AARP spokesperson Heather Heppner also provided an update. "We have spent a very long time advocating to prevent cuts to community-based services. We know it is more fiscally responsible to care for individuals in their homes than in institutions," she said. "We have providers who have not been paid this entire fiscal year ... . Senior services need to have a heightened level of priority."
She also noted that AARP endorsed the Affordable Healthcare for America Act.
"On the House bill side, it was not perfect ... but the bottom line is that our health care system in this country is broken, and the things our AARP members have told us are important issues are addressed in that bill," Heppner said. Older adults were at times paying up to seven times more in insurance rates than younger adults, she said, and the health care act would cap age rating at two to one.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/1928421,3_1_EL09_14AGING_S1-091209.article
Copyright 2009 Sun-Times Media
For Sun-Times Media
December 9, 2009
Nearly 100 Kane County elder care providers, senior citizens and their advocates discussed federal and state issues relating to elder care during a legislative forum Monday in St. Charles.
The event was sponsored by Kane County Senior Resources, Asbury Gardens, Countryside Care Center, Heritage Woods of Yorkville, and the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging.
Among challenges discussed were the state of Illinois' lagging Medicare payments to small businesses that provide elder care and services.
Betty Schoenholtz, executive director of Senior Services Associates, said state payments to elder care providers -- many of whom are small-business owners -- have lagged for months because of the state's budget shortages.
"It is of great concern to me what is happening to our (provider) agencies," Schoenholtz said, adding that those funds would help stimulate the economy through purchases made by small businesses. "When the state of Illinois doesn't pay its bills, we can't buy things from small business ... . We hope (state legislators) can step up to the plate and resolve these issues."
She also recommended that legislators change state law to require the Illinois Department of Public Health to allocate at least $750,000 into the ombudsman program, or to implement a "bed fee" similar to Ohio's, which requires a $6-per-bed fee to help offset costs to agencies. Schoenholtz also said the elder abuse program is owed $134,000 from the state and that the figure represents one-third the budget for elder abuse cases.
Lucia Jones, executive director of the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, also said she is concerned about how the state's budget issues are impacting service providers.
"The providers are all small-business owners," Jones said. "The numbers they serve are going up tremendously, because of the economy ... . There are hundreds and thousands of families in the state of Illinois in need of elder care; and if the ombudsman program is cut, those people will have to go into long-term care."
AARP spokesperson Heather Heppner also provided an update. "We have spent a very long time advocating to prevent cuts to community-based services. We know it is more fiscally responsible to care for individuals in their homes than in institutions," she said. "We have providers who have not been paid this entire fiscal year ... . Senior services need to have a heightened level of priority."
She also noted that AARP endorsed the Affordable Healthcare for America Act.
"On the House bill side, it was not perfect ... but the bottom line is that our health care system in this country is broken, and the things our AARP members have told us are important issues are addressed in that bill," Heppner said. Older adults were at times paying up to seven times more in insurance rates than younger adults, she said, and the health care act would cap age rating at two to one.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/1928421,3_1_EL09_14AGING_S1-091209.article
Copyright 2009 Sun-Times Media
Designing the Intel Reader
Selena Chan, Ben Foss, and David Poisner
Dr. Dobb’s Journal
December 2,2009
Selena Chan is a Principal Engineer at Intel. She can be contacted at selena.chan@intel.com. Ben Foss is Product Development Manager for the Intel Reader in Intel's Digital Health Group. His e-mail is ben.foss@intel.com. David Poisner is a Senior Principal Engineer at Intel. His e-mail is david.i.poisner@intel.com. Courtesy Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Assistive Technology for Reading
Printed text is a default form of communication in the developed world. Beginning in early elementary school, reading is a central component of education and is the foundation for building independent, analytical skills. As students grow and begin to enter the workforce, the ability to read memos, purchase orders, and industry-related articles is critical to promotions and successful performance reviews. As the working adult matures, the prevalence of vision impairment increases and poses a challenge to those who desire to live an independent lifestyle. And for a large number of people, reading printed text is a barrier. This group of people includes those with specific learning disabilities, those with partial vision loss, and those who are completely blind.
The Intel Reader is a mobile device that takes pictures of text, translates the image into digital text by using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, and reads the text aloud by using text-to-speech (TTS) software. Figure 1 shows a photograph of the Intel Reader, after many rounds of prototype design iterations and user-focused group discussions. It is roughly 6.5x5.5x1.1 inches, about the size of a paperback book. The Intel Reader contains a high-resolution camera, designed to capture crisp images of text. To improve the accuracy of OCR, it is critical that the text images are of high resolution and as sharp as possible. When designing the user interface for the Reader, we took into account the findings from our ethnographic research and we incorporated many human factors into our design to provide print accessibility to the target audience: we included features such as image rotation and automatic correction to increase the accuracy of the conversion. The Intel Reader utilizes the Intel Atom processor and the Moblin operating system, a Linux distribution..
Disabilities, and the Challenges of Reading
Reading can be challenging for a variety of reasons ranging from learning disabilities to partial or complete blindness.
Reading-Based Learning Disability
Reading can be a frustrating experience for people who have specific learning disabilities. For example, dyslexia is a neurological disability, often characterized by difficulties with word recognition, word spelling, and word decoding. One participant in our research described reading as "having a bad cell phone connection with the paper -- words drop out or come through garbled even though I can see just fine." Dyslexia, like most learning disabilities, is an inherited condition, and not the result of lack of effort, sensory impairment, or of inadequate education.
Roughly 10 to 15 percent of any given population has specific learning disabilities, with 80 percent exhibiting reading-based learning disabilities consistent with dyslexia. In the United States, there are 55 million people with specific learning disabilities in the public schools, 8 million of whom are students under the age of 18 who have dyslexia. Although studies may vary, it is estimated that 30-45 million people are in this target population overall in the United States alone.
The majority of students first learn to read by phonemic awareness (how speech sounds make up words) and by connecting those sounds to letters of the alphabet (phonics). Next, they learn to blend the sounds into words, recognize words, and comprehend what they read. People with specific learning disabilities, however, have difficulty with phonemic awareness and phonics. Research has shown that dyslexia occurs because information is processed differently in the brain, and for this reason, reading becomes an uphill battle and remains slow and laborious.
When students struggle with these early stages of reading, they are often made to feel inferior. Frustration and isolation resulting from this lack of independence can be intense, leading to high drop-out rates and associated social problems.
With intensive and early help, students with dyslexia are often able to learn the basic skills of reading and develop strategies that allow them to stay in the conventional classroom. Generally, however, they are not able to achieve a level of reading fluency commensurate with their level of intelligence and aptitude. While they may be able to get words off a page with great effort, they are generally at a great disadvantage, relative to the majority of their peers, especially when it comes to comprehension. However, the comprehension of spoken words is not affected by dyslexia, and as a result, audio processing of information is highly desirable for individuals with dyslexia.
Blindness and Visual Impairments
For people with vision-loss, reading poses a real challenge. Anyone with non-correctable reduced vision is considered to be visually impaired. Cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, corneal opacity, diabetic retinopathy, and trachoma are examples of pathologies that can cause vision acuity loss. Vision impairment can range from severe low vision (uncorrectable beyond 20/200 to 20/400) to near total blindness (less than 20/1000). At the extreme end, individuals who completely lack light perception are considered totally blind.
Visual impairment is unequally distributed across age groups. More than 82 percent of all people who are blind are over 50 years of age, although they represent only 19 percent of the world's population. There are an estimated 1.4 million blind children below age 15 in the world. In the next 30 years, an ever-increasing number of people will develop some form of visual impairment due to the aging of our population. Potentially blinding eye conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are increasing as the world's population ages.
People with Disabilities.
There are text readers that help students build reading comprehension skills, a number of computer programs are available to help students with literacy, and audio books have emerged as an alternative format to help students read by listening. Audio books are typically available for common textbooks, selected novels, and popular magazines and newspapers. Additionally, for content that is in electronic format, such as websites and emails, text-to-speech software can be used to convert it to audio. However, there are documents that exist primarily in printed format, such as store receipts, coupons, business memos, personal mail, and specialty publications, all of which require an alternative means of access. Alternative access means reliance on a third party, be it a scanning service to get access to text, or a special educator to provide on-going support. The Intel Reader was developed to address these needs, offering an evolution of the existing assistive technologies to a more portable and intuitive usage model, as well as access to text at a time and place of the user's choosing.
To read pages 2-5 go to the link listed below:
http://www.ddj.com/architect/222000377
Dr. Dobb’s Journal
© 2009 TechWeb
Dr. Dobb’s Journal
December 2,2009
Selena Chan is a Principal Engineer at Intel. She can be contacted at selena.chan@intel.com. Ben Foss is Product Development Manager for the Intel Reader in Intel's Digital Health Group. His e-mail is ben.foss@intel.com. David Poisner is a Senior Principal Engineer at Intel. His e-mail is david.i.poisner@intel.com. Courtesy Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Assistive Technology for Reading
Printed text is a default form of communication in the developed world. Beginning in early elementary school, reading is a central component of education and is the foundation for building independent, analytical skills. As students grow and begin to enter the workforce, the ability to read memos, purchase orders, and industry-related articles is critical to promotions and successful performance reviews. As the working adult matures, the prevalence of vision impairment increases and poses a challenge to those who desire to live an independent lifestyle. And for a large number of people, reading printed text is a barrier. This group of people includes those with specific learning disabilities, those with partial vision loss, and those who are completely blind.
The Intel Reader is a mobile device that takes pictures of text, translates the image into digital text by using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, and reads the text aloud by using text-to-speech (TTS) software. Figure 1 shows a photograph of the Intel Reader, after many rounds of prototype design iterations and user-focused group discussions. It is roughly 6.5x5.5x1.1 inches, about the size of a paperback book. The Intel Reader contains a high-resolution camera, designed to capture crisp images of text. To improve the accuracy of OCR, it is critical that the text images are of high resolution and as sharp as possible. When designing the user interface for the Reader, we took into account the findings from our ethnographic research and we incorporated many human factors into our design to provide print accessibility to the target audience: we included features such as image rotation and automatic correction to increase the accuracy of the conversion. The Intel Reader utilizes the Intel Atom processor and the Moblin operating system, a Linux distribution..
Disabilities, and the Challenges of Reading
Reading can be challenging for a variety of reasons ranging from learning disabilities to partial or complete blindness.
Reading-Based Learning Disability
Reading can be a frustrating experience for people who have specific learning disabilities. For example, dyslexia is a neurological disability, often characterized by difficulties with word recognition, word spelling, and word decoding. One participant in our research described reading as "having a bad cell phone connection with the paper -- words drop out or come through garbled even though I can see just fine." Dyslexia, like most learning disabilities, is an inherited condition, and not the result of lack of effort, sensory impairment, or of inadequate education.
Roughly 10 to 15 percent of any given population has specific learning disabilities, with 80 percent exhibiting reading-based learning disabilities consistent with dyslexia. In the United States, there are 55 million people with specific learning disabilities in the public schools, 8 million of whom are students under the age of 18 who have dyslexia. Although studies may vary, it is estimated that 30-45 million people are in this target population overall in the United States alone.
The majority of students first learn to read by phonemic awareness (how speech sounds make up words) and by connecting those sounds to letters of the alphabet (phonics). Next, they learn to blend the sounds into words, recognize words, and comprehend what they read. People with specific learning disabilities, however, have difficulty with phonemic awareness and phonics. Research has shown that dyslexia occurs because information is processed differently in the brain, and for this reason, reading becomes an uphill battle and remains slow and laborious.
When students struggle with these early stages of reading, they are often made to feel inferior. Frustration and isolation resulting from this lack of independence can be intense, leading to high drop-out rates and associated social problems.
With intensive and early help, students with dyslexia are often able to learn the basic skills of reading and develop strategies that allow them to stay in the conventional classroom. Generally, however, they are not able to achieve a level of reading fluency commensurate with their level of intelligence and aptitude. While they may be able to get words off a page with great effort, they are generally at a great disadvantage, relative to the majority of their peers, especially when it comes to comprehension. However, the comprehension of spoken words is not affected by dyslexia, and as a result, audio processing of information is highly desirable for individuals with dyslexia.
Blindness and Visual Impairments
For people with vision-loss, reading poses a real challenge. Anyone with non-correctable reduced vision is considered to be visually impaired. Cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, corneal opacity, diabetic retinopathy, and trachoma are examples of pathologies that can cause vision acuity loss. Vision impairment can range from severe low vision (uncorrectable beyond 20/200 to 20/400) to near total blindness (less than 20/1000). At the extreme end, individuals who completely lack light perception are considered totally blind.
Visual impairment is unequally distributed across age groups. More than 82 percent of all people who are blind are over 50 years of age, although they represent only 19 percent of the world's population. There are an estimated 1.4 million blind children below age 15 in the world. In the next 30 years, an ever-increasing number of people will develop some form of visual impairment due to the aging of our population. Potentially blinding eye conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are increasing as the world's population ages.
People with Disabilities.
There are text readers that help students build reading comprehension skills, a number of computer programs are available to help students with literacy, and audio books have emerged as an alternative format to help students read by listening. Audio books are typically available for common textbooks, selected novels, and popular magazines and newspapers. Additionally, for content that is in electronic format, such as websites and emails, text-to-speech software can be used to convert it to audio. However, there are documents that exist primarily in printed format, such as store receipts, coupons, business memos, personal mail, and specialty publications, all of which require an alternative means of access. Alternative access means reliance on a third party, be it a scanning service to get access to text, or a special educator to provide on-going support. The Intel Reader was developed to address these needs, offering an evolution of the existing assistive technologies to a more portable and intuitive usage model, as well as access to text at a time and place of the user's choosing.
To read pages 2-5 go to the link listed below:
http://www.ddj.com/architect/222000377
Dr. Dobb’s Journal
© 2009 TechWeb
How to Get Early Intervention Autism Therapy for Your Child
By Nancy Shute
U.S. News & World Report
December 4, 2009
The good news is that it looks like very early intervention programs for children with autism really do help. The bad news is that services can be hard to find, and expensive.
Toddlers who participated in a study testing the Early Start Denver model for early intervention showed improved language skills and IQ, compared with children who didn’t get the specialized training, which emphasizes social skills and communication. The intensive therapy, which included 20 hours a week at home with a trained therapist and additional time working with parents, increased the IQ of the children by 18 points, compared with 7 IQ points in children who got more standard therapy.
Researchers and pediatricians have increasingly thought “the earlier, the better” when it comes to autism treatment, but this is the first hard evidence that working intensively with children who are younger than 2½ helps reduce the social and language deficits typical of autism. The study, which involved 48 children ages 18 months to 30 months, was published online Monday in Pediatrics.
This indicates it’s even more important that children suspected of having autism spectrum disorders get evaluated and treated as early as possible. In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics said all pediatricians should screen children for symptoms of autism at 18 and 24 months, so the family pediatrician is a good first stop. But don’t stop there. “The pediatrician may be saying, ‘Let’s wait and see,’ ” says Geraldine Dawson, a coauthor of the new study. Dawson is the chief science officer for Autism Speaks, an advocacy group, and a research professor at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. “I think one of the things that this study underscores is that parents should really pay attention to their own instincts and find a doctor who will listen to their concerns and then make an appropriate referral,” she says.
If your child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, finding and paying for treatment can be a struggle. Here’s the basic route:
Find your state’s early intervention program, which should help you find and pay for treatments. Federal law requires states to provide early intervention services for children with developmental delays through age 3. The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has a searchable database that will connect you with the early intervention services office in your state. Your pediatrician also can help steer you to your state program.
Push hard to get your child evaluated as quickly as possible. The state-mandated multidisciplinary evaluation and assessment is designed to observe your child’s physical, cognitive, and social development, then decide if your child needs early intervention. The evaluation is free through the state’s early intervention program, but waits can be frustrating.
Some parents opt to pay for evaluations themselves rather than wait. Autism Speaks, an advocacy group, has a “100 Day Kit” designed to help speed the evaluation process and make a family’s first 100 days after receiving an autism diagnosis less painful.
Find treatment in your area. The early intervention services offered vary widely from state to state. The Individual Family Service Plan created as a result of your child’s evaluation should spell out what services will be provided to your child and family and tell what the state will pay for (that varies from state to state, too). The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders has a list of scientifically validated autism treatments. The Autism Society of America’s Autism Source database lists services by ZIP code, but its list is far from complete.
Ask other parents how they’re getting the services their child needs. Parents who have been there are fabulous sources of tested advice and support. Internet support groups and listservs are a great place to find parents who share your concerns, whether they’re in your county or in another country. The Children’s Disabilities Information list of autism groups is a good place to start finding the parents who can help guide you in finding the right help for your child.
See if your state requires insurers to pay for autism therapy. Fifteen states have passed laws that require insurers to pay for early intervention therapy when state programs do not. It’s also included in health reform proposals in Congress. For more information on insurance coverage, check out autismvotes.org.
Do the therapy yourself. Dawson and Sally Rogers have written a book, The Early Start Denver Mode for Young Children With Autism, that parents can use themselves if they haven’t found a therapist trained in the method. (Here’s a video of one Early Start Denver therapy session. It looks like fun.) Dawson also recommends Wendy Stone’s Does My Child Have Autism? as a guide to finding good services fast.
“There are things that parents can do,” Dawson says. “These very young kids can participate in an intervention in a meaningful way, and parents can learn these strategies.”
http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-parenting/2009/12/02/how-to-get-early-intervention-autism-therapy-for-your-child.html
http://www.usnews.com/health
US News & World Report
Editorial Offices:1050 Thomas Jefferson Street NWWashington, DC 20007202-955-2000
Copyright © 2009 U.S.News & World Report LP
U.S. News & World Report
December 4, 2009
The good news is that it looks like very early intervention programs for children with autism really do help. The bad news is that services can be hard to find, and expensive.
Toddlers who participated in a study testing the Early Start Denver model for early intervention showed improved language skills and IQ, compared with children who didn’t get the specialized training, which emphasizes social skills and communication. The intensive therapy, which included 20 hours a week at home with a trained therapist and additional time working with parents, increased the IQ of the children by 18 points, compared with 7 IQ points in children who got more standard therapy.
Researchers and pediatricians have increasingly thought “the earlier, the better” when it comes to autism treatment, but this is the first hard evidence that working intensively with children who are younger than 2½ helps reduce the social and language deficits typical of autism. The study, which involved 48 children ages 18 months to 30 months, was published online Monday in Pediatrics.
This indicates it’s even more important that children suspected of having autism spectrum disorders get evaluated and treated as early as possible. In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics said all pediatricians should screen children for symptoms of autism at 18 and 24 months, so the family pediatrician is a good first stop. But don’t stop there. “The pediatrician may be saying, ‘Let’s wait and see,’ ” says Geraldine Dawson, a coauthor of the new study. Dawson is the chief science officer for Autism Speaks, an advocacy group, and a research professor at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. “I think one of the things that this study underscores is that parents should really pay attention to their own instincts and find a doctor who will listen to their concerns and then make an appropriate referral,” she says.
If your child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, finding and paying for treatment can be a struggle. Here’s the basic route:
Find your state’s early intervention program, which should help you find and pay for treatments. Federal law requires states to provide early intervention services for children with developmental delays through age 3. The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has a searchable database that will connect you with the early intervention services office in your state. Your pediatrician also can help steer you to your state program.
Push hard to get your child evaluated as quickly as possible. The state-mandated multidisciplinary evaluation and assessment is designed to observe your child’s physical, cognitive, and social development, then decide if your child needs early intervention. The evaluation is free through the state’s early intervention program, but waits can be frustrating.
Some parents opt to pay for evaluations themselves rather than wait. Autism Speaks, an advocacy group, has a “100 Day Kit” designed to help speed the evaluation process and make a family’s first 100 days after receiving an autism diagnosis less painful.
Find treatment in your area. The early intervention services offered vary widely from state to state. The Individual Family Service Plan created as a result of your child’s evaluation should spell out what services will be provided to your child and family and tell what the state will pay for (that varies from state to state, too). The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders has a list of scientifically validated autism treatments. The Autism Society of America’s Autism Source database lists services by ZIP code, but its list is far from complete.
Ask other parents how they’re getting the services their child needs. Parents who have been there are fabulous sources of tested advice and support. Internet support groups and listservs are a great place to find parents who share your concerns, whether they’re in your county or in another country. The Children’s Disabilities Information list of autism groups is a good place to start finding the parents who can help guide you in finding the right help for your child.
See if your state requires insurers to pay for autism therapy. Fifteen states have passed laws that require insurers to pay for early intervention therapy when state programs do not. It’s also included in health reform proposals in Congress. For more information on insurance coverage, check out autismvotes.org.
Do the therapy yourself. Dawson and Sally Rogers have written a book, The Early Start Denver Mode for Young Children With Autism, that parents can use themselves if they haven’t found a therapist trained in the method. (Here’s a video of one Early Start Denver therapy session. It looks like fun.) Dawson also recommends Wendy Stone’s Does My Child Have Autism? as a guide to finding good services fast.
“There are things that parents can do,” Dawson says. “These very young kids can participate in an intervention in a meaningful way, and parents can learn these strategies.”
http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-parenting/2009/12/02/how-to-get-early-intervention-autism-therapy-for-your-child.html
http://www.usnews.com/health
US News & World Report
Editorial Offices:1050 Thomas Jefferson Street NWWashington, DC 20007202-955-2000
Copyright © 2009 U.S.News & World Report LP
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Just in case you need a sample...
If you are not sure what to write to Governor Perdue, Unlock has a sample for you! Personalize it to make it your family's own story, and include a picture of your family if you can. Make sure to emphasize the need of your family member if you are on the waiting list, and if the waiver and services are working for you, please say so! Leaders need to hear what is working and that the services are valuable for you. Thank you, Rita
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Governor Sonny Perdue
Office of the Governor
Georgia State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Fax 404-657-7332
Dear Governor Perdue,
I want to thank you for your past efforts to support adults with disabilities throughout Georgia. I understand the economic/budget crisis that the state is facing but this crisis is also impacting those of us caring for loved ones with disabilities.
I am asking that you support the DBHDD request for 1500 NOW/COMP waivers which includes 150 waivers to transition people from hospitals to the community and the DCH budget requests for 100 MFP and 176 ICWP waivers. These waivers provide persons with disabilities the supports they need to live in the community and are more cost-effective than serving them in hospitals or nursing homes. Georgia has over 6400 people with developmental disabilities and 187 people with physical disabilities currently on the Medicaid waiver waiting lists.
SUGGESTIONS TO PERSONALIZE YOUR LETTER
The reason I’m taking this time to write you is that ……
OR YOU CAN USE
This issue is important to me and my family because……
Thank you for your continued support for people with disabilities in Georgia.
Sincerely
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Governor Sonny Perdue
Office of the Governor
Georgia State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Fax 404-657-7332
Dear Governor Perdue,
I want to thank you for your past efforts to support adults with disabilities throughout Georgia. I understand the economic/budget crisis that the state is facing but this crisis is also impacting those of us caring for loved ones with disabilities.
I am asking that you support the DBHDD request for 1500 NOW/COMP waivers which includes 150 waivers to transition people from hospitals to the community and the DCH budget requests for 100 MFP and 176 ICWP waivers. These waivers provide persons with disabilities the supports they need to live in the community and are more cost-effective than serving them in hospitals or nursing homes. Georgia has over 6400 people with developmental disabilities and 187 people with physical disabilities currently on the Medicaid waiver waiting lists.
SUGGESTIONS TO PERSONALIZE YOUR LETTER
The reason I’m taking this time to write you is that ……
OR YOU CAN USE
This issue is important to me and my family because……
Thank you for your continued support for people with disabilities in Georgia.
Sincerely
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
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