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PLUK eNews March
22, 2005
http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Mar_22_05.htm
Volume 3 Issue 15
Welcome to PLUK's electronic
newsletter!
(Download the printable pdf version at: http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Mar_22_05.pdf
)
We are proud to present news of interest for Montana families of children with disabilities and special health care needs, and for the professionals and educators who serve them; however, it does not constitute an endorsement.
Billings Associate Board planning Kids at Heart Gala,
May 13
May 13, 2005, Kids at Heart Gala with a performance by the Mid Life
Chryslers, Sheraton-Billings, call Dennis Moore at the PLUK office, 406/255-0540
The event will be at the Sheraton in Billings Friday May 13th and will feature
the band - the Midlife Chryslers. This band consists of Billings' area doctors
who participate in 4 or 5 performances a year for local nonprofits. The
Committee is excited about their involvement and is looking forward to the Gala.
In addition to the band's performance, the event will include heavy hors
d'oeuvres, a silent auction, a live auction featuring Bill Holt and much more.
For information on sponsorships or tickets, call PLUK's office at 406 255-0540
or 800 222-7585.
Harkin introduces Bill to support Community-Based
Services for Individuals with Disabilities
(From Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.)
Legislation would allow individuals to receive care in their own homes and
communities, rather than nursing homes
Washington, D.C. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that he introduced
the Money Follows the Person Act of 2005. The legislation, co-sponsored by
Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), would reimburse states for community based services
for an individual currently living in a nursing home or similar facility.
"We have a Medicaid system in this country that is spending approximately
two-thirds of its dollars on institutional care and approximately one-third on
community services. This bill is an important step toward switching those
numbers around," said Harkin. "It is shameful that our federal dollars
are being spent to segregate people, not integrate them."
Under this legislation, the Medicaid money paid by states and the federal
government would follow the person with a
disability from an institution into the community. The Act would provide 100
percent federal reimbursement for the community services that an individual
needs during the first year after they move out of a nursing home or similar
facility. After that first year, the individual would remain in the community,
and states would receive their regular Medicaid match for their services.
"This bill would allow people with disabilities to have choices that we all
take for granted--to live with family and friends, not with strangers; to live
in a neighborhood, not a nursing home or institution," Harkin said.
"Federal Medicaid policy should reflect the consensus that Americans with
disabilities should have an equal opportunity to contribute to our communities
and participate in our society as full citizens."
Go to http://harkin.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=232934
or visit http://thomas.loc.gov/ and enter
the S.528 bill number for the text of the bill.
Medicaid Cuts Stripped: ABC NEWS
(From Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.)
WASHINGTON Mar 17, 2005 - The Senate voted Thursday to strip all proposed
Medicaid cuts from the $2.6 trillion budget for next year, killing the heart of
the plan's deficit reduction and dealing an embarrassing setback to President
Bush and Republican leaders.
Read more about it at http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=590313
REFERENCE POINTS: House Passes Job Training Improvement
Act of 2005
(From Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.)
On March 2, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 27, the Job Training
Improvement Act of 2005, a bill that reauthorizes Title I of the Workforce
Investment Act; the Adult Basic Education Skills Act, which governs state
programs for adult education; and the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which provides
services to help individuals with disabilities become employable and achieve
full integration into society.
The bill provides a number of provisions related to vocational rehabilitation
and people with disabilities, including an assessment of the transition services
provided through the VR system and how those services are coordinated with those
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and strategies the
state will use to address the needs identified in the assessment of transitions
services. These provisions were initially included in the Senate version of the
bill to reauthorize IDEA, but in an agreement worked out between House Education
and Workforce Committee Chairman Boehner and Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Kennedy, those provisions were not
included in the final IDEA law and were instead included in H.R. 27. CEC and its
Division on Career Development and Transition have strongly supported these
provisions and are pleased that they are included in the Job Training
Improvement Act.
H.R. 27 also requires a set-aside of funds for state VR agencies to provide
transition services to students with disabilities served under IDEA as they
prepare to move out of school to postsecondary education, employment, or
independent living. This set-aside would be triggered once the annual
appropriations for the programs reach $100 million above FY 2004 levels.
For a summary of H.R. 27, go to http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/109th/workforce/wia/hr27billsummary.htm.
Montana Legislative Update From C. Briggs
Legislative Update #10:
1. Appropriations. I provided in update #9 an update of the 2nd reading
action in the House on HB-2, Section B (Human Services, or DPHHS) on Friday. The
remaining sections of the bill were heard on Friday (C-E), and the bill barely
passed 2nd Reading late in the day (51-49), with only one Republican, John Witt
(R-Carter), joining with Democrats to pass it. Witt serves as vice-chair of the
House Appropriations Committee, alongside Rosie Buzzas (D-Missoula), the Chair.
He said that while he didn't like the bill, as it didn't have enough cuts, he
nonetheless thought both sides of the aisle had cut as much as they could
probably agree to, even if they stayed another. The $7 billion biennial
government bill was cut by nearly $60 million in floor action, and projections
are it's only about $3-$4 million over the statutorily defined spending cap.
More than $20 million of those cuts came from one state agency, Environmental
Quality, and nearly $5 million from Corrections.
Please bear in mind, exceeding the spending cap or not, can only be determined
at the end of the next biennium when the state can determine what the average
per capita personal income growth has been (past tense). Democrats can arguably
maintain they are within striking distance of not exceeding the cap. However,
the "big bill" must still pass 3rd Reading.
Here's another immediate sticking point. Democrats on Friday evening tried to
get a two-thirds majority to suspend the rules and vote on 3rd Reading (rules
say you need to give people overnight to re-think their vote before the
non-debatable 3rd Reading. It failed by one vote (66/34). On Saturday,
Republicans incensed at the funds appropriated in HB-2 tried to get
re-consideration of the Friday vote so they could open debate once again. That
motion failed (50-50). But, that leaves the fate of the bill hanging, because if
Democrats don't get at least one Republican to vote yes on the 3rd Reading vote
the first of the coming week, they're back to the drawing board. Republicans
want to hold it hostage so they can (a) both further cut the bill and (b) use as
much as $40 million of the current surplus to give Montana voters a tax refund.
Of course, to do that, much of the funding currently in the bill would be
slashed - and many Republicans feel that too much of human services has become a
sacred cow this year. What's ironic is that all the increases to programs over
the biennium that's coming to an end is without any "new" taxes -
except the $1 per pack tax increase to cigarettes approved by the state's voters
last November. Many Republican lawmakers are angry at what they believe are
inflated revenue estimates that are being used to fund so much of human
services, especially the largest area of the budget's growth, CHIP (Children
Health Insurance Program).
One final point, as I mentioned in earlier emails, HB 745, introduced by the
House Speaker, Rep. Gary Matthews (D-Miles City), is vital to the appropriations
process. This is the supplemental appropriations bill that funds unanticipated
expenses at the end of a biennium. It's been as low as $11-$12 million in some
sessions - as high as $80+ million. It's set at about $56 million, and must be
approved in some form to cover expenses such as any fire season that starts
before July 1. It has requests that came originally from the Martz
Administration, such as settling a long-standing lawsuit with the Crow Tribe
(about $9 million), as well as paying up front the costs of much of the new
computer system out of the surplus. It failed to move in Appropriations (10/10
vote), so it now sits waiting for 2nd Reading in House, as it was pulled out of
the committee by one of the Democrats 12 "silver bullets." It's going
to be a cranky week before they recess Thursday for a long Easter weekend.
For your information, when HB-2 finally passed House 3rd Reading, it's
transmitted to the Senate, where it will be taken up after the Easter break by
the Finance & Claims Committee (composed of Senate members of the six joint
appropriations sub-committees that reviewed all agency budgets the first two
months of the session). When they complete work on the bill, it's sent back to
the House for concurrence. All changes made by the Senate have to be agreed upon
by the House, which is unlikely. What happens then is that each chamber appoints
representatives to a "free conference" committee that will hammer out
the final version, which must be balanced (final revenue estimates deadline were
approved last Thursday, the 17th), before they adjourn on the 90th day, April
25th.
2. Other Legislation. Here's the most recent update of other bills we've been following:
Charlie Briggs, CEO
CWB Consultation
511 Fifth Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
PH: 406/449-4075/406.431.9732(mobile)
Region V CSPD Bus Registration for Montana CEC
Bus to CEC: Region V CSPD is sponsoring a bus to Montana CEC Conference in
Billings. The bus will leave Missoula on April 12 and return on Friday, April
15th. Cost per person is $40. Please contact Nancy Marks at admin@cspd.net
if you would like a copy of the Bus Registration Form; the registration deadline
is April 1st. Please don't delay to register if you'd like to ride it's a great
opportunity for networking and saving mileage costs!
Civil Rights Project-Why Segregation Matters: Poverty
and Educational Inequality
(Courtesy of Harvard Civil Rights Project at http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/deseg/deseg05.php)
Excerpted from the report By Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee
This report examines the changing nature of segregation and integration in a
society that has now become far more profoundly multiracial than it was in the
past and explores some of the connections between segregation by race,
segregation by poverty, and unequal opportunity. It has several basic goals-to
help people understand some of the mechanisms of educational inequality by
looking at segregation of schools and students by poverty, discussing the
massive research literature showing the ways in which high poverty schools are
systematically unequal, and then exploring the racial consequences of the fact
that concentrated poverty schools have a vastly larger impact on black and
Latino students than on their white and Asian counterparts. Another basic goal
of the paper is to show how different relationships between race and poverty in
differing parts of a nation in rapid demographic transition challenges the
traditional black-white description of segregation. Unlike our earlier studies,
this one gives central attention to the issue of segregation by poverty and
shows how it relates to racial inequality.
Read the complete report (PDF) from the Harvard Civil Rights Project at http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/deseg/Why_Segreg_Matters.pdf
2005 Summer Camp Directory for Children with Special
Needs from CSHCN
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center for Children with Special
Needs has announced that their 2005 Summer Camp Directory is ready! It lists
over 70 camps and programs in Washington State for children with special health
care needs or disabilities.
This FREE directory is available online at http://www.cshcn.org
under "Resources" or by mail through ESBA.
Evergreen Spina Bifida Association, email: patti_logan04@yahoo.com,
web: http://www.evergreenspinabifida.org
Support Group Starts March 22, Billings
NOTICE to Survivors of [a loved one's] Suicide
Rita Watson, licensed professional counselor in Billings, is beginning a
survivor of suicide support group this month. The first meeting is:
Tuesday, March 22nd at 7:00 p.m.
1004 Division (CN Plaza) Room # will be posted when you get there
No Charge! Participants may donate IF they can to defray the cost of materials.
Questions? Call Rita Watson, Licensed Clinical Social Worker-(406) 208-8961
NBC Series "Autism: The Hidden Epidemic" Now
Available on DVD
(From PACER.org)
Want a DVD copy of the recent NBC programs on Autism? NBC has arranged to offer
these programs on DVD through the Autism Speaks website at www.autismspeaks.org.
The DVD costs just a penny (since the NBC website system does not recognize
"free" items) and shipping and handling is $4.95. Delivery takes about
6-8 weeks.
To order a copy of the NBC series, email your name and shipping address to info@autismspeaks.org.
**Due to the high volume of requests, you may get an error message saying the
email was undeliverable because the recipient's mailbox is full. It is possible
that you will need to re-send your request at a later date.
AirLifeLine Medical and Humanitarian Transport Flights
(Courtesy of AirLifeLine)
For nearly 25 years, AirLifeLine has helped people overcome the obstacle of
distance and access to healthcare. Through a nationwide network of 1,500
volunteer pilots, AirLifeLine coordinates free air transportation for people in
need. AirLifeLine's generous and compassionate volunteer pilots - men and women
from all 50 states with a wide variety of backgrounds - donate flights in their
personal general aviation aircraft. Passengers fly totally free, as often as
necessary and for as long as needed, to reach medical care or for numerous other
humanitarian needs. Since 1978, and AirLifeLine volunteer pilots have flown over
30,000 missions. In 2002, AirLifeLine volunteer pilots provided free air
transportation for nearly 9,500 passengers (men, women, and children), saving
them over $4 million in commercial travel expenses, helping them reach medical
treatment that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Although the vast majority of its passengers fly for medical reasons,
AirLifeLine pilots also offer free flights for other humanitarian reasons. Each
summer, AirLifeLine's volunteer pilots transport children from Chernobyl to host
homes across the U.S. for a two-month summer respite. They also transport
hundreds of children to health-related summer camps each year. Within 48 hours
of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01, and while most aircraft were still
grounded, AirLifeLine volunteer pilots were in the air transporting emergency
service personnel, disaster victims, blood and medical supplies in support of
disaster relief efforts in New York City and Washington, D.C.
AirLifeLine is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that relies 100% on the
generosity of volunteer pilots, as well as individual, corporate, and foundation
contributions. AirLifeLine is the oldest and largest national volunteer pilot
organization in the United States. For more information about AirLifeLine, call
toll-free (877) AIR LIFE (877-247-5433).
LD Resources Online-Article from Roger Dean Kiser
"A D Minus"
(Courtesy of LD Resources.com)
"A D Minus" © Roger Dean Kiser
I remember my Landon Junior High School seventh grade, math teacher's name very
well. It was Mr. Young. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was
missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle
finger.
For some reason I was not very good in school. English and Math were my worst
two subjects. There was just something wrong with me, inside my head. No matter
how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I did not understand what all
the other kids found so easy to learn. I don't think there was ever a day I went
to school that I was not afraid.
One day, I was told by Mrs. Winters, the head matron of the Children's Home
Society Orphanage, that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken
to the Juvenile Court in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. She would tell the
judge to send me away to the 'big prison for kids'.
I tried really hard for weeks to learn how to multiply, do fractions, and
compound things. I just couldn't understand how to make different parts of
numbers into whole things, but my brain just couldn't do it, no matter how hard
I tried.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr. Young would give
me an E, just like he always did.
After class ended, I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage was going
to send me to the big prison if I got another E on my report card. He told me
there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave
me a better grade than I had actually earned.
I smiled at him, turned and walked towards the door, then I stopped. I looked at
the teacher and said, "Mr. Young, you know how all the kids make fun of you
because you're missing your finger?"
He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side, like he was biting the inside of
his gum, and said nothing.
"They shouldn't do that to you because you can't help not having a finger,
Mr. Young. Just like I can't help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like
that," I said.
Again, he said nothing as he looked down at his desk, and began grading papers.
The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While
on the school bus, I opened the report card envelope and looked at my grades:
Geography; B+, Mechanical Drawing; C-, English; D-, History; C-, Gym; B+, Art;
C, Math; D-.
That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received in my whole life. Not
because I didn't get sent to the big prison for kids, but because I knew that
someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a
finger inside my head.
Read Kiser's article online at http://www.ldresources.org/?p=1056.
Online Gaming for the Visually Impaired
(From Wired.com)
The Blind Fragging the Blind
02:00 AM Mar. 14, 2005 PT
By David Cohn
Michael Feir is an avid gamer. He spent so much time playing games in college he
created his own online gaming magazine. But Feir doesn't play the best-selling
games and has never seen World of Warcraft -- he's blind. It doesn't matter. A
growing library of computer games has been built specially for blind gamers,
using sound instead of visuals to let players know what's going on around them.
"My dad had taken me as a young person to arcades and he would tell me what
to do, and what was going on," said Feir, founder of Audyssey Gaming
Magazine ( http://www.angelfire.com/music4/duffstuff/audyssey.html
), an online quarterly for blind gamers. "I always thought that I could
play myself if they were sound-based games."
Now the games exist -- lots of them. Audio games represent almost every gaming
genre, from multiplayer role-playing games to action-adventure titles, driving
games, science fiction thrillers, and puzzle games.
Read the article online at http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,66879,00.html?tw=rss.TOP
for more information and links to gaming resources.
Wrightslaw Information for SPED Lay Advocates
(Courtesy of Wrightslaw.com)
A Tale of Two Advocates: State Bar Issues New Decision on Unauthorized Practice
of Law
The question of whether lay advocates can represent parents in special education
due process hearings is answered differently around the country.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 and IDEA 2004 contain
the "lay advocacy" statute as follows:
20 U.S.C. Section 1415(h) - SAFEGUARDS. Any party to a hearing conducted
pursuant to subsection (f) or (k), or an appeal conducted pursuant to subsection
(g),shall be accorded
(1) the right to be accompanied and advised by counsel and by individuals with
special knowledge or training with respect to the problems of children with
disabilities; (emphasis added)
(2) the right to present evidence and confront, cross-examine, and compel the
attendance of witnesses; . . .
(Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, page 72)
Under this provision, many parents have been represented by "lay
advocates" at special education due process hearings. Some school districts
have complained to state Bar Associations that this representation is the
Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL).
In March 2004, the Florida State Bar instituted an investigation of advocate
Lilliam Rangel-Diaz for the Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL).
As the Florida State Bar explains, "The main purpose of UPL investigations
and prosecutions is protection of the public from fraud and bad advice affecting
legal rights." (See FL Bar UPL)
When the Florida State Bar finds that an individual is guilty of the
unauthorized practice of law, an injunction is usually issued against that
individual. If the person persists in the UPL misconduct, a contempt violation
is issued and six months of jail can be expected. Many states have similar
procedures and penalties.
Lilliam Rangel-Diaz is a nationally recognized advocate for children with
disabilities. She has testified before Congress and wrote Special Education: Is
IDEA Being Implemented as Congress Intended?. She testified before the
President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education about the
reauthorization of IDEA. Ms. Rangel-Diaz also served on The National Council On
Disability (NCD).
Why did the Florida State Bar investigate Lilliam Rangel-Diaz? Attorneys for
four Miami-Dade County school boards complained that Mrs. Rangel-Diaz's
advocacy, which included representing parents in due process hearings,
constituted the Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL).
Read more about UPL and SPED Hearings at http://www.wrightslaw.com/news/05/diaz.upl.0307.htm.
Utah Denounces 'No child' Legislation
(From MSNBC.com)
ASSOCIATED PRESS-SALT LAKE CITYUSA - Gov. Jon Huntsman on Wednesday scheduled a
special legislative session for final action on a bill that rebukes the federal
''No Child Left Behind'' law, after asking lawmakers to delay consideration
while he seeks a compromise with federal officials. There had been speculation
that the Utah Senate might take up the bill Wednesday before adjourning, making
a special session moot. Lawmakers, however, failed to act in the final hours of
the 2005 legislative session.
Utah wants to prioritize the federal education law, President Bush's education
centerpiece, behind its own system of measuring performance outcomes for
students.
The legislation amounts to one of the sharpest denunciations among 15 states
considering measures on No Child mandates.
Read the rest of this AP article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7091549/.
Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Library Resources
Available
(Courtesy of MCH Library)
The MCH Library has received a 5-year grant to expand its extensive hard-copy
collection of nearly 30,000 items-including a century's worth of historic
documents on MCH as well as current documents that are not readily available
elsewhere-and to enhance its electronic resources. This wealth of information
can be used to inform new program initiatives, educate students, and reach
families and other key groups with state-of-the-art knowledge about topics
ranging from adolescent mental health and asthma to substance abuse and violence
prevention. MCH Library electronic resources include:
In addition, the MCH Library provides information assistance available on
site and via telephone, postal mail, and e-mail to aid MCH professionals and the
public in locating resources.
The MCH Library web address is http://www.mchlibrary.info.
Mercury Pollution Identified As A Threat to Fetal
Development
(From Yahoo.com)
Mon Mar 14, 1:07 PM ET
To: National Desk, Health and Education Reporters
Contact: Joel Finkelstein of the National Environmental Trust, 202-887-1345 or
202-285-0113 (cell)
WASHINGTON, March 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Learning Disabilities Association of
America (LDA), the National Education Association (NEA), and the Arc of the
United States today released a brochure that identifies mercury pollution as one
of the greatest threats facing developing fetuses, infants and young children.
This publication also shows parents how exposure to this potent neurotoxicant
can adversely affect their child's learning potential.
Read the rest of the Newswire Press Release at
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20050314/pl_usnw/leading_education__learning_disability_advocates__alert_issued_to_parents_linking_toxic_mercury_and_learning_disabilities129_xm.
Access the informational brochure at http://www.ldaamerica.org
and http://www.thearc.org.
Easter Seals and PAAS Easter Egg Dyes Team Up, E-Cards
"Spread Some Springtime"
(Courtesy of Easter Seals)
For more than 70 years, the Easter Seals seal has been an American -- and
springtime -- tradition! This year's free e-cards, which feature the original
lily artwork from the 2005 seals, are perfect to send for Easter or Mother's Day
-- or just to brighten any day! Remember, there's no limit to how many e-cards
you can send, and you can personalize them with your own message. Help spread
some springtime -- and the word that Easter Seals provides services that make a
difference in the lives of children and adults with disabilities. View and send
the cards from http://www.easterseals.com/site/Ecard?ecard_id=1021.
Send an e-card and then vote on the Web site of our sponsor, PAAS® Easter Egg
Dyes, for the winning design for their 125th anniversary Easter egg. You'll be
registered for a chance to win great prizes for the Easter season.
A Unique Trip for Young Montanan Representing
Children's Miracle Network
(From the Helena Independent Record)
Miracle Child
By PEGGY O'NEILL - IR Health Editor - 03/15/05
Todd Daniels' favorite place is in his mother's lap. It's the place he goes to
calm his anger, to watch "Wheel of Fortune," and to be reminded that,
yes, his dream of a family actually came true.
Last week, flanked by three of his new brothers, Daniels was recognized on the
House and Senate floors at the State Capitol for being the Montana
representative of a Children's Miracle Network program called Foresters
Champions Across America; his mother, Becky Barrus, stood behind him hugging his
small figure in her ample arms.
Daniels travels to Washington, D.C., later this week with 49 other kids from
across the country who are representing the 17 million hospitalized children in
the U.S. After visiting Capitol Hill and the White House, the young ambassadors
will be honored at Disney World.
Read the rest of this story at http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/03/15/health/c01031505_01.txt.
Study Participants Needed-Depression And Women with
Disabilities
(From Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.)
NEWS RELEASE
Research Center seeks participants for a study of Depression among Women with
Disabilities Who Live in Rural Settings. If you are feeling sad and blue most
days, or having difficulties concentrating, sleeping, or eating, etc. and if you
would like to help other women like yourself. Contact us Today! Recruitment has
started! Call to schedule your interview. Must be present for interview!
Workshop will last 8 weeks. See below:
The Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD) is seeking women
with physical disabilities who would like to participate in a study of
depression. This research project is part of a national study conducted by Dr.
Rosemary Hughes and her research team at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston,
TX.
"Women with disabilities often struggle to overcome depression. Their
disability may have a significant impact on the way they view themselves. This
study will explore the physical and attitudinal barriers that women with
disabilities face everyday," said Dr. Hughes, "This project will also
help us better understand the effect that depression, stress, and lack of social
support can have on women with disabilities."
Women with physical disabilities who are interested may call Caring &
Sharing Center for Independent Living, Inc. for more information. Qualified
participants will receive a Small Payment. For further information contact:
Kathy Lentz, Sr. Program Associate, Toll Free: 1-866-539-7550 or 727/577-0065
Workshop Schedule: (5 wks in April) and (3 wks. in May) DAY/TIME: Friday,
2:00-4:30 PM, PLACE: Centennial Library, 5740 Moog Road, Holiday, FL, Phone#
727/834-3204.
WestEd Free Publications
(From WestEd.org)
WestEd, a longstanding nonprofit, research, development, and service firm that
has worked for years "to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve
learning for children, youth, and adults" offers free publications and
other resources on their website. Take a peek at dozens of listings at http://www.wested.org/cs/we/query/q/1379.
Learn more about WestEd's 35+ years of educational service and read about the
agency's newest efforts at http://www.wested.org.
Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005:
A Resource Guide for People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Their
Advocates
(Courtesy of Kaiser Family Foundation.org)
This guide explains the critical role Medicare and Medicaid have come to play in
the lives and the futures of roughly 20 million children, adults, and seniors
with disabilities - and gives people with disabilities new information to help
them get the most from these programs.
View the report online at http://www.kff.org/medicare/7240.cfm.
Download the PDF at http://www.kff.org/medicare/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=50946.
Human Services Resource Institute Offers "EPSDT:
Supporting Children With Disabilities"
(From Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.)
Here at HSRI, www.familysupport-hsri.org,
we've recently completed a 50-page booklet entitled, "EPSDT: Supporting
Children with Disabilities," (EPSDT = Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis,
and Treatment), which was developed as a user-friendly resource to help
families, advocates and others better understand EPSDT services. This booklet
describes EPSDT, its components, eligibility, access, services, immigration
issues, grievance and appeals procedures, and more. We are in the process now,
of mailing the booklets out to all of our family support program contacts.
Please feel free to print and distribute this booklet. The booklet is available
on our website at http://www.familysupport-hsri.org/resources/EPSDT.pdf.
Parent's, Let's Unite for Kids - PLUK
516 N 32nd St
Billings MT 59101-6003
800-222-7585; 406-255-0540; 406-255-0523 (fax)
plukinfo@pluk.org
http://www.pluk.org
Edited by: Roger Holt rholt@pluk.org
Proofed & condensed by: Elisabeth Mills scribe@pluk.org
Mission Statement: Parent's Let's Unite for Kids unites parents, professionals, families and friends of children with special needs to support one another, and share information for the benefit of their children.
Vision Statement: Given information and support, individuals with disabilities and their families will feel empowered to advocate for themselves and participate fully in educational and community opportunities.
Statement on accessibility: Today, we endeavor to be conscious of the need for making all electronic information accessible, as we are aware of physical accessibility issues in our community. For design guidelines visit http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/guideline/
Privacy Policy: We do not sell, rent, or lend the e-mail addresses of our subscribers.