June 2016: Highlights and Hot Topics
June 2016 Highlights & Hot Topics
- A Message from Our Executive Director
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MAHEC Hosts AUTISM: Across the Spectrums of Age and Ability Conference
Download a pdf of the June newsletter here.
A Message from Our Executive Director
North Carolina is taking big steps towards making the State more inclusive for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). Earlier this month, the North Carolina General Assembly launched a Joint Legislative Caucus on I/DD, that will allow key leadership to provide information on how to make services and supports better for people with the I/DD and their families.
Led by Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D - District 24) and Rep. Marilyn Avila (R - District 40), NCCDD joined The Arc of North Carolina and First in Families on June 15, 2016 to discuss how the State can better serve the I/DD community in terms of services and supports -- and what that looks like with our Five Year Plan.
Continuing with our policy efforts, NCCDD's public policy team reviews the latest information in regards to Medicaid Reform currently ongoing within North Carolina.
One of our goals and objectives for the new Five Year Plan is advocacy, and NCCDD's NC ADA Network initiative brought advocacy to local area businesses across North Carolina. In partnership with the Southeast ADA Center, the initiative released the Americans with Disabilities Act: Starting the Conversation with Business – A Leader's Guide to help businesses become more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We have great things happening in North Carolina as we continue to move toward full inclusion and integration for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.
Chris Egan
Executive Director
On June 1, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Rick Brajer unveiled the state's 1115 Waiver application, as known as "Medicaid Reform." The 1115 Waiver, often called a demonstration waiver, is a request to change how the Medicaid program is structured, delivered and evaluated on a state-by-state basis. In his presentation to the Health Committee, Secretary Brajer mentioned the importance of broad stakeholder input, including families of individuals with I/DD, throughout his presentation. The state's response to received public comment is a required component of its official application. (Please see the Council's previous coverage of Medicaid Reform for additional background information.)
The waiver application, with a cover letter signed by Governor Pat McCrory, officially begins North Carolina's lengthy Medicaid Reform dialogue with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Many unanswered questions and opportunities to engage in the process remain.
NCCDD will work with our I/DD Medical Health Home Initiative and other partners throughout the State to keep you updated and inform the waiver process to best meet the needs of individuals with I/DD and their families.
NCCDD Speaks to New Joint Legislative I/DD Caucus
The North Carolina General Assembly established a joint Legislative Caucus to focus on the needs of people with I/DD and their families. The caucus is an important step forward to address programs that support people with I/DD. We are grateful for the work of The Arc of NC for leadership in this effort. Chris Egan presented to the Caucus on June 15, 2016. First in Families Executive Director Betsy MacMichael and her daughter Janie Desmond also spoke. We are excited about the eagerness of the Caucus to learn and hear from individuals with I/DD.
They are among 70 who are interning at nine sites, primarily hospitals, throughout North Carolina through Project SEARCH, a model launched in 1996 in Cincinnati.
Funding several of the North Carolina programs has been the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities. The council, a stand-alone state agency mandated and funded by the federal government, works to give people with disabilities and their families access to – and a voice in shaping – services and support they need. - See more at: http://nccdd.org/news-media/in-the-news/335-triangle-business-journal-hospital-partnership-aids-individuals-with-disabilities.html#sthash.40OFSeU0.dpuf
Taking Initiative: NC ADA Network Develops Guide for Community to Address Accessibility for Businesses
The North Carolina ADA Network released the Americans with Disabilities Act: Starting the Conversation with Business – A Leader's Guide to help customers with disabilities connect with businesses about improving accessibility and encouraging voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The purpose of the guide is to provide people with disabilities a way to provide feedback on making a business more accessible; offer specific and helpful information on the ADA; and follow up to track changes and improvements.
"People with disabilities are customers, and this guide is an effective, grassroots way to help businesses become more accessible to all of the customers in their community," said Karen Hamilton, organizer of the NC ADA Network. The NC ADA Network is an initiative of the Council and also a collaborative project of the Southeast ADA Center, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.
Chris Egan, executive director of NCCDD, said, "When our businesses are more engaged with people with disabilities, it is better for our whole community. This guide is an effective way to empower individuals to make businesses and communities more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities."
The Americans with Disabilities Act: Starting the Conversation with Business – A Leader's Guide was developed in collaboration with the Southeast ADA Center. In its efforts, the NC ADA Network has hosted 35 ADA trainings serving more than 650 individuals and worked with grassroots groups and individuals in 41 counties over the past year.
To download the Americans with Disabilities Act: Starting the Conversation with Business – A Leader's Guide, visit: http://nccdd.org/images/article/ada-conversation.pdf
MAHEC Hosts AUTISM: Across the Spectrums of Age and Ability Conference
Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) will host the AUTISM: Across the Spectrums of Age and Ability conference on June 28-29, 2016 in Asheville, NC. The conference welcomes David Pitonyak as the 2016 featured Keynote Speaker, with a variety of specialized tracks designed for Intensive In-Home Providers, Licensed Mental Health Practitioners, Teachers, Early Intervention Specialists, and Parents & Families.
Planned topics include an in-depth overview of the characteristics of Autism, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, working with children with sensory processing differences, intervention strategies that promote success and celebrate abilities as well as differences, empowerment tools, early screening tools, strategies to foster success when transitioning young children into primary education, strategies to foster success for adolescents transitioning into college and adulthood, and a wide variety of evidence-based approaches designed to optimize unique abilities and enhance awareness, while ensuring success.
For more details on the conference and how to register, visit http://bit.ly/28PzZSh
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